A Fraternal History of Marin County California

Magical Fraternities in Marin

The last quarter of the 20th century saw a revived interest in ceremonial magic that closely paralleled the same occurrence in the last quarter of the 19th century. There has been a revived interest in late 19th century magical groups such as the Golden Dawn, and the early 20th century Ordo Templi Orientis. While Marin County appears to have missed the original wave of Victorian interest in such groups, by the start of the 21st century interest in them appears to be growing.

The "original" Victorian interest seems, in part, to have been an outgrowth of public interest in all things Egyptian or Arabic. The opening of the Near East ("Occident") to the West followed closely on the heals of the Napoleon's discoveries in Egypt, the Egyptian Revival movement in architecture, and was fueled by archeological discoveries in the Near East and Middle East which aided the publication of such works as: Sir Austin Henry Layard's publications including Nineveh and its Remains (1849) and Discoveries Among the Remains of Nineveh and Babylon (1859); Diplomat and Assyriologist Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson's publications including Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (1846) and The Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia (5 vol., 1861-84); Cambridge Antiquarian C.W. Goodwin's Commentary on Egyptian Papyrus XCVIII (1864); Sir A.E. Wallis Budge's, Keeper of the Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities in the British Museum, publication of The Mummy: Chapters on Egyptian Funeral Archeology (1873), Egyptian Magic (1899) and the Egyptian Book of the Dead (1899); Gaston Maspero, The Dawn of Civilization (1894):and Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough (1890). Fraternal organizations with mock Near Eastern themes may have received some of their initial impetus from then current popular books and music: The first poetical tale in Thomas Moore's Lalla Rookh (1817), titled the "Veiled Prophet of Khorassan," which was a best selling popular work, publication of which went into many subsequent editions; Sir Walter Scott's book The Talismen (1825) about Saladin and the crusaders; Captain Sir Richard F. Burton's Thousand Nights and a Night (sometimes titled the Arabian Nights) (1855-1858), A Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and Meccah (1853), Kama-Shastra or The Hindoo Art of Love (sometimes titled the Ananga Ranga) (1873), Kama Sutra of Vatsayana (1883), The Perfumed Garden of the Cheikh Nefzaoui, A Manual of Arabian Erotology (1886); Robert Hichens popular novel The Garden of Allah (1904) (Interestingly The Garden of Allah inspired local Mill Valley resident Ralson White to contract architect Willis Polk to design White's hillside estate in Mill Valley which White named "The Garden of Allah."); and Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov's Scherazade Suite (1888).

When popular Arabic- Egyptian-Indian-Persian themes became distilled into organizations, a divergence seems to have occurred: The majority of the resulting organizations (American) came into being to provide a fun social outlet and perform charitable works; on the other hand, a few fringe organizations (European) formed which sought to pursue "oriental" magic and mysticism while holding out a genteel Victorian hint that sexual secrets of the East might be opened to the initiates who attained to the highest levels of these non-Masonic fringe organizations.

The major American fraternal groups of the 19th-century experienced an explosion of interest in organizations with a Near Eastern theme, most of which were deemed "playgrounds" for the membership of the principal bodies. Freemasonry appears to have started the race to create Near Eastern "playground" orders: The ritual for the Ancient Arabic Nobles of the Mystic Shrine was written in c.1870 by a group of Masons which included: actor William "Billy" Florence; Dr. Walter Millard Fleming; lawyer and expert on Masonic Ritual, Charles T. McClenachan; printer, linguist, and ritualist, William Sleigh Paterson; and scholar in Arabic studies, Albert L. Rawson (Rawson was also involved with the Theosophical Society and was an associate of Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. See, The Masters Revealed: Madame Blavatsky and the Myth of the Great White Lodge, Paul Johnson, pp. 25-30 (SUNY Press, 1994); Blavatsky's primary works were Isis Unveiled (1877) and The Secret Doctrine (1888).) The first Shrine Temple ("Mecca")was officially organized September 26, 1872 at New York City; a second Shrine Temple was charted at Rochester, N.Y. in 1875 and by 1888 there were 48 Shrine Temples located throughout the United States and one in Canada. Soon the Shrine had Masonic competitors, the Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm (MOVPER) or Grotto formed in 1890, and the Ancient Egyptian Order of Sciots (AEOS) formed in 1905 in San Francisco.

