"There is e happy land. far. far. away." Hymn. David

april COVER ART AND II,LUSIl!ATIONS

LEVEl. fKES~ .~.'lN FMA"CI~O ' i

Le vel Press 64 G

"Another nos ... h)""d on wa king."

Alcistcr CNlwley July 21. 1918 The Maxicalllecord ofthe Beas t 666

Coca;ne was written in the US shorlly after Ihe passing of the Harrison Act, a piece of 10gls1aHon hanning tho non.prescription sales of cocaine and other drugs. This prohibition WAS the r63ult of Ihe tremendous amount of drug debilitation and Addiction cuuso(! by the rash of potont patont medicin63 which swept tbe country around the turn of tho century.

Crowley prosunta. III this esfl.IIY, his arguments against the goneral banning of d rug.: the traffic is driven unde rground and the cost of the drug is increasod manyfold. This cUUSe' the addict (who will 00 on addict regardl",s" of legislation) to turn to a life of crime in order to support his hunger for the drug.

The mnsons for cocaine's intonse grasp on the user are well indiceted by Crowley's flowery description of exhilarating. "happlness producing" aspeels of Ihe drug. Indeed, Crowley's personal fascination with COCa is Quite apparent

Crowley also well illustral63 the opposite polarity. 'There is a point at which tho jaded horse no longor anSWefll whip lind spur [coceineJ. lie stumblas, falls" Quivering heap. and gasps oul his life. So porishes the slave of cocBino." In a further pUSSURe he descrioo. tho domons (hallucinations) produced by prolonged cocaine use and II1B drug's effact on the mind which enables the uSBr to completely rationaliw their existence.

The inlense psycho[oglca[ addiction factor Is shown by his description or how the cocaine abuser, after reco~ering rrom his hallucinations by a forced porlod of abstinence, procures a new supply and. ooing aware firsthand of the coming deleterious effects on tha mind and body. "'wi th tenfold zest .... tulins the bit ootween his teeth, gallops to tha blacl edge of death." From Crowley'. graphic descrip-tions of coca ina misuse, it seems that at this point he wAS using cocaine sparingly and not in tho prolonged. high..Josuge bouts the records of which filled much of hiS [ator diarytl.

Using great artists as examples. Crowley demonstrates that drug uso con bring oulthe part of the man thllt creates mastarpioC(ls. often at the

expense of his life . Bul if e man i8 lruly master (If himself. he can uSc cocaine al will wilheut und""irabla effucla and avoid tho snara of manlal addiction. This final calegory, of course. is whore Aleister Crowley placed himsolf in 1917. tho time (If Ihis writing . He was later to doubt whether he was truly tho mastor and go th r(lugh II prolongad mngickellmille with Ihe drug.

Crowley's diary. well illustrale tho thin king pattern crealed by Ihe drug. predominetely seen with heavy cocaine noose hy ene who is concerned with his magickal amI spiritual evolution: '"Which is s tronger. my will or Ihe drug? ! muSI provo myself the ma~ler. How do I do this? By taking cocaine!" Although he did ottain mastery over the drug In his laler years. this manner of thinking was used often as a rotionaliUl tion in en attempl 10 seltle his conscience when he begee 10 .... alize Ihal he was in tho grasp of the d rug.

Crowleys diarys and magicla! record show that ha underwent the full spectrum of cocaIne oxperiencos. He used the exhilarating and energiz.-ing powers of Ihe drug in magicksl riluols end was quite satisfied with the results. He c redit. Ihe stimulant properties of the drug with help in producing meny of hi. beltar writings. Also recorded are many instances of Crowley succumb-ing 10 the drug hungar. He mentIons Ihe immediate craving for a prolonged cocaine bout registering in his mind even bafo .... the first sniffs are completely

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absorbed. He declares that he Cllres IIOt whetbo r th e d rug has "r hosnt hurt him as it has assis ted him greal ly as a scribe. Bul thero ore rocords of his performing ri t ual~ of sexual magick with 'becoming mastc r of cocaine' as Iho obi""l. This was real i'cd befora he died. Although h" used horoin medicinally On a dnctor~ prescriptian for his final 15 years. he trAnsconded the desi .... to continuously ingest large qu an tities of cocaine.

