VLADIMIR SVAREFF, P.L.A.L.
Notes:
1. A review on "the Soothing System" in its original French dress.
2. The Qabalah.
3. A debutante with her mother finds herself by inadvertence as a "gros
numero." But we betray our correspondent's reticence. Enough. -- [1904] Ed.
4. We have discovered too late that this is a despicable effort of our
correspondent's jejune graphomania. Had we suspected that he was a poetaster
as well as a degenerate and imbecile, we should not have printed this rubbish.
-- [1904] Ed.
5. The MS. is almost illegible; the word might be "disappointing." [1904 Ed.]
6. Ditto. ditto. ditto.
"refrigerating."
Our other item is an early dramatic sketch by Crowley, unpublished until it circulated during the 1970s in the early journals of Thelemic studies from "a typescript attributed to Aleister Crowley in the University of Texas collection." This comically sinister stage piece is found on five sheets of secretarial typescript among the J. F. C. Fuller papers in the Humanities Research Center at Austin. The attribution to "Aleister Crowley" has been penciled in, possibly by the author himself. The piece is a sort of theatrical pantomime; a dumb-show or silent dramatic skit, with the succession of emotional responses to be displayed by the leading lady blatantly indicated in each scene by the typist's underscoring (here rendered in italic type). Reminiscent of an early silent film scenario, the directions seem to indicate that it was conceived instead for a small stage, perhaps very much on the order of the Grand Guignol. It might almost be the outline for a cheap Roger Corman horror film from the 1950s, or a sleazy Wes Craven shocker from the 1980s.
The editors thank Frater H. B. at O.T.O. International for assistance with this text from the archives of the Order.
The Opium Dream
by Aleister Crowley
Never mind the excuses for the presentation.
The Story
A girl is dragged on to the stage, half unwillingly, by a page. We
understand that she is the captive in one set of circumstances or another, of
a Chinese Bonze. She expresses abandonment.
The page tries to reassure her.
She sinks into deeper apathy, but gradually becomes interested enough to
express timidity. She is told that Bonze will visit her in a moment or two.
Presently she shows impatience, while the page disappears.
Scene 2
The Bonze comes in, and soothes her in a kind of fatherly way, until she registers resignation.
He tells her of all the beautiful things he will give her, and she shows
anticipation.
He then goes off, and she shows contentment and tranquility.
Scene 3
The page comes back, and proceeds to undress her. She has very beautiful
clothes and lingerie. This undressing is carried until almost the last point,
but the final act is concealed from the audience by manipulation of the
Chinese robes which are put on her. The page makes her move around to display
her new costume, and get accustomed to it, so that she registers vanity.
The page runs off to tell her master.
Scene 4
The Bonze comes in, and starts to woo her. She expresses coquetry, and
other suitable feminine imbecilities, eluding him with great skill, but she
gradually flutters down to the lure; and there is a certain contest which
develops to a high point.
She is quite satisfied with her situation, and abandons herself to his embraces.
At this moment the page rushes in in disorder.
Scene 5
The page explains that the head wife is at hand, on the war path.
The girl does not understand what is wrong, but judges from the behaviour
of the others that some danger is at hand, and registers alarm.
The Bonze tries to quiet her, telling her that by his wizardry he will
remain master of the situation; but tells her to conceal herself.
She does a fade-away behind the second set of curtains, which conceal the
cage. The cage terrifies her, but ultimately she opens the door and goes in.
The Bonze assumes an attitude of indifference.
Scene 6
The head wife comes in, and makes a violent scene. The Bonze tries to
reassure her in vain. She will not be pacified. He loses his temper, and
after ill-treating her savagely, finally stabs her.
During this time the girl has been peeping through the curtain, her white
face lit by a shaft of moonlight against the blackness of the background. She
expresses horror.
The page comes in to remove the body, and the Bonze manifests triumphant
satisfaction.
When this is done he calls the girl from the cage. She resists, and
registers abhorrence.
He drags her into the room, she wrenches herself free, and exhibits
denunciation and defiance.
