I thought it merited mention that there were some passages from Grant's work which reading about Boullan's practices brought to mind. Specifically those dealing with Viparita Karani and its denigration into the Black Sabbath or Black Mass.

From Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God:

"The doctrine of the reversion of the senses is so ancient that we find references to it as an already decayed tradition
in Tantras long anterior to the Christian epoch. The Tamil Siddhas, in particular, refer to practices in which the
imbibition of female urine and incinerated dung2l formed parts of a purificatory rite adopted by those who adored
the Goddess in the form of a living woman."

"...Viparita is the exercise of abolishing disgust by taking in repulsive things which are useful; by enjoying
the presence and company of ugly but gifted women; by doing extremely unconventional, nay disgusting things,
which are yet purposeful and bettering; the living a better life than in an environment of prudery and mock modesty."

It is interesting that the practices of this catholic heretic so closely align with those Sabbatic rites which the church would so grossly misinterpret. It is almost as if the wheel has come full circle and this Christian mystic is intuitively rediscovering these methods via the help of a channeled intelligence.

Grant touches on this as well in AC&THG

"The later travesty of these ancient doctrines in the revolting rites of the Black Sabbath, which consisted of a mere inversion of Christian practices are the distorted echoes of a doctrine which had at its heart the true samadrishti..."

He then makes mention of the backward repetition of the Lords prayer and the kiss on the anus of the beast and other staples of the black mass.

I find all this very fascinating. The whole idea of transmuting the grotesque into the beautiful or spiritually exalted. I imagine it might have been a touch of what Jean Genet felt when he said

"To escape horror bury yourself in it."

93, Scott!

Unfortunately I do not know anything about the abbe but I'll attach an entertaining article about the two enemies:

[from the N. Y. Herald, 1898]

KILLED BY ENCHANTMENT.

A Queer Witchcraft Yarn from Over the Sea.

When magicians, occultists and adepts in the black art the world over heard the other day that Stanislas de Guaita was dead, they at once, or, rather, the leaders among them, jumped at the conclusion that enchantment had killed him, or, in other words, that an evil spell had been cast over him, causing him to waste away and finally die.

Some years ago Stanislas de Guaita had a bitter quarrel with Abbe Boullan, and the story goes that he determined to kill him by enchantment. During the middle ages, when a person desired to get an enemy out of the way he frequently applied for assistance to a magician, who, for a monetary consideration, usually very large, would undertake the unpleasant task. The weapon used was an image, made of wax or other impressionable material, and fashioned so as to resemble as closely as possible the person about to be removed. The magician claimed that when pins were stuck into this image or when it was otherwise malterated, the person whom it represented would suffer in a corresponding degree and would in a short time surely die.

Naturally, images of this sort were at one time rather popular among those who had enemies whom they desired to remove.

Abbe Boullan, however, was not to be caught so easily. He knew a deal about the black art himself, and when he heard that Guaita intended to kill him in this way he determined to prevent him. He was successful, and then he went on his way, calmly pursuing his occult studies, until finally he died peacefully in his bed, like any other respectable gentleman. Now, however - and this is the singular part of the story - it appears that the enchantment which was designed to work his death has ruthlessly retraced its steps and killed its own author, Stanislas de Guaita himself.

This being the nineteenth century, Stanislas de Guaita, it is said, could not condescend to use such a clumsy artifice as a waxen image, and, therefore, he employed the more modern engine of destruction known as the ”flying spirit.”

Abbe Boullan had an intuition of what was coming, and, though be had the utmost confidence in his own ability to ward off any such attacks, he nevertheless thought it well to consult a clairvoyant. She not only told him his suspicions were well founded, but she also described the weapon which Guaita intended to use against him. This weapon was a curious poison, the main ingredients of which were farina, meat, sacramental bread, mercury, animal extracts, human blood, acetate of morphine and the juice of an asp. As cholera is conveyed from Asia to Europe through a microbe, so this poison was to be conveyed into Abbe Boullan‘s body through the spirit of some dead person, which Guaita would summon from the netherworld for that purpose.

Abbe Boullan knew that this was a deadly poison, and, therefore, in order to avert it, he donned his sacerdotal robes, set up an altar in his room and spent day and night in appealing for aid to Melchisedec and all other invisible ones whose assistance might prove beneficial to him. The struggle lasted for months, and terrible it was. When it was over the abbe‘s health was shattered, but he cared not, for he knew that he had prevailed in the fight.

From that day forth he bade defiance to Guaita and his poison. He died in Lyons in January, 1893, of heart disease.

The abbe had escaped, but the abominable poison was not to be cheated in this way. The flying spirit who bore it had been commissioned to lodge it in the vital part of a victim, and this command could not be ignored. Since then, the abbe had proved invulnerable, there was only one logical course for the messenger of death to pursue, and that was to lodge the poison in the body of its master, Stanislas de Guaita.

As long as the abbe lived Guaita had no ground for fear, as he could always assume that the poison was working slowly, but when the abbe died a peaceful, natural death he had good cause for fear, as he knew that sooner or later the flying spirit would surely come back and kill him. We are not told whether he made any efforts to save himself. Indeed, the closing days of his life seem to be shrouded in mystery.