The Odd Fellows entered the fray with several different "Near Eastern" bodies, including the: Oriental Order of Humility and Perfection (O.O.H.& P., introduced in San Francisco in the 1880's; a earlier group styled the Oriental Order of Humility had been decried by the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows of the United States in c.1870) which along with several other Odd Fellows fun clubs and side degrees (e.g., The Imperial Order of Muscovites (I.O.M., 1894), Veiled Prophets of Baghdad (V.P.B.), Knights of Oriental Splendor (K.O.S.), Ancient Mystic Order of Cabirians (A.M.O.C.)), was amalgamated into the Ancient Mystic Order of Samaritans (A.M.O.S.) in 1924. The Knights of Pythias formed the Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan in 1894. In 1904 members of the Knights of Columbus formed an auxiliary (still not officially recognized), the International Order of the Alhambra, with Arabic costuming, its theme being the final expulsion of the Moors from Spain. While the ceremonials of these organizations were primarily for the entertainment and fun of the members, organizations like the Shrine have proved their merits in the field of charitable works that continue to this day.

Across the Atlantic, organizations formed that were earnest. Rather than focus on pageantry, fanciful costumes, and spreading good works of charity as the American fraternities had done, these groups seized upon so-called "occult knowledge" that was becoming available through such sources as Burton's Kama Sutra, and Budge's Egyptian Magic. Hence we see the formation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in England in 1887 and some eight to fifteen years later the idea for the Ordo Templi Orientis in Germany. Members of such groups have been zealous in their pursuit of personal mystical attainment. Members of these groups styled themselves as magicians.

A Cautionary Note on Magic

Traditional high magic was practiced within a framework of traditional religion, as an adjunct to faith. The objective of the Magician was to obtain a one-pointedness of mind (e.g. heightened concentration) such that without distraction the Magician might become aware of the divine creator. In the process he served as a mediator and sought to work in sympathy with nature. Within such a framework, the Magician was not likely to become fixated on "supernatural" phenomena (e.g. invisibility, telepathy, inner fire, etc.) or otherwise deviate from what was viewed as a harmonizing effect of magic.

In contrast, modern ceremonial magic is largely divorced from any traditional religious framework. While most persons involved in ceremonial magic appear sincere and are committed to a spiritual path, the "dry path" of magic has the peculiar danger of exalting personal ego: The modern magician may be prone to the illusion that they have developed powers and may seek to develop such supposed powers for the sake of power. Traditional magic sought to abrogate, not develop or exalt, the ego of the Magician.

"[T]he more 'distanced' the magus from the primordial tradition, the more he is forced to rely upon effort of will and attempts to control or direct the elementals - as 'Abramelin the Mage' said is necessary - rather than upon the beneficent influences of the celestials and upon the harmony and equilibrium wrought by virtue of spiritual transmutation." The Philosophy of Magic, Arthur Versluis, p.86 (Arkana, 1986). Traditional, primordial magic "is based wholly upon the transcendence of the ego, and of habit energy, in order to channel divine forces and powers. In a very real sense, the magus must sacrifice himself for others, 'giving up' the ego in order to benefit those around him. " The Philosophy of Magic, Arthur Versluis, p.90 (Arkana,1986) As stated by Paul Foster Case, "The greatest magicians know themselves to be no more than channels for the Life-power, clear window-panes through which the light of wisdom within the house of personality streams forth into the objective world." The true magus must be the epitome of compassion and humility.

Since the triumph of rationalist Aristotelian thought in the Renaissance, the Western mind has excluded or rejected the celestial or angelic realms and consequently has dwelt ever more in the realm of mundus medius, of the psyche. "With this in mind, the nature of the modern attraction to psychic phenomena, and to bizarre forms of 'spirituality' under many guises becomes clear: having cut himself off from his traditions, but realizing the barren nature of a purely materialistic point of view, man seeks to recreate for himself that which he has lost. This attempt at recreation, though, is necessarily confined to the psychic realm, 'below' the realm of the planets and so represents a triumph of the irrational under the guise of spirituality. " The Philosophy of Magic, Id. at 78-79.

Modern ceremonial magic has been described as the dry path. The modern magician actively seeks to realize the divine through following a prescribed formula. The modern magician may through misuse of these means take a wrong turn, so to speak, and instead exalt personal ego, fixate on phenomena and become lost in the illusion of having powers.

In contrast and to the extent comparison is possible, Freemasonry has been described as a "wet path." The initiate is given keys (symbols), but no contention is made that the symbols open doors or suggests that they should even be used to open them. Through the symbolism presented in the framework of Freemasonry, an awakening may occur passively: Thus there is no chance of exceeding the initiate's preparedness to be awakened. The traditions of Freemasonry stress humility, harmony, and service to others: The wet path is less prone to problems of ego, fixation and illusion associated with the dry path. Using Old Testament symbolism, Freemasonry is a well-grounded traditional "system of morality veiled in allegory."

