It was not until 1969 that Mac Murty began making efforts to reach the leadership of the OTO and claim Crowley's Tarot works and the copyright to them. This was expressed especially in the persecution of Motta, who was expelled. Kenneth Grant, like Metzger, Motta and McMurty, could have challenged the validity of a letter from a deceased OTO leader (or an entry in Crowley's diary) in an attempt to force his own election to the highest office. Grant managed to rise to the position of VGO in 1970. His activities consisted mainly of publishing his own books. In 1969, there was a split in the Metzger flow, and thus another GTO appeared in Germany with its own GGO.
Description of currents
Fraternitas Saturni
The prevailing opinion within the German fraternity was that the magical influence of the New Aeon required constant adaptation of Crowley's teachings to modern scientific discoveries. As a result, the Saturn rituals turned into a strange mixture of medieval witchcraft, astrology with a small addition of the principles of "Thelema". Over time, and particularly after Grosche's death in 1964, this position caused several splits, and from 1980 one of the splinter movements, the Ordo Saturni, moved more and more closer to Crowley's views. Sex magic was talked freely within FS, but it was not the main topic. It was assumed that FS had its own Egregor, henceforth transferring its powers to its subsidiary society, Ordo Saturni. Some members of the German branch of the "Caliphate" were simultaneously members of this Ordo Saturni, also feeding this Egregor with their own sexual magical powers.
Pansofia
In 1921, the German Grand Master of the Reussian OT, Heinrich Tranker, founded an organization called Pansofia, which published both important Rosicrucian books and Crowley's early works.
Krumm-Heller and Reuss used the name "Pansophia" on their letterhead and seals. When Royce died in 1923 without naming a successor, OTO rules required the remaining members of the tenth degree to choose the next VGO. There were only eight members of the tenth degree. Two of them, Tranker and the American Grand Master, C. R. J. Stansfield Jones (Brother Achad, 1886-1950, who also had lodge authority from Royce), selected a member of Crowley's 10th Degree "Salve the World" ( and not VGO), i.e. head over their own offshoots of OTO in 1925. However, both very quickly withdrew their votes.
The sexual mysteries of Pansophia were transmitted only orally and personally by Tranker. References to the law of Thelema were found only in the more developed internal teachings of this movement.
Pansophia ceased to exist with Tranker's death in 1956.
GTR of the Metzger type
Some of the old and very Masonic rites of Royce were practiced to this day in Switzerland, despite the fact that the Swiss never performed any Royce rites above the 3rd degree, other initiations went straight to the 9th degree. After Germer's death in 1962, which meant the disappearance of the personality devoted to the law of "Thelema", Metzger united his Order of the Illuminati with Crowley's OTO, which by that time had returned to the foundations of Royce.
In Switzerland, as far as is known, no rites were performed without Crowley's Gnostic Mass (held continuously since the early fifties).
Metzger professed the law of "Thelema", solely in order to unite with Germer. Thus, Germer viewed Metzger as his sole successor, as he wrote in the letter and as confirmed by Germer's widow.
Metzger completely abandoned any form of sex magic. Despite the fact that he died in 1990 and the rules for admission were and are very strict (unlike the rules of the "Caliphate"), this OTO, generally known as the Order of the Illuminati, has grown greatly.
Motta's OTO Society in the USA and Brazil
Motta recruited his followers according to the rules of the Astrum Argenteum (certain selected students were required to memorize some of Crowley's works) rather than according to the precepts of the "Law for All", as was done in the Masonic OTO of Crowley's ilk. Therefore, this OTO Society has always had only a small number of supporters. After the publication of materials on the initiatory rites of Crowley's OTO by Francis King in 1973, Motta began to develop his own, as he believed in the danger of desacralization of the latter, due to their openness. On the other hand, the movement, which has been called the “Caliphate” since 1977, only then managed to gain access to it.
"Caliphate"
Guided by two strange letters from Crowley, Mac Murty began to push the newly formed Agape Lodge into Grand Lodge beginning in 1977. As in all branches of the OTO close to Freemasonry, new members were admitted for the first time rather randomly. Mac Murty was at one time noted by Crowley, who also nominated Mellinger, after Mac Murty, as another possible successor. After being debunked by Germer and many other former members of the second American Agape Lodg e (dissolved in 1953), Mac Murty got rid of Motta, as well as Metzger and Kenneth Grant. Motta made a laughing stock of himself with paranoid legal battles, while the other two were not mentioned in court as members of the UTO. Contrary to historical data, the US court recognized the "Caliphate" as the heir to the American OTO and the copyright to Crowley's works.
In general, sexual sacraments were again covered in fog. However, this current of OTO considers all of Crowley's teachings as the essence of their society, which, moreover, was “enshrined” in court.
After McMurty's death, he was replaced by William Breeze, a Canadian student of Grant and Michael P. Berthier. This suggests that Breeze's election may not have met with McMurty's approval. Breeze calls himself "His Most Sacred Majesty".
Typhonic OTO
Crowley's secretary, Kenneth Grant (born 1923), broke away from Crowley's masonic OTO establishment. On the one hand, Grant can refer to Crowley’s diaries, where it was proposed to prepare Grant for the possible leadership of the English OTO; on the other hand, he was expelled from OTO by Crowley Germer in 1955. After this, Metzger also suffered because of his connections with Grant.
Grant's inspiration was a far cry from the Jones-Achad statement of the "Aeon of Ma'at", which caused Crowley to "drive out" Jones, since Crowley himself proclaimed himself the prophet of the "Aeon of Horus"; from Grosche's teaching about Saturn-Set; and from Berthier's teachings on sex and Voodoo. Sexual magic was discussed very openly.
Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua
In 1921, OTOA, supposedly a breakaway from the French OTOA (coming from Royce), grew to 16 levels. Over time, the OTOA absorbed several different Gnostic movements, the Memphis-Mizraim movement and the eleventh degree of homosexual magic.
Its most serious apologist and powerful unifying center was the American Michael Paul Berthier (born in 1935), a former theosophist associated with Henry Smith, who was fond of spiritualism.
Berthier's system operates entirely on a magical rather than a Masonic basis, and sex magic is seen as an important branch of this voodoo society.
(1851-1905) - Austrian industrialist, chemist, who made a number of important discoveries in such areas as paper making, the synthesis of artificial gemstones, photography and electrochemistry. In addition, he was a researcher of Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, yoga and alchemy. It is he who is considered the founder of OTO.
Franz Hartmann (1838-1912) was a German physician and chemist who worked in the field of medical research in collaboration with Karl Kellner. In addition to the natural sciences, Hartmann was interested in the occult, was a member of the Theosophical Society of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and published works in the field of esotericism.
Theodor Reuss (1855-1923) - German researcher of Freemasonry, yoga and many other occult systems. Became Kellner's successor after his death. Under Reuss' leadership, OTO charters were issued in France, Germany, Switzerland, the USA and Australia.
GTR at the beginning
The idea of creating the Order of the Eastern Templars belonged to Karl Kellner.
In 1885, Karl Kellner met Franz Hartmann, a member of the Theosophical Society of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, who also called himself a Rosicrucian, and in collaboration with him, and also subsequently with Theodor Reuss, he decided to create a Masonic Academy, combining all existing Masonic degrees and systems . The new order, according to Kellner's idea, was to be called the Order of the Eastern Templars, and both men and women were to be accepted into it. However, during one of his discussions with Theodor Reuss, Kellner agreed that the organization they came up with should be called the Order of the Eastern Temple.
OTO under Theodor Reuss
Back in 1890, Reuss and his friend Leopold Engel “reanimated” the Order of the Illuminati. Reuss himself claimed that he possessed the patent of the Rosicrucian prince “Louis Gabriel Lebauche”, transferred to Weishaupt in 1786, on the basis of which he tried to carry out this “reanimation”. In 1900, the order was renamed the Grand Masonic Lodge of the Order of the Illuminati (Grosse Freimaurerloge fuer Deutschland des Illuminaten-Ordens), and the constitution was rewritten from the constitution of the OWLA. In June 1901, friends quarreled and all the ins and outs of Reuss’s falsification of the Rosicrucian patent surfaced. By September 24, 1902, Reuss managed to visit Manchester and return to Germany with the patent of John Yarker (he has nothing to do with the DPSHU, except for some rituals that accidentally fell into Yarker’s hands).
From John Yarker, Reuss also received a charter to create a co-Masonic organization called the Sovereign Sanctuary, and a charter to create a Grand Orient of Germany, modeled on the Grand Orient of France.
At the end of the 19th century, many German beer halls had their own companies. Their main activities were varied: they argued about politics, dreamed of a nation, some played cards for money for charitable purposes. They were called "corner stocks" (Winkellogen). Some of them united in unions, like the "Allgemeine Buergerloge" or "Matthai - Logenbund", but all dreamed of becoming "real" Masonic Lodges. It was on their basis, attracting into their ranks with a fake “Rosicrucian-Illuminati” patent, that Royce created his own institution: “Symbolische Grossloge des Schottischen Ritus in Deutschland.” And he immediately called this newly created “Grand Lodge” a “Masonic Academy”.
