Why they became member of the O.T.O.
A correspondence dossier on SOTO, HOOR, Motta, Heidrick, dual membership, succession, copyright, and the theological-juridical weather system around the alleged “true O.T.O.”
December 1996 to January 1997: SOTO, HOOR, Bersson, Barden, Motta, Heidrick, the A.·. A.·., and the recurrent claim that a juridical body is secretly an egregore wearing a trademark hat.
PRK: I gladly received your very informative note but have to add several questions and remarks. Motta's Last Will and Testament dated 15 October 1984 (which automatically unilaterally nullifies earlier provisions, as a rule of the Law of Succession) named William Barden, Claudia Canuto de Menezes and Daniel Ben Stone as his successors, and especially marked Martin Starr as a traitor. On 21 December 1987 Claudia de Menezes distanced herself from Barden and Stone, which called David Bersson on the plan, who lived with her. Bersson "expells" Barden, Stone and Bill Heidrick.
XXX: Heidrick was never in the SOTO...
PRK: Barden "expels" Stone".
XXX: Very interesting. The will I saw was dated in 86, naming David Bersson as Marcello's successor. David and CC are no longer together by the way. Bersson resides in Pittsburgh now.
PRK: It might be that Ray Eales has a rank in Motta's branch of the AA, but this, as far as I understand the system of the AA, gives NO authority to lead anything (except Motta's assumption that the OTO's XIth degree is linked directly to the AA). As there is no direct definition as to the OHO-ship of the SOTO, it hardly says who their OHO is.
XXX: Ray formed HOOR at Motta's request after the court case. Motta originally set about forming the order but died in the midst. Ray is the Imperator.
PRK: Comparison: The "Caliphate" constantly is re-defining its statutes and rules about the OHO-ship. They now invented following hamster wheel: a) all "original McMurtry IXth degrees" (sic, yes, that's their label for the few IXth that McMurtry made) elect a "Caliph" (that is, William Breeze) who is looked at as their de facto OHO b) the "Caliph" then makes 5 Xth degrees c) and these then elect a WORDLWIDE de jure OHO.
XXX: This would be Bill Heidrick, no?
PRK: Unfortunately I cannot find a reference to your name in my files, Mr XXX. I would be glad to learn as much as possible in order to maybe write/improve my articles at my URL or my next books.
XXX: I am fairly recent to this grand scheme. I was endeared to David Bersson's heart and our falling out in June spurred much trouble for me and him. He has reduced the SOTO to little more than a terrorist troupe in Piit attacking various Bookstores for not selling Motta
XXX: I am relatively new but by my recent activities, will probably be quite prominent on the Thelemoic Political scheme, trying to fix problems. If one notices, Bill has quit writing the OTO as THE OTO. I am quite good at my job!
XXX: Bersson publicly declared Barden a Traitor to Thelema in his commentary to Liber AL called Gold Coins of the Master. From my understanding, this is a masterpiece of Crowleyan thought, as seperate from more modern ChaoThelemic thought. Barden was expelled by David in this same said document, which gives Thelemic succession of orders from Crowley and places the current head of the SOTO in Brasil on suspension. I no longer have a copy of this document, it was sent to me by Friends in Kentucky who were also a part of HOOR. Since a correspondence with Bill Heidrick in recent months, it has come to my knowledge via inbetween reading that SOTO Brasil is going to unify with COTO, though this is merely rumour at the moment. Dual membership is now alowd in Caliphate-Metzger OTO as is HOOR dual membership. I am acting as Liason between the two orders in the future when I am a member of Both in my attempts to get the various Thelemites who are to worried with the true OTO BS to start concentrating on the work.
XXX: Ray is a Magister Templi making him the Equivalent of the XI° in SOTO, holding office. He formulated the order HOOR based on this attainment.
PRK: As there is no direct definition as to the OHO-ship of the SOTO, it hardly says who their OHO is.
XXX: By constitution, the OHO, if never named, is to be elected by all the X° by unanimous vote. As there were openly three X° at Motta's death, my theory is that Barden had one two votes and Bersson had gotten only C.C.'s. The English branch is now a part of HOOR to my knowledge. A question, in your opinion, is the SOTO a true Branch of the OTO or a silly attempt by Motta to get the Crwoley copywrites so that he can make oodles (sic) of cash? Another note, Eales is Imperator of the A.·. A.·. and expelled Barden at Motta's request according to Eales...
PRK: I was not aware that dual-membership ever was NOT allowed. Can you please verify this and send evidentiary documents that Metzger's OTO now is "accepted"?
XXX: I have an email to the Thelema93 list where Bill expresses this to myself and Barry Sherman, a former Caliphate Lodge Master from Australia.
PRK: I have thoroughly corresponded with Sabazius (X° "Caliphate) (over 21 letters) in the last months and it seems that they still consider the "Caliphate" the "real" OTO.
XXX: But of course, a minor court recognized this in the US so the world must think so =)
PRK: Breeze and Sabazius (David Scriven) have been here in Switzerland in Autumn 96 in order to sign a contract with the Thoth-deck publishers in favour of Breeze. If they really would accept other OTO-groups: why only Breeze? Breeze also visited the heir of Metzger (Frl. Aeschbach) in order to ask her to act as his X°, but, of course, she declined.
