DOCSLIB.ORG

From the Grand Master Contents

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Agapé is the Offi cial Organ Volume VII, Number 1 of the U. S. Grand Lodge of q ns B • R ns K • A IV: Ordo Templi Orientis A May 1, 2005 From the Grand Master Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Transition: Grand Treasurer General local or national O.T.O. offi cers, or regarding problems associated with In accordance with the prophesy (see our New Offi ce: U.S.G.L. Ombudsman local or national O.T.O. policies, and, November 2004 issue), Brother Vere We have created and filled a new when other avenues of mediation Chappell, our Grand Treasurer General position within U.S. Grand Lodge: are unavailable or unsatisfactory, since April 1997 , has moved on from the Ombudsman. The purpose of the regarding the conduct of other his position as U.S.G.L. G.T.G. and is Ombudsman is to serve as an official individual members. now serving as the Treasurer General liaison between the general membership (T.G.) for I.H.Q. In assuming the offi ce of 3. To perform triage regarding of O.T.O. within the United States and T.G., Brother Vere replaces Brother Bill complaints received, and to act the various governing and administrative Heidrick, who, aV er 26 years of service as on said complaints in the most bodies of the U.S. Grand Lodge of O.T.O.; G.T.G. and T.G., has retired from active appropriate manner, from among and to facilitate communication between service in those roles. Brother Hank the following options: members, offi cers, and governing and Hadeed has stepped up to replace Brother A. Respond to the complainant with administrative bodies, especially towards Vere as U.S. G.T.G. We wish Brothers clarifying information. the resolution of problems. Bill and Vere the best, and off er a warm B. Request additional information welcome to Brother Hank. Hank’s contact The offi cial duties of the Ombudsman from the complainant. information as the new G.T.G. may be are as follows: C. If necessary, discretely request found in the contacts box on p. 2. 1. To receive and answer requests additional information from other from members for information individuals, without commencing an intensive investigation. Transition: Grand Tribunal Secretary regarding which offi cer, governing body, or administrative body may D. Refer the complainant to the After having served for five years as be contacted to address a specifi c appropriate officer, governing Secretary of the U.S. Grand Tribunal, problem or need. body, and/or administrative Brother James Nobles has recently 2. To receive complaints from members body. stepped down from that offi ce to be of regarding the job performance of service to the Order in another capacity. Continued In his place I have appointed Brother Dathan Biberstein. All Grand Tribunal correspondence should be sent to Brother Contents Dathan at the address on p. 2. From the Grand Master, Sabazius ......................................................... 1 The email address remains the same: From the Grand Tribunal, James Nobles VII° ........................................... 3 From the International Treasurer General, Vere Chappell ............................ 4 [email protected] From the Electoral College, Frater Dvgls Jms Blk ...................................... 4 Many thanks to Br. Jim, and good luck From the E.G.C. Secretary, Tau Marie .................................................... 5 to Br. Dathan. From the Ombudsman, Frater Hrumachis ................................................ 5 The Vice of Kings, John L. Crow ...........................................................6 The Path of Mediation Part 1, Frater Hrumachis ....................................... 8 Local Body Reports .......................................................................... 9 Obituaries ....................................................................................11 Agapé 1 q ns B IV: From the Grand Master Continued 5. To make known the existence and function of the offi ce E. Forward the complaint, with recommendations and of Ombudsman to the membership of O.T.O. within the with any additional information deemed necessary, United States by all practical means. to the appropriate officer, governing body, and/or The offi ce of Ombudsman is not intended to engage in intensive administrative body. Complaints may be forwarded investigations, or otherwise perform functions normally without information identifying the complainant assigned to other offi cers or governing bodies, without specifi c if the Ombudsman deems this to be necessary and authorization from the National Grand Master General. appropriate. 