|
Correspondence from Karl Germer to Jane Wolfe
K.J. GERMER 260 West 72nd Street New York, N. Y.
December 16, 1947
Dear Jane,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
The Greetings of the Solstice of Winter.
Yours of Dec. 13th. Do you remember last year when, commenting on LXV you asked me a positive question concerning the passage of at the end of LXV/IV? When I said we should beware of speculation?
All the Holy Books [Volume I, Volume II, Volume III] contain passages which have intrigued students. Every one of us has sinned against the rule laid down in the Comment of AL: A.C., perhaps most of all, but then of those whom I know personally, Leah [Leah Hirsig], Mudd [Norman Mudd], I.W.E. [Martha Kuntzel], Smith [Wilfred Talbot Smith], Jack [Jack Parsons], etc. etc. Some lost the balance of their mind completely and went insane. Achad [Charles Stansfeld Jones] is still pursuing his insane dreams. I have strong indications that A.C. up to almost his end had not rid himself of old interpretations of certain passages. "Be ready to fly or to smite", may be one of them.
The trouble is that no one knows from what plane these books or some particular verses have to be interpreted. I believe that all prophetic passages in the Holy Books are realised or understood after the event has taken place. To interpret them before, leads invariably to obsession.
A.C. wrote the Comment in a rage of despair at renewed proofs of Mudd's insane obsessions about his interpretations of passages of AL. As long as we are human, and we live on this plane, the constitution of our minds is bound to keep making us err. I even don't think there is anything wrong with that, except that we ought to train our mind to doubt, doubt, and continue to doubt, and with its help develop a method to check and balance the activities of that mind; and remain detached, distant, from all our conclusions. A.C., of course, has preached this constantly, and practiced it. With a vivid, imaginative, brilliant mind like his he was always in greater danger than others.
I think it is excellent to recite and/or meditate on AL daily. I am doing this with all H[oly] B[ooks]. I have found that apart form flashes of meaning (possible meanings) that sometimes spring up, the main thing is that this reciting operates like a mantra, or like the "prayer mills" of the Chinese, or the monotonous handling of the rosary by the Catholics, or a similar practice of the Mahammedans. (A Turkish friend of mine handled their form of rosary continually.)
A vital thing is to step up the practice to "inflame thyself in prayer". The flame must be aroused to light up the inner recesses of the soul. But there again we must remember LXV: "thou strivest ever" . . . . "then yield". That is the point: to be able to yield. The soul must be ready to receive Adonai. May-be to attain to this condition of the soul is a grace?
I will shortly pass on to you some information that has arrived about the funeral, etc. etc. Briefly, the problem is to get the Will probated. Difficult, because A.C. was an undischarged bankrupt, and the creditors might step in to seize all valuables or assets. All the papers are safe. They may now be with Wilkinson [Louis Wilkinson] and Symonds [John Symonds], to be listed. Money for the funeral and local debts and I hope for the legal expenses was found. Liber Aleph seems complete, also the Golden Twigs. The printer claims as far as I heard, over one hundred pounds. Whether this includes the binder, I don't know. The legal problem is whether A.C. as an undischarged bankrupt can make a Will at all the way he has made it.
Lady Harris [Frieda Harris] writes: ". . .it is so sad to bear, I was so fond of him. Luckily during the last few months I have seen quite a lot of him, and after finding him in a really deplorable state, was able to ensure in fact that he had a daily nurse and Watson [Herbert Watson], who was waiting on him incessantly. I went down the day he died & found, altho I don't think he recognised me, that he had everything & got a night nurse. as I did not think he ought to be alone. Mrs. McAlpine [Deirdre McAlpine] (Pat) was there with the child [Aleister Ataturk] who is a strange little thing, and Pat was with him when he died. She says he just went to sleep, no struggle thank goodness. He was a bit confused the day before and said he did not know where he was. I think Liber Aleph was complete but I can tell you more after Tuesday, when, if the cases come to London by then, we hope to make a serious effort to sort them & a list will be made, & sent to you. What a pity you can't come over, it would be such a help but I am sure you can trust Louis Wilkinson & John Symonds to do their level best. . . . the press here is unbearable not a decent word said tho James Laver & Bax [Clifford Bax] have tried. There are 2 books at Hastings printers Liber Aleph & another. For Liber Aleph 104 pounds is owing. We told the printers to wait. . . . The cremation was most impressive & dignified. Louis Wilkinson read the poem The Book of the Law, excerpts of the Gnostic Collects magnificently. Even that could not stop the mouth of the foul reporters."
This so far, is all I have heard. Would you mind to get the pertinent parts of the above copied and mail to those entitled including Max [Max Schneider] and Grady [Grady McMurtry]? I have too much to write?
Love is the law, love under will.
Ever yours,
Karl
|