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Correspondence from Charles Stansfeld Jones to Gerald Yorke
COLLEGIUM PANSOPHICUM IN AMERICA
Authorized by letters Patent 1924 A.D.
19 March 1948
Care Frater V∴I∴ of A∴A∴,
Our recent correspondence, inaugurated by you, has been and is of the greatest importance. Now, therefore, just before this Vernal Equinox—the first since the passing of A.C.—I am strongly moved to send you this further letter which may affect the future but which in any event adds to the historical aspect of the Work.
In your first letter of February 11, 1948 you made mention of a certain missing Word—the word not known to A.C. during his lifetime. You invited me to transmit this Word, or rather suggested that should it be given out you would like to receive it. I replied on March 5th that I saw no point in its publication just now. For indeed the matter required grave consideration.
I referred briefly to this matter again in mine of the 15th of March, Page 2, para. 2. Then in mine of March 17th, page3, last paragraph, a further most important reference was made. I will not repeat what was said there, but you should refer to it.
I would also refer you to what you said on page 4 of your confidential letter of March 9th re. your advice to S.[aturnus—Karl Germer] of a "period of silence" and your invocation, as it were, of the "Secret Chiefs" in regard to the "Magical Child" and his Work and mission. You may now begin to realize, and Liber 31 will make this much more clear, that since the Child's formula of Silence and Strength, in proclaiming or advising a period of Silence, that very fact invokes him also. Also, paragraph 3 of page 3 of my letter of March 17th clearly shows that the succession of outer head of A∴A∴—by Will of A.C.—and the magical fact that "he lives in the son", are two totally distinct and different things, wherein there need be no conflict whatever, especially since in the A∴A∴ the Son's formulas is largely Silence—or has been hitherto, while the A∴A∴ existed as a hierarchy; which may no longer be the case unless there are a complete set of existing people in each and all the grades to form the Catena. This I very much doubt, for it seemed rather hard to show one at the official publication of The Equinox of the Gods on the page with the Babalon seal. All this calls for grave consideration—but not discouragement.
History, and magical history also, always repeats itself. The O.T.O. restored the Lost Work of Masonry—the meaning of which is that "He lives in the son" (93). The A∴A∴ was a continuation of the vital current of the Golden Dawn etc., originally as a system of Scientific Illuminism. All the material of the Golden Dawn has since been published by Regardie [Israel Regardie], so as a secret Order it is obsolete. A.C. departed from his system of Scientific Illuminism by introducing the Law of Thelema as given him in Liber Legis, and making it the chief colour of the Order, for the one he had as V.V.V.V.V. could hardly, I think, be identified with Aiwaz; yet latterly, he claimed that Aiwaz was his Holy Guardian Angel and, as 93, the Ipsissimus of A∴A∴ He also clearly says in the full Commentary on Liber Legis (not the brief Comment in The Equinox of the Gods) that he had decided to put Satan before all other Gods. This was a later development on the part of A.C., and he does not seem to have had much success since—although there may be a further Mystery. The Child was magically begotten before this period; although even then, by his own admission, A.C. had had one magical fall, of which he repented bitterly. Be that as it may, I still prefer to think, as in the last line of the tribute to A.C. sent to the paper, that "love at the last sinks unweary to rest". And Love (which is the seal of the Magus) is a great Mystery. It may be that the Order (hierarchy) of the A∴A∴ died with him—if the full chain was not broken long before. But perhaps that is S.'s business. He must have information as to whether there is a full set of living persons occupying all grades. You will see when you get Liber 31 that there was a set at that time.
My present opinion, based upon what factual information is in my possession, and, which is more important, on the magical situation as I see it, is that the Mystery school will now find itself, in the hands of S., in the position of the Masons, viz: seeking a lost Word (if A.C. ever pronounced one of his own as a Magus), or the Word pronounced by A.C.'s magical child, for him, and which he knew Not, as prophesied. Without it, the old A∴A∴, as such, has been reduced (as you say A.C. was) to a mere shell. And now—Ashes. (From which the Phoenix may arise.)
