In order to appreciate the depth of the point we are attempting to address here,
we will append some extracts from Letter 61 in Magick Without Tears, by
Aleister Crowley. The letter is titled, "Power and Authority," and explains in
A.C.'s masterful style exactly what we are struggling to convey.
"Imagine, if you can, what I have been through in the last quarter of a
century or more. My subordinates are always asking me for advancement in
the Order; they think that if they were only members of the 266th degree
everything in the garden would be lovely. They think that if they only
possessed the secrets of the 148th degree they would be able to perform all
those miracles which at present escape them.
"These poor fish! They do not understand the difference between Power and
Authority. They do not understand that there are two kinds of degrees,
altogether different.
"For instance, in the theory of the Church of Rome a bishop is a person
on whom has been conferred the magical power to ordain priests. He may
choose a totally unworthy person for such ordination, it makes no
difference; and the priest, however unworthy he may be, has only to go
through the correct formulae which perform the miracle of the Mass, for
that miracle to be performed. This is because in that Church we are
dealing with a religious as opposed to a magical or scientific
qualification. If the Royal Society elected a cobbler, as it could, it
would not empower the New Fellow to perform a boiling-point determination,
or read a Vernier.
"In our own case, though Our authority is at least as absolute as that
of the Pope and the Church of Rome, it does not confer upon me any power
transferable to others by any act of Our will. Our own authority came to
Us because it was earned, and when We confer grades upon other people Our
gift is entirely nugatory unless the beneficiary has won his spurs.
"To put it in a slightly different form of words: Any given degree is, as
it were, a seal upon a precise attainment; and although it may please Us
to explain the secret or secrets of any given degree or degrees to any
particular person or persons, it is not of the slightest effect unless he
or she prove in his or her own person the ability to perform those
functions which all We have done is to give him or her the right to
perform and the knowledge how to perform.
"The further you advance in the Order the more you will find yourself
pestered by people who have simply failed to understand this point of
Magical theory..."
"There is another side to this matter which is really approximating to
the criminal. There are any number of teachers and masters and bishops
and goodness knows what else running around doing what is little better
than peddling grades and degrees and secrets. Such practices are of
course no better than common fraud.
"Please fix it firmly in your mind that with Us any degree, any position
of authority, any kind of rank, is utterly worthless except when it is
merely a seal upon the actual attainment or achievement..."
"I know that it must seem harder to the weaker of the brethren of the
Order that we should make so little appearance of success in the Great
Work to which we are all pledged. It is so universal a convention that
success should be measured by members. People like to feel that they have
hundreds of Lodges from whom they can obtain assistance in moments of
discouragement.
"But a far truer and deeper satisfaction is found when the student has
contentedly gone on with his or her work all by his or her own efforts.
Surely you have had sufficient example in these letters, where in moments
of despair one suddenly awakes to the fact that despite all appearances
one has been watched and guarded from a higher plane. I might say, in fact,
that one such experience of the secret guardianship of the Chiefs of the
Order is worth a thousand apparently sufficient witnesses to the facts."
[4]
12.1.2 The Difficulty of Initiation -
True Initiation is difficult to attain because evolution ordinarily occurs over
long periods of time. An individual attempting to become an Initiate is trying to
quicken the process of evolutionary change, to Will the acceleration of spiritual
development that might otherwise accrue to our species over millennia (or never at
all). The reader seriously interested in these matters is advised to read
Liber LXV Commented, in The Equinox, Vol. V, No. 2. Initiation is
difficult because it is resisted by billions of years of cumulative inertia within
the human being as he or she is currently configured. The animal instrument utilized
by the incarnating Star has evolved into its present form over aeons.
The relentless process of natural selection has served to build up a fit vehicle
for the indwelling of Akasha. Nevertheless, that instrument remains severely
limited. All of the tendencies, all of the instincts, the very nature of the
instrument causes it to remain focused on the grossest levels of material existence.
The focus upon raw survival has held supreme priority for all but a tiny fraction
of the timespan of genus homo. Only within the past 100,000 years or so, out of
some three billion years of evolution, have we developed cognitive capabilities
that permit the evolutionary advance toward Initiation. Consequently, Initiation
is exceedingly difficult. The very being of the Aspirant works against him or her
at every turn. It takes literally a superhuman Will to make any progress on the
task at all. As Mr. Motta once stated, paraphrasing, "If your Will is to achieve
a supernatural result, you must put forth a supernatural effort." If you are
incapable of supernatural effort, that is simply the way it is, and there is no
"cure." It is an unfortunate fact of the human condition. The rest of the Universe
simply does not care about our predicament. If we are to advance as a species, then
we must pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, as it were.
12.1.3 The Possibility of Failure -
The consequence of the enormous difficulty of attaining true Initiation is that
the statistical probability of failure is quite high. Consider that when Aleister
Crowley died in 1947 e.v., after decades of dedicated work as an Instructor, he
had but one Pupil whom he trusted. That was Karl Johannes Germer. Virtually all of
the others who had come and gone over the years were FAILED Pupils. After a lifetime
of work and so many promising starters, only one had truly attained to Initiation
as it was understood by The Master Therion himself. These are sobering odds indeed.
It is imperative that the reader understand, in the context of true Initiation and
the possibility of failure in the attempt, that the following individuals were all
excluded from the circle of The Master Therion as FAILURES: J.F.C. Fuller, Victor
Neuberg, Charles Stansfeld Jones (Frater Achad), Israel Regardie, Wilfred T. Smith
and Jack Parsons, among many others. The following individuals were cut contact with
by Karl Johannes Germer: Kenneth Grant, Joseph Metzger, Grady McMurtry, and Louis
Culling, among others. From the perspective of true Initiation, any works conducted
by the above-named individuals after they were ejected from the circle of the
Instructor are DISEASED in one respect or another. By "diseased," we mean that the
works are highly suspect, whether because they manifest qliphotic influences, confuse
Power for Authority, distort the Holy Books, or incorporate some modification that
reflects a movement away from the pure flowing Thelemic Current toward a dogmatic and
confused parody of the original doctrine.
Failure in the Initiatic Ordeals can take many forms. In virtually every example
listed above, the prime culprit was probably the Ego of the individuals involved.
The faculty that Qabalistic literature calls "Ruach" is part of that recent
apparition of cognitive ability in human evolution that we mentioned above.
(The reader is cautioned that we are intentionally oversimplifying the matter here
for convenience of expression. Once again, we strongly recommend that the serious
student research the matter fully in Liber LXV Commented, The Equinox,
Volume V, No. 2, as well as every other book written by Aleister Crowley and
Marcelo Motta.) True Initiation involves the voluntary dissolution and reintegration
of the Ruach, a process not dissimilar to death. (Cf. Liber LXV, Chapter 5,
verse 52, "...for every step is a death and a birth.") The awakening onto a new level
of consciousness cannot occur without this shift in the Ego. So long as the Ruach
remains dynamic and adjusts to the new parameters, then the genuine Initiatic experience
may result. But if the would-be Initiate's Ego is unwilling or unable to undergo
voluntary dissolution, then it will freeze or become static in some respects. This is
the typical mechanism of Initiatic failure. The Ego, in opposition to the process of
dissolution, will defend itself at all costs. It will stop at no trick, attempt all
conceivable deceptions, and seduce the unwary at every point where vigilance is
relaxed. The Ego simply does not want to submit to any process that will break up
its current state of coalescence. As a result, the student may move along happily
in the Work for months or years without achieving a true Initiation, and the Ego
all the while may continue to manufacture false "Visions," exalted experiences,
illuminations, or whatever. We repeat: a true Instructor is indispensable in
assisting the Pupil to work through these difficulties, but the danger of obsession
is still very great. These kinds of experiences, even the approximations thereto,
are so out of the normal plane of human existence, they threaten to overwhelm
the insufficiently trained mind.
Any number of possible outcomes exist with respect to the Initiatic process. One
may instance the Works of Aleister Crowley, Karl Germer and Marcelo Motta as
exemplifying success in Initiation. With regard to the failures, the symptoms of
the disease are legion. If there is a "least worst" outcome of failure, it would be
the case of the Pupil who merely recognizes his or her failure and goes back to the
normal routine of mundane life. Such individuals may still be better persons for
the experience, but they are simply not Initiates. These sensible types,
unfortunately, are few and far between. The majority of failed students become
insane on some level of their psychosoma, that is, they confuse the planes of
reality. They may crazily believe themselves to be the "next Beast," or the
reincarnation of 666 Himself. Or they may make claims to exalted grades, such as
Magister Templi, Magus or even Ipsissimus, all the while their actual works display
the worst sort of qliphotic nonsense and drivel. Other failures may retain
full functionality on the intellectual planes but become morally insane, that is,
unable to distinguish right from wrong in the commonsense, everyday manner. And
still others may go on to distort the teaching and establish a parody of the original
system.
