THE
ARCANE
ARCHIVE

a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects.


TOP | RELIGION | THELEMA | PHILOSOPHY

OTO Dispute

To: koenig@cyberlink.ch (Peter Koenig)
From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (nigris (333))
Subject: Re: OTO Dispute (Am/Swiss)
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 13:36:52 -0700 (PDT)

49960826 AA1 (cc'd to Br. Heidrick)

E6

Care Frater Koenig,

below find additional exchange between myself and Br. Heidrick, quoting your
edited text.  please respond directly to me, thanks.


Heidrick:
#>#>#Crowley explained it to Grady in a few letters, stating
#>#>#that he wished to insure continuation of the headship of OTO by this means.

Koenig:
#># I would like to see a facsimile of these documents.

Heidrick:
#Koenig has copies of them.  They were published in the old OTO Newsletter
#and from time to time in the ML and TLC.  I sent copies of them to him
#years ago as well.  

I may be stopping by to see Br. Heidrick sometime within the next 6 months
and will procure copies of these documents at that time if I do not locate
them in the publications which he references (which I have here in my 
library).  I will contact you, Br. Koenig, if I think that there is more
which you could learn from any documents I so obtain.


#>#>#Crowley told Grady to be ready to assume headship of the OTO in the event
#>#>#of a failure of Karl Germer to either make a success of leadership or to
#>#>#name his own successor.  

#># I don't think this is accurate.  Crowley wrote several letters saying that
#># 'McMurtry is a Caliph, although Germer is the "Natural Caliph"' (this in
#># one letter.  however, these terms are nowhere defined as 'successor to
#># Crowley.'  Crowley always wanted Germer to succeed him, as well as
#># Friedrich Mellinger.  Mellinger lived until the 1970's and was a
#># collaborator of Metzger's OTO in Switzerland.

#Koenig has copies of these documents....  It is possible that he does not
#have the letter from Mellinger to the attorney of the widow of Karl Germer,
#in which Mellinger denounces Metzger and states that Metzger failed to work
#with him (Mellinger) as Germer directed (published in the TLC Feb. 1993 e.v.)

more on Mellinger below.


nigris:
#>I would merely ask what evidence is there is that:
#>
#>1) Mellinger was not so selected?

Heidrick:
#He was.  He didn't do anything about it.  Crowley wrote to Mellinger, telling
#him to hold himself in readiness to possibly succeed Germer -- same as
#in Grady's case, except that Grady received additional instructions, duties
#and did something with it.

Br. Koenig, do you suggest that Br. Mellinger's inaction does not constitute
an 'emergency' within the Order?


#...Germer's will did not name a successor or provide any procedure or 
#authority to determine a successor.  In fact, that will states that the 
#property of the OTO is to go to the "heads of OTO" -- such usage
#clearly indicates "the members most in authority", since Germer expelled
#Grant in part expressly for claiming that there was more than one OHO.

Br. Koenig, are you aware that Br. Germer's will contained some sort of
designation as to his successor?  if so, could you make a copy of that
available to me?  thanks.


#>I notice that in Br. Koenig's text he claims "Metzger propagated Thelema
#>only to ingratiate himself with Germer.

#That's an unlikely theory.  Metzger continued very fine Gnostic Masses
#at his Abbey after the deaths of both the Germers, Karl and Sascha.
#He maintained a wonderful collection of archives and continued publication
#of Thelemic material.  It's still there under management of his people.
#Koenig aught to know, since they kicked him out of that too.

is this assertion accurate, Br. Metzger?  have you been expelled from
the Caliphate OTO (apparently at your request?) and from the Metzger
OTO also?  could you explain the reason for these expulsions?  are you
or have you ever been a member of any other OTO-related organizations?


#>Thus Germer considered Metzger
#>as his sole successor, as he wrote in a letter and as was confirmed by
#>Germer's widow.
#
#This letter doesn't exist, as far as I know.  Why didn't Metzger produce it,
#if it did?  It would have settled the whole matter -- assuming it existed
#and hadn't been withdrawn by subsequent writing.  Too late now, of course.