Love=Law
Lutz

What a great find! Thanks you Lutz! Is this article in your collection by chance? Where did you come across it?

Thanks again!

S

Hi, Scott, 93!

If you are interested I can send you a facsimile PDF of the article. Just send me a PM...

Love=Law
Lutz

There is an old article about the Abbe at:
http://sinistra.dragonrouge.net/boullan.html

At the moment, the techniques of the Abbe is integral within the Circle of Initiatory Witchcraft within Lodge Sinistra and Lodge Atlantis of the Dragon Rouge. It is highly initiatory work; speaking from a Qliphothic perspective the gnosis of this tradition is much more than only work with the sphere of Gamaliel.

I don't know if there will be any open publications on the subject in the future coming from that direction, though there might be some further translations of certain manuscripts.

As people within Sinistra has pointed out over and over again, the knowledge of the tradition of sexual magic and mysticism within the occult movement in general is sadly still quite unknowledgeable about its forerunners. People study Crowley, but seldom people like Randolph, Craddock and the Abbe. It almost seems people are not really interested in the field of Left Hand Path sexual initiatory practices before Crowley.

Thanks for the link! I will try running this through google translate - it looks very interesting!

Good to see you here again, I had the feeling it had been a while!

At the moment, the techniques of the Abbe is integral within the Circle of Initiatory Witchcraft within Lodge Sinistra and Lodge Atlantis of the Dragon Rouge. It is highly initiatory work...

Very interesting. is that to say that the work is integral to just those two bodies and initiations in other bodies would be different? I imagine there is much that cannot or will not be shared publicly but I wonder if Dragon Rouge is similar to the structure of Temple of Set where different Pylons pursue different currents?

...speaking from a Qliphothic perspective the gnosis of this tradition is much more than only work with the sphere of Gamaliel.

Are you referring to the incubi/succubi and vampiric aspects of his work? I gather there is more to his theories but it seems most of the English sources only address the "Sex with Jesus" angle and gloss over his "theory of mystical substitution" and other aspects I can sense between the lines but not quite pin down.

It almost seems people are not really interested in the field of Left Hand Path sexual initiatory practices before Crowley.

Thats very frustrating because for all he did that was groundbreaking, Crowley borrowed a lot from his predecessors. I am glad to see Randolph getting some attention and Craddock. I was not familiar with the latter but the former I discovered years back in the work of Allen Greenfield. He has a good book on The Hermetic Brotherhood of Light.

Thanks for sharing the info. I am trying to order a copy of the Swedish translation of the Boullan bio you linked to (I work with a girl who can translate). I am also tracking down some French books on the Abbe with the genuine intention of picking up my French again. Between that and translating Taxil I will have a full plate.

93, Scott.

You're welcome. PDFs will be sent. Here is another short one that appeared after his death in 1893:

A STRANGE STORY.

Death of the Notorious Black Canon of Lyons.

The death is announced in Paris of Abbe Boullan, the famous — or infamous — defroque, the Black Canon of Lyons, the real hero of ”La Bas,” says a correspondent. Though he makes but rare appearance in M. Huysmans‘ romance, his influence dominates the book from beginning to end. And well it might, for in truth he was among the strangest spirits of his generation. Le Figaro says: „To the cunning of an impostor he added a profound and devious scholarship. Magic and the arts of a darker age hid no secrets from him. When he renounced his allegiance to the church the archbishop of Paris, unwilling to lose so learned a colleague, sent two worthy canons to reason with him. But he called down so many devils upon their heads that they were only too glad to leave him in peace. For many years he has devoted himself to the practice of his art and profited greatly thereby .

”It was his wont to administer la messe noire, with all its obscene rites in a private chapel beyond the heights of Mont Parnasse, and from many a distraught soul he exorcised a tormenting demon. He died at the zenith of his power. It is but a few months ago that he was called upon to relieve an unfortunate lady from a double spell. Not merely was the victim harassed by physical pain, but trees and plants withered upon her estate.

”The Black Canon by ‚his incantations, instantly cured the bodily anguish and would have restored the
leaves and blossoms of the lady‘s garden had not she too suddenly closed her purse. A strayling from the middle ages, he leaves none to inherit his occult power, for he would have despised the experiments of so patent an amateur as Col. de Rochas. Was he the slave of superstition or a reasonable and contemptuous cynic? For the sake of humor and his own peace of mind, it is trusted the latter.“

I know this is not really touching the subjects you are interested in at all, but it might be helpful to check out his public image. I check if I have more.

Love=Law
Lutz

Thank you again Lutz, these are brilliant! Any info you have is more than welcome!! I am very interested in what the public were saying about him - often you can glean gems of truth from those accounts or at least new paths to research.

Thank you again sir! 🙂

S

Good to see you here again, I had the feeling it had been a while!

Thanks.

Very interesting. is that to say that the work is integral to just those two bodies and initiations in other bodies would be different? I imagine there is much that cannot or will not be shared publicly but I wonder if Dragon Rouge is similar to the structure of Temple of Set where different Pylons pursue different currents?

