The Courtauld Talks

The Courtauld Talks

Lecture By Jaz Coleman

With Geordie Walker and Jeff Scantlebury

The Courtauld Institute, 19 September 1987

So before anyone writes any review of this occasion or jumps to any conclusions, I ask them to hear me out from beginning to end of this talk. _Then_ they are entitled to criticise but _not_ before. So I ask you first to entertain possibilities and open your minds.

"The man of truth is beyond good and evil. The man of truth is ridden to all is one. The man of truth has learned that illusion is the one reality and its substance is a great impostor." (bell chimes.) H. P. Lovecraft.

Throughout my forthcoming book, "An Irrational Domain", I work from the fundamental assumption that for the artist dreams and visions are a more authentic source of information than fact or reason. Now this hypothesis has steadily evolved to the extent that it is no longer merely a conviction but my perception of truth itself. Consequently, all activity derived from such foundations cannot coexist with any form of rationalist or intentive thought. The primary objective is to set everything in motion in the required direction. For example, existing concepts of time are only real if we accept and succumb to the boundaries and divisions laid down. I'm simply pointing out that we do of course have the option to ritually smash the clock up along with its corresponding restrictions and transform, extend, increase or decrease such boundaries, enabling us to achieve a greater freedom by changing our perspective of truth and reason. We may conclude that, if truth as we see it to be, can be rearranged to benefit us in any way, then this flexible truth is justified. The same would apply in the eradication of supposed historic fact.

Now, in accepting the endless possibilities of the irrational domain we can evoke a chosen picture of the past to influence the present and future. The rejection or alteration of conventional perception of measurement, fact, time and reason can shatter restrictive barriers and open up frightening possibilities. To illustrate the point, an elementary annihilation of the assumption that Columbus was the first navigator across the Atlantic changes the entire Western concept of civilisation. Again, should we choose a certain axiom as a starting point, we do so regardless of so called fact or reason.

However, today at the Courtauld Institute we shall be focusing our attention on those forces visible behind the changes in modern society. And how we may view these criteria with true objectivity from within the medium of music...

There are many strange phenomena where objective points are reached through work in the metaphysical. Now the dowsers, or "water diviners" employed by the water board to locate underground streams are a good example of this. And yet the individual accomplishing them is generally not aware that he is doing so by the aid of a force. He discovers he has a power but does not know what that power is. He only knows the results. That's all he can see. Had the atheist scientist of the rational world given as careful study to forces as he did to elements, constantly working back and back, following one force to another, eventually he might have some understanding of the origin of movement. At this moment in time our scientific rationale tells us that the blood in our body is pumped around by our heart, but what makes it tick?

Similarly, if we look at the rapidly transforming world of atomic power and super-technology on its exterior, we begin to wonder about the nature of force from which the ripples of momentum originated and I think we can all agree that there is something decidedly unhealthy about our current mode of existence.

(sigh) But I'm just a mad artist. I shall view the changes perceived from that role I know best. If you would focus your aural faculties on the sound, one minute...

I'll go back in time. To before I formed the group Killing Joke and I want you to come back in time with me.

I can remember first discussing the virtues of bombarding the individual with disturbing aspects of modem day reality on stage with Paul Ferguson, prior to the formation of Killing Joke. It was indeed refreshing to find someone else who saw the entirety of creative function as something other than a pleasure principle. In actual fact we utterly rejected the common artist's objective of creating a more desirable aesthetic effect.

We firmly believed that by employing a reversal of this process, true progress could commence. Now, this was far from a contemporary ploy but a utilisation resembling a healing therapy of antiquity. Now, let me explain: the fundamentals of such performance are clearly routed in the venerable healing magic of the ancients, I assure you. Central to this very old form of therapy is the idea that if you suffer from the underworld you can only be cured in the underworld. Underworld.

It is a homeopathic principle. The cure for a sickness is accomplished by dosing the patient with minute quantities of substances which in larger doses would actually create the very symptoms of the sickness. Such a cure for a sickness involves experiencing a little of the essence of sickness.

