Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.)
The Order of the Temple of the East, or the Order of Oriental Templars is an
international fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of
the 20th century. English author and occultist Aleister Crowley has become the
most well known member of the order.
Originally it was intended to be modelled after and associated with
Freemasonry, but under the leadership of Aleister Crowley, O.T.O. was
reorganized around the Law of Thelema as its central religious principle. This
Law—expressed as "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law"
and "Love is the law, love under will"—was promulgated in 1904 with
the dictation of The Book of the Law.
Similar to many secret societies, O.T.O. membership is based on an initiatory
system with a series of degree ceremonies that use ritual drama to establish
fraternal bonds and impart spiritual and philosophical teachings.
O.T.O. also includes the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC) or Gnostic
Catholic Church, which is the ecclesiastical arm of the Order. Its central rite,
which is public, is called Liber XV, or the Gnostic Mass.
History
Origins
The early history of O.T.O. is difficult to trace reliably. It originated in
Germany or Austria between 1895 and 1906. Its apparent founder was Carl Kellner
(probably with the German spelling Karl), a wealthy Austrian industrialist, in
1895 (although nothing verifiable is known of the Order until 1904).
Theodor Reuss (1855–1923) collaborated with Kellner in creating O.T.O., and
succeeded him as head of O.T.O. after Kellner's death. Under Reuss, charters
were given to occult brotherhoods in France, Denmark, Switzerland, the U.S.A.
and Austria. There were nine degrees, of which the first six were Masonic.
In 1902, Reuss, along with Franz Hartmann and Henry Klein, purchased the
right to perform the Rite of Memphis and Mizraim of Freemasonry, the authority
of which was confirmed in 1904 and again in 1905. Although these rites are
considered to be irregular, they, along with the Swedenborg Rite formed the core
of the newly established Order.
O.T.O. after Crowley
After Crowley's death Germer attempted to keep O.T.O. running, with
questionable success. Crowley had granted a charter to run an O.T.O. Camp in
England to Gerald Gardner, and Germer acknowledged Gardner as the O.T.O.'s main
representative in Europe. The two men met in 1948 in New York to discuss plans,
but Gardner's continuing ill health led to Germer replacing him with Frederic
Mellinger in 1951. Also in 1951 Germer granted a charter to run an O.T.O. Camp
in England to Kenneth Grant, who had briefly served as Crowley's secretary
during the 1940s. Grant was to be expelled and his charter revoked in 1955
however, and from that time onwards the O.T.O.'s representative in the U.K. was
a IX° member, Noel Fitzgerald.
Germer died in 1962 without naming a successor. It was not until 1969 that
Grady McMurtry invoked emergency authorization from Crowley and became the
Frater Superior of O.T.O. McMurtry did not claim the title of Outer Head of the
Order, stating in 1974 that "There is at present no Outer Head of the Order
for Aleister Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis. The Outer Head of the Order is an
international office (see p. 201, The Blue Equinox) and Aleister Crowley's Ordo
Templi Orientis is not at this time established organizationally to fulfill the
requirements of its Constitution in this respect." He began performing
initiations in 1970. O.T.O. was incorporated under the laws of the State of
California on March 26, 1979. Grady McMurtry died in 1985, having successfully
saved O.T.O. from possible extinction.
McMurtry requested that members of the Sovereign Sanctuary of the Gnosis
(i.e. the members of the Ninth Degree) elect the next Caliph, which they did in
1985. William Breeze was elected, taking the name Hymenaeus Beta. In the Fall
1995 issue of The Magical Link, he is designated "Hymenaeus Beta X°";
in the Fall 1997 issue of The Magical Link, he is designated "Hymenaeus
Beta XI°"; by May 2005, he is designated "O.H.O. Hymenaeus Beta
XII°" on the O.T.O. website.
In 1996, Sabazius X° (David Scriven, an engineer in Riverside, California)
was appointed as National Grand Master General (G.M.G.) for the U.S. Grand
Lodge. In 2005, Frater Hyperion X° was appointed the National G.M.G. of the
newly formed UK Grand Lodge. Frater Shiva X° was appointed the G.M.G. of
Australia Grand Lodge in 2006.
