May 28, 2016
The Alpha & Omega of Initiation: Aleister Crowley, Charles Stansfeld Jones and the Way of Duplexity
10-11:30 am
On the heels of the remarkable 1914 Paris Working and it’s goal of reconstituting the Order of the Temple in the form of the O.T.O., in the U.S., Aleister Crowley received ‘Duplex’ as the Word of the Equinox in 1915. Crowley interpreted this word as the mystic marriage of the Orders A.’.A.’. and O.T.O. We suggest that this mystic marriage typifies Crowley’s U.S. period, and in particular his work with Charles Stansfeld Jones, Crowley’s attainment to the Grade of Magus, the development of the O.T.O. and it’s central ritual – The Gnostic Mass, and the publication of the visionary 1919 Blue Equinox in Detroit. This presentation will draw upon both published and unpublished archival correspondence and documents from the O.T.O. archives.Glory unto the Scarlet Woman1- 3:00 pmWe will consider possible precursors to the Mother of Abominations, Her origins, and will touch upon modern devotional approaches to Her. In particular, we will attempt to consider Her by the light of the Holy Books of Thelema. Additionally, we will delve into the Prophet’s writings, particularly The Gnostic Mass, and reflect upon the seminal role the Scarlet Woman played in the Beast’s own progressive initiation.Our Lord and Father the Sun: Liber Resh and the O.T.O.
3:30- 5:30 pm
We will analyze the text of Liber Resh vel Helios (an official ritual of A.•. A.•.) in some detail, considering a number of ancillary documents,including the Temple of Solomon the King, the Cairo Working, Qabalah, and the Egyptian Book of the Dead along the way. We will then consider Liber Resh within the context of the O.T.O., including specific instructions from the Prophet to Hymenaeus Alpha. Additionally, we will reflect upon how “the Book of the Sun” connects to the solar current running through The Gnostic Mass.
May 29, 2016
From Gold Forge Steel: A Brief Analysis of the Symbolism in Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass
3:30 – 6:00 pm
This presentation will examine The Gnostic Mass in the light of the writings of Aleister Crowley, through the curcubite of one individual’s research and experience. Each of the eight sections of the ritual will be addressed in turn, with an emphasis on symbolic correlations and allusions. Topics include, but are not limited to: an an analysis of the Furnishings of the Temple and the Tree of Life; the God celebrated in The Gnostic Mass; parallels between The Gnostic Mass and “The Grimorie which Baphomet …himself made,””The Supreme Ritual” and “The Invocation of Horus”; The Children of the Prophet; The Garden of Eden Before and After the Fall – Levi’s “Mysteries of the Qabalah”; the three enthusiasms; the role of reversal; The Perfected Egyptian; and the Messiah within The Gnostic Mass.
Bio:
Brother AISh MLChMH has been actively involved with Ordo Templi Orientis for over 25 years. He regularly serves as an active clergy member for Scarlet Woman Lodge, where he also leads a monthly discussion on Liber Aleph. He is a traveling lecturer for U.S. O.T.O.’s Education Committee, and provides certified instruction for 0-IIIrd degree Initiations. He is also active in Heart of Blood’s productions of The Rites of Eleusis. His talk, given at the O.T.O. in North America Centennial Conference in Vancouver, “The Alpha and Omega of Initiation,” was recently published as an essay in Success Is Your Proof, One Hundred Years of O.T.O. in North America. He is presently at work on a text that will address in part, symbolism and Qabalistic doctrine of The Gnostic Mass. Professionally, he is an educator, and resides in Manor, TX with his wife, and their pet snake and rabbit.
Source: Four Talks by AISh MLChMH –