News

by Jay Lee -

Śri Sabhapati Swami, Theosophy, and Thelema, with Dr. Keith Cantú

The presentation can now be viewed here:

This talk focuses on the Tamil yogin Śri Sabhapati Swami (ca. 1828–1923/4) and how some of his techniques of Śivarājayoga, or “The Royal Yoga for Śiva,” were discussed by the “Founders” of the Theosophical Society, Helena Blavatsky and Henry Olcott, and the theosophical author Franz Hartmann, as well as integrated into the Thelemic Magick of Aleister Crowley. Beginning with an overview of Sabhapati Swami’s life and works, many of which are out of print, we will discuss what specific portions would have been of interest to these Theosophists, Crowley, and by extension later Thelemites, and also contextualize Sabhapati’s vernacular Tamil and Hindi works that include many more detailed instructions on ritual and mantra that should be of interest to scholars and practitioners alike.

Dr. Keith Edward Cantú is currently a visiting research fellow at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, in the DFG-funded project “CAS-E, Alternative Rationalities and Esoteric Practices from a Global Perspective” (https://cas-e.de/). His forthcoming book Like a Tree Universally Spread: Sri Sabhapati Swami  and Śivarājayoga will be released in June of this year by Oxford University Press. He has been an avid reader of Aleister Crowley since high school, has previously been a member of Horizon Lodge and affiliate member of Star Sapphire Lodge, and currently resides with his wife in Erlangen, Germany.

by Andrew Lent -

New Education Committee Services

Effective immediately, the U.S. Grand Lodge Education Committee will offer its services to proofread, fact-check, and critique any publications or presentations which the membership of U.S. Grand Lodge would like to send us. This is a strictly voluntary service, and all input on the materials would be both a collaborative effort of the Committee and would be offered only as a service, not as required changes. If interested, please contact education@oto-usa.org for more information.

by Jay Lee -

Astrological Tarot with Jaime Paul Lamb

The presentation can now be viewed here:

Brother Lamb discusses the gradual melding of astrology and tarot, which reached its fullest expression as a practical system in the Golden Dawn Tradition. He begins by providing historical context, discussing their synthesis and systemization in the Golden Dawn and, finally, analyzes practical examples of how astrology and tarot may be synthesized in such a way as to mutually elucidate and compliment the findings of each art singularly.

Jaime Paul Lamb is the author of Myth, Magick & Masonry: Occult Perspectives in Freemasonry (The Laudable Pursuit, 2018), Approaching the Middle Chamber: The Seven Liberal Arts in Freemasonry and the Western Esoteric Tradition (The Laudable Pursuit, 2020) and The Archetypal Temple and Other Writings on Masonic Esotericism (Tria Prima Press, 2021). He is a member of Lapis Lazuli Oasis OTO, Phoenix, AZ.

by Jay Lee -

St. Elias Ashmole: the Gentleman Magician, with David Blakeley

 

The presentation can now be viewed here:

St. Elias Ashmole (1617 – 1692) bridged the divide between the Elizabethan Rosicrucianism of John Dee and Robert Fludd and the Masonic Illuminism of the Restoration. Ashmole lived many lives – as an astrologer and an alchemist, as a soldier and a lawyer, and as a Freemason and a scientist at the dawn of the Enlightenment. We will explore all of these facets of this man whose personal collection formed the basis of the famed Ashmolean Library and preserved the Enochian writings of Dee and Kelly. John Aubrey called Ashmore “A mighty good man.”

Presenter David Blakeley currently serves in the O.T.O. as Most Wise Sovereign of Baphomet Chapter, R+C in Austin, TX and on the editorial board of The Pelican. He is a Past Master of Bubastis Oasis in Dallas, TX, an ordained Priest of the E.G.C. since 2000, and a chartered Initiator since 2005. He practices health care law and lives in Dallas with his wife, Stacie and their cats, Chattels and Belvedere.

 

by Scott Plyler -

Strange Angel in a Strange Land, by Dionysius Rogers

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

This presentation can now be viewed here:

Description: In 1960 Robert A. Heinlein wrote the novel Stranger in a Strange Land. This science fiction tale full of miracles and sex deeply inspired the counter-culture of the following decades who came to “grok” its criticisms of conventional society. Most readers have little suspected the extent to which the book was informed by the philosophy of Aleister Crowley’s Thelema, as communicated by rocket scientist Jack Parsons. This talk will treat the secret history behind Heinlein’s novel and the effects that it had on later rebels and magicians.

Presenter: Dionysius Rogers is a Thelemite and an independent scholar of religion based in the Denver area. One of his particular interests is the intersection between fantasy fiction and real-world occultism. He was in Egypt for the centennial of the Cairo Working and in England for the centennial of the founding of Mysteria Mystica Maxima. He gave the original, shorter form of this presentation at a conference in Barcelona, Spain on Magick, Mysticism, and Art.