He chases her, finally becoming angry, and threatens her. She becomes
cowed and shivers, crouching in a corner of the divan. He tears off her outer
robe.
Scene 7
He now threatens her with various tortures, and proceeds to apply them.
She resists them, rising from height to height of rage.
Finally, he threatens to imprison her in the Cage of Thunder. After a
violent struggle, in which all her clothes are torn off, he thrusts her in,
pulls back the curtain, and turns on the lightening.
This has the effect of driving her insane, and she leaps and shrieks furiously.
The Bonze is amazed that she is not killed, and attributes this to the
magic of her race.
He in his turn begins to be afraid, and withdraws to the front of the
stage; whereat she bursts open her cage, and rushes forward.
Grappling with him, she throws him to the ground, and strangles him.
Curtain
Previous Crowley Classics Next Crowley Classics
from the Grady Project:
Two Poems from Army Training
(Untitled)
| Once on an inspection morn |
| There was a sleepy soldier, torn |
| From downy bunk and slumber land |
| They led him to his place, to stand |
| A weary lad. Upon his shoe |
| There was no shine, nor yet a clue |
| As how to find the vanished pants; |
| And so he stood, and so he stants. |
| It is such sights as this, you see, |
| That make an officer to be |
| A trifle gray above the gills; |
| For all his work, for all the drills, |
| That this should happen on the day |
| When they are placed upon display.
|
| -- Grady L. McMurtry |
| (undated) |
(Untitled)
| We have often heard it said, |
| And in the papers we have read, |
| That when Aquatic Park is set |
| Aside for Army use, they'll let |
| The soldier boys upon the beach |
| Where each will rate a gorgeous peach |
| To wile away a summer's day |
| With healthy fun and frolic, play |
| Is good for boys away from home; |
| This is one beach we'd like to comb!
|
| -- Grady L. McMurtry |
| (undated) |
Previous Grady Project Next Grady Project
An Introduction to Qabalah
Part XLII - Difficulties above the Abyss.Derived from a lecture series in 1977 e.v. by Bill Heidrick
Copyright © Bill Heidrick
We'll have a look now at the Supernals, the three Sephirot above the Abyss.
Since the main topic of the moment is human faculties and problem solving, we
will just touch on matters related to that for now. Unless one studies
Merkabah, which we will take up later in this series, most of the discussion
of the higher Sephirot has to be simple or we will quickly become lost in
abstractions. In this sense, Binah may be considered as the ability of the
mind to be quick, to be able to form ideas and interrelate them easily to one
another. This is the same approach that considers Geburah to be the place of
making judgments and Hod to be the work table where details are assembled.
These are all functions that can quickly lead to frustration when things don't
go as smoothly as they aught. There is a tendency to take these manipulations
personally, to shift out of the Pillar of Severity toward Tipheret and other
Middle Pillar Sephirot. Does arithmetic and algebra sometimes drive you up
the wall? Mathematics, being abstract by nature, is often associated with
Binah. If you get to the point where you just don't want to add two more
numbers together and your mind stops like an over-heated motor, you have a
problem with Binah. This is a resistance to something that should be done
with trivial ease. Even though a problem of this sort is a matter of Binah
per-say, it is more likely to come from the lower part of the Tree -- a problem
appearing in Binah but not a problem originating in Binah. The cause may be
physical tiredness in Malkut starving the brain. This takes the form of
Saturnian feelings: dark anger against the self, depression and melancholy.
Chokmah is energy, the full energy of life. A problem here may take the
form of enervation, lassitude and failure to continue an effort. This is not
the same as the form taken in Binah. There is no anger or even anguish. It's
more like trying to use a flashlight with run-down batteries. Again, this is
an effect seen in a Supernal, Chokmah, which actually has its origin in
Malkut. Other Sephirot may also be involved. Chesed may not be active
enough, giving insufficient joy in doing things. Perhaps there was
insufficient persistence near the conclusion of some other task, a problem of
Netzach. In most instances, the Supernal or highest three Sephirot are not
the seat of these problems; rather they offer a way of determining which
Pillar on the Tree, left or right, contains the weakness that ultimately
anchors in Malkut. Problems of the middle pillar may be seen in Keter,
rarely; but problems are more often seen as faults in Sephirot of the side
pillars, spilling through to Tipheret or Yesod.
