AGAPE vel LIBER C vel AZOTH
the Book of the Unveiling of the Sangraal wherein it is spoken of the Wine of the Sabbath of The Adepts Being the Secret Instruction of the Ninth Degree 'The Sun is the Wine and the Moon is the Cup. Pour the Sun into the Moon.' From thine hand, O Lord, cometh all Good from Thee flow down all grace and blessing. The Characters of Nature with Thy fingers hast thou traced, but none can read them unless he hath been taught in Thy school. Therefore even as servants look unto the hands of their...
Form of the Petition
TO BE WRITTEN OUT AND SIGNED BY EVERY POSTULANT I, the undersigned, request the Most Wise and Perfect Sovereign and the Very August, Excellent, Puissant and Perfect Princes now assembled, that you will be graciously pleased to admit me to your Princely Order. I trust that the sincerity of my endeavours to promote the Glory of the Rosie Cross and the Welfare of Mankind will entitle me to your favourable opinions. Assuring you that I shall not fail to redeem my pledge of allegiance to this...
Postulant I am
M.W.S. Then remove from my breast the heavy burden which oppresses me, and cast it behind you, replacing it by the Volume of the Sacred Law, about which you will arrange the three letters in the form of a triangle interlock the fingers of your hands and place the palms upon my forehead, look into my eyes and say after me I in the Name of the Holy Trinity One and Indivisible, and in the presence of this Perfect and Princely Chapter of the Holy Order of the Rose Croix of Heredom, do hereby and...
The Structure of the OTO
Under the chieftainship of Kellner the O.T.O. seems to have had no official constitution and it is impossible to know the exact details of its grade-structure. It is likely, however, that it was very similar to that outlined in the constitution promulgated from London by Reuss on January 22 'in the year of the Order 788'.25 According to this members of the O.T.O. were classified as follows ' a Probationers embracing Theosophists etc b Students or Lay Brothers Masonic Members c Initiates, or...
Cands We are
VIII Then you will extinguish your tapers, remove your aprons, sashes and jewels, raise your arms, extended at an angle of 90 , and say 'We renounce all we swear to keep inviolate the mysteries of these degrees and we invoke annihilation.' These points, etc., penalty of having our skulls split asunder by the AXE of the executioner. You will seal this solemn oath with your lips five times upon this skull. I will now proceed to confer upon you the following degrees of the A. and A. Rite Knight of...
MWS Yod
M.W.S. Virgo, Iacchus, holy Father. H.P. Scorpio, Asi, Holy Mother. G.M. Sol, Orus, holy Child. All Iacchus, Asi, Orus, IAO. They walk round P., and form a line of 3 giving nox sign. H.P. Facing P The Sign of the Dance of Asi. They continue. M.W.S. Facing P. The Sign of the Joy of Iacchus. They continue. G.M. Facing P The Sign of the Blazing Star. They continue and again form line. All Giving and nox signs. L.U.X. Lux the Light of the True Cross. They return to their thrones. M.W.S. Sir Knight...
Third Degree 1
The Oasis is open in the Second Degree. The C. has been given the Pass Word, etc. The Tent has been moved to the West of the Well, facing East. The WELL is dry. S. crosses his hands, right over left W. and E. take them and uncross them again. They then hold them above his head, through, save as stated. S. Rises. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. W. Rises. Love is the Law. E. Rises. Love under will. S. Fellow soldiers, assist me. What is the first duty of a Master Magician W. Most...
SB stabs Cand
S.B. Swear to aid the Order with the last penny of your purse. K.S. takes any money and removes his insignia, garters and shoes. Swear to love the Order with Body and Soul in the p erson of any D ame or K night who d emands it Note. A.C. altered the original 'swear to love' to 'swear to exhibit charity to' this later alteration being in pencil. A Kt. or Dme. not his voucher, takes and gives kiss. S.B. Swear to devote your whole energies to the Will of the Order and the Dominion of T he S acred...
The OTO since Crowleys Death
After Crowley's death, Karl Germer, who was born in 1885, became the Outer Head of the Order that is to say, the Chief on the plane of Earth of the O.T.O. Germer was devoted to both Thelema and to Crowley himself and he did everything in his power to revive the order. In these efforts he was only partially successful, for his difficult temperament upset many of those who might otherwise have become his allies. Nevertheless his good business sense not only saved the O.T.O. from a threatened...
