The Occult Lodge: Part Six

From the Dawn to Darkness

by Midnight Freemason Contributor 

Bro. James E. Frey 32° KT, ROS

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Aeister Crowley

The Ordo Templi Orientis, or the Oriental Temple of the East or the Order of Oriental Templars, was founded between 1895 and 1906 as an elite invitational group of Masons who established a more esoteric version of the Masonic Rites focusing on sexual energies. The OTO was founded by Theodor Reuss who had a long history of participating in occult and fringe masonic groups. In 1880 Reuss attempted to revive the Bavarian Order of the Illuminati of Adam Weisthaupt and again in 1888, both times failing miserably. Upon this failure he began to formulate the outline of the OTO with Carl Keller in 1895.
Reuss then sought out to legitimize his group by reaching out and becoming active in other streams of esotericism. He soon was introduced to Dr. William Wynn Wescott, leading member of the S.R.I.A and founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. At the time Wescott was the Grand Master of the Swedenborgian Rite of Phremasonry and provided Reuss with a charter to form his own lodge dated July 24, 1901 and a letter of authorization to form an S.I.R.A group in Germany February 24, 1902. Reuss was also designated an inspector with the Martinist Order in Germany by Gerard Encausse (aka Papus) who provided him with a charter June 24, 1901.

OTO Temple

Westcott and Papus assisted Reuss with establishing his order, Papus helped Reuss establish the OTO Gnostic Catholic Church and Wescott assisted Reuss in contacting John Yarker to recive chaters for the Rites of Memphis and Misraim September 24, 1902. By attaining these charters from the leading esoteric and occult leaders he became legitimized to create his own Order. Reuss based the structure of his Order around the Swedish Rite of ten degrees inspired heavily around the Templar mythos and the theoretical aspects of sexual magic.

In 1910 Reuss became acquainted with Aleister Crowley, British Occultist and Former Golden Dawn Member, while living in London. The story goes that Reuss was reading Aleister Crowley’s “Confessions” and discovered that he had published their supreme secret. He then contacted Crowley and admitted him to the first three degrees and then only two years later Crowley was advanced to the tenth degree and placed as Grand Master in charge of Great Britain and Ireland. Crowley then wrote The "Manifesto of the OTO", which described its basic ten-degree system the 7th, 8th, and 9th, degrees being Kellner’s three degree system of the Academia Masonica.

In 1914, Crowley moved to the United States and began to break away from the Masonic influences of the OTO and began integrating the concepts of his own religion of Thelema. He then wrote a religious service for this new version of the OTO called the Gnostic Mass. Reusss' O.T.O system  contained their versions of the degrees Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. The fourth degree being Holy Royal Arch and the fifth degree was Scotch Mason. Crowley attempted to work this Masonic-based O.T.O. in Detroit, Michigan which resulted in the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite declaring them to be clandestine, centered on the basis that the O.T.O. rituals were too similar to Scottish Rite Masonry's own rituals.

In a 1930 letter to Arnold Krumm-Heller, Crowley Wrote:

“However, when it came to the considerations of the practical details of the rituals to be worked, the general Council of the Scottish Rite could not see its way to tolerate them, on the ground that the symbolism in some places touched too nearly that of the orthodox Masonry of the Lodges.”

In 1914 Crowley then fully integrated Thelema into the OTO by rewriting the initiatory rituals and incorporating his own philosophical understanding of the grade work. By rewriting the degrees Crowley removed most of those symbolic connections to Masonry. He did not rewrite the fourth degree ritual, which remains in its form and structure related to the various Royal Arch rituals of Masonry.

Gnostic Mass

In 1920 Theodore Reuss suffered a stroke and communications between Reuss and Crowley began to deteriorate. Crowley broke ties with Reuss and proclaimed himself Outer Head of the Order. In 1925, during a tumultuous Conference of Grand Masters, Crowley was officially elected as Outer Head of the Order.

The majority of the philosophy of the OTO can be summed up by the quote that began Crowley’s involvement with Reuss in Crowley’s confessions:

“It offers a rational basis for universal brotherhood and for universal religion. It puts forward a scientific statement which is a summary of all that is at present known about the universe by means of a simple, yet sublime symbolism, artistically arranged. It also enables each man to discover for himself his personal destiny, indicates the moral and intellectual qualities which he requires in order to fulfil it freely, and finally puts in his hands an unimaginably powerful weapon which he may use to develop in himself every faculty which he may need in his work.”