But already in 1904, the Assembly of Lodges of John took place in the Munich Metropol, which declared that the dubious occultism of Reuss, coupled with his inclinations to study sexual symbolism and paganism, was incompatible with the goals and objectives of Freemasonry, and left the VL. Some of the lodges were subsequently regularized in the Royal York Charter. The few remnants served Reuss on their basis to create the OTO, from some elements of which, after his death, he created his own OTO - A. Crowley, writing his own rituals for his OTO, since he did not have most of the rituals of those Charters, about whom he stated that they were part of his OTO.
Thus, all the Charters that Crowley claimed, and after him the modern OTO, along with the Swedenborgian Rite, the Memphis-Mizraim Rite, the DPSHU, and others, were not included in the general system of the OTO, and have nothing to do with the OTO, despite attempts by OTO adherents to derive their ancestry from them. Modern heirs of these jurisdictions - the Rite of Memphis-Misraim, DPSHU, the Martinist Order, and others - do not recognize the initiatory systems of the OTO, and do not maintain any relations with organizations using this name. It should also be pointed out that the modern OTO has abandoned the assignment of Masonic degrees, and now assigns “titles” with similar names that do not imply the transmission of rituals, materials, and Masonic initiations themselves, or even claims to such. This was done due to the lack of relevant materials - that is, texts of rituals, and accompanying instructions, which are available in the real traditional jurisdictions of the mentioned Masonic Brotherhoods.
So, for example, about the seventh degree of O.T.O. Crowley says:
In this degree, the worship of the phallus as a microcosmic likeness of the sun is taught, including the creation of a personal "chapel" in which a sculptural image of the phallus is placed, made of silver, bronze or any other similar material.
During his life, Crowley carried out several revisions of the rituals of the O.T.O. in order to give them an even more thelemic character.
In 1923, Theodor Reuss died, and in 1924, Aleister Crowley proclaimed himself the "Outer Head" of the order. He held this assigned post until his death in 1947.
Organizations created on the basis of OTO
Before considering such organizations, it should be noted that by decision of the British Court No. O-157-08 of June 6, 2008, it was decided that the abbreviation “O. THAT." only the Californian Order of the Eastern Templars ("Caliphate") has the right to name.
Ancient Order of the Eastern Templars (OTOA, - Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua)
The Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua (Ancient Order of the Eastern Temple) is an initiatory Gnostic-magical order founded in 1921 in Haiti by the Gnostic patriarch and voodoo high priest Lucien-Francois Jean-Maine. The OTOA tradition is derived from Gnostic voodoo, practiced in secret societies. It is a synthesis developed from European-Gnostic-Hermetic currents, which are the heirs of the ancient Western initiatory tradition, and Haitian metaphysics. The Monastery of the Seven Rays operates within the framework of OTOA. Both of these organizations cooperate with the Gnostic church Ecclesia Gnostica Spiritualis (Spiritual Gnostic Church).
Brotherhood of Saturn (Fraternitas Saturni)
Fraternitas Saturni (Brotherhood of Saturn) was founded by Eugen Grosche, also known as Gregor A. Gregorius, after the Weida Conference. At the conference it was planned to recognize Crowley as the Outer Head of the Ordo Templi Orientis, as well as the World Teacher. Crowley was accompanied at the conference by Leila Waddell and Norman Mudd, as well as members of the Pansophia Lodge, Heinrich Traenker. Tranker served under the name X Reuss until his death.
The conference did not go smoothly, and before Crowley arrived, a split had already occurred. Karl Johann Germer, who would later become Crowley's closest lieutenant, translated Liber Al vel Legis into German, and many other members of the Pansophia Lodge accepted Crowley's demands, especially Germer himself, Grosche and Martha Kunzel. At first, Crowley received support and was elected, among other things, as the World Teacher, about whom Madame Blavatsky prophesied. However, the situation soon changed, and not only Tranker withdrew his support from Aleister Crowley, but other members of the lodge did the same. This led to a split in the Pansophia Lodge, and those who continued to accept Crowley's teachings founded the Fraternitas Saturni, and the Pansophia Lodge was officially closed. Kunzel and Germer joined Crowley's OTO, while most of the members of the Pansophia lodge joined Grosche, including such a well-known film personality as Albin Grau.
The Brotherhood of Saturn formally accepted the Book of the Law, still recognized Crowley as a teacher, and Grosche was at pains to claim that the order operated with Crowley's blessing, citing many forged letters purportedly received from Crowley and many of his own letters sent to him, which did not remained unanswered. The order developed an interesting and unique approach to Crowley's teachings of Thelema, an approach that featured significant connections to astrology rather than the Golden Dawn system. Also unique is that the order did not emphasize the Kabbalah and tarot, unlike other orders that were major in the 20th century.
In 1936 the Brotherhood of Saturn was banned by the Nazi regime. Gregorius, like other lodge leaders, emigrated to avoid imprisonment. After World War II, Gregorius was able to reunite the brothers and once again lead the lodge to its peak.
Grosche was arrested within a year by the Nazi government on the grounds of his commitment to socialism. His association with Aleister Crowley was cited by the Gestapo as the main reason for his detention. Following the end of the war, he became a member of the German Communist Party.
In 1957 lodges appeared in Hamburg and Stuttgart, the Grand Lodge was located in Berlin. Some time before Grosche's death (1954), the Brotherhood of Saturn again became the largest magical order in Germany. However, after Grosche's death there was some unrest associated with the appointment of a new Grand Master.
The most important degrees in the initiatory system of the Brotherhood of Saturn are the "Gradus Mercurii", the "Gradus Solis" and the "Gradus Pentalphae", the degree of the five-pointed star, or pentagram. . Work corresponding to the "Degree of Pentalpha" emphasized tantric mysticism and sex magic. According to the Order, all the secret knowledge of the OTO is contained in the "Degree of Pentalpha".
The Degree system had undergone changes for some time before Grosche died. Initially there were ten degrees, not counting the “neophyte”, who was not a regular member of the “Brotherhood of Saturn”, but only a candidate for it, and the Grand Master (the post of Grand Master did not relate to a degree, but was exclusively a position). The Great Master was the only one, and bore the title "Magister Aquarii". "Gradus Mercurii" (Master) was the second degree in the original system, followed by "Gradus Solis" (Master) and "Gradus Pentalphae".
After the transformation of the degree system, the degrees became 33, "Gradus Mercurii" became the eighth, "Gradus Solis" became the 12th, and "Gradus Pentalphae" became the 18th.
In 1957, the Brotherhood of Saturn became a legal organization, registered under the name "Fraternitas Saturni, eingetragener Verein" ("Fraternitas Saturni, registered society"). In 1979, most of the appointed masters left the Fraternitas Saturni and disbanded the Ordo Saturni (Order of Saturn), the remaining brothers of the Brotherhood of Saturn continued to work under this name, continued to practice magic, but not a single Master who was associated with the tradition of the “Brotherhood of Saturn” did not remain in this Brotherhood.
In 1993, one of the so-called masters (in Immanuel's line of succession) founded another Saturnian order, the "Communitas Saturni" ("Society of Saturn"). Another Saturnian lodge (Grand Lodge "Gregor A. Gregorius") was formed during the 1990s in southern Germany, however, after a period filled with conflicts, this lodge merged with the Brotherhood of Saturn.
OTO by Kenneth Grant (TOTO, Typhonian Order)
After Crowley's death, Germer became his successor, and he recognized and confirmed Grant's status as an IX° (Ninth Degree) adept in 1948 after Crowley died. However, Grant later claimed that his receipt of the XI° (Eleventh Degree) was confirmed in 1946, apparently by Crowley, the same year that he was initiated into the Order of the Silver Star, associated with the Thelemic magical order created by Crowley in 1907, when he was expelled from the Order of the Golden Dawn.
In 1954 Grant began work on the establishment of the New Isis Lodge, which began to carry out operational work in 1955 when Grant announced that he had discovered the "Sirius/Set Current" in a new manifesto, which became the basis for the activities of the Lodge. Karl Germer disliked this new manifesto so much that he expelled Grant from the O.T.O. Grant responded by proclaiming himself the Outer Head of the Order, adopting the XII° degree, and inducing his followers into a schism against those who still followed Germer. Grant's group subsequently became known as the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis, incorporating the New Isis Lodge in 1962, around the same time Germer died, without formally naming his successor at as head of the OTO.
In Starfire (March 2009, but published in Winter Solstice MMVIII An 105), Michael Staley stated that the Typhonian O.T.O. ceased to exist as an Order, and that its functions and matters with which it was concerned were taken over by the newly established Typhonian Order. Starfire itself, which itself declared itself the "Official Press of the Typhonian O.T.O." now claims to be the "Official Journal of the Typhonian Order."
Kenneth Grant's Typhonian Order influenced Dragon Rouge and was instrumental in creating the magical movement Ma'at Nema.