The Dragon Rouge works with a main material that is equal for all. The goal is the initiation into the different qliphothic spheres, which correspond with a multitude of esoteric experience, knowledge and power. Most members work the GOTA as their main esoteric traditions; Goetic Magic (Qliphoth and Qabalah, The Grimoire-tradition and other related traditions) Odinist traditions (different esoteric norse traditions; sejdr, rune-magic and so on), Tantra (both buddist and hindu, great focus on kundalini ) and Alchemy of different variants. However, a member might have their main focus on one of these traditions and maybe be totally uniniterested in for instance Odinism.

The whole point with the Lodges is to give its members further possibilities of working with the DR-initiatory system, working together as a group – often based on the initiatory degree attained. It is also possible to work with Left Hand Path traditions that does not necessarily ”fit in” to the main Left Hand Path traditions that the Order works with, such as LHP Esoteric Voudon.

Traditional / Esoteric Witchcraft is one such example which the Lodges Sinistra & Atlantis have had alot of emphasis on. It is within projects created by the members working with the witchcrafttraditions that have integrated the work of Boullan.

Are you referring to the incubi/succubi and vampiric aspects of his work? I gather there is more to his theories but it seems most of the English sources only address the "Sex with Jesus" angle and gloss over his "theory of mystical substitution" and other aspects I can sense between the lines but not quite pin down.

Yes. Indeed, the initiatory aspects of Boullanism is something that is broader than only work with Gamaliel.

einDoppelganger,

I found it interesting to find out that you found Donald Tyson’s Sexual Alchemy a good book and surprising that it may have had any techniques similar Abbe Boullan. I was questioning whether this book is worth owning. I am mixed with Tyson’s work as an author so I am hesitant with this title.

I too discovered him in Colin Wilson's The Occult and maybe the Black Arts by Richard Cavendish.

It is interesting the Dragon Rouge use the initiatory aspects of Boullanism in the work of Gamaliel. Gamaliel:Diary of Vampire is a name of a novel written by Kenneth Grant. I wonder if similar entities described in the Nightside of Eden were used by Boullan.

It is frustrating that there are no English translations Abbe Boullan, Marquis Stanislas de Guaita, and Léo Taxil works. There also is other works of the French Occultists Etteilla, Oswald Wirth, Papus, and Paul Marteau that have not been translated along with Gregor G. Gregorious.

Another figure is Maria de Naglowska whom I read about in Demons of the Flesh. The site below states “Maria de Naglowska (1883-1936), also known as the Sophiale de Montparnasse, was a Russian occultist, mystic, and founder of the Brotherhood of the Golden Arrow, whose conferences in Paris in the 1930s were attended by many now-famous individuals, such as Julius Evola, Man Ray, and André Breton. She is also known for her translation of P. B. Randolph’s Magia Sexualis, the classic occult text that has survived only through her translation.”

Inner Tradition is publishing two Sex Magic books by her.
http://store.innertraditions.com/Contributor.jmdx?action=displayDetail&id=1733

Robert North also translated some of her works that are more expensive.
http://www.lulu.com/browse/search.php?fSearchData [author]=Robert+North+-+www.newfleshpalladium.net&fSearchData[lang_code]=all&fSort=salesRankEver_asc&showingSubPanels=advancedSearchPanel_title_creator

Well I like what I have seen so far. It isnt a classic text but I think one of his better ones. I agree Tyson's work can be hit or miss. I like his Lovecraftian work, his book on making a magic mirror, and his Liber Lilith. There are other title which dont grab me but thats more because I didnt resonate with the syncretic approach he was taking , "Runic Astrology" for example didnt grab me.

it may have had any techniques similar Abbe Boullan. I was
questioning whether this book is worth owning. I am mixed with Tyson’s work as an author so I am hesitant with this title.

I'm not sure the techniques would be identical but the ideas seem very similar. I imagine Tyson must be aware of Boullan.

It is interesting the Dragon Rouge use the initiatory aspects of Boullanism in the work of Gamaliel. Gamaliel:Diary of Vampire is a name of a novel written by Kenneth Grant. I wonder if similar entities described in the Nightside of Eden were used by Boullan.

Agreed, I do find the Dragon Rouge to be more interesting the more I see them exploring various disciplines in a very non-dogmatic approach. They feel like a proper workgroup of experimental magicians actually experimenting with various traditions. I can respect that!

As for Gamaliel RZK was making reference to the fact that Boullan's work as explored in the DR is more than just the creation of incubi and succubi. As for the Qlippothic spheres and Boullan... who knows if his work shares correspondences. Its hard to speculate not having read any original materials but I am actively working to get a clearer picture of his approaches.

It is frustrating that there are no English translations Abbe Boullan, Marquis Stanislas de Guaita, and Léo Taxil works.

Indeed! I am actually back on French for the first time in decades since I just can't stand reading some material in translation. Its bad enough to read the Symbolists in English, but seeing the wealth of occult writing in Francophone literature is staggering.

Another figure is Maria de Naglowska whom I read about in Demons of the Flesh.