The initial symptoms have escalated into a monstrous plague. It does not require much imagination to locate the underworld within a scarred, butchered landscape. Industrial wasteland, inhumane concrete hovels, resembling rabbit hutches stacked up on top of one another. Created specifically for maximum capacity at minimum expenditure.

Grotesque Judeo-Christian compassion exposed in its truest form, directly reflected in the environment. Homes for the common people that have been consciously designed to perpetuate an ignorance, clearly intended to be left at their own devices within controlled surroundings.

Those individuals who are either insensitive or too weak-willed to command and control their immediate environment are collectively housed. Widespread mediocrity in its most terminal context eliminating even the human dignity of a slave, I believe.

You go to Sheffield; we'll go to Sheffield. Let's take a look around Sheffield. Take a good look! Drained, soul-less young men and women drastically alienated from the natural order over-compensating in puerile fantasy, debauchery games and various trivia encouraged by ... consumerism. That which remains of the instinct unconsciously anticipates the absolute horror of mass annihilation, vast and impersonal. Envisaging themselves so disgustingly humiliated by their own vulnerability, powerless to react, powerless to react on any defensive or significant basis. A collective nightmare of the day, you know the day, when looting, pillage and screaming insanity reigns. A hideous prelude of pure terror concentrated within the boundaries of minutes, seconds. Man suffering the indignity of resembling panic-stricken battery chickens awaiting slaughter, pathetically running 'round in circles at random.

Decisions determined in the lives of billions made exclusively by microchips impregnated and programmed with the epitome of rational thought.

Absolute conflict. Destruction and mega-deaths are logical and imperative assumptions. Overpopulation at loggerheads with human compassion. The hygiene of conventional war obliterated by the escalation of technology thus all reason made obsolete and redundant by the rationalist himself. Mass unemployment also caused by rapid development of technology. Manpower no longer economically viable. Abandoned industrial areas claiming a greater surface area than farmland, thus only enough harvest produce to feed one eighth of the existing population.

Nations ideologically opposed to one another dependent on each other for existence, import, export, mutually assured destruction, M.A.D. Foreign policies based on the same principles evident in the period of time prior to the second World War, now applied in this temporary stage of super-technology.

Now, I think we'll both agree, I think we'll all agree that such extreme pressures of the decade seem to almost transform human awareness into a curse. Yet, we still find perspective within the primal performance that embodies such extremities or should I say sicknesses?

I believe it is necessary to look beyond the face value of such seemingly horrific events. Extremities that we observe on a daily basis must be viewed as a link or a transition. One cannot bypass initiation, thus the work of Killing Joke becomes considerably more coherent when seen in terms of a generator musically suggesting such a process.

The effect is akin to that of a vortex. Fascinating. And ultimately all encompassing. Now, I tell you the penultimate objective of recent work has been to actually identify the precise forces behind such global trends and movements and incorporate them within the form and foundation of our music. In order to explain these forces with some degree of accuracy, it is necessary to expand on the origin and nature of these particular forces. The following excerpt is taken from a Cincinnati Journal of ceremonial magic.

And I quote: "In the macrocosm these forces are the Elder Gods; in the microcosm they are the forgotten ones, constituting the dark aspects of the anti-universe and of human unconscious respectively."

Admittedly, there is certain danger inherent in contacting them, but there is sure disaster in neglecting to do so. The Elder Gods, let me explain, the Elder Gods dwell in the spaces between positive manifestation. That is, they exist between the possibility universes or in the inter-dimensional angles that separate our evolutionary time-stream from the next.

It's not so complicated. Their previous dealings with our planetary life force earn them an exile from this access to our space-time. Now, the problem is our own discovery and employment of thermo-nuclear energy, however, has unsealed the gateway. Part of the coming crisis will be their attempt to resume control of the race.

