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Correspondence from Karl Germer to Jane Wolfe [Extracts of letters circa July - December 1954]
[Undated: circa July - December 1954]
Sorry to hear about Mary K. [Mary K. Wolfe] She has set herself a monument for I well know how often she has been helpful to the Work in direct or indirect ways. But, after all, we are all getting older, and I, personally, being what A.C. called, the "suicide maniac", always welcomed death for myself. For many reasons. Anyway, I do not belong to the general run that have a morbid fear of death, As the much maligned Frederick the Great said to his soldiers: "Do you want to live eternally?"
Very interesting! Whenever you seem to be gossiping, you are liable to give data of a valuable magical nature. Especially your remarks on WTS [Wilfred Talbot Smith] give the key to his method of working and why he brought about the destruction of Jack's [Jack Parsons] mind and soul.—It explains why Jack, when he first came to visit me in 1942 in N.Y. appeared exactly like a zombie, an automaton, who is constantly looking over his shoulder, as though asking: can I say this? am I saying too much? do I act right?
"Louis' [Louis Culling] talk and worry about the unsaleability of A.C.'s or rather, Thelemic books? He talks out of his Ruach, but l can understand the thoughts and the worries of all you poor people in California because you see practically nothing but a deep stagnation of our Work. I know Smith's [Wilfred Talbot Smith] views, and talk, and thoughts by heart and inside out. At times he has been quite vociferous. I feel waves of disappointment of despondency, of downright despair from other quarters. It would be nice if we had some super-duper Billy Sunday or McCarthy, or W.W., or what not, stomping up and down these United States, and selling our books! But do the Gods wish it that way? And now? If so, it would be just one more advertising stunt with results covering, say, ten or 25 years, if that. We must never lose our Thelemic perspective. "Ye shall gather goods—etc." does not refer to a brief phase for blokes living at this particular moment. The little acorn that sticks its nose in the ground does not see the 500 year-old mighty oak.
God! I begin to ruminate. I will only say that I have enough signs that things are going to happen and that Those That are handling the job know exactly when certain things are wanted. We all miscalculate. A.C., as you know, did it all the time. Whenever an ever happened, his optimism rose: Ah! now these things will come to pass! But they didn't! The Boss seems to be using a clock on which our years are marked by days, or even less. Believe me: I often get tired of waiting.
However: do you remember some letters what I gave you to read of that young Brazilian boy [Marcelo Motta] who wrote so precocious? I am much interested in him and I am very unhappy that I cannot help him the way I ought to. I got the enclosed letter from him which I have answered as best I could—not as well as I ought to! As you know, I have never done systematic work on "777" and Magick. I lack the imagination to do the studying myself. What I want is a teacher to help me take the first steps. Once I get the hang of it, I shall bore into it like with an obsession. His Qabalah on Archangels is all wrong. I gave him the correct Hebrew writing and the Quarters, as per 777, p. 17. I have never done the ritual of the Pentagram (nor Hexagram), so cannot advise him, If you have any comment to make, please do and return the letter.
It is possible that Aleister [Aleister Ataturk] is a hard nut to crack, obstinate, fascinated by the idea to drive a car, come to California (for Europeans the fairyland!) and be able to live on the fat of the land with rich Americans dishing it out.
If he came here and would go to work in a kitchen, with no one in position to smooth the way for him he would remain a dishwasher in low jobs, especially as a foreigner with a broad Scotch accent. I would still love to have him here. But I shall wait and first see further developments and news from his mother [Patricia MacAlpine]. None of you, except possibly you, dear Jane, have any idea of what the European system of apprenticeship really means. It is what you can only have in the U.S. in a College education, or a Professional School where you pay plenty. —I am still doubtful if Aleister can stick out his 5 years; if he can, he will at least have a position in life.
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