4. To maintain a confi dential record of complaints received, The person fi lling the offi ce of Ombudsman must be a member actions taken, and how resolution was achieved in each of O.T.O. in good standing of at least the degree of G.I.C., and case. Said record shall be accessible to the Executive and must be a member of the Grand Tribunal. the S.C., and to other governing bodies with the permission The Executive has appointed Frater Hrumachis as U.S. Grand of the Executive. Lodge Ombudsman. His contact information can be found on the list of Grand Lodge offi cers in the contacts box, below. The Offi cial Organ of the U.S. Grand Lodge of Ordo Templi Orientis Executive Editor: Sabazius X° Editor & Layout: Joseph Thiebes Assistant Editor: Dawn C. Davis Editorial Address: P.O. Box 15037 Portland, OR 97293-5037 Mysteria Mystica Maxima Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica [email protected] U.S. GRAND LODGE OFFICERS U.S. NATIONAL GRAND MASTER GENERAL: SABAZIUS X° U.S.G.L. OMBUDSMAN: FR. HRUMACHIS P.O. Box 32, Riverside, CA 92502-0032 • [email protected] P.O. Box 3008, Ashland, OR 97520 U.S. DEPUTY NATIONAL GRAND MASTER GENERAL: LON MILO DUQUETTE 541-488-1257 • [email protected] P.O. Box 3111, Newport Beach, CA 92659-0705 U.S.G.L. QUARTERMASTER: FR. V.V.N. [email protected] [email protected] U.S. GRAND SECRETARY GENERAL: FR. HUNAHPU U.S.G.L. WEBMASTER: CRAIG BERRY PO Box 47988, Minneapolis, MN 55447 • [email protected] [email protected] U.S. GRAND TREASURER GENERAL: HANK HADEED U.S.G.L. LIBRARIAN: FR. K.Z. 4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd. #444, Portland, OR 97214-5246 P.O. Box 32, Riverside, CA 92502-0032 • [email protected] [email protected] • www.oto-usa.org/treasury U.S.G.L. ARCHIVIST: FR. P. U.S. GRAND TRIBUNAL P.O. Box 6635, Jersey City, NJ 07306 ATHAN IBERSTEIN ECRETARY D B , S • [email protected] U.S.G.L. VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR: JAMES MCLAUGHLIN P.O. Box 17462, Minneapolis, MN 55417 [email protected] XECUTIVE OUNCIL UPREME RAND OUNCIL U.S. E C , U.S. S G C , U.S.G.L. PUBLICATIONS SECRETARY: ARIANA WHITE U.S. CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS PO Box 3993, Eugene, OR 97403 • [email protected] P.O. Box 32, Riverside, CA 92502-0032 SECRETARY FOR CORRESPONDENCE: T ALLEN GREENFIELD U.S. ELECTORAL COLLEGE 3267 Buford Hwy., Ste. 720-109, Atlanta, GA 30329-1707 DOUGLAS JAMES BLAKE, PRESIDENT • [email protected] [email protected] P.O. Box 47056, Seattle, WA 98146 COORDINATOR, O.T.O. PRISON MINISTRY: DANIEL L. AKZINOR DANN BUCHANAN, SECRETARY • [email protected] 5030 N. May Ave., #252, Oklahoma City, OK 73112-6010 PO Box 90372, Portland, OR 97290-0372 [email protected] U.S.G.L. INITIATION SECRETARY: SR. IXEL BALAMKE PO Box 47988, Minneapolis, MN 55447 • [email protected] U.S.G.L. PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER: FR. HRUMACHIS P.O. Box 3008, Ashland, OR 97520 • [email protected] U.S. E.G.C. SECRETARY: TAU MARIE P.O. Box 201750, Austin, TX 78720-1750 • [email protected] U.S.G.L. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION: JOSEPH THIEBES P.O. Box 15037, Portland, OR 97293-5037 • [email protected] U.S.G.L. PARLIAMENTARIAN: SR. HELENA P.O. Box 32, Riverside, CA 92502 • [email protected] WWW.OTO-USA.ORG Agapé is published quarterly by Ordo Templi Orientis, U.S.A., a California not-for-profi t religious corporation with business offi ces at P.O. Box 32, Riverside, CA 92502-0032. • O.T.O. U.S.A. is a duly recognized Grand Lodge of Ordo Templi Orientis, an international religious organization with business offi ces at JAF Box 7666, New York, NY 10116, and corporate headquarters at P.O. Box 430, Fairfax, CA 94930. • Donations, legacies and bequests made to Ordo Templi Orientis U.S.A. are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. • Agapé is distributed to all O.T.O. members in good standing in the U.S.A., and is available for download in PDF format at the U.S. Grand Lodge website: www.oto-usa.org/docs.html • Copyright © 2005 EV Ordo Templi Orientis U.S.A. All rights reserved and assigned to the respective authors. The viewpoints and opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the contributing authors. Agapé 2 q ns B IV: Please feel free to get in touch with him 2. To collect and organize said For electronic submissions, links, and if you are having trouble ge ing your publications. updates to web publications: questions answered, your problems 3. To scan the paper copies submi ed by [email protected] addressed, or if you don’t know who local bodies into readable electronic to approach with your problem or format. question. 4. To distribute the received local Formation of Education Committee body publications on CD-ROM on a quarterly basis to the Grand In Agape Vol. V, No. 1, I mentioned that Formalization of Offi ce: Master, Grand Secretary General, we were se ing up a standing commi ee Local Body Publications Secretary Grand Treasurer General, Librarian, at the Grand Lodge level to research, discuss, and make recommendations on Although we have been informally Treasurer General, Secretary General local body instructional materials and (and, unfortunately, not very eff ectively) and other U.S.G.L.
Recommended publications
  • Hitler's Doubles

