Newsgroups: alt.magick Subject: Re: Kings' Secret Rituals of the OTO Message-ID: <2mge01$h71@search01.news.aol.com> From: bheidrick@aol.com (B Heidrick) Date: 19 Mar 1994 21:56:01 -0500 Sender: news@search01.news.aol.com Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) NNTP-Posting-Host: search01.news.aol.com 93 Some points, maybe a little like a FAQ, s.v.p. 1) Why the O.T.O. insists on keeping the O.T.O. initiation rituals secret, and what is in the rituals. Although it is not the principal reason for secrecy, O.T.O. does feel that most candidates for initiation would have a diminished experience if they knew the ritual beforehand. O.T.O. initiation rituals have always been taken as drama best served cold. There are particular points of surprise and crisis that make for a better result. Some would find it better to know in advance. My experience of several hundred candidates in initiations where I was an officer indicates to me that surprise is better. O.T.O. will, however, on request by a candidate, provide the text of oaths to be taken before the actual ceremony. There is no particular concern that anyone would come to astral harm through such foreknowledge, beyond diminishment of the experience. If the candidate doesn't get it, the candidate doesn't get it. Retaining surprise helps the candidate get the point. At least as important is attending initiations of other people after one's own. The secrets of the initiations are formal, not substantial. They are limited to word, grip, sign and the actual dramatic flow of the presentation. The knowledge is freely available outside these rites: Yarker's "Arcane Schools" details the fundamental principles of these and other initiations. Scottish Rite rituals published in the 19th century contain all the action with a different myth found in the O.T.O. initiations, as well as some of the words and signs. Add a good book on Kundilini Yoga, and you've got everything but the literal language of the O.T.O. initiations themselves. If that isn't enough, Crowley's Kundalini method is in Liber Reguli and the IXth degree secret is all over MT&P: e.g. Gnostic Mass, Grimorum Sanctissimum, formula of Thelema &c. Let those who have eyes to read, read. Crowley took the Craft Masonic rites, Scottish rites and a dash of Thelema. He cut by 80%, added a sprinkle of new words and seasoned with Yoga to taste. The myth moved from Hiram to a Sufi. Six drafts later (that I have seen anyway), the O.T.O. initiation rituals were done. To sum up: The words, grips and signs change with different implementations, as do the actual sequence and flow of the scripts --- those matters should remain private as long as the organizations using them are still viable, working and need proprietary secrecy to do their thing. The functional elements are and should remain public property, available to all. That's O.T.O.'s working view of initiation ritual secrecy. Although I can certainly understand wanting to look at active ritual scripts, even sympathize to an extent, I won't accede to it. The publication of an incomplete and inaccurate form of our rituals by F.King (replace the period with two letters, if you like) and the 19th century publication of AASR rituals both annoy me greatly. Having them, I read them. Having read them, I lost about as much as I gained. 2) Less obvious reasons for secrecy: A. Preventing fraudulent use of the rituals. This has been a major problem for O.T.O. Some groups and individuals have pretended to be O.T.O. with consequent damage to our reputation through introduction of violence or improper demands. B. To avoid being a laughing stock --- out of context and without adequate preparation, many initiation rituals appear ridiculous and even superstitious. C. Avoiding libel --- quoted out of context, certain parts of initiation rituals, especially symbolic "penalties of breach of oath" have furnished material for defamation. D. Avoiding a dramatic breach --- somewhat similar to #1 above in some areas. Certain initiations are intended to instill confusion at contradiction as integral parts of later initiations. Without this state of "floating mind", it is difficult to introduce the next stage. Reading the initiations through does not provide for these sequential moments of crisis. E. Avoidance of violation of the Tao, minding one's own business. 3. Relation of duties to degrees. Some of the intermediate degrees(e.g. Senate, E.C., SGIG) Do carry administrative or other duties. Some carry voting rights (e.g. VIIIth). Not everybody who continues up gets all of those, skipping some of the optional intermediate degrees is more common than taking them. You can't be an SGIG if you aren't a VIIth, but you don't have duties of inspection if all you are is a VIIth. The Grand Master can be raised directly to Xth from Minerval, and at least one was so raised from IVth degree. The GTG and GSG can be of any degree, although higher degrees are preferred for practical reasons involved in giving orders to IXth Deg. initiators and the like. Some degrees grant the right but not the duty to sit on tribunals -- if not recused for conflict of interest in a particular case. 4. Purging Masonry from O.T.O. initiation rituals. No. We just try to remove conflicts between O.T.O. and established masonic groups. Why would we want to throw out the best part of our heritage? O.T.O. is social and religious by nature. The traditions of Masonic Charges going (perhaps) back before Athelstan are essential to our nature. These predate speculative Masonry, and furnish our fraternal rights and obligations in clear and tested form. Crowley added Thelema and attempted to reduce the accumulation of ages to a more functional and simple state. Thelema belongs