XXX: Heidrick informed me of this.
XXX:
>>as is HOOR dual membership.
PRK: Again: Was dual membership ever forbidden? Please give proof! As far as I correspond with HOOR-members, they dont accept Breeze's alleged "supremacy".
XXX: No, they do not accept him, he is not Magister Templi, but an Adeptus Exemptus. To my knowledge, most of Motta's successors do not accept Breeze because they were told McMurtry was expelled from OTO by Karl Germer. I have been given no evidence of this though, merely Heresay. I do not know if Dual membership was ever forbidden, but at my request a dual membership was allowed for me. I will send you a copy of the document where Heidrick gave me Breeze's varification.
PRK: Magister Templi equals XI°? Can you please give me the source to that?
XXX: It is a purely Motta thing. He equated the XI° because he felt that since AC and Germer were 8=3 and XI° this must be the case.
PRK: I know that Motta saw it that way, but was he the first? To my knowledge he was.
XXX: I am I° in SOTO and former candidate for Bersson succession after his death. But due to my resignation, which I consideer his expulsion, I am reformulating the SOTO as a new order called the Sacred Order of the Thelemic Illuminati, which is more of a unification of the OTO. All OTO members are allowed in the order, wether expelled or no. The order begins fuctioning proper in three years. I am not going to be the head of the order except in name. A former Caliphate of the IX° is and is in Charge of the spreading of the secrets and is the Inner Head.
PRK: I dont have enough data on the SOTO or Motta in order to make such a judgement. But first of all I would say that McMurtry, Motta, Grant, Metzger, Rider and any OTO-senior member of a country that was alive when Germer died, is to be considered as one of the "heads of the Order" mentioned in Karl Germer's Last Will.
XXX: I will send you a Document concerning Motta's status as a member of OTO.
PRK: Regarding Crowley's Last Will: I have published it in my "Materialien zum OTO" and it seems that Symonds "possesses" the copyrights. This is also the opinion of Breeze who is currently filing suit versus Symonds in order to get the copyrights. BTW: It certainly may interest you that I have published in facsimile (in my McOTO-book) a letter from the Warburg Institute that says that they consider Breeze's claims to the copyrights "as completely false and unfounded".
XXX: His claim is founded on that X° OHO thingy. Warburg recognizes Kenneth, no?
PRK: This is interesting because Breeze (in his negotiations with publishing firms regarding Crowley works) always pretends that he has the support from the Warburg.
XXX: Everyone pretends to have the support of the Warburg.
Published before on the Hollyfeld-Archives
BH: Without prejudice to OTO.
XXX: If you do not mind I will give you DB's take on this (he and i have a strange relationshp, him declaring me a Prophet and all. That is entirley true, which is why I sign 616, as a sort of joke.)
BH: I don't mind hearing what DB has to say, but be careful how he spells prophet/profit.;-)
XXX: I wrote a post about a letter between Motta and DB, the Canabiss III° appened to be Beta as I said in my post, and as I was TOLD by DB. I can mail this to you if you like, just for perusal.
BH: Might be interesting, but only if I can forward it to HB — otherwise I shouldn't have it. IIIrd degree oath might preclude a confidence in such a matter.
XXX: He was. I have seen copies of his patens.
BH: Interesting. Motta declared under oath in court that he lied about the existence of an "OTO Patent".
XXX: He was in the FRA, and this included the OTO under it.
BH: Not in any sense I know.
XXX: Germer declared Motta a IX° member and also Holy King Of Brasil.
BH: Motta claimed something in regard to the former, although I have never seen anything in the Germer-Motta correspondence to confirm it. I have seen that Germer gave or loaned Motta the IXth degree paper "Emblems and Modes of Use", but that does not constitute the reception of the IXth degree. I have not seen or heard of Motta signing a IXth degree oath paper, such as Germer always used. As to Germer declaring Motta Supreme and Holy King of Brazil for OTO, I do not believe it. Motta based his claim in court on letters by Sascha to him. Those letters asked Motta if he had ever seen or received a charter for OTO work in Brazil and incidentally called him "the Follower" — but Motta wrote back that he had no knowledge of the charter and Sascha capitalized nouns in the German manner throughout her letters in that period — including other nouns in that letter. In open court, after providing a copy before the case came to trial to Motta's attorney, we had Motta comment on a curious document. That was a draft by Germer of a letter addressed to Motta, very late in Germer's life. The letter offered Motta a position of authority in OTO, with limited initiation powers and authority to open an OTO body in Brazil. It did not grant Xth degree or even imply the possibility of such a thing. It also stated that these powers and authorities would be dependent on Motta visiting and discussing certain things with Germer, satisfying certain conditions not mentioned. Motta stated that he never received such a letter. Motta also stated under oath that he never had a charter from Germer, and that this particular document had to be the one mentioned by Sascha. He went on to state that it was clearly not a charter but a proposal for chartering if conditions were met, and that those conditions were not met. Although Motta expressed a belief that this draft represented a document actually sent to him but lost or taken in the mails, this document bore the same date as other Germer papers which were received by Motta. Those other papers related to publishing, not OTO per say. Theories and speculations aside, all this comes down to Motta never having a charter in OTO from Germer and Motta's theories about what Sascha meant in her sometimes cryptic letters being based on a possible offer of such a charter — no more.