Philosophy of O.T.O.
O.T.O. was described by Crowley as the "first of the great Old Æon
orders to accept The Book of the Law". O.T.O. originally borrowed ritual
material from irregular Masonic organizations, and although some related
symbolism and language remains in use, the context has changed to Thelema and
its tenets.
"The Order offers esoteric instruction through dramatic ritual, guidance
in a system of illuminated ethics, and fellowship among aspirants to the Great
Work of realizing the divine in the human.", O.T.O. has two core areas of ritual activity: initiation into the Mysteries,
and the celebration of Liber XV, the Gnostic Mass. In addition, the Order
organizes lectures, classes, social events, theatrical productions and artistic
exhibitions, publishes books and journals, and provides instruction in Hermetic
science, yoga, and magick.
Crowley wrote in his Confessions: "...the O.T.O. is in possession of one supreme secret. The whole of its
system [is] directed towards communicating to its members, by progressively
plain hints, this all-important instruction."
Of the first set of initiations, he wrote: "...the main objects of the instruction [are] two. It [is] firstly
necessary to explain the universe and the relations of human life
therewith." "Secondly, to instruct every man [and woman] how best to
adapt his [or her] life to the cosmos and to develop his faculties to the utmost
advantage. I accordingly constructed a series of rituals, Minerval, Man,
Magician, Master-Magician, Perfect Magician and Perfect Initiate, which should
illustrate the course of human life in its largest philosophical aspect."
The initiation rituals after the V° (fifth degree) are such that: "the candidate is instructed in the value of discretion, loyalty,
independence, truthfulness, courage, self-control, indifference to circumstance,
impartiality, scepticism, and other virtues, and at the same time assisted him
to discover for himself the nature of [the supreme] secret, the proper object of
its employment and the best means for insuring success for its use"
(p.701).
Of the entire system of O.T.O., Crowley wrote in Confessions: "It offers a rational basis for universal brotherhood and for universal
religion. It puts forward a scientific statement which is a summary of all that
is at present known about the universe by means of a simple, yet sublime
symbolism, artistically arranged. It also enables each man to discover for
himself his personal destiny, indicates the moral and intellectual qualities
which he requires in order to fulfil it freely, and finally puts in his hands an
unimaginably powerful weapon which he may use to develop in himself every
faculty which he may need in his work" (p.703).
Initiation and teachings
Membership in O.T.O. is based upon a system of initiation ceremonies (or
degrees) which use ritual drama to establish fraternal bonds between members as
well as impart spiritual and philosophical teachings.
The degrees also serve an organizational function, in that certain degrees
must be attained before taking on various forms of service in the Order (e.g.
taking the degree of K.E.W. is a requirement for ordination as a priest or
priestess in Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica).
There are thirteen numbered degrees and twelve un-numbered degrees which are
divided into three grades or "triads"—the Hermit, the Lover, and the
Man of Earth.
Admittance to each degree of O.T.O. involves an initiation and the swearing
of an oath which O.T.O claims is similar to those used in Freemasonry.
Advancement through the Man of Earth triad requires sponsorship from ranking
members. Advancement into the degree of the Knight of the East and West and
beyond requires one to be invited by ranking members.
The ultimate goal of initiation in O.T.O. is "to instruct the individual
by allegory and symbol in the profound mysteries of Nature, and thereby to
assist each to discover his or her own true Identity."
The entire system is as follows:
The Man of Earth Triad
0°—Minerval: Imparted the mysteries of attraction and conception.
I°—Man & Brother: Imparted the mysteries of birth.
II°—Magician: Imparted the mysteries of life.
III°—Master Magician: Imparted the mysteries of
death.
