AD VERITATEM IX


An Introduction
to the O.T.O.



Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.


The Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) is an Initiatic Body composed of men and
women who have accepted the principles of The Book of the Law, which was
transmitted through Aleister Crowley (18751947) in Cairo, Egypt in 1904 E.V.
The communicating Intelligence identified Itself as Aiwass, a messenger of
the ruling hierarchy of our species. The Book announces a New Law for mankind
and the planetary transition into the Age of Aquarius, known as the Aeon of
Horus or New Aeon. The Book is conceived to be a perfect transmission of the
divine, freed from any defects of human interference. As such, it is a
luminous vehicle of Truth that can serve as an infallible guide to human
conduct.

Aleister Crowley will at least be remembered as the greatest occult genius
of the twentieth century. In The Book of the Law, he is designated as the
Prophet of the New Aeon. An enormously prolific writer, his own work provides
the best guide to his controversial character. His biographers have failed
to capture his essence, even when not being overtly hostile. His influence
on modern occultism is incalculable, penetrating every Western school. The
present collection of papers, a minute sample of his literary production,
should give even the first time reader a distinct impression of Crowley.

The O.T.O. practices yoga, meditation, ceremonial magick, qabalah, divination
and related disciplines of the Western Mystery Tradition. Our central
headquarters, long centered in Berkeley, California, is now moving to New
York, with numerous semi-autonomous groups spread throughout the world. The
Order is open to all free men and women of full age (currently defined as
eighteen years old) and good report.

The Order Degrees, as described in several Order documents included in this
issue, are conveyed in a ceremonial manner. The Degree structure corresponds
with the Hindu Chakra system as diagrammed on page 47 of this book. Thus, the
Man of Earth series of degrees fully activates the psychic body of the
Initiate.

In addition to the Degree rituals, numerous Order bodies regularly perform
the O.T.O. Gnostic Catholic Mass, which appears on page 4|. The importance
of the Mass within the O.T.O. is best illustrated in Crowley's Confessions
where he calls the ritual "the central ceremony of its {the Order's} public
and private celebration."

Various other group rituals are performed, unique to each unit of the Order
and generally indicative of the main interests of the members of the group
concerned. These may include Crowley's group workings such as his Rites of
Eleusis, original adaptations of various myth cycles, revisions of solo
rituals for group participation, or other creative efforts.


AN INTRODUCTION TO SECRET SOCIETIES


We posit a Knowledge, or Gnosis, capable of perception by each human
beingfor, "Every man and every woman is a star." We further posit that Divine
consciousness is experiential and that certain techniques are of value to
induce the experience.

The religious instinct is an integral aspect of mankind. From time
immemorial, people have gathered with one another to seek Truth and therein
lie the roots of the Order. Secret societies dedicated to seeking wisdom have
existed in all ages and cultures. From the puberty rite of the aboriginal
tribesman, to the ecstatic whirling of the Dervish, to the elaborate
ceremonies of the Mason, the aim is the samethe programmed alteration of
consciousness within a group setting.

Myths that seek to explain the emerging of consciousness within the human
race have been a continuous cultural phenomena. The Egyptian, Sumerian,
Indian, Chinese, Greek, Near Eastern, Celtic and other civilizations had
Mystery Traditions of the most central societal import. Each had its teaching
legends of figures who mysteriously appeared to bring the gifts of
civilization and spiritual wisdom.

These transmitting Forces have been variously conceived of as Gods, angels,
spirits and by a host of other designations. It is to these same Beings
(whatever aesthetic is used to describe Them) that we ascribe the religious
awareness transmitted through the O.T.O. today.


"ERA VULGARIS"


The Mediterranean countries have characteristically functioned as a
birthplace of religions and religious movements. Three of the world's largest
religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam began in this region. And prior
to the inception of these, dating back to pre-history, the indigenes have
worshipped such deities as Oannes, Osiris, Enki, Adonis, Attys and others.
The area therefore has traditionally been one of unusual religious
cross-fertilization and constant political upheaval.

