A Typical Letter of Introduction that Would Accompany the Occult Research Proposal
for Funds to Study the Occult Sciences for 3 ¹/₂ years

      I submit the enclosed proposal for consideration for funding by the Kern Foundation.

      Since the Kern Foundation is a Theosophical organization and the term "Theosophy" never appears in the proposal, a few words of introduction are in order.

      I use the terms "Occult" and "Occult Sciences" to denote the field of endeavor I am pursuing. I am a physicist by profession. I have always considered the Occult Sciences to be the hard core analytical arm of Theosophy. The proposal demonstrates that my objective in life and my efforts with the Occult Sciences are identical with the tenets of Theosophy as presented in the Kern Foundation pamphlet. In the definition of Theosophy given on page one of that pamphlet the following expression appears: "It restores to the world the Science of the Spirit, ...". This is exactly my objective, and the primary contention emphasized in the proposal is that experiential encounters with the various qualities of the Spirit as represented by the Gods and Goddesses worshipped by our forefathers are the most appropriate means for obtaining information about the Spirit.

      As stated in the proposal, I am seeking funds which would permit me to complete a line of investigation I began some fifteen years ago, and to report on this investigation in such a manner that more people with classical scientific interests and training would become involved in the mystical teachings of the world's religions. There is a vast body of mystical, Theosophic, religious, and occult literature written for people with a natural inclination towards such matters. On the other hand, however, there is very little literature which presents mystical ideas in a manner appealing to the classical twentieth century scientific mind. Fritjof Capra's "The Tao of Physics" is one of the best examples of this sparse literature. Given Mr. Kern's highly scientific inclinations, I think that my proposal would be very much to his liking.

      It is important to state that the documentation I plan to produce will be a full and frank account of my investigations. It is very unfortunate that Carl Jung and his inheritors feel that his most important work "The Red Book" must be withheld from the public. The matter of "The Red Book" is discussed in Jung's "Memories, Dreams, and Reflections" and in "The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead" by S.A. Hoeller, a Quest publication. "The Red Book" apparently contains accounts of Jung's invocation and evocation of Gods and Goddesses, good and evil. This is exactly the kind of material those of us who are interested in exact scientific investigations of the mystical realm so badly need. As Aleister Crowley says on page 502 of "Magick Without Tears": "In the case of many worlds, in particular that of Abra Melin, of the greater and lesser Keys of Solomon, of Pietro di Abano, of Cornelius Agrippa, while we have perfectly adequate information as to the methods we have very meager examples of the results, especially so far as refers to the technical side of the work."

      There is an urgent need for documentation from individuals who have literally lived the Occult as opposed to those who have only studied the Occult. I am not sure of the degree to which Israel Regardie lived the Occult, but one thing is obvious. From his comments in "The Eye in the Triangle" concerning Crowley and Choronzon, it is clear that Regardie has no conception of the experiential effects of the disintegration of the ego which accompanies the crossing of the Abyss. Regardie may have been brilliant in defining the Occult for beginning and intermediate students, but his lack of experience in several key areas is most noticeable to the advanced student.

      On numerous occasions, including several encounters with the horrible Beleth (see page 15 of the research proposal), I have experienced the indescribable horrors of the disintegration of "I". They are unmistakable, and are in no way related to any interaction with classical concepts of the Devil as Regardie suggests in "The Eye In The Triangle".

      I do not mean to belittle Regardie by these comments. He has played a most valuable role in promulgating important Occult information to the world, and I am personally very grateful to him. The point I am trying to emphasize is exactly the point Crowley was making in the quotation given above from "Magick Without Tears".

      It is obvious that the Kern Foundation has an interest in Carl Jung. Does it have a similar Interest in Aleister Crowley? Jung's and Crowley's philosophies are cognate one to the other. This is obvious to anyone who has studied both of them to any significant depth. Numerous examples of the commonality of their ideas exist in their writings. Jung's emphasis on Abraxas in his "Seven Sermons to the Dead" and Crowley's emphasis on IAO* in his "Liber Samekh" is one of many examples proving the extreme similarity of their precepts. The difficulty with Crowley is simply that he is to Jung as calculus is to arithmetic, so very few people make a serious attempt at investigating Crowley's works. I bring up the matter of Crowley in this letter of introduction to the proposal because the proposal deals heavily with Crowley.

