|
Aleister Crowley Diary Entry [Reincarnation Memory Diary] Tuesday, 29 July 1919
I must set down memories of my 'Great Incarnation'. There is a village in a valley; it clusters about a monastery with square towers of adobe or some such stuff. There is a mountain path from this village, nearly a day's walk up. One comes suddenly to level ground, grass, and flowers; then a stone wall with a wooden gate. Behind this is a wood, or rather a plantation, extremely regular, of pine trees. The gate is guarded by two Mongolians, very fierce, big men, with curved swords. You go through the plantation, about a quarter of a mile, dead level, and it opens on to a greensward with flowers. There is my house just on the border of the plantation, which at this end is irregular. Outside the trees there is a stone shrine, a conical white stone set in a cube. On the right hand, as one goes up, is a very steep descent to the valley, which is arid and rocky. Looking from my house the level dips slightly, and the valley rises so that one can walk from the house to the upper part of the glacier. This glacier is fed by two branches, one on either side of a solitary peak, something like Mont Collen, but immensely bigger. I guess it nearer twenty than fifteen thousand feet. For this reason, and because, on my last journey, I went over barren plains, I am inclined to place this valley in the Hindu Kush at the Western or North-Western end.
The valley ran nearly East to West. I can map the place from memory; I lived there many years.
A. Path from village. B. C. Wall D. Hut of guards E. My house F. Shrine G. Glacier H. Stream in valley I. Path to Mountain J. Ridge I climbed K. Mountain.
I remember that I was only there in summer; I returned to the monastery in the village when the snow came. I feel pretty sure that these monks were Mahayana Buddhists, of sorts. I was not one of them; I spoke their language only a very little. Far down the valley was a way over mountains to the South; this landed me in Persia, after a very long journey. I feel pretty sure it was Persia, not Kashmir, the only possible alternative, because I remember no Indians.
|