It is a recurrent historical theme for governments to attempt to control the
religion of a people in order to achieve stability. In 325 E.V., the Roman
Emperor Constantine convened a group of religious leaders from the area to
achieve this goal. He became the first ruler to adopt Christianity as the
state religion. The Council of Nice, or Nicene Council, epitomized the future
of the religion. The purpose of the meeting was to settle a theological
dispute. The loser was anathemized and exiled, his books ordered burned and
their possession became a capital offense. A hypocratic yea-saying to the
first creed of the new faith cemented the work of the Council. All this took
place under the "benign" direction of the pagan Emperor, a notorious murderer
who liberally rewarded the attending bishops after their work was finished.

The standardization of the books of The Bible followed some years later.
Elements of mysticism incompatible with the "reform" were neatly removed from
the Canon. The vicious persecution of Gnostics, Pagans and Jews assured no
philosophic rivalry with the growing Christian ideological consolidation. In
391 E.V., an angry Christian mob destroyed the Alexandrian Library and Temple
(the great repository of pagan learning). This dealt a major blow to the
spirit of intellectual research and hindered the possibility of exposing the
fraud being built on the then-living remains of earlier cults.

Heresy became a catch-all phrase for religious speculation. Philosophy, so
highly cultivated in pagan society, was constricted. It would be several
centuries before the power was achieved to turn this policy into mass murder,
but rehearsals for the Inquisition were well under way in the interim. An
example was the murder of Hypatia in 415 E.V. Famed leader of the
Neo-Platonic School, she was torn limb from limb by a band of enraged
Christian monks. Great Pan was certainly not dead, but one can imagine His
wailing for the human suffering to come.


THE CRUSADES


Prior to the beginning of the Crusades in 1095, Europe was experiencing a
period of cultural stagnation caused jointly by the collapse of the Holy
Roman Empire and the attempts of the Church to assume temporal sovereignty
over its remains. The resulting confusion led to a usurpation of direct
control by a number of once-vassal princes, giving rise to the system of
Feudalism. The chaos of the period is best illustrated by the eagerness with
which vast numbers of Europeans joined the Crusades.

The Holy Land contained the seeds of the later Renaissance. Arab culture was
at its highest and most refined. The area now added European Christianity to
its religious potpourri. The Mystics, Fakirs, Zoroastrians, Gnostics, Sufis
and Buddhists of the region presented a kaleidoscopic panorama to the newly
arrived Crusaders. The superstitions and dogmas of Catholicism must have
seemed quite pale, when compared to the richness and sophistication of the
Oriental theologies to which they were now exposed. Increasing doubt
concerning the exclusive possession of divine favor by Christianity would
gradually undermine orthodoxy.


THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR


Due to the nature of the European presence, the Military Orders were the most
stable institutions during the 200 years of Western occupation. The soldiers
were involved with the exotic culture of their new homeland on a daily basis.

Foremost among the Military Orders was the Knights Templar. Founded by Hughes
de Payens in 1118, the Order was originally composed of nine Knights, who
protected pilgrims on their travels through the Holy Land. King Baldwin II,
the second European King of Jerusalem, awarded them lodging near the site of
the Temple of Solomon, from whence derives their name.

The Military Orders were clearly an idea whose time had come. The concept of
a religious body of warriors was new to Christianity. The promise of glory,
danger, travel, religious expiation, and the chance to fight to establish
God's Kingdom on earth, fell upon waiting and ready ears.

In 1126 the Templars came under the patronage of St. Bernard of Clairvaux,
the most influential and politically powerful Catholic theologian of his
time. He aided their efforts enormously. At the Council of Troyes in 1128,
St. Bernard presided over the writing of their Rule which dictated the
behavior of the members of the Order. They were concurrently sanctioned by
Pope Honorious. Within a short period of time, they amassed vast stores of
wealth and land donated by aristocrats excited by their charisma.

The Templar Rule gradually expanded to include secret initiation rituals and
private confessors. They were under direct control of the Pope and not
responsible to any King or nation. As the European position weakened over the
two centuries of occupation, the Templars were accused of collusion with the
enemy on more than one occasion. It was noted, for example, that the colors
of their mantles (a red cross on a white background, adopted in 1146) were
the same as those of the Assassins or Hashishim.