Thank you for these links. I have Demons of the Flesh but I have yet to read the book cover to cover. I have used it for general reference. She sounds very interesting! I have pre-ordered those two titles.

Cheers
S

Based on your recommendation AdoniaZannoni,  I'm considering Robert Norths books on Maria de Naglowska from Lulu. They are extremely expensive so I wanted to see if you or anyone else might have read them and found them to be worth the unusually high asking price for a print on demand volume.

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/bobnorth

Thanks in advance
S

While it is true that what we know of Reuss' sexual initiatory writings are modeled after Randolph, it seems most certain (to me, anyway) that Crowley's are modeled after certain Gnostic Sects whose activities are detailed in "The Panarion", and not Dr. Randolph's models. A close study of Randolph's "Ansieratic Mysteries" (reproduced in T. Allen Greenfield's "The Story Of The Hermetic Brotherhood Of Light" and "The Panarion of Epiphaneus Part I" (the first modern edition of which was translated into German and published in Berlin around 1910) will reveal this to be true.  The practices alluded to in the Gnostic Mass have little to do with Dr. Randoph's practices and have great similarity with the practices of several Gnostic Sects who consumed the product of their sexual union as the sacred Pasch of Communion. I've read everything I can get and find by and about Randolph for the last 10 years, have seven or eight of his books, a couple of copies of which are over 100 years old (I have suspicions about Clymer's editing reprints of Randolph's works, but they're only suspicions). Randolph rarely writes about his Sexual Magic directly, and when he does, his monogamous Judeo-Christian proclivities, attitudes and mores are so thoroughly "old Aeon" that they would make most Thelemites scream "Restriction!" 

I have studied all the material (more or less) commonly available on Craddock, both biographies, the materials published in Motta's Equinox,  and "Lunar and Sex Worship." Craddock's initiatory practices in sexuality either occurred on the Astral Plane, or were veiled references to her mundane lover (or lovers) that propriety of the time forbade her to speak of directly. And again, the Judeo-Christian proclivities, attitudes and mores found in her work are quite pronounced and well-defined.

If one has actually studied Dr. Randolph and Ms. Craddock, I cannot imagine the sort of mental gymnastics it takes in someone's head to classify either of these authors as "Left Hand Path." Spare me the references to Tantra-- neither of them practiced it, or knew anything about it.

Speaking of Maria De Naglowska, what opinions (if any) do you good folks have on Donald Traxler's translations of her "The Light of Sex: Initiation, Magic, and Sacrament" and "Advanced Sex Magic: The Hanging Mystery Initiation"? They seem intriguing. All I know of her is that she was the source for the "Magia Sexualis" paperback put out by Magickal Childe some 20+ years ago, and that some critics doubt Dr. Randolph was the author-- no English version of her 'translation' of Dr. Randolph's supposed work has ever been discovered, has it?

Hello All,

Following up my preoccupation with Pre-Mathers Frano-Occult and Gnostic sects I came across this illustration from L’Art Idéaliste & Mystique: Doctrine de L’Ordre et du Salon Annuel des Rose + Croix, by Sar Péladan. The image predates Kellner's founding of OTO by a year.

source

Makes one wonder at the implications of the dove. The French occult orders were all preoccupied with the coming "Kingdom of the Paraclete" (usually represented as a dove). I have been researching a lot of this lately, as well as the union/link between the Gnostic Catholic church and the OTO. This also seems to be a link born out of the "French Connection."

Full title page

Thank you for your reply Walter. Im always interested in your take on  PB Randolph and the antecedents to the OTO. Your collection of works by Randolph sounds fantastic.

Also, as for Abbee Boullan. I want to share some links that may be of interest. These are primary source texts in French but google translate will give you a legible rendering. Most deal with Huysmans and his explorations of Satanism but any treatment of that topic must address Huysman's mentor in this field, the Abbe Boullan.

One of the authors below, Joanny Bricaud, wrote a book on Abbe Boullan which has never been translated to English. I have a Swedish translation from Dragon Rouge but I'd prefer to get the French original which I have some hope of translating.

If anyone has a copy of
"L'abbé Boullan:(docteur Johannès de Là-bas) : sa vie, sa doctrine et ses pratiques magiques." 

please do get in touch via PM. I will be glad to pay for scans, trade other manuscripts or ephemera, or pay for the original.

J.-K. Huysmans et le Satanisme. This study by Joanny Bricaud was
published in the Revue du Temps Présent on 25 June 1908. When Bricaud
adapted it for his book-length study published five years later, some
material in the essay was excluded, presumably for legal reasons.
http://homepage.mac.com/brendanking/huysmans.org/criticism/bricaud.htm

blue  J.-K. Huysmans et le Satanisme. This study by Joanny Bricaud was
published by Chacornac in 1912. It is a fascinating account of
Huysmans’ relations with the occult, centring chiefly on the
antagonisms between two occult factions, with Huysmans, Boullan and
Bois on one side, and Guaita, Wirth and the Rosicrucians on the other.
http://homepage.mac.com/brendanking/huysmans.org/bibliophiletexts/bricaud/bricaud1.htm

Huysmans Occultiste et Magicien. This is Joanny Bricaud’s second book
on Huysmans and was published by Chacornac in 1913. It includes a
’Notice sur les Hosties Magiques qui servirent à Huysmans pour
combattre les énvoûtements’.
http://homepage.mac.com/brendanking/huysmans.org/bibliophiletexts/bricaud/bricaud2.htm

Oh yes, my Antiquities of the Illuminati buddy Jon Sellers found those 6+ years ago. I think he published them in his book "The Legacy Of The GIFT."