Second Degree 1
The Oasis is open in the First Degree. The C. has been given the Pass Word. The tent, etc., of S. have been moved to the centre facing West. The water of the Well is reduced to a small depth. S. crosses his hands, right over left W. and E. take them between theirs. S. Rises. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. W. Rises. Love is the law. E. Rises. Love under will. S. Fellow-soldiers, assist me. What is the first duty of a Magician W. Most Mysterious Master, to guard the Camp. S. Let...
The Early Years of the OTO
Somewhere about the year 1896 Karl Kellner, a wealthy German iron-master who had journeyed through India and the Middle East in search of occult wisdom, decided to found yet another Templar group, its purpose to revive the sexual magic which Kellner believed had been the real secret of the original Order of the Temple. Kellner claimed to have rediscovered this secret doctrine by means of a thorough study of the sexo-yogic teachings he had orally received from three oriental adepts, two Arab and...
Reuss Steiner and Aleister Crowley
Under the leadership of Reuss the O.T.O. enjoyed a steady, although not spectacular, expansion. Charters were granted to various occultists outside Germany and independent national Orders, derivative of the O.T.O., were established in France, for example Dr. Encausse, better known under his occult pseudonym of 'Papus', was appointed chief of both the O.T.O. and the French Rite of Memphis and Misraim.16 This close association of the O.T.O. with Memphis and Misraim seems to have been usually the...
Minerval Ritual
A conical tent, within which is seated Saladin, in oriental costume. Before him is an altar, 'a Well covered with a coping-stone', on which are 1 The Book of the Law CCXX . 3 A platter disk of bread and salt. On his right hand is a seat. The Tent is lighted by a single candle or, there is a palm tree. Without is an armed black guard, who seizes the Candidate on his approach, and binds him hand and foot, and blindfolds him. He then leads him to the Tent and knocks once. Black Guard A Prisoner,...
First Degree 1
The Oasis is a space, preferably circular. In the West is a Well, with a coping-stone that is, a cubical altar with a removable top. It is made so as to hold water and on this water floats an ark, preferably proportioned as is given in the Canon, containing a Dagger, a Disk, and the Book of the Law. In the East is an Altar, cylindrical, where burns a Candle. This is overshadowed by a conical Tent, where is a throne composed of four cubes, arranged as an inverted Tau, for the three officers....
CHAPTER ONE The Manifesto of
In the spring of 1917 the Russian people, worn out by almost three years of their rulers' political and military incompetence, overthrew their Czar and installed a Provisional Government. At about the same time the U.S.A. entered the war on the allied side. Neither of these events greatly excited the inhabitants of Henri Oedenkoven's and Ida Hoffmann's eccentric vegetarian community situated at Ascona in Switzerland. They were far more interested in a bombastic encyclical just promulgated by...
Herald
3rd No limit to the light 2nd No limit VIII Naught from the Many to the One and All, from the One and All to Naught Sic transeatgloria coeli AUMN All So mote it be VIII Brethren, assist me to open a Council of Princes of Jerusalem. All advance within banners of Zodiac. What is the first care of every Prince of Jerusalem 2nd To see that the C. is p.t.49 To 3. Brother, see, etc. R.W.M. To Herald. Brother, see etc. Herald To VII . V.I.S.K.50 the C. is p.t. 3rd To see that none but P.I. are...
Z V
Z. v Omnipresent. One unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid, with pure heart and tranquil mind we perfectly love Thee and worthily magnify thy Holy Name Aumn. Herald closes Volume of the Sacred Law. Z.H.J. to Thrones. Herald In the name of the G.M.B. I declare this L. of P. closed WW Principles knock as in opening. Brethren, nothing now remains, etc. Unclothe, untyle. TEMPLE DIAGRAM EXALTATION Without the Lodge proper Z. To Senior P.M. You will retire...
CHAPTER TWO Occult Templarism
In spite of its importance as a mystical fraternity the origins of the O.T.O. have remained somewhat obscure. It is true that some occultists have supplied a pedigree of sorts, but without giving any evidence for their genealogical conclusions. Thus in his stimulating book The Magical Revival Muller, 1972 Mr. Kenneth Grant has told us that 'The true Occult Order numbered among its openly unavowed sic representatives such authorities as Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton Fred Hockley, Kenneth Mackenzie...