I'd like your response to these questions, Br. Koenig.  thanks.


#># Only as his representative for California and as representative for the
#># US in case Germer did not intervene.  Germer had a low opinion of
#># McMurtry, forbade his working along OTO-lines, and closed the Agape
#># Lodge in 1953.  McMurtry's opening of any Lodge (Agape or not) was done
#># with no authority and can only be considered "the New Foundation of 1977".

# ...Germer gave Grady a written approval to form a nucleus for a new 
# Lodge in the 1950's and proposed a corporation with Grady as one of 
# the three directors to run OTO.  These matters are documented here 
# in photocopy over Germer's signature -- although nothing came of it 
# until long after Germer died.  

I think these comments are substantiated by your own text, Br. Koenig.


# There was never any "forbade #his working along OTO-lines" and Agape 
# Lodge simply faded out without final formal closure.

do you claim that this is untrue, Br. Koenig?  if so, do you have some
sort of documentation which directly contradicts it?


#>#>#Finally, Crowley wrote to Grady with the instruction that Germer was "the
#>#>#natural Caliph", would be A.C.'s direct successor, but that Grady should
#>#>#continue himself in readiness to succeed Germer.

#># Since McMurtry did not answer this letter, Crowley subsequently arranged
#># Friedrich Mellinger as the successor to Germer.

#Koenig is wrong in stating that Grady did not answer the letter in question.
#There were several such letters, and Grady continued correspondence with
#Crowley until shortly before the latter's death....  Crowley continued
#to remind Grady of this plan for Grady's succession after the similar
#correspondence with Mellinger.  Mellinger was a back up.  As things turned
#out, Mellinger did nothing in this regard.

#If Frederic Mellinger had come forward and sought to activate his letters,
#there would have been some sort of discussion as to which should succeed.
#As he did not, there was not.  As long as Mellinger lived, the point could
#have been pressed.  Mellinger died before Grady, still doing nothing about it.
#In fact, Frederic knew of Germer's death well before Grady was informed.
#He had his opportunity unopposed.  He chose to forget about it.

Br. Koenig, from reading your text and that of Br. Heidrick, it does seem
somewhat clear that Crowley was attempting to establish a 'fall-back'
chain, should those immediately in line not be capable or willing to 
assume OHO do so in proper timing.  do you dispute this?  given that he
had Mellinger/McMurtry in mind and that Mellinger did not activate his
authority, does this not constitute an 'emergency situation', given 
which McMurtry was in his rights to resume OTO as OHO?


#>in his own text he explains 'Caliph' as related to the abbreviation to the 
#>state (California) in which Agape Lodge was located (a pun).  

#Calif = abbreviation of California.
#
#Caliph = Englishing of an Islamic word roughly equivalent to "Follower"
#or "One who comes after", specifically the lateral line of descendents
#in that case of the sister of Mohammed.
#
#I entertain the conceit that Crowley also may have seen the pun, but there
#is no evidence of that and ample evidence of the construction I support.

Br. Koenig, don't you think that the usage of 'Caliph' as compared to
'Calif' indicates that it was more than just a pun, given the Muslim
understanding of this term?


#># Heidrick and Motta made an agreement 
#># out of court not to mention Metzger or Grant as possible OHOs because
#># Heidrick and Motta knew that they would lose the case if the court
#># knew about them.  (this I have in writing from a witness to the out
#># of court settlement.)

#This never happened, and both Metzger's and Grant's claims were discussed
#in the trial, as well as provided in the form of documents in the exhibits.
#I answered questions on the witness stand about Germer's expulsion of Grant.
#All this is in the official court transcripts.

#Motta fought it all the way to the Supreme Court.  The court did take 
#Metzger and Grant into account.

have you seen these transcripts, Br. Koenig?   do you say that Br. Heidrick
is mistaken about them?  perhaps you can write to the court and procure a 
copy for your files if you don't already have one.