Let us attempt to enumerate some "danger signals" with respect to Initiatic
failures, and provide examples for comparative purposes:
i. Exalted claims unsupported by actual works. Example: Charles Stansfeld
Jones, once a Neophyte under Crowley in the A.'.A.'., attempted to pass directly
to the Grade of Magister Templi. It became apparent that he had failed to survive
the Crossing of the Abyss. All meaningful Initiatic work by him ceased at that
point, and he became nothing more than an irritant to his Superior. Jones started
publishing works that exhibited symptoms of qliphotic obsession, and it became
gradually more obvious that his Ego had swelled to the bursting point. At one stage,
he went so far as to claim that he had passed A.C. on the Tree of Life and had
become an Ipsissimus! Such a result was possible in theory, of course, but his
works demonstrated that his grip on reality had been seriously compromised by his
Initiatic failure. Jones simply went insane on several levels.
ii. Distortion of the Holy Books. Example: Joseph Metzger, once a student
under Mr. Germer, claimed to be "The Child," and proceeded to deliberately alter
the German translations of Liber AL, Liber LXV and other Thelemic Holy Books.
Such distortion can take many forms, from outright adulteration of the core texts,
to slipshod editing (such as that perpetrated by Israel Regardie), to misuse of
Thelemic salutations. Some individuals unintentionally misspell the Greetings;
others make the changes consciously. Note that all individuals who alter the
Class A material willfully, do so in the belief that they are somehow improving on
the text. This is utter foolishness, and indicative of total confusion of the
planes - which is the same as to say, FAILURE. Such deliberate alterations are due
entirely to the Ego of the individual presuming to alter the text in its own favor.
This is yet another example of the tricks that the Ego will play. All such
"modifications" are intended to make it easier for the Ego to avoid the painful
process of Initiation.
iii. Allegiance to other failures. Example: Grady McMurtry. This individual
was incapable of understanding that Mr. Germer's disapproval of his efforts to
"unite the fragments" of Agape Lodge had nothing to do with any "refusal to
Initiate," but rather everything to do with isolating FAILURES from the Circle of
the Master. McMurtry wanted to get together with W. T. Smith, for example, an
individual who was "chucked out of the Order for good" by Crowley in 1943 e.v.
McMurtry also wanted to make contact with several other people in California, all
of whom were held at a distance by Mr. Germer because they all failed to prove
their worth to the Chief. It is very characteristic that McMurtry's "successor"
published a work in 1986 e.v. that was rife with Initiatic Failures. [82] Consider that
the spurious edition contained material by W.T. Smith, C.S. Jones and J.W. Parsons,
all three of whom were FAILURES, cut contact with by either Crowley or Germer. This
happens because individuals who have failed at the Great Work usually also fail to
acknowledge their failure. Misery loves company, as the saying goes. And once the
sense of morality has been compromised, it is a small matter to accept all kinds of
qliphotic associations.
iv. Confusion of Power and Authority. The prime example is once again Grady
Louis McMurtry, as discussed above. He spent the period from 1947 e.v. through
1962 e.v. clinging to the memory of dead Aleister Crowley, while failing to
support the man chosen as Successor by his dead Master. McMurtry blindly failed
to realize that his little pieces of paper from Aleister Crowley meant nothing
except in the grossest legalistic sense, in the absence of the precise attainment
that went with those titles and Degrees. McMurtry became like a Christist bishop,
believing that £50 and a wax seal in the name of the Accepted Authority would
suffice to guarantee his stature as an Initiate. He never once grasped the true
meaning of Initiation; or if he once did, he had fallen so far from that glimmer
of understanding by the time of the Maine trial, that one can no longer recognize
anything in him but an egotistical and pompous foolishness.
12.2 Some Hard Truths About the World
So far we have spoken of the difficulties facing the Candidate to Initiation
from the perspective of internal problems. The inner resistance of the seeker
after the Mysteries must be conquered in order for success to manifest itself.
We have said nothing, however, about the environmental conditions the seeker may
find himself or herself embedded within. The composition of the society in which
a person lives has a direct impact upon the feasibility of conducting original
theurgic research.
12.2.1 Inertia on a Cultural Level -
The resistance of the Ego is reflected on a sociological level in the varied
cultures of the human species. Some cultures are more open to the pursuit of
Initiation than others (whether we are considering Initiation in the A.'.A.'. sense or
the O.T.O. sense), but all are restrictive in some way or another.
Therefore, the would-be Initiate is not only challenged by his or her own inner
demons, but also by the demons of his or her social reality. In Europe during
the Middle Ages, for example, it was quite impossible to practice magickal or
mystical techniques without immediate risk of being burned alive as a heretic
by the Church of Rome. The tendency for all societies or cultures is to
maintain the status quo at all costs. This is a reflection of the process of
Ego-resistance on a species-wide level. Culture is like a vast coping mechanism,
a creaky machine designed in hodgepodge fashion, improvised in the face of
brutal reality in our harsh world. This culture-machine programs the behavior
of its components with almost industrial efficiency. Entire generations of
people are born into one religion or another, live out their lives, perceive
the Universe through the prescription lenses provided by the priests of their
cult, blindly follow the myths and ceremonies of their religion, and never
question beneath the surface. To the extent that such mechanisms enable people
to cope with life in the harsh world, people cling to these partial and limited
interpretations of the Universe.
When a true Initiate drops into the middle of such a complacent scenario, all
hell immediately breaks loose. The Initiate releases waves of protest about him,
ripples spreading outward in the stagnant water of the society in which he or she
has appeared. Such was the case with Marcelo Motta. Witness the tremendous wave of
attack that swirled about his activities during his recent Incarnation. All one
need do is study the REACTION of the surrounding culture (as represented by such
keepers of the status quo as J. Edgar Hoover, and his counterparts in the CIA,
Shin Beth, etc.) in order to ascertain the common thread between the lives of
Crowley, Germer and Motta. They were Giants who awoke the enmity and desperate
resistance of the social Ego. But this is all merely the breaking-up part of the
process of creative advance. The old must be torn down before the new can be built.
The Work of the O.T.O. lies in erecting a new world that is better than the
old - more ecological, tolerant of diversity and conducive to the pursuit of both
individual and group Initiatic activities - a Thelemic world, in short. To that end,
the introduction of new dogma and the tendency toward theological construction must
be avoided at all costs.
12.2.2 The Agenda of Christism -
It would require a full-length encyclopedia to expound upon the crimes of
the wretched institution that is Christism. We can only refer the reader
to "Letter to a Brazilian Mason," by Marcelo Ramos Motta, as an introduction
to the study of that diseased current in the history of human development.
Our discussion here is limited to the context of the foregoing, where the
Church of Rome provides a clear example of inertia on a sociological scale.
The history of Roman-Alexandrine Christism is the history of oppression in
its most sinister form. That "Church" is totally corrupt and utterly evil.
It is "evil" in the sense that it entirely opposes individual Initiation in
all its forms. Any attempt to "know thyself," to seek the expansion of human
consciousness, to work toward the advance of human evolution, nay, to even
SPEAK of that process of evolution, is met with total condemnation by the
Romish patriarchy. Every movement toward freedom, every glimmer of social
enlightenment, every flowering of artistic creativity has been attacked
ruthlessly and efficiently by the Christist institution centered in Rome. The
goal of Christism has always been complete and total world domination; to that
end it has refined the techniques of murder and terrorism over many long
centuries. (The reader should be reminded that the other organized religions
are corrupt as well; we are merely singling out Christism here as a particularly
foul example. Atrocities are regularly committed by the fanatical devotees of
other faiths. Consider, for example, the infamous Thuggees in India - worshippers
of the goddess Kali - who ritually murdered some two million unsuspecting souls
before the cult was exterminated by the British in the 1800s e.v. The bloodshed
caused by fervent Muslims and their endless "holy war" has washed the sands of
Asia, North Africa and parts of Europe for thirteen hundred years. Nor is
Buddhism free from horrible atrocities, which occur even today in the deadly
violence of Sri Lanka. All these religions are corrupt. Cf. Liber AL iii 50-54.)