      In conclusion I will say a few words concerning the apparent contradiction between the terms science, Occult, and religion. No one could be a greater skeptic than I was fifteen years ago about the existence of angels, demons, Gods, Goddess, etc. This was before I became familiar with the Jungian concepts of archetypes and the collective unconsciousness. Angels, demons, Gods, Goddess, etc., are, if nothing else, archetypes of the collective unconscious, and therefore are manifestations within the human mind of the forces of nature. The fact that these archetypes have very specific attributes, are to a large extent very autonomous, and are alive in the same sense that the conscious ego is alive is truly amazing. Carl Jung, William James, Joseph Campbell, Robert Graves, and numerous other well known authors have provided a great deal of information on the equivalence between archetypes and religious objects of worship. The crucial issue, however, that continues to prevent more widespread recognition of the validity of Occult research is the misconception that science and the Occult have little or nothing in common. The fundamental difficulty is that the subject of the Occult is immensely complex, and therefore scientific Occult experiments often demand a knowledge base and a persistence of patience that is well beyond what is required by most sciences. For example, an Occult ritual for the evocation unto visible appearance of the Mercurial force (as in the Roman God Mercury) of nature (see Section 3.4 of the research proposal) requires the following qualifications and efforts:

1. An understanding of the general nature of evocation rituals.


2. An awareness of and close relationship with the many correspondences in nature which are attributable to Mercury. For example (see Crowley's book "777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley"):


1. Colors: Yellow, Purple, Grey, Indigo Rayed Violet


2. Animals: Swallow, Ibis, Ape


3. Perfumes: Mastic, White Sandal, Mace, Storax


4. Magickal Weapon: Cadesus


5. Gods: Roman = Mercury, Greek = Hermes, Egyptian = Thoth, Scandinavian = Odin


3. The creative ability to construct the ritual itself. Existing rituals should only be used as examples from which to extract ideas for one's own personal ritual.


4. The performance of the ritual.

      All of these items are equally important. Item d is the step that stumps most Occult investigators because of the persistence that is often required. For example, Crowley performed the same ritual at least once a day for about 14 months before he got a result he was satisfied with.

      My effort to contact IAO/Abraxas took years of persistence. The first contact was made In 1976 when I received the message to "make seven things". This occurred while I was in a state of sexual ecstasy. The second contact occurred in a dream about three years ago when I received the message to "find the real name of IACCHUS". Since then several other contacts have been made. Each successive contact is more vivid and complex than the previous one. The first, third, and fourth contacts correlate with Figures 26, 83, and 86, respectively, in Appendix E of the research proposal.

      Anyone who makes the claim that science, religion, and the Occult are incongruous before they have made an exhaustive study of these three issues, and also made a dedicated attempt at Occult experimentation is acting purely on intuition in a mode of operation that is in total conflict with the scientific method.

      The wording of this letter is not meant to convey impertinence or arrogance. The idea is simply to present a clear, concise, and direct expression of the purpose of the research proposal. Also, I am weary from the continual battle that must be fought due to the fact that the herd instinct in us hinders the creative spirit from having a more universal inclination for true scientific innovation. The established scientific community is much more interested in filling little holes in well accepted theories than it is in promoting the endeavors of individuals whose propensity for original thinking is threatening to the established order.

      The research proposal itself should serve as ample evidence that I can create a manuscript that would make money. I would be willing to make a generous offer of publishing rights to anyone or any organization that would fund the research program.

      The proposal itself was expensive to produce. If there is no interest in it I would appreciate its return. There is a stamped, self-addressed envelope stapled to the back cover of the proposal.

      Included along with the proposal are some responses I have received to it.

Sincerely,
(Signed)
FRED HOWARD

*"Harpocrates...He is called IAO, as is Abraxas himself." See "Amulets and Talismans", p 207, E.A. Wallis Budge.