Correspondence from Karl Germer to Frederic Mellinger

New York.

Sept. 15, 1951.

Dear Frederic,

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

I'm trying out this new typewriter, I'll probably make a lot of mistakes. Lucy arrived a few days ago, after a rough passage, with everybody severely seasick. She brought the typewriter safely.

Thanks for your interesting letter. There are lots of things I've got to say. In the first place I'm glad you met Lekve [Friedrich Lekve], and that you were satisfied with the meeting. He, too, wrote me an enthusiastic letter. I also liked the letter you wrote Peregrinus [Theodor Reuss]. It will be up to him now to decide whether he wants to visit you or not. On the whole nothing is better than a personal meeting. Many types of men cannot convey their true nature by letters. In fact, they might be misleading. I'll be interested to hear further about this.

No I'll come to the O.T.O. and your questions. I think you know that I am not familiar with O.T.O. ritual nor with many of the rules. In fact I have the rituals here, and yet have never studied them. I am not boasting the fact. It is only that ritual never appealed to me; I believe I even have an aversion to it.

A.C. knew this. He initiated me into the IX° as long ago as 1925 or 1926, to be more correct. I never went through any lower degrees—probably to my great loss!—I am really waiting for somebody to give me the idea back of the system and the structure of the whole by conversation, some day. But here is the vital point: A.C. long ago discarded the strict progress from grade to grade when he had personal contact and considered the candidate worthy.

No: there was no test involved! I meant it as simply as I'm writing now at greater leisure. Lekve is worthy. He has proved it by his work in hundreds of ways. We must look at essentials, not at formalism. As to the IXth itself, may-be he might divine the ultimate secret himself if he were a little prepared for it. A.C. in many cases led candidates toward it, and when he found that they had grasped it he took from them the pledge or oath as per various vv. in AL, 220, such as I, 51, "but always unto me". So, my suggestion—it is nothing but that!—still stands. If you should meet L.[ekve] again, go as far as you see fit, and there is no limit. The question is only: is this Work in the line of L.'s T.W. [True Will]? That is what he'd have to decide for himself. (You will find references to this point in Liber Aleph.) Nor would you need a formal Charter from me. The object is progress of the Work. This can only be done if you can utilize your presence in Germany. Once you should have left, the chance is passed. Ergo: these remarks refer to Metzger [Hermann Metzger] too. I do hope he will come and visit you.

One word about Lekve and his girl friend Ruth. While I go very far in respect to L., I'd suggest caution with regard to Ruth. You can go to the III° in any case, and then leave it to L. to give her further instruction.

I'll send you two copies of Liber Legis again: I was sure I had sent you some two weeks ago. It is a pity that you have not received further instructions in the O.T.O. from WTS [Wilfred Talbot Smith] or Jane [Jane Wolfe]. Jane has just recently used he own judgment, amounting to inspiration, and prepared one of her students for the III° by going through the rituals and then putting up the formal ceremony at WTS's home, which came off splendidly with deep magical impact. That is really a side which should appeal to you: to do such ceremonies of initiation with real magical effect. A.C. always insisted on this: the ceremony must be well prepared: an officer must know his part absolutely by heart; there must be genuine drama and deep meaning in it so that the ritual can operate as a real initiation. It is in Jane's line, that's why she likes it, and seems to have been the only one whose cooperation in an initiation works. WTS must be very good at it too, because he knows how to do it.

I do not have the passwords for the rituals. Jane wrote up for me years ago the various gestures, passwords, grips, etc. for the grades up to, I think the IV°; I have been looking for them, and just can't put my hands on them at the moment.

If you were here in the U.S.A. it would, of course, be the best thing if it could be managed that you could go to California, stay there for a while and with W.T.S. and Jane, and some others, would be passed through the grades as far as possible and learn all the tricks of the trade from them. A.C. at some occasions thought that this type of work: initiation through Ritual might be obsolete, or at least, not be fit for this present period of Life, and that I might want to use some entirely new method. Well, I don't know. At present I would [illegible] know. In any case I would not want the tradition to be lost.

Metzger: He must be the heir of a genuine tradition, deriving directly from Reuss. So we can't judge him so easily. And I have reasons to believe that he is being led directly to us. If you feel, on meeting him, that he is allright, give him our Rituals. (He has the rituals, the German form from Reuss' follower.) I can't accept Lekve's judgment. it is not always reliable. Besides, Metzger is young.

Yorke [Gerald Yorke] wrote that Birven (Dr. Henri Birven, Berlin) "is running a weekly lecture on A.C. I send you a prospectus. I expect it is mostly rot". If you hear about this, let me know. I also heard the Grosche (Eugen Grosche, Riesa-Berlin) has started O.T.O.—Lodge activities again. I do not know from whom he can claim authority: perhaps from Traenker [Heinrich Tränker]. Metzger should know more about this.

Now about yourself: I think, personally, that it would be foolish to lose your U.S. citizenship. You would have a year's solid work putting all of the material in order. There is lots that you have never dreamt of. At this moment I can't help financially: we are all broke. But: as I told you, I have started a new business and it looks promising, it is very likely that I may be making several thousand dollars per month beginning January. If so, finance would be no problem (In addition to that there is this California gift, of which I have a half share transferred to me, worth $15,000. But it takes time to dispose of it, and then people don't pay cash in full. Things for the Work seems to be looking up.) Tell me by return: what your Will is in this matter of return; what your problems are; what we can do; what the deadline is; etc. If it is true that you'd have to return before Dec 1, we have to hurry. As seen from here, the war is inevitable; its outbreak may be retarded till 1952 or 1953, but it is bound to come. I do not say that the U.S. is a safe country then. But the material happens to be here, and must be listed, catalogued, many things copies and distributed to other places. And the time is short.

I'll close now. I am overworked, and tired. Write me soon.

Love is the law, love under will.

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