Note to update: the addresses and phone numbers in these issues of the Thelema Lodge Calendars are obsolete since the closing of the Lodge. They are here for historic purposes only and should not be visited or called.
Thelema Lodge
Ordo Templi Orientis
P.O.Box 2303
Berkeley, CA 94702 USA
April 1988 e.v. at Thelema Lodge
Announcements from
Lodge Members and Officers
The Magical Link, O.T.O. international members publication, will carry
an announcement of the new dues schedule several months in advance of the
effective date.
If you have been thinking of taking initiation, now is a good time to
proceed, while dues are still at the lower rates. Dues paid in advance
will be accounted according to the date paid; so this is also a good time
to pay back dues and to pay dues ahead. Payments and assessments made
after the new dues go into effect will be at the higher rates.
Postal rates have risen four times while the dues rate has remained
unchanged. Other expenses have risen too.
"A feast for the three days of the writing of the Book of the Law."!
--- AL II:38
The First Day will be celebrated at Dii Alieni Camp. A Gnostic
Mass is planned for the celebration. Please contact Frater
Shaitan/Soror Alepha at (415) 652-3848 for details, directions, and to
give them an idea of how large a mob will attend.
The Second Day is planned for Lola's house (CHQ). The reading will
start at 9:30 pm, after the Potluck Feast. Call (415) 465-9389 to
talk to our Lodgemistress for more information, directions, and
what to bring!
The Third Day is at Thelema Lodge, in conjunction with and
immediately after the Sunday Mass. Our # is (415) 655-4942. In
addition, each chapter will be read at noon on its' proper day at
Horus Temple.
Magick and Qabalah classes with Bill Heidrick meet on the 13th
and the 20th this month. The Class on the 13th deals with Natural
Magick, and will wind up in a field trip on the 23rd. The Class on
the 20th is a presentation of several traditional systems of Magick.
Classes meet at Thelema Lodge at 8 PM, and run late. All welcome.
The Field Trip for Natural Magick takes most of the afternoon of the
23rd and will be a walk over part of Mt. Tam., in Marin County. We will
depart from 5 Suffield Ave. in San Anselmo before noon. Arrive
between 10 AM and 11 AM or miss it! This is a walk of five to seven
miles over unlevel trails, so wear good walking shoes and two pair
of socks. Bill Heidrick will lead the walk, and point out the energy
spots. Dryads cannot be guaranteed, hamadryads are more common in the
region. Sylphs are commonly felt, heard and seen circling. Undines have
been sighted disguised as salamanders, but true salamanders should not be
disturbed during this dry season. Gnomes are nocturnal, but lithards are
sometimes seen. Any active elementals examined should be replaced where
originally found. Swamp, redwoods, bugs, lizards and miscellaneous sacred
places guaranteed. Various woodland creatures will observe the hikers
but not feed them. Please be ready for jack rabbit impressions by doe deer.
It's dumn, but they have an annual contest going. Similar contests in
Arizona among antelopes resulted in a proliferation of jackalopes some
months after the mating season ended. Natural historians have been
confused for years as a result.
Ebony begins a brand-new three-class series on the 27th at 8 pm.
This month's topic is Elementary Ceremonial Magick, to be held at the
Lodge. Before and during his classes, all tobacco will be smoked
outdoors or in private rooms.
Mordecai will host a Stephen Crane poetry reading at 8 pm on the
21st. He will provide poetry, and those who wish may read.
Enochiana with Dave at 8 pm on the 26th. The late-month Enochian
class subject is a preview of the Center for Enochian Studies'
(sometimes called Miskatonic U.) next Newsletter publication. Early-month
classes in Enochiana are usually beginner's studies. All are welcome to
either class.
A series of rituals welcoming the Sun into each Zodiacal Sign
begins this month on April 19th. Lotte will call the Archangels and
Angels of the signs and decans. 8 pm start.
This month's offering from the Magick Theatre is a pair of short
Crowley plays -- Elder Eel and an adaptation of The Tell-Tale Heart, to
begin at 8 pm April 12. John provides copies to readers.
A 1988 e.v. Rites of Eleusis Organizational Meeting is planned for
April 14th at 8 pm. If you are interested in doing Rites this year,
please attend. Caitlin promises to attend to take notes for all
interested parties.
23rd- Secret Meeting
The Taurean Birthday Bash will manifest around 4:18 pm Sunday the
24th. Bring your favorite Bull.
Daylight Savings Time begins at 2:00 am Sunday April 3rd. Remember
to set clocks FORWARD one hour.
