Ordo Templi Orientis

OTO Introduction

Carsten — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 01:18:37 +0200

The letters O.T.O. stand for Ordo Templi Orientis, the Order of Oriental Templars, or Order of the Temple of the East. Originally being affliliated with masonry, it is no longer a masonic order as such and it is said that the OTO was the first order of the old aeon to accept The Book of the Law, which was received by Aleister Crowley in 1904 e.v. The OTO is closely linked to its ecclesiastical arm Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (E.G.C), which provides a more religious environment that one may or may not enjoy.

The following sites are related to the OTO. More precisely the organisation led by Hymenaeus Beta, by some referred to as the Caliphate OTO. Other groups used to or are actually still claiming to represent the OTO, mostly (in my humble opinion) without any legitimation and therefore I will list them seperately on a different site in order to avoid any confusion with the de facto OTO. Please also note that some of the sites definitely aren't official OTO publications and may express opinions very different from the OTO.

If you are unfamiliar with the OTO, you may want to start reading the articles on Wikipedia, Thelemapedia as well as the history of OTO. The same goes for the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (Gnostic Catholic Church): Wikipedia, Thelemapedia and the history again.

Ordo Templi Orientis

Carsten — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:36:48 +0100

Direct URL: Ordo Templi Orientis

Basic OTO International Headquarters website that provides the links to the different Grand Lodges and national OTO websites.

U.S. Grand Lodge

Carsten — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 09:12:09 +0100

Direct URL: US Grand Lodge

The US Grand Lodge website is the most comprehensive of the official OTO sites. You find pretty much everything there: membership information, articles on the history and general introductions on Thelema, the thelemic calendar and more. Make sure you pay the libary a visit, where you can find a wealth of documents and the archive of the newsletter Agapé.

OTO UK Grand Lodge

Carsten — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:35:53 +0200

Direct URL: OTO UK Grand Lodge

The UK Grand Lodge under Hyperion X° was eastablished on the 1st of May 2005 e.v. at a celebratory Gnostic Mass at Conway Hall in Red Lion Square, London. 93 years to the month after the previous X° for the U.K., Aleister Crowley, was elevated to that office.

A Collection of E.G.C. Material

Carsten — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 12:40:48 +0100

Direct URL: A Collection of E.G.C. Material

Unoffical archive of essays and materials relating to the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (E.G.C.) and the Gnostic Mass. This site is intended to serve as a resource for those interested in the E.G.C., the Gnostic Mass, and in Thelema, with writings by Sabazius, Dionysos Thriambos nd others. It's hosted on hermetic.com.

The Ordo Templi Orientis Phenomenon

Carsten — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 10:21:58 +0100

Direct URL: The Ordo Templi Orientis Phenomenon

Peter R. König's popular and controversial research on the O.T.O. and other oranisations such as Fraternitas Saturni is mainly concerning the history and legitimacy of the OTO, but he is generally known to collect as much information as possible and probably has one of the best archives in the world by now. Having said that, when it comes to interpretation of the data, his work (in my humble opinion) is to be taken with many, many grains of salt. Speculations and conclusions are fuelled by a negative attitude towards the main protégés and particularly towards the Caliphate OTO. But this is without any doubt still a very good source of information that you won't find anywhere else and I believe anybody interested or involved in the OTO is actually well advised to also at least listen to opinions of critics to then make up their own mind rather than blindly believing anything. That, and imho only that, is the thelemic way as opposed to old aeonic faith.

A Timeline of O.T.O. Succession After Crowley

Carsten — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:11:46 +0100

Direct URL: A Timeline of O.T.O. Succession After Crowley

Rodney put together a timeline containing quotations of some of the key documents from the 1940s until 1969 when McMurtry reactivated the order. While this is admittedly written by an OTO member and cannot explain all events in full detail, this text provides a really nice summary and covers most arguments that you would come across.

The Invisible Basilica of Sabazius

Carsten — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 09:39:36 +0100

Direct URL: The Invisible Basilica of Sabazius

Homepage of Sabazius X°, who became the first X° under Hymenaeus Beta XII° on the 30th of March 1996 e.v. You can find some his essays, a fewe E.G.C. rituals, his weblog and more.

Marco Visconti

Carsten — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 12:26:26 +0100

Direct URL: Articles by Marco Visconti

Articles written by Marco Visconti on Medium, which are his attempt at "teaching the essence of Thelema to a wider public outside the bonds of oaths and secrets."

OTO Clandestine Masonry ?

Carsten — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 09:53:20 +0100

Direct URL: OTO Clandestine Masonry ?

Basically an article from am OTO critic, in which he basically claims that the OTO is clandestine (i.e. fake) masonry. I don't share his point of view, not least because OTO doesn't claim to be true Masonry in our days and the article is relatively old and further research has corrected some of its claims, but it's still and interesting read.