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
November 1990 e.v. at Thelema Lodge
Announcements from
Lodge Members and Officers
Gnostic Masses proceed every Sunday at 8 pm with the exception of the
18th at Gilman Street - the customary Lodgemeeting will be November 29th at 8
in Horus Temple; the Lodge Of Perfection meets on the 15th; and a caravan
will leave the Lodge @ 7:30pm November 7th to attend Samhain with the
N.R.D.N.A.
There are no Bill classes this month - a single class on Liber 777 will
take place December 12th at 8 pm: and his Tarot series begins in January. (If
you'd like Bill to do Magick in Theory and Practice again, Write and tell him
so! P.O. Box 430, Fairfax, CA 94930.)
Initiation Workshops this month: Second Degree 11/2, Third Degree 11/16;
both at 8 pm in Horus Temple. Contact Mordecai for information. November's
Initiations will be on the 24th.
"Angel Beach": an Enochian meditation and discussion. Horus Temple, 8 pm,
November 6th and 27th.
The Magick Theater offers a premiere this month: Crowley's full-length
stage-play, The Three Wishes. Written in 1919 e.v., it's one of the last of
his dramatic works. Three American business-men are presented, first as boys,
then at critical stages of their careers, in order that their various
attitudes toward magick may be studied. Crowley may have finished this play in
hopes of an American production, but it was neither staged nor published, and
appears now for the first time from the archives of the Order. (Soon to be)
rare first-edition copies of this previously unknown work will be available to
readers on 20 November, beginning at 7:30 in Horus Temple.
The Scarlet Women's Celebration Coalition sponsors the next Lodge benefit:
at least two Jello Wrestling matches will take place November 23rd after 8 pm,
at the Lodge...call for further info.
Liber 418 returns! Thelema Lodge celebrates the 81st anniversary of
Crowley's desert journey with Victor Neuberg. We will read the text of each
Aire in Horus Temple on the day Crowley received it. Thirty through Twenty-
seven will be read in Horus Temple at 8 pm; we will follow the schedule given
below thereafter. (Times given are for the desert and will be used UNCORRECTED
for local Bay time.) Some Aires may be read at more convenient times as well-
call me for current information. (Note: 29 may go to the PanThelemic Kultur
Fest...)
The Sagittarius Birthday party's at 4:18 pm the 25th- and a formal
announcement for Rites '90 is in this Newsletter. -C-
So has it come to this | |
The Hour of Peril | |
When Armageddon roils the storm of war | |
And kilted Mars bestrides a crumbling world | |
Of armor plated dragons belching flame, | |
Of slant winged harpies shading through a haze | |
Of incandescent fury | |
And of monstrous eggs | |
Ovum of a world gone mad with fear | |
And rationed thought | |
Such is the fate of gadget minded man | |
Who planted his faith in mechanistic thought | |
And sought no higher good than pleasure-pain | |
That now he finds his logic's fatal flaw | |
In skew-wise reason | |
And his need for love | |
Is smothered in the coils of The Machine | |
Upon whose altar lies his lilted soul | |
Till Moloch's triggered fingers arc the arms | |
That feed the flames | |
[previously published in Kaaba #4 (4/79 e.v.) and The Grady project #1 (10/87 e.v.)]
RESOLUTION 456 (old index number)
Confirmed sales or solicitation for sales of illegal substances at a
place and time (including time to arrive and depart on the occasion of a
meeting) of O.T.O. is grounds for expulsion; and, in the event of complicity
by officers of the O.T.O. body, automatically closes the body. In addition
sales of illicit substances or solicitation for sales at a place used solely
by O.T.O., regardless of the time of meetings, or by any person so acting as
to convey either expressly or otherwise the impression that such sales or
solicitation for sales is in any way a part of official O.T.O. activity, shall
also fall under the strictures and remedies of expulsion and closure as may be
appropriate to the actual status of the person or officer of the official body
involved. 8/25/84 e.v.