The price of a 1st class US domestic stamp goes up to 25 cents on
April 3rd. The special new stamps with the letter "E" are only good
within the USA, not in Canada, Europe or anywhere outside USA.
Other postal rates will also go up.
OTHER EVENTS
Hriliu Oasis meets every Friday at 8 pm. They host Gnostic Masses
on the 12th and 26th at 7:30 pm. Call Tammy or Chris at (707) 795-7529
for details and directions.
Selene Camp holds Astrology classes on the 9th, 16th, and 23rd at
8 pm. Minerval Initiations on the 24th, First Degrees on May 1st. Call
(408) 338-2915 for Initiation times.
Nefertiti Camp, in its new location, will have a Camp meeting
Thursday the 28th, and a Gnostic Mass the next day. Meeting and Mass
both start at 8 pm Call in advance- space is limited. (415) 654-6508.
Coming in May:
About May 1st, Beltane will be celebrated at several locations,
call around.
May 20th-22nd, Ancient Ways Festival at Harbin Hot Springs. Sirius Oasis
people are involved in running it. call (415) 639-0783 5 PM to 10 PM
for information. Mail to Ancient Ways V
1400 Shattuck Ave., # 93
Berkeley, CA 94709
Later this year, around Labor Day, the Pan Pagan Festival XII will be held at Circle Pines Campground in Michigan. Sponsored by Midwest Pagan Council Address of Program Committee: P.O.Box 313, Matteson, IL 60443
A Silkscreen Machine, along with some frames for screens, is available for free to an O.T.O. member. Delivered in the Bay Area for the price of the gas to drive it. A non O.T.O. member can purchase it for $100. contact Mari Paviso, Camp Mistress of Selene Camp, P.O.Box 1052, Boulder Creek, CA 95006-1052, (707) 338-2915.
An Appreciation of H. P. Lovecraft
| I've sped across the sea of suns | |
| And trailed their veils of white; | |
| I've raced the comets in their runs | |
| And - breathless in my flight - | |
| I've seen the star-winds pouring o'er | |
| The cataracts of night. | |
| I've sought the rare and shining spores | |
| That float in outer space; | |
| And crystal sands on other shores | |
| Have felt my headlong pace; | |
| My eager hand has sought the door | |
| Of which there is no trace. | |
| Somewhere in this immensity - | |
| It may be near or far - | |
| In hollow space - or density | |
| Of some enormous star | |
| I'll find the treasure of the lore | |
| That made you what you are! | |
| And then I'll pass across with ease | |
| Where time and space are bent - | |
| Into the worlds where ecstasies | |
| Of mind and thought are spent; | |
| And know the beauty held in store - | |
| And all your poems meant. | |
O.T.O. has a Fiscal year from the first day of March until the end
of February. On 2/29/88 e.v., a general check of membership data was
made by the G.T.G. for an annual report. Here's the data on active and
inactive O.T.O. membership since April of 1977 e.v., about 11 years.
These statistics are world-wide, not just USA.
| Total active membership on 2/29/88 e.v., all levels: 1,145 members. (We have no current address for 104 members) |
Total membership in O.T.O. active and inactive for the last eleven years is 2,011 members. In other words, 866 people have dropped out of O.T.O. over an eleven year period, a remarkably good record for such an organization. Many membership organizations have a turn over of 2/3rds in three years.
| This is the distribution of active O.T.O. membership by region: | ||
| USA | 60%, with 1/3 in California | |
| EUROPE | 16%, mostly in: Yugoslavia, England, Germany & Norway | |
| CANADA | 10%, mostly in Western Canada | |
| OCEANIA | 6%, mostly in Australia | |
| ALL OTHERS | 8%, mostly in: Africa, South & Central America | |
Here is the membership by highest held degree, as of 2/29/88 e.v.:
| Degree: | Active on 2/29/88 e.v.: | Went inactive over last eleven year period: | ||||||
| ASSOCIATE | 170 | 223 | ||||||
| MINERVAL | 397 | 463 | ||||||
| Ist DEGREE | 236 | 102 | ||||||
| IInd DEGREE | 154 | 45 | ||||||
| IIIrd DEGREE | 97 | 21 | ||||||
| IVth DEGREE | 35 | 6 | ||||||
| Vth DEGREE | 40 | 2 | ||||||
| VIth DEGREE | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| VIIth DEGREE | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| VIIIth DEGREE | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| IXth DEGREE | 13 | 3 | (1 dec, 1 quit, 1 on leave) | |||||
| Xth DEGREE | 1 | 1 | (deceased) | |||||
| XIth DEGREE | (data not reportable to Grand Lodge) | |||||||
Why do people leave O.T.O.? It's hard to say. Because the greatest
turn-over is in Minervals and Associates, the main cause may be simply
that O.T.O. wasn't what 1/4 of the new members expected. Letters of
resignation account for a small number and generally don't give
detailed reasons. Based on over ten years of experience, I suspect that
personality conflicts, disappointment regarding classes, religious
discrimination in the community or at work, slander of O.T.O. or Crowley
and conversion to intolerant religions account for much of it.
