Thelemic current linked to the Sovereign Sanctuary. Shares with Memphis-Mizraim the filiation of Theodor Reuss and the confluence of their early degrees.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will. Liber AL vel Legis · I:40 and I:57 · The Book of the Law
The Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) was conceived between 1895 and 1906 by a group of German-speaking occultists: Carl Kellner (1851-1905), an Austrian industrialist who in his esoteric travels through India, Egypt, and Asia believed he had found a "key" that explained the complete symbolism of Freemasonry and of nature; Theodor Reuss (1855-1923); Heinrich Klein; and Franz Hartmann. Kellner wanted to found a Masonic Academy where the high rites of Freemasonry could be conferred in the German language.
After Kellner's death in 1905, Reuss took the lead. On September 24, 1902, Reuss had received from John Yarker (Grand Hierophant 97° of the Rite of Memphis-Mizraim) authorization to establish a Grand Orient and a Sovereign Sanctuary for Germany with the title of Vice Grand Hierophant 96°. Upon Yarker's death in 1913, Papus declined the Hierophantate and Reuss accepted it (97°), de facto merging the leadership of the O.T.O. and Memphis-Mizraim until his death on October 28, 1923.
Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) entered the O.T.O., initiated by Reuss in 1912, and was named National Grand Master for Great Britain and Ireland. In April 1904 in Cairo, Crowley had received— dictated by an intelligence called Aiwass, his Holy Guardian Angel — the Liber AL vel Legis or Book of the Law: three chapters written in one hour each on April 8, 9, and 10. This text founded Thelema (from the Greek θέλημα, "Will") as the new aeon.
Crowley rewrote the O.T.O. rituals from 1915 onwards, installing Thelema as the doctrinal axis of the Order. After Crowley's death in 1947, he was succeeded by Karl Germer, Grady McMurtry ("Hymenaeus Alpha," who reactivated the Caliphate in the seventies), and since 1985 William Breeze ("Hymenaeus Beta"), the current Frater Superior / Outer Head of the Order.
Before 1912 the O.T.O. functioned as a high occult Masonic order in the German-speaking world, conferring the degrees of Memphis-Mizraim condensed from 97 to 9, with a tenth administrative. After 1912— and especially after 1915— Crowley rewrote the rituals on the axis of Liber AL: Thelema replaced esoteric freemasonry as the operative code.
Today both currents coexist: on one hand, the fully Thelemic O.T.O. (Breeze line, Caliphate); on the other hand, the historical O.T.O. linked to Memphis-Mizraim obediences that still partly maintain Reuss's structure. The Sovereign Sanctuary of Mexico recognizes and maintains the historical connection that our Rite has with the O.T.O., and the brothers of the Sanctuary who approach Thelemic work do so under this shared recognition of common filiation.
The classical O.T.O. system consists of thirteen numbered degrees and a set of unnumbered degrees, organized in three triads:
| Triad | Degrees | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Man of Earth (Man of Earth) | 0° | Minerval |
| I° | Man & Brother / Woman & Sister | |
| II° | Magician | |
| III° | Master Magician | |
| IV° | Perfect Magician & Companion of the Holy Royal Arch of Enoch | |
| Lover (Lover) | V° | Sovereign Prince Rose-Croix, Illustrious Knight Templar |
| VI° | Knight of the East & West | |
| VII° | Magus of Light · Bishop | |
| Hermit (Hermit) | VIII° | Perfect Pontiff of the Illuminati |
| IX° | Initiate of the Sanctuary of the Gnosis | |
| X° | Rex Summus Sanctissimus · National Grand Master | |
| XI° | Initiate of the Eleventh Degree (technical degree) | |
| XII° | Frater Superior · Caliph · Outer Head of the Order |
The Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (Gnostic Catholic Church) is the ecclesiastical branch of the O.T.O. Its central rite is the Gnostic Mass (Liber XV), written by Crowley in 1913 during a trip to Moscow. Its structure is reminiscent of the oriental and old Roman liturgy, but communicates the principles of Thelema. It calls for five officiants: Priest, Priestess, Deacon, and two Children. It culminates in a Eucharist of wine and "Cake of Light," after which the congregant proclaims:
The public greeting of Thelemites is the number 93. Its origin is Greek gematria: both θέλημα (Thelema, "Will") and ἀγάπη (Agapē, "Love") add up to 93. Greeting another Thelemite by writing or saying "93" condenses the whole of the Law:
93. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Love is the law, love under will. 93 93/93.
The Sovereign Sanctuary of Mexico of the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Mizraim introduces the Thelemic current of the O.T.O. as one of its auxiliary bodies, in recognition of the common filiation that both traditions have in the person of Theodor Reuss. The Thelemic works of the Sanctuary, their frequency, location, and officiants are confidential; Rite members interested in approaching will find internal channels of communication once established in their corresponding Masonic bodies.
This does not turn the Rite of Memphis-Mizraim into a Thelemic order: the Rite remains traditional Egyptian Freemasonry. It means that the Sanctuary respects and maintains the Thelemic branch as a historic fraternal neighborhood, without substituting its own nature.
Egyptian Freemasonry, by its very nature, cannot be confined within the walls of a Temple. Its action extends over the whole world, and its message is for all humanity. Theodor Reuss · O.T.O. / Memphis-Misraïm Circular Letter (1906)
Brothers of the Rite interested in Thelemic work, as well as people with prior experience in O.T.O. who wish to establish official contact with the Sanctuary, may do so through the contact page. Communication is attended with due confidentiality.
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