Love is the law, love under will.

by Scott Plyler -

The Sigillum Dei Aemeth with Colin Campbell

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

This presentation can now be viewed here:

The Sigillum Dei, by Colin Campbell
One of the most intriguing figures in all of Western magical practice, the Sigillum Dei as detailed in the diaries of John Dee is an exceptionally intricate wheel of unintelligible names – or so it would seem. This presentation breaks down this fascinating symbol into its core components, all of which will be very familiar to the student of the occult. Deciphering its many strata of angels, archangels, and divine names, we will collectively unfold hidden within the Sigillum Dei a complete system of planetary magic in its own right!

This presentation is based on research used in The Magic Seal of Dr. John Dee: The Sigillum Dei Aemeth by Colin Campbell, published by Teitan Press.

Colin has been a member of OTO since early 2001, founder and past master of Abrahadabra Oasis after serving for ten years. He has written several books on topics that span his interests from the early Renaissance grimoire period through to modernity, including The Offices of Spirits, Of the Arte Goetia, The Sigillum Dei: Aemeth, The Concordance to the Holy Books of Thelema, and Thelema: The Life, Work, and Philosophy of Aleister Crowley. He has studied Western esotericism for over thirty years, is a collector of Crowley’s works, and frequently presents at NOTOCON, the bi-annual USGL conference.

Love is the law, love under will.

by Scott Plyler -

Orishas on the Tree of Life, with Christeos Pir

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

This presentation can now be viewed here:

Join us as Christeos Pir presents his lecture “Orishas on the Tree of Life”. African-inspired religions have found expression in a startling number of ways in the Americas. From the slave trade-driven Diaspora of the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries, the migration of African peoples and culture during and since that period, and the revolutionizing of communication in the contemporary era, African forms of spirituality have intermingled with, and sometimes co-opted, Anglo-European and Native American religions in those areas of creolization where these disparate cultures met, struggled, and fused. Elements of African Diasporic religion are found in such varied expressions as Candomblé, Umbanda, Palo Mayombe, Obeah, Santería/Lucumí, Vodou, “Hoodoo,” and more. In the U. S., for example, a local derivation of Haitian Vodou known as New Orleans Voodoo has been dated to the late eighteenth century or earlier. And in Brazil, some half dozen or so partially-overlapping forms of Afro-Brazilian religion have evolved. Drawing upon primary and secondary sources in anthropology, popular culture, and religious studies, this workshop explores some of the new and eclectic practices on the fringes of Afro-Diasporic religious expression. Two case studies will be examined: the synthesis of tarot and Umbanda Orixá or spirits, and the blending of tarot and qabalah with New Orleans Voodoo.

Love is the law, love under will.

by Scott Plyler -

Mesoamerican Maize Magic.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
This presentation can now be viewed here:


Please join us at 7pm Central time on Thursday, December 16th as the Education Committee of O.T.O. US Grand Lodge hosts Fr. Tlacatecólotl’s presentation on the magic of corn in mesoamerican tradition. This presentation will be free and open to the public, so please share this event far and wide!

Mesoamerica and its peoples have a particular vision of human life and well-being, which is reflected in the customs they call medicin and in their oracles, mainly corn reading. This oracle demonstrates the cultural, magical and esoteric value of corn. In this talk, we will estudy the basic technique of this oracle, an explanation of its structure, as well as some of the philosophical terms necessary to understand its mechanics, along with the history of the encounter of Europe and America and the resulting mestizaje, will be touched.

Love is the law, love under will.

by Scott Plyler -

New Module-The Holy Grail

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

We’re excited to announce the newest module from the Education Committee of O.T.O. US Grand Lodge. This module deals with all aspects of the Holy Grail- its history, symbolism, and relevance to Thelema. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this module for your local body, please email us at:

education@oto-usa.org

Please note that these modules can only be requested by an officer of a duly chartered body of O.T.O. and are not available for distribution to the public.

Love is the law, love under will.

by Scott Plyler -

Liber Samekh – History and Development

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

This presentation can now be viewed here:

Join us on Monday November 29th at 7pm Central Time as Harper Feist presents her lecture on the history and development of Liber Samekh. This is a public presentation, so please feel free to share this invitation far and wide!

This presentation discusses the evolution of the late Classical exorcism known currently as the Headless Rite to Liber Samekh, a Thelemic ritual to facilitate achievement of Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. The talk will focus on the meaning and translational history of the Headless Rite and the fact that the original ritual is very similar to a neo-Platonic theurgic exercise. This current is especially palpable in Samekh, one of the most important of Crowley’s contributions to the Thelemic canon.

Love is the law, love under will.