While the group is known to still propagate Crowley's "law of Thelema", it also concentrates its attention on the study of extraterrestrial intelligence, such as life beyond earth and demons, as well as the darker aspects of occult existence, such as H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos.
For example, Simon Hinton writes:
“A superhuman entity in particular has become famous which has become associated with the Typhonian Tradition in recent years, and this entity is known as Lam. Lamb's portrait was drawn by Aleister Crowley around 1917 in New York... The drawing was given to Kenneth Grant in 1945, its hypnotic image bears a very strong resemblance to the depictions of supernatural beings we see in modern films, despite the fact that the drawing was made by years before the archetype was stylized."
Crowley's depiction of Lamb actually foreshadows the descriptions and representations of extraterrestrial entities that came to be known as the "Greys" in UFO literature.
In his synopsis, Hinton states that " The Typhonian Tradition is not about transforming the result of contact with those forces that are beyond human understanding. Its goal is to transform human consciousness, expanding, deepening and enriching it».
In the book On the Cult of Lam: Lokapala of the Silent Way, Grant himself writes:
“The cult was founded for the reason that very clear hints were received by Aossic Aiwass 718. (a reference to the magical name Grant used) in relation to the portrait of Lamb... (which was given to Crowley by Grant) ...that he is the present center of the extraterrestrial - and possibly trans-plutonic Energy with which the O.T.O. it is now necessary to communicate at this critical period as we have entered the eighties mentioned in the Book of the Law. This is our goal - to gain some ability to penetrate not only into the essence of Lam, but also to find out the possibilities of using the Egg both in the astral space capsule for traveling to the sphere of Lam, and for exploring the Tunnels of Set in intracosmic and chthonic capsules.”
When considering the organization of the Order, the Typhonian Order is considered to have moved from a formal hierarchy to a less hierarchical structure. It is worth quoting Koenig at length to illustrate the organizational differences between Grant's Order and the O.T.O.:
“Typhonian O.T.O. functions as a cosmic network that does not conduct its activities through earthly lodges, since its members - in the magical sense - are not located on earth. Their zones of occult action are located in spaces that include and at the same time go beyond the stellar level of consciousness. The Typhonian O.T.O., for this reason, is not a unified organization in the mundane sense - it is controlled through inner plane contacts which are concentrated for the present day in a small group of individual people who channel currents beyond the circles of time and space. Regarding Thelema, the Typhonian O.T.O. is a Machine, and A∴A∴ is an Operator.
It cannot be compared with other versions of the O.T.O., since there are no group rituals or ceremonies of initiation into any degree or degree. The basis of initiation is the assimilation of direct magical and mystical work. Therefore, every initiation is in reality a self-initiation. In the Typhonian O.T.O. There are several works on degrees. However, it is emphasized that the initiate is empowered to create his own course. Of course, there is also the experience of other people that can be adopted.”
Society of OTO (SOTO)
Marcel Ramos Motta (1931-1987), the third contender for leadership of the OTO, sued Crowley for ownership of the copyright, which was denied by the U.S. District Court of Maine. Motta died in 1987, although various small groups calling themselves the Society of O.T.O. (SOTO) continue to exist and claim authority over all of O.T.O.
Metzger's OTO (Swiss OTO)
Hermann Metzger, another applicant, was initiated into the OTO by Germer in Germany in the fifties of the 20th century and headed the Swiss branch of the order. After Germer's death, he attempted to declare himself the head of the entire OTO.
UTO under McMurtry and Germer While still alive, Crowley began to look for a successor. He considered the most suitable candidates to be Karl Germer (1885-1962), his representative in Germany, and Grady Louis McMurtry (1918-1985), a member of the California lodge of the OTO [ unreputable source?] . On December 1, 1947, Aleister Crowley died, and in accordance with his will, Karl Germer became the external head of the OTO and remained in this post until his death in 1962. This period in the history of the OTO is characterized by a decrease in activity: regular meetings ceased to be held in 1949, and the admission of new people to the order ceased. After the death of Germer, who did not leave a will, several people laid claim to power in the order. In 1969, Grady McMurtry became the outside head, which caused much controversy that continues to this day. He began to accept new people into his OTO line, and in 1970 he published the Thoth Tarot deck, illustrated by Frieda Harris. In 1979, the OTO received corporate status, and in 1982 it was exempt from taxes as a religious organization.
California UTO (Caliphate)
McMurtry did not appoint a successor for himself, but ordered that he be elected by vote, which was done on September 21, 1985. As a result of the elections, William Breese (Hymen Beta) became the Outer Head of the Order of the Eastern Templars, who remains so to this day.
Currently, the headquarters of the California OTO is located in the state of California, USA. William Breeze's OTO today numbers over 4 thousand people and has representative offices in more than 60 countries.
The right to initiate initiation into the Order is enjoyed by its branches in 20 countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine, as well as Grand Lodges of Australia, USA and Great Britain. By decision of the British Court No. O-157-08 of June 6, 2008, it was decided that the abbreviation “O. THAT." only the Californian Order of the Eastern Templars ("Caliphate") has the right to name.
California OTO degree system
Membership in O.T.O. is based on a system of initiatory ceremonies (or "degrees") based on a dramatic ritual designed to create a fraternal bond between members, as well as to convey ideas of spiritual and philosophical teaching
The degrees also serve organizational functions - in order to perform certain functions in the Order one must achieve certain degrees (for example, to become a Priest or Priestess of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica one must achieve the degree K.E.W).
The Order's degree system includes 21 degrees, - 13 numbered (from 0 to 12) degrees and 8 unnumbered subdegrees, which are intermediate.
Admission to each subsequent degree of OTO includes Initiation and Oath. The OTO claims that they are similar to the oaths of Free Masonry.
Advancement within the Earth Man Triad requires sponsorship from members of the same degree or higher. Advancement to the Knight of the East and West and above requires invitation from members holding the corresponding degrees or higher.
The main purpose of initiation into the OTO is, according to the statements of the OTO members themselves, “to communicate to man through the language of allegory and symbol the deep mysteries of Nature and through this help in revealing his true essence.”
According to the Book of Law, the degrees in OTO are divided into three categories or "Triads": Earth Man; Enamored; Hermit.
The entire system looks like this:
The work De Natura Deorum is given for study and practice.
The work De Nuptiis Secretis Deorum Cum Hominibus is given for study and practice.
- IX°- Initiate of the Sanctuary of Gnosis
- Agape vel Liber C vel Azoth
- De Homunculo Epistola
- De Arte Magica
- Emblems IX° methods of use
- X°- Rex Summus Sanctissimus
- XI° - Initiate of the Eleventh Degree (This degree is technical, and has nothing to do with the general plan of the Order).
- XII°- Frater Superior, Outer Head of the Order
Structure and branches of the Californian OTO at present
At the national level, the highest governing organization in the OTO is the Grand Lodge, which is governed by a Grand Master. The Governing Council of the Grand Lodge includes the Grand Master, the Grand Secretary General, and the Grand Treasurer General.
Today it is the most numerous branch of the OTO. is located in California, USA. The Grand Lodge of the USA is the governing body of the O.T.O. in the United States of America. As stated on the organization's website, UTO in the United States conducts rituals, offers leadership and training to its members, organizes various events, and participates in educational and community programs. As of February 29, 2008, the Grand Lodge of the United States had a self-reported membership of 1,212 in 57 local chapters. There are also large branches of the OTO in England - this is the “Grand Lodge of Great Britain”, and in Australia - this is the “Grand Lodge of Australia”, formed in April 2006.
Criticism of general relativity
Christian churches and denominations condemn the OTO, and do not maintain any relations with any of the branches of the OTO. In particular, the Russian Orthodox Church, represented by its representatives, has repeatedly assessed the “Order of the Eastern Templars” as a satanic and anti-Christian destructive sect, accusing members of the OTO of various immoral actions and illegal activities.
According to journalist Caroline Alexandra, the OTO is Satanism, and she lists it among other satanic organizations.
Conspiracy theorist and occultist Rene Guenon in his works also drew attention to the counterinitiative and satanic nature of the activities of Aleister Crowley, whose pseudonym was the name “Beast 666”, in Greek “Therion”. Rene Guenon claims that Crowley was characterized by radical and outright Satanism, and he passed on this same character and content to the counter-initiatic organizations he created, “Abbey of the Seven Rays” and “Order of the Silver Star,” as well as “O.T.O” (Ordo Templari Orienti p - “ Order of the Templars of the East") In addition to the “quasi-Egyptian” nature of these structures, Guenon noted their pseudo-tantric, sexual orientation.
Guenon considered all of these organizations to be intermediaries between pure devil worshipers - “wandering magicians” serving the Seven Towers of Satan - and the external cultural and political world [ unreputable source?] .
Notable members of the OTO
see also
Notes
- Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism Edited by Wouter J. Hanegraaff, Antoine Faivre, Roelof van den Broek, Jean-Pierre Brach. Leiden: Brill, 2005. ISBN 9004152318
- Starr, Martin. Aleister Crowley: Freemason!