Jon's sadly fallen on hard times since then, he's quite a writer and researcher, but it's hard to write and publish when you're living in a shelter and your computer access is limited to an hour at a time at a public library. 🙁

I got most of my Randolph books about a 15 years ago, shortly before the Deveny bio came out. There was quite a run on his works for several years after it came out, I see that's no longer the case-- there are several pre-Clymer editions available, published by Randolph's widow, after his death, that are under $200 a copy in varying but readable condition on lists at ABE Books and ALibris. However, a search of Google Books shows that many of these are now available free for download, and they too are pre-Clymer editions (presumably because these are now in the public domain). So unless one is a bibliophile that has to have 1st, 2nd or 3rd editions, a good portion of Dr. Randolph's material is available for the student for FREE!

A fascinating man, Dr. Randolph. I shake my head in bewilderment at the Spiritism and Mediumship in his works, chuckle at his reccomendations to use Hashish and Nitrous Oxide as aids in Seership with a magic mirror, and wonder how the seeds he sewed failed to find more growth and fruition. But I digress...

Just curious, since I haven't read his works yet, why does his Spiritism and Mediumship bewilder you? I do understand there is a general unease from Ceremonial Magical quarters regarding the passive/receptive nature of  Mediumship. Is there something specific in Dr. Randolph's usage that's particularly problematic?

I have recently started to look into Kardec and the Umbanda connection in Brazil as well as the connection to the work of M Bertiaux, so Spiritism (and its fostering of mediumship) has been of interest lately. Its one of those 19th century occult currents that spun off on its own while the Golden Dawn tradition became the defacto standard for most magicians. 

Thats terrible to hear 🙁 I saw a link to his site on the original source linked above. Sadly, understandably in light of this info, the page was nonresistant. Perhaps someone could collate the content of his old site into a lulu.com book as a benefit? All the links online back to "Antiquities of the Illuminati " sound fascinating but they are all dead-ends.

Sad news 🙁

I see his book is available on lulu so i will definitely pick up a copy

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-legacy-of-the-gift/2806262

This one was recently translated from the French, recommended by both Crowley and Motta in his "Letter to a Brazilian Mason":

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-mass-and-its-mysteries-compared-to-the-ancient-mysteries/17808519?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1

Some Data:
A most controversial character is the priest Joseph-Antoine Boullan (1824-1893), who is probably better known as the Abbé de Boullan. Boullan became 'active' in the 1850's when he founded the "Society for the Reparation of Souls" together with a former nun, Adele Chevalier. It is stated by the general sources that Boullan 'specialized' in "exorcising demons by unconvential means". After his conviction for fraud and serving his time in jail, at which he was suspended from his priestly duties, Boullan voluntarily presented himself at the Holy Office (i.e. the Inquisition) in Rome, which reversed its former decision. Boullan's doctrines were written in Rome at the time, and this notebook became known as the "Cahier Rose", which was later found by the novelist Joris Karl Huysmans after Boullan's death in 1893. The "Cahier Rose" apparently was locked away in the Vatican Library, after being described as a "shocking document". There are sources that claim that Boullan was 'protected by the Church' and infiltrated Vintras' cultus "with the sole object of bringing it down".
Boullan apparently met Vintras shortly before the latter's death in 1875. At the time Boullan claimed to be the reincarnated St.John the Baptist (but this proclamation was done after Vintras death, obviously). Boullan joined Vintras' "Church of Carmel" and became its leader when Vintras died. Shortly thereafter a schism ensued, because most of the members refused to accept Boullan's supremacy. A few followed Boullan's splintergroup which remained active until Boullan's death in 1893. Around 1889 Boullan's group was 'infiltrated' by Stanislas de Guaita and Oswald Wirth. De Guaita published an exposé, titled "Le Temple de Satan". This work belonged to De Guaita's "Essais de sciences maudites", which consisted of four publications, published between 1886 and 1897 ( see "1888 OKR+C"). It is generally assumed that Boullan's sect used a rite derived from a 18th century printing of "Cult des Goules". Boullan is portrayed in J.K.Huysman’s "La Bas" as Dr. Johannes. "The French occultist would probably have remained, virtually unknown to the world at large if it wasn't for the work of J.K. Huymans."

Looks great! Thank you for this link!

Interesting. I cannot determine a source of this text with google..Do you have more info?  I find the idea Boullan infiltrated the Vintras sect interesting but unlikely considering his later excommunication and choice of facial tattoos. Perhaps it was his initial motivation but I get the impression from the depth of his practice and its intensity that it quickly became more personal and sincere.

