I made an interesting discovering after watching In Search of the Beast 666, a documentary on Aleister Crowley. Whilst Crowley was staying at the Abbey of Thelema, a man named Raoul Loveday and his wife Betty May came to stay with him, Raoul eager to become Crowley's disciple. Betty May, however, was cautious of Crowley and was not enjoying her time at the Abbey. Raoul become obsessed with Crowley's teaching and, according to the documentary, cut himself with a razor every time he used the word "I"--at Crowley's suggestion. Despite May's attempts to help him, Raoul eventually fell ill and died. May claims it was from the drugs and "the incident of the cat's blood," which he drank during a ritual. I am told by a reliable source, however, that Raoul actually died of typhoid after drinking from the well--at Crowley's disgression.
If you listen to Ether, on Musick to Play in the Dark vol. 2, there is a part where Jhonn chants "Betty May and Raoul Loveday." I remember singing this to myself before, completely naive to what it really meant. You can hear it in YouTube video at 4:33.
All of the lyrics posted online either leave this bit out, or describe it as "?????" I'm posting a near-completed version at the end of this post. Strange that Jhonn would include this in the song, I wonder what the relevance is? There's still one part of the song I cannot figure out, "Memories of (?) slipping away into ether." If anyone has any insight into this I urge you to comment.
It's either ether or the other
My mind is back to front
And sometimes absent
And slip the cup
I've taken a sip from the cup that slips into ether
It's either ether or the other
I press my window to the glass
The glass turns to gas
I breathe out ether, a glass of ether
Ether is a thief
It's stolen my belief
Slip through the ether
We both slip through the ether
Slipstreams of memory slipping away
It's ether
Betty May and Raoul Loveday
Betty May and Raoul Loveday
Berry May and Raoul Loveday
Slip through the ether
Sip the ether
Sip the ether
Slipstreams of memories slipping away
Slipstreams of memories slipping away
Memories of ??? slipping away into ether
Into ether
I've changed my mind
It's what it's there for
I've changed my mind
It's what it's there for
For therefore
Full of ether
Full of ether
Full of ether
Full of ether
Full of ether
I'm going upstairs now
To take my mind off
I'm going upstairs now
To turn my mind off
(repeated)
lyrics taken from equ.in/ox
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5 comments:
The word is "Fitzrovia" which is a small area roughly located between Oxford Street, Gower Street and Euston Road in central London. Back in the early 20th Century it was firmly established as a very Bohemian area which promoted all sorts of academic, artistic and esoteric goings on. Crowley inhabited this area on and off as did Dylan Thomas and Rimbaud. The "Fitzroy Arms" which the area is probably named after still exists although you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in there drinking absinthe and scrawling sigils on walls anymore. One obscure theory is that the Post Office Tower was built there on the site of an old temple as a conductor to draw on the "dark energy" out of the area (which might explain it's syringe like appearance) to be used by the controlling powers for their own nefarious activities. If this was the case it worked too well as the area has absolutely no character anymore and it seems as if the life and soul has been sucked out of Fitzrovia.
Coil's work is peppered with references to Crowley, as well as many other navigators of "The Left Hand Path" , one of my favourites being The Sea Priestess from Astral Disaster which includes references to Crowley's murals and inscriptions that were on the walls of the Abbey.
I'll have to give The Sea Priestess a closer listen, thanks for mentioning that and for commenting :) I'm listening to March of Time on Backwards stoned right now and it sounds....so fucking good.
excellent stuff mate;)
thanks for your comment...
regards^:::
Loveday died from Typhoid caught from drinking from a dirty well which Crowley had warned him against.Apparently he said at the time "I'd have died if I hadn't a drink".
The cat story is just another....story.
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