Here is an institution that encrusted itself around what was once a living Current
in the world, flowing from the Word of the Magus Dionysus. The true and original
Christian Current (confer "Letter to a Brazilian Mason") led to the Gnostic movement.
The central revelation of the Gnosis was the essential divinity of each human being,
the realization of Godhead in human form. This was the Mystery that Freemasonry
worked to preserve through the darkest periods in human history. See how far the
Church of Rome has descended into stagnation and theology! What started as a dynamic
method of theurgic working soon became a dead philosophy. All of the machinery of
Christism now works toward the restriction of consciousness, the movement away from
anything that might rekindle the Gnosis. This is why the Romish cult fought the
Masons at every turn. On the day that some "holy" individual first held a vicarious
mass - a religious ritual that purported to deny the Godhead of the assembled
congregation and assign it instead to the "priest" at the altar as a mediator for
God - on that day, Christism was born, to the detriment of true Christians everywhere.
12.2.3 The Tactics of Religious Warfare -
Wherever possible, the Roman Church simply executed any would-be Initiates,
usually in the most hideous and painful manner conceivable. The cruelty of
the so-called "Church Fathers" is so enormous in scope that the ordinary mind
can scarcely grasp it. For nearly two thousand years, the slaughter and repression
continued. Only through the work of Initiates such as Cagliostro, John Dee and
others, was the power of Rome eventually weakened sufficiently to permit the
establishment of the true Initiatic Current in Europe once more. Where the
murderous "Fathers" could no longer openly destroy their enemies, they resorted
to covert warfare. The Christists developed the art of psychological warfare
centuries before the science of psychology was developed. As most students of
the Mysteries are well aware, the Masonic Guilds in Medieval Europe provided a
crucible wherein the Great Work could proceed. From the perspective of the
Church of Rome, the destruction of those Guilds was of paramount importance.
One of the most basic tactics in the arsenal of religious warfare is the
infiltration of enemy Lodges, Camps or Guilds. This is done in order to thoroughly
learn the symbols, ceremonies, passwords and terminology of the adversarial group,
and of course, to plant spies within the organization. This would inevitably weaken
the target Lodge or Camp from within and make it more susceptible to further
compromise. In the cases where infiltration was infeasible, or in parallel with
that tactic, the fine art of propaganda was usually employed. When a powerful
institution such as the Romish Church wanted to destroy a particular sect or
squash a budding Initiatic movement, it brought to bear an orchestrated campaign
of disinformation. This included spreading lies and malignant accusations about
the target group with the aim of poisoning the general population against them,
thus depriving them of needed assistance from their fellow citizens. Religious
symbolism was frequently employed to rouse the ire of the populace. (For instance,
vicious rumors might be started that a particular group practiced human sacrifice
or cannibalism, etc. The modern "Satanic cult" scare during the 1980s e.v. is a
classic example of this technique in action. Similar - and totally baseless - rumors
have been started about the O.T.O. on more than one occasion. Also, the true O.T.O.
is frequently blamed for crimes perpetrated by the frauds and impostors. This is
another reason we endeavor throughout this essay to distinguish between the
genuine O.T.O. and its pretenders.)
If the oppressing institution gains a foothold against the new Current, it then
attempts the manipulation and distortion of its core teachings or
methodology. Sacred texts are altered by infiltrators, interpolated editions are
published, and eventually the once-dynamic system of theurgy becomes dogmatic
theology once more, usually a version palatable to the masses. Thus did Joseph
Metzger alter the texts of Liber AL vel Legis, and insist that the priestess
in the Gnostic Mass remain fully clothed. All dogmatic religions begin with such
steps. This eventually happens with all true Initiatic Currents in the evolution
of our species, but the process can be hastened by the Initiatic failures
previously discussed. If the initial attempts at propaganda, infiltration,
manipulation and distortion are successful, the eventual result is complete
co-optation by the "enemy." The symbols of a once-meaningful Current become
materialized in the grossest manner, and the Keys are lost entirely to such
groups or institutions. They become totally corrupt, rotted throughout their
entire structure - morally, intellectually and spiritually dead. This is one
facet of the massive inertia faced by those who seek to alter the destiny
of Humankind.
One additional tactic that must be mentioned is the publication of secret texts
or documents. This is a standard means of undermining the Work of a secret
organization. It is a method that the Romish church has practiced regularly over
the centuries. As Mr. Motta pointed out in his testimony, once the dramatic
rituals of an Initiatic society have been published, they lose Initiatic power.
The truly ironic thing about this is that the Christists are such splendid keepers
of the Letter of their corrupt theology, that they fail to recognize Spirit when
they see it. They keep publishing the rituals of Initiatic organizations that
they are successful at infiltrating. But the Initiates keep changing the rituals!
The O.T.O. itself was originally conceived as a quasi-Masonic society, a repository
of the knowledge that had been preserved throughout the ages. True secrets cannot
be published, and so when an Initiatic organization is compromised by corruption
and failure, the Initiates merely move on to Work under other forms or guises.
This has happened repeatedly throughout history, except the Christist mockers are
too blind to see the futility of their efforts. They lost the battle forever, on
April 8, 9 and 10, 1904 e.v., noon to one o'clock Cairo time. Yet they fail to
acknowledge their failure, pretending to hold fast to their sickly power, all the
while slowly (from our perspective, cf. Liber LXV, Chapter 5, verse 57)
dissolving in the new Current that is the Aeon of Horus the Crowned and Conquering
Child. Meanwhile, they still continue to make trouble for unwary acolytes as well as
for Initiates.
The publication of The Secret Rituals of the O.T.O. was a recent example of
this type of tactic. Whether it was implemented by Christists directly or by
individuals of other religious persuasion is not relevant here. Suffice it to say
that the publication of those Rituals was yet another naive attempt to destroy the
Work of true Initiates in the world. One of the reasons it is easy to tell that
Grady McMurtry was a failed Initiate was that he failed to grasp this fundamental
truth. His followers continue to use those neutralized rituals today. They openly
scoffed at an effort by a legitimate Initiate to revitalize the dramatic rituals of
the Order. But then, even at that stage, perhaps they had already been fully absorbed
by the diseased remnants of the Dead Aeon, and never understood the true purpose of
those rituals from the beginning of their misadventure.
12.3 Some Anticipated Objections
The reader may have reacted to the foregoing material in any number of ways,
depending on his or her temperament, depth of understanding, Initiatic
experience, and so on. An individual already aware of the quality and importance
of Mr. Motta's work should need no further admonishment from us about the dangers
of associating with fakers and pretenders. But others may require amplification.
In this subsection, we shall try to cover some potential objections to the
positions taken herein. This will certainly not be an exhaustive or comprehensive
list, but will treat of three major patterns of response that may be formulated
by various individuals.
12.3.1 The Argument from Freedom -
Study of the Law of Thelema brings with it an abhorrence of blind obedience. A
person who has started to fathom and absorb the writings of The Master Therion,
and who has started to resonate with some of the verses in one or more of the
Holy Books may deeply resent the attempt by Mr. Motta to chart the course of
Thelema. "Thelema is against slavery in all its forms," says the reasoner, "and
it certainly seems like Mr. Motta was intent on enslaving people to his Will, so
how can that be for me? Certainly, 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the
Law' means that I am free to reject such restriction, and not be considered
profane, unholy, or a 'failure' just because I happen to believe that I can
discover my own Will without having to obey some 'authority' in Thelema." They
may even quote thus from Liber AL, "The word of Sin is Restriction." This point
of view is the natural reaction of an individual who has absorbed Thelema to
the extent that they have begun to fight off the fetters of slavery. A healthy
skepticism toward authority is one of the initial benefits of the development
of the Thelemic attitude. So far so good. All of the statements made by our
imaginary objector are true within their own universe of discourse. The key
is "universe of discourse." Quite simply: "the Law is for all." And this
means that the individual is free to practice all of those human rights
espoused in Liber OZ.