Yesod formulates the work of the Sephirot above it like a rehearsal on a
stage. Tipheret coordinates all this like a director. Malkut is the fusion
of the play in both players and audience, the thing complete. When Yesod is
poorly served by either Hod or Netzach, it's as though a prop door that won't
open or an actor going "up" in his lines. If one or more of the other
Sephirot dominates Tipheret, it's like the director has a favorite and the
whole play goes lopsided to feature one actor. As soon as details begin to
emerge in this way, you have descended down below the Abyss in the analysis.
A mental limitation is properly associated with Binah only until it can be
pinned down in a lower part of the Tree. An energy lack or emotional
limitation is likewise associated with Chokmah until it can be traced on the
lower Tree. This sounds rather simple, but there's a bit more to it. If you
just plain don't have energy enough for thinking, that is a problem in
Chokmah. When you eventually find out why you don't possess the energy, you
have managed to clean up the basic problem in Chokmah and you are focusing on
getting settled down into reality on a lower level. The state of
consciousness of the mind is the important thing. If you look at something
and don't see detail, you are fairly far up the Tree. If you see detail, you
are fairly far down the Tree. It's abstract near the top and detailed or
concrete, near the bottom. This is the nature of the thing.
Previous Introduction to Qabalah -- Part XLI Next: Problems from Keter and Da'at
Primary Sources
Karl Germer's Charters:
In the 1930's and 1940's e.v., Aleister Crowley wrote several letters of appointment and authority to Karl Germer. Our readers may wish to compare these to similar documents written to Grady McMurtry and published earlier in the old OTO Newsletter, Magic(k)al Link and previous issues of the TLC.
There are several more hand and typed copies, and the first two presented here are from the facsimile copies published in the Magic(k)al Link of August 1984 e.v., chosen now so that folks with that actual ML issue can compare with the holograph for accuracy. Crowley made several for Germer in two styles and a hybrid of both with differing wording on the more legalistic (the ones most often citing contractual representation). I theorize that this was to give Germer fancy versions for OTO use that he could send in the mail and more practical documents that he could attach to forms in his work on behalf of OTO copyright filing in the USA.
-oOo-
On letterhead with OTO Lamen and Mark of the Beast, written in pen with an italic nib:
-oOo-
On letterhead with OTO Lamen only, written in pen with ordinary nib:
|
93 Jermyn St.
London S.W. 1
Dec 10, 1942 e.v.
I, Edward Alexander Crowley (Aleister Crowley) of 93 Jermyn St. London
S.W.1. do hereby authorize my representative in the United States of America,
presently residing at 133, West 71st Street New York City N.Y. to act as my
agent and attorney in every respect, and in particular to conduct all business
in reference to my song "L'Etiucelle" (at first Entitled "La Gauloise") as if
I were myself present. And I pledge myself to recognize, confirm, and honour
any and every document that he may sign on my behalf.
Witness my hand
Edward Alexan. Crowley (Aleister Crowley) |
-oOo-
There are more than half a dozen of these letters, varying in the details from this simplest one:
-oOo-
|
40 Cambridge Terrace W.2.
Oct 9' 33 e.v.
This is to authorize Mr Karl Germer whose signature appears below
{signed Karl Germer}
to act as my agent
Aleister Crowley |
-oOo-
through the kind shown above, mostly typed rather than handwritten and mostly relating to legal power of attorney, down to the next, also hand written. This is not the most recent, but a little more elaborate than the 1942 e.v. one above. Dashes were present in the original, apparently intended to square to the right margin to avoid any alteration, like lines added to the written amount in a bank check:
-oOo-
|
{OTO lamen}
July 18, 1941 e.v.
