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Correspondence from Karl Germer to Grady McMurtry
West Point, Calif. Box 258
Dec. 23, 1957.
Dear Grady:
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Yours of Dec. 19—without the customary Greetings of the Winter Solstice!
Yours of Dec. 19, with check, and copy of Helen's [Helen Parsons] letter of Nov. 18. I wish you had sent me that copy sooner.
There is a magical intrigue afoot, of which I had heard before, but did not think Helen would yield to it. The man with whom she is plotting is Culling [Louis Culling], as you guessed. I know all their gossip about "Germer not doing anything" etc. etc., "all being scattered" and must be collected again" inside out. I had heard it for some years now.
Imagine Helen "uniting the scattered fragments"!! With the help of Culling, too, a fellow, who is, officially, no more than a II° O.T.O., because nobody trusted him, neither Jack [Jack Parsons] nor Smith [Wilfred Talbot Smith] nor Leffingwell [Roy Leffingwell], nor Max Schneider [Max Schneider]? in fact there is not one in the former Lodge world or crowd, who has said one good thing for him.—I tested him this last year, I took more trouble with him than with any one else, because he has some positive qualities. But they have grown on putrid soil. I have dropped him for good. More: I will have to warn all to beware of him because he is a subtle poison.
What you may not know is that Smith set up a document appointing his son Quen [Kwen Parsons] as his heir, and successor, over the whole Order, and the Church of Thelema, making him a Supreme and Holy King! If it were not a farce eo ipso, one could think that Smith was half insane when he did it.
Helen told me some months ago, that I had to beware of Culling, because both Smith and she distrusted him and that Smith always locked all papers when he visited.
Smith, as you know, was formally, and finally, chucked out from the O.T.O. by A.C. A.C. had in January 1932 given Smith a Charter as X° O.T.O., which he had issued in a moment of despair when he saw his end near. Subsequently he got proof of Smith's magical, and especially spiritual, inadequacy, and in 1942, when I reappeared from French Camps, revoked that Charter, and confirmed this act repeatedly.
When I came to California I visited Smith whom I had never met, and had occasion to test him from several angles and planes, because I wanted to see for myself whether A.C.'s judgment might not have been too harsh and unjust. I found that I had to agree with it and more so.
All these childish so called "members" and "Thelemites" arouse in me only a deep contempt. They are intriguing against me, and trying to set up some personal order, or organisation, blissfully ignorant of their folly and the dire judgments that Ra Hoor Khuit metes out for such as have accepted the Law of Thelema, and then proceed to infringe criminally on some lower moral planes.
We have had several vivid examples in the very history of the thelemic movement in California of what happens to traitors or spiritual weaklings. Culling and such, with Helen and her brood, and some others, will quickly find out.
As for myself? I wait and see and bide my time, if you care to hear it.
Smith's son to come to me and visit? With the poison of Smith's treachery bred deeply into the boy's very soul?
Helen has my present address. She will, if she should ever answer my Greetings, only do so with the approval of Culling. I did not have your copy of Helen's letter when I sent her my address, or I would not have done it.
"The flame of Thelema being in danger etc."—and you comment: isn't this true of all of us? Don't judge superficies! The trouble with you is that you seem to be devoid of that high and lofty inspiration that you had when you were productive as a poet. If you consider this angle, you may get a glimpse of the meaning of my brief note of Dec. 16.
And you are mistaken to think that "it is impossible to come here and go to work helping me". You could help in thousands of ways up here. But not when you come up with your car loaded full up, and you come so late that you can stay only an hour.
Jane's [Jane Wolfe] mind is gone for good. We cannot keep her any longer & remain responsible. I have taken steps for the Welfare Department to take over. You cannot imagine the things that have happened since you were here. She has been a drag and has become a definite danger; we have to watch her 24 hours a day—night.
Love is the law, love under will.
Karl
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