XXX: It is an OTO body in that Sascha wanted Motta to be head. In Karl's will he said Sascha and Mellinger wer to pick his successor. Sascha chose Motta and Mellinger chose Metzger.
BH: No, certainly wrong on several absolute points. Aside from the question of SOTO being or not being OTO, Sascha did not want Motta to be head of OTO by her affirmative writing to the contrary. Karl Germer's Last Will and Testament contains no provision allowing any choice of successor, what so ever. That Will does make provision for handling the OTO archives and other property — but only that Sascha Germer and Frederic Mellinger should jointly be executors in sending that material to the "heads of OTO". Note the plural. Sascha, by her own declaration, was never a member of OTO. Sascha choose Metzger to receive the property and began sending such things to him. Mellinger interceded, denouncing the choice and stating that Metzger had failed to qualify with Karl's program for regularization into OTO. The probate was abandoned at that point and not resumed until Grady came along after Sascha's death. Mellinger did not name any receiver and never mentioned a successor. Motta's name never came up in Sascha's attempts at probate, although she did contact him earlier to see if he had received the proposal mentioned above by Karl. This is all in writing, most of it in exchanges with Sascha's attorney for the probate attempt.
XXX: Which explains HOOR, which had Motta's backing, not the SOTO. This I know from Ray.
BH: We've suspected as much. However, DB doesn't seem to be cooperating with this program; and some copyright infringements, use of reserved periodical names and the like have persisted out of HOOR.
BH: Motta was a member of A.·. A.·. under Germer, no doubt and no contest.
XXX: His claim to Imperator, though one is not needed, is very legity[?] Sascha's letter. Though the OHO is still weak.
BH: Less than weak on the latter, in my opinion. As to Imperator of A.·. A.·., this is none of my business — but makes no sense to me either. Most of Motta's promotions or advancements in A.·. A.·. were by his own declaration after Germer's death — not all by any means, but far short of anything like that during Karl Germer's life
XXX: Yes, I know. I will be joining Caliphate in January via B*** and moving out west to B** shortly thereafter. That is just one example. HB and Wasserman I believe as well.
BH: It'll be good to have a chance to meet you. B** under D** has done well. Right on the latter two, but there are and have been more.
XXX: I need a transfer actually, can you direct me in that respect. I would prefer
XXX: Caliphate teacher over a HOOR teacher.
BH: I don't have the exact postal address with me here at my farm, but in San Anselmo. It's in the back of Book 4 and somewhere in Equinox IV, 1. I believe it's A.·. A.·. c/o OTO JAF Box 7666 New York, NY 10116 Those are not OTO or Caliphate teachers, but the principal individual I believe to be most active in responding to that mail is a former SOTO officer, not an OTO member.
XXX: What about HOOR dual membership?
BH: Potential conflicts. Mainly over copyright infringement, I think. I don't have anything definite, but could ask Fr. H.B. if you like.
XXX: Same with DB and I.
BH: He does write a very remarkable tone into those letters, doesn't he? :-) I remember one where he was denouncing my academic qualities, so to speak. Misspelled far more often than I generally do, right in the middle of the denouncing.
XXX: The NGMG of the US supports me fully though, and he lives with D***!
BH: What the heck. My new kitten bites and purrs at the same time.
XXX: respect for you and your work.
XXX: He is deadset that I am a Magister Templi in the making. I have to say, not out of arrogance mind you, he is right. My motto in the A.·. A.·. is O***, clearly pointing to Binah!
BH: I have no problem with people on the way to Magister Templi, just people who insist on telling me that they are Magister Templi. :-)
BH: Interesting. Motta declared under oath in court that he lied about the existence of an "OTO Patent".
XXX: Could be a forgery on D***'s part, as he refused to give me a photocopy, at least to keep the photocopy.
BH: In my experience, D*** tends to mimic Motta to a considerable degree, even repeating things Motta said without thinking what they may sound like out of context. Motta did say this, recanting in court. Perhaps DB has a copy of the draft letter I mentioned in my last post — from the shared evidence of the 1985 e.v. case. That certainly isn't a Charter or Patent.
XXX: The head, whose name I had forgotten, was a member of OTO and included it's teachings.
BH: No authority comes that way, but absorption of traditions and such is common. Nothing to to with the Order of Thelemites? — that was a 1920's South African thing Crowley authorized, but the papers clearly made it below OTO and A.·. A.·.
XXX: From what I understand, this documant was the one that if a body came into possession of it, he was considered a IX° member and provided all rights and priveleges thereof.
BH: That's what Motta said of "Emblems and Modes", but it wasn't Germer's policy. Germer used the oath form, for individuals who had followed the usual practice of explaining the secret in their own words — provided they were in OTO at the time. There's still one left who described the procedure.
XXX: >This explains Motta's paranoias about the government.