    Hitler's Doubles

    Hitler’s Doubles By Peter Fotis Kapnistos Fully-Illustrated Hitler’s Doubles Hitler’s Doubles: Fully-Illustrated By Peter Fotis Kapnistos [email protected] FOT K KAPNISTOS, ICARIAN SEA, GR, 83300 Copyright © April, 2015 – Cold War II Revision (Trump–Putin Summit) © August, 2018 Athens, Greece ISBN: 1496071468 ISBN-13: 978-1496071460 ii Hitler’s Doubles Hitler’s Doubles By Peter Fotis Kapnistos © 2015 - 2018 This is dedicated to the remote exploration initiatives of the Stargate Project from the 1970s up until now, and to my family and friends who endured hard times to help make this book available. All images and items are copyright by their respective copyright owners and are displayed only for historical, analytical, scholarship, or review purposes. Any use by this report is done so in good faith and with respect to the “Fair Use” doctrine of U.S. Copyright law. The research, opinions, and views expressed herein are the personal viewpoints of the original writers. Portions and brief quotes of this book may be reproduced in connection with reviews and for personal, educational and public non-commercial use, but you must attribute the work to the source. You are not allowed to put self-printed copies of this document up for sale. Copyright © 2015 - 2018 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED iii Hitler’s Doubles The Cold War II Revision : Trump–Putin Summit [2018] is a reworked and updated account of the original 2015 “Hitler’s Doubles” with an improved Index. Ascertaining that Hitler made use of political decoys, the chronological order of this book shows how a Shadow Government of crisis actors and fake outcomes operated through the years following Hitler’s death –– until our time, together with pop culture memes such as “Wunderwaffe” climate change weapons, Brexit Britain, and Trump’s America.
  • Ade Mark Inter-Partes Decision O/222/07

    Ade Mark Inter-Partes Decision O/222/07

    O-222-07 TRADE MARKS ACT 1994 IN THE MATTER OF APPLICATION Nos 2322346A & 2322346B BY ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS TO REGISTER TWO SERIES OF TWO TRADE MARKS OTO/ O T O & O.T.O. / O. T. O. IN CLASSES 9, 16 & 41 AND IN THE MATTER OF CONSOLIDATED OPPOSITIONS THERETO UNDER Nos.92269 & 92270 BY STARFIRE PUBLISHING LIMITED. BACKGROUND 1) On 31 January 2003, Ordo Templi Orientis of JAF Box 7666, New York 10116- 4632, United States of America applied under the Trade Marks Act 1994 for registration of a series of four trade marks, which, for administrative purposes, were split into two series of two trade marks as follows: Mark Number Class Specification OTO 2322346A 9 Printed publications in electronic readable O T O. form. 16 Printed matter; printed publications, By Consent No. books, stationery. E768739 and E2345700 41 Instruction, education and training services all relating to religion and religious matters. O.T.O. 2322346B 9 Printed publications in electronic readable O. T. O form. 16 Printed matter; printed publications, By Consent No. books, stationery. E768739 and E2345700. 41 Instruction, education and training services all relating to religion and religious matters. 2) On 26 January 2004 Starfire Publishing Limited of 9 Temple Fortune House, Finchley Road, London, NW11 6XH filed notice of opposition to the application. The grounds of opposition are in summary: a) The letters OTO/O.T.O. are an acronym derived from the initial letters of the name Ordo Templi Orientis (hereinafter OTO) which is the name of a spiritual fraternity which emerged from European freemasonry around 1905.
  • The Gnostic L. Ron Hubbard: Was He Influenced by Aleister Crowley?

