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Aleister Crowley Diary Entry Monday, 2 February 1925
2 Feb (Dorothy Olsen scribe)
10 p.m. Glimpse of a crescent moon in the sky. Four or five days old. Up in clouds fairly high a few white clouds—formless—nondescript sky with touches of lighter shades. So above the moon. Clouds changing change to crimson purple, a disk of slate blue—maybe a gap in the sky. Arabic writing which he cannot read. Disappeared. A tree on right in flat desert scene—an eye and straight column pillar. Suggestion of palm trees. Suggestion of a mosque—No. Two lighthouses, apparently on a cliff overlooking a rippling sea. Moonlight. Two masted ship in moonlight. Greek. Purpose for carrying things (Reddish clouds) Ship deeply laden. Saw an anchor.
A beautiful bank of violets. A man who will not answer. A gray place. Captain will not answer—heavy moustache—full face—large nose—a Levantine Jew type. Cargo of limestone building stone.
Houses (dwellings) in Italy. Houses for tourists (German) to escape the weather in their own country. Separate houses for each family
On a cliff, vertical yellow, top of cliff all green and straight. Tourists to loaf through the winter weather. A place for two or three houses only. Houses to be furnished with bamboo downstairs. Houses light airy—bungalow. On veranda—arched—slant up pillars—verandas furnished with care. People apparently have money—coming to place to study books of science. Inside room full of book cases.
People first sitting on cliff making love—later sees bookcases.
Opens a book—high mathematics—or chemistry. A commonplace room. Symbols in books—not magical symbols. Brown similar Tauchnitz but larger. Maybe books on philosophy—can't see titles.
A man. No feminine touch in room. Speaking with a man. Says "Came down to get away from strife". Round big faced student—rather aggressive and brutal type—close cropped hair. Looks surprised. Looks as if the reading of these books the only thing he had to do in life.
Ontology. Subject of study. He appears to be trying to find out if there is a being at the back of it all. Didn't like Pentagram. Used water (pentagram) inside of fire. Type who wouldn't tell truth without gain.
A vague town which passes rapidly. A building—not a mosque—open stone pavilion with more columns than there should. Portion of a pleasure garden. Might be a harem garden. Persian tiled paths. Suggestion of an old Moor. He is the gardener. Red fez, brown face, white beard. Two persons living in house beyond hedge of cypress trees. Can't get nearer to house. A few flowers.
Two idols back to back on the same rock—Buddhist—pointed hats—light blue, red borders at bottom—like fools caps—naked statues—space between Male. Air, Air. Air. Air. Slate gray, tinge of red. Rugged side of cliff. Cliff takes form of head of elephant—small trunk (carved elephant) artistic not religious like tourists buy in Ceylon. A live elephant with many heads. Man on his back. (Two men) on its back.
Feb. 2—8:15 (Dorothy Olsen scribe)
Dark—scarcely any light. Sky appeared to be dark clouds of greenish tints. Clouds in masses not streaks.
Probably a storm—not a bad one as there are lights in sky. After a storm probably.
Clouds becoming blacker. After a storm probably. No perceptible change.
Suggestion of man with black face in purple robe (reddish).
Clouds getting lighter. More white against a blacker sky. Gray clouds—not white.
Vague outline of the top of a heart, but disappeared.
Suggestion stone square castle. Square tower, something else attached to it. Trees pointed (poplars?). Castle in good condition, probably inhabited.
Rather gloomy and dark country. Gathered impression of water near poplars. Still blue water.
One window in tower. Square—oblong—high. Probably two bars in window.
A green doorway—square oblong like 2 squares put together.
SHAPES—Devil of the TAROT—standing. WALL—bricks. Stone. Gray stones irregularly laid.
Battlements a place of defense. Chief place of country on edge of a fertile country. (a plain).
A poplar on left.
Purple light—crimson purple.
Moon—(first day) in poplar crescents upwards.
2 horsemen in far distance. Clouds take shape of horsemen. Cloaks on. Medieval—haughty and proud, kingly men, solemn. Not conversing. Leaving castle.
On a rocky shore after sunrise. Sea—rippling, light behind sky. A small rocky peninsula. Bridge, stone gray and gorge over river in sunlight. (5 or 7 arches?)
Purple clouds.
A purple distillery or chemical apparatus. Half a still—portion of a man with a stick or wand. Like an old alchemist. Passed middle age—watching the still, pointing at [illegible].
Imagine myself through the doorway but I haven't opened my eyes.
I can't see anything.
Query "Why?"
I'm blind.
I try to imagine it light bulb.
I can't see anything. Sees a greenish and crimson tint. Probably air of that peculiar color.
I can't see—trying to see thru it—sees bluish circle edged with crimson color changing to crimson pink. Circle still composed of air moving slightly but not taking form. Sees blue particles in it.
Movements appear and go at once—Seem like undulations of mist like fog.
Seems to detect an absolute sea with moonbeams.
Shadowy glimpse. Can't see the moon but crimson cloud with blue center. Glimpses of the sea through the crimson mist.
Imagines it very deep and very blue. Can't see trees but through the fog imagines trees—poplar trees.
Sees rippling blue water at his feet but cannot see his feet.
Mixture of air and water. Water seems to steady except for ripple. Changed to dull greenish-blue—still ripples. None of the colors pure and clear—thinks it low air emanations from earth.
Brown doorway (wooden).
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