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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Gerald Yorke
The Ridge, Hastings
20. 10. 45
Dear Gerald,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Thanks for yours. I do not know who wrote the typescript [a translation and commentary on Ananda Lahari] but the style of typing is very familiar to me, and I think it is a Babu of some sort, as you yourself apparently do.
I could give you a whole lot of information, but not by writing, the subjects which these MSS. treat [the Bhairavi Diksha] being unsuitable for that medium. The MS. was lent me by Mr. David Curwen, 7a Melcombe Street, Baker St., N.W.1, but I am not at all sure whether he will be pleased at me having disclosed his name. He is a very curious person.
I quite agree with you about the inherent difficulties in the Manuscript. One of the troubles is that, as you know, the Hindus have got an Anatomy of their own. That, too, you seem to have noticed.
It is true that from what he writes it would appear that he is making everything depend almost exclusively upon the physical or physiological basis; but when you go into that with him you find there is a whole lot of additional stuff about mantras and various magical methods, including secret medicines and the like. In a letter I got from him a day or two ago Curwen talks about their sending certain Salts from India and speaks of a great deal of magical work having been done in India. It is all very puzzling. Naturally I got in contact with this subject quite a lot while I was in India, and on the whole I was repelled, though I had no moral scruples on the subject. I came to the conclusion that the whole thing was not worth while. They do a sort of Cat and Mouse game with you: they give you the great secret, and then you find there is something left out, and you dig up this and go for a long while in a rather annoyed condition, and then you find there is yet another snag. And so on, apparently for ever.
In any case it did not square with my ideas of initiation. I never wanted to do Hatha Yoga, "seek ye first the kingdom of God" etc.
I am interested (and a little surprised!) at the extent of your knowledge of all these subjects. You must have put in a great deal of hard work.
I am beginning to feel the good effects of the dentist's excavations. Now that there is very little poison left to soak into my system I am beginning to get back to my old self again, which I have certainly not been since when he began to unloose the floods of poison. All this summer I have had simply no energy left whatever to do more than the absolutely essential work, and that was done without any dhatu; it even affected my Chess; one hard game made me completely tired, and I had quite long spells of being completely Chess blind. Now as I said I am well on the way to restoration. Yesterday I beat H.H. Cole, an international master, 2 games out of 3; and to-day one Mackenzie, nearly as good, 2 games running. But as regards my Work, I'm still Damnably frustrated. I have a whole stack of letters to write this afternoon, and must not continue.
Love is the law, love under will,
With love to yourself, Angela [Yorke's wife] and Co.,
Yours sincerely,
Aleister.
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