The major means of contact between the conscious man and the Elder Gods are the forgotten ones. Now, the forgotten ones dwell in the individual and irrational unconscious. They are the gods of survival, they are pre-rational, they are blind and immensely powerful. Their force manifested in man as hunger, the sex urge, the 'fight or flight' adrenaline reaction and the tribal cohesion factor. Hunger constitutes the primary link between the Elder Gods and the forgotten ones. The search for nourishment antedates the desire for mating, even the asexual amoeba must eat to survive. The process consists of the intake and assimilation of energy either directly as in vegetable photosynthesis or indirectly by consuming energy-storing matter. The forgotten ones seek both matter and energy. Particularly in substances that consist of both modes: blood, mediumistic ectoplasm, the alchemical elixir; now, this type of substance is used to trap the forgotten ones into manifestation.

Dare we entertain it, to effectively counter a planetary invasion by the Elder Gods the forgotten ones must be summoned to consciousness. In the process the individual's demons will be released and must be reabsorbed, the forgotten ones must be comprehended and absorbed and the link that exists between them and the Elder Gods must be obtained and controlled by the will of the magician. The forgotten ones have been left to work and function in the lower levels of sentience, gathering power and accumulating explosive potential under pressure. Now, it is in the controlled release of these gods that the consciousness will be propelled beyond its present state and achieve the next and necessary condition of gestalt-consciousness."

"Having achieved the gestalt, the magician will be in contact with the race consciousness that spans history and planetary geography. This entity, or 'planet man', is the only human mode capable of enforcing the edicts of exile upon the Elder Gods." That was written by Neema and Shadow.

Now, let me explain. As an artist, one's whole life is dedicated to an unending series of contrasts. As one matures through the years he becomes increasingly aware of the necessity of maintaining balance and polarity. Margaret Crosby, the author of the writing I have previously read, who goes under the name of Zora and Alhambra, explains further the implications of polarity: "The forgotten ones are your sources of personal magical power. The higher you reach to the gods of light the lower you must plunge to the gods of darkness. And furthermore, to ignore their presence is to guarantee their eventual dominion over your will." Kenneth Grant, the author of 'Outside the Circles of Time' adds: "The forgotten ones are the forces which the Christians declared satanic and which by suppression have now grown to formidable dimensions threatening imminent disaster for Humanity." So we are beginning to understand the Aquarian ideal of standing upright with our heads above the heavens and our feet below the hells. Or simply the implications of balance and truth, I believe. Our current means of embodying the specific forces within our music is developed from this point. For example, in a recent experiment I wished to convey an extra-dimensional experience encountered within a ritual invocation of a particular primal entity, that I believe to be latent in the Middle East region at this moment.

Now, to do this I chose to instigate a time change completely unrelated to the rest of the music. For I perceived the particular entity as being in between the space-time continuum. The time change was introduced with a simple phrase (claps the time signature): breakout of the cliché. For anyone interested in it the time signature was 13/12. I chose this using the number 13 signifying Pluto, or Plutonium, symbolising regeneration, as the basis of the rhythm. I simply hummed the music I could hear to Martin my engineer - he is over there - I went: [Jaz hums title track from 'Outside the Gate'], something like that. Martin, my engineer, then pinpointed the precise time in numerical form. Now, as this generally ranges from 40 beats per minute to 280 in modern metronomes one can square or divide a number or either for more a precise variation. So, as I hummed the music perceived, Martin noted the number of the natural speed and it occurred to me that we had devised a means whereby we could identify the exact force inherent within the foundations of the music if we checked a number arrived at with the system of numerology known as the Hebrew Geometria.

Now, as I had insane but fervent convictions that the force I had encountered was active in the region of the gulf in the middle east, I was astounded to learn that the number of the natural speed was 103 which ironically is that of the prophet. Now, as we in Killing Joke have now perfected a13-note scale corresponding to planetary influences the nightmare of the immediate future became visible on an aural basis. So let us watch with our ears and see for ourselves: [excerpt of the song 'Outside The Gate' is played.]

