Magick Without Tears

PREFACE XVll The reader should notice that every letter begins and ends with a formula-two quotations from The Book of the Law. Crowley felt compelled to open every letter and indeed every meeting with any individual with these quotations . Bidding adieu was also marked by the same type of gesture. Some people have felt that he made a laughingstock of himself by so doing, but for this kind of reproach he cared nothing. So long as he felt commanded by that book to behave in such a manner he proceeded to do so, come what may. The verses used are "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" and "Love is the law, love under will." The command is to be found in the third chapter of Liber Legis: "and to each man and woman that thou meetest, were it but to dine or to drink at them, it is the Law to give. Then they shall chance to abide in this bliss or no ; it is no odds." He adapted these versicles to the exigences for grace before meals; see Letter A for this dialogue. Furthermore, he insisted that each student perform certain exercises and prayers at set times during the day, primarily that the whole pattern of life be thus dedicated to the Great Work. He coined a phrase "background-concentration" for this procedure . It implied that by so doing, a tendency would be initiated toward concentration which would stand the student in good stead when, or as, he approached the problem of teaching the mind to center itself. Letter A gives much of this approach, but the concept is scattered throughout the book. His signature appended to all the letters is always "666." This may require a few words of explanation for the reader who has not read other Crowley books and become familiar with the symbol. Crowley was brought up in a household dominated by the religion of the Plymouth Brethren in England. This is a fundamentalist Christian sect which, among many other things, regarded the Bible literally as the inspired word of God. Thus it could not be changed in any way, and had to serve as the basis for general daily behavior throughout life. In this household, he was permitted no other