- Elik Howe and Helmut Moller - “Theodor Reuss and Irregular Freemasonry in Germany 1900-1923.”
- KENNETH GRANT AND THE TYPHONIAN ORDER OF THE EAST TEMPLE Peter-Robert Koenig, Editing and Notes by James M. Marty
- Serge Caillet. La Franc-Maḉonnerie Egyptienne de Memphis-Misraḯm. - ISBN 2-84454-215-8
- Encyclopedia of Secret Societies, John Michael Greer, ISBN 978-5-386-01758-3
- Sabazius X° and AMT IX°. History of the Ordo Templi Orientis
- monograph by Reuss's comrade and co-founder of the Symbolische Grossloge des Schottischen Ritus in Deutschland, Eberhard (A. P. Eberhardt) document from the archives of the Grand Lodge "Three Globes", Germany
- Serge Caillet “La Franc-Maḉonnerie Egyptienne de Memphis-Misraḯm” ISBN 2-84454-215-8
- circular Internet letter from modern heads of the OTO to their branches and their representatives, signed by a person with the pseudonym Sabazius X
- Oriflamme, July 1914, pp. 15-16.
- Albert Pike, "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite", ISBN 978-5-98882-026-0
- A. G. Dugin “Dear Angel” No. 3, M., 2000 TEACHING OF THE BEAST
- Francis King - The Secret Rituals of the OTO Samuel Weiser, Inc. ISBN 0-87728-144-0 quote in English:
How the Simple Mason pleas
Tool to Temple, See it rise!
Princes of Jerusalem,
How we mock and scoff at them!boaz broken,
Jachin gone
Freely spoken
Jahbulon,
All above
Is overthrown
For the love
Of Babalon. - Francis King - The Secret Rituals of the OTO Samuel Weiser, Inc. ISBN 0-87728-144-0, page 121, verbatim:
„M.S.: What time is it? V.Zh.: At that hour the Veil of the Temple was torn in two, When darkness began to fill the earth, When the altar was thrown down, The Wormwood Star fell to the ground, When the Flaming Star was eclipsed, the Sacred Tau was stained with blood and water, the word was lost, and on Despair and grief found us. (Solemn music) M. S.: Since the Royal Art has experienced such terrible disasters, it is our duty, very excellent and perfect princes, to return what was lost; May Truth, Silence and Love help us to succeed in our attempts to find the Lost Word. (He lays down the Crucifix and tramples it) Therefore, standing with my heel on the head of the great Serpent, I declare the Chapter of the Rose Cross duly opened in the name of Babalon and the Beast united, the Secret Savior and IAO. (Applause)“
Occult organizations often use legends about kinship with knightly orders. One example is the Order of the Eastern Templars. His historical “ancestors” are formally the Templars 
and the Illuminati 
, although in fact the order was, in many ways, a rethinking of the Hermetic tradition and the original creation of the famous mystifier Aleister Crowley.
Hobby – mysticism: at the origins of the founding of the order
This cult appeared in Germany, according to some sources, in 1902, according to others, in 1895. Its founders were the talented chemist and inventor of tuberculosis treatment methods, Karl Kellner, and journalist Theodor Reuss. Both were interested in mysticism. Kellner studied Eastern religions, wrote books on yoga and practiced alchemy, Reuss was a member of the Masonic lodge, which he joined in Great Britain. In addition, they were joined by Kellner’s partner, the doctor Franz Hartmann, who in his spare time read the works of Blavatsky. As a result, the comrades created their own “Academy of Freemasonry,” which was later called the Order of the Eastern Temple.
The Order was supposed to have a hierarchical structure. Both men and women were allowed to participate. The goal of the first “Eastern Templars” was to comprehend the secrets of nature and discover the “key” to the secrets of the universe, which they intended to search for using the methods of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Light. Kellner borrowed a lot from Eastern practices, including Tantra, which he was rumored to have practiced in his own home.
From European teachings, the order learned some of the rituals, prayers, and traditions of magic 
and fortune telling by various brotherhoods. The organization's manifesto listed a whole list of well-known organizations whose rituals or structure were borrowed, including the medieval Order of St. John, the Order of the Templars and the Order of the Illuminati, Scottish Freemasonry and the Church of St. Grail.
Order of the Eastern Temple and Aleister Crowley
Branches of the Ordo Templi Orientis opened in various cities of Europe and the New World. By 1910, Reuss, who at that time led the order, and Aleister Crowley, who ran branches in Great Britain and the United States, developed a hierarchy of degrees of initiation. But Crowley subsequently created his own system, different from the original one. Followers of his teachings spoke of Crowley's desire to simplify complex rituals. Critics pointed to the fact that Reuss did not hand over the reins and documents to Alistair. At least, there is no historical evidence of this.
As his magical name, Crowley chose the name Baphomet, which was mentioned in the materials of the investigation against the Templars, and which researchers subsequently considered a banal French copy of the name of the Muslim prophet. That was the name of the idol that the Knights Templar allegedly worshiped. Aleister Crowley managed to become a charismatic leader who spread the influence of the Order of the Eastern Templars in Europe and the Americas.
He was a multifaceted person: he was interested in chess, astrology, mountaineering, and created Tarot cards. But Crowley was most successful in the literary genre. Thus, after a trip to Moscow, he vividly, mostly in negative tones, described the life of imperial Russia. These notes are still in demand among his followers. And “The Book of the Law,” in which the author outlined the main postulates of the doctrine he created about love and will, became one of the most popular occult books of the 20th century.
Crowley used the legend of a prophetic experience. He claimed that through his wife he communicated with the son of the Egyptian gods Osiris and Isis 
who told him the secret secrets of the universe. Some of the secrets (for example, certain numerical codes) could not be deciphered by the author himself. This dogmatic and almost religious nature of the doctrine attracted more and more neophytes to the Order of the Eastern Templars, who still strive to learn secrets unknown to the “uninitiated”. But due to Crowley’s sympathies for numerous unconventional sexual occult practices and drugs, as well as the absolute esotericism of the teaching he created, many of his original supporters turned away from him at the beginning of the 20th century.
Ksenia Zharchinskaya
It was assumed that the O.T.O. will become a kind of Masonic Academy, which will combine the wisdom of all Masonic degrees. However, this did not happen.
O.T.O. he never became part of regular Freemasonry, if only because he adhered to the principle of equal rights for men and women, and, therefore, accepted the latter into his ranks. In addition, the O.T.O. considered faith in God (or gods) to be a personal matter for each person, and therefore mono-, poly-, and even atheists could join it.
Finally, O.T.O. connections and Freemasonry was interrupted in 1920, when the Congress of the "World Federation of Universal Freemasonry", held in Zurich, rejected the proposal of Reuss - at that time the head of our Order - to make Thelema the fundamental law of Freemasonry. After Reuss's death (in 1923), he modified the initiation rituals of the O.T.O. so as not to interfere with the legal privileges and recognized powers of modern Freemasons. So in our time, membership in the O.T.O. does not imply the award of any Masonic degree.
Now O.T.O. is a completely independent Order, which can include Christians, Buddhists, Wiccans, Masons, etc. In a word - representatives of any religious denominations and esoteric societies.
What is the Order of the Eastern Templars today? Its center is located in the US state of California. There are historical reasons for this. It was in California that the Agape Lodge existed - the largest and most active branch of the O.T.O. at the time of Crowley's death, it was in this Lodge that he worked, whom, along with Crowley, he named as his heir.
Following McMurtry's death in 1985, the Sovereign Sanctuary (the highest body) of our Order elected as its outer head Hymenea beta, which heads the O.T.O. and to this day.
Currently the Order consists of over 4 thousand person and has its representatives more than 60 countries.
The right to initiate initiation into the Order is enjoyed by its branches in 20 countries:
Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine, as well as the Grand Lodges of Australia, USA and Great Britain.
At the O.T.O. there are no luxurious temples and office buildings, there are no crowned heads or presidents in its ranks. It is not customary to give diamond cufflinks to its craftsmen or to invite “new Russians” to join them, as well as the nouveau riche in other countries. O.T.O. does not court the official authorities either. The only person who receives a “salary” in the Order is the external head of the Order, and it is quite modest.
O.T.O. does not provide paid training for “magicians”, and membership fees here are purely symbolic. So, for example, for Russia for dedication to the degree Minerval(zero degree) an amount of $6.30 (this money goes to the agape fraternal meal, which is an integral part of the initiation), the membership fee for the year in the Minerval degree is also US$6.30(with this money it is published Magic Link(“The Magical Connection”) is a newsletter of our Order that every member of the O.T.O. receives. This money can be used to finance the travel of initiatory brothers to those countries where local branches of the O.T.O. they themselves do not have the means and opportunities to do this.
Initiation fee and annual membership fee for I degree also amounts to, respectively, US$6.30 And US$6.30.
