Aleister Crowley Diary Entry

Friday, 6 July 1923

Die Venus

12.10 a.m. I have said the Adoration to Khephra. A little Hag [The Confessions of Aleister Crowley]—editing to begin the day well. Invoked Aiwass.

6. a.m. An elaborate vision. A large upper room oblong, various furniture, not much. My own room, I think—a bit like my studio in Washington Square.

Several people were present: one, my Aunt Ada, another, my mother. The latter, on some occasion following, I think, some secret Adoration (on beginning which I had been told there was plenty of time before he went down) gave me my great magical sword from a place recently its proper place in the Abbey of Cefalu. I took it reverently & lying down with it, noticing that it had twisted about its guard, or hilt, over the guard, a ring, in shape somewhat like the double serpent of my Magus ring, but without setting or sapphire, & the bodies of the serpents flattened out so as to be curved only slightly from a flat disc. In workmanship it was like my personal magical ring, rubies, sapphires & emeralds set in the gold. I bent my head to examine this & was then aware of an attachment to the blade just above the guard, a very small gramophone made of some substance like brown leather. It began to speak & I recognized that it was speaking a record which I had once made—an adaptation of the Decalogue to the Law of Thelema. The first was ‘Thou shalt have none other Gods but thyself’, or words to that effect. The second about making images of one’s self. I got this slightly muddled somehow, principally from surprise, but also from rational criticism. I was then interrupted by my Aunt Ada sitting on the divan & playing on the mandoline close to my right ear, I having put my left ear close to the gramophone. I took her by the hair which came undone, so that I had a fairly long twist in my hand. By this I jerked her across the room behind me & returned to my sword. It began again. At first I think it waited to repeat the Decalogue. But of this I am not sure. But at any rate it gave me the 2 commandments attributed to Jesus in their Thelemic form, the second being ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’, elucidating this by putting ‘being’ after ‘as’ & adducing also in brackets ‘and all equally alike’, each being equally a sovereign unity, or words to that effect. My mother then rushed up full of sisterly indignation. I got up & caught her also by the hair, & dragged her by it across the room, & pushed her out of the door. She continued to storm, & I warned her to desist, as I would never speak to her again otherwise, adding that she knew I would keep my word, & that I had always hated her though I had loved my Aunt Ada. I returned to the sword, but now the dream became confused. I cannot recall clearly the order of events, but a part of it. I was playing a game of some kind on a flat board for certain curious pieces of jewellery, & I think ornamental boxes of some precious wood, one on each board. These objects at least were on the board whether the game was played there or not. I was playing these 2 games at 2 separate boards. My opponents were women whom I cannot identify, but with whom I had some magical relations at some time. I won the first game & collected those pieces of jewellery that most appealed to me, leaving the rest for my opponent. The jewels were all small & suggested that they had some magical virtue. I remember one, a slender stem thickening to a sphere, the whole encrusted with diamonds, & from the ball hung a flexible pendant chain, not of links but of scales. This also was covered with diamonds or set with platinum, as was the whole instrument. I had some difficulty in making my choice, & not feeling sure how best to secure them, put them in the wooden casket which was of some very dark red brown wood or ebony. I then went to the other board to play the second game after calling my first opponent who had gone away to come & take her share. I cannot remember whether I played the second game or not. It is as if I became half awake, & then I found myself seated at an oblong dining table bare with my maternal grandmother on my right, the window being beyond her. Across the table next to the window was someone I cannot remember. Facing me was my Aunt Ada, & on her right (I think) my mother. The subject of conversation was, I believe, the death of My Aunt Annie, but I am not sure. In some way or other my grandmother referred to my Aunt Ada as dead. I laughingly pointed across the table. ‘There she sits in flesh & blood: what’s this nonsense about death?’ I also appealed to my mother: ‘Who is that sitting on your left?’ and she said: ‘Aunt Ada.’ I cannot remember whether my mother was remembered by me as having died. There were several other people, some dead, some living, in the room, including I think some former magical women colleagues. Again I woke half way with the conviction that an order of expulsion had been made against O.P.V. [Norman Mudd] & myself from Tunisia. The Commissary’s office was a very curious building in Oriental style. It then appeared that they wanted me to open the door of a room (I think a sort of strong room), its door also very curiously worked, & mostly I think of metal. I succeeded, & the Commissary himself thanked me & apologized for disturbing me. It appeared that the door had been inadvertently shut by a young woman whose name was familiar to me. I cannot recall it, but it was not Elizabeth Wright. I do not know why she had even been there or why vanished, after rendering the door impossible for them to open. I realised that this woman was a destined co-worker. I think she had helped me in the past. In order to trace her I went away & questioned some scientific professor whom I cannot identify. He said she was his best student & his favourite. I asked why he had allowed her to go. (He was I think one of the Adepts that I have met on the Astral). He said because she was ‘+444 RED’. It appeared that he had got rid of her very reluctantly. Probably through rationalising I identified her with Soror Ahita [Roddie Minor], 555, & deliberately woke in order to write to her to summon her to help with the Comment. The letter was in my mind. After greeting it said: ‘Your having been chosen to cooperate with Alost[rael] [Leah Hirsig] or S.W. [Soror Wesrun] [Dorothy Troxel] at the Autumnal Equinox 1919, I hereby summon you, etc. I do not at present know what part you may be called upon to play, but the scene of your work seems not unlikely to be that place to which we so often planned to go when we were working together.’