c/o Demnes and Co
Cliffords Inn
London E.C.4
By these Presents I, Edward Alexander Crowley, otherwise known as Aleister
Crowley, or as To Mega Therion, chief of the A A, or as Baphomet, Frater
Superior and O.H.O. of the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis) do appoint Mr. Karl
J. Germer, now residing at 1007 Lexington Avenue, New York City N.Y. to be my
personal agent and representative in the United States of America.----------------
I hereby authorize and empower him to initiate, carry through, and
conclude all contracts that he may see fit to make on my behalf, especially as
concerns my work as a writer and lecturer.---------------------------------------------------------------
All persons in authority under me in connection with the A A and O.T.O.
are to recognize him as their chief.----------------------------------------------------
This present document is to be regarded as Equivalent to a Power of
Attorney, and is to be valid until further notice--------------------------------------------------
Witness my Hand.
Edward Alex.Crowley
Aleister Crowley
 666 9 =2 A A
{eleven fold cross} Baphomet O.H.O.
X 33 90 97 |
Previous Primary Sources Next Primary Sources
From the Outbasket
C. began a discussion on Goetic working with me via email. Here are some clips from observations and comments from my part.
On efficacy of consecration of the triangle:
Doubt weakens the effect more than the character of the consecration.
On placement of incense:
Incense on the altar for general ambiance is ok, but the circle is the most
important material part of the ritual protection. If incense is used to
attract the spirit or to give it something to use for manifestation, the
triangle is the right place for it.
On not having a hexagram of Solomon for protection:
Good thing. Solomon used a pentagram, not a hexagram.
On strange after effects, mainly half-seen things or feelings that something is misplaced:
The leakage from such a working uses one's overactive imagination to
manifest. Such problems are usually not serious and will likely fade in time
if moderate banishing is done at intervals.
On the use of a mirror:
A mirror can be hazardous if not properly placed. By seeing his own
reflection, the magician tends to identify with the spirit. If the mirror is
angled so that you cannot see your own reflection in it, that is not a
problem. If you look into the mirror and see yourself as the spirit,
evocation can shade over into invocation and possession. Flickering lights
seen in a mirror on an angle can be an indication that scrying is starting to
work.
On acquiring a skill from a Goetic spirit or directing a task:
There's always a little more risk acquiring a skill from one of the 72 than
getting a specific thing done. The risk is in doing two things at once:
1. The swearing by the spirit must be on a physical talisman with the sigil
of the spirit. This is a routine part of the ritual, but it is typically one
of the most difficult parts.
2. Acquiring an ability in yourself through the agency of a spirit requires
a continued presence of the spirit. A talisman is used to take the impress of
the spirit for this purpose. On the one hand, you risk becoming dependent on
a material object for a mental skill -- the talisman. On the other hand, you
risk the spirit gaining a further influence over you when you relax caution
around the talisman at some future time. Finally, this is not a specific task
once commanded, once done and then ended. Since a typical ability like
rhetoric, a talent for persuasion that sometimes depends on deception, is a
living skill, you in effect marry the spirit to an extent in its own "house of
deception".
On use of a mixture of Frankincense and Myrrh:
Myrrh would work for a Saturnian, but Assafoetida would be better.
Frankincense isn't a good match. For summoning to visible appearance, Dittany
of Crete is best.
On the composition and quality of the circle:
If your sense of visualization is strong and persistent, it would be better
to trace a triple circle in the air with the sword (deosil, then widdersins
and finally deosil) than to depend on a visibly deficient circle. The purpose
of the circle is to contain a minutum mundum for the worker inside in such
fashion as to exclude the spirit. If the circle can be seen as broken or
faded, that acts as a weakening of the banishment. Normally such a circle is
painted on canvass or traced on the floor with a powder like flower or sulfur.
In the case of a painted circle, the sword is used to re-consecrate it from
inside and to break it later by passes over the tracing. In the case of a
powder traced circle, the circle is consecrated by the sprinkling of the
powder through a funnel or tube and physically cut by the sword after the
final banishment. A cord or string can also be used as the circle, with the
ends twisted together in such fashion that they can be separated with the tip
of the sword at the end of the ritual.