According to Robert Baldick's Huysmans biography, The Abbe's confession as well as personal effects are currently in the national library in Paris as part of the Huysmans collection.

From the  text above it says

"It is generally assumed that Boullan's sect used a rite derived from a 18th century printing of "Cult des Goules."[/align:dxdb1b9d]

I wonder who is making this assumption, since the book in question is a creation of Robert Bloch. If I knew the context it would be easier to determine if the author is speaking allegorically (as Grant is when referring to Necronomicon) or otherwise. Fascinating summary in any case, thanks for sharing it!

This has has already been mentioned by Peter-R. König in his Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, published by ARW in 1998.

From page 26 of this book:

http://www.parareligion.ch/rituals.htm

Most welcome. In the Lulu preview, page 7 is an introduction with much OTO and A.·.A.·. reference.

Seems to be much in this Yahoo Group - looks like they are getting into it but I have not explored it well enough to determine its validity:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Grimorium_Verum/message/504

Yeah, this group is Jake Stratton-Kent's. Its a goldmine of info and a good place to get lost a few hours...days...weeks.
Thanks again for the post!

Generally speaking, the number of frauds involved in 19th century spiritism queers the whole subject and category for me, from the original Fox sisters to Harry Houdini's medium-exposing in the early 20th century. Nothing in particular about Dr. Randolph's writings on the subject, I'm relatively sure he was being completely genuine, and it is the case that there were individuals with whom he withdrew his support when they were shown to be frauds, so he wasn't completely gullible on the subject. But as we all know, even the greatest of Magicians can be the victims of their own subconcious wish-fulfillment, their own self-deception or the deception of communicating spirits,  let alone the deception of "Mediums" who wish to manipulate those that they think useful.  So I am bewildered by a man who speaks with confidence of his communications with the spirits, especially when these communications do not parse with what I have experienced, and intuit.

It's not even that I don't believe that those who have passed on cannot come back-- I know how to open those gates, I've brought back loved ones for others to visible appearance for them, I've been ridden by the Loa Baron Samadhi, and I've lived with Ghosts and Spirits manifesting since I was a child of 5 or 6, and first saw my mother's late foster-father in the house he built in 1910, (a devout reformed Quaker) 15+ years after his passing, in his sitting room, reading a newspaper. These are Great Mysteries to me. But the Loa and the Archons do not speak to me directly of these matters,  my comprehension of these matters are largely intuitive-- it may be that these Mysteries cannot be communicated in the languages of men, or at least in the English language (perhaps Sanskrit, Old Sumerian, or Old Egyptian have the vocabulary, but no language I know).  The Ancient Egyptians (for example) believed there were five parts to the Soul, and that one of them, the Shuet, if I recall correctly, remains earth-bound, and it may be these that I see, or have called into visible appearance for others. My second wife's late husband, for example, was an exceptional Thelemic Magician, and all I had to do to call him to visible appearance was open his set of the Equinox, and start reading from "The Temple Of Solomon The King" and I'd start seeing him out of the corner of my eye, or see his image instead of my own in a mirror.

As in all things, your mileage may vary. 😉

I completely understand the suspicion you harbor about spiritualism. I have avoided the topic for ages for the very same reasons. My predisposition toward disregarding it entirely was borne partly out of a hobby of mine, collecting the paraphernalia and techniques of fraudulent mediums and mentalist/spirit magicians from the 19th century. It is a fascinating time and there are some contemporary writers who make a compelling case for the beneficial power of prestidigitation within our magic and folklore starved post-modern western culture.
See Jeff McBride and Eugene Berger. Of course, exploiting the bereaved is despicable as well.

In any case I am quite enjoying my readings from Kardec and others.

Back to the "proto-Lamen" and the dove. In my reading on the French Revolution I came across the Coronation ceremony of all french kings since Clovis included an anointing with holy oil believed to have been brought from heaven by the dove of the Paraclete. If I am not mistaken Peladan was a supporter of the Naundorff cause. I can see how this grail/dove iconography may be tied in directly to the popular ideal of a divine aristocracy found in  the work of Martinez de Pasqually and later the Martinists. Adds an interesting element of the "divine kings" which finds expression later in the OTO. I have to say, when one looks at all the weight placed on aristocracy bloodlines, purity, Synarchy, etc by continental occultists it really comes as little surprise that the early 20th century occult revival would find itself resolving into the Third Reich ("Guenonism with Panzers").

Perhaps this is common knowledge for most, but I had always considered the OTO lamen in other terms. Its interesting to place it in a historical context.

(Nods) I've been a friend of Jeff McBride's for almost 24 years, 24 years this May. 😉 A true Prince of a fellow, Jeff. Higher aims and higher Ideals I could not imagine in a Magus and a Magician. His ethos is only matched by his ability. If only we didn't disagree about the question of entheogens and magick...

Naundorff, one of the claimants to be "The Lost Dauphine" IIRC? And Clovis I was the founder of the Merovingian Dynasty in the late 3rd Century, over 1300 years of tradition we're talking about here. But then the name Louis *is* itself a derivative of the Latinization of  the name Clovis. Most Americans can't imagine 1300 years of tradition. As we used to joke in Old Heidelberg on the subject of 'shit happens', "the shit that happened 200 years ago is considered 'current events' around here!"

