The Secret Rituals of the O.T.O

Has this been a persistent rumor in the "community," so to speak? I wonder how it started.

reply to post by Masonic Light

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Thank you. But wasen't the infamous Solar Lodge around then? Also, I think Lon Duquette was active in South Cal. then. I heard through some conspiracy site that Bowie was initiated by Kenneth Anger. I do know they hung out in LA at the time. Do you know for a fact he was not initiated? I have to disagree with you about him not being a proper Thelemite however, much of his work indicates so. In fact, I once heard him declare the LAW whilst doing a performance. He has also used many of our 'signs' at times on stage until this very day. I appreciate your response but my curiousity on this matter has gotten the best of me, mostly due to the veil of secrecy every time I brought it up. (even back in '82 I might ad at the Berkely Lodge.) And the expression on(certain) peoples faces. THanks again for your time.

Soror Laylah

reply to post by Eleleth

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More than just a rumour. If interested may I suggest you check out THe Laughing Gnome. By Peter Koenig (just google it)? Ya, I know he (Koenig) is something of a charletan but just check it out for the info and links on Bowies music/songs and Thelema/Gnostic/Occult. Actually, there is much more esoteric associations in Bowies work than even he does not reveal and has altogether missed, in his Bowie and the Occult. But I do not think I am at liberty to discuss this.

reply to post by Masonic Light

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www.oto-uk.org...

According to this there were initiations commensing in '77 in California. OTO Lodge had been officially recognized a couple of years earlier. If they were officially recognized, is it not possible there could have there been initiations taking place prior>?

Ya, I guess the Solar Lodge disbanded around '72 but I have heard through the years rumours that some of it's members sort of went underground. But that was all before my time!

reply to post by Eleleth

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user.cyberlink.ch...

Sorry, I meant the 'Laughing Gnosti'c not the' Laughing Gnome.' (that is a DB song.) Here is the website. There is much more than this however.

Yes, I mentioned Peter Koenig's page on in this thread, actually. But the Anger connection is very interesting, and I am surprised that Koenig does not make much more of this or other possible OTO connections than he has. There doesn't seem to be much about this on the Internet, but this book has some interesting context:

Bowie: Loving the Alien by Christopher Sandford (Google Books link)

Bowie's interviews, as Koenig notes, are singularly unhelpful. My general impression from his music, and especially songs like "Word on a Wing," is that he really wants to align himself with what Crowley would call True Will, but he's never been sure how to do it. In other words, he feels he should be a vessel for something greater than himself, and even believes he might have achieved that in the early seventies—before losing it. But this is from an uninitiated POV.

[edit on 24-6-2009 by Eleleth]

reply to post by Eleleth

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Eleleth

I think that Bowie is a high initiate, if not officially of OTO than perhaps A.A. Too much secrecy around him which is not surprising due to his fame. Caliphates and others and likely not allowed to discuss such matters.


According to OTO history, there were initiations going on at the time in CA, it is entirley possible he was initiated but mums the word.
A.A is most likely.

reply to post by Eleleth

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Incidentally. I corresponded with Koenig regarding DB and he has limited information. He has also hit a brick wall where the Thin White Duke is concerned.

I thought it had disbanded before then, but was possibly still in existence. However, the Solar Lodge was not really an O.T.O. Lodge proper, and was involved in some pretty grim stuff. I doubt that Bowie would have associated with it.



I know that he received his Minerval sometime back in the '70's, but whether the group that conferred it could be considered a Lodge, or even Camp or Oasis, is questionable.



I do not. However, at that time, Anger was not a member of the O.T.O., and would have no authority to confer any degrees. In fact, at that time, Anger was involved with Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan.



By "proper Thelemite", I meant one who practiced all the necessary stuff. He certainly was interested in Crowley and Thelema for a while, but I'm not sure he ever considered himself a Thelemite.

L.V.X.

Ok, your correct, ditto with the Anger connection. But I know there were initiations going on in early 70's in Southern California at the College of Thelema (I believe under Phyllis Seckler/McMurty/) in Dublin, Cal. (were Duquette got initiated.) Also McMurty was doing some initiations also at this time.

reply to post by thomasblackraven

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Great post Thom!
if I were a moderator.....I'd give you an aaplause for those comments

93

Hi, found this through Googling another topic, but found the discussion quite interesting.

I am also a member of the OTO, but find a lot of the info here a little ... wrong.

Just to clear up, I will accept any emails to baphomet777@live.co.uk if you have any further questions regarding this post.

Firstly, the reason 'Soror Laylah' has hit a brick wall in her Bowie detective work, is probably because we're a secret order, and not all of us want it known that we'repractioners of Magick. She, if she is a member of our order, should know better than to come to a public site like ATS, to dig up information on someone that is a potential Br. in our order, you should probably revisit your minerval initiation and have a think about the word 'Fraternity'.

Eleleth, see above...and why the AA?

Thirdly, The OTO is far more than "nothing more than a Social Order with an Initiatory Process", at least here in the UK. We regularly perform Gnostic Masses, Invocations, pathworkings et al. It saddens me to imagine my lodge being just a social club

As for the OP: this is the reason that Conspiracy Theorists often lose my respect. To so casually proclaim such an accusation, with no evidence whatsoever, is the kind of behaviour that only works against any kind of truth seeking, or illumination that you participate in. I came up against a similar instance when browsing the David Icke forums recently. The OP made a claim that the 'Mc' in McDonalds 'obvioulsy' stood for 'Mind Control' (also see the Fremen interview with Alex Jones; who claims that Crowley practises 'Atlantian' magick haha).

Anyway, ATS rules, I just hope that it weeds out baseless hyperbole, and sticks to good honest truth seeking!

93 93/93

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

Firstly I would like to commend the two brothers (fraterormus and Baphomet777) of the O.T.O., for their (IMO) well written commentaries. As another member or the O.T.O. I am honored to find such present.

In my time with the order I have found Christian and Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, Pagan and atheist amongst our ranks. Some are magicians, some are mystics, and some share only the philosophy. It is the nature of any true Thelemite to protect any human in the pursuit of their True Will, so long as it does not conflict with that of another. I believe this is where, more than in any other way, we have been tagged as "Neo-Gnostic Templars".

Our beliefs, religious pursuits, and/or relationship with "God" are our own (as individuals), as provided by our own personal experiences... thus Gnostics. And Templars, as we should be inclined to protect any human in their spiritual endeavors and their pursuit of freedom.

As a Thelemite, I am often deeply moved by the beauty of the U.S. Bill of Rights, and the commentaries of our founding fathers. As such, it outrages me that the masses are allowing the destruction of our rights and the steady dismantling of the U.S. Constitution (as it was originally written).

Anyone who has done any study of Thelema should quickly find us more akin to anarchists than any power-hungry, world-controlling nut-jobs. But then, there are a**holes in every group, and we are no exception. It is only by protecting the rights and freedoms of all, that we can hope to retain our own.

As a temporal order, the Ordo Templi Orientis' primary function is to promulgate (to make known by open declaration) the word of the Law. To this end, it also does its best to vouchsafe the documents of the O.T.O. and A. Crowley. To the best of my knowledge, anything done beyond this is done in fraternity more so than anything else.

What I have presented above is my experience and opinion, and should not be considered the opinion of any other Thelemite, nor should it be construed as either accurate or official of the Ordo Templi Orientis.

Love is the law, love under will.