to everybody who embraces it. O.T.O., as what Crowley called an "Academia Masonica", would lose its identity without Lodges and all the rest. 5. E.G.C. ='s Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, the Gnostic Catholic Church --- brought into O.T.O. by Papus, head of O.T.O. for France. Crowley's Gnostic Catholic Mass is the principle worship rite of O.T.O. 6. O.T.O. rituals by reading. O.T.O. contends that initiation through it's rituals is impossible unless either the rituals are performed in the flesh or the candidate is already started (self-initiated) in the manner intended. In addition, O.T.O. does not at present grant membership in Degrees without actual, physical initiation --- Crowley did not always observe this last requirement, but we do at this time. 7. Conflicts between AASR and OTO. The use of titles conferred but not worked is a potential conflict. As far as I know, there hasn't been any problem. O.T.O. does not purport to confer membership in AASR, but Crowley's language in the rituals leaves an ambiguity. Reuss and Thompson did claim to confer AASR degrees, and that was stopped in the 1920s e.v. In fairness, most of these titles existed in irregular and York Masonry before there was an AASR --- at least according to Yarker and some other sources. Of course, Yarker was kicked out of AASR .... 8. Entrance into higher O.T.O. degrees. O.T.O. was designed by Crowley's revision to have Vth degree as the natural stopping place. Above there, specialized work begins for the benefit of the Order. Most members on good report will eventually be invited to Vth degree. Most members evidencing an interest and desire will eventually get to VIth. Beyond that, it's demonstrate ability or don't hold your breath. Not many IVth degree O.T.O. members show an interest in getting to Vth, let alone higher. Can't say I blame them. The secrets of the higher degrees can be found in so many places that it hardly pays to work for them unless you have a real vocation for becoming a hermit priest/ess. 9. Why bottom heavy is good. Higher degree O.T.O. membership is supposed to exist solely for the service that can be offered to the lower degree members and for benefit to society as a whole. Too many chiefs make for bummers among the braves. Although 1.5% is a tad pin-headed for the Order's upper profile, we are working on it. For 40 years, it was just Minerval to IIIrd and then maybe IXth. Restoring the dormant IVth through VIIIth has been a slow process --- of necessity the first generation to reopen these degrees had to be picked carefully and even then tends to have a high failure rate initially. Higher Degree O.T.O. members do get some of the perks mentioned in Crowley's "Blue Equinox" accounts, but nothing like he envisioned. Most of those perks are just to cover necessities of high degree obligations, including magical retirement and counseling duties. 10. Personal omission. When I said I joined O.T.O. for life, love and liberty, I omitted "Light" intentionally. At the time I thought I knew damn all more than O.T.O. could teach me. Live and learn ;-}. Laughter comes with the package automatically, as long as you hang out with Thelemites. 11. O.T.O. rituals as nicely done examples. A matter of taste. If you feel so, as do some but not all O.T.O. members, don't kill the goose that lays the eggs. (what's a smiley for "teasing"?) 12. Time of advancement between degrees. By option: Minerval and Ist can usually be taken together, although some local O.T.O. groups want to see 9 months between. Up into IIIrd at full speed generally takes about 21 months. IIIrd to IVth about a year to 1.5 years. IVth to Vth is not unusual in two or three years. Above that it depends on performance and volunteering. Some have gone from Minerval to IXth through all intermediate degrees in seven years, but that's rare. About 1/3 who are invited to the degrees above IVth and PI decline, at least for a time. 13. OTO and A.'.A.'. about the same. No. OTO is social. A.'.A.'. is each-one-teach-one. OTO uses Kundalini Yoga, and therefore must employ actual presence initiations. A.'.A.'., as a descendent(or perfection?) of the G.'.D.'., uses the Qabalistic Tree of life, with most initiation ceremonies even more private and simple than those of O.T.O. The difference is about like that between snakes and doves. 14. Threats of legal action. It is a crime to threaten legal action directly and gratuitously to black-mail people into doing or not doing certain things. Warnings and legal action via attorneys are the appropriate courses of action. Blame the Romans; they introduced this irritating business into Western Culture. It is not improper to ask someone to respect rights of ownership according to the culture and laws of the land. 15. Secrecy in Oaths. All obligations to keep secret the content of the initiations are set forth directly in oaths of initiation. Additional obligations to inform members of private slander, to care for one's own health in the area of maintaining free will and to protect privacy are also either set forth directly in the oaths of initiation or through discussions of matters implicit in the oaths. 16. O.T.O. excessive in regard to secrecy. Flame away. No substantive and impersonal secrecy is ever justified against people ready to receive knowledge. No private high-diddle-diddle need ever be told for simple satisfaction of curiosity. If I know and have the time to answer, I will be happy to disclose any impersonal secret I possess to anyone who shows me they can follow my mutterings --- except for the particular O.T.O. degrees, the particular language and the particular people who own or participate in ceremonial use of that secret. :-O 93 93/93 Bill Heidrick.