(07/19/1945) Aleister Crowley to Grady McMurtry

The Mark of the Beast

Netherwood,
The Ridge,
St.Leonards-on-Sea
19. 7.45

Dear Grady,

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Thanks very much for the “Yogi & Commissar” which turned up about a week ago. I have not yet finished reading it. For the last few days I have not been at all well. The weather has been extremely trying.

What you say about Frieda is very important. It is imperative that you should know the facts. She is a perfect darling in every possible way; but she is a dangerous lunatic, the most treacherous and deceitful person that I know, or have ever known. Just to give you an example, she tried at one time to make out that the Tarot Pictures were her own work, and she actually tried to give exhibitions of them in London (with interviews in the evening papers) behind my back, under the impression that I should not find out about it!!! The result was of course rather painful for her, but if people play these dirty tricks they must expect what they get. Most of her madnesses are quite without motive, and quite without sense. Here is one incident: –

Very early in the War an arrangement was made by which she had to pay certain items from a private fund. When I was taken ill in Torquay I was completely knocked out financially with the sudden and unexpected expense, and I wrote to her that I was ill, but said nothing about money. However, she sent me a wire to have all the best treatment I could get, and the following day she came down herself to see me. I had a weekly account with the local grocer and was not in arrears, but she wrote to him that he was on no account to give me any credit. Of course he shewed me the letter. {illegible}

The next thing occurred a month later: she sent the rent of my flat to my next-door neighbour who was handling the business, and begged him on no account to let me know that she had done so! Consequently, when I turned up in the ordinary course to pay that rent myself, he looked at me very funnily and said it had been paid. I said “No, it hasn’t” but he said “Yes it has”, and shewed me her letter. He remarked that it was a silly thing to do, as he could simply have pocketed the money if he happened to be dishonest.

These are only small examples of the sort of thing she is doing all the time. She made so much mischief with the printer that I had to make it perfectly clear to them that she had nothing to do with the business, and that they were to take no notice of anything she said or wrote.

I can assure you that it is very trying to have to work in close partnership with anyone so completely insensate. Your difficulty in getting the “Yogi & the Commissar” to me suggests that she is not the only lunatic at large. I have come to the old conclusion that all the world is crazy except thee and me, and I am not so sure about thee!

Love is the law, love under will.

With best love,
Yours ever,

{signed} Aleister

(07/19/1945) Aleister Crowley to Grady McMurtry #1 (07/19/1945) Aleister Crowley to Grady McMurtry #2 (07/19/1945) Aleister Crowley to Grady McMurtry #3

Note: Thank you to BaphoNet for providing these images.