So, how do we explain the prevailing trend towards self-destruction in civilisations of both the East and West? Is it, as Professor Velacovski suggests, that the terrifying memory of massive global cataclysms has been wiped from the amnesiac human psyche and that those, the collective unconscious, who refuse to understand the past are condemned eternally to repeat it. Or, I ask, is there another reason? I feel that the true answer is far simpler than Professor Velacovski suggests. Whilst his hypothesis has something, I feel the underlying answer is far more straightforward, though perhaps less attractive to the intellectual.

Man's behaviour patterns when scrutinised with true objectivity force us to accept the unyielding conclusion that he is an irrational primeval beast. He needs, he needs magic and miracles to dominate his existence. His unconscious mind yearns for this.

Now, it would be correct to assume that in our rational society the magic of current religious practice is no longer evident in daily life. Consequently, the unconscious habitually searches for a primal source of power worthy of marvelling at whilst retaining a one-dimensional perception corresponding to the age of reason. For example, Pascal Jordan, the great German physicist, recollects the early years of atomic research thus, and remember this well: "Everybody was filled with such tension that it almost took their breath away. The ice had been broken! It'd become more and more clear in this connection we had stumbled upon a quite unexpected and deeply embedded layer of the secrets of nature."

Doctor Oppenheimer, the pioneer of the atomic bomb, also remembers: "Our understanding of atomic physics of that which we call the quantum-theory of atomic systems had its origins in the turn of the century and its great synthesis and resolutions in the 1920s. It was a heroic time, a time of earnest correspondence in the horrid conferences, of debate, of criticism and brilliant mathematical improvisation; for those who participated it was a time of creation. There was terror as well as exaltation in their new insight."

Now, from these two excerpts we can deduce that there was great excitement about the discoveries taking place. The unconscious worship of power tapped through fission had already begun!

Brilliant men and women who represented the quintessence of the scientific rationale were now linking their consciousness to the fantastic! An irrational domain that deified even the minds of the very acolytes responsible for its creation.

Craving, do you understand? Craving. Do you understand this word? It's a disgusting word. Craving, the scientist craving for the liberation of such immensity of energy was finally realised. He'd become spellbound by his part in unleashing the forces of nature. Soon the world would feast their minds and participate in the fervent adorations of horror-beauty. Civilisation would kneel on bended knee outwardly horrified but inwardly fascinated and all times paying obedience [?] to the knowledge of magics, perpetual manufacture, its consequences and most of all its exquisite threat!

From the moment of the first detonation at Alamogordo, Man could no longer deny his unconscious worship of such power. There were many men and women who have experienced what we have not and I would like to recount one man's experience. We are too flippant about the energies we have harnessed. So let us take it second-hand from someone who saw. So listen well, for I'll say it only once:

"The whole country was lighted by a searing light with an intensity many times that of the midday sun. Thirty seconds after the explosion came first the air blast, pressing hard against the people and things, to be followed immediately by the strong sustained awesome roar which warned of doomsday and made us feel the we puny things were blasphemous to dare tamper with the forces heretofore reserved to the almighty.

"Words are inadequate tools for the job of a quantum dose not present, metaphysical, mental and psychological effects, it had to be witnessed to be realised." - General Farrel, 16th of July 1945, the Manhattan Project.

The situation, I'm speaking to you now, the situation today facing us forty or so years after the first atomic explosion at Alamogordo only reinforces my point: the collective unconscious everywhere now eagerly anticipates the return of the Old Ones.

Dark aspects or gods of blind terror, pre-rational and immensely powerful. Entities we have invoked back into our existence through the portals of our very actions. Our own discovery of thermo-nuclear energy has unsealed the gateway. These dark elements of nature have already partially resumed control of the race.

Where are they? They are evident in the mayday celebrations in Moscow and Peking as the intercontinental ballistic missiles are gloriously paraded down the street.

In its American counterpart we find childish, pro-Star Wars advertisements that promote the puerile space-age technological dream of lasers, protective screens and push-button annihilation. Their presence is also discernible in Israel's atomic progress at the heart of which lies a base Old Testament hate and loathing towards the enemies of the Zionist cause. But most of all they are visible in the governing bodies of the White House whose policies and politics are determined, to be precise, are determined by a consumationist interpretation of St John's testimony of the apocalypse.

