Ordo Templi Orientis Phenomenon
Censorship and Inquisition

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"Nobody Expects the Caliphate Inquisition!"

1. Introduction: Schism as Ritual Form

The year 1996 marks a curious chapter in the history of the 'Caliphate' O.T.O. — either a nadir or a climax, depending on one’s preferred tragic register. David and Irene Fraenkl-Rietti, once loyal members in London, became the subject of an internal inquisition led by Grand Inquisitor Ben Fernee.

This pseudo-judicial process was far more than administrative housekeeping — it was a symbolic drama about legitimacy, authority, and the ownership of lines, initiations, and the 'Caliph's Word.

2. Tribunal and Transcript: The Rietti Affair

The main document, chronicles the encounter. The Riettis demanded transparency and fairness; what they received was a rigid apparatus of enforcement. Joe Collins summarized:

"They chose the battlefield, they set the time, date, and manner of the visit […] It was a good old-fashioned mediæval witch-hunt!"

Ben Fernee, for his part, later withdrew in humility:

"I am wiser now. That is not to say that I am wise, just that I was very unwise."

3. The O.T.O. Foundation: Counter-Myth as Counter-History

The Riettis responded with the founding of the O.T.O. Foundation, complete with their own IX° system, clear initiatic policy, and a rejection of remote rituals:

"Remote initiation […] is absurd, impossible and invalid."

4. Postscript of Parody: Bryony Murds and the Absurd

Independent of the internal disputes, Bryony Murds — a non-member observing from the sidelines — later offered an ironically stylized reflection on the affair. Framed as a theatrical grotesque in the spirit of Monty Python, her piece transforms the drama into parody, rather than polemic. Her imaginary "Cardinal Benjamino Feendish" intones:

"Our weapons are three in number: surprise, coffee, a tape recorder, and staying up till two in the morning!"

Far from mocking individuals, Murds’ pastiche highlights the inherent theatricality of power rituals within esoteric institutions — especially when their sacral claims are wielded bureaucratically. Her contribution, penned well after the dust had settled, adds a strange kind of clarity: by laughing, one often sees more clearly.

5. Meta-Critique: Initiation, Lineage, Symbol

Internal critics reach beyond the theatre to articulate a deeper disillusionment. The mysteries, they argue, are known; what remains is hierarchical theatre and symbolic exhaustion. One comment cuts particularly deep:

"Leaving a thing does not fully sever the link to it, rather it must also leave you."

The Riettis, Fernee, Collins — all become characters in a drama that simultaneously uplifts and undermines its own mythos.

6. Conclusion: The 'Caliphate' Inquisition as Ritual Mirror

Whether revenge, exorcism, satire, or bureaucratic pageantry — the 1996 inquisition against the Riettis reveals a structural tension within Thelemic culture: between esoteric seriousness and institutional absurdity.

7. Epilogue: A Letter from the Ashes

Not every witness to the drama of 1996 parted ways with gratitude or reverence. Marcelo Santos, a former initiate of the broader Thelemic field, left behind a bitter and vividly worded account of his encounter with the O.T.O. Foundation. Writing in late 1999, he recounts his impressions with theatrical disgust:

"Ridiculous!!! ... After wasting three hours ... He ejaculates upon the cakes upon the altar and distributes the disgusting thing between the candidates, telling them to eat it. (Of course, I only pretended I was chewing, and threw that piece of cake under the chair...)"

Santos had expected distance from the 'Caliphate'. Instead, he encountered what he saw as a redundant echo:

"I was somehow upset when I saw that the OTO-F still used the same rituals as the Caliphate."

For Santos, there was no saving grace in derivative solemnity. What he experienced was, in his words, “masturbating before the mirror” — a theatre of self-importance and recycled sacraments. His response was neither polemic nor parody, but disgusted exit:

"After that, I just said goodbye to the Order."

All quotes and materials drawn from internal correspondence, published testimonies, and archival collections curated by the author.

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