Magical Fraternities Currently in Marin

Aurum Solis (AS)

In 2000, the Circle of the Green Lion, Aurum Solis (a Commandery in formation) was formed. It began as an official Aurum Solis study and practice group as a daughter temple of the Commandery of the Winged Serpent: In 2001 it became a Commandery. The Green Lion Commandry is now the only initiatory body of the fraternity west of the Rockies for all western states. The Director is an initiate of the Outer Order of Aurum Solis. The Aurum Solis conducts pathworkings, planetary sphereworkings and study sessions at the Mill Valley Masonic Center.

Aurum Solis - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems

The Order was founded in 1897 by Charles Kingold and George Stanton (the first head of the AS), as a practical school of ceremonial magic within the "Western esoteric tradition." The Order ceased operations for periods during the First and Second World War, resuming an uninterrupted function from 1949 to the present. In 1957 a split occurred in the AS with a portion of the Order leaving to form the Order of the Sacred Word (OSV). In 1971 the breach in the Order was healed and the Order again unified as the Aurum Solis.

The Aurum Solis asserts it is not based on Rosicrucianism or Freemasonry. It asserts its bases are "Gnostic," Greek, Celtic and Alchemical philosophies and practices. It claims to follow the "Ogdoadic Tradition" of the second-century Basilidean heresy (a Gnostic sect named for its founder, Basilides), which takes its basis in the mystery religions of ancient Egypt and demonstrates some influence from the so-called Fourth Book of Cornelius Agrippa.

The thread of this ogdoadic tradition purportedly can be seen in influences on medieval guilds' initiation rituals and disciplines, in the military Orders of the crusades (the Knights Templar, Knights of St. John, and Teutonic Knights), the Ismaili Order of the Faithful Ones of Love, the Fedeli d'Amore (c.end 12th Century), the Careggi Circle (15th century), and the Order of the Helmet (16th Century). In c.1689 an "inner body" of an antiquarian society that called itself the Societas Rotae Fulgentis (Society of the Blazing Wheel) began a collection of "Ogdoatic teachings and practices." Charles Kingold and George Stanton were purportedly members of that Societas Rotae Fulgentis.

The Aurum Solis is also heavily influenced by Qabalah, but asserts that it practices Qabalah of different traditions and lineage than that used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and its progeny, with the desire and purpose "of detaching the timeless teachings of the Qabalah from the limitations of historical and theological particularity, and restating them for the modern student of high magick. [sic]" Purportedly one prominent direct student of Carl Jung was in close association with the Order and may have influenced the orders five volume published work, The Magical Philosophy.

Builders of the Adytum (BOTA)

A study group of the Builders of the Adytum met from approximately 1995 to 1997 at the Masonic Hall in San Rafael. The study group practiced meditation based on the Qabalah and the Tarot.

A body of the Fraternitas Lux Occulta began meeting at the Mill Valley Masonic Center in October 2001 and continued to meet there into 2002.

Builders of the Adytum - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems

Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) was founded by Paul Foster Case. The precise founding date for BOTA is unclear. Case apparently had planned the organization as early as c.1918, and it may have existed secretly behind another school he had founded in 1923 that was called the "School of Ageless Wisdom." Case apparently activated "BOTA" as his principal teaching vehicle in 1926-1927, during which period he worked out the rituals for the BOTA Lodges. After 1931 and with active Lodges in Boston, Washington, DC, New York, Buffalo and Rochester, BOTA ceased being a "secret organization."

Case had been a member of the Ordo Templi Orientis, advancing to the Third Degree (probably early 1917 to mid-1918); he received his OTO initiations from the Outer Head of the Order. He purportedly resigned from the OTO citing dissatisfaction. Case had been initiated into the First Order of the Thoth-Hermes Temple of the Golden Dawn (Alpha et Omega) in 1918 and into the Second Order on May 16, 1920. He was subsequently expelled by Moina Mathers from a surviving Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn temple in the United States, allegedly for discussing "sex magic techniques" with outer order members. In 1926 he became a Freemason, joining a Lodge in New York. In 1944, after Case moved to Los Angeles Case affiliated with various Masonic Lodges in California, maintaining his Masonic membership until his death in 1954.

