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Correspondence from Charles Stansfeld Jones to Albert H. Handel
24 May 1946
Dear Brother Handel,
Your further letter of 5/21/46 was received last night. You are right: the situation is more involved than you thought.
Lohengrin does not appear in the Parzival story as dealt with by Wagner and in The Chalice of Ecstasy. That does not mean that one associated with that name, through his own choice, in a magical manner, has no important part to play in the Great Drama of Human Life. The numeration—418—is bound to link such a name with New Aeon vibrations. But each one's Path is different. No two initiations are alike, or can ever be duplicated. You have been led to adopt certain means or, if you will, have chosen them. In working out your own salvation you will doubtless find that others are involved. There is a certain pattern ever being woven into the Grand Design, and threads cross and re-cross as the years roll by.
It is not possible for me to write and tell you my experiences and the details of the complicated formulae involved. Neither is it necessary. But, apart from your recent good offices on my behalf, I do owe you a debt of gratitude of which you probably are quite unaware. I refer to the fact that you were good enough to instruct the publishers to send me a copy of Altai-Himalaya about the year 1929, and to your having sent a card, 'The Fiery Sky', from picture by same author only last Christmas. Thus you formed symbolic links in another chain which has proved of great benefit to me, and which may have far-reaching good results for others. Therefore, although mine of May 22, with enclosures, represents the very best advice within me to give, I will add a few notes of partial explanation.
Please notice in my communication to A.C. (of which you may have kept a copy) it is clearly stated: "One, in passing, entered the City of the Pyramids on June 21st, 1916." It is true that a full cycle has elapsed, etc., but that does not necessarily mean that the One referred to remained wholly seated in the desert all this "time". A trace of "astral dust" may have been left there, and planetary astral travel entirely suspended during that period; but the star-world may have been free beyond, and the earth-plane of this planet Tellus available for physical aspects of the Great Work. A.C. (or rather, O.M.) as an occult Master was given up on June 21, 1916, as an integral part of initiation. Therefore, have never in any sense been under him since that time, as Therion or anything else. Whatever happened immediately subsequent to that date was, of course, fully reported, and is shown in Magical Record of which only the first section was ever printed and published. But A.C., of course, is gully aware of details.
777 was never "cast out" into any Sphere (as another was into the Sphere of Jupiter) but deliberately discarded all high grades and returning to Malkuth—has chosen Sphere of operations—again took, and has since used, his Neophyte's Name, Achad.
"Parzival", though 5º=6o Name, was thereafter used in connection with O.T.O. only. Therefore, you see (except technically in referring to past operations), when I said to you that you might be mixing the planes, and that these things were of no concern to ACHAD, I meant just that. As "Achad", was made Grand Neophyte of A∴A∴ (a new and special title) and stood guard at the entrance. Knowing what I did about certain dangers of higher grades, was not anxious to set you, for example, on a path (officially) which would lead you to them. So in 1927 you were protected by one "unwilling to set" you "on that path".
Liber Legis certainly says that the old ritual were black and new ones were needed. Don't know about "Vision and the Voice" working (to which you have been drawn) but in my opinion old "Tree of Life" is obsolete, and don't know why you are worrying with it—trying to do stunts to attain high grades to help "Nemo" out or something. One stands in no need of such sacrifices. Achad did his best to show that the channels of WISDOM, LOVE and POWER now directly converged on MALKUTH. Why not get on with the job in this Joyful Kingdom right here on earth? And work from here into the great free starry light worlds? Why bother with the old DARKNESS? We're in a New Aeon now.
But, do we want (the suggested) 2000 years of Horus? We've had some of that, haven't we? What about the prophesied Aeon of Truth and Justice—The Aeon of Maat—of M.A.A.T.?
The WORD for that Aeon was pronounced in 1926. There was division (hither homeward) because that Word not known to 666—although he knows of it. Success is of course the only proof. Achad advises be simple, be truthful, and get on with the job. There's lots to do. 777 may be said to be HUMANITY, not merely any individual. Humanity has been crucified this time. Also, AMFORTAS may be said to be Humanity—perhaps another cycle is needed to staunch the wound. Don't worry about me, then; it's all the others who so much need help, from Lohengrin and other good Knights of Thelema or of the Holy Ghost.
But what you heard when you awoke at 5 A.M.—that question about Amfortas—had a very real (though lesser) meaning. The records show a letter of 1932 which reads: "But now, if the Heraclean task must continue, the choice between pleasure and duty being made, there comes the freeing of Prometheus—or the healing of the wound of Amfortas, in the Parzival formula . . . it is not well that untold suffering should be prolonged . . . And so, farewell . . . for this time and may I crave Thy Blessing on my head as I set out once more upon the Path—stoop, once again, to build things up with wornout tools."
Ever with affection,
Achad.
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