The danger begins, however, when the view is improperly applied to a different
universe of discourse. In the Society Ordo Templi Orientis International, for
example, the Candidate who successfully passes the Ordeals of the I° becomes a
Member of that Degree by virtue of a Contract Letter Patent. This is a legal
agreement between the Member and his or her Lodge Master. The Lodge Master's own
authority derives from his or her contract with the regional Director, who in
turn receives authority from the Supervisor General of the Order. The Contract
Letter Patent defines the rights and duties of the Member. That Member is free to
leave the association at any time he or she feels that the agreement is no longer
beneficial; but so long as he or she stays, he or she is bound by the rules of
that Contract. Theoretically, it is the Will of the Member to contribute his or
her efforts to the larger aims of the Order, and he or she recognizes the benefits
of such an association. But along with this arrangement comes the Ordeal of
Hierarchic discipline. Once a Member voluntarily leaves the Order or is expelled
for conduct unbecoming (that is, for breaking the terms of the Contract Letter
Patent), then the contract has been terminated. The ex-Member is then free to
return to the pursuit of other interests without any further interference from
the Hierarchy. Similar principles apply to the relationship between Instructor
and Pupil in the A.'.A.'.. The student is free to leave at any time; and once
contact has been cut, the Instructor will never again "interfere" in the affairs
of that individual.
12.3.2 All Works in the Name of Thelema are Valid -
Another common (and naive) interpretation of "Do what thou wilt shall be the
whole of the Law" is this: "Any group or individual that chooses to call itself
the O.T.O., or pattern itself after the A.'.A.'. is automatically valid
according to the central doctrine of Thelema itself. So long as people are
working in the spirit of Thelema, the work is justified. If their individual
efforts work for themselves , then that work is justified. It is against Thelema
itself to attempt the restriction of such activities." Again, "the Law is for
all." This is one plane of discourse. It is an entirely different universe of
discourse to speak of A.'.A.'. Grades and O.T.O. Degrees. Consider the
difference between Power and Authority, which A.C. felt was so very important
a lesson to learn. If an individual claims to be a IX° member of the O.T.O.,
as Grady McMurtry claimed, it is a terrible error to believe that his work was
beneficial to Thelema merely for that reason alone. McMurtry, in other words,
had authority in the most materialistic sense, in the form of the "paid-up"
receipt, and the conditional authorizations. But this is an entirely different
universe of discourse from saying that he was a true Initiate of the Sanctuary
of the Gnosis. To confuse the two is to mix up two entirely different planes.
The chief problem here is that an individual claiming to speak on behalf of
Thelema can definitely mislead people, generate dogma, distort the methodology,
and ultimately contribute to the general slide from theurgy to theology
experienced ultimately by all Initiatic Currents.This naive view - that all works
in the name of Thelema are necessarily valid - totally ignores the reality of
theurgic working, that is, once more it confuses the planes. It is imperative
to understand that the overwhelming tendency is for a living, breathing, dynamic
system of theurgy to become a dying, restrictive, static system of theology.
Individual resistance and societal resistance to the new Current work together
to dilute, distort, defile, or otherwise nullify the effect of the dynamic influx.
We need only instance the historical example of Islam. As founded by the Magus
known to history as Mohammed, Islam was originally a dynamic Current in the world.
(Cf. Liber Aleph, Ch. 74.) The living wisdom of Mohammed eventually became
codified in the Qu'ran, but there was an Initiatic aspect to his teaching that was
embodied by the Sufi movement. Certain Sufi Masters worked within the living
Current of the Magus Mohammed, and transmitted that Current down through history.
But these were few indeed. The exoteric forms of organized Islamic religion quickly
degenerated into dogma. Within less than a hundred years of the death of the founder,
an orthodox school of Islamic theology had appeared. Proponents of this orthodox
view held that the Qu'ran was "uncreated," that the verses had been inscribed in
the "seventh heaven" from the beginning of all time. In other words, the living
Word of Mohammed was refused by these theologians in favor of their static mental
image of the Qu'ran as an eternal work. They were apparently incapable of realizing
that even divinely inspired words are subject to the limitations of the minds
receiving or transmitting those words. The distortions caused by fanatical
adherence to theological interpretations of the Qu'ran are still evident today
in the restrictive nature of all Islamic societies, which tend to severely infringe
upon the rights of the human being as expressed in Liber OZ.
The reason, in still other words, that all groups working in the name of Thelema
are NOT necessarily valid or beneficial to our species is because many of them
are infested with budding theologians. We must amplify this point considerably.
The "Caliph" organization provides a classic example. The reader has already seen
that the entire affair is based upon a few scraps of paper, plus an endorsement
from a Federal "judge." The individuals who lead this group today are quite proud
of that victory in the 1985 e.v. court case. But the reader has already seen the
utter hypocrisy of the Plaintiffs, their persistent misstatements under oath,
their scheming against one another, and their total lack of Initiatic
understanding. It is no great surprise therefore that the "Caliph" crew clings
desperately to that legal decision. It does not matter to them that it was bought
at the price of deliberate treachery on the part of McMurtry. It does not matter to
them that it was bought at the price of a lawsuit against a fellow member of the
IX°, and that they had to deny that Brother while under oath. It does not matter
to them that the man who "judged" in their favor knew less than nothing about
Thelema and Initiation. It does not matter to them that they have been "blessed"
by a government that is loathed throughout the world for its heavy-handed
interference in foreign cultures, and equally despised at home for its corrupt
manipulation of domestic politics. No, they still pridefully display their legal
"victory," as though it has somehow made a difference to their legitimacy in the
Court of Ra-Hoor-Khuit.
The reader must strive to understand that the above is a precise description of
the theological mindset. This is the kind of thinking displayed by the bureaucrat
cleric. As long as the paperwork is in order, no matter the Spirit of the working.
The "Caliphate" today is theology in the making. Consider the slavish adherence to
the already-published rituals of Initiation. This is surely adherence to the Letter
rather than the Spirit, as Mr. Motta (or Frater Parzival XI°) attempted to explain
in Maine and California. The trouble is, there is no one in the McMurtry cult
capable of reformulating the Rituals. (This is an entirely different matter from
tampering with the Holy Books, which are Class A works, and must be preserved to
the "style of a letter." The confusion of attitude toward the dramatic psychodramas
of Initiation in the O.T.O. versus the attitude proper to classified Thelemic texts
is symptomatic of still more confusion of the planes.) Any attempted reformulation
by them would only lead to an increase of dogma anyway.
The consequence of this situation is that the old Rituals are devoid of effect.
Anyone who shows up can pass the test. The person going through such experiences
may still learn something about themselves in the process, but this is mistaking
novelty and camaraderie for Initiation. An organization operating on the basis of
published rituals of Initiation can only decay into a commercial enterprise in the
guise of a religious institution. In such organizations there always eventually
come into power people that hasten the creation of dogma. When the primary
organizational goal becomes the continual increase of membership, as measured by
headcounts, number of "Lodges," dues income and the like, then that organization
goes the way of all religions. We see this today in the "Caliphate." They are
always boasting about having this many hundreds or this many thousands of members
and "associates," with "Lodges, Camps and Oases" in this many countries. They
cannot seem to see that this game of numbers has exactly nothing to do with the
Spirit of the matter. It is as though they were boasting of sending a team of 2,000
representatives to the Olympic games, when not one was ever tested for athletic
talent, and none of them has actually trained for any of the events, and not one
ever wanted to endure the stresses of rigorous physical training anyway. It only
takes one properly trained athlete to bring home a Gold Medal.
If an allegedly Initiatic Order fails to Initiate, it simply does not matter how
many non-initiates they have collected. The result will eventually be mere theology.
This is self-evident in the use of the very term "Caliph." Let Thelemites once and
for all dispense with this term. It belongs to the Islamic culture and religion.
The importance given to the word "Caliph" by McMurtry is exactly the evidence
required to demonstrate his Initiatic failure, dogmatic tendencies, and theological
predisposition. Hear his testimony:
MacKenzie: Would you explain your understanding of what was meant
by that term?
McMurtry: Yes. Caliph is traditionally the successor to a prophet
in the Orients, and since it is an Oriental Order or Templi and Crowley
was a prophet, he felt his successor should be in terms of an office of
Caliph following him.
[56A, 37]
We contend that Crowley thought no such thing. He knew that the term "Caliph"
applied only to Islamic culture, and not to "Oriental religion" in general, as
McMurtry would have it. The word simply means successor, in Arabic, from
khalifah. Aleister Crowley had made a deep study of all religions and their
histories, and he knew full well the bloody history of Islam. In the religion
that developed after the death of Mohammed, the Caliphs were successors in
temporal power only, and absolutely not in spiritual authority. This
was by definition, as the Mohammed of the orthodox Islamic religion was supposedly
the last Prophet. Thus the Caliphs were mere worldly kings, and gradually the
theological authority drifted to the imams , or temple leaders. To view the
history of the Islamic Caliphates is to witness rivers of human blood - the
blood of Arabs, Persians, Jews, Christists, Syrians, Egyptians and more.