BOTA operates as a religious organization and states that it is irrevocably dedicated to spiritual attunement through enlightened worship in the Tradition of the Western Mysteries. It claims to be derived from antiquity: Adytum is Greek for "Inner Shrine" or "Holy of Holies" and Builders refers to the emulation of the Carpenter from Nazareth, Jesus, whom BOTA believes was versed in the Qabalistic Tradition. BOTA states that it is not a strictly Christian organization, nor is it Jewish, as the Qabalah is thought to be, but accepts the Qabalah as the mystical root of both ancient Judaism and the original Christianity. Viewing itself as a Mystery School, BOTA's professed mission is to facilitate and speed mankind's evolution toward higher consciousness through the teachings of "ageless wisdom."

In many respects, the BOTA teachings can be described as Hermetic and Rosicrucian. Case was of the opinion that one becomes a Rosicrucian, not 'join' them, and that his order (and others) consequently only can be a vehicle for the labors of the individual students on their path to such a goal. He also made the similar point that there very well may be some 'true' Rosicrucians in any order as well as outside every order. Nonetheless, he claimed to be in touch with the 'invisible Rosicrucian masters' (the secret chiefs of which most Rosicrucian groups claim to derive from or be in contact with), hence legitimizing the Rosicrucian aspect of his own hermetic order. Besides from emphasizing the Qabalah, BOTA is also known for its work on Tarot: A large part of the BOTA curriculum Illustrations of tarot trumps with the colors described, the intention being that the student color them in, thus indenting the image into their unconscious. The BOTA Tarot designs are akin to Rider Waite Tarot design, with certain well-considered variations.

The majority of BOTA members receive home lessons. Such individuals may also participate in Study Groups. Under Case, after completion of the home lession course, BOTA students became eligible for advancement into the Chapter which worked seven degrees based on the Tree of Life: Zelator, Theoricus, Practicus, Philosophus, Adeptus Minor, Adeptus Major, and Adeptus Exemptus. Case's successor created three additional degrees practiced in a body styled a Pronaos, which she made a prerequisite before a candidate could enter the Chapter and made advancement into the Chapter invitational. The first degree of the Pronaos is called Companion Builder.

Purportedly the restrictive or capricious practices utilized in extending invitations for BOTA students to join in Chapter work resulted in the schism leading to the creation of the Fraternitas Lux Occulta (The Brotherhood of Hidden Light or FLO). The Fraternitas Lux Occulta has purportedly dispensed with the Pronaos rituals created by Case's successor and made Case's Chapter rituals readily available to students completing the work Case had established as a prerequisite. The FLO seeks to perpetuate the early spirit of the school.

BOTA has headquarters in both Paris and Los Angeles. The Fraternitas Lux Occulta is headquartered in Colorado.

Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO)

In approximately 1996, a Marin County psychologist received a charter to institute an OTO camp. The camp was named Mons Abiegnus. The camp grew quickly, and by approximately 1998 had been chartered an Oasis, enabling it to confer the first four degrees of the OTO that comprise the Man of the Earth series of degrees: Minerval (0°), Man of the Earth (1°), Magician (2°), and Master Magician (3°). The Mons Abiegnus Oasis meets primarily at the Mill Valley Masonic Center; it also conducts various outdoor activities on Mount Tamalpais, Ring Mountain, and at various beaches.

Ordo Templi Orientis - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems

The OTO claims to have begun first as the idea of Heinrich Klein and purportedly, Carl Kellner and Franz Hartmann around 1895. Kellner was a wealthy industrialist and a Mason, who represented that he had encountered Tantrism in his travels to India: However, Kellner died a year before the OTO was founded. Hartmann was a Theosophist and wrote an introduction to magic he titled, Magic White and Black; Contrary to some claims, there appears to be evidence that he was never connected with the OTO, but only with Theodor Reuss and Henrich Klein through the pseudo-Masonic Rite of Memphis and Misraim. Hartmann had severed contact with Reuss in 1904. Klein was involved with the Rite of Memphis and Misraim, which in Germany had been led by himself, Franz Hartmann, and Theodor Reuss. The OTO itself did not come into being until approximately 1906, when it became a clandestine Masonic Lodge in Germany.

Its head at founding in 1906 was Theodor Reuss, who had been a member of a regular Masonic Lodge under the jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of England, but had been expelled by his Lodge for non-payment of dues. The clandestine lodge Reuss formed as the OTO purported to confer not only the three degrees of Freemasonry, but also the 4th through 32nd degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry and the degrees of two fringe Masonic Rites - the Oriental Rite of Memphis with 96 degrees, and the Rite of Mizraim with 90 degrees. Reuss described his OTO Lodge as a complete academy of Freemasonry.