Armaments of obliteration in all their forms have become symbols, or idols, of a rational world with which man has begun to worship bodies of unlimited power. The confusion and hypocrisy that surrounds the potential employment of these weapons only broadens the irrationality of the human psyche, for it should be known, it should be noted, that the image of the enemy remains unalterable.

Banners of the free West are piously flown under which crusades against, and I quote Mr. Ronald Reagan, "Godless monsters of an evil empire" are undertaken. Similarly, any attempt at imperialist intervention would be made with a, quote Mr. Gorbachev: "a glorious and crushing strike." A glorious and crushing strike. The seeds of natural regeneration have begun to germinate visibly in the feverish pitch of human activity within the various superpowers as they prepare for the climax of their existence.

Huh, you know, astonishingly enough, however, in the midst of all this madness, all still claim to be operating in the name of freedom. Now, whether this is collective or individual is irrelevant. Somewhere there is truth in their assumptions for they are most certainly moving towards a liberation of one kind although, I suspect it is probably far removed from the written political and ideological creeds. Should civilisations suddenly bear a collective awareness of the unconscious mind, then I have no doubt that it would be uniquely horrified at the kind of liberation it is actually initiating.

The prevailing idealism at this moment in time is most definitely unconscious as opposed to conscious. This for me is possibly the most unacceptable aspect of it all. The reluctance of humanity to face the state of its collective unconscious has been made apparent at two specific times in the last eight years of my career with Killing Joke. In both the Falklands War and more especially the American bombing of Tripoli, I noticed a sudden surge of interest in both my activities and studies.

People were ringing me up, night and day. It appeared to me, you know what I thought? It appeared to me as though the red alert was the unification point of humanity. Primal fear appears to stimulate the conscious mind's awareness as to the workings of its unconscious. The rational mind at this point becomes confused at its discoveries which resemble, which resemble a perverse fascination with the subject of dread. In every case of a person successfully establishing communication with me at the two times stated, the only question their trembling voices wanted an answer to was: "Is it going to happen?"

The adrenaline induced by fear manifests the focal point of worship in the conscious mind! Naturally, as soon as the assault on the conscious mind from the external world subsides, the link with the unconscious is broken and in the case of Tripoli the entities or primal thought forms that exist there, return to being superficially dormant. But now we have learnt that a series of associated aural and visual images is all it requires to awaken such entities at will. If I had to condense the foremost aim of my musical endeavours over the last eight years into one paragraph, I would say that it has been to create a concrete vision of the future by suggesting a spiralling recession of time. The regression of every aspect of existence to its original condition of primal substance. The term "killing joke" amplifies the idea of the laughter that dispels the ultimate fear of returning to our base origin.

Nevertheless, we still have to learn that the climate of an age is unalterable. The changes we see before us must be recognised as natural growth, insofar as we can perceive nature or evolution to be. Therefore, no matter how we feel about the severity of such proliferation we cannot alter its direction. Therefore, one is forced to accept that all analytical breakdowns of developments are obsolete.

"The shipyards blaze, vibrant arsenals wait their turn. Idols of rational world to worship power, to worship strength. Great crowds excited by riot, pleasure and work. Insane crusades, destructive gestures of the freedom bringers. And all the bells shall toll as holy banners fly and all will talk of freedom. Let rage and hate of races run from Adam down. The magic of our science shines brighter than a thousand suns. Liberty in new dimensions, ruthless and spectacular, obliteration shall be poetry of 'Golden Dawns.' [note: this is taken verbatim from the lyrics to 'Rubicon']

It can be seen at this stage that all my conclusions are formulated on the premise that rationalism ultimately destroys itself through its own irrationality. We can actually prove this by utilising a sequential thought process for the elimination of supposed fact.