Resolution 456 is still very much in effect. It should be prominently
posted at all O.T.O. Camps, Oases and Lodges. Considering what happened to
Thelema Lodge, a clear notice to inform casual visitors would be most
appropriate. Donations to the legal fund continue to be needed. Please make
out your donations to "O.T.O." and mail to Ordo Templi Orientis; P.O.Box 430;
Fairfax, CA USA.
THE HALF LYRE:
People put too much value on reason | |
There's more to life than bread alone | |
The sun must pass through every season | |
A pinch of salt can season a soul | |
CHORUS: | |
There's a time to arise | |
There's a way to go on | |
There's an end to the night every dawn | |
every dawn | |
People take too much time out from living | |
They're hiding away from their nightmares and dreams | |
The moon revolves through infinite phases | |
Imagination finds a face in the wheel | |
CHORUS | |
People fear too much fear in each other | |
They learn to hate from Dad and Mom | |
The stars will shine maybe forever | |
Burnt out at last, their light still travels on | |
CHORUS |
THE VISION AND THE VOICE
11/14 | TEX | (30) | no time given | 12/4 | ZIM | (13) | 2:10 to 3:45 PM | |
11/17 | RII | (29) | no time given | 12/4 | LOE | (12) | 11:30 PM to ... | |
11/23 | BAG | (28) | between 8 & 9 PM | 12/5 | LOE | (12) | ... 1:20 AM (cont.) | |
11/24 | ZAA | (27) | 8 to 9 PM | 12/5 | IKH | (11) | 10:10 to 11:35 PM | |
11/25 | DES | (26) | 1:10 to 2 PM | 12/6 | ZAX | (10) | 2 to 4:15 PM | |
11/25 | VTI | (25) | 8:40 to 9 PM | 12/7 | ZIP | (9) | 9:30 to 11:10 PM | |
11/26 | NIA | (24) | 2 to 3:25 PM | 12/8 | ZID | (8) | 7:10 to 9:10 PM | |
11/28 | TOR | (23) | 9:30 to 10:15 AM | 12/9 | DEO | (7) | 8:10 to 10 PM | |
11/28 | LIN | (22) | 4 to 6 PM | 12/10 | MAZ | (6) | 7:40 to 9:40 PM | |
11/29 | ASP | (21) | 1:30 to 2:50 PM | 12/12 | LIT | (5) | 7 to 8:12 PM | |
11/30 | KHR | (20) | 9:15 to 10:50 AM | 12/13 | LIT | (5) | 8:15 to 10:10 PM | |
11/30 | POP | (19) | 10 to 11:45 PM | 12/16 | PAZ | (4) | 9 to 10:30 AM | |
12/1 | ZEN | (18) | 2:30 to 4:10 PM | 12/17 | ZON | (3) | 9:30 to 11:30 AM | |
12/2 | TAN | (17) | 12:15 to 2 AM | 12/18 | ARN | (2) | 9:20 to 10:05 AM | |
12/2 | LEA | (16) | 4:50 to 6 PM | 12/18 | ARN | (2) | 10:15 to AM 10:52 (cont.) | |
12/3 | OXO | (15) | 9:15 to 11:50 AM | 12/18 | ARN | (2) | 3:10 to 4:35 PM (cont.) | |
12/3 | UTI | (14) | 2:50 to 3 PM | 12/19 | LIL | (1) | 1:30 to 3:30 PM | |
12/3 | UTI | (14) | 9:50 to 11:15 PM (cont.) | 12/20 | ARN | (2) | 8:35 to 9:35 PM (cont.) | |
The O.T.O. is, in true Freemasonic tradition, a secret society. But a secret society may
be almost anything, from a social club or a college fraternity to a business conspiracy or an
international terrorist group. What exactly is our Freemasonic heritage as a secret society?