During the period of 1919-1924, in an apparent bid to gain recognition from the world of regular Masonry, the OTO's Head of the Order for England and Ireland advanced claims as the Outer Head of the Order and undertook to rewrite the rituals of the OTO's first three degrees: The effort to gain Masonic recognition was in vain. However, the degrees of Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason, including the building of Solomon's temple and the Hiramic legend, were abandoned by the OTO. In their place were substituted four degrees: Minerval, Man of the Earth, Magician, and Master Magician. In place of the Third Degree Hiramic legend, the OTO utilized the legend of the Sufi mystic and martyr Mansur el-Hallaj. (Mansur al-Hallaj is one of Sufism's most controversial figures. He was executed in Baghdad for political reasons. Hallaj became famous for his problematic saying, "I am the Real" (Ana 'l-Haqq), which can also be translated as "I am the Truth" and "I am God.") The OTO's remaining degrees, however, were not rewritten and have retained titles, and purportedly some features of ceremonies taken from the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Some have described the OTO's higher degrees as truncated versions of the more expansive rituals of the Scottish Rite.

At the time the Ruess rituals were rewritten, they had engrafted into them the "new" religion of Thelema of which Ruess's successor is accorded the status of prophet. Purportedly, the OTO degrees become progressively more "Thelemic" as the candidate progresses. Additionally, the rewritten rituals purportedly imposed a more hierarchical organization, and required initiates to make pledges of obedience to the Outer Head of the Order. (Not everybody found the restructuring of the OTO to their taste, so several branches parted: There are groups in Switzerland still active, the largest of which was headed by Herman Joseph Metzger, which derive from the pre-Thelemic OTO of Reuss.) Today, the most well-known branch of the modern OTO, is the Thelemic organization that is alone in operating internationally under the name of OTO: Its headquarters is in Berlin.

There are a total of 21 Initiate degrees in the OTO, including thirteen numbered degrees and eight unnumbered, intermediate degrees or sub-degrees. Beyond the degree of Puissant and Perfect Princes (or Knight Rose Croix), advancement is by invitation only. Initiates of the intermediate degree of Knight of the East and West (KEW) are eligible for formal ordination to the Priesthood in Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica. Episcopal consecration in Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica is conferred as part of the Seventh Degree. The Tenth Degree (X°) is held by the National Grand Master General of O.T.O. in a particular country.

The Oasis officers are: Oasis Master, Secretary (Communications Secretary, Initiation Secretary), Treasurer, Illuminator /Editor, Equipment Manager, Seneschal, Logistrix Master. The Initiation officers of the Oasis are: Saladin, Wazir, Emir, Guard, Sentinel.

The symbolism of the OTO degrees up to Master Magician might be compared to entering the landscape of the First Trump of the Tarot, that of Magician or Juggler (le Bateleur). Hence, it might be expected that in the landscape of the various degrees, the candidate is introduced to the ancient's symbolic elements of earth, water, air and fire, and is equipped with the Magician's various tools for mastering and balancing the same: A coin or talisman; cup; dagger or sword; rod or wand.

According to the OTO, "The Man of Earth degrees follow a pattern based on the symbolism of the Chakras and the stages of Kundalini Yoga; and represent, in dramatic form, the Individual's Path in Eternity. In the 0°, the Ego, a wandering God, is attracted to the Solar System. In the I°, the Child experiences Birth. In the II°, the Man or Woman experiences Life. The III° represents the Death of the individual, and the IV° represents the world beyond Death, the glorified state of the Initiate. In the PI Degree, the Initiate symbolically achieves ultimate Perfection (Completion), and the entire cycle is withdrawn into Annihilation. [They relate to Yoga as follows: 0° to Ajna and Mülâdhara; I° to Vishuddha; II° to Anahata; III° to Svadisthâna; IV° to Ajna and Manipüra; and P.I. to Sahasrâra.]

"Of these Events or Stations upon the Path, all but the II° represent single critical experiences. We, however, are concerned mostly with the varied experiences of Life. All subsequent degrees are therefore elaborations of the II°, a progressive instruction in how to live, since in a single ceremony it is hardly possible to sketch, even in the briefest outline, the Teaching of Initiates with regard to Life.

"The V° - IX° rituals and teachings are therefore instructions to the Initiate in the Mastery of Life; there is instruction in Hermetic Philosophy, Qabalah, Magick [sic] and Yoga..." [The misspelling of the word "magic" was apparently introduced by a head of the OTO; the added terminal "k" being the first letter of kteis, the Greek word for the female genitals.]

According to the OTO, as of February 1999, it has approximately 3,000 members. Of these, roughly half are in the United States. O.T.O. is active to varying extents in about 40 countries.