BH: I think the communist revolt that hit Brazil for a while had more to do with it. Also, Motta apparently was not helped in the paranoia direction by contact with the Germers — very unfortunate mental state after Karl's time in the Nazi camp and as an "Enemy Alien" in the US during the latter part of WWII. Both the Germers were convinced that their car was bugged and every plane that flew over was spying on them. D*** is echoing Motta's spin. The documents from Sascha's attempts at probate ere introduced in court. Very clear contradiction to these other theories.
XXX: Sphinx is very adamant about his claims. He wrote an edition of little essays toward truth, a commentary of it (really quite ingenious) and proclaims his ownership of the Crowley Copywrites and denounces all Calipohate and Typhonian. I thought I would warn you of the slander. It is being self published.
BH: Very foolish to flaunt a court order in the country where it was reached, after failed appeal to the Supreme Court. When was Little Essays first published? My notes on that are down in San Anselmo. Maybe we can get him off the hook if it was before 1912 e.v. on the copyright part.
XXX: They are publishing the Equinox, yes.
BH: Not so good. That was part of the court order, and we are still publishing the Equinox — with Vol. IV #1 just out.
XXX: This is common when a teacher dies. The authority to confer a grade is lost, or the student must largely initiate himself.
BH: Right enough, but not with a jato assist on the numbers. :-)
XXX: >I am a self initiated Neophyte of the A.·. A.·. D*** has never recognized this, I could care less if he does. It does not take a man to attain a level of conciousness does it? No.
BH: The attainment of the level is certainly independent of any need to have an organization or teacher confirm it. Getting someone to frank one's 185 documents is another question entirely — but Crowley himself put down the hieroglyphics for Neteru.
XXX: >I look forward to it as well. C*** told me you were a pleasant person or talk to, even if he does disagree with some of your Theories.
BH: That fine with me. I've disagreed with C**s bookkeeping from time to time. :-)
XXX: Eshelman as well, no.
BH: Some ways, yes. Nobody can do everything.
XXX: Are you going to the Gnostic Conference in Akron?
BH: No, other than to the farm and back, I don't travel much....
XXX: In DB's will, he nominated me and Frater LVX his successors, to be decided on the first anniversary of his death, and
XXX: am only First Degree.
BH: As long as it doesn't include liabilities, not bad.
XXX: I was winning the race with LVX's students even. I suppose I am more charismatic. My will to bring Thelemites back togerther was part of the support.
XXX: I agree here, but isn't Phylliss Rather Adamant about being a Magister Templi?
HB: Not as far as I know. Last I heard she denied having that grade.
XXX: He treats Motta as a superior and is very Dogmatic. Motta's interpretation is the only interpretation. To piss him off, I wrote a small commentary to Liber AL, heh heh...it was **** David Bersson!
BH: It is nice to know someone who's that predictable. :-)
XXX: This would also explain his anti Communist stand. How much of his work have yuo read?
BH: Mainly what I had to. I think _Letter to a Brazilian Mason_ goes into this. My favorite Motta readings — from an Oriflamme of his: Index: several entries under "me" Text: referred to himself as "he or she" -- when he had used a global string change in a word processor to alter Crowley's text from gender specific to duo-genderal he nailed his own intro. :-)
XXX: In the 1930's I believe.
BH: Not so good, then. I'm back in San Anselmo, and a reference here says 1938. That would probably make it very much in copyright.
XXX: Ray's reasoning is that it is the Official organ of the AA, he is Imperator, or one else was publishing an Equinox, voila, Volume VII.
BH: Ray better have a look at Equinox III, 1 for OTO's part. Also, the Ist volume was listed in Reuss' _Oriflamme_ as an OTO national publication. We published III, 10 in 1986. Finally, the 1985 court decision included it as an owned name for the thing. Looks like a burr in the fur to me.
BH: H.B. responded that he sees no problem with dual membership at least through the Man of Earth degrees of OTO, so long as HOOR doesn't claim to be OTO. The US Grand Master could object, but he received a copy of Fr. H.B.'s opinion. Looks ok to me. A contest over copyrights doesn't appear to be a problem on this issue at this point.
XXX: I have resigned as I said, so it is no longer valid, perhaps I should form my own SOTO based on these claims, I am sure he has destroyed his will, but hey, he did nominate me!
BH: Tempting. You now have cause to write to him and ask if he has destroyed his own Last and True Will. :-)
XXX: That is a good thing, debate is healthy, political fighting is not. I do not like naysaying.
BH: Always difficult to keep in bounds, but I'm willing to see some minor injuries to keep the contest of opinion going. Humor can salve pretty well.
BH: No problem. What makes you think the Swiss have been dormant?
XXX: Because of Sphincter involving me in the Political scene, I have seen that they have not come out, at all since 1978.
BH: Publicly? They were doing fine just last year. Nice place, attentive membership, all of that. I do have the impression that they don't like lime-light or quite as much fuss as we experience. Basically good people. Metzger's successor is a venerable and sociable older soror. The younger members seem well balanced.
XXX: I talked via a friend with her and got the 'impression' that she had at least gotten in stake to that grade and was adamnat about it, could have been Crispy's way of expressing.
BH: Seems unlike Phyllis, but people can change. I would be surprised to hear her say that.
BH: It is nice to know someone who's that predictable. :-)
XXX: Me or Davey? =)
BH: Just so it's somebody. :-)
XXX: How far back do you not hold copywrite?
