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Correspondence from Karl Germer to Roy Leffingwell
K.J. GERMER 260 West 72nd Street New York, N. Y.
March 21, 1949
Dear Roy,
The Greetings of the Equinox of Spring!
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Thanks for yours of March 17th.—First, let me say: if you quote scriptures, quote correctly; but if you quote Liber Legis quote it super-duper, or not at all! "Change not as much as the style of a letter!" I refer to your quotation on page 2.—Let me go immediately in media res.
The crucial point that strikes me, and from which stems so many false conceptions, is this: Nu says in Verse 28 "None . . . and two" "For I am divided for love's sake, for the chance of union", while you emphasize the heresy of the Old Aeon of the "One", or the "I, that is God"; (you do not seem to say this in such words, but the idea seems to pervade your thought). "My prophet is a fool with this one, one, one . . . and none by the Book"? This "none" is attained in the union of two. A.C. wrote on this extensively and repeatedly (see the Letter on Zero equals 2).
This is where we are fundamentally different from all old religious teachings, so it seems to me. I tried to go into this particularly when giving my talks on LXV in L.A. The division into two separate entities is there shown as the "Heart" and the "Serpent". They two unite and what remains? Nought or Adonai, or what you wish to call it for argument's sake, but not "God" or "I". It is this state of Nothingness which is the goal to attain, and is attained in Samadhi, or further still in the higher states.
Study LXV and VII carefully on that point, I pray you. It recurs again and again in every chapter, mostly many times in every chapter. The emphasis then, and the focus of A.C.'s message has been "Attain to the Knowledge and Conversation of the (Perhaps better "Thy") H.G.A. [Holy Guardian Angel]." This H.G.A. is a separate entity from you own Star Soul. It is almost as if each one of us had a twin Star-Soul (Dante: Beatrice; Goethe: Gretchen) who is riding his or her twin in the human flesh, loving it, teaching and guarding it, preventing it from making too gross mistakes, whispering into its ear and despairing if the manifested twin will not listen, or learn to hearken to the voice that speaks to the very depth of its soul.
In the 20th Æthyr this guide is given to the soul for the first time more or less closely. From that Æthyr on the intimacy of the communion between the two entities will increase to inconceivable heights, if the incarnated soul is chosen. That 20th Æthyr seems to correspond more or less with the attainment of the 5º=6o. It is the lowest form. The path from there, even as far as the 18th, 19th, 17th, 16th is tremendous; for it is said that the farther one advances in the Æthyrs, the longer and harder it takes from one to the next.
The whole object of our system is then to learn to know, and then to learn the language of, and then to intensify the intimacy with, the H.G.A., who is a thing that really exists on some 4th dimension, and may be incarnated, but unknown to the twin as such. That is the vital fact to get into one's blood: that this incarnated existence is only an image of the existence on the higher planes. That is where the actual life is, where wars are fought, etc., etc., etc., where Life and events on this planet are prepared and planned from possibly thousands of years ago. We should train ourselves to live on those planes and grow to partake of it.
These considerations will also answer some of your other points. "Gods", Secret Chief, the "Devil" and all the rest can only be experienced by such trainings of the mind as Yoga, etc. (I personally like the Devil; don't forget: I was never a Christian; I never read the bible; I never understood what "Sin, "original Sin" etc. was) On the Gods, Secret Chiefs, etc. but also on the H.G.A. A.C. took pains to write at length in his "Letters".[1] They all actually exist, and are different from each other. They have infinitely more power than for instance the H.G.A., who may be himself advanced as a soul or not. Your bus driver's H.G.A. will possibly be less advanced that that of, say, a true artist, who may have gone through thousands of previous incarnations. But read and study the "Letters" on that.
I also refer you to a Passage in the Equinox, No. 1, 2 or 3, I think, where the adept advances up the mountain, up the snows, and finally it turns out that the devil who kept seducing him, was God Himself! This is really basically the idea that has been with me from my reading of the old German Mystics.