The Assassins, founded in 1090 by Hasan-i-Sabah, grew as an independent
Shiite-Ishmaili force within the primarily Sunni Muslim world. They rose to
prominence by maintaining extremely well defended mountain fortresses, and
by pursuing a policy of selective assassination. Their isolation and
essential fanaticism suggest ingrained doctrines of an unorthodox nature.
That there was communication between the Templars and Assassins is well
known. Also, the hierarchical similarities between the two Orders are
noteworthy. (The Assassins were crushed by the Mongols in 1256, but their
descendants now live in India under the leadership of the Aga Khan.)

The Europeans were finally defeated in 1291 and the Templars left the Holy
Land. On their return to Europe they were warily welcomed. Their independent,
armed presence caused tension because there was no longer a pressing
rationale for their existence. However, being the Pope's personal army, they
still enjoyed his protection. They participated, for example, in the
Albigensian massacres at his behest.

Finally, through the malice and greed of Phillip the Fair of France and the
weakness of Pope Clement V, the Templars were arrested in France on a single
night in 1307. (Phillip had established a precedent for this by similarly
arresting every French Jew eight years before.) The Pope, under Phillip's
direction, issued a European edict requiring all nations to arrest the
Templars within their borders. The edict was ignored or cursorily complied
to by several nations, notably Germany, Scotland, Spain and Portugal.
However, the French, Italian and English Temples were destroyed, thousands
of Knights killed over the next seven years and the vast wealth of the Order
confiscated by civil and religious authorities.

Many feel that the bankrupt Phillip seized upon the idea of crushing the
Order when he ran to the Parisian Temple for protection from an angry mob
incensed by his monetary policies and currency manipulations. During his
three-day refuge, he would have realized the extent of Templar riches. For
among other things, they had established the practice of international
banking among Christians. Their numerous fortresses along the trade routes
leading Eastward served as depositories for kings, nobles and merchants. The
Templars had grown even wealthier thereby. Another motivation for Phillip's
hostility to the Order was that his application to join the Temple some years
earlier had been refused by the these proud warriors.


THE TEMPLAR LEGACY


Templar survivors generally changed the name of the Order, joined fellow
Orders like the Hospitaliers, or went quietly underground. It is our
contention that they continued to teach the doctrines and techniques they had
learned and developed in the Eastthe "secret teaching" of the Order. We
further posit that this closely guarded teaching gave rise to the flourishing
of the occult arts in Europe.

The centuries following the Templar dispersion in the fourteenth century
played host to an esoteric revival which has continued to the present day.

The first written literature of the Grail Tradition appeared almost
simultaneously with the founding of the Knights Templar. The Templar
phenomena certainly inspired later authors like Wolfram von Eschenbach, whose
Parzival, written in the late twelfth and early thirteen centuries, precisely
reveals the symbolism of the O.T.O. lamen. Parzival's first publication in
printed form in 1477 closely corresponded with the introduction of the Tarot
into Europe. The Tarot includes among the rich threads of its symbolic
tapestry a perfect pictorial representation of the Grail symbols.
Interestingly, St. Bernard and his Cisterician Order are acknowleded by
Pauline Matarasso in The Quest of the Holy Grail as the source of the
monastic guidance given to the Grail companions. The white habits of the
monks, their consistent isolation as hermits and the virtures they espouse
to the Knights being pure Cistercian doctrine.

Alchemy developed a considerable body of literature in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, which witnessed the works of Paracelsus, Agrippa,
Trithemius and Bruno. The publication of the Rosicrucian Manifestos in 1614
and 1615 introduced the concept of a Secret Order of Adepts, silently guiding
humanity's destiny. The idea fascinated the European mind and became the
model for Mozart's Magic Flute and other epic poems and plays of the period.
The Enochian workings of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley were a particular
nexus point of this Current. The plans for the utopian Palatinate of
Frederick V were conceived in this remarkable period, which also saw the rise
of such occult luminaries as Robert Fludd, Michael Maier, Elias Ashmole and
Johann De Bry.