    The Gnostic L. Ron Hubbard: Was He Influenced by Aleister Crowley?

    $ The Journal of CESNUR $ The Gnostic L. Ron Hubbard: Was He Influenced by Aleister Crowley? Massimo Introvigne CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions) [email protected] ABSTRACT: Scientology was defined by its founder himself, L. Ron Hubbard, as a “Gnostic religion.” In 1969, however, a Trotskyist Australian journalist and an opponent of Scientology, Alex Mitchell, disclosed in a Sunday Times article that Hubbard had been involved, in 1945–46, in the activities of California’s Agapé Lodge of the Ordo Templi Orientis, an occult organization led by British magus Aleister Crowley. The article generated a cottage industry of exposés criticizing Hubbard as having been a member of a “black magic” organization. Some scholars also believe Hubbard to have been influenced by Crowley in his subsequent writings about Dianetics and Scientology. While conflicting narratives exist about why exactly Hubbard participated in the activities of the Agapé Lodge and his leader, the rocket scientist Jack Parsons, the article argues that Hubbard researched magic well before 1945, came to conclusions about the role of magic in Western culture that are largely shared by 21st century scholars, and created with Scientology a system that is inherently religious rather than magic. KEYWORDS: Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, Babalon Working, Aleister Crowley, Jack Parsons, John Whiteside Parsons, O.T.O., Agapé Lodge. Scientology and Gnosticism Some weeks ago, I was visited by a leading Chinese scholar of religion, Zhang Xinzhang from Zhejiang University. Zhang is a scholar of Gnosticism and a critic of movements the Chinese government identifies as xie jiao (“heterodox teachings,” sometimes translated, less accurately, as “evil cults”).
  • \-WG.~\· B. Uru).Y Professor Philip Armstrong Adviser Comparative Studies Graduate,, Program ABSTRACT

    \-WG.~\· B. Uru).Y Professor Philip Armstrong Adviser Comparative Studies Graduate,, Program ABSTRACT

    THE WILL TO CHAOS AND A DANCING STAR: ALEISTER CROWLEY, NEO-P AGANISM AND THE TECHNOLOGIES OF THE SELVES THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Joseph A. Marino III * * * * * The Ohio State University 2007 Master's Thesis Committee: Approved by Professor Hugh Urban, Adviser Professor Michael Swartz \-WG.~\· b. Uru).y Professor Philip Armstrong Adviser Comparative Studies Graduate,, Program ABSTRACT Entrenched in Victorian England and raised in a puritanical Christian family, Aleister Crowley delved into Western Esotericism and the study of ritual magic as a means to subvert the stifling environment into which he was bom. Among his chief acts of subversion were his many displays of a very fluid and malleable identity. He played with “selves” like they were merely wardrobes for a day and found himself developing more fully for the breadth of experience that he achieved from such practices. In the wake of Friedrich Nietszche, Crowley looked to the strength of each individual will to deny being identified by traditional systems such as Christianity or “Modernity,” pushing instead for a chaotic presentation of the self that is both wholly opposed to external authority and wholly enthusiastic about play, contradiction and experimentation. Through the lens of Michel Foucault’s “Technologies of the Self' and Judith Butler’s notion of performativity, one can come to see Crowley’s performances (through dress, pseudonyms, literary license and more) as operations that he performs on himself to knowingly affect a change in his identity.
  • SYMONDS RARE BOOKS Catalogue of Magic and Occult Books And

    SYMONDS RARE BOOKS Catalogue of Magic and Occult Books And

    SYMONDS RARE BOOKS Catalogue of Magic and Occult Books and Drawings Foreword Please, take a moment to look at our new catalogue of books and artworks of magic and the occult. The catalogue is divided in three parts: Printed books from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, here you will find a variety of rare and fine books on witchcraft and witch-trials, Satanic possession and magic, including works by Ficino, Iamblichus, Sinclair, Mather and Hutchinson; Modern editions, including the Golden Hind signed by the editors Clifford Bax and Austin Osman Spare and a rich and varied selection of books by Aleister Crowley and John Symonds; Drawings by Aleister Crowley, Austin Osman Spare and James Boswell. Thomas J. Symonds June 2020 Symonds Rare Books, Ltd. Phone: +44 (0)7984062299 Email: [email protected] Website: https://symondsrarebooks.co.uk/ Instagram: @symonds_rare_books 2 SIXTEENTH TO NINETEENTH CENTURIES 3 1. FICINO, Marsilio. De Vita Libri tres, quorum Primus, de studiosorum Sanitate tuenda. Secundus, de Vita producenda. Tertius, de Vita coelitus comparanda. Lyon, Gulielmum Rouillium, 1560. £2,000 16mo, pp. 461 (iii), a-z A-F8. Three works in one volume. Roman letter, some Italic. Title page with woodcut vignette of an eagle standing on a globe placed on a plinth and sided by two snakes; motto: “in virtute, / et fortuna.” Floriated initials, meanders, head- and tailpieces. Early ms. autograph in capital letters on front cover, twice, and in cursive on t-p: “Laurens Viguier”,who is probably the same person who underlined and wrote marginalia throughout the book. Stamp of the library of Saint Peter ad Vincula (Rome) on t-p and library shelf-mark label on front pastedown.
  • Downloaded License