HB: Generally, anything published by the end of 1912 e.v. is almost certainly public domain anywhere. By "published", I mean sold to the public, not private circulation, and by owner. More recently than that, it varies from country to country to some extent. Fr. H.B. tracks details for different countries and titles.
XXX: Balloon. He won't quit. He is very set in his ways. Does not like my Thelemic leanings.
BH: Smoking isn't as rough as some things, but it's a risk under those conditions.
XXX: I got this too. Sabazius knows my plans for HOOR already. I do not wish to sever my link with my Brother's and Sister's in Motta line under Ray and Dave, I am strongly supported there.
BH: Looks good then. I understand your feelings. If the situation was reversed, I would feel quite the same way.
XXX: Mr. M*** has gone over the line a few times.
BH: Tim lives in that condition, as does Tyagi in another fashion. D*** is playing with it just now, but DJ isn't in OTO anymore.
XXX: If you can not say it is fine.
BH: Right.
XXX: do you have a contact address?
BH: Just the public one, available from old publishing blurbs. If you contact them, don't mention me initially. It would complicate things if there was a confusion. I don't know if they want this address circulated, and only offer it on the strength of their publishing it in years past. Abbey Thelema Abbey Thelema CH - 9063 Stein/App. SWITZERLAND
XXX: I am about to correspond with some Typhonian OTO members who contacted me in October.
BH: Good luck. There are more than two or three mutually exclusive Typhonian groups.
BH: Generally, anything published by the end of 1912 e.v. is almost certainly public domain anywhere. By "published", I mean sold to the public, not private circulation, and by owner.
XXX: There is not much of that out there for AC...
BH: Quite a lot: Most of Equinox vol.I, Collected Works, 1st ed. Liber 777 and so on.
BH: Looks good then. I understand your feelings. If the situation was reversed, I would feel quite the same way.
XXX: The situation will be tough, especially having some fanatical friends who are anti Caliphate. I walk a thin line. Maybe I should do what Adam did and change my name to Jason Walks a Thin Line.
BH: Whatever works. Membership in OTO is private unless either a member grants permission to disclose or makes either a claim or denial of membership.
XXX: Mr. M*** has gone over the line a few times.
BH: Tim lives in that condition, as does Tyagi in another fashion. D*** is playing with it just now, but DJ isn't in OTO anymore.
XXX: I am referring to his commentary towards me. I went over the edge with the intent to shut him up, possibly embarrass him, thanks to prodding from Grant. It seems to have worked, he does not even respond to me.
BH: Tim is easily distracted, but he does have a long partial memory.
BH: Good luck. There are more than two or three mutually exclusive Typhonian groups.
XXX: I do not intend on joining. The main reson is that Nema lives around 25 miles from me. I want more than her take on the Typhonian Current.
BH: That's simpler then. Some of the relics of previous Grant representatives have spun off mutually antagonistic groups. Dealing with more than one of those at a time would be complicated.
XXX: If you do not mind, I would like to put your address in my address book for email. Perhaps we can correspond further in the future before I come to berkeley.
BH: Feel free to do so.
Without prejudice in regard to OTO.
BH: You have expressed previously that you wish to co-affiliate with both HOOR and 'COTO,' I don't know the details of what HOOR practices, but you're going to have difficulty belonging to the OTO without taking initiations.
BVS: An associate member of (c)OTO, per chance. The Bill could clarify scope & custom.
BH: Present rule is that HOOR membership is not a bar to OTO membership, at least through the Man of Earth degrees — that gives three years to see if the two organizations can continue to avoid jurisdictional problems. Incidentally, BOTA or AMORC membership is not a bar to any degree of OTO membership, although BOTA bans OTO members from holding office in BOTA and AMORC has occasionally also imposed internal restrictions. SOTO and TOTO membership is a bar to OTO membership, at present; but membership in the Swiss OTO claimant group does not bar OTO membership under Hymenaeus Beta.
XXX: I was hit with some inspiration recently. I found that the SOTO had fallen into disgrace and was in needs of some reformulation. In a move of utter arrogance, I expelled the current OHO, David Bersson and took over the oprations of the order under him. All of the members of his lodge have been expelled as well =) My reasoning behind this manuever is the fact that David has been attacking helpless bookstore owners with his magick and sent spies into my nesting grounds on #Thelema in his attempts to subvert my actions before my grand
BVS: #Thelema is so Brain Dead as is the Thelema-93 E-list, at least to my tastes. I am very interested still in exploring &... Thelema but in a catholic way. The ghetto tendency is very strong here. "The Khabs is in the Khu &c"
XXX: takeover, actually it consists of me and another member along with a few members expelled by Bersson in the last year to ten years since Marcello died.
BVS: "By Seed & Stem & Bud & Root & Leaf &c... DO I Invoke Thee" & "The greatest journey starts with the [first-smallest] step"
XXX: Part of the reformulation is admittance of former members of the order who were expelled by former OHO Bersson and Motta. These include Beta and the
BVS: If you ever meet Breezy Billy, give him a tounguey from me, or at least express my wish to deliver him with one if he is ever in this part of the planet... s.v.p.