#Standing as a Bishop through OTO is an appendant to the VIIth degree,
#however Grady was taken into the IXth by Crowley in proper person from
#the Ist.  That included the Bishop consecration by the nature of the
#degree.  As to the laying on of hands, Grady did what Crowley did to him,
#so stating.  As to Crowley being a Bishop, this is what he was within
#OTO.  We only resumed the separate title of Bishop apart from the Degrees
#in the 1980's.  Until then it was a part of the IXth and could be conferred
#at the VIIth.  

it appears, Br. Koenig, that Br. Heidrick claims that the degree/Bishop
association has *always* existed (esp. as regarding the IX').  are you
saying that it has not?


#Talk to David Scriven -- he's been writing the history of the EGC, 
#partly published in _Red Flame #2_.

I hope you have seen this information, Br. Koenig.


#>is this a supposed direct connection to Christ?
#
#No.  St. Peter.  It does connect to the pre-Christian system of Rome....


#>if it wanes in and out of the EGC that is
#>associated with Crowley (due to his not having been a Bishop) then what
#>do you mean by 'apostolic succession' here?

#It doesn't waine in and out, although it isn't particularly important to
#us.  Crowley was a Bishop.

Br. Koenig, it appears that the Caliphate OTO considers Crowley to have
been a Bishop of the church (EGC) with which he was affiliated by virtue
of his degree (OHO, X') in the Order.  are you saying that this is not
historically accurate?


#>HBeta received (postal?) consecration from Webb to Lully-Bertiaux-Hogg.
#
#There was such an intangible link in that line, but not in the line
#from McMurtry to Beta.

are you aware of this alternative lineage, Br. Koenig, that OTO degrees 
(esp. IX' early on) conferred bishopric lineage?


#>"satisfied that 'Elevation to the Sovereign Sancturary of
#>the Gnosis *ipso facto* makes one a Bishop and leadership of such a body
#>*ipso facto* makes one a Patriarch."  is this true?  or was there more 
#>to it?
#
#That's all it ever was, within OTO.  Receiving the IXth degree includes
#that rite, by laying on of hands, since Papus's days.  A "Patriarch" is the
#top Bishop in OTO.  

what is your understanding in comparison with this, Br. Koenig?  did Papus
actually do something different, from your knowledge?

Br. Heidrick informs me that he would like you NOT to publish his words
which you obtain from our correspondence without his persmission.  I hope
that you can agree to this.  please specify if you cannot.  thanks.

E6/6/6

nigris (333)


The Arcane Archive is copyright by the authors cited.
Send comments to the Arcane Archivist: tyaginator@arcane-archive.org.

Did you like what you read here? Find it useful?
Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small
donation to the site maintainer for the creation and upkeep of this site.

The ARCANE ARCHIVE is a large domain,
organized into a number of sub-directories,
each dealing with a different branch of
religion, mysticism, occultism, or esoteric knowledge.
Here are the major ARCANE ARCHIVE directories you can visit:
interdisciplinary: geometry, natural proportion, ratio, archaeoastronomy
mysticism: enlightenment, self-realization, trance, meditation, consciousness
occultism: divination, hermeticism, amulets, sigils, magick, witchcraft, spells
religion: buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam, judaism, taoism, wicca, voodoo
societies and fraternal orders: freemasonry, golden dawn, rosicrucians, etc.

SEARCH THE ARCANE ARCHIVE

There are thousands of web pages at the ARCANE ARCHIVE. You can use ATOMZ.COM
to search for a single word (like witchcraft, hoodoo, pagan, or magic) or an
exact phrase (like Kwan Yin, golden ratio, or book of shadows):

Search For:
Match:  Any word All words Exact phrase

OTHER ESOTERIC AND OCCULT SITES OF INTEREST

Southern Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo, including slave narratives & interviews
Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by cat yronwode: an introduction to African-American rootwork
Lucky W Amulet Archive by cat yronwode: an online museum of worldwide talismans and charms
Sacred Sex: essays and articles on tantra yoga, neo-tantra, karezza, sex magic, and sex worship
