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I was bitterly opposed to the principles of the Book on almost every [point of morality. The third 
chapter seemed to me gratuitously atrocious. My soul, infinitely sad at the universal sorrow, was 
passionately eager to raise humanity. And lo! the Magical Formula denounced pity as damnable, 
acclaimed war as admirable and in almost every other way was utterly repugnant to my ideas. I did 
not understand the fundamental principles of 
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the initiation of mankind; and (in my own case) I did not realize that Aiwass was not necessarily 
responsible for the character of his message any more than the newspaper for reporting an 
earthquake. 
The Secret Chiefs had informed me that a New Aeon implied the breaking up of the civilization 
existing at the time; obviously to change the Magical Formula of the planet is to change all moral 
sanctions and the result is bound to appear disastrous. The Cult of The Dying God introduced by 
Dionysus destroyed the Roman virtue and smashed the Roman culture. (Possibly the introduction of 
the worship of Osiris in an earlier epoch was primarily responsible for the decay of Egyptian 
civilization.) The nature of Horus being "Force and Fire", his aeon would be marked by the collapse 
of humanitarianism. The first act of his reign would naturally be to plunge the world into the 
catastrophe of a huge and ruthless war. 
The Secret Chiefs told me that this war was imminent and that they had chosen me as their 
representative on account of my comprehensive knowledge of the mysteries, my correct 
understanding of their real import and my literary ability. The chief duty which they laid upon me 
was to publish the Secret Wisdom of the Ages in such a form that after the wreck of civilization the 
scholars of subsequent generations would be able to restore the traditions. I was to issue a 
compendium of the methods by which man may attain the God-head. The released me from my 
obligation of secrecy. 
The responsibility of this, apart from anything else, was sufficient to stagger me. I had been taught 
to dread the result of publishing the least part of the Secret Knowledge: in unworthy hands the 
most appalling mischief was only too likely to ensue. I had been almost absurdly scrupulous with 
regard to the secrets entrusted to me; indeed my experience had already shown me what shocking 
messes had been made by apparently trivial indiscretions on the part of others. I was not even 
proud that the choice of the Secret Chiefs had fallen upon me; I was too well aware of my 
incapacity and indolence. 
The task of reducing the Magical and mystical methods of every time and clime to a coherent and 
intelligible form frightened me. On the one hand, I was reluctant to attempt to ambitious a work; 
on the other, acutely anxious lest I should prove unworthy of my office. 
I have always been utterly contemptuous of the criticism of people whom I do not respect. I frankly 
despise Keats for having been upset by the review of "Endymion"; but the correlative of this is over-
sensitiveness about people whom I regard as authorities. The least word of admonition of Eckenstein 
about climbing would throw me into agonies of self-reproach. When Allan reproved me for some 
error in Yoga, I was overwhelmed with shame. 
My position was therefore very difficult. I was bound to the Secret Chiefs by the most solemn of 
obligations. I never dreamt of trying to minimize 
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my responsibility to them, yet they had cut across the whole trend of my aspiration. The magical 
part o me was, in a manner of speaking, stunned. 
My wife and I passed a short time in Paris and renewed old ties. One incident stands out in my 
memory as peculiarly amusing. We asked Arnold Bennett to lunch at Paillard's. He was completely 
overpowered by the deference of the Maître d'hôtel, who knew me very well, and his