XXX: Wassermans, along with Eschelman. Other former members who are being granted rentrance are former disenchanted Caliphate and Typhonian. The name of the order is the Sacred Order of the Thelemic Illuminati. I am the First Priest Prince of the Order in it's current incarnation. Any way, enough on the lesson in pompousity, let us form our own order since your resignation from OTO.
BVS: What do you think M. P. Koenig is trying to get at & acheive with his critique of the OTO genre/phenomenon? BTW, been defrocked [priest] by (c)OTO-EGC, so now I can do black [Liber XV] masses, whatever that is? In regards to forming a new order, will get back to you on what I've been considering about the state of the Thelemic subculture esp. (c)OTO. Then we can take it from there. Also are you in the Chicago region of USA!?
XXX: And yes, the above is a grand joke.
XXX: b*** is not my IX° by the way, though he may eventually. Would you be interested in assisting me with the SOTI?
PRK: As far as I heard until now: a "merger" of HOOR and the "Caliphate" seems very unlikely.
XXX: Never suggested a merger. I would operate as a go between guy and communicater between the two.
PRK: Certainly, the SOTO does not "allow" dual membership.
XXX: Putting it mildly?
PRK: The alleged "friendly" contacts between the "Caliphate" and the Swiss OTO remains in the minds of the "Caliphate" authorities.
XXX: The Swiss is the actual Germer successor in my mind, got the current address?
PRK: That sounds great, but why do I "receive" similar reactions as those of the SOTO? Do you have any source/prove of the interests of the TOTO?
XXX: Other than Nema and the Brasilian director of the Nu-Isis lodge? No. I will investigate further for you. I will be sending my latest debate with Billy H shortly, as soon as it is finished.
XXX: To imply a true OTO is to create all kinds of ugliness. I shall explain
XXX: 1. Factually, did all the Countries under the Aegis of OTO recognize Grady as OHO. Not just the USA, but Europe too. To my Knowledge this is not so, I seem to remember a man named Herman Metzger being elected OHO in Switzerland.
BH: To this day, no one has come forward with documentation authorizing leadership of OTO other than Hymenaeus Alpha and his successor.
XXX: 2. That the OTO is something that can be owned, like a Chorch can be owned, exam. Sub Genii. This is not possible, One can not own an egregore of information, which can be tapped if the Hollow One works hard enough.
BH: Where do you get this idea? OTO is a membership organization. It has legal existance and a roll of members. It is not a Jungian archetype.
XXX: 3. Let us keep Motta out of this, his claims to OHO are not necesarily substantial, but he got the work done, SOTO is a true OTO, though not a lineal successor.
BH: SOTO turned out not to be OTO. Aside from the fact that it wasn't remotely structured like OTO, there was no authority to use the name or assume control of the entity. Motta was not in fact ever a member of OTO.
XXX: 5. Kenny. His OTO is the A.·. A.·. now, he is an Imperator not an OHO. Still a true OTO though. Expelled, so what, he gets the work done and is unique, wow a white light left hand path, never would have thought of it. I call this New Isis Lodge, not OTO. I have a friend in Brasil who signs his Letters Brasilian Director of New Isis Lodge, OTO. He explained it as a Reference to the whole order, approved by Grant. [PRK: see above]
BH: This is a fantasy combined with small bits of the past. "A true OTO" has no meaning. "OTO" is a specific entity.
XXX: There is no one true OTO, via self initiation and empowerment of Egregore for future intitiation rituals to be used by the order, establishing a Purer Magickal current and access to future egregore, from all these orders, united under one aegis, Thelema and the A.·. A.·. if there are any Secret Chiefs. Many doors and one path.
BH: OTO has nothing whatever to do with invisible Secret Chiefs. Now you have the Golden Dawn in the act.
XXX: if I need to elucidate, please harras me.
BH: Right, let's consider that we've all belched and get on with discussions that don't have such worn edges.
XXX: Bill, this whole letter was meant to make a point, that who the true OTO is does not matter and we should all concentrate on the work, as Don pointed out (hi Don, tell Maggie Hello) Is the work being done is all I ask, if so, that is all that matters. To the lay men, OTO= Thelema, we know differently as there are non-Thelemic OTOs out there. The 93 Current is important to all and we should quit worrying about the True OTO and start expanding the current. I AM Pro Caliphate after all.
BH: Understood, although I have my itchy-rash now and then on things like "93 current" — too simple and too prone to fluff. The difficulty with some usage on "OTO" has to do with mundane legality. What does sex and trademark have in common? If you don't use it, you loose it. — and for trademark, that means you have to preserve identity of the term or symbol to a particular. Similar problems for legal entity organizations — if you can't be precise about who's on or off the bus, it doesn't roll as far as mundane law is concerned.
XXX: As all churches are. The OTO taps into a current, magickal in Nature via Ritual. The initiation rituals are the best examples of this. It implies that the OTO owns the 93 curret, which it does not, "the law is for all"
BH: Mystical water rights confused with rites for elemental water? OTO has never claimed exclusivity to Thelema or even a brand of it. "Tap in" isn't accurate either for OTO. OTO "accepted" Thelema. That is a very different idea. The former indicates utility while the latter affirms duty.