The great interest in Occultism continued unabated into the eighteenth
century. Court de Gebelin introduced the theory that the Tarot was derived
from Egypt and had a qabalistic correspondence with the Hebrew alphabet.
Freemasonry spread at a rapid rate. Its Lodges played a pivotal role during
the French Revolution. The legendary shadow figures of the Comte de St.
Germaine and Cagliostro were reputed to be organizing rebellion everywhere.
The Illuminati, founded by Adam Weishaupt in 1776, grew rapidly, giving rise
to endless speculations of political conspiracy. It is still rumored today
that the destruction of the French monarchy during the Revolution was
intended to avenge Templar blood shed some four hundred years earlier.

In the nineteenth century, Eliphas Levi, Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Papus,
P.B. Randolph, W. Wynn Westcott, and others, wrote about, practiced and
taught the sacred sciences. Madame Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society
in 1875, the year of Crowley's birth. The Golden Dawn was founded in 1888 and
included among its members some of the leading lights of English literary and
artistic circles. The erudite occult scholar, S.L. MacGregor Mathers was its
most notable head. The genius of his contribution to the development of the
Western Qabalah must be appreciated before any comprehension of Crowley's
work is possible. Crowley rose rapidly in the ranks of the Golden Dawn which
served as his occult training ground.


THE O.T.O.


In 1895, Karl Kellner (1850-1905), a wealthy Austrian industrialist and paper
chemist, as well as a high grade Mason, founded the Ordo Templi Orientis.
Kellner had traveled widely in the East, where he had met three Tantric
Adepts who instructed him in specific magical practices. Kellner's efforts
to develop the Order were later assisted by Franz Hartmann, Heinrich Klein
and Theodore Reuss, who had worked together prior to joining the O.T.O. The
Order was first proclaimed in 1904 in Reuss' Masonic publication, The
Oriflamme. On Kellner's death, Reuss succeeded him as Outer Head. The
"Jubilee" edition of The Oriflamme, published in 1912, announced that the
Order taught the secret of sexual magic.

Theodore Reuss was an interesting character. Born June 28, 1855 in Augsburg,
he entered Masonry in 1876. He was a singer, journalist and possibly a spy
for the Prussian political police, infiltrating the Socialist League founded
by Karl Marx's daughter and her husband. Reuss was later associated with
William Wynn Westcott, a leader of the Golden Dawn, who introduced him to
John Yarker. Yarker chartered Reuss to found the Rites of Memphis and Mizraim
in Germany. After several attempts to concretize various Masonic Rites, Reuss
settled on the development of the O.T.O.

The Order experienced a reasonably steady growth under Reuss' leadership. For
example, he chartered Papus in France, Rudolph Steiner in Berlin and H.
Spencer Lewis in the USA. In 1912, the historic meeting between Reuss and
Crowley occurred. Crowley wrote that Reuss came to him and accused him of
revealing Order secrets. When Crowley responded that he had no idea what
Reuss was talking about, Reuss opened to a chapter in The Book of Lies. When
Crowley looked at it afresh, the initiated interpretation of sexual magick
unfolded itself to him for the first time. Reuss appointed Crowley as Supreme
and Holy King of all the English speaking world, and it was this
authorization that he invoked when publishing the material in The Equinox.

Reuss resigned as Outer Head of the Order in 1922 after suffering a stroke
and named Crowley his successor. All was well until 1925 when The Book of the
Law was translated into German. There was a break in the continuity of the
Order. Many members split with the new O.H.O. over the Book, which Crowley
was actively promulgating through the Order. He had earlier revised the Order
rituals at Reuss' request, deeply infusing the doctrines of the New Aeon
Revelation.

Crowley published many of his most important works under the imprimatur of
the O.T.O.. He reformulated its long-term goals and mission and came to view
the O.T.O. as the "ark" for preserving the distillation of the world's
cultures into the future. These views are best expressed by Crowley himself,
in his summary of the O.T.O. system excerpted from his Confessions in this
issue.  Crowley succeeded in fostering a few strong leaders in North America,
and it is to these deep roots that the O.T.O. owes its continued survival.
As he writes in Liber Aleph, "This Magick...dependeth greatly on the Art to
set many other Wills in sympathetic Motion; and the greatest Magus may not
be the most successfulin a mean Conception of a Limit of Time."

