Gabriel Montenegro Vargas + the European Thelemites

Introduction

It is said that Gabriel Montenegro [y] Vargas (Zoëpiron, Theòpilos, 1907–1969), who had received teachings from priests of the Toltec Indians, led the Mexican F.R.A.. In 1948, he was initiated into Crowley's O.T.O. (2nd Agape Lodge). Montenegro visited Metzger's O.T.O. in Stein, Switzerland, in 1967, which was “indeed a little bit of heaven”.

While in Switzerland, Montenegro was appointed by H.J. Metzger as O.T.O. Sovereign for North and South America, as there was no other active O.T.O. lodge on the American continent (Germer had closed the 2nd Agape Lodge in 1953). Montenegro was one of the original IX°s who did not accept McMurtry's claim to O.T.O. supremacy. Montenegro and his partner H.P. Smith (who said, “I agree with brother Monty fully”) wrote to McMurtry concerning his “fantastic claims” about the 'Caliphate' letters allegedly sent to him by Crowley: “There is nothing in it that could be construed in any way, then or henceforth, as intention of appointment to you, as his spiritual and temporal heir as you infer ... you failed to see the point.” (21st November 1960).

From 1966 until his death, Montenegro corresponded with two European Thelemites, members of H.J. Metzger's O.T.O. in Switzerland. Below is his correspondence with Günther Naber (Frater Beatus) in Ueberlingen and later Allensbach, and Walter Englert (Frater Telepharos) in Frankfurt. Englert was responsible for much turmoil within the Fraternitas Saturni and Metzger's O.T.O. — as Naber did not speak English, he had the correspondence translated by X.

Chronological corpus

The old preformatted register has been converted into a proper dossier sequence. The original internal links are retained, with monte.htm as the mother page and the following files as the linked document leaves.