XXX: As B*** pointed out, it is structured on the old scale, not in print. Motta was not a member but in name, no legal documents or such. You and I have discussed this issue extensively. I am saying that wether SOTO was or was not an OTO it is a successor as Motta and his Successors in HOOR tapped into the current as much as the "true" OTO.
BH: Here, we enter into a question of opinion, not only definition of terms. Motta stated under oath in court that he only considered his OTO claims after he learned of Crowley's Last Will and intent to give copyright to OTO. How one interprets that is a matter of many complex things. Also, "successor" is a loaded word. What Motta did is significant, part worthy of respect and part a warning of the pit falls and dangers of being drawn to fulfillment of one's will, consciously or not. It is consequent, but "Successor" is not the same thing. The term implies "one-true-and-only".
XXX: I agree, but does ownership matter. No one owns the Rites of Freemasonry and it's secrets. True OTO does have mild meaning. Egregore, which some have said can not be created, is vitally important to initiation. This is where the Secret Chiefs come in from Motta's perspective.
BH: The Rites of Freemasonry are owned. Lawsuits have been won and lost in that question. "True OTO" signifies many things, from the equivalent to rightly labeled on down to artificially flavored. Egregores are always created, although there is a philosophical distinction regarding the nature and possibility of that creation/Creation.
XXX: the Motta A.·. A.·. so i see the need for a link between the two orders.
BH: There is. Has been since the 1970's, even though Motta didn't like it and fought it to the last breath. The link is external, but real.
XXX: A question, if the OTO does not claim a link to the A.·. A.·. and the Secret Chiefs, why does The OTO publish the Equinox, the official organ of the A.·. A.·.? Why is volume III number 10 dedicated to the OTO, not the A.·. A.·.? Some one please ELUCIDATE!
BH: The Equinox has also been an official organ of OTO, since the latter part of Volume I. OTO, under Crowley and more completely since Crowley became OHO of OTO, has supported A.·. A.·. and enjoyed a fraternal relation with that Order. However, A.·. A.·. does not direct OTO or vice versa. Members in common are not noted, and the internal work of each is separate from the other. I sometimes act as a spokesman for OTO, but I cannot do that for A.·. A.·. 93 93/93 Bill
XXX: 1. Factually, did all the Countries under the Aegis of OTO recognize Grady as OHO. Not just the USA, but Europe too. To my Knowledge this is not so, I seem to remember a man named Herman Metzger being elected OHO in Switzerland.
BH: To this day, no one has come forward with documentation authorizing leadership of OTO other than Hymenaeus Alpha and his successor.
XXX: Bill, this whole letter was meant to make a point, that who the true OTO is does not matter and we should all concentrate on the work, as Don pointed out (hi Don, tell Maggie Hello) Is the work being done is all I ask, if so, that is all that matters. To the lay men, OTO= Thelema, we know differently as there are non-Thelemic OTOs out there. The 93 Current is important to all and we should quit worrying about the True OTO and start expanding the current. I AM Pro Caliphate after all.
XXX: 2. That the OTO is something that can be owned, like a Chorch can be owned, exam. Sub Genii. This is not possible, One can not own an egregore of information, which can be tapped if the Hollow One works hard enough.
BH: Where do you get this idea? OTO is a membership organization. It has legal existance and a roll of members. It is not a Jungian archetype.
XXX: As all churches are. The OTO taps into a current, magickal in Nature via Ritual. The initiation rituals are the best examples of this. It implies that the OTO owns the 93 curret, which it does not, "the law is for all"
XXX: 3. Let us keep Motta out of this, his claims to OHO are not necesarily substantial, but he got the work done, SOTO is a true OTO, though not a lineal successor.
BH: SOTO turned out not to be OTO. Aside from the fact that it wasn't remotely structured like OTO, there was no authority to use the name or assume control of the entity. Motta was not in fact ever a member of OTO.
XXX: As B*** pointed out, it is structured on the old scale, not in print. Motta was not a member but in name, no legal documents or such. You and I have discussed this issue extensively. I am saying that wether SOTo was or was not an OTO it is a successor as Motta and his Successors in HOOR tapped into the current as much as the "true" OTO.
XXX: 5. Kenny. His OTO is the A.·. A.·. now, he is an Imperator not an OHO. Still a true OTO though. Expelled, so what, he gets the work done and is unique, wow a white light left hand path, never would have thought of it. I call this New Isis Lodge, not OTO. I have a friend in Brasil who signs his Letters Brasilian Director of New Isis Lodge, OTO. He explained it as a Reference to the whole order, approved by Grant.
BH: This is a fantasy combined with small bits of the past. "A true OTO" has no meaning. "OTO" is a specific entity.
XXX: I agree, but does ownership matter. No one owns the Rites of Freemasonry and it's secrets. True OTO does have mild meaning. Egregore, which some have said can not be created, is vitally important to initiation. This is where the Secret Chiefs come in from Motta's perspective.
XXX: There is no one true OTO, via self initiation and empowerment of Egregore for future intitiation rituals to be used by the order, establishing a Purer Magickal current and access to future egregore, from all these orders, united under one aegis, Thelema and the A.·. A.·. if there are any Secret Chiefs. Many doors and one path.
BH: OTO has nothing whatever to do with invisible Secret Chiefs. Now you have the Golden Dawn in the act.