IV°—Perfect Magician & Companion of the Holy Royal Arch of Enoch
P.I.—Perfect Initiate, or Prince of Jerusalem
Outside all Triads
Knight of the East & West
The Lover Triad
V°—Sovereign Prince Rose-Croix, and Knight of the Pelican & Eagle; Knight of the Red Eagle, and Member of the Senate of Knight Hermetic
Philosophers
VI°—Illustrious Knight (Templar) of the Order of Kadosch, and Companion of
the Holy Graal; Grand Inquisitor Commander, and Member of the Grand Tribunal; Prince of the Royal Secret
VII°—Theoreticus, and Very Illustrious Sovereign Grand Inspector
General;
Magus of Light, and Bishop of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica; Grandmaster of Light, and Inspector of Rites & Degrees
Adoration of the phallus as the microcosmic counterpart to the sun is
taught in this degree, including the creation of a personal 'chapel' which
contains a sculpture of a phallus in silver, bronze, or another such
substance.
De Natura Deorum is given for study and practice.
The Hermit Triad
VIII°—Perfect Pontiff of the Illuminati
Epopt of the Illuminati
Masturbatory or autosexual magical techniques are taught, referred as the
Lesser Work of Sol
De Nuptiis Secretis Deorum Cum Hominibus is given for study and practice.
IX°—Initiate of the Sanctuary of the Gnosis
Heterosexual magical techniques are taught, including the creation of a
homunculus
The following texts are given for study and practice:
Agape vel Liber C vel Azoth
De Homunculo Epistola
De Arte Magica
IX° Emblems and Modes of Use
X°—Rex Summus Sanctissimus
XI°—Initiate of the Eleventh Degree (This degree is technical, and has no
relation to the general plan of the Order)
Anal intercourse techniques as sexual and magical
XII°—Frater Superior, and Outer Head of the Order
Structure
The governing bodies of O.T.O. include:
International Headquarters, Presided over by the Outer Head of the Order
XII° (O.H.O.—also known as Frater Superior)
Supreme Council
Revolutionaries
The Sovereign Sanctuary of the Gnosis of the IX°
The Secret Areopagus of the Illuminati of the VIII°
The Grand Tribunal of the VI°
The National Grand Lodge
Presided over by the National Grand Master X°
Executive Council
The Supreme Grand Council
The Electoral College
International
1. The International Headquarters is the body that governs O.T.O. worldwide.
As a ruling body, it is known as the International Supreme Council, which
consists of the Outer Head of the Order (O.H.O.—also known as Frater
Superior), the Secretary General, and the Treasurer General.
2. The Sovereign Sanctuary of the Gnosis consists of members who have reached
the IX°. Their prime duty is to study and to practice the theurgy and
thaumaturgy of the degree, consisting of the Supreme Secret of the Order.
However, as a ruling body, they have the authority to ratify and overturn the
rulings of the Areopagus act as representatives of the O.H.O. and National Grand
Masters when need arises fill the office of Revolutionary vote within the Secret
Areopagus have some powers over the installation and removal of the O.H.O. and
National Grand Masters.
3. The Secret Areopagus of the Illuminati is a philosophical Governing Body
composed of those who have reached the VIII°. It has the authority to reverse
the decisions of the Grand Tribunal.
4. The Grand Tribunal is composed of members of the degree of Grand
Inquisitor Commander (a sub-degree of the VI°). Their primary duty is to hear
and arbitrate disputes and complaints not resolved at the level of Chapters and
Lodges.
National
1. At the national level, the highest body is the Grand Lodge, which is ruled
by the National Grand Master. Within the Grand Lodge is an Executive Council,
which consists of the Board of Directors, who are the National Grand Master, the
Grand Secretary General, and the Grand Treasurer General.
2. The Supreme Grand Council consists of members of the VII° appointed by
the National Grand Master X°. They are charged with:
Government of the whole of the Lovers Grade
Hearing and deciding appeals of the decisions of the Electoral College
Hearing reports of the Sovereign Grand Inspectors General VII° as to the
affairs of the Initiate members of the Lovers Grade
3. The Electoral College consists of eleven members of the V° and is the
first of the governing bodies. Its primary duty is to oversee the affairs of the
Man of Earth Grade.
O.T.O. has a federally recognised tax-exempt status in the USA under IRS
section 501c(3). It also has California charitable corporation status.
Current Grand Lodges
The US Grand Lodge is the governing body of O.T.O. in the United States of
America. The U.S. National Grand Master is Frater Sabazius X°, who was
appointed in 1996.