Now, I turn this systemised regression for convenience sake. So let us all in the Courtauld Institute go into the future, and we shall go into the future by using reason:

(B) The intellect neither alters nor detracts from the fact that man is an aggressive and predatory beast.

(D) The continual perfection and development of (C), which is the application of both intellect and science, the perfection and development of this through time, for example the industrial revolution, rapidly evolving research et cetera, government funded, invariably culminates in super-weapons of total annihilation. The opposing bodies of government that license such production become aware of the catastrophic implications of these instruments. Mutually assured destruction: MAD. And subsequently justify their deployment on the basis of deterrence. Now at this moment in time we are precisely at (E).

I shall explain (E). Weapon stockpiles increase at an alarming rate and similarly so do the law of averages for human or technological error, coupled with conflicting ideological, economic and strategic gestures. And I warn you that the Zionists believe that it will come six months after a major peace agreement. (quiet: pff...it's rubbish.) So weapon stockpiles increase at an alarming rate and similarly so do the law averages for human or technological error, coupled with conflicting ideological, economic and strategic gestures. The logical result of which would be:

(F) An eventual thermo-nuclear exchange destroying approximately 93% of the global population. Now, statistics assimilate that total extinction is still highly unlikely. So, the surviving 7% will be distributed between: I) government fallout shelters containing sophisticated ecosystems, and 2) small islands of people scattered across the under populated regions of the Southern Hemisphere.

Now (G). These two modes of existence both rapidly transformed from their former condition by being psychologically and physically exposed to extreme changes, logically (cymbal crash), logically.

(H) The former group (1) being subjugated to the confine of a subterranean existence in a regimental fashion necessary for its own maintenance, it is logical to conclude that with restricted natural resources taken into consideration barbarism, cannibalism and separate factions will occur over an extended period of time. Now, in the long term we can see that the psychological aftermath of such repetitious brutality would assure a complete nullification of all previous remnants of reason. More importantly the memory of the former civilisation would revert to mythological status.

(I) The letter I, (I), the latter group, (2), reduced to a far baser level of civilisation, the radiated food, absence of energy, medicine, function of ecosystems, etc. would have inevitably experienced atrocities to the extent that their emotions would have been hardened to the point of tranquility. Now, this in conjunction with the effect of radioactive substances that appear to induce a modification of the genes in certain individuals could support recent medical disclosures that if the protein in the gene is slightly affected, it can no longer produce certain acids which cause us to feel anxiety.

Similarly, we are forced to admit that over an extended period of time undetectable mutation would develop, giving us a terrestrial being of a conscious vertebrate type that is physically, spiritually, psychologically and fundamentally alien to our present condition. Again, the memory of the former civilisation, which is the one you and I are sitting in now, would revert to mythological or legendary status. I haven't finished.

In both cases the creation of a new humanity occurs at the diminishing point of the age of reason. In both cases, though more significantly in the latter, Man reaches a state that epitomises freedom in its most objective context. In both cases the memory of the former civilisation reverts to legendary status. Now, in these examples we can observe that the product of rationalism has created the perfect climate for the birth of a magical age or an irrational interpretation of existence if you like.

Simultaneously, with a rudimentary equation of this process we cancel out the necessity of the equation. And it subsequently disintegrates into nothingness. I'll demonstrate. The existence of reason plus the exclusive enhancement of reason equals the eventual and sudden breakdown of reason, which equals the creation of its antithesis, which is a magical interpretation of existence.

Reason, it seems, is made void by its inefficiency at embracing and adequately explaining the exhilarating phenomenon of existence. Sure, it's impossible to accurately estimate the repercussive effect on a future society that might arise from a consciousness that has witnessed and all-out atomic cataclysm first hand and survived.

Now, seen in this light we are talking about a natural function, yes, a natural function, that does not fall short of a global initiation perceived as a whole. A purification by ordeal. Possibly. The birth of a New World; new consciousness; new Man. But we can only see this vision with true objectivity if we continue to bind this objectivity into our existence. When we almost become our vision. Must become!