The "Gods", "Secret Chiefs" that you mention on p. 2, are then actually doing Their stuff; They have plans, in which poor little Saturnus [Karl Germer], or Roy are expected to do some job; if we don't, They rap us over the knuckles. As Above, so below! Isn't all that very natural? Wouldn't you do the same thing if you are a good voice teacher? But there is no mystery about it?—What you say in the third last par. on page 2, seems very good. Still, I believe it would be wise to assimilate the thought that there are Powers in the Universe with consciousness who are directing and supervising events with vigilance and planfully. So as on this plane there are minds from the lowest savage to the finest flowers of art, science, and thought, so does it rise higher and higher on unmanifested planes. Don't forget, even Adonai, such a vast entity, says in LXV, I, v.8: "I who am the Image of an Image say this".—Yes: "Bother the Gods!" Why not? But learn first to understand who They are; sometimes They don't care if you say or think that: sometimes They DO! It depends on the frame of your mind.
Glad to hear what you say about the loyalty of the Rancho group! Even more if you can finish the house which I remember well. And for initiations it seems ideal! Keep me informed on the progress. I remember that it was 32' x 16'. I took the measurements at the time.
I was interrupted, and will now continue, if I can.
I wish you would give me again a clear statement on the Rancho property. You have given this several times, and 666 was often worried about how serious you took it. Believe me: I am not personally interested in that angle. But the situation should be unmistakenly clear from the point of view of the Order.
The Rancho place would be valuable as a second storage room for books MSS. and papers; secondary to the H.Q. here. We have had the warning example of 1923 when all of A.C.'s diaries, books, and papers were seized by the Customs in London (ask Jane!). We have had two examples in Germany when my stuff was seized; and later when I.W.E.'s [Martha Kuntzel] books and MSS., and all translations—her work of a lifetime—in short all her thelemic material was seized and destroyed by the Gestapo. The same happened to some other brethren in Germany. Who knows but that the same thing might not happen again.
We are already guarding against this. One set of all of 666's books, MSS., copies of diaries and papers, are being concentrated each in two separate places—in USA and in Europe. The way the hostility to Thelema will explode some day (soon?) makes it advisable to have my place here not as the only collection. I have been thinking of sending you or to some else on the West Coast a part of the stock that has arrived so far. In case of fire or incendiary at my end, for example, a secondary collection of duplicates should be safe elsewhere. What is your view? What facilities could you offer?
Do I possess a complete list of your (personal) books and MSS.? I think you promised it but did not send it. (I have the list of what property of the Order (Agape Lodge)).
See what you can do about the IV° by the help of Jane [Jane Wolfe].
I am all in accord with what you say about initiations on the Desert. I hope this need not long be delayed now.—I hear you are getting water?
Aleister Ataturk's education keeps worrying me. After my appeal some months ago I received $22 from Agape Lodge on Feb. 18 Since then nothing. I have managed to scrape the $200 together needed for the early February payment. I have just heard that the remaining payments of $200 each will become due early May and the last in September. I must have help for them! Sascha [Sascha Germer] and I are and will be tied up with obligations for the H.Q. to the breaking point. My attempt to open up other avenues for A[leister].A[taturk]. have only been partly successful. The main burden should be borne by the members of the Order! (Can we not sell some books to get some cash in? I have 'Heart of the Master', 'City of God', 'The Fun of the Fair'; one or two sets of "Magick in Theory and Practice"; several copies of the 'Tarot [The Book of Thoth], and'Little Essays' [Little Essays Toward Truth] some other books. You have still a lot of copies of Eight Lectures' [Eight Lectures on Yoga], and 'Little Essay'. Do try and sell a few!
I am waiting for your report on Monte [Gabriel Montenegro] and Phyllis [Phyllis Seckler].
Thanks for your good wishes! We both reciprocate them for yourself and your Rancho camp.
Love is the law, love under will.
Karl
Just had a letter from Georgia [Georgia Schneider]. She (with Joe [Joe Miller]) is making good progress in developing the Miller property into a self-sustaining thing. Is there no bridge across?
1—This refers to the collection of correspondence which would later be published as Magick Without Tears.
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