Two proximate causes are provincialism and inertia. Quite a few new members
never look beyond the place they were initiated, while the "Lodge just over
the hill" might prove more congenial to their individual interests. Most
members get dropped just because they don't pay dues.
Here's a breakdown of general occasions of inactive membership over the last eleven years:
| Expelled ---- 6 members | Suspended (current) ---- 3 members | |
| Resigned --- 56 members | Deceased -------------- 17 members | |
| Failed to pay dues ---------- 784 members. | ||
(I wish to point out that giving the boot to 784 members over 11 years has been a depressing and stressful experience for me. This duty diminishes the quality of my life. If you owe dues, please pay or request more time if you need it. Extensions can usually be renewed, if requested, at each billing. --- GTG)
Total membership in Agape Lodge in Pasadena through the 30s & 40s was 81, from the 1944 e.v. list and a quick scan of the minutes after '44. O.T.O. active membership in Crowley's later years has been estimated at 20 to 50 in an average year. The lowest active membership count came toward the end of the life of Frater Saturnus, in the early 60s, less than 12.
These figures refer to the entire O.T.O. descended from Crowley,
by charter, and make no account of other assertions to being in O.T.O.
Also not included are Reuss branches which split away rather than
recognize Crowley as O.H.O. or which descended from Fr. Huiracocha's
Reuss chartered Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua. O.T.O.A. still survives,
but it is a rosicrucian order, and a different organization from O.T.O.
All initiates in the above figures received chartered initiation through
Crowley's rituals. Data for all old Agape Lodge initiations is complete,
but not included in the eleven year time span of this set of statistics.
No O.T.O. officers receive any pay from O.T.O., beyond direct expenses
of O.T.O. phone, postage, travel, office supplies and the like. Much of
the repayment of expenses takes the form of dues credit. No living
expenses are paid either. That may not be entirely a good thing, but at
least it's altruistic. Last fiscal year, 74% of O.T.O. income came from dues and initiation fees. 20% came from donations. A financial statement
is available by S.A.E. from O.T.O., P.O.Box 430, Fairfax, CA 94960 USA.
Please request "Fiscal 87-88".
General considerations of 1987 e.v. Demographics (last year)
|
Oratio2 mea Matutina, Vespertinaque:3 pro Sapientia.
In nomine Dei Patris, Dei Filij, Dei Spiritus Sancti Amen.4
Omnipotens, Sempiterne, Vere, et Vive Deus, in adiutorium meum intende:
Domine Dominantium, Rex Regum, Jeovah Zebaoth5 ad adiuvandum me
festina:
Gloria Deo, Patri, Filio, et spiritui Sancto: Sicut erat in principio, et
nunc, et semper:6 et in saecula Saeculorum:7 Amen.
| Recte sapere, et intelligere doceto8 me, (ô rerum omnium9 Creator,) Nam Sapientia tua, totum est, quod volo: Da verbum tuum in ore meo, (ô rerum omnium Creator,) et Sapientiam10 tuam in corde meo fige.
O Domine Jesu Christe (qui sapientia vera es, aeterni et, Omnipotentis |
| Fiat Jeovah Zebaoth: Fiat Adonay14, fiat Elohim15. O beata, et superbenedicta Omnipotens Trinitas, Concedas mihi (Joanni Dee) petitionem hanc, modo tali, qui tibi maxime placebit. |
| Latine vel Anglice; (ast circa annum16 1569 alio et peculiari, particulari modo: interdum pro Raphaele: interdum pro Michaele) ad Deum preces fundere: mihi gratissimum fuit:17 Mirabilem in me faciat Deus Misericordiam suum. Amen. |
|
Before my other extemporaneous prayers and more ardent ejaculations to God: This one was the most usual.
My Morning and Evening Oration: for Wisdom.