Crowley’s new OTO system was re written into different schools of triads based on the tarot. The entire system is as follows: 0° Minerval, I° Man & Brother,  II° Magician,  III° Master Magician,  IV° Perfect Magician & Companion of the Holy Royal Arch of Enoch, and P.I.—Perfect Initiate, or Prince of Jerusalem. Then came the honorary degree of Knight of the East & West. The next school was The Lovers Triad which focused on active and passive energies of the soul. V° Sovereign Prince Rose-Croix, and Knight of the Pelican & Eagle, Knight of the Red Eagle, and Member of the Senate of Knight Hermetic Philosophers, VI° Illustrious Knight of the Order of Kadosh, and Companion of the Holy Graal Grand Inquisitor Commander, and Member of the Grand Tribunal Prince of the Royal Secret, VII°—Theoreticus, and Very Illustrious Sovereign Grand Inspector General Magus of Light, and Bishop of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica Grandmaster of Light, and Inspector of Rites & Degrees. The degrees of the Hermit Triad are of sexual nature. In the VIII° of Perfect Pontiff of the Illuminati, the initiate is taught masturbation magical practices, in the IX° of Initiate of the Sactuary of Gnosis the magical techniques related to traditional intercourse, and in the XI° of Initiate of the Eleventh degree a form of sex magic involving non-traditional intercourse is taught. The final Supreme Secret is given in the X° Rex Summus Sanctissimus.

~JEF

James E Frey 32° classifies himself as a gentleman of the old world, which means he is known to stand in the great forests reciting poetry to fair-haired damsels while wrestling bears for sport. He is a District Education Officer for the Grand Lodge of Illinois, a Past Sovereign Prince of the of Danville AASR, member of the Oak Lawn York Rite, Medinah Shriners, Royal Order of Scotland, Quram Council Allied Masonic Degrees and initiate of the Golden Dawn Collegium Spiritu Sancti. He is also a guest lecturer on Occultism and Esoteric studies in masonry for the R.E.B.I.S Research Society.

Master Craftsman Continues After Two Years

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Robert H. Johnson

The last time I wrote about the Scottish Rite Master Craftsman Program was a little more than two years ago. It's hard to believe it's been that long. It was right around the time they decided to switch things up a bit. Master Craftsman 1 became part 2, part 2 became part 3 and the new program based on the symbolic lodge (the first three degrees) and using Albert Pike's Esoterika was made into part 1. It made sense, a natural progression of sorts.

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Program I: The Symbolic Lodge - What I hope to do next

Program II: Scottish Rite Ritual and History - What I did first, because it used to be part 1

Program III: Scottish Rite Philosophy - What I'm on now because it used to be part 2.

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So, two years ago I finished Master Craftsman pt. 1 (now part 2) and surely I'v completed the rest right? Well, I have no trouble telling you that upon completion of the then first installment of the program, (based on the AASR SJ degrees) I bought and sent in for Master Craftsman pt 2, (the deeper philosophy of those degrees - more essay question answers etc.). I was really excited to start it. But...I didn't. It sat in my secretary for a while. How long? What if I told you I just mailed in the first quiz for grading? Yep, that's right. I waited two years to start the damn thing.

It's been a long time and it also took a bit longer to get in the swing of writing essays based on questions that were pretty well constructed to make us explore some of those deep meanings. I wrote out my essays in cursive script on nice paper, folded them up along with my quiz sheet and mailed them in yesterday morning. I have to say it feels good to get that thing back in the mail.

Now I have no idea what they will say when they receive it. Undoubtedly, they will likely laugh at the fact it took me two years (a little more actually), to get the quiz back to them. When I get the next installment, I will try to place a deadline on it, one a month so that I can complete MC2 (now MC3) in a reasonable amount of time. Once I finish this one, I will definitely start MC1, based on Esoterika. I just hope it doesn't take me another 2 years to start it.

Check out all the info on the programs by clicking the link HERE

~RHJ

The Case for the Missing Comma

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB. Adam Thayer

Those who know me within Masonry know that I’m a bit of a ritual nerd. I think our ceremonies are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever experienced, and each time I watch them, it feels brand new to me. One of my favorite things to do Masonically is to take a piece of ritual work apart, and examine it from different angles, to try to understand the deeper meanings hidden within.

“What come you here to do?” It’s a question we are asked to consider in our Entered Apprentice degree, and while the answer is provided for us, it is up to each of us to determine what that means in our own lives.

There are two nearly identical answers to the question, depending on your jurisdiction, and the only grammatical difference is the placement of a comma. The difference in your stated purpose, however, is radical.