According to its website, the Mission Statement of U.S.G.L. is as follows:
Ordo Templi Orientis U.S.A. is the U.S. Grand Lodge (National Section) of
Ordo Templi Orientis, a hierarchical, religious membership organization. Our
mission is to effect and promote the doctrines and practices of the
philosophical and religious system known as Thelema, with particular emphasis on
cultivating the ideals of individual liberty, self-discipline, self-knowledge,
and universal brotherhood. To this end, we conduct sacramental and initiatory
rites, offer guidance and instruction to our members, organize social events,
and engage in educational and community service activities at locations
throughout the United States.
As of Feb 29, 2008 US Grand Lodge had 1,212 members in 57 local bodies.
The UK Grand Lodge is the governing body of O.T.O. in the United Kingdom. The
UK National Grand Master is Frater Hyperion X°, who was appointed in 2005 (93
years after the last Grand Master for the UK, Aleister Crowley, was elevated to
that office).
The Australian Grand Lodge is the governing body of O.T.O. in Australia and
its territories, chartered in April 2006. The A.G.L. National Grand Master is
Frater Shiva X°.
The
Gnostic Catholic Church
The Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, or Gnostic Catholic Church, is the
ecclesiastical arm of O.T.O. Its central activity is the celebration of Liber
XV, The Gnostic Mass. In recent years, other rites have been written and
approved for use within the church. These include Baptism, Confirmation (into
the Laity), and Ordination (for Deacons, Priests & Priestesses, and
Bishops), and Last Rites. There are also several "unofficial" rituals
that are celebrated within the context of E.G.C., including Weddings, Visitation
and Administration of the Virtues to the Sick, Exorcism, and Rites for Life and
Greater Feasts.
O.T.O. bodies
At the Man of Earth level, there are three levels of Local Body, which are
Camps, Oases, and Lodges.
Camps tend to be the smallest and are not required to perform initiations.
They are encouraged to celebrate the Gnostic Mass.
Oases must be capable of initiating through the III° and are required to
perform the Gnostic Mass six times yearly.
Lodges are expected to celebrate the Gnostic Mass on a regular basis, work
towards establishing a permanent temple, and have the ability to initiate
through IV°/P.I.
Chapters of Rose Croix are bodies established by members of the Lover Grade.
A Chapter is headed by a Most Wise Sovereign. They are generally charged with
arranging social activities, such as plays, banquets, and dances. They also work
to promote harmony among the members by tact and friendliness.
Guilds are groups recognized by O.T.O. International designed to promote a
profession, trade, science or craft. Subject to approval by the Areopagus, they
make their own regulations and coordinate their own efforts. There are currently
three Guilds: the Psychology Guild, the Translators' Guild, and the Information
Technology Guild.
The term Sanctuary is sometimes used to indicate a group of initiates
organized for E.G.C. activities. This designation currently reflects no formal
chartering process or official standing within the Order.
Questions of legitimacy
Several competing factions have claimed to be legitimate heirs to Aleister
Crowley. Both before and after McMurtry revived O.T.O. in California, others
came forward with various claims of succession.
Although Karl Germer expelled Kenneth Grant from O.T.O. in 1955, Grant went
on to claim himself Outer Head of Ordo Templi Orientis in a series of
influential books. His organization has recently changed its name to the
Typhonian Order and no longer claims to represent O.T.O.
Hermann Metzger, another claimant, had been initiated into O.T.O. under
Germer in Germany in the 1950s, and headed the Swiss branch of the Order. After
Germer's death he attempted to proclaim himself head of O.T.O. However, his
claims were ignored by everyone outside of his country and he never pressed the
issue. He died in 1990.
Marcelo Ramos Motta (1931–1987), a third claimant, was never initiated into
O.T.O. at all, but claimed on the basis that Germer’s wife, Sasha, told him
that Karl’s last words stated that Motta was "the follower." He sued
for ownership of Crowley’s copyrights, which were denied to him by the U.S.
District Court in Maine. Motta died in 1987, although various small groups
calling themselves Society O.T.O. (S.O.T.O.) continue to exist and claim
authority from him.