O Lard18 Jesus Christ (who art the true wisdom, of your eternal, and Omnipotent Father) Most humbly I entreat your Divine Majesty, that you might think myself worthy, in respect of my general piety, to promptly send forth your Wise and tested Philosophical assistance, to that fulfillment of understanding and perfection, that will be of the greatest value towards the enlarging of my praising and glorification to you. And when no one is subject to Death, and at last there is Life in the Earth, to which office is it that I will have been fitted: In particular to whom, according to your eternal fore////sight, will your beneficent eminence have assigned me: Moreover, truly and most humbly it is my most burning and most steadfast quest to your Divine Majesty, that you would think worthy to send forth from heaven to me, your good Spiritual Ministers and Angels, Namely Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and even Uriel: and (in accordance with your Heavenly favor ) as often so ever as any other of your true and faithful Angels, who might completely and perfectly inform and furnish me, in the true and accurate, knowledge and understanding of your Secret Mysteries and Mighty Works (Concerning the properties of all of your Creatures and the best use of those natures) and of the unavoidable necessity for the Decree of our Deaths; to the praising, honoring, and glorification of your name; and to confirm to me, and of others (through me) of your many faithful encouragements: and to the disorder and ruin of your enemies. Amen.
|
| Since the year 1579. in general by this mode; It has been most pleasing to me to pour forth prayers to God; Either in the Latin language or in the English (moreover since around the year 1579 by a particularly strange and different method: sometimes for Raphael; occasionally for Michael)19 Let God, his own mercy, be glorious in me. Amen.
Notes: |
| 4/1/88 | Liber 70 (Stavros Batrachoi) | Thelema Ldg | ||
| 4/1/88 | Full Moon Ritual 9:30 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/1/88 | Meeting at 8 PM | Hriliu Oasis | ||
| 4/2/88 | FM 1:12 AM in Libra | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/3/88 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM (Daylight savings 2 AM) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/5/88 | Thelema Lodge meeting | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/8/88 | Liber AL celebration, Day One 1st Chapter reading and Gnostic Mass | Dii Aleini | ||
| 4/9/88 | Liber AL celebration, Day Two 2nd Chapter reading at 9:30 PM at Lola's place in Oakland (Corp HQ) | Agape Ldg CHQ | ||
| 4/9/88 | Astrology Class 8 PM | Selene Camp | ||
| 4/10/88 | Liber AL celebration, Day Three 3rd Chapter reading and Gnostic Mass | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/12/88 | Dramatic Reading of Elder Eel & T.T.Heart at 8 PM | Magick Thea | ||
| 4/12/88 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM | Hriliu Oasis | ||
| 4/13/88 | Class: Magick and Qabalah #4 with Bill: Natural Magick (see also field trip of 4/23/88) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/14/88 | Organizational meeting for the '88 Rites of Eleusus. 8PM | Bay Area OTO | ||
| 4/15/88 | New Moon Ritual 9:30 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/15/88 | Meeting at 8 PM | Hriliu Oasis | ||
| 4/16/88 | Ist and IInd Degree Initiations | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/16/88 | Astrology Class 8 PM NM in Taurus 5:00 AM | Selene Camp | ||
| 4/17/88 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/19/88 | Zodiacal Ritual calling Angels 8 PM at Horus Temple with Lotte Sun into Taurus 1:49 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/20/88 | Class: Magick and Qabalah #5 with Bill: Systems of Magick | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/21/88 | Poetry reading of Stephen Crane hosted by Mordecai, 8PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/22/88 | Meeting at 8 PM | Hriliu Oasis | ||
| 4/23/88 | Secret meeting | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/23/88 | Field trip, open to all in good health, with good walking shoes. Mt.Tam in Marin County. Jumps off from 5 Suffield Ave, San Anselmo Be there at 10-11 AM or miss it. Natural Magick mountain walk. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/23/88 | Astrology Class 8 PM FQ in Leo 3.32 PM | Selene Camp | ||
| 4/24/88 | Taurian Birthday Party 4:18 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/24/88 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/24/88 | Minerval initiation | Selene Camp | ||
| 4/26/88 | Enochiana Class 8 PM with Dave | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/26/88 | Gnostic Mass 7:30 PM | Hriliu Oasis | ||
| 4/27/88 | Class on Elementary Ceremonial Magick with Ebony 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 4/28/88 | Organizational meeting 8 PM | Nefertiti Cmp | ||
| 4/29/88 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM (must call) | Nefertiti Cmp | ||
| 4/29/88 | Meeting at 8 PM | Hriliu Oasis | ||
| 4/30/88 | Minerval Initiations | Thelema Ldg. |
The viewpoints and opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the
contributing authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of OTO or its
officers.
Note to update: the addresses and phone numbers in these issues of the Thelema Lodge Calendars are obsolete since the closing of the Lodge. They are here for historic purposes only and should not be visited or called.