But there yet remains the mystery of the Cuckoo's Egg, carefully laid in a snug nest. That even this is foreshadowed in Liber Legis itself, has only yesterday been revealed to me. I will now put sufficient of this record to prove at some later date, if necessary the complete truth of this statement. Verse I, word 3 (13) of L.[iber] L.[egis] is a 13-letter word. It contains, in a double manner, the letters of the Word of 1926, and also its numeration is equivalent to that of both Egg and Nest. In 1916, part of the telegram to A.C. re. M.T. [Magister Templi] Attainment read (as shown in diary) "One Neophyte made a beautiful Nest". A.C. first read this in error as NEXT. (Also the visions which A.C. got through two women [Roddie Minor and Elsa Lincke] from Almalantrah [Almalantrah Working] (through Ahita [Roddie Minor], who was then getting those visions, while I was present) who, in 1918, gave me my 7º=4o Name—Arctaeon, the only magical name I did not choose for myself—as a Motto, which name you will notice in the copy of Liber 31. So that's interesting, and all links up with what I am about to tell you.
In May, 1936, a simple new set of rituals (3 degrees) was written for the sole purpose of forming regular means for the transmission of the outer form (and history) of this Magical Word, dating from 1926, and symbolically arranged 1932 etc. These rituals were worked in a duly formulated Lodge—Immanuel Lodge—with Charter and under authority of the letters patent of Collegium Pansophicum, whose motto is: know & Study All. It deals with the Key of it All in the full sense of Liber Legis, but includes larger issues than the A∴A∴ (as such) which was not complete, ever. It is not my fault that A.C. knew nothing of this. He was not prepared to listen to or hear what he thought might not suit him.
You will see, then, that the Word is safe enough, but that it cannot be published or communicated at random, because the proper ritual means of transmission is also in existence, and has been for nearly 12 years. And there are living members of the original group which formed the nest to put the egg in. (Also not what Liber Legis says about the rituals of old time being black, and that a purge was required. The new ones exist for the chief magical purpose of conveying the outer and vibrational form of the Word.) Let the remaining members of the A∴A∴ seek if they will—or if they ever feel the need. This information is for historical record that the special Word still lives, and is safe. This, as you will see, is not something which has been "trumped up" after A.C.'s death to try to interfere with any legal "succession". It is part of a Great Mystery—the Initiation of humanity on this Planet.
And now there is one further point which has occurred to me. I have not been in receipt of the Word of the Equinox from A.C. for many years. Has S. the means for the pronouncement of such Words? I don't know. But what about this present Vernal Equinox which is now upon us? There is, by extraordinary "chance", so to speak, a "spare" word of this nature which dates back to March 21st 1920. If the A∴A∴ is going into Silence, perhaps it should be used as the last word—as it connects up with the last words of my tribute to A.C. As such, through you, I offer it to S. and the Brethren of A∴A∴.
On one occasion only did Frater Achad do a magical operation at the Equinox to obtain an extra word, before receiving and transmitting to the Brethren the regular one from Therion. Achad's diary reads as follows:
(The regular word from Therion at that time was received on April 13. It was OCELLI. Seems to add to 165.)
This is extraordinary in view of the projected publication of Liber Aleph—111, now left in the hands (apparently) of S., although the manuscript was written for and given to A.C.'s Son.
Achad then says: Let this word LOVE be the Key-note of this present Vernal Equinox in memory of the old A.C. and in the full knowledge and faith that Love is stronger than Death.
Yours very fraternally,
Achad. March 19, 1948. 2.36 P.M.
P.S. I recently sent you a copy of The Chalice of Ecstasy which you do not seem to possess according to your letter. Liber 31 accompanies this letter. See special statement therein.