7 a.m. Note that I asked questions for the ‘equivalent of a good night’s rest’. I did not sleep until long after four, & woke at six, I feel quite fresh.

10. a.m. Frater O.P.V. being too busy to work, I took a little holiday—a nap; & was sent a dream, the third of the same kind in 3 days, which may mean Don’t go to England; don’t be unchaste: or, take care of your health.

1.44 p.m. The Work of the Comment. The formula is that of the Neophyte Ceremony, 666 being Thoth, 31-666-31 [Leah Hirsig] Demeter, O.P.V. Hades.

They are combined to invoke the descent of Iacchus 93, to confer the Comment on Thoth, from whom it will flow forth through the world & initiate the candidate, ‘the little world my sister’. His sole business is therefore to identify himself with Thoth, to make himself a perfectly pure channel of thought & expression. (These 3 can be taken as Chokmah, Binah, Chesed, invoking Kether or Malkuth; or Hod, Netzach, Yesod, invoking Tipheret

666 may perform the work of the prophet, arrange the magical details & the like, but not, I think, perform any magical operation tending to bring him into contact with positive ideas, especially those on lower planes. Any such work should be done by O.P.V. under his instructions. O.P.V. may thus apply for advice & wisdom. Demeter will have the power of 666 &, in general, act as proper to her functions as laid down in CCXX. O.P.V. will deal with the application/crystallization of the energy. The other 2 will help him in any way that does not disturb their proper work. His chief task is of course the security of the circle.

2.20 a.m. Just awoke from another abominable nightmare. Through Mont Cenis Tunnel. Jokes about darkness. With me Aimee [Aimee Gouraud], a young girl on my other side. Alostrael opposite, some man friend (youngish), other friends & some strangers—discussion as to length of the tunnel. One right, the rest wrong. Leaving Tunnel, I offended Leah: she wouldn’t speak. I crossed towards her; the train jerked; I fell, saved myself, couldn’t recover, sank slowly with my head on her feet. She, man friend, & others raised me & put me on very low divan. I called her over; she neither spoke nor stirred. This completed a second collapse. Various developments of this. The mental agony was intense though I never actually doubted her love: & it woke me sweating & half crying. Throat still parched, despite copious draughts of water. Breathing very oppressed for this last 1/2 hour or more.

9.30 p.m. Furious at oversleeping till past 11. Have reproached Frater O.P.V. bitterly! Pulled myself together & went on beach. Finished Comment on LXV, iii, & studied Chapter IV thoroughly, making notes. O.P.V. back from Tunis reports that the Police are innocent for once. Went on cutting up Hag into short lengths: will continue in this ‘kind action’.

11.45 p.m. The Cairo Working does seem hard to write up satisfactorily. Three notable major attempts—& always the trouble that a few small incidents require explanation at such length that the main features of the narrative are smothered.

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