Regarding the 3rd Reich, well, that was one branch, any way. The end of the Hapsburg reign in 1918 left a vacuum in Austria, Bohemia, Barvaria (I've been to the Hapsburg Castle in Wurzburg, Germany, *beautiful*) that *something* was going to fill...
I don't think most readers here will recognize your reference to Geunonism as coming from "The Morning of the Magicians." I think that's one of the first "occult" books I ever read, when I was 14 or so, in 1975.

No, I don't think the origins of the Lamen are "common knowledge" and most think of the "descending dove" in the context of Yeheshua's immersion by Johnne d'Baptiste, if they think of it at all.  And to think that all of this once hinged on the efforts of the Maid of Orleans, and her Field Marshall, Gilles de Rais...

Certainly not commom knowledge, but there is much out there, say for instance some of the O.T.O. Phenomenon website material.

      A nice spread can be viewed here:    

Too bad Koenig's not anything close to an unbiased or reliable source. One day someone will sift through his opinions and lies and misconstruances and write a fair and balanced history of the  "O.T.O. Phenomena" based in part upon the materials he has admittedly assembled, for that alone perhaps we should be somewhat grateful. But I don't trust that little explicative deleted to know a drake from a mallard when it comes to something that walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and swims like a duck, let alone tell the truth about it. And I wouldn't trust him to truthfully report a source that flies in the face of his pre-concieved opinions, preferences, and chosen mutt in the dogfight.  ::)

If we are talking about a dogfight among mutts I can get behind that assessment.
Richard Kaczynski is writing a book about the history of the OTO and I find his language in promoting his research extremely balanced and respectful of the various elements involved. I don't know how much of that will find its way into the book itself. It should be interesting. His "Perdurabo" is the best AC bio on the market IMO and benefits from being non-partisan in a way that other biographers fail miserably.

You know Jeff McBride! Jeff is my favorite magician next to Eugene Berger (who, from Chicago, is a Bertiaux doppelganger). Jeff radiates pure joy when he performs and it simply envelopes you.  His performance, with the dance, masks, and manipulations of perception of identity was immediately recognizable to me as a shamanistic or otherwise didactic performance. It must be a joy knowing him.

Re the Lamen, I heard a high placed guy in the caliphate, skinny dude, balding, wears a big silly ring... Anyway, he told a story once about a private workshop on the Lamen that took place in New York, I think. The demonstration featured a pair of panties with the lamen inked on them for the purposes of anatomical correspondence or somesuch. I'm not sure how tongue in cheek the participants were but it sounds like they had fun. Not that the visual link between a vesica piscis and a vagina should be a shock to anyone. [sub:155y4nv2](one day there needs to be a thread of 80s/90s caliphate hijinks... the lodges in those days got up to some crazy funny stuff... I heard a tale about the Body master of Eulis lodge being crucified on Easter! Thats made of 7 kinds of awesome... but I digress)[/sub:155y4nv2]

You are right re Morning of the Magicians (fun book!) and Naundorff. I mention Naundorff because so many esoteric orders in France had deep roots in the Royalist causes. Even Vintras and then by extension Boullan drew links to concepts of blood and lineage in terms of the divine right of the French King to be "King of the World."  This fixation is what seems to me to have have some degree of impact on the collective consciousness and fertilized the European mind for the concepts of "Blut und boden" to take hold. There were other circumstances as well, but I am mainly looking at the cross pollination of Volkish movements in Germanic countries with occult orders founded on ideals of synarchy and divine right of a spiritual aristocracy coming out of France. I don;tt hink we gat that in the English speaking world because so much of our connection to these works comes via Mathers and Waite. Being English they would have no love for a French "King of the World." I think they were more concerned with translating everything and building a workable system from what seems to have been a rather fractured body of work up until that point. 

Unfortunately I cross posted about the lamen into the Abbe Boullan thread. I dont know if Paul might want to move these last few posts here:

http://www.lashtal.com/forum/index.php/topic,5449.0.html
or if we should merge the threads for posterity. Boullan and Peladan are connected and the two threads do seem worth merging...I vote for merging 🙂

Merged.

Well, to be completely honest, I had to admit in private correspondence a couple weeks ago that a fair and unbiased assessment of the facts as the historical record shows them illustrates that Crowley's claims of succession as O.H.O. from Reuss were about as valid and proven as Berituax's claims to the existance of the Franco-Hatian O.T.O. Not fictional, but an article of faith for the faithful-- no problem.  I'm a former U.S. Army Journalist, and I have to try to be objective, having now so many friends and accquaintances on so many different sides of the Playing Board. Yes, it's a dogfight of mutts, not purebreds. Oh well. It reminds me of a joke from an old Vaughan Meader routine-- "Prince? The only papers *he* has are the ones he was house-broken on!"