Court cases
O.T.O. as revived by McMurtry has won two court cases regarding its
legitimacy as the continuation of the O.T.O. of Aleister Crowley:
1976: the Superior Court in Calaveras County, California recognizes Grady
McMurtry as the authorized representative of O.T.O.
1985: in the 9th Federal District Court in San Francisco, McMurtry is found
to be the legitimate head of O.T.O. within the United States, and that O.T.O.
under McMurtry is the continuation of the O.T.O. of Aleister Crowley, and the
exclusive owner of the names, trademarks, copyrights and other assets of O.T.O.
This decision is appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and upheld. The
Supreme Court declined to hear a final appeal. After the case, the US O.T.O.
purchased the Crowley copyrights from the official receiver, even though the US
court decision declared that they were the rightful owners.
The following case is also significant in the Order's history, though it does
not have as much bearing on the issue of legitimacy:
2002: The United Kingdom High Court, in Ordo Templi Orientis v. John Symonds,
Anthony Naylor and Mandrake Press, finds that O.T.O. as revived by McMurtry is
the sole owner of the copyrights for all of the works of Aleister Crowley. In
its particulars of claim, O.T.O. had pled two mutually exclusive routes to
ownership of the copyrights:
(a) through Crowley's will as the named beneficiary O.T.O., a route to title
that had been affirmed in U.S. Federal Court but had never been tested under
English law, and
(b) the "bankruptcy route," on which theory O.T.O. acquired title
to the copyrights from 1991 from the UK Crown Official Receiver in Bankruptcy.
The Chancery Master agreed that these two routes were largely mutually
exclusive; if Crowley's copyrights were not an asset in his undischarged
bankruptcy, then O.T.O. bought nothing, and could only claim through the will,
under which the copyrights would have to pass; but if the rights were an asset
in bankruptcy, then Crowley had lacked any power to make O.T.O. a bequest of
them in his will. The court examined the bankruptcy aspect first, finding that
O.T.O. acquired good title.
The copyrights were thus Crown property between 1935 and 1991, making dozens
of books—even many of O.T.O.'s own editions—unauthorized. Had the "will
route" been tried, it would have given O.T.O. an opportunity to gain
recognition in UK court as the legitimate continuation of Crowley's O.T.O.,
since that is a precondition to being found the rightful beneficiary of his
will. Thus, the issue of the organization's legitimacy did arise at trial, since
it was pled into court, but it was not ruled upon. While there is no way to know
whether, had it been tested, it would have been confirmed or denied, O.T.O. made
thorough legal preparations for this aspect of their case as detailed in their
"Particulars of Claim". However, even O.T.O. would agree that it would
be misleading to cite this case as affirming the organization's historical
legitimacy, since that issue went untried.
In Australia in 2005, O.T.O. began a defamation case against the site
GaiaGuys for material put up on their website that directly accused O.T.O.,
particularly in Australia, of participating in acts of child abuse and
sacrifice. The court found in favour of O.T.O.
Criticisms
There are those, including occultists and Thelemites of other organizations,
who disagree that O.T.O. as revived by McMurtry is the sole legitimate
continuation of the Order headed by Aleister Crowley as found by U.S. courts.
Those who hold such views sometimes refer to the Order as the
"Caliphate" O.T.O. (based on a Crowley letter to McMurtry referring to
his possible succession as "The Caliphate" and also using the word
"Caliphornia"), so as to distinguish it from other organizations that
use the name "Ordo Templi Orientis". Other organizations that use the
O.T.O. name and consider themselves to be legitimate continuations of O.T.O.
include the O.T.O. Foundation and the Parzival XI° O.T.O. Foundation.
In February 2006, a long-time high-ranking member and occult author, T. Allen
Greenfield, called for the resignation of upper management and stepped down from
all managerial duties in protest. He went on to write a detailed analysis of
"the failure of the O.T.O." and the "culture of fear" which
he says currently exists within O.T.O. which is included as the last chapter and
Epilogue of his book The Roots of Modern Magick. Although he is no longer a
member of O.T.O. he continues to be a critic of the current Frater Superior of
the Order, Hymenaeus Beta.
This text is entirely from Wikipedia.