The famed Caliphs of Baghdad flickered in rapid succession across the pages of
history, one after the other they came to power only to meet violent deaths,
usually within just a few years of ascending the throne. Some Caliphs even managed to
survive as long as ten years, before they were summarily hacked
to pieces or otherwise dispatched in battle. The ostentatious splendor of the
Caliphates juxtaposed against the abject poverty of millions was utterly symbolic
of the corruption of power upon a grand scale of human folly. We do not imply that
valuable contributions have not been made by the Islamic peoples. Far from it, we
laud the contributions to science made by Arabic scholars, comprised of advances
in astronomy, mathematics, optics and many another facet of human knowledge. But
these achievements were precisely due to the efforts of the inner or hidden schools
of theurgy working with the true Current of the Magus Mohammed. The brilliant
flowering of Islamic civilization, architecture, literature, medicine and
scholarship that enlightened the otherwise darkest years of human history, was
precisely the work of Adepts of that Current. The advances of that period were not
the work of Islamic theologians or pedants, nor were they the work of the
never-ending succession of indolent and decadent Caliphs. They were the work of
true Initiates. All this and more was known to Aleister Crowley.
Now, we do not know whether it was McMurtry who first used the term "Caliph,"
since he failed to provide the New Court of Last Resort with copies of his letters
to Crowley on the subject. For all we know, Crowley may have simply been testing
his pupil's comprehension of Liber AL vel Legis. If so, he failed the test
miserably. McMurtry's usage of "Caliph" as an honorific title is a point of
dogmatism worthy of any theologian. This is because McMurtry failed to understand
two very key points: first, the Orient, or the "East," in the Aeon of Horus is no
longer on the Asian Continent. The Spiritual East for Thelemites radiates from
Boleskine (confer Liber AL, Chapter 3, verses 10, 34); and second, Islam is one of the religions
cursed in Liber AL (Chapter 3, verse 52). McMurtry, in other words, was living in the Dead Aeon
when he elevated this word "Caliph" into his grandiose concept. Its importance
comes entirely from within his own mind. And now it has become "official" dogma.
Along this same line, it is highly interesting to note that McMurtry's successor
chose to call himself, "Hymenaeus Beta," after McMurtry's well-known motto,
"Hymenaeus Alpha." We suspect that subsequent "Caliphs" will call themselves
"Hymenaeus Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon," ad nauseam. (The alert reader may have
noticed the similarity to the practice of Christist popery, where the incoming
"pontiff" takes the motto of a predecessor, adding one digit to the suffix.
Apo pantos kakodaimonos.)
Further on this matter of theological decadence, we have little doubt that
somewhere in the "Caliphate" today there exists a budding censor. They still cling
to Mr. Motta, because many of them claim A.'.A.'. Authority from him, since they
are too blind to see that a Magister Templi speaks Truth, inclusive of truth about
the O.T.O. , if He or She so Wills it. Like all good theologians, they are able to
maintain a proper state of cognitive dissonance, praising Motta out of one side of
their mouths for being a true Initiate of the A.'.A.'., while slandering him out
of the other side for being a liar and an impostor when it came to the O.T.O.
The result of such cognitive dissonance is usually theological censorship in some
form. There will be a perceived need to "edit" the offending works in order to
make them "acceptable." This is the way all theurgic writings eventually become
distorted.
We repeat our theme: no good can come of McMurtry's qliphotic efforts.
The cause of Thelema will NOT benefit from his dogmatic enterprise. McMurtry once
upon a time had a bit of limited Authority, extended briefly to him by Aleister
Crowley, but he never had the Power to wield that Authority in the proper Spirit.
The "Caliphate" is doomed to go the way of Theosophy after Besant and Leadbeater
gained control of that organization. We shall not grieve to see it go the way of
the dinosaur sooner rather than later. Until then, they merely make the Ordeals
more difficult for those of us intent upon theurgy rather than theology.
("Curses brace!")
12.3.3 The One True Way Syndrome -
"Beware anyone claiming to have the 'one true way' in Thelema," begins this
argument, "for that is surely against the very tenets of Thelema, which is,
after all, meant for 'all'." This is really akin to the arguments above, turned
around the other way. Instead of crying, "I have a right to claim anything I
want to claim" (which is certainly true in one sense), this objection squares
off against the claimant to Authority. "How dare you condemn others for
speaking in the name of the O.T.O., or in the name of the A.'.A.'. or even
in the name of Thelema. This is just one more example of the 'one true way'
syndrome - or the 'holier-than-thou' attitude." Here again, there is confusion
of the planes of discourse. "Holiness" is indeed a relative term. It pertains
to "wholeness," that is, "integration," that is, Initiation. While it is true
that "Every man and every woman is a star," it is also true that some stars
burn brighter than others. We take the opportunity to quote a relevant passage
from a letter to Seckler by Mr. Motta:
I once - long ago - wrote Mr. Germer a letter that sounded very much like
yours, on the point of my being a star just as much as he or Crowley or
anybody else, and he answered: "Of course you are. But there is a Hierarchy.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it." I put it in my pipe and smoked it for
ten years after his death, and came to these words of Liber LXI that it
might be profitable for you to ponder: "...there are many who think
themselves to be Masters who have not even begun to tread the Way of
Service that leads thereto."
[41; 10, 207]
While not denying or negating the Divinity of each and every human being, it is
fatal to assume an identical capacity for Initiation in all individuals. An
individual makes a compact as a Pupil with an Instructor in the A.'.A.'.
precisely because the Pupil believes (or pretends to believe until matters
become "difficult") that the Instructor IS holier than they are. In the O.T.O.,
an individual becomes "holier," that is, "more integrated and whole," by
progressing through the Degrees, but this progression must be the Degrees of
Power rather than those of mere Authority, as discussed above. Otherwise, what
is the point? Why would an individual join an Initiatic Order such as the O.T.O. if
they were not expecting to achieve Initiation thereby? Well, in the case of a
false Order, all kinds of people join who are insincere, or are merely in search
of friends of like mind. People congregate for all kinds of reasons other than for
true Initiation. There is perceived safety in being part of a group that can boast
large numbers, and comfort in a shared mythology. Such organizations merely become
another variant on the social coping mechanism previously described.
In short, the danger of this mistake about "holiness," and having the "one true
way," is that temporal organizations tend to become crapulous unless supervised
properly by bona fide Initiates. And unless one believes that bona fide Initiates
actually exist , one has no business joining an Initiatic Order in the first place.
In other words, this type of thinking leads to a self-refuting conclusion. Let us
turn the complaint around and see how it negates itself. The non-initiate who
desires to become Initiated must choose some form of Initiation and some individual
or group of individuals to study under, unless he or she works entirely in isolation.
Thus, the would-be Initiate must choose the "one true way" for himself or herself
anyway. The translation for the original objection is thus: "You can't really be an
Initiate, because you claim to have the 'legitimate lineage' and that can't be right,
since I already have the 'one true way,' or at least my 'Guru' does." So it is not
really the idea of "legitimacy" or "lineage" or "one true-ness" that offends the
complainer; it is actually the deep-seated fear that comes with questioning their
own judgment with respect to their own claims, or the claims of their associates.
We have come full circle to projection again, which is, after all, the most common
psychological disorder among humans. "I am not really sure that I am 'legitimate',
therefore no one else can really be 'legitimate' either." If true, there is no
such thing as Initiation, and the objection is self-defeating. It is therefore
obviously a flawed way of thinking about the problem of Initiation.
12.4 Propaganda According to the "Caliphate"
It is a small matter to bring together the threads of the preceding discussions.
We have documented the facts, testimony and evidence introduced in the Maine
and California trials. We have explored some of the mechanisms of Initiation
and Initiatic failure. Let us apply what we have learned to the evaluation of
an official "propaganda" piece by the McMurtry gang. Let us examine what their
official spokesperson, William E. Heidrick, has to say about Mr. Motta in
response to an individual requesting information about him. What follows will
serve to illustrate precisely why the McMurtry "Caliphate" is utterly corrupt.
The piece was posted as a public message to the Internet newsgroup "alt.magick"
on November 24, 1994 e.v. [83] It displays the classic propaganda mixture of truth,
half-truth and falsehood that is Mr. Heidrick's specialty - especially when it comes
to discussions about Marcelo Ramos Motta. The reader who has absorbed all the
preceding material has finally had an opportunity to hear the other side of
the story. Mr. Heidrick has had eleven years since the California decision to
rehearse his official tale about Mr. Motta. Thus armed with the facts,
testimony and evidence, it will be quite instructive to see how well he does
in telling the truth. We will dissect his statements line by line (the
separation and numbering of statements is our own, but the sequence and
exact wording is Heidrick's, with our comments in italics):
1. Motta was an A.'.A.'. student of Karl Germer.
True.