The LBRP and Hexagram rituals can suffice to clear a circle, but the circle
should be traced between the two rituals. Liber Samekh is an invocation of
power, not a casting of the circle but a good preparation for working once one
is inside the charged circle.
On strange sounds:
Such sounds should be noted as to time and direction in the course of the
ritual. It is typical for a totem animal or other creature of the particular
spirit to manifest in that way at the coming of the spirit. If the source of
the sound can be seen, it is probably not from the spirit. If it is out of
sight, even if of a known animal, it is probably a sign of the imminent
approach of the spirit.
On disastrous consequences:
A rough experience now and then can be educational toward the Great Work.
The problem with being possessed is that one becomes sure of things, but those
particular sureties and things do not go toward the attainment of the Great
Work.
On the character of the spirits:
The Goetic spirits are stupid but crafty. They play tricks but otherwise
should be considered like violent children, strong beyond their appearance.
These are mostly disparaged or lesser malific aspects of deities; e.g.,
Asteroth is described as male with bad breath but is derived through Christian
slander and ignorance from Astarte and Asherah, two aspects of the middle-
eastern goddess also associated with Ishtar, Aisha and ultimately by confusion
of centuries with the Virgin Mary! The use of Goetia for betterment of self
involves working through one's own faults, problems and weaknesses by seeing
and controlling these deficient qualities in the spirits. In controlling the
Goetic spirits, some narrow task is always necessary. In dominating and
understanding them, more examination into their qualities is the proper
approach. Thus, when such a spirit is said to teach something, it's always
some particular applications of that thing, one at a time, not an entire
discipline at once. To try for a general skill is to put yourself at the
mercy of one of these "hell's angels".
On epilogue:
One of my favorite things to do was to sit in a Chinese restaurant with
friends and discuss ritual magick whilst watching the other patrons out of the
corner of my eye.
-- TSG (Bill Heidrick)
Previous Outbasket Next Outbasket
Events Calendar for October 1998 e.v.
| 10/2/98 | | Lesser feast of Jack Parsons | | |
| 10/4/98 | Gnostic Mass 8:00PM Horus Temple | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/5/98 | The Rite of Luna 8PM | Sirius Oasis |
| 10/6/98 | Enochian Watchtowers class with
Frater Majnun 8PM | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/7/98 | College of Hard NOX 8 PM
with Mordecai in the library | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/11/98 | Lodge luncheon meeting 12:30 | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/11/98 | Gnostic Mass 8:00PM Horus Temple | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/12/98 | Lesser Feast of Aleister Crowley
at Ancient Ways Store in Oakland
7:30 PM | |
| 10/13/98 | Enochian Watchtowers class with
Frater Majnun 8PM | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/15/98 | Ritual Study Workshop with Cynthia
8:00 PM | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/17/98 | The Rite of Earth at OZ House
(call for time) | |
| 10/18/98 | Gnostic Mass 8:00PM Horus Temple | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/18/98 | The Lesser Feast of Grady McMurtry | |
| 10/19/98 | Section II reading group with
Caitlin: Sidonia the Sorceress
by Meinhold. 8PM OZ House | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/22/98 | Ritual Study Workshop with Cynthia
8:00 PM | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/25/98 | Finnegans Wake reading 4:18 PM | |
| 10/25/98 | Gnostic Mass 8:00PM Horus Temple | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/26/98 | Sirius Oasis meeting 8:00 PM
in Berkeley | Sirius Oasis |
| 10/28/98 | College of Hard NOX 8 PM
with Mordecai in the library | Thelema Ldg. |
| 10/31/98 | All Hallows Eve OTO initiations
(call to attend) | Thelema Ldg. |
The viewpoints and opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the
contributing authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of OTO or its
officers.
Thelema Lodge
Ordo Templi Orientis
P.O. Box 2303
Berkeley, CA 94702 USA
Phone: (510) 652-3171 (for events info and contact to Lodge)
Production and Circulation:
OTO-TLC
P.O.Box 430
Fairfax, CA 94978 USA
Internet: heidrick@well.com (Submissions and circulation only)
M
in 