In roconl yeHS cocaine hus on"'e aguin becomo a populor drug lind "mny people are beg inni ng 10 experiment wilh il. AleisterCrowley WAS indeed an expert on cocaine due 10 his vast expe rience. Ilis writings On and about cocaine Can be of much value to those in terAstcd in tho effOCt8 of Iho drug.

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Of aU ~he Graces thaI clu~tar about the throne of Vanus the most timid nnd elusive is thllt m81den whom mortals call HapplneBS. Nona ia ao aagerly PUtaued; ""no 80 hard 10 win. Indeed. only the saints "nd rna rtyl'S. unknown usually to thir fellow men. huve made her thl ... ; and they haV9 QUQinad her by burning out the ESo--eense in the_lvN In the white-hot steel of meditation. by dlDOlvlna: IhemselvN in that divine OCIIan of Consc\ouln_ whose foam il pasalonl_ and perfect blisa.

Toothe .... HappineM only comes by ch8nce; when leo.t lIOught. perhaps .he I. there. Seek. and ye shall not find; 88k. ond ye .hall not receiva; knock. end II shall not be opened UIlIO you. HappineBS 18 alw8)'11 a dIvino occident. It II not a definite quality; It I. the bloom of clrcumstanC8I. I~ is uselesa to mix ill ingredients; the experiment. to Lile which have produced it in thl! Pl!1~ may bit repeated endleMly. and with infinite d:lll and variety_in vain.

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It oeems more Ihan e falty ItOry that 10 metephyaical an enlity .hnuld yet bit produ.:ible in a m(lment by no meanl of wisdom. nO formula of magic. but by a simp'" horb. The wi ... ,t man r~nnot Add hnppin81lS to olhars. thOUgh they be dnwered with youth. beauty. waalth. wit and lovo; the lowellt blal'kgua.d ,hlverlna In .agl. dostitute. diseased. old. croven. stupid. a mere morasa of envy. may have It with ono 8wift .. uckod b.aSlh. The thing;' as PI! raooJcicel as life. as m)'1lllcel88 deeth.

Look at thiS ,hinlns heap of .:rystals! They are HydrochlorideofCocalne. The S80.' .... ill think of mica, 10 mo. tho mountaineer. Ihey are like thole ala~ml"l feathery nako. of snow. nowering mostly whom rods jul from Iho ke of cre' ... sed ,leclers

~hat wind and 8uo hsv(l H8IOO to ghosHineBa. To thou who know not thu Rroat hlili. ~hey may 8Ugsost the Snow ,hel spanalu truOI wllh bl08l0ml glitterillS and lucid. The kingdom of faary hS6 luch 10 .... 011. To him who last81 them In his ...... trils_to their acolyte snd slave_they must _Ill ... ;f lite dew of the breath of llOIIIe iteat dllmon of immen511y Wire fro....., by thll cold of ,peCCI upon hia bltard.

for thllre was nevor any elixi r '" Instant maSic at cocaine. Give it ~o no miller .... hom. 0.0080 "'" the 4ut lose. on th .. oorth; tole hopa. toke felth. take love awey from him. Thon look. 800 Iho hacl of Ihat WOrn hand. ils I kln dl.oolorOO and w.inkIOO. perhaps innamoo with egonldns 8Cwms. parhaps put rid with some malignant "'111. He places On II lhat shlmmerlns Inow. I few 8reins only. " little pile of .tarry dust. The Wat~ad arm ;1 aIowly raised ~o the head thlt Is IIItJe mn .... th"n " skull; the reeble

breath draws in lhal radiant powder. Now we must wait One minute_perhaps fi~e minules.

Then happans the miracle of miracles. as sura as death. and yel as mastarful as life; a thins more miraculous. bacau.e !IO sudden. so apart ftom tho usual ceurse of evolution. Naturo nOn facit .allum-nature novor makes a leap. Trua_thep&-foro this miracle i. alhing a~ it were against nature.

The melancholy vanishes, the eyeg shine. the wan mouth smiles. Almost manly vigor returns. Or .oom. to relurn. At leest faith. hope and love throng ,ery eagerly to the dance: all that was lost is found .

Themanishappy. To One the drug may bring liveline!s. to another

languor. to another CrOll live force. to another lireless energy. to another glamor. and to yet another lu.1. But each in his way is happy. Think of iH-so simple and SO tronscendenlai! The man is happy!