And how valuable are these traditions? In my opinion there are three obvious and distinct
types of secrecy which the O.T.O. has inherited from its Freemasonic forebears. For the sake
of convenience I call them the mysterious, the ceremonial, and the conspiratorial classes of
secrecy.
The first class is the one which separates us most clearly from any of the usual kinds of
secret society (which more resemble the four types mentioned above). We take it for granted
that the so-called real secrets are mysteries which cannot be expressed in words but only
suggested by them, which cannot be taught but may perhaps be demonstrated. This search for
the true light of interior illumination, which at least a few of Freemasonry's founders must
have shared, is quite properly given, in our Order, the highest priority among all secrets.
Most initiates know that the real ordeals are not prescribed by the Order or its rituals, but
rather by the necessities of our individual progress in illumination. This individual
experience is something we share not only with some Freemasons, but even more so with other
secret societies which might be termed mystery schools, e.g., the priesthood of Thebes, the
inner school of the Templars, the Golden Dawn. Much has been written in the attempt to
uncover the common threads in humanity's omnifarious mystical wardrobes. Most often this
writing has been of a polemical nature, attempting to suggest, persuade, even indoctrinate;
of course this results in volumes of contrary tendencies. All the endless arguments seem to
me to boil down basically to this: arguments about questions of taste in esoteric practices
are the same as all other arguments about questions of taste, that is, endless. Discovering
what is truly to your own personal taste is far more important than convincing anyone else to
share that taste (unless, of course, it is a taste for two-for-one dinner specials!). It is far more profitable to discover what the great mystics have in common than what divides them.
That essential unity is a key to the true mysteries; however, I cannot by my design reveal
the secrets of your Holy Guardian Angel in this paper. Therefore I will proceed to discuss
the second type of secret which we derive from Freemasonry.
These secrets, the so-called ceremonial secrets, consist of what we call the signs, grips,
words, and rituals of the various degrees. Of course the details of our signs, etc. are
quite different from those of other groups (there is even some dispute about these particular
details within the Order!), but rather than speculate as to what any particular sign or
ritual might symbolize (and therefore limit our audience to initiates of a particular grade)
I suggest we examine the question - what purpose, if any, does this entire class of secrets
serve? On the surface it might appear that such things as secret signs would be singularly
useful to the Order in times of persecution and warfare. But in fact, the grips & signs of a
publicly avowed organization as easy to join as is the O.T.O. would often prove worse than
useless in a real emergency. Certainly a covert group would need signs and passwords, but
these would have to be frequently changed and used only by those with a need to know rather
than by all those of a particular ritual rank. A much more apt purpose for our kind of
ceremonial secrets is the knowledge which may be conveyed by their symbolism to those who
undergo, study, and/or perform the ceremonies of the Order. There is plenty in these
ceremonies for us to ponder with our minds and feel with our hearts. By keeping the
ceremonial secrets, we concentrate our attention upon them, which leads us subtly to an ever
deeper appreciation of their various levels of meaning. This silence is also a service to
those who have not yet undergone a particular initiation, for it holds out to them at least
the possibility of that special sort of surprise which discloses a real illumination. The
ceremonial secrets can also help to nurture a special fellowship between all the initiates of
a particular degree. These secrets, once shorn of the melodramatic misconceptions of both
our enemies and our fanatics, are seen to have purposes both reverential and educational
rather than shameful or malicious. The ceremonial class of secrecy is therefore definitely
not a mere appendage of my next, and final kind, conspiratorial secrecy.