The O.T.O. in North America was founded in 1912 when Charles Stansfeld Jones
(well known as Frater Achad) brought together twelve sincere and interested
associates in his native Vancouver, British Columbia, all of whom signed
forms agreeing to take initiation through the III. They were duly chartered
as a working Lodge, and Crowley spoke glowingly of their work in his
Confessions where he recounts his inspection tour in Vancouver.

Frater Achad continued to stimulate O.T.O. activity in both Canada and the
United States for many years. However, it was left to one of the charter
members of the Vancouver Lodge, Wilfred T. Smith, to found the first Lodge
in the United State in the 1930'sAgape Lodge in Pasadena, California. In
Crowley's later years, Agape Lodge was the single most active Order body in
the world. Smith and his Lodge members contributed greatly to Crowley's
publishing efforts, and performed a weekly Gnostic Mass for many years.
Smith's wife continued his important work after his death, and remains an
honored and active Order member to this day. The membership of Agape Lodge
also included the illustrious scientist John Whiteside Parsons, who helped
found the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Cal Tech's Arroyo Seco. A crater on
the Moon is named after him, in honor of his developmental work on the rocket
fuel that launched America into space.


THE O.T.O. AFTER CROWLEY'S DEATH


When Crowley died in 1947, he left a most interesting ambiguity. While he
willed all his copyrights and literary remains to the O.T.O., it is not clear
that he ever officially declared his successor as Outer Head of the Order.
Karl Germer was the Grand Treasurer General, into whose hands Crowley
directed that all the aforementioned property be placed, but there is no
record of a de jure appointment or election of Germer to Outer Headship.
However Germer did become the de facto Outer Head. His strength of position
within the Order, and the respect and, some would say, fear that he commanded
made him the acknowledged leader. Crowley had in fact many times referred to
him as his natural successor.

Germer was born in Germany in 1885. He had a distinguished military career
in the First World War. Years later, when the Nazis assumed control, he was
imprisoned because of his connection with freemasonry and Aleister Crowley.
While in a concentration camp, he is said to have recited the Holy Books from
memory, both backward and forward, until he attained to the Knowledge and
Conversation of his Holy Guardian Angel. He supported Crowley diligently
especially in the later period of the latter's life.

Germer was a quiet man, given to self isolation. The Order ceased to initiate
new members under his direction. His policy was to concentrate almost
exclusively on the publishing program. Some fine results were accomplished,
including Magick Without Tears, The Gospel According to St. Bernard Shaw, 777
Revised, The Vision and the Voice (with Commentary) and The Book of Lies
(with Commentary).

Germer died in 1962 without naming a successor. His unprobated will directed
only that the property of the Order be divided among the "heads" of the
Order.

The intervening years have not been lacking in claimants to leadership of the
Order. The published record stands for itself. With some diligent
investigation, interested parties can learn the details for themselves.

We (and recently the United States Government has legalized our opinion) view
the succession as having been passed to Major Grady Louis McMurtry, Caliph
Hymenaeus Alpha. His leadership of the Ordo Templi Orientis rests on several
rather clear letters of authorization from Crowley himself. They met while
McMurtry was a young First Lieutenant during World War II. He had been
admitted to the O.T.O. in 1941 at Agape Lodge through Jack Parsons. He
received the Ninth Degree from Crowley directly and was entrusted with
documents of emergency authorization to take charge of the entire work of the
Order in California. (As stated earlier, the only functional O.T.O. body at
this time.) Crowley additionally appointed McMurtry his personal
representative in the USA, whose authority was to be considered as Crowley's
own. These two charters, dated respectively March 22, 1946 and April 11,
1946, were subject only to Karl Germer's approval, veto or revision.