When we achieve polarity and we stand with our heads above the heavens and our feet below the hells. Stand upright. Now, much attention is given these days to the work of H. P. Lovecraft whose fictional entity seems to correlate to the major shift in global trends. Only the other day I picked up a magazine that contained an article by one Peter Smith expanding on H. P. Lovecraft and the occult tradition. He says: "Lovecraft is a particularly interesting case of transmission via dream. He violently denies the idea of the existence of occult phenomena. Nevertheless, this denial is belied by the unconscious elements of his stories, indicating a division between the rational and intuitive side of his personality. With the appearance of each story an underlying pattern becomes evident. 'All my stories'. He wrote, 'unconnected as they may be, are based on the fundamental law or legend that this world was inhabited at once time by another race who in practising, who in practising black magic lost their foothold and were expelled, yet live on the outside, ever ready to take possession of this earth again.'"

Now, this is the central theme of 'The Call of Cthulhu' written in 1926. 1926 that must be about, what, 12 years before, 12 years after the Aim of Horus which happened around the year 1904. I'm to understand. Correct me if I'm wrong. Don't bother.

The subject of the story is the idea that at certain times when the stars assume their correct position these dark powers can influence sensitive individuals, giving them visions of the great Old Ones or, if they resist, driving them insane.

These entities exist in another dimension or vibrational level and can only enter this world through a specific window area or psychic gateway, a concept fundamental to many occult traditions. Lovecraft describes the world after the return of the Old Ones: "Mankind would become free and wild beyond good and evil with laws and morals thrown aside and all men shouting and killing and revelling in joy. Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel, and all the world would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom."

There is a marked similarity in this passage to the teachings of many secret societies including the Assasins, the Gnostics and the Templars. But in particular, to the law of Thelema as expressed by Lovecraft's contemporary the very dubious character Aleister Crowley. Very dubious character!

The main distinction between them, that is Lovecraft and Crowley, is a moral one. whereas Lovecraft regarded these ancient gods as essentially evil in nature, Crowley saw their return as being in full accord with the progression of aeons which means it is, and it is to be.

Just because I don't like thermo-nuclear power does not mean that it is gonna go away.

Evidence shows the opposite. Just because I find these forces repugnant does not mean to say I will not come into contact with them. So my opinion, where do I stand upon this moral and ethical dilemma?

The first thought that comes to my mind is my beautiful little daughter, who I love very much. Somewhere I tend to agree with H. P. Lovecraft. I mean, I find these entities, or should I say these changes, repugnant. I am in the end a romanticist. I still dream of the Cotswold Hills as I remember them in my childhood; the wildlife; the exquisite beauty of the countryside on a hot English summer's day. But there is also something I cannot dismiss about Crowley's assumption that the return of these ancient forces are in a call with the progression of aeons, or the scheme of the universe if you like. And yes I believe somewhere we have a moral and ethical responsibility to polarise or stabilise these forces with balance and truth. In fact, I have to go back to the ancient hills of the Cotswolds to my homeland and to the religion which nourished me. "Eight words the Witches' Creed fulfill: if it harm none, do what thou will."

I also believe that we can only respond to such changes on an individual basis. As I am primarily a musician I have tried to achieve this balance with my musical form. The harsh masculine force of change is typified by dissonance and discordance. This is neutralised by the feminine currents of harmony and melody. It is here, the contrast between the two, that I've found my polarity.

Now, I hear that one or two of you have travelled a very long distance to this talk and I wanted it to be a, a non-profit occasion. And I thank you all for hearing me out, very much.

As far as our future plans are concerned everything is tied up in our forthcoming album, 'Outside The Gate'. We have consciously written the music to celebrate one occasion for ourselves which is a performance of the music in a location one hundred miles north of Ayers Rock in Australia, on the edge of a precipice. Now, naturally such an event would be filmed. Obviously there are a lot of arrangements and obstacles we have to cross before this objective can be realised. But there is a new Killing Joke, and we would like you to listen and read our recent work and judge us on the merits of that work only.