I hsve travelled In every quarter of the globe: I ha va wen such wonders of Nsture Ihat my pan yel spullo ... whan I try to tell them; I hsve soon msny a miracte of Ihe geniuS (If man; bull have Mver lleen a morvellika to thi .

Is there not II school of philosophers. cold lind cynical. that acceunt!! Cod to be a mocker? That thinh He takes His pleasuN! in contempt of Iho littleness of llis Cr08luN!s? They should base their Iheses On COClline! For here is bitterness. irony. cruelt~ ineffable. This gift of sudden and sure happiness is gIven but to tanlali~. The slory of J.ob holds no such ecrid draught. What were mor" ICy hate. fiend comedy than this. to offer such a boon. and edd "This you must net lake7" Could not we be left to brav" Ihe miseries of life. bad as tIlI!y are. without this mester pang. to know perfection of all jOy withIn our reach. and Ihe price of that joy a tenfold quickening of our aoguish? .

Th" h"ppiness of COCBine is not pasSIve or plaCid as that of beasts, 11 is self conscious. It tells m"n whal he is. and whal he mIght be. It offers him the semblance of divinity. only Ihot he may know him80lf a worm. It awakens discontent so acutely that naver shall it sJeep again. It create] bunger. Cive COCAine

10 a man already wise. schOOled to Iho world, morally forceful. a man of intelligenC(l and selfo

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Imple food enablllOl the body t" rebuild its capital. AII(I. saVIlS .... unlike most dwell"rs in citi .... "eve moTal..,n ... and force.

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II .. n8$d1_ 10 picture the end. prolonJ$(l .. Ihi, may be. for rI&tOpite the bomirlil aklll developed by Ihe druRlusl. I .... in""ne condition hampers the PIIlienl. eDd otlen forced a bshnel>C8 ror a ,,hUe go. far 10 appease the physiCII I and IOIInlal.ymploms. lben e naw supply is procured. and ,,uh tenfold UlIII the maniec. leking tho! bit between hIS leeth. iallOPS 10 Iha black edge of death.

And before that death come aU tha lorments of damnution. The tima-sensa is doslroytlli. so thu t un hours obstinonce may hold mOre horrors than a century of normal Ume-and-llpaca-bound PIIln.

PaychologistB litHo understand how tho physiolog-ICal cyelo of life. and the normali ty of the brein. mll ke e"blenCO! peUy both for sood and III. To rtI"H18 II. fu t for a day 0. two; see how life drags wilh a constuntiubcOMCioU9 ache. With d"" hunger. thO. effect i. mUlliplied a thOUSllndfold. l1me IINtf b! Ilbo1ilhed. The real melaphVSiCIII ele.nal heU o. actuaUy pl"IIHnlln Iheconsci

aloor of rheumatic fOUl with laudanum. lind 88ve uS rnallerpiec .... not aU'!HIued.

Some went too far. BaudelaIre crucified hlmNlf. mind and body. in hi! love for humanity: Verilline became at I"., the Qtl\VQ whora he had been SO long lho moster. Francl! ThomJl5On killed him,,,lf with opium: so did F.dgM Ailan Poe. lames thomson did

Ih~ ""me with alcohol. The CII1I81 of de QulnC

Now it _"'- 10 me bello. and bolder laelial to allad Iho opposl1a Ihoory at lis very I1ronsest point.

1\ should be shown Ihol nOI evon in lhe II>OIt arguable CAse Is a government lutUfiod in ros l.icting USa on IICCOunl of ubuSTho malle. II of Immedlala inle""t. for Iha admi1ted failu'8 of Ih Harrison i.aw 1181 brouSht B bout a new propoaal_one 10 make l>9d WOI"lNt.