Postscript: I don't want to confuse the issue, but here are a few additional notes which have just come to mind. Please note Verse 49 in all three Chapters of Liber Legis. I.49: Relative to what I wrote about old rituals. Those of A∴A∴ itself are now probably defunct. They may have covered merely a transition period.
II.49: Note this re. the Egg. Also remember that the formula of Aeon is not merely that of Horus, but of Horus-Harpocrates—the Babe sitting silent in the midst of the cyclone, so to speak.
III.49: This says "in a secret fourfold word" not merely "a fourfold word" as printed in early editions of Liber Legis. But note the previous verse: "Now the mystery of the letters is done, and I want to go on to the holier place." But it might appear that being IN a secret and blasphemous Word, the speaker meant that he wanted to get out of that situation, and so, in the meanwhile, he proceeds to Curse those who put Him in that position. Finally, as the Lord of the Double Wand of Power, he has crushed out the left hand aspect. Then there is a "splendour" in his name "hidden and glorious". This seems as if he achieved the "holier place" and was no longer in a Word of Blasphemy. In other words the second half of the equation has been solved (somehow) which A.C. was told to leave alone. See I.56 (immediately following 55) " . . . solve the first half of the equation, leave the second unattacked. But thou hast all in the clear light, and some, though not all, in the dark." Perhaps A.C. turned to this dark side against Nuit's instructions, and so "fell from it"—temporarily. Perhaps "NEMO makes black hands white" was the job of some other—as indicated. Let's hope the hand-cleaner has now worked—for good and all.
Now note the nature of Verse I of each Chapter. (49 was the Babalon formula.) (Note 49-petal rose above.)
Ch.I.v.1. Mentions a manifestation, and of this 13 letter word I have written to you in connection with egg and nest—and concealed Magical Word.
Ch.ii.v.1. refers to a hiding. Babe in egg. (see v.49.)
Ch.iii.v.1. refers to a reward. Abrahadabra (418) See III.47 " . . . but one cometh after him . . . Key of it all . . . And Abrahadabra. It shall be his child and that strangely. Let him not seek after this; for thereby alone can he fall from it [referring to the Beast]." But A.C. did seek after it.
NOW, perhaps, we go back to Chapter I—and what is concealed in "Manifestation"—wherein is also hidden the spirit, Hadit. Perhaps, at last, we'll get the second aspect, that of the holier place, working and brought into manifestation. Or must that only be from the Ashes of a completely ruined world? I still take the more hopeful view—an united rather than a divided world. (II.v.9. & III.16 Liber Legis.).
P.P.S. Only since writing my long letter to you has the daily paper arrived, the front page of which showed the enclosed cutting. Freak storms have invariably accompanied every major stage of the Great Initiation here since 1916—as records show. You will find a brief reference to such in Liber 31 when elements were disturbed by tension of magic currents in 1917—but later on that occasion all communication was cut off across continent. In 1932, for instance (3 days after that mysterious letter I sent A.C. dated August 13, 1932 with a lot of stamps on it), the Vancouver Sun includes: August 16, 1932: WEATHER PUZZLES SIR FRANK DYSON—Astronomer Royal . . . arrived in Vancouver. He said: (quote) "Weather conditions such as this coast is experiencing seem to have no apparent cause, he declared, as he stepped from the ship. Sun spots could be discounted, he believed". Incidentally a commission of astronomers, etc. was sent to investigate. Same sort of thing in 1934, 1936, etc. And now, just this little flurry, which puts on record that "the usual thing" has happened. This might interest you, historically. It is a pity that these piles of records here haven't so far been put into shape.
News-cuttings all fit perfectly with magical records—just as to-day: I write you on 19th re very important matters relative to the Word, and the Word of this Equinox, and out comes the paper of same day with news (although not to me) of a "crazy storm" which happened while I was thinking things over last night, and again this morning. Strange, isn't it?
Achad.
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