This last type of secrecy, which I believe we have inherited from the Freemasons, is
probably the least important in our present-day O.T.O.; however, it is the type which,
outside of being picked as scapegoats, is perhaps most likely to embroil us in the
machinations of mass politics. Anyone who has studied the history of the Freemasonic
movement is well aware of its political implications. In the later eighteenth century
numerous attempts were made to use an initiatory secret society to promote political
philosophies. The most visionary attempts, by men like Adam Weishaupt or the Comte de
Mirabeau, sought to seize freedom of opinion, religious toleration, and equality before the
law for all citizens from the anachronistic, feudal grip of the monarchs and noblemen of
Europe. But there were many also who toiled among the Masons as secret police for their
local oligarchy. The fact is that the secret society structure is one that lends itself
equally well to the dissemination of political or social revolution as it does to the
exercise of terror or corruption by the ruling classes. In Freemasonic history we have the
example of Mazzini and Garibaldi who brought about the liberation and unification of Italy,
as well as the example of the Emperor Napoleon's use of Freemasonry as a state-controlled
club for officers, civil servants, and influential civilians; in our own hemisphere we have a
vision of Freemasonry as a home to the political activities and philosophical speculations of
men like Washington, Franklin, or Jefferson alongside the almost entirely charitable and
philanthropic projects of a modern day North American petty bourgeois social club. Outside
of the strictly Masonic tradition one need only mention the SLA, the KKK, and the B'nai Brith
to get an idea of the diversity of reasons that sociopolitical groups might have chosen at
one time or another to use this particular class of secrecy. The thing which binds all
groups of this kind is the secret nature of some or all of their decisions, governance, and
actions. In most cases such secrecy has innocent motives of personal privacy, group
solidarity, and the like. But it can never be overlooked that secrecy is a primary cover of
both corruption and revolution.
The O.T.O. must therefore carefully consider its own use of secret proceedings, because
they necessarily entail at least the appearance, if not the fact, of a conspiracy. And after
all, do we not in fact represent a very real sociopolitical philosophy? Do we not threaten
the interests of those who would enslave mankind? Luckily or not, our philosophy of pride,
shamelessness, and uniqueness does not seem to easily lend itself, under present-day
conditions, to the successful creation of an effective engine of intrigue. But still, the growth of the O.T.O. under our current Caliph, though minuscule in absolute numbers, has yet
at least doubled the size of the Order. At the same time the size of the Order's
theoretical governing group has increased perhaps fivefold. I say theoretical, because
during this time the actual work of running the national and international offices was
probably not distributed to even twice as many people as before. Presumably, however, this
situation will continue to change with time and the O.T.O. will have four extremely dynamic
governing bodies to assist the National Supreme Council in its work of governing the U.S.
branch of the Order. They cannot, of course, remain entirely secret. The Electoral College,
the Grand Tribunal, the Supreme Grand Council, and the Secret Areopagus all have
constitutional duties which call for decisions which when made must then be promulgated in
some way. But that way could be rather indirect in many cases, open only to the inference of
those who know the final outcome. It seems quite possible to make all the deliberations of
the governing bodies secret, and in matters which touch on the private affairs of any
individual this secrecy may be absolutely essential (though whether "priestly immunity" could
be successfully invoked depends upon the courts and the nature of the specific case). Secret
deliberations can be justified on the grounds of confidentiality, but can the same be said
for secret decisions? It all depends upon the nature of the decisions. The secret expulsion
of a member is self-defeating on the very face of it. It could allow someone to masquerade
as a member quite easily and continue whatever got them expelled in the first place. On the
other hand, the knowledge of the removal of a member of the Secret Areopagus could easily be
confined to those VIII° and beyond. In principle secret decisions on many procedural issues
could be kept within the governing bodies themselves (along with any appropriate superiors).