The structure of the O.T.O., like that of the Masonic fraternities and ancient secret schools, is based on a successive series of initiations into corresponding degrees, most of which are conferred ceremoniously. In the initiatory rituals of the various degrees of the O.T.O. seeks to help the individual to understand, through the language of allegories and symbols, the deepest mysteries of Nature, and thus to help him to comprehend his own true identity, the true Will.
Membership in the Order A person can become a member of the Order only after undergoing a special initiation ceremony, which is performed by an initiate who has permission to do so from the leadership of the Order. Valid membership is divided into 21 degrees, - 13 numbered (0 to 12) degrees And 8 unnumbered subgrades, which are intermediate.
Initiatory degrees of the O.T.O.
| Human Earth (Third Triad) |
0° | Minerval | “Degrees of Oasis” | Mysteria Mystica Maxima |
| I° | Man and Brother/Woman and Sister | |||
| II° | Mage | |||
| III° | Master Mage | |||
| IV° | Perfect Magician and Companion of the Holy Royal Arch of Enoch |
|||
| P.I. | Perfect Initiate or Prince of Jerusalem | |||
| Beyond all Triads |
K.E.W. | Knight of the East and West | ||
| Lovers (Second Triad) |
V° | Sovereign Prince of the Rose Cross, and Knight of the Pelican and Eagle |
||
| Knight of the Red Eagle, and Member of the Senate of Knightly Hermetic Philosophers |
||||
| VI° | Illustrious Knight (Templar) of the Order of Kadosh, and Companion of the Holy Grail |
|||
| Grand Inquistor Commander and Member of the Grand Tribunal |
||||
| Prince of the Royal Secret | ||||
| VII° | Theorist, Very Illustrious Sovereign Grand Inspector General |
|||
| Mage of Light and Bishop of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica |
||||
| Great Magician of Light and Inspector of Rites and Initiations |
||||
| Hermit (First Triad) |
VIII° | Perfect Pontiff of Enlightenment | ||
| Myst (Epopt) of Enlightenment | ||||
| IX° | Initiate of the Sanctuary of Gnosis | |||
| X° | Supreme and Holy King (Rex Summus Sanctissimus) |
|||
| XI° | Initiate of the Eleventh Degree (This degree is technical, and has nothing to do with the overall plan of the Order.) |
|||
| XII° | Frater Superior, Outer Head of the Order | |||
According to the Book of Law degrees in the O.T.O. divided into three categories or "Triads":
Earth Man;
Enamored;
Hermit.
“Whoever calls us Thelemites will not be mistaken if he carefully examines the word. For there are Three Degrees in it: Hermit, Lover and Man of the Earth”. (Book of the Law Chapter I; verse 40)
The First Triad consists of 5 numbered degrees, with Minerval considered as an introductory part to the First Degree, and IV° as an appendix (addition) to III°:
Each degree of the first triad corresponds to one or two of the seven chakras. The initiation ritual itself activates the corresponding chakra in a person. More precisely, it removes “blocks” that interfere with the free functioning of these energy centers. What causes blocked chakras? The reasons for this can be very different. These can be childhood traumas, difficult family conditions, physical and emotional trauma, and, finally, simply a lack of attention from others.
Correspondence of degrees of the first triad of O.T.O. and chakras
The logical sequence of degrees becomes clear through the chakra system. Thus, the Minerval degree sets a certain conditional boundary, activating the location of the Kundalini Serpent and the “third eye”. The next three degrees (I° - III°) descend down the spine, sequentially activating the throat chakra, heart chakra and navel chakra. The fourth degree returns to Ajna, thereby completing the circuit begun in Minerval, reactivating the third eye. To strengthen this circulation. Only when blocks are removed from all chakras, the highest chakra - Sahasrara (Crown) - is activated.
It is believed that if a person experiences problems with communication, his fifth chakra (Vishuddha - the plane of human existence) is blocked; if health and material problems constantly arise, then, obviously, problems with the first chakra (Muladhara - the plane of the physical world), etc. .d. Of course, you shouldn’t understand everything in a simplified way. After all, for some, problems with Vishuddha, for example, are aggressive and permanent disputes, for others it is a refusal to communicate.
It takes a certain amount of time for the previous initiation to have its full and proper effect on the initiate, so it is suggested that approximately 9 months or a year should pass between initiations (the only exception is associated with the Minerval and 1st degrees. In special cases they are allowed to be taken on the same day).
Of course, the initiation ceremony is not a universal means of removing the block from the chakra once and for all. Therefore, the effect of initiation can be very different. The chakra can be activated for some time, but if work with it does not continue, then after a short time it will “close” again.
Minerval (zero degree)
Conception. Here a person is considered a guest of our Order. This is an introductory degree of initiation and gives the candidate the opportunity to think and decide whether he needs to become a full member of the Order. In the language of symbolism, this is defined as the attraction of the human “ego” (the wandering God) to the solar system, or, if you like, conception. Minerval is a “welcome guest” of the Order, although not a full member. A member of the Order in the Minerval degree cannot lead an O.T.O. Camp. or give a recommendation to someone else to join the Order. The time spent in the Minerval degree is not limited. You can ask for initiation into I° immediately after initiation into the Minerval degree, but you can also take time out to consider whether this is a decision you should make. If you want to stay in the Minerval grade, that's absolutely fine.
First degree - Man and Brother (Woman and Sister)
Birth. This initiation ritual makes a person a full member of the Order. During initiation into the First Degree, a spiritual connection arises between the initiate and the Order, which a member of the O.T.O. never loses it again, even if he retires from active activity in it.
Second degree - Mage
Human life. A person lives life and becomes acquainted with its basic laws, from the point of view of Thelema.
Third degree - Master Mage
Man knows Death.
Fourth degree
It consists of two parts:
Perfect Magician and Companion of the Holy Royal Arch of Enoch
Man enters the World beyond Death.
Perfect Initiate or Prince of Jerusalem (P.I)
Destruction or Perfect Beginning.
After the Fourth degree comes intermediate degree Knight of the East and West, which is a kind of “bridge” between the Triad of Man of the Earth and the Lover. From this degree, advancement in the Order is by invitation only.
As Aleister Crowley wrote, "all subsequent (higher) degrees develop mainly the symbolism of the second degree, that is, they are a kind of guidance to the Candidate as to how he should act; and gradually impart to him the Magical Secrets that make him the Lord of Life."
Further advancement in the O.T.O. usually a matter of several years. A certain amount of time is required for previous initiations to have their full and proper effect on the initiate.
Rituals and training from V° to IX° degrees - instructions for Initiation into the Mastery of Life; The instructions which introduce Hermetic Philosophy, Qabalah, Magic and Yoga are all aimed at preparing for Initiation into the one Supreme Mystery.
Triad of Lovers
V° Sovereign Prince of the Rose-Croix, and Knight of the Pelican and Eagle, Knight of the Red Eagle, and Member of the Senate of Knightly Hermetic Philosophers
VI° Illustrious Knight (Templar) of the Order of Kadosh, and Companion of the Holy Grail, Grand Inquistor Commander, Member of the Grand Tribunal, Prince of the Royal Secret
VII° Theoretician, Very Illustrious Sovereign Grand Inspector General, Magician of Light and Bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, Grand Master of Light and Inspector of Rites and Initiations
Hermit Triad
VIII° Perfect Pontiff of Enlightenment. Myst (Epopt) of Enlightenment.
IX° Initiate of the Sanctuary of Gnosis.
X° Supreme and Most Holy King (Rex Summus Sanctissimus). This is a technical degree. It is received by the National Grand Master General of the O.T.O. in a separate country.
XI° Initiate of the Eleventh Degree. This degree is technical and has nothing to do with the overall plan of the Order.
XII° Frater Superior or O.N.O. - Outer Head of the Order
It is worth noting that the names of the nine degrees are taken from Masonic sources: Holy Royal Arch of Enoch, Prince of Jerusalem, Knight of the East and West, Sovereign Prince of the Rose Cross, Knight of the Red Eagle, Illustrious Knight (Templar) of the Order of Kadosh, Grand Inquistor Commander, Prince of the Royal Mystery and Sovereign Grand Inspector General.
In addition, membership in the Order is divided into two classes: from the Minerval degree to VII° members of the O.T.O. constitute a brotherhood called "The Greatest Kept Secret"(“Mysteria Mystica Maxima” or M. .M. .M..). Members of the Order from VIII to X degrees form Hermetic Brotherhood of Light(Fratemitas Lucis Hermeticae).
O.T.O. Branches: CAMP, OASIS and LODGE
In addition to the administrative and governing bodies within the O.T.O., there are three levels of official local initiated bodies (local bodies): Camps, Oases and Lodges.
Camp
The base level is Camp. Camps can be as simple as study groups or as complex as miniature Lodges. Camps may or may not initiate, but even those that have a Charter can initiate no higher than III°.