Germer was well informed of these charters as he attended the Agape Lodge
meeting at which McMurtry presented them. The two men subsequently exchanged
correspondence regarding plans to legally incorporate the Order in
California. In a letter to McMurtry dated May 24, 1946, Germer stated, "I
want you to be fully informed, as 666 holds you in charge of the Californian
activities with any steps you decide to be taken with my approval." Whatever
differences they may have had, there is nowhere the slightest suggestion that
Germer even considered vetoing or revising McMurtry's charters.

Six months before his death, Crowley wrote to McMurtry on June 17,1947. He
stated that while Germer was the natural Caliph to follow him, he had to look
to Germer's successor, who, he wrote, could well be McMurtry.

McMurtry disagreed with Germer's policy of not initiating new members. He
moved to Washington, D.C. in 1961 largely to avoid a direct confrontation
with Germer over this issue. Here he taught Political Science at George
Washington University while working as a Management Analyst for the
Government. He also directed the Washington Shakespeare Society. In 1969, he
learned of the 1967 theft of the Order Library from Mrs. Germer's home,
during which she had been brutally beaten. He immediately resigned from
Government Service and returned at once to California to conduct an
investigation, re-activating his authorization from Crowley as Sovereign
Grand Inspector General of the Order. The results of his extensive research
were forwarded to the authorities concerned, as well as Mrs. Germer, and form
the substance of the Solar Lodge chapter in Ed Sanders' book, The Family.


THE O.T.O. UNDER THE CALIPHATE


When he became aware through his investigation of the critical condition into
which the Order had fallen after Germer's death, McMurtry was impelled to
invoke his documents of emergency authorization from Crowley. His first
public act was to arrange for the publication of the Crowley/Harris Thoth
Tarot Cards in 1970. This deck has the power of assisting the Magician to
invoke the energies of the New Aeona visual tool for the programming of
consciousness. In 1983, he released The Holy Books of Thelema. This
collection of the Class A documents is the Thelemic bible. The two
publications taken together constitute the Prophet's essential legacy, the
words and images of the New Aeon.

In the 15 years since McMurtry assumed leadership, the Order has grown to its
largest size ever, numbering some 750 active members worldwide. With Lodges,
Chapters and Camps in the U.S., Canada, South America, Germany, Norway, the
Balkans, New Zealand and Australia, the Order is like a lotus opening to the
rays of the New Aeon Sun.

We face many problems at present, yet, "There is success", and we work
unremittingly. The Order has met the criteria for promulgatation of the
O.T.O. Constitution in the United States. While some suggestions from An Open
Letter to Those Who May Wish to Join the Order (see infra) appear quaint in
these days of over-regulation (free railroad transport indeed!), we present
these writings at this time that we may reaffirm our fealty to the principles
therein. The structure envisioned by these documents is then both our reality
and our goal. May their words be guides to those so chosen.


POSTSCRIPT


During the writing of this article, on July 12, 1985 E.V., our Beloved Caliph
Hymenaeus Alpha celebrated his greater feast. On the day of his death, the
Order was notified of our legal victory in a United States Federal Court
which certified our exclusive ownership of all names, trademarks, insignia
and copyrights willed by Crowley to the Ordo Templi Orientis.

On September 21, our new Caliph was proclaimed. His dedication to the
principles described in the following pages assures us that they will be
implemented fully and speedily. His first act of adherence to the
Constitution's guidelines was to accept the mantle of secrecy imposed on the
X and O.H.O. in the Liber 52 (p. 11 infra). His respect for his predecessor
and his lineage have impelled him to choose the name Hymenaeus Beta. Formerly
a member of the Man of Earth Triad, the fact of his elevation to Frater
Superior gives evidence of the magical fitness of the current manifestation
of the Order. "The succession to the high office of O.H.O. is decided in a
manner not here to be declared; but this you may learn, O Brother Magician,
that he may be chosen even from the grade of a Minerval. And herein lieth a
most sacred Mystery."

A new phase of our development has begun and we look with eager eyes to the
future.



Love is the law, love under will.





FRATER AD VERITATEM
Grand Secretary General
New York City
Fall Equinox, IIIxv