    Downloaded License

    Aries – Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism 21 (2021) 125–152 ARIES brill.com/arie ‘Mercury is in a Very Ape-Like Mood’ Frieda Harris’s Perception of Thelema Deja Whitehouse University of Bristol, Bristol, UK [email protected] Abstract Frieda, Lady Harris, wife of Sir Percy Harris, Liberal M.P. and party Chief Whip, cre- ated the magnificent Tarot paintings that underpin Aleister Crowley’s The Book of Thoth. Harris conformed to the conventional appearance of a respectable middle- class lady until she was in her sixties. However, her unwavering commitment to Aleis- ter Crowley and the Tarot project eventually threatened not only her social stand- ing, but also her marriage. Despite her dedication to the Thoth Tarot, she never fully engaged with Thelema, which she anthropomorphised as the bossy and interfering ‘Miss Thelema’. Nevertheless, she progressed through the grades of Crowley’s magi- cal orders and remained loyal to Crowley and the Great Work to the end of her days, endeavouring to secure a publishing deal for a general release of The Book of Thoth and the Thoth Tarot deck. Using extracts from Harris and Crowley’s correspondence and Crowley’s diaries, this paper will explore Harris’s personal involvement with Thelema, both in her collaborative activities with Crowley, and her endeavours to preserve his legacy after his death. Keywords Frieda Harris – Aleister Crowley – Thelema – The Book of Thoth – Tarot © deja whitehouse, 2020 | doi:10.1163/15700593-02101005 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the cc by 4.0Downloaded license. from Brill.com10/02/2021 06:26:29AM via free access 126 whitehouse 1 Introduction Historian Marco Pasi considers The Book of Thoth1 to be Aleister Crowley’s (1875–1947) final major endeavour, wherein he used the conventional composi- tion of the esoteric tarot to present his magical interpretation of the correspon- dences and imagery of the individual cards.2 Crowley described the work as ‘an Encyclopaedia of all serious “occult” philosophy.
  • Occult and Magick Book Catalog

    Occult and Magick Book Catalog

    List of Scarce, Rare Magick Books Offered by TIGERS TALE BOOKS [email protected] Phone: (970) 593-3094 1. The Anatomy of God Frater Achad Price: $45 each (2 copies 1972; 1 copy 1973) Book Description: Samuel Weiser. Hardback, Very Good with good dust jacket. 2. QBL or The Bride’s Reception Frater Achad Price: $45 Book Description: N.Y.: Weiser, 1972. Near fine with VG Dust jacket. 5 color plates. Cloth HB. 3. QBL or The Bride’s Reception Frater Achad Price: $45 Book Description: N.Y.: Weiser, 1969. near fine with no Dust jacket. 5 color plates. Cloth HB. 4. The Egyptian Revival Frater Achad Price: $100 Book Description: N.Y.: Weiser, 1969. HB in VG condition and VG Dust Jacket. Limited Edition of 750 copies. 5. Liber 31 and Other Related Essays Frater Achad Price: $35 Book Description: The Level Press, San Francisco, 1974. Paperback, Very Good condition. 6. XXXI Hymns To the Star Goddess Who Is Not. Frater Achad Price: $70 each (2 copies) Book Description: Will Ransom, Chicago (sic)/93 Publishing, nd. Reprint of original edition. Hardback, octavo, 40pp. Red boards with white titles and decoration, text in blue. Protective mylar wrap has missing segment at upper left corner of front panel and crease to front inner flap. Else near fine. Work by renowned occultist and ceremonial magician, Charles Stansfeld Jones (1886-1950), known also as Frater Achad. 7. The Chalice Of Ecstasy Being A Magical And Qabalistic Interpretation Of The Drama Of "Parzival" By A Companion Of The Holy Grail Sometimes Called Frater Achad Frater Achad Price: $40 Book Description: Yogi Publications Society, Chicago, 1923.
  • Bibliography of Occult and Fantastic Beliefs Vol.3: L - R