A camp may be established by a single initiated member of the O.T.O. holding at least a First Degree. He can perform such tasks as organizing a regional office, conducting initiations, issuing publications, maintaining a computer website, etc. Camps must maintain effective records of financial transactions and have a secure mailing address.
Oasis
The next level of difficulty, higher than Camp, is Oasis. In many ways, Oasis is a miniature Lodge. In relation to its members, the Oasis must carry out the basic functions of the Lodge: provide training in the form of classes and/or distribution of written materials, try to regularly celebrate the Gnostic Mass and carry out initiations from 0° to III°.
An oasis must be created by at least three dedicated members, one of whom must be at least a Third degree. Typically, oases are created from existing Camps. Since Oases are initiating bodies, they must have all the means necessary to carry out initiations up to and including the third degree. Oases have the same financial and reporting responsibilities as Camps.
Lodge
The highest local body under the jurisdiction of the Electoral College is the Lodge. The Master of the Lodge must have Initiation in the Order not lower than V°, and also have the Right of Initiation to a degree not lower than III°.
The Lodge must independently carry out the initiation of members up to the III° degree inclusive and have everything necessary to carry out the initiations of the IV° and P.I., even if the Head of the Lodge does not hold the Right of Initiation to these degrees.
Generally, the minimum distance that Lodges must be separated from each other is 50 miles, except in densely populated cities. The responsibilities of Lodges and Oases are similar. In addition, the Lodge may be required to assist the Order in legal matters. Lodges shall maintain a complete set of documents beyond what is normally required of the lower levels, and shall also produce manuscripts, periodicals and other publications or other works promoting the dissemination of the Knowledge of Thelema. It is expected that all Lodges endeavor to celebrate the Gnostic Mass as often as possible. The two main functions of a Lodge are: (1) to serve the general body of its members; and (2) in case of misfortune which may befall the Grand Lodge, to prolong the life of the Order.
Despite the requirements of the 1917 Constitution of the Order, according to which no one can be a member of more than one Lodge at the same time, the current policy of the O.T.O. does not limit membership in local bodies.
O.T.O. in Russia
The Moscow branch of the Order - "Pan's Asylum" - was created on the basis of a charter issued by the Supreme Council of the Ordo Templi Orientis on April 15, 2000. The basis of the Camp "Pan's Asylum" were Russian members of the Order who received initiation in other countries.
First initiation into the O.T.O. in Russia happened in Moscow on August 30, 2002. On May 18, 2004, by decision of the Supreme Council of the Order, the “Pan’s Refuge” Camp was transformed into the “Pan’s Refuge” Oasis. He was also given the right to independently carry out initiatory work in degrees 0 - 3. On January 13, 2008, Oasis was transformed into the Sanctuary of Pan Lodge. Today in our country there are four branches of O.T.O.: Lodge "Pan's Refuge" in Moscow, Camp "Sphinx" in St. Petersburg, Camp "Sofia" in Voronezh, Camp "156" in Chelyabinsk.
Any person who has reached the age of majority and recognizes, to the best of his own understanding, has the right to declare his desire to become a member of our Order. But at the same time, he must submit recommendations from two guarantors from among the members of the Order. To do this, he must prove that he is seriously interested in magic, is willing to learn and can participate in joint magical work.
Membership in our Order opens the way to Knowledge, but does not provide any privileges on the material plane. Every new member of our Order faces difficult work. However, he has the right to expect that his brothers and sisters in the O.T.O. will always be ready to help him in this matter.
You can contact the Order at:
© Lodge "Refuge of Pan" O.T.O.
(1851-1905) - Austrian industrialist, chemist, who made a number of important discoveries in such areas as paper making, the synthesis of artificial gemstones, photography and electrochemistry. In addition, he was a researcher of Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, yoga and alchemy. It is he who is considered the founder of OTO.
Franz Hartmann (1838-1912) was a German physician and chemist who worked in the field of medical research in collaboration with Karl Kellner. In addition to the natural sciences, Hartmann was interested in the occult, was a member of the Theosophical Society of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and published works in the field of esotericism.
Theodor Reuss (1855-1923) - German researcher of Freemasonry, yoga and many other occult systems. Became Kellner's successor after his death. Under Reuss' leadership, OTO charters were issued in France, Germany, Switzerland, the USA and Australia.
GTR at the beginning
The idea of creating the Order of the Eastern Templars belonged to Karl Kellner.
In 1885, Karl Kellner met Franz Hartmann, a member of the Theosophical Society of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, who also called himself a Rosicrucian, and in collaboration with him, and also subsequently with Theodor Reuss, he decided to create a Masonic Academy, combining all existing Masonic degrees and systems . The new order, according to Kellner's idea, was to be called the Order of the Eastern Templars, and both men and women were to be accepted into it. However, during one of his discussions with Theodor Reuss, Kellner agreed that the organization they came up with should be called the Order of the Eastern Temple.
OTO under Theodor Reuss
Back in 1890, Reuss and his friend Leopold Engel “reanimated” the Order of the Illuminati. Reuss himself claimed that he possessed the patent of the Rosicrucian prince “Louis Gabriel Lebauche”, transferred to Weishaupt in 1786, on the basis of which he tried to carry out this “reanimation”. In 1900, the order was renamed the Grand Masonic Lodge of the Order of the Illuminati (Grosse Freimaurerloge fuer Deutschland des Illuminaten-Ordens), and the constitution was rewritten from the constitution of the OWLA. In June 1901, friends quarreled and all the ins and outs of Reuss’s falsification of the Rosicrucian patent surfaced. By September 24, 1902, Reuss managed to visit Manchester and return to Germany with the patent of John Yarker (he has nothing to do with the DPSHU, except for some rituals that accidentally fell into Yarker’s hands).
From John Yarker, Reuss also received a charter to create a co-Masonic organization called the Sovereign Sanctuary, and a charter to create a Grand Orient of Germany, modeled on the Grand Orient of France.
At the end of the 19th century, many German beer halls had their own companies. Their main activities were varied: they argued about politics, dreamed of a nation, some played cards for money for charitable purposes. They were called "corner stocks" (Winkellogen). Some of them united in unions, like the "Allgemeine Buergerloge" or "Matthai - Logenbund", but all dreamed of becoming "real" Masonic Lodges. It was on their basis, attracting into their ranks with a fake “Rosicrucian-Illuminati” patent, that Royce created his own institution: “Symbolische Grossloge des Schottischen Ritus in Deutschland.” And he immediately called this newly created “Grand Lodge” a “Masonic Academy”.
But already in 1904, the Assembly of Lodges of John took place in the Munich Metropol, which declared that the dubious occultism of Reuss, coupled with his inclinations to study sexual symbolism and paganism, was incompatible with the goals and objectives of Freemasonry, and left the VL. Some of the lodges were subsequently regularized in the Royal York Charter. The few remnants served Reuss on their basis to create the OTO, from some elements of which, after his death, he created his own OTO - A. Crowley, writing his own rituals for his OTO, since he did not have most of the rituals of those Charters, about whom he stated that they were part of his OTO.
Thus, all the Charters that Crowley claimed, and after him the modern OTO, along with the Swedenborgian Rite, the Memphis-Mizraim Rite, the DPSHU, and others, were not included in the general system of the OTO, and have nothing to do with the OTO, despite attempts by OTO adherents to derive their ancestry from them. Modern heirs of these jurisdictions - the Rite of Memphis-Misraim, DPSHU, the Martinist Order, and others - do not recognize the initiatory systems of the OTO, and do not maintain any relations with organizations using this name. It should also be pointed out that the modern OTO has abandoned the assignment of Masonic degrees, and now assigns “titles” with similar names that do not imply the transmission of rituals, materials, and Masonic initiations themselves, or even claims to such. This was done due to the lack of relevant materials - that is, texts of rituals, and accompanying instructions, which are available in the real traditional jurisdictions of the mentioned Masonic Brotherhoods.
So, for example, about the seventh degree of O.T.O. Crowley says:
In this degree, the worship of the phallus as a microcosmic likeness of the sun is taught, including the creation of a personal "chapel" in which a sculptural image of the phallus is placed, made of silver, bronze or any other similar material.
During his life, Crowley carried out several revisions of the rituals of the O.T.O. in order to give them an even more thelemic character.
In 1923, Theodor Reuss died, and in 1924, Aleister Crowley proclaimed himself the "Outer Head" of the order. He held this assigned post until his death in 1947.
Organizations created on the basis of OTO
Before considering such organizations, it should be noted that by decision of the British Court No. O-157-08 of June 6, 2008, it was decided that the abbreviation “O. THAT." only the Californian Order of the Eastern Templars ("Caliphate") has the right to name.
Ancient Order of the Eastern Templars (OTOA, - Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua)
The Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua (Ancient Order of the Eastern Temple) is an initiatory Gnostic-magical order founded in 1921 in Haiti by the Gnostic patriarch and voodoo high priest Lucien-Francois Jean-Maine. The OTOA tradition is derived from Gnostic voodoo, practiced in secret societies. It is a synthesis developed from European-Gnostic-Hermetic currents, which are the heirs of the ancient Western initiatory tradition, and Haitian metaphysics. The Monastery of the Seven Rays operates within the framework of OTOA. Both of these organizations cooperate with the Gnostic church Ecclesia Gnostica Spiritualis (Spiritual Gnostic Church).
