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Correspondence from Karl Germer to Frederic Mellinger
September 25, 1951.
Dear Frederic,
THE GREETINGS OF THE EQUINOX OF AUTUMN!
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
To-day I received:—your letter of Sept. 21; letter from Lekve [Friedrich Lekve] of same date to me; original letter from you to Lekve dated Sept. 12; copy of your letter to L.[ekve] of Sept. 21; copy of his to you of Sept. 21; copy yours to Metzger [Hermann Metzger] of Sept. 9; original of Metzger's to you of Sept. 10; (apparently original of yours to M.[etzger] of Sept. 12, which I enclose; copy of Lekve's to M. of Sept. 20.
The immediate object is to clear your own position, and your attitude to Lekve and Metzger.
(1) If you really want to save your citizenship and return to the U.S.A., the money for the trip has to be found. You mention $300 as the need. If absolutely necessary we will have to find that sum here in one way or another. Tell me when you would at the latest need it; also where it would have to be cabled in an emergency; and the latest day. (Can you get accommodation as steward or in some other form; on American boats they often look for help; there are usually longshoremen or Waterkantler who have the connections and do it for a fee. (It would save quite a lot in this situation of dire need.)
So take your steps and make your arrangements with that in view, only notifying me of date and amount, and Bank where to send for you.
(2) Lekve seems to me somewhat stingy; he certainly should not count the shekels when it comes to helping a brother, and the Work; he should jump forward spontaneously and scrape the needed cash together, using his credit to borrow. 750 marks should be such a big sum for a man in his position, despite all he may argue! I think you should take a rather firm attitude towards him. After all, the lodge in Cal. did not count when they were in need; the Burlingames [Ray and Mildred Burlingame] just showered expensive parcels over him, Ruth, etc. for a couple of years. Jane [Jane Wolfe], and I, too, did a lot. So what?
However, apart from taking a firm stand, go ahead with the O.T.O. if you feel like it. His letter to you of Sept. 21 does not appear to take the bull by the horn, as he should. I would like the O.T.O. operative in Central Europe on our lines, not on those of Reuss [Theodor Reuss]. It seems to me as though Reuss did not take the A∴A∴ as the supreme Order with the obligation to accept AL as the basis of the O.T.O. work.
(3) This brings me to Metzger: he is surely an O.T.O. man, knows a lot of its past history and can tell you more. He has lots of documents, of which I am eager to get copies or photostats. (He promised them, but seems to prevaricate.) I'm afraid, on meeting him, he will be able to do see quickly that he knows more than you yourself; he has the obligation and is well trained to be careful (which is only to his credit). So you will have to be diplomatic. You must be firm, and yet pliable. In my last to him I had asked him to tell me what he knew about the supreme Secret of the O.T.O. He may know it, though not fully. Reuss at one time published "De natura deorum", and one other of the secret documents in German (which he had from A.C.). It may be this fact that made Metzger write to you that we had to be more careful in the future; and he may be right. (I just heard that typed copies of those secret MSS. are circulating in London, and fetch fantastic prices! through the booksellers; of course, they may well make further copies and sell them!)
He knows all about Grosche [Eugen Grosche] and knows Traenker [Heinrich Tränker] personally. You know, that I worked with Traenker (Recnartus) for several years and published "Pansophia" with him 1923-1925. He keeps up with T.[ränker] for diplomatic reasons, he says; may-be, for others, too? T. had a Charter from Reuss; how valid it is, seems doubtful. Anyway, he and Achad [Charles Stansfeld Jones] were the ones who made A.C. accept the office of O.H.O. [Outer Head of the Order]. I was in on most of those proceedings in 1925.
I would like to see M. go ahead with O.T.O. work; yet I would like to know more about and of him. I suggest you keep a certain reserve and refer him for ultimate decisions to me. These may have to wait until I see you and have a chance to have long and repeated talks.
I suggest you make careful notes of all your discussions both with Lekve and M. One forgets too easily if notes have not been made immediately after.
Another point is that we should insist on payments of the initiations fees and the regular dues as per table in the Blue Equ. [Equinox Vol. III, No. 1]. Failure to do so has had bad results in the past.
(4) M. writes he wants to start publishing his magazine with the Fall Equ. That is too late now. I suggest he prepares for the Spring 1952 issue, when we could prepare it properly and know him better. We must not rush this. Once you have been here and seen the material we have, we can select some MSS. for him to publish.
(5) Grosche is said to be active setting up O.T.O. Lodges in Germany. Krum-Heller jr., with whom I am in touch vaguely, was approached to join. He had better join Metzger's group, and after I hear from you, will write him to that affect. Grosche is the most abominable cheap and cheat in this field. He surely is a child of Traenker's.
(6) On re-reading Metzger's letters to you, it seems he confuses things of which he has no notion. I don't think he has seen the 11 vols. of The Equinox, nor any other thelemic literature. That explains his misconception. He knows nothing about the A∴A∴ at all, and should learn! He should go through Lekve's collection of books and MSS. when there, if only to open his eyes wide. Fuer s. Zeitschrift sollte or The Equinox als Muster nehmen. Sorry I get into German after reading his letter again.
Do your best; I must close now. I enclose a check for $10.00 in case of need.
Love is the law, love under will.
As ever,
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