XXX: Notice the "if there are". Personally, I see them as our HGA. Any way, as I stated, this letter is meant to make a point, to quit the belching as you said and get a new topic. Drug induced writing on my part did not help, thusly the Harrasing aspect of this letter, you harrased, I answered. I am proudly part of the Motta A.·. A.·. so i see the need for a link between the two orders. A question, if the OTO does not claim a link to the A.·. A.·. and the Secret Chiefs, why does The OTO publish the Equinox, the official organ of the A.·. A.·.? Why is volume III number 10 dedicated to the OTO, not the A.·. A.·.? Some one please ELUCIDATE!
BH: Right, let's consider that we've all belched and get on with discussions that don't have such worn edges.
XXX: As is the usual case, I agree with you in most respects, even those above, just illustrating my points about the work...
BH: Understood, although I have my itchy-rash now and then on things like "93 current" — too simple and too prone to fluff.
XXX: I agree with this as well, I have fluffy wicca friends who imply a lot of things about the word current. Thelema itself, by nature is prone to fluff.
BH: The difficulty with some usage on "OTO" has to do with mundane legality. What does sex and trademark have in common? If you don't use it, you loose it. — and for trademark, that means you have to preserve identity of the term or symbol to a particular.
XXX: Understood, I have tm on several Characters from my old comic books from 92.
BH: Similar problems for legal entity organizations — if you can't be precise about who's on or off the bus, it doesn't roll as far as mundane law is concerned.
XXX: Of course, but does the law take into account for the Secret Societies who want to control the world, other than Freemasons. =)
BH: Mystical water rights confused with rites for elemental water? OTO has never claimed exclusivity to Thelema or even a brand of it.
XXX: Do you hold (c) on Liber Legis and the other Holy Books? They are he foundation points of Thelema after all...
BH: "Tap in" isn't accurate either for OTO. OTO "accepted" Thelema. That is a very different idea. The former indicates utility while the latter affirms duty.
XXX: Did 666 not rewrite the old rituals to conform to symbolism in Liber AL in the 20's ev? Symbols are what causes tapping into Currents, such as the OTO or Golden Dawn. Please correct me if I am wrong, are the initiation rituals of the OTO Thelemic in Nature?
BH: Here, we enter into a question of opinion, not only definition of terms. Motta stated under oath in court that he only considered his OTO claims after he learned of Crowley's Last Will and intent to give copyright to OTO.
XXX: This is true, but changes of Heart do occur, especially after a great loss. If Motta had won? Who Knows and who cares, blame it on the government I say.
BH: How one interprets that is a matter of many complex things. Also, "successor" is a loaded word. What Motta did is significant, part worthy of respect and part a warning of the pit falls and dangers of being drawn to fulfillment of one's will, consciously or not. It is consequent, but "Successor" is not the same thing. The term implies "one-true-and-only".
XXX: That would be an Heir Bill. The heir to the OTO is an oft controversial topic, as evidenced here. My meaning by successor is that Motta, while being a greedy fuck, did the work. He ad few students, but those he had became great men. Bill Breeze ring any bells? How Bout Wasserman? Eschelman? Most of the Caliphate Hierarchy is Motta's former students. HE WAS DOING THE WORK! That is all that matters, even AC said that
BH: The Rites of Freemasonry are owned. Lawsuits have been won and lost in that question.
XXX: My god! What a world, I am sorry, I was wrong. Fighting over a stupid thing like who owns a ritual, sheesh, how trite.
BH: "True OTO" signifies many things, from the equivalent to rightly labeled on down to artificially flavored. Egregores are always created, although there is a philosophical distinction regarding the nature and possibility of that creation/Creation.
XXX: Agreed.
BH: There is. Has been since the 1970's, even though Motta didn't like it and fought it to the last breath. The link is external, but real.
XXX: Dates back farther than that. AC felt that initiates of the IX° should also be adeptus within of the A.·. A.·. and the XI° should be Magister Templi, thusly, Motta's link to the A.·. A.·. In my lineagte, it is feel that the OTO is the outer arm of the A.·. A.·. when OTO lost a MT head, the OTO fell. HOOR was enabled by Motta after he lost the court case of 1985. He died and 939 carried on.
BH: The Equinox has also been an official organ of OTO, since the latter part of Volume I. OTO, under Crowley and more completely since Crowley became OHO of OTO, has supported A.·. A.·. and enjoyed a fraternal relation with that Order. However, A.·. A.·. does not direct OTO or vice versa. Members in common are not noted, and the internal work of each is separate from the other. I sometimes act as a spokesman for OTO, but I cannot do that for A.·. A.·.
XXX: Of course you can. The A.·. A.·. is not truly an Order, but The Universal Unconcious, yea you may speak for it in this sense., But the order itdself? nay, nor can I.
The rival claims by Grady Louis McMurtry and Marcelo Ramos Motta for leadership of the American O.T.O. ended in a court case. As a result, McMurtry rid himself of Motta and his claims to be the Outer Head of the Order (OHO).
A detailed overview of the dispute with the ‘Caliphate’ can be found in the History of a Whitewash. More legal details are available under Lawyers, Historians and the ‘Caliphate’.