Some jurisdictions (my own included) do not have a comma in the answer, and as such it reads “To learn to subdue my passions and improve myself in Masonry.” When read this way, you are here for two purposes: to be taught how to control your passions, and to become a better Mason.

It’s possible that, in those jurisdictions without the comma, Albert Pike stole the comma for use in his writings.

Some other jurisdictions have the comma inserted, so that your purpose is “To learn, to subdue my passions and improve myself in Masonry.” Now your purpose is threefold: first and foremost, to learn, second to control your passions, and third to become a better Mason.

It’s a subtle difference, but an important one. Under this text, you aren’t just learning how to subdue your passions, you’re learning about a myriad of subjects. In addition, the focus is much more on action; you are actively seeking to subdue your passions, not just learning how to do so.

While I would never say that the ritual in my jurisdiction is incorrect, I will happily admit that I like it with the extra comma better. It puts more emphasis on working hard to be better men, and doesn’t limit the scope of your learning to a narrow field.

At the risk of committing a grave Masonic offense, I would put forward that there is an even better way to word it, and one that I hope you will keep in mind:

“What come you here to do? To learn, to subdue my passions, and improve myself THROUGH

Masonry.”

We often say that our fraternity exists to make good men better. We don’t say to make better Masons, because Masonry is a collection of tools we should be using to turn ourselves into better men both inside and outside of the fraternity. If our goal is only to make better Masons, we should solely be focused on things such as improving ritual work, and learning to love the reading of the minutes.

Masonry is a lifelong pursuit of knowledge and perfection, and in the final tally, any improvement we make is worth the effort put in. With that in mind, what come YOU here to do?

~AT

Bro. Adam Thayer is the Junior Warden of Lancaster Lodge No 54 in Lincoln (NE) and the Worshipful Master of Oliver Lodge No. 38 in Seward (NE). He’s an active member of the Scottish Rite, and Knight Master of the Lincoln Valley Knights of Saint Andrew. Adam serves on the Education Committee of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska. You can contact him at adam.thayer@gmail.com

The Secret of Three : Is It Really A Secret?

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Lary A. Saladin, Jr., M.P.S.

As Freemasons, we know of the number three. Your first step in Masonry includes three distinct knocks. In Blue Lodge there are three degrees, the last being that of Master Mason, which is the most important degree of all. There were three original Grand Masters and There are three top officers; Worshipful Master, Senior Warden and Junior Warden. There are three greater lights in Freemasonry as well is the three lesser lights. We also know of these three words; Wisdom, Strength and Beauty. The highest degree in the Scottish Rite has two three’s.

Christians: There is the Holy Trinity; The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. The number three is significant in many initiatory and spiritual traditions. There were two additional men that were crucified at the time of Jesus. He was crucified at the third hour, was on the cross for three hours and rose from his grave on the third day. There were three wise men that visited Jesus and left three gifts. Along with Christianity there are an additional two main Abrahamic religions; Judaism and Islam. In the bible, Peter denies knowing Jesus three times then later says he loves him three times. Both 666 and 777 consist of three digits. During his ministry, Jesus raised three people from the dead. Jesus also fulfilled the three offices of Prophet, Priest and King.

Life itself: Time is divided into three parts: past, present and future. Three is the first of four perfects numbers. Why does the number three seem so prominent in our existence? How does Christianity cross-reference with Freemasonry. Is there a connection between the two? We strongly emphasize that we are not a religious fraternal organization and at one point the Catholic Church slandered our craft.

Quite a few of our brethren have discussed with me that the number three is secret in Freemasonry. Is it really? Just in this brief amount of information, I’ve exposed that the number three is everywhere in our lives. It always has and always will be there. Aside from the Freemasons, quite a few other esoteric “groups” surround much of their ritual around this popular number.

~LAS

Lary A. Saladin, Jr., M.P.S. is a music producer, writer, small business owner and a Freemason from the Chicago area. His interests include: Masonic Studies, World History, Music, Mythology, Conspiracy Theories, Mental Health and Self-Improvement. Lary holds the title of Master Mason in Illinois at Riverside Lodge No. 862 under the Grand Lodge of Illinois A.F. & A.M. He will shortly be starting his degrees in the York Rite and also joining the Scottish Rite. As an active member of The Masonic Society, The Scottish Rite Society (S.J.), The Philalethes Society and the Illinois Lodge of Research, Lary continues to educate himself as well as others on Masonic lineage and traditions. Lary recently published his short autobiography about his lifelong battle with depression. “My Struggle, My Battle, My Achievement” as well as a book on Mozart and Freemasonry, both are available on amazon.com by clicking their titles above.

Visit Lary’s official website at: www.larysaladin.com