    Bibliography of Occult and Fantastic Beliefs Vol.3: L - R

    Bruno Antonio Buike, editor / undercover-collective „Paul Smith“, alias University of Melbourne, Australia Bibliography of Occult and Fantastic Beliefs vol.3: L - R © Neuss / Germany: Bruno Buike 2017 Buike Music and Science [email protected] BBWV E29 Bruno Antonio Buike, editor / undercover-collective „Paul Smith“, alias University of Melbourne, Australia Bibliography of Occult and Fantastic Beliefs - vol.3: L - R Neuss: Bruno Buike 2017 CONTENT Vol. 1 A-D 273 p. Vol. 2 E-K 271 p. Vol. 3 L-R 263 p. Vol. 4 S-Z 239 p. Appr. 21.000 title entries - total 1046 p. ---xxx--- 1. Dies ist ein wissenschaftliches Projekt ohne kommerzielle Interessen. 2. Wer finanzielle Forderungen gegen dieses Projekt erhebt, dessen Beitrag und Name werden in der nächsten Auflage gelöscht. 3. Das Projekt wurde gefördert von der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Sozialamt Neuss. 4. Rechtschreibfehler zu unterlassen, konnte ich meinem Computer trotz jahrelanger Versuche nicht beibringen. Im Gegenteil: Das Biest fügt immer wieder neue Fehler ein, wo vorher keine waren! 1. This is a scientific project without commercial interests, that is not in bookstores, but free in Internet. 2. Financial and legal claims against this project, will result in the contribution and the name of contributor in the next edition canceled. 3. This project has been sponsored by the Federal Republic of Germany, Department for Social Benefits, city of Neuss. 4. Correct spelling and orthography is subject of a constant fight between me and my computer – AND THE SOFTWARE in use – and normally the other side is the winning party! Editor`s note – Vorwort des Herausgebers preface 1 ENGLISH SHORT PREFACE „Paul Smith“ is a FAKE-IDENTY behind which very probably is a COLLCETIVE of writers and researchers, using a more RATIONAL and SOBER approach towards the complex of Rennes-le-Chateau and to related complex of „Priory of Sion“ (Prieure de Sion of Pierre Plantard, Geradrd de Sede, Phlippe de Cherisey, Jean-Luc Chaumeil and others).
  • Initiation and the Performance of Occultism a DISSERTATION

    Initiation and the Performance of Occultism a DISSERTATION

    NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Thinning the Veils: Initiation and the Performance of Occultism A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Field of Performance Studies By Jason Lawton Winslade EVANSTON, ILLINOIS June 2008 2 © Copyright by Jason Lawton Winslade 2008 All Rights Reserved 3 ABSTRACT Thinning the Veils: Initiation and the Performance of Occultism Jason Lawton Winslade Initiation is a performative model that dictates the participation of individuals in the various traditions of Western occultism, locating that individual within a nexus of practices and discourses that facilitate the transmission of occult teachings to that individual. While the act of initiation may be represented by a single performed rite, the paradigmatic aspects of initiation pervade the entirety of Western occultism, so that practitioners’ encounters with textuality and language, history, magical action, ritual performance, and political activism are interpreted as initiatic experiences. The initiation rite itself is a structured performance in which practitioners actively engage with these aspects of occult knowledge. Correspondingly, the process of initiation also becomes a descriptive metaphor for a candidate’s training in these knowledges. Accordingly, the dissertation identifies these occult knowledges as initiatic discourses, in which the use of initiatory metaphor is crucial to a practitioner’s understanding of occultism. Initiatic discourse refers to a particular way of engaging with knowledge, language, symbols, and experience that actively emphasizes the practitioner’s ability to respond to and mold these discourses. In turn, these discourses are said to transform the practitioner through gnosis, defined by esotericism scholar Arthur Versluis as “experiential insight into the nature of the divine as manifested in the individual and in the cosmos” ( Restoring Paradise 1-2).
  • Theatre Magick: Aleister Crowley and the Rites of Eleusis