Brotherhood of Saturn (Fraternitas Saturni)
Fraternitas Saturni (Brotherhood of Saturn) was founded by Eugen Grosche, also known as Gregor A. Gregorius, after the Weida Conference. At the conference it was planned to recognize Crowley as the Outer Head of the Ordo Templi Orientis, as well as the World Teacher. Crowley was accompanied at the conference by Leila Waddell and Norman Mudd, as well as members of the Pansophia Lodge, Heinrich Traenker. Tranker served under the name X Reuss until his death.
The conference did not go smoothly, and before Crowley arrived, a split had already occurred. Karl Johann Germer, who would later become Crowley's closest lieutenant, translated Liber Al vel Legis into German, and many other members of the Pansophia Lodge accepted Crowley's demands, especially Germer himself, Grosche and Martha Kunzel. At first, Crowley received support and was elected, among other things, as the World Teacher, about whom Madame Blavatsky prophesied. However, the situation soon changed, and not only Tranker withdrew his support from Aleister Crowley, but other members of the lodge did the same. This led to a split in the Pansophia Lodge, and those who continued to accept Crowley's teachings founded the Fraternitas Saturni, and the Pansophia Lodge was officially closed. Kunzel and Germer joined Crowley's OTO, while most of the members of the Pansophia lodge joined Grosche, including such a well-known film personality as Albin Grau.
The Brotherhood of Saturn formally accepted the Book of the Law, still recognized Crowley as a teacher, and Grosche was at pains to claim that the order operated with Crowley's blessing, citing many forged letters purportedly received from Crowley and many of his own letters sent to him, which did not remained unanswered. The order developed an interesting and unique approach to Crowley's teachings of Thelema, an approach that featured significant connections to astrology rather than the Golden Dawn system. Also unique is that the order did not emphasize the Kabbalah and tarot, unlike other orders that were major in the 20th century.
In 1936 the Brotherhood of Saturn was banned by the Nazi regime. Gregorius, like other lodge leaders, emigrated to avoid imprisonment. After World War II, Gregorius was able to reunite the brothers and once again lead the lodge to its peak.
Grosche was arrested within a year by the Nazi government on the grounds of his commitment to socialism. His association with Aleister Crowley was cited by the Gestapo as the main reason for his detention. Following the end of the war, he became a member of the German Communist Party.
In 1957 lodges appeared in Hamburg and Stuttgart, the Grand Lodge was located in Berlin. Some time before Grosche's death (1954), the Brotherhood of Saturn again became the largest magical order in Germany. However, after Grosche's death there was some unrest associated with the appointment of a new Grand Master.
The most important degrees in the initiatory system of the Brotherhood of Saturn are the "Gradus Mercurii", the "Gradus Solis" and the "Gradus Pentalphae", the degree of the five-pointed star, or pentagram. . Work corresponding to the "Degree of Pentalpha" emphasized tantric mysticism and sex magic. According to the Order, all the secret knowledge of the OTO is contained in the "Degree of Pentalpha".
The Degree system had undergone changes for some time before Grosche died. Initially there were ten degrees, not counting the “neophyte”, who was not a regular member of the “Brotherhood of Saturn”, but only a candidate for it, and the Grand Master (the post of Grand Master did not relate to a degree, but was exclusively a position). The Great Master was the only one, and bore the title "Magister Aquarii". "Gradus Mercurii" (Master) was the second degree in the original system, followed by "Gradus Solis" (Master) and "Gradus Pentalphae".
After the transformation of the degree system, the degrees became 33, "Gradus Mercurii" became the eighth, "Gradus Solis" became the 12th, and "Gradus Pentalphae" became the 18th.
In 1957, the Brotherhood of Saturn became a legal organization, registered under the name "Fraternitas Saturni, eingetragener Verein" ("Fraternitas Saturni, registered society"). In 1979, most of the appointed masters left the Fraternitas Saturni and disbanded the Ordo Saturni (Order of Saturn), the remaining brothers of the Brotherhood of Saturn continued to work under this name, continued to practice magic, but not a single Master who was associated with the tradition of the “Brotherhood of Saturn” did not remain in this Brotherhood.
In 1993, one of the so-called masters (in Immanuel's line of succession) founded another Saturnian order, the "Communitas Saturni" ("Society of Saturn"). Another Saturnian lodge (Grand Lodge "Gregor A. Gregorius") was formed during the 1990s in southern Germany, however, after a period filled with conflicts, this lodge merged with the Brotherhood of Saturn.
OTO by Kenneth Grant (TOTO, Typhonian Order)
After Crowley's death, Germer became his successor, and he recognized and confirmed Grant's status as an IX° (Ninth Degree) adept in 1948 after Crowley died. However, Grant later claimed that his receipt of the XI° (Eleventh Degree) was confirmed in 1946, apparently by Crowley, the same year that he was initiated into the Order of the Silver Star, associated with the Thelemic magical order created by Crowley in 1907, when he was expelled from the Order of the Golden Dawn.
In 1954 Grant began work on the establishment of the New Isis Lodge, which began to carry out operational work in 1955 when Grant announced that he had discovered the "Sirius/Set Current" in a new manifesto, which became the basis for the activities of the Lodge. Karl Germer disliked this new manifesto so much that he expelled Grant from the O.T.O. Grant responded by proclaiming himself the Outer Head of the Order, adopting the XII° degree, and inducing his followers into a schism against those who still followed Germer. Grant's group subsequently became known as the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis, incorporating the New Isis Lodge in 1962, around the same time Germer died, without formally naming his successor at as head of the OTO.
In Starfire (March 2009, but published in Winter Solstice MMVIII An 105), Michael Staley stated that the Typhonian O.T.O. ceased to exist as an Order, and that its functions and matters with which it was concerned were taken over by the newly established Typhonian Order. Starfire itself, which itself declared itself the "Official Press of the Typhonian O.T.O." now claims to be the "Official Journal of the Typhonian Order."
Kenneth Grant's Typhonian Order influenced Dragon Rouge and was instrumental in creating the magical movement Ma'at Nema.
While the group is known to still propagate Crowley's "law of Thelema", it also concentrates its attention on the study of extraterrestrial intelligence, such as life beyond earth and demons, as well as the darker aspects of occult existence, such as H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos.
For example, Simon Hinton writes:
“A superhuman entity in particular has become famous which has become associated with the Typhonian Tradition in recent years, and this entity is known as Lam. Lamb's portrait was drawn by Aleister Crowley around 1917 in New York... The drawing was given to Kenneth Grant in 1945, its hypnotic image bears a very strong resemblance to the depictions of supernatural beings we see in modern films, despite the fact that the drawing was made by years before the archetype was stylized."
Crowley's depiction of Lamb actually foreshadows the descriptions and representations of extraterrestrial entities that came to be known as the "Greys" in UFO literature.
In his synopsis, Hinton states that " The Typhonian Tradition is not about transforming the result of contact with those forces that are beyond human understanding. Its goal is to transform human consciousness, expanding, deepening and enriching it».
In the book On the Cult of Lam: Lokapala of the Silent Way, Grant himself writes:
“The cult was founded for the reason that very clear hints were received by Aossic Aiwass 718. (a reference to the magical name Grant used) in relation to the portrait of Lamb... (which was given to Crowley by Grant) ...that he is the present center of the extraterrestrial - and possibly trans-plutonic Energy with which the O.T.O. it is now necessary to communicate at this critical period as we have entered the eighties mentioned in the Book of the Law. This is our goal - to gain some ability to penetrate not only into the essence of Lam, but also to find out the possibilities of using the Egg both in the astral space capsule for traveling to the sphere of Lam, and for exploring the Tunnels of Set in intracosmic and chthonic capsules.”
When considering the organization of the Order, the Typhonian Order is considered to have moved from a formal hierarchy to a less hierarchical structure. It is worth quoting Koenig at length to illustrate the organizational differences between Grant's Order and the O.T.O.:
“Typhonian O.T.O. functions as a cosmic network that does not conduct its activities through earthly lodges, since its members - in the magical sense - are not located on earth. Their zones of occult action are located in spaces that include and at the same time go beyond the stellar level of consciousness. The Typhonian O.T.O., for this reason, is not a unified organization in the mundane sense - it is controlled through inner plane contacts which are concentrated for the present day in a small group of individual people who channel currents beyond the circles of time and space. Regarding Thelema, the Typhonian O.T.O. is a Machine, and A∴A∴ is an Operator.
It cannot be compared with other versions of the O.T.O., since there are no group rituals or ceremonies of initiation into any degree or degree. The basis of initiation is the assimilation of direct magical and mystical work. Therefore, every initiation is in reality a self-initiation. In the Typhonian O.T.O. There are several works on degrees. However, it is emphasized that the initiate is empowered to create his own course. Of course, there is also the experience of other people that can be adopted.”