2. Based on Motta's correspondence with Germer (which I have in photocopy),
Motta adamantly refused to join O.T.O.
True, but only initially. At their first meeting, Mr. Germer gave him the
choice to join either the A.'.A.'. or the O.T.O., and Mr. Motta definitely
chose the A.'.A.'..
3. He didn't like it.
Mr. Motta has stated in writing that he always preferred the methods of the
A.'.A.'. to the O.T.O., but to say, "He didn't like it," is a ludicrous
compression of his complex view on the matter of Initiatic training and
methodology. This is an irresponsible statement, to say the least. What Mr.
Motta did not like about O.T.O. work was the mischief that results from
inappropriate familiarity and fraternization. Confer A.C.'s Letter on Power
and Authority above.
4. Possibly his lady's becoming pregnant on the occasion of an extended
visit to meet O.T.O. members had something to do with that.
This is either idiotic conjecture on Heidrick's part, or a feeble attempt
at character assassination. It was Mr. Motta himself who impregnated his
'lady', as Heidrick would know if he troubled to actually READ those letters
between Mr. Germer and Mr. Motta. This is also where Heidrick introduces a
duplicity of astonishing proportions. He fails to provide the critical data
that this episode occurred in 1956-57 e.v., AFTER Mr. Germer had initiated
Mr. Motta into the IX° O.T.O.! (It was during this period that Mr. Motta
was introduced to Grady McMurtry.) By stating that Mr. Motta was taken on
"an extended visit to meet O.T.O. members," Heidrick is effectively admitting
that Mr. Motta was a member, while simultaneously denying this obvious
conclusion. We repeat: Mr. Germer would never have introduced an A.'.A.'.
Aspirant around to O.T.O. members, unless he or she were already a member
of the O.T.O. (Cf. editorial note to Source No. 58.)
5. Maybe it was Germer's shared opinions. Maybe he just didn't like it.
Half-truth, lamely expressed, and an insult to Mr. Germer. What Mr. Germer
did not like most was the attitude of the former Agape Lodge members,
especially Grady McMurtry. He kept them all at a distance with good reason.
However, Mr. Germer WAS fulfilling his duties as O.H.O.; one need only
instance his Initiation of Mr. Motta into the IX° during 1956 e.v. in Barstow,
California. The reader must understand that Crowley had become thoroughly
disgusted with the antics of the Agape Lodge; he was convinced that the
selection process for O.T.O. group-type working must include very careful
screening, and communicated this judgment to his appointed Successor, Karl
Germer. Mr. Motta had received this information from Mr. Germer in turn, and
was fully aware of the reasons for Mr. Germer's "dislike" of that particular
form of growth. Mr. Germer's policy was, simply, to ensure that a Candidate
to the Mysteries of the O.T.O. was very carefully selected and properly
trained before receiving the secrets. He was not concerned at all with the
quantity of the membership, only the quality. This was fully in accordance
with his instructions from Crowley.
6. Later Motta funds and publishes the first edition of Liber Aleph under
Germer's control and direction.
Correct! Now, when will the "Caliph" gang admit first use of "Thelema
Publishing Company" in 1962 e.v. by Mr. Motta, in direct contrast to the
moronic assertion by "Judge" Legge that first use should be attributed to
Helen Parsons Smith, who obtained her resale permit for "Thelema
Publications" in 1971 e.v.? How can one seriously accept ANY statement or
finding made by this so-called "jurist," when he manages to err so badly
on such basic facts?
7. Time passes. Germer dies.
True. However, what Mr. Heidrick fails to point out is that during that
passage of time, Grady McMurtry completely failed to live up to Mr. Germer's
(and A.C.'s) expectations of him, and started conspiring behind Mr. Germer's
back. Confer the correspondence between McMurtry and Mr. Germer, in
Section 8.5.
8. Motta recognizes Grant as O.H.O. of O.T.O.
This is incorrect. The entire history of the coordinated effort to
prevent Motta from learning of his Heirship must be read to be believed.
(Cf. "Intelligence Services Are Not Intelligent," The Oriflamme, Vol. VI,
Nos. 3-5.) Mr. Motta was TESTING Grant's claim. Grant failed the test.
9. Time passes. Motta learns that Grant was kicked out of O.T.O. by Germer in
1955 e.v.
True.
10. Motta withdraws his recognition of Grant as O.H.O. of O.T.O.
True, insofar as he had stated willingness to work with Grant (before learning
of the latter's 1955 e.v. expulsion, of course), provided that Grant could
demonstrate the qualities necessary to leadership. In other words, his
"recognition" was conditional upon Grant proving his worthiness, precisely
consistent with the prescription given in Letter 61 above by Crowley.
11. Motta writes to Germer's widow and learns that Crowley left his copyrights
to O.T.O.
False. Mr. Motta found out about the terms of A.C.'s literary Will for the
first time from Gerald Yorke, in 1974 e.v. [76; 77] Heidrick fails to mention the
1962-63 e.v. correspondence between Mr. Motta and Mrs. Germer. The gist of his
1974 e.v. letter to Mrs. Germer was to point out that she was entitled to
royalties on the copyrighted works of Aleister Crowley, based on Mr. Germer's
inheritance of those copyrights on behalf of the O.T.O., and Mr. Motta wanted
to know whether she had authorized those shoddy editions, or whether she was
at least receiving royalties from their sale. [74]
12. Motta writes again to Germer's widow, asking if Germer said anything about
Motta's future role in O.T.O.
False. Heidrick has his dates wrong. These questions were addressed in
correspondence in the early 1960s e.v. This is deliberate misinformation (as
Heidrick has access to all the records, and there can be no other explanation
short of mental incompetence), as the chronology here makes it appear that Mr.
Motta first "thought" of appointing himself O.H.O. after learning about
Crowley's copyrights. The fact is that Mr. Motta wrote to Mrs. Germer in
1963 e.v., claiming to be the Outer Head of the Order, long before he knew the
details of A.C.'s legal Will. [40] This is all part of the fiction that the "Caliph"
gang tries to maintain that Mr. Motta's interest in the O.T.O. was commercial.
13. Germer's widow writes back, including "Follower" in her letter, among other
words capitalized in the German manner.
False; this is deliberate and malicious misinformation by William Heidrick. This
is where a second monstrous lie comes in, the first one being the denial that Mr.
Motta was a member of the O.T.O. Mrs. Germer wrote to Mr. Motta FIVE DAYS after
Mr. Germer died, and told Mr. Motta that Mr. Germer's DYING WISH was that Mr.
Motta be informed that he was the Follower. Due to the German/English translation
problem, it only became clear with a letter from Mrs. Germer in January of
1965 e.v., that by the term, "Follower," she meant "Follower to the Crown of the
O.T.O.," that is, the Office of O.H.O. Naturally, this letter was also prevented
from ever reaching Motta. He only learned of it twenty years later, AFTER it was
extracted from Grady McMurtry under a Court Order. McMurtry, Breeze and Heidrick
have lied about Mr. Motta long enough, and this bogus chronology put forth by
Heidrick is an insult to all those seriously interested in Thelema. MARCELO
RAMOS MOTTA WAS APPOINTED BY KARL GERMER AS HIS SUCCESSOR in the
Office of O.H.O. Reader, you must study the testimony, examine the evidence,
and decide in your heart whether this is the truth or not.
14. Motta declares himself the Head of O.T.O. (after the passage of a little
more time and an obscure set of demands on Grady McMurtry and others).
More misinformation. Mr. Motta did not "declare" himself to be the Outer Head
of the Order until the Maine trial, when he was forced under oath to make that
declaration. As to demands upon McMurtry - well, the reader is invited to ponder
that Mr. Motta was demanding his right to access the Crowley-Germer Library, in
accordance with his rights as a member of the IX° O.T.O. In other words, his
"obscure" demands were that McMurtry behave like a member of the Order he
claimed to lead.
15. Time passes. Several pseudo "Equinoxes" are published by Motta, some
interesting stuff and some diatribes against folks included.