    Theatre Magick: Aleister Crowley and the Rites of Eleusis

    THEATRE MAGICK: ALEISTER CROWLEY AND THE RITES OF ELEUSIS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University by Tracy W. Tupman, M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2003 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Dr. Joy H. Reilly, Advisor Dr. Alan Woods ________________________________ Advisor Dr. Lesley Ferris Theatre Graduate Program ABSTRACT In October and November of 1910 seven one-act plays were produced at Caxton Hall, Westminster, London, under the collective title The Rites of Eleusis. These public productions were as much an experiment in audience and performer psychology as they were an exotic entertainment. Written, produced and directed by leading cast member, Aleister Crowley, The Rites of Eleusis attempted to present a contemporary interpretation of an ancient myth in order to reignite the role and importance of mysticism in modern society. Through exposing the audience to a variety of sensory stimuli such as incense, rhythmic music, dance, and poetry, it attempted to create within the audience itself an altered state of consciousness which would make them co-celebrants within the performance/ritual. As Crowley stated in the original broadsheet advertisements for the productions, the Rites were intended “to illustrate the magical methods followed by a mystical society which seeks for illumination by ecstasy.” But Crowley intended much more: he hoped the audience would not merely view an “illustration,” but experience an

  • A Beginner's Guide to Crowley Books

    A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO CROWLEY BOOKS by Frater Julianus The author would like to dedicate this Guide to his three Cats, in recognition of their constant Efforts to distract him from his Work. This is a work in progress. The author welcomes comments and suggestions at [email protected]. Copyright © 2002 Aleister Crowley (1875 - 1947) is certainly the single most influential occult practitioner of the last century, as well as being the most controversial. His literary output is astonishing in both volume and variety, including poetry, drama, and fiction in addition to his core Magical writings. Since his writings have been drawn upon, often without acknowledgement, by nearly every occultist in the English-speaking world it behooves any person interested in Magick or occultism to have some direct acquaintance with Crowley’s work. The problem is that so many of his more famous books are notoriously difficult for the reader, often despite Crowley’s own attempts to clarify his ideas for the general public. Another problem is that in the course of one book he often makes reference to several others, which leads to the impression that you can’t understand one Crowley book until you’ve read them all. Considering how much stuff is currently in print this is pretty daunting, to say the least! I am more than familiar with the frustrations involved in exploring Crowley’s writings. The first Crowley book I ever got— indeed one of my first books on Magick of any kind— was the old Dover edition of Magick in Theory and Practice and almost nothing in it made sense to me at the time.
  • Yorke Microfilm Index

    Yorke Microfilm Index

    THE YORKE COLLECTION MICROFILM EDITION Release 1 Ordo Templi Orientis in association with The Warburg Institute School of Advanced Studies University of London 2002 Yo r k e Collection microfilms copyright ©2002 Warburg Institute. All rights reserved. Yo rke Collection catalogue copyright ©2002 Warburg Institute and Ordo Templi Orientis. All rights reserved. Yo rke Collection catalogue additional annotations copyright ©2002 Ordo Templi Orientis. All rights reserved. Yo r k e Collection Aleister Crowley material copyright ©2002 Ordo Templi Orientis. All rights reserved. Aleister Crowley’s moral right to be identified as the author of the works has been asserted. Published in 2002 in the United Kingdom and the United States of America by Ordo Templi Orientis in association with The Warburg Institute School of Advanced Studies University of London Ordo Templi Orientis International Headquarters JAF Box 7666 New York, NY 10116-4632 USA The Warburg Institute Woburn Square London WC11H 0AB England Contents Editor’s Note 5 Finding Aid by Reel 7 Finding Aid by Call Number 11 Film 1. Notebooks, Manuscripts and Typescripts 15 Film 2. Papers relating to Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) 21 Film 3. Published Novels 24 Film 4. Supplement (Mixed Letters, Fiction, Poetry, Criticism, Drama, Essays, etc.) 25 Film 5. Short Fiction and Drama 31 Film 6. Commentaries to The Book of the Law 35 Film 7. Poetry 37 Film 8. Manuscripts and Typescripts of Authorized Published Books 45 Film 9. Diaries 49 Film 10. Letters 54 Film 11. Financial, Legal and Other Personal Papers 65 Film 12. Galley Proofs, Bound Proofs, Privately-Printed Multigraphed Editions, Annotated Printed Editions 67 Film 13.