Society of OTO (SOTO)
Marcel Ramos Motta (1931-1987), the third contender for leadership of the OTO, sued Crowley for ownership of the copyright, which was denied by the U.S. District Court of Maine. Motta died in 1987, although various small groups calling themselves the Society of O.T.O. (SOTO) continue to exist and claim authority over all of O.T.O.
Metzger's OTO (Swiss OTO)
Hermann Metzger, another applicant, was initiated into the OTO by Germer in Germany in the fifties of the 20th century and headed the Swiss branch of the order. After Germer's death, he attempted to declare himself the head of the entire OTO.
UTO under McMurtry and Germer While still alive, Crowley began to look for a successor. He considered the most suitable candidates to be Karl Germer (1885-1962), his representative in Germany, and Grady Louis McMurtry (1918-1985), a member of the California lodge of the OTO [ unreputable source?] . On December 1, 1947, Aleister Crowley died, and in accordance with his will, Karl Germer became the external head of the OTO and remained in this post until his death in 1962. This period in the history of the OTO is characterized by a decrease in activity: regular meetings ceased to be held in 1949, and the admission of new people to the order ceased. After the death of Germer, who did not leave a will, several people laid claim to power in the order. In 1969, Grady McMurtry became the outside head, which caused much controversy that continues to this day. He began to accept new people into his OTO line, and in 1970 he published the Thoth Tarot deck, illustrated by Frieda Harris. In 1979, the OTO received corporate status, and in 1982 it was exempt from taxes as a religious organization.
California UTO (Caliphate)
McMurtry did not appoint a successor for himself, but ordered that he be elected by vote, which was done on September 21, 1985. As a result of the elections, William Breese (Hymen Beta) became the Outer Head of the Order of the Eastern Templars, who remains so to this day.
Currently, the headquarters of the California OTO is located in the state of California, USA. William Breeze's OTO today numbers over 4 thousand people and has representative offices in more than 60 countries.
The right to initiate initiation into the Order is enjoyed by its branches in 20 countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine, as well as Grand Lodges of Australia, USA and Great Britain. By decision of the British Court No. O-157-08 of June 6, 2008, it was decided that the abbreviation “O. THAT." only the Californian Order of the Eastern Templars ("Caliphate") has the right to name.
California OTO degree system
Membership in O.T.O. is based on a system of initiatory ceremonies (or "degrees") based on a dramatic ritual designed to create a fraternal bond between members, as well as to convey ideas of spiritual and philosophical teaching
The degrees also serve organizational functions - in order to perform certain functions in the Order one must achieve certain degrees (for example, to become a Priest or Priestess of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica one must achieve the degree K.E.W).
The Order's degree system includes 21 degrees, - 13 numbered (from 0 to 12) degrees and 8 unnumbered subdegrees, which are intermediate.
Admission to each subsequent degree of OTO includes Initiation and Oath. The OTO claims that they are similar to the oaths of Free Masonry.
Advancement within the Earth Man Triad requires sponsorship from members of the same degree or higher. Advancement to the Knight of the East and West and above requires invitation from members holding the corresponding degrees or higher.
The main purpose of initiation into the OTO is, according to the statements of the OTO members themselves, “to communicate to man through the language of allegory and symbol the deep mysteries of Nature and through this help in revealing his true essence.”
According to the Book of Law, the degrees in OTO are divided into three categories or "Triads": Earth Man; Enamored; Hermit.
The entire system looks like this:
The work De Natura Deorum is given for study and practice.
The work De Nuptiis Secretis Deorum Cum Hominibus is given for study and practice.
- IX°- Initiate of the Sanctuary of Gnosis
- Agape vel Liber C vel Azoth
- De Homunculo Epistola
- De Arte Magica
- Emblems IX° methods of use
- X°- Rex Summus Sanctissimus
- XI° - Initiate of the Eleventh Degree (This degree is technical, and has nothing to do with the general plan of the Order).
- XII°- Frater Superior, Outer Head of the Order
Structure and branches of the Californian OTO at present
At the national level, the highest governing organization in the OTO is the Grand Lodge, which is governed by a Grand Master. The Governing Council of the Grand Lodge includes the Grand Master, the Grand Secretary General, and the Grand Treasurer General.
Today it is the most numerous branch of the OTO. is located in California, USA. The Grand Lodge of the USA is the governing body of the O.T.O. in the United States of America. As stated on the organization's website, UTO in the United States conducts rituals, offers leadership and training to its members, organizes various events, and participates in educational and community programs. As of February 29, 2008, the Grand Lodge of the United States had a self-reported membership of 1,212 in 57 local chapters. There are also large branches of the OTO in England - this is the “Grand Lodge of Great Britain”, and in Australia - this is the “Grand Lodge of Australia”, formed in April 2006.
Criticism of general relativity
Christian churches and denominations condemn the OTO, and do not maintain any relations with any of the branches of the OTO. In particular, the Russian Orthodox Church, represented by its representatives, has repeatedly assessed the “Order of the Eastern Templars” as a satanic and anti-Christian destructive sect, accusing members of the OTO of various immoral actions and illegal activities.
According to journalist Caroline Alexandra, the OTO is Satanism, and she lists it among other satanic organizations.
Conspiracy theorist and occultist Rene Guenon in his works also drew attention to the counterinitiative and satanic nature of the activities of Aleister Crowley, whose pseudonym was the name “Beast 666”, in Greek “Therion”. Rene Guenon claims that Crowley was characterized by radical and outright Satanism, and he passed on this same character and content to the counter-initiatic organizations he created, “Abbey of the Seven Rays” and “Order of the Silver Star,” as well as “O.T.O” (Ordo Templari Orienti p - “ Order of the Templars of the East") In addition to the “quasi-Egyptian” nature of these structures, Guenon noted their pseudo-tantric, sexual orientation.
Guenon considered all of these organizations to be intermediaries between pure devil worshipers - “wandering magicians” serving the Seven Towers of Satan - and the external cultural and political world [ unreputable source?] .
Notable members of the OTO
see also
Notes
- Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism Edited by Wouter J. Hanegraaff, Antoine Faivre, Roelof van den Broek, Jean-Pierre Brach. Leiden: Brill, 2005. ISBN 9004152318
- Starr, Martin. Aleister Crowley: Freemason!
- Elik Howe and Helmut Moller - “Theodor Reuss and Irregular Freemasonry in Germany 1900-1923.”
- KENNETH GRANT AND THE TYPHONIAN ORDER OF THE EAST TEMPLE Peter-Robert Koenig, Editing and Notes by James M. Marty
- Serge Caillet. La Franc-Maḉonnerie Egyptienne de Memphis-Misraḯm. - ISBN 2-84454-215-8
- Encyclopedia of Secret Societies, John Michael Greer, ISBN 978-5-386-01758-3
- Sabazius X° and AMT IX°. History of the Ordo Templi Orientis
- monograph by Reuss's comrade and co-founder of the Symbolische Grossloge des Schottischen Ritus in Deutschland, Eberhard (A. P. Eberhardt) document from the archives of the Grand Lodge "Three Globes", Germany
- Serge Caillet “La Franc-Maḉonnerie Egyptienne de Memphis-Misraḯm” ISBN 2-84454-215-8
- circular Internet letter from modern heads of the OTO to their branches and their representatives, signed by a person with the pseudonym Sabazius X
- Oriflamme, July 1914, pp. 15-16.
- Albert Pike, "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite", ISBN 978-5-98882-026-0
- A. G. Dugin “Dear Angel” No. 3, M., 2000 TEACHING OF THE BEAST
- Francis King - The Secret Rituals of the OTO Samuel Weiser, Inc. ISBN 0-87728-144-0 quote in English:
How the Simple Mason pleas
Tool to Temple, See it rise!
Princes of Jerusalem,
How we mock and scoff at them!boaz broken,
Jachin gone
Freely spoken
Jahbulon,
All above
Is overthrown
For the love
Of Babalon. - Francis King - The Secret Rituals of the OTO Samuel Weiser, Inc. ISBN 0-87728-144-0, page 121, verbatim:
„M.S.: What time is it? V.Zh.: At that hour the Veil of the Temple was torn in two, When darkness began to fill the earth, When the altar was thrown down, The Wormwood Star fell to the ground, When the Flaming Star was eclipsed, the Sacred Tau was stained with blood and water, the word was lost, and on Despair and grief found us. (Solemn music) M. S.: Since the Royal Art has experienced such terrible disasters, it is our duty, very excellent and perfect princes, to return what was lost; May Truth, Silence and Love help us to succeed in our attempts to find the Lost Word. (He lays down the Crucifix and tramples it) Therefore, standing with my heel on the head of the great Serpent, I declare the Chapter of the Rose Cross duly opened in the name of Babalon and the Beast united, the Secret Savior and IAO. (Applause)“