I'm glad to hear that the good Doctor is taking his pen to this admittedly sticky subject. He's one of the only people, perhaps *the* only person I could think of who could take the matter fairly and objectively all the way to the printers. I agree with you, his work in the revised edition of "Perdurabo", "Perdurabo Outtakes" and "Panic In Detroit" is above reproach. The matter of O.T.O. history deserves no less than the standards that Kaczynski has already shown he is capable of maintaining. There are so many threads and weaves it reminds one of the old joke of the piece of string who insisted "I'm a frayed knot."

for those who have still have room on their bookshelf and a few hours to spare, dear Abbé Boullan makes a brief appearance in Umberto Eco's most recent novel "The Prague Cemetery". The book's takes its name from the location of the secret meeting revealed in the 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion'. The novel's protagonist, an anti-republican, anti-semitic & anti-masonic forger, is the true author of that legendary fraud. It's a delightful romp through the offal of the intelligence agencies & religious conspiracists of 19th-century Paris, and Boullan shows up just in time to do what he does best...

I had not been motivated to purchase any of Robert North's books but if my cash flow situation improves I might purchase one. I find the prices outrageously high. I felt Robert North may have obtained hard to find material and his organization may be taking advantage of those who collect this with high prices. From experience, Lulu is not always printing their books with quality binding and paper.  I question the accuracy if any of these books such as The Satanic Rituals of Maria de Naglowska are accurately translated and transcribed from French to purchase and if the material of the Brotherhood of the Golden Arrow is worth having or not. I also fear there may be presenting incomplete material with deliberate blinds. If any one else had this material. I would like an opinion of the material.

I always found it odd that Crowley makes no mention of Abbe Boullan anywhere in his writings. Their lives intersected, Crowley was born in 1875 while Boullan died in 1893. You can scarcely find two characters more closely related in the Occult world. Furthermore, in 1903 Crowley spent a great deal of time in Bouillon's old neighborhood (Meudon) with Rodin.

Posted by: @adoniazanoni

I question the accuracy if any of these books such as The Satanic Rituals of Maria de Naglowska are accurately translated and transcribed from French

since this post, Inner Traditions has posted much more affordable translations of Maria's writings.  I've enjoyed what I've read of North and find him interesting but he has his own obsessions and I think that they color his interpretations a lot. 

Posted by: @faustian

I always found it odd that Crowley makes no mention of Abbe Boullan anywhere in his writings.

I do find that odd as well.  He had to have known of him.  

Posted by: @katrice

I do find that odd as well.  He had to have known of him.  

But then AC surely knew about Steiner, Jung, Freud, Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, Bailey, and others who he barely mentions ... or never cites at all.

@shiva 

There is an account of Crowley having met Gurdjieff, just not recorded by Crowley

Posted by: @katrice

Crowley having met Gurdjieff

Yeah, "You are evil. Set out!" Well, he always advocated getting out.

AC rarely mentions his competitors, unless they're close enough to take a swing at (Yeats, Arthwaite, Leadbeater, Krishnamurti, Russell). The other entities (not-mentioned by AC) don't seem to mention him, either.

Posted by: @faustian

I always found it odd that Crowley makes no mention of Abbe Boullan anywhere in his writings.

Crowley DOES recommend Huysmans' La Bas in his A.A. reading list. Boullan appears in La Bas as the character Dr. Johannes.

Posted by: @faustian

Their lives intersected, Crowley was born in 1875 while Boullan died in 1893

AC was a teen when Boullan died. They were both alive on the globe for as many years but I doubt they had a brush in the street-let alone any sort of meaningful interchange. 

Posted by: @faustian

You can scarcely find two characters more closely related in the Occult world

Based upon what?

Posted by: @faustian

Furthermore, in 1903 Crowley spent a great deal of time in Bouillon's old neighborhood (Meudon) with Rodin

The Good Abbe having long since been "magically murdered" by Rosicrucians Stanislas and Oswald.

Posted by: @shiva

AC rarely mentions his competitors, unless they're close enough to take a swing at (Yeats, Arthwaite, Leadbeater, Krishnamurti, Russell)

In his "Woolly Pomposities" letter to Cara Soror, he mentions Brunton, Besant, Clymer, Max Heindel, Ouspensky as well as the UB, OHM and AMORC (who he says should all be "hissed off the stage").

@kidneyhawk The Good Abbe was not murdered - rather he died from much more banal causes - lead poisoning.

Posted by: @faustian

The Good Abbe was not murdered - rather he died from much more banal causes - lead poisoning.

I was alluding to the magical battle with de Guaita, tongue in cheek.

Posted by: @faustian

Abbe was not murdered

The term used was Magically Murdered. 

In such cases, the physical cause of death is not important. What is important is that the RCs said "Die," and he died (of something).

Posted by: @kidneyhawk

tongue in cheek

Oh. Maybe he didn't die?

He definitely died. Unfortunately, his choice to locate to 14 Avenue de Bellevue in Meudon back in 1859 could not have been more catastrophic. The house was built on a major league contaminated site of the old Sevres Porcelain factory. The neighborhood is still contaminated to this day. At the time, drinking water was confined to wells, which probably explains the his erratic behavior (along with the nuns - Adele Chevalier). His child was deformed, and he suffered major cardiac issues since that time - all consistent with lead poisoning.