I will nol hore a.~ue tll8 g.and Ihesls of libe.Iy. Frea meo hava loog since decided it. Who wlU mainlain Ihat Ch.i81, willi"8 MCrifice of his life was immoral. because It robbed Ihe SllIle of a u$oful loxpayp..1

No. A man'slifo il IIlg own. and he has Iho .Ighl lo doslruy il as ha will. IInl .... he too esreslou.ly intrude on Ih~ plivlleJr

It WIU a very waary pe .. on. that hot Summer aftornoon in 1909. who tramped into logmno, Even tha rivar seemed too laty to flow. and 8tood about In pools. with its ton,ue hangln, out. SO to) ~peBk. The air shimmered softly. In the town the terraces m tho cafes WeT9 Ihronsed with people. They had oothlo, to do. aoo a llrim dete.mination to do it.f1I11JY w,e,. lipptIII the rou,h ,",'j .... of tha Py,.n_. or the RIOlO of lhe South well.wetered. Or toying with bock. of pale beer, If any of lhem coukl lleve read Mator General O'Ryan', add..- to the ... merlcan soldier. tiler would heve IUPP1l ud his mloo to he affected.

..... lcohoL whathor YOII call il beer. wine. whisky. or by IIny other name. I. a brooder of inefficiency. While it affecls men difruruntty. the r88ults .., Ihe samo. in Ihal all affected by II caa .... for the tima 10 he normal. Some become fO'1letful. others quo ..,1-somu. Some become noilY. IOIDO ,1et sick. _ ,et sleepy. olbe .. hava thelr pauiOlUl gmatly slimulat-ed."

AI for ourselves. we we.e 00 the march to Madrid. W. we ... obUaed to hurry. A week. o. a month, Or year at mOil. and we mllst leave I.ogrono In obedience to the trumpet call of duty,

Howev'IT. wo date rmlnod 10 foraot it. for the Umu, Wu lat duwn. and e~chansod views and experionc-el with the nativos. From thu fact that we wure hurrying. Ihey adtudllod us to be anarchists. and we .... atOOr relieved at our explanation that we wa.., ..... d Englishman." "'nd we wo.., ell happy losether. And I am .till kld.!n, myself for a fool that I ever ""ent on tn Madrid.

If OIle is at e dinnar party in London or New Yorl. one i$ plunked inlo an abYN of dulln ... ,. Thera is no subject of general int6 .... t; !he~ Is no wit: it is liko woitink for 1\ trein. In l.ondon one overcomos one'. envi.onment by drinking a ool1le of cha01P11S118 81 qulckly u possibla: In Now York one pil08 in COdlplls. The lighl win" and beers of Europo. laken in ",oderate measura. a.., ne good; there i. not hme 10 be happy. 10 one mu.t he exciled lnalead. [)jninll_lone. or with fnund . opposed to II PIIrty. one Can he quite lit ease ,,-ith Burgundy Or Bordellux. One has all niShl 10 be boppy. and one doet not h8Wlo speed. But the regular New Yorker has nOI lime even for II dinner party! He almosl

rO~Nlts Iho hour when hil olnee cl0888. His brain is ~"ll bU8~ with his plans. Whon hu wants "pleasure" he calculu tea thul ha can spe.., jusl half an hour for II. lie ha, to pollr the Itronll"I liquo", down hll throat at 100 greatest p..>nlble rate,

Now imagine Ihi. man_Or this woman_.llJhlly hampered, tbtl hme available .1I,hlly curtailed. He

can 11(1 1nD,ef "'8I,e ,en. minute. in o"'-\nlna "pleasure"; or he dere nOI drink npenly on eccount of olher people, Wen, hUo remedy II limple; he can 811t immediote action out of cocaine, 1bere II no ImelL He can be alteerelII. any eldar of thechutch can wish,

n.e mischief of civillz"tlon i, the intllnslve Bfe, which demand, Inlentlve stimulation. Human nallire reqllires ple8lllre. Whoh'OOliJ plaasllret ""11111'0 lllislire. We mUll ch()(JI.fJ bootw .... n into.d(:e. lion and lhe .lesla. 1l>ere are no coceine fiendl in Logrono.

MOreGVftf, in lhe abeenotl of e cbmale, life damand. a COMefMlion. We mllsl choose between intoxication and cultivatIOn (If Ihe mind. l1Iere Ora no drllg fiends amona peoplll whe are primarily preoccupied with science and phllosophy. al'l and lito ralu re .

ilo",ove . lei III concede Ihe prohibitionist claim . Lei III ndmit Ihe P'J1i~e ronlenhon IIIBI cocBinB and Ihe roll lite used by criminals who would olherw;ee lael to n

IIIve the Siele. Moral weakUnSI aNI a danler 10 society. in whalever line thalr feiliq, lie. If they aNI 10 amiable 05 to Ull themMlvetl. it is s clime to intarfoNl.