The reader is invited to compare the works of Marcelo Ramos Motta to those
of the "Caliph" gang and decide who was publishing "pseudo" material. We
noted previously, as one example, the publication of the so-called "Equinox,
Vol. III. No. 10," by "Hymenaeus Beta" (a.k.a. William Breeze) in 1986 e.v. This
publication contains works by Charles Stansfeld Jones, Wilfred T. Smith and
Jack Parsons, among others. [82] It is interesting to note that these individuals
were all CUT CONTACT WITH by Aleister Crowley and/or Karl Germer
for having FAILED THEIR INITIATIC ORDEALS. Marcelo Ramos Motta was
a Master of the Temple of A.'.A.'. and had the Authority to publish the
Equinox. Breeze, on the other hand, was a failed Probationer, cut contact
with by Mr. Motta for failing to keep the Oath and Task of a Probationer. But,
compare the works, dear reader, and decide for yourself. Do what thou wilt
shall be the whole of the Law.
16. Time passes. Motta writes to his representative in England, suggesting that
Symonds be removed.
Slanted half-truth. Mr. Motta wanted J.C. Ellis to sue John Symonds. So he wrote
Ellis that he should either sue Symonds or kill him. Ellis, unfortunately, was
incapable of withstanding the pressure of such a lawsuit, and broke under the
strain. The naive reader is cautioned that had Mr. Motta actually been inclined
to assassination, the California case never would have come to trial.
17. Motta's representative in England is caught setting fire to a facility
belonging to a British publisher of Crowley books.
False. Ellis had been expelled six months prior to that incident, and was
no longer Mr. Motta's representative at that time, precisely because he had
indicated felonious intent. [8, 511-512]
18. Time passes. Motta sues Weiser in the USA for publishing Crowley's works
without payment of royalty to Motta's S.O.T.O.
True, except that "Motta's S.O.T.O." was THE Ordo Templi Orientis, legalized
through incorporation. Readers are reminded that Mr. Motta was the appointed
O.H.O. Heidrick, Breeze and their pal "Judge" Legge can protest to the contrary all
they like. It won't change the fact that they are misinforming numerous sincere
individuals. Confer the entire set of preceding Sections for the true story of
Mr. Motta's motivations for suing Weiser.
19. O.T.O. helps Weiser with testimony and evidence.
False. No true Brother of the O.T.O. would ever have acted the way McMurtry
acted toward Mr. Motta. Grady McMurtry fed the private correspondence of Mr. Motta
to Weiser's attorneys and lied under oath in Maine. The reader must understand that
McMurtry knew that Marcelo Motta was an O.T.O. member when he took the stand
in Maine. Further, he knew that Mr. Motta was appointed the O.H.O. by Mr.
Germer. McMurtry had the correspondence, held it back from Mr. Motta for years,
and released it only under court order. He knew, and he lied.
Confer Section 10 supra.
20. O.T.O. also serves Motta with the papers for the McMurtry v. S.O.T.O. suit.
True. On that date, Grady McMurtry, Phyllis Seckler, Helen Parsons Smith and
all other Plaintiffs who claimed membership in the O.T.O. virtually expelled
themselves. Lawsuits between members of the Order were absolutely forbidden by
Baphomet XI° O.T.O. For this reason, it was absolutely imperative that the
Plaintiffs unanimously deny Mr. Motta's membership in the O.T.O. The Record
speaks for itself. Mr. Motta WAS a member of the IX°, else he would never have
been discussing the secret paper of that degree in correspondence with Mr.
Germer. In order to fathom the mental set of such corrupt failures, the reader
must descend to a level of moral insanity scarcely imaginable among individuals
claiming to be high-ranking members of the O.T.O.
21. Motta loses his suit in Maine.
True, because McMurtry withheld until AFTER the trial the one piece of paper
that would have proved Mr. Motta's case. Confer Section 10.
22. Time passes. Motta is in court in San Francisco in the O.T.O. suit, saying
among other things: Motta first decided to claim control of O.T.O. when he
learned about the copyright ownership.
This is pure psychological projection on the part of Heidrick, and is a gross
misrepresentation of Mr. Motta's testimony. This is propaganda, pure and simple,
mud-slinging in its lowest form. The reader is invited to carefully peruse the
Works of Marcelo Ramos Motta and detect any commercial or predatory intent with
respect to Crowley's copyrights. On the contrary, his aim was to prevent the
deliberate deturpation of those texts, and the confusion of A.C.'s writings with
qliphotic manifestations published by the likes of Regardie, Grant and the
Caliph-gang. It is important that the reader understand that Heidrick may
actually believe this of Mr. Motta on an intellectual level. It is, however, as
we have noted, psychological projection. The reader should confer the actual
testimony, supra, Section 10.3.7, then look up "projection" in a good textbook
on psychology, and then contemplate Mr. Heidrick's mentality. The California
group was simply incapable of perceiving Mr. Motta for what he truly was, because
every one of them had failed in their Ordeals. Recall that we noted
earlier how a non-initiate is only able to perceive the Initiate on the highest
level accessible to the non-initiate. The attribution of capitalist or commercial
intention to Mr. Motta, the notion that he suddenly got "ideas" about ruling the
O.T.O. after he realized that the Order held Crowley's copyrights and there was
money to be made, is the worst sort of confusion of the planes. The Plaintiffs
in that suit are guilty of projecting their own sordid understanding of the
purposes of the Order onto a man completely beyond their ken.
23. Motta tried lie (sic) in the Maine suit, but in the San Francisco suit he
will only lie on matters regarding O.T.O., copyrights and other things like
that.
False. Read the testimony. One can only surmise that Mr. Heidrick has grown
senile in his dotage. Confer section 10.3 above, and then consider the numerous
lies told under oath by the "Caliph" and his crew.
24. Motta admitted that he never had a charter from Germer in regard to O.T.O.
False. Mr. Motta admitted that he had never RECEIVED the charter that Mr.
Germer had proposed to mail him in a letter dated April 20, 1962 e.v., simply
because he had never received the letter of proposal. Are we to believe, as
Heidrick et al. would have us believe, that Mr. Germer was in the habit of
offering Charters for O.T.O. Lodge work to non-O.T.O. members? This letter
also proves that these individuals are lying about the central point of
Marcelo Motta's O.T.O. membership. Mark well, they MUST lie about this,
for IF Mr. Motta was actually an O.T.O. member, then they were all summarily
expelled the moment they sued him in court. It was for this reason that
McMurtry became an amnesiac on the stand, and denied even meeting Mr.
Motta, in spite of a letter to Mr. Motta from Mr. Germer that plainly
indicates that these two men (McMurtry and Motta) did meet. Heidrick and
Breeze and their associates have continued to perpetrate this malignant
lie against Mr. Motta, because if they admit the truth on this point, they
must also admit that their entire organization is a qliphotic scam, one
"sanctioned" by a corrupt Federal "judge," no less. The entire structure of
their commercial enterprise is erected upon two obsolete letters from A.C.
to McMurtry (letters that were conditional to the approval of Mr. Germer),
a receipt for a princely £50 "loan," and the legal "blessing" of the holy
and sacred United States Government.
25. Motta stated under oath that he is the only remaining member of S.O.T.O.
False. He testified that "at the present moment for legal purposes, as I
said before, in the United States there are no members except myself."
[56A, 741] He then went on to answer questions about activities in
Brasil, and he also testified that Mr. Barden was still his Director for
Australia. Mr. Motta was shielding the individuals with whom he was working
in the United States. He did not want those Members to be financially liable
in the event that Donald Weiser won his motion for recovery of legal costs
against the Society, so after the Maine trial he required their formal
resignations. But Heidrick and Breeze have never understood THIS kind of
honor. They are only concerned with quantity of "Lodges," "Camps", etc.,
and, one may suppose, the finances of their so-called "Order." As Mr. Germer
unsuccessfully attempted to explain to Grady McMurtry: "...one general, though
without army is better than an army without a general." McMurtry NEVER
understood that Crowley, and Germer after him, were solely interested in the
QUALITY of the candidates. It is no trick to collect two thousand members,
provided that no one can fail the test for admission (how could one fail a
test that has been openly published?) and so long as they pay the appropriate
dues and fees. The reader should recall that in 1959 e.v., Mr. Germer insisted
with McMurtry that the latter identify his method for testing the proposed
candidates for the "small nucleus" he intended to form. McMurtry never answered
that letter, partly because he had no intention of "testing" candidates at all.