It may well be feasible to keep the Man of Earth Triad entirely unaware of the upper level
decision-making process by filtering any necessary announcements through the Electoral
College (though anyone with a copy of the bylaws should be able to figure out what bodies
made which decisions). At present public policy statements emanate from both the National
Supreme Council and the Electoral College, and the nature of the N.S.C. is such that it is
likely that it will continue to make important statements from time to time. On the other
hand, there is no real need at present for the secretaries of the Secret Areopagus, the
Supreme Grand Council, or the Grand Tribunal to report their activities to the Order in
general (though that could change radically in the case of the Areopagus should the
Parliament of Guilds ever be implemented). Still, though a good deal of secrecy could
perhaps be maintained, have we any reason other than confidentiality to engage in secret
deliberations and decision-making? The obvious alternative rationale is a conspiracy to
violate some kind of legal stricture. In some societies the possession or publication of
Thelemite holy books would of itself involve illegal conspiracy. Fortunately we live in a
nation founded by Freemasons and we are able to promulgate the Law of Thelema openly without
fear of arrest on those grounds alone (though there is still plenty of room for persecution
in our Supreme Court's interpretation of the Bill of Rights). Of course there are many types
of behavior classified as crimes by American society which many of us, as Thelemites,
consider to be inalienable human rights (e.g., drug possession, public nudity, and polygamy).
But that is a personal matter for Thelemites, and in my more than a dozen years as a member
of the Order I know of no instance when the O.T.O. as an organization has acted illegally.
Of course that is merely my personal experience, and some people might even think me a liar
(the fools!) while the enemies of the Order might easily think me a dupe of some secret inner
conspiracy. But to that I can only reply that, as I have been fortunate enough during my
entire period of membership to have had the personal acquaintance of the acting O.H.O., I
have been in an excellent position to pick up any hints of a conspiracy to commit the heinous
acts about which our opponents love to fantasize. Of course the Sanctuary of the Gnosis
might be thought of as a conspiracy, but unless some Pope or Imam takes over the American
bedroom it could not be considered an illegal conspiracy. Organized criminal activity,
political or mercenary, has never, to my knowledge, been used as a rationale for O.T.O.
secrecy. But in addition to confidentiality there is another more subtle justification for
administrative secrecy; namely, that it helps to keep the members of the first two Triads
from becoming embroiled in the political processes of the Triad or Triads beyond them (though
of course it would be impossible to entirely remove the political involvement of Men of Earth
members in the Electoral College and, potentially, the Areopagus). This kind of
"depoliticization" is a reasonable justification for secrecy, as long as it is recognized
that this secrecy is not intended to eliminate gossip, nor should it be. Gossip as a source
of information and social bonding can be innocuous and even beneficial. Slander and malicious rumors are particularly destructive forms of gossip which are best combated by the
refusal to participate in their dissemination, and by offering a chance to the victims of
smear tactics to refute any such attacks upon their reputations. (Kibtiz: What's the
difference between harmless gossip and malicious slander or sour mumbling? Gossip is funny.
--- Ed.)
Still, while the conspiratorial class of secrecy may serve well the interests of personal
privacy and political harmony, it is not usually an effective means to promote feelings of
fellowship. One need only consider the C.I.A. or the Mafia in order to see what depths of
doublecross and dishonesty can be reached. Without any checks on administrative secrecy the
O.T.O. would be in danger of "capture" by a faction or clique. With the examples of groups
like the Teamsters and the K.G.B. in mind we should be able to easily keep conspiratorial
secrets within their properly delimited place in the Order.
I hope that this short discussion of the different types of secrecy, and the various
justifications for the applications of secrecy in our Order has been helpful to those who
might be concerned about secrecy's more sinister connotations. I hope I have demonstrated
that there are many well-meaning and productive uses for secrecy in an occult sodality, as
well as many obvious reasons to be on guard against its abuses.
One of the Masses at Thelema Lodge was disrupted. A member, who had been instructed to
keep away pending resolution of a problem, emerged from behind the veil strangely garbed. He
received the cake of light and departed in the same manner. This somewhat soured the
experience for many of those attending.
When asked to explain his conduct in writing, the miscreant simply supplied a copy of
Liber OZ. He also implicated another in the deed and stated that he had sworn an oath of
secrecy regarding any others who may have known about it.