You say that while the.., people are kUling thamselves thay will do miSChief. Muyhe. Bu t they aro doing il oow.

Prohibition h81 crealod an underground traffic. a. it alwaY" daM. and the evils of thb ere Immeasurable. Thoulllnd. of clUlo81lS aNI in loa,ue to defMI the law. are actuelly bribed by the law 1iIOIf ta do 10. sinee the profilJl of the illicit t.alUl become enormOUI. Bnd the closer thB prohibition. the mOI"fl unNlu80nably bi, they B.e. You can stamp out the use of silk handkerchiafs In this way: peopla ,ay. "AII right. wa'il use Hnen." But the "cocalne flund" wanls cocainll. a nd you can't put him off with Epsom salts. Mo,..,..,ver. his mind has lost aU propIlrtion. He will pey anything for tha drug. lie will neve. ""y. "1 can't afford it."' And if the price be high. hll will stMI. rob. murdar 10 gel il. Again I ""y: Yllu cannot reform a drUI fiend. AU you do by PI"fI"entingUu!m ffOlD obtaining it is tn creale cla .. of lubtle and dangeru ... criminall. and even when yOIl have joiled Ihem aU. II any line any the bettarl

While luch larSa profits (from Ooe thllll!IBnd to tWIl thousand ))tIr cenll are 10 be madll by I&Crat doalo rs. it is to Iba intere.1 of Ihlllle dealers to make now victims. And the profits at prfllleni are luch that it wm.ld be worth my while to go to London and block fi.,.t class to amulSle no mOra cOClline Ihan I could hide In lhe lininl of my ovefCO(lt! AU 8xpenaet peld. lind e handsome lum In Ihe blink et Iha end of

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lhe Irip? And for all the Illw. and Ihe spi .... and the reIIl ofil. I could MID my .tuff with \'ery little risk In a alngla night in the Tenderlllln.

Another point il Ihi.. Prohlbllion cannot bo c~rrloo to its extreme. II Is lmpos.ibill. ultimately. 10 withhnld druS8 from doclor . Now doctors. more than any other Bingle daIS. al"fl drug fiands. and alllO. thel"fl al"fl many who will traffic in drugs for the .. h of money or p""ar. If you possess a supply of the dNg. you are the mlllter. body and soul. or any penon who needl ie.

People dll not "ndentand th,t 11 drug. 10 itl.la ... , I. mOre valuablll than SOld Or dIamonds. A virtuo ... woman may be abo"e rubies. but medical 6Kpelienca toU. us Ihol thal"fl i. no virtuous woman in need of the drug who wouW not prostitute horself to n ragpicker for a linsle Inlff.

And if it be n!811y Ihe caMl thst olU~ .. finh of lhe population lakes fIOIIle dN" Ihen thio lllng little. wrong lillie island Is in for lIOme very lively hillel.

The absurdity af Iha prohibitiOnisI contenlilln II .hown by the expelience of London and other European citi .... In London Iny h""""bllWar or eppe ..... ntly respon'ible pel"1Oll can buy any drua al uosily 81 if it were ch88M: and London is not lull of ra"ing maniacs. snuffing cocaine at overy Itreet corner. in Iho inlorvola of burglary. raptl. a.80n. murder. ma]fc8S11nr,f! in office. and misprision of trea""". as lOla are BSIUred mUll be the case if a lree pooplc are kindl\ alillwed to exen::i ... a little frOr. if Ihe prohibit"m;.t coolanUlln be nlll abellrd. it ile commenl upon lhe moralleveillf It.e people of

Ihe UniltK! Slales which would have boon righl80u5]~ resenhld by Ihe Cadarena swine after the devil. had entered into them,

I am not heM concerned to protolt on fueir behalf. Allowing the justice of the remark. I stm say that prohibition i, no Cu ..... The cure I, to give the people something to think aoo..t; In develop thair mind" tn fiU them with ambi tions beyond dnUars: to set up.

, Siandard of achievement which I, In be measured in torm. or eturnal realili"': In a wort!. 10 educate them . .

If this apJl(lnr impossihle, wall and good . It II only anothor argumant rn. enCOUfllglnll them to lake cocaine.

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