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Charles Stansfeld Jones

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Charles Stansfeld Jones

Charles Robert Stansfeld Jones (/ˈstænsfld/ STANSS-feeld; 1886–1950), aka Frater Achad, was a Canadian occultist and ceremonial magician. An early aspirant to the A∴A∴ (the 20th to be admitted as a Probationer, in December 1909) who "claimed" the grade of Magister Templi as a Neophyte. He was also an initiate of Ordo Templi Orientis, serving as the principal organizer for that order in British Columbia, Canada. He worked under a variety of mottos and acronymic titles, including V.I.O. (Unus in Omnibus, "One in All," as an A∴A∴ Probationer), O.I.V.V.I.O., V.I.O.O.I.V., Parzival (as an Adeptus Minor and O.T.O. Ninth Degree), and Tantalus Leucocephalus (as Tenth Degree O.T.O.), but he is best known under his Neophyte motto "Achad" (Hebrew: אחד, "unity"), which he used as a byline in his various published writings.

Jones was born in London on 2 April 1886. He became an accountant. Prior to joining the A∴A∴, he investigated Spiritualism, as recounted in the notes of his magical progress, "A Master of the Temple."

Having been recruited through Crowley's publication The Equinox in 1909, he was attracted to the A∴A∴ 's avowed motto of 'The Method of Science, the aim of Religion' and became the twentieth person to join Aleister Crowley's A∴A∴ order. Jones' motto as a Probationer was Vnvs in Omnibvs (V.I.O.), and his supervising Neophyte was J. F. C. Fuller (Per Ardua). When Fuller later withdrew from the A∴A∴, Aleister Crowley took over as Jones' superior. Jones advanced to Neophyte, taking the motto Achad, which he was subsequently to use for most of his published writings, and by which he is best known. Jones continued his work under Crowley in the Outer Order of A∴A∴ until the former decided to "take 8=3, in case that is what the Master really needed," i.e. to claim the grade of Magister Templi in the Third Order, thus assisting Crowley's advancement to the further grade of Magus, by filling "the Master's" current position in the A∴A∴ hierarchy. Jones took the Magister Templi obligation (i.e. "the Oath of the Abyss") and notified Crowley.

The news came as a profound revelation to Crowley. Nine months earlier he had been involved in a set of sex-magical operations with Sr. Hilarion (Jeanne Robert Foster) in an apparently unsuccessful effort to conceive a child. Crowley noted the nine-month interval and concluded that Jones' "birth" as a Babe of the Abyss qualified him as the "magical child" of Crowley and Hilarion. He welcomed Jones to the Third Order, and declared him to be his "beloved son." Eventually, goaded by suggestions from Jones and impressed by his qabalistic insights into Thelema's founding volume, The Book of the Law (especially his essay "Liber 31"), Crowley came to consider the younger man the "child" and the "one" prophesied in the book (in I:55–56 and similar passages).

Crowley and Jones frequently discussed the Ouija board and it is often mentioned in their unpublished letters.

Throughout 1917 Achad experimented with the board as a means of summoning Angels, as opposed to Elementals. In one letter Crowley told Jones:, "Your Ouija board experiment is rather fun. You see how very satisfactory it is, but I believe things improve greatly with practice. I think you should keep to one angel, and make the magical preparations more elaborate."

Over the years, both became so fascinated by the board that they discussed marketing their own design.

Charles Stansfeld Jones wrote a book called Crystal Vision through Crystal Gazing, in which he notes that in relationship to skrying (also spelled scrying) "the case of the Ouija Board applies equally to the Crystal."

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