Nowhere in all of the testimony and all of the evidence presented is there any
indication of the screening process utilized by McMurtry. This is simply
because no screening process existed then or exists now. McMurtry was completely
willing to take on anybody who would accept his "authority." McMurtry was once
accused in print of having traded the secrets of the Order in exchange for
sexual favors. The reader may rest assured that no such accusation was ever
leveled at Mr. Motta. The most damaging data these impostors can muster is
that Mr. Motta, as a man in his early twenties, was concerned about the size
of his penis, or that his "lady" was impregnated while he was visiting O.T.O.
members. One must suppose there are quite probably individuals too moronic
even for the "Caliphate" to accept, but an organization founded upon deceit
and treachery can only be rife with corruption, intrigue and machination, as
is quite evident from the content of the public messages of McMurtryites on
the Internet. Nothing good can come from such shameful and diseased origins.
26. Time passes. Motta looses (sic) to O.T.O. and Grady McMurtry dies.
True, except it was not the "O.T.O." that Mr. Motta lost to, as HE was the
O.H.O. of the real O.T.O. What he lost to was a corrupt pack of ex-members
who would stop at nothing to establish their commercial enterprise.
27. Motta appeals. Motta looses (sic) appeal.
False, the citizens of the United States of America lost, due to the
corruption of their judicial system.
28. Motta appeals to the US Supreme Court.
True, and meaningless.
29. Motta dies.
"Aye! feast! rejoice! there is no dread hereafter. There is the dissolution,
and eternal ecstasy in the kisses of Nu."
[5, 142]
30. Motta's case is turned down by the Supreme Court.
True. Ah, well, it was only a blatant violation of the First Amendment of the
Constitution, and was therefore not too important for consideration. That
Amendment had already been thoroughly trashed by Ronald Reagan in 1984 e.v.
when he agreed to establish ambassadorial relations with the Vatican (a.p.k.).
Meanwhile, the conservative Supreme Court had other Amendments to busy
themselves with trashing.
31. On the plus side, a significant number of high ranking officers in O.T.O.
once worked with Motta, receiving entrance into A.'.A.'. under him.
This is priceless testimony from Mr. Heidrick. The naive reader is advised
that Heidrick is obfuscating the truth once more. ALL of Mr. Motta's A.'.A.'.
pupils who associated themselves with McMurtry's sham operation were
PREVIOUSLY CUT CONTACT WITH by Mr. Motta for failing their Initiatic
Ordeals in the A.'.A.'.. We instance Mr. Breeze as one example. As he is the
present "Caliph," it would seem that a failed Probationer is the best that they
can do. One would have thought they could have located a failed Neophyte or two.
Then again, McMurtry himself was a failed Probationer, so perhaps a tradition had
already developed.
32. Motta's demeanor was difficult, but as far as A.'.A.'. goes, he ran a good
one up to the point that it became confused with O.T.O./S.O.T.O. --- demeanor
and expulsions to the side.
Readers who are familiar with the workings of the A.'.A.'. and the O.T.O.
should ponder this statement. Marcelo Ramos Motta was a Master of the Temple
in the A.'.A.'.. Obviously, these "high-ranking" members of the "Caliph" scam
must continue to say that Mr. Motta was a legitimate Instructor with respect
to the A.'.A.'., even if he was a bit "difficult." But when it came to the
O.T.O., he was simply "confused." THINK ABOUT THIS. Do you believe that a
Magister Templi would lie about His or Her position in the O.T.O.? Consider
the mental and moral confusion in the mind of an individual simultaneously
claiming A.'.A.'. authority from Mr. Motta but denouncing his claim to be
O.H.O. This is incredible folly! These fools cannot even be consistent in
their denouncement of Mr. Motta! Why? Because they NEED him for their alleged
A.'.A.'. authority! This bathetic acknowledgment by Heidrick is ABSOLUTE
PROOF of what the Parzival XI° O.T.O. Foundation has been saying all along:
the McMurtry gang is an infestation of qliphotic failures. Those wretched people
should either HONOR Mr. Motta all the way, or DENOUNCE him all the way! One way
or the other! Which is it? The position taken in this statement and the preceding
one by Heidrick is spiritually, intellectually, and morally insane. We do not
know whether Heidrick believes his own propaganda, but we trust that the reader
has learned enough by now to detect a foul odor. The reader is hereby informed
that any individual simultaneously claiming A.'.A.'. authority from Mr. Motta
and membership in the "Caliph" organization is either deceived or deceiving. In
sum, a more thorough case of attempted co-optation has seldom been witnessed in
the annals of religious warfare.
33. Frankly, Thelema was not entirely ill served by Motta.
This is very magnanimous of Mr. Heidrick, but we know he must say one or two
nice things about Mr. Motta, so those "high-ranking" members can falsely continue
to claim A.'.A.'. authority from him. Does the reader not see the utter hypocrisy
and moral corruption of the duplicitous position taken by these impostors?
34. He did some things very well indeed.
True. One of those things was to sort the Initiates from the failures; the latter
may be found in droves in McMurtry's "camp."
35. It's a tragedy that his anger and drive for supremacy got the better of him.
False. It's a tragedy that McMurtry was such a failure. If he had lived up to
A.C.'s and Mr. Germer's expectations, none of what happened in Maine and
California would have been necessary.
36. I choose to remember him for the one private remark he addressed to me in
court: "Never apologize!" I don't necessarily agree with that 100%, but it does
show a certain strength in difficult times.
No comment.
37. Oh yes, I mentioned that I lost my part of the suit. Motta had called me
"A dupe of McMurtry". Maybe the judge agreed with him.
No comment.
38. Doesn't bother me one way or the other. Motta made up for it later by
calling me a "Gray Eminence".
"Grey Eminence" was the nickname of Francois Leclerc du Tremblay, also known
as "Father Joseph of Paris," the lifelong collaborator of Cardinal Richelieu
during the reign of Louis XIII in France. Always in the background, the "Grey
Eminence" managed the affairs of state for Richelieu, handled diplomatic
missions and coordinated a network of spies throughout Europe, all the while
maintaining the austerities of a Capuchin friar. While he ruled his Christist
orders of "novitiates" and played ruthless power politics for the glory of
"divine" France, millions of people suffered throughout Europe. The people of
France, already living in abject poverty, were subjected to the relentless
deprivations of Richelieu's tax collectors, while the nation of Germany was
reduced to Stone Age conditions by the wanton destruction of the Thirty Years
War. More than any other person in France, including Richelieu and Louis XIII
himself, Leclerc du Tremblay was responsible for prolonging the Thirty Years
War. Yet as he journeyed on his missions of intrigue, the friar was apparently
oblivious to the intense misery and suffering all around him - suffering caused
by his own policies and strategies. This fanatical theologian was oblivious to
the pain of his fellows because he was caught up in planning the next Crusade
against the infidels in the "Holy Land." While marching between cities, he
composed some four thousand verses of bad poetry describing in great detail
the glory of the next holy war. He was a man utterly devoid of humor and
compassion for his fellow human beings, an inferior mystic, a pedant, a
clerical leader of several crapulous religious institutions, and a mass
murderer. All things considered, Leclerc du Tremblay was a pillar of
European society.
93 93/93
Bill Heidrick, a willing dupe.
True enough - the trouble is, he's still duping a lot of other people in the
process. We doubt common sense will prevail upon Mr. Heidrick and his associates
to cease and desist from their false statements about Marcelo Motta. But at least
their attempt to rewrite history shall not go unchallenged. This document has
been simultaneously published in several countries and openly distributed on the
Internet.
As the reader can plainly see, about two of every three statements made by Heidrick
are either false, partly false, or expressed in a misleading fashion. Naturally,
the true statements are among the least important observations. We doubt "Father
Joseph" himself could have produced a better example of religious propaganda. All
of our points from the preceding Sections coalesce in this masterpiece of calumny.
We see intellectual corruption at work in the distortion of Truth; we observe moral
insanity in the simultaneous acceptance (in the A.'.A.'.) and rejection (in the
O.T.O.) of Mr. Motta; and we note the decadence of Initiatic failure as exemplified
by the constant confusion of the Letter for the Spirit. Instead of the Perfumed
Garden of Arabian Initiation, we have the putrid aroma of theology from the cesspool
of Ego.
In closing this Section, we append two quotes from the very first letter
that Mr. Karl Johannes Germer ever wrote to Marcelo Ramos Motta, dated April 24,
1953 e.v.:
"...We hate anything that looks like knowledge and isn't. We hate all kinds
and types of fake. There is too much of (that) sort of thing in the world,
and especially in this commercially-minded country."
...Beware of titles. They can easily be printed by any printer if you give
him the order and pay for it. I happen to be the head of the O.T.O., yet use
no titles whatever. Of other grades I do not speak."
[42]