Well, what are we to make of this? Liber OZ is the Thelemic Bill of Rights, after a
fashion. More explicitly it is a statement of the rights of Man (capital "M"). The liber
lists a series of explicit rights, mostly of a creative or free-action nature, and cites that
"Man has the right to kill those who would thwart these rights." To me that means that
nations are bound to defend the rights of their citizens to the extent of extreme judicial
punishment and war. It also implies that people need to respect the rights of others. Do I
have those rights? Certainly, as long as I support their universal application to all
others. Do I have the right to kill somebody or unnecessarily breach their rights if I think
they breach mine? Not in a civilized and well ordered society, that's for sure. So, what
did he mean? Did he mean to apologize for disrupting the rights of the people at the mass?
Did he mean to state that he resigned from O.T.O. because O.T.O. does not countenance such a
one-sided interpretation of Liber OZ as "my rights are all that matter."? Did he mean
something else? Damn if I know. This gesture was meaningless as far as I am concerned,
meaningless and incoherent.
There was another point in this odd business that should not be over-looked. What was
that about being pledged to secrecy? Could it be that this somewhat precarious brother has
forgotten "I most solemnly promise and swear that I will not allow myself to fall unduly
under the influence of any person whereby my free will might be impaired ... to obey the Laws
of the Order in general, and in particular the rulings of the Superior of the Order or his
duly appointed substitute ..."? Over the years certain individuals in O.T.O. have been
caught trying to establish a cult of personality through exaction of personal oaths to the
general detriment of the oaths of initiation, the internal order of O.T.O. and the rights of
the members. I suspect such has happened again. For the record, the oaths of initiation
preclude taking such other oaths as superior to those of initiation. Any swearing to keep
secret some matter to the general detriment of O.T.O. is nullified by the oaths of the early
degrees. Any swearing to a person rather than a duty is greatly to be suspect. The oaths of
initiation forbid drug abuse or any other practice which may impair free will or full
consciousness. To be a Thelemite is to ascribe to the highest possible standard of conduct
and circumspection. You are yourself. You do not stand as a slave to someone else, no matter how much you may respect such a person. To serve is honorable. To bind your will as
less than another's is ignoble. To actively cooperate and recognize a greater in skill and
knowledge is common sense. To subordinate yourself to the caprice of another is animal. No
oath can bind beyond the discovery that it is contrary to nature, but bondage is not cast off
without price. It is nearly always foolish to make an oath to person and a very serious
matter to make one to duty. If the brother had simply stated: "I do not agree with you, I
depart in peace;" applause would be merited. This business smacks of "my master told me to
make an ass of myself".
Any resemblance of the foregoing polemics to whatever is actually going on may be purely
coincidental. I think, however, that points like these need to be occasionally raised. If I
have misinterpreted what happened in a particular instance, I invite the truth through calm
discussion.
11/2/90 | Initiations Workshop 2nd Deg 8 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/4/90 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/6/90 | "Angel Beach" at the Temple 8PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/7/90 | N.R.D.N.A. Samhain, call for info | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/11/90 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/14/90 | Liber 418 begins. (TEX -- 30) | |||
11/15/90 | Lodge of Perfection | LOP | ||
11/16/90 | Initiations Workshop 3rd Deg 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/17/90 | Panthelemic Culture Festival at Gilman St. (RII -- 29) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/18/90 | Panthelemic Culture Festival | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/18/90 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/18/90 | Lodge Cleanup | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/20/90 | Magick Theatre reads Crowley's 3 Wishes 7:30 PM Temple | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/22/90 | Sun to Sagittarius 5:47 AM | |||
11/23/90 | Thelema Lodge Benefit | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/23/90 | Secret Meeting (BAG -- 28) | |||
11/24/90 | (ZAA -- 27) | |||
11/24/90 | Initiations (call for information) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/25/90 | Sagittarius birthday party 4:18 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/25/90 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM (DES -- 26) & (VTI -- 25) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/26/90 | (NIA -- 24) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/27/90 | "Angel Beach" 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/29/90 | Thelema Lodge Meeting 8 PM (ASP--21) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
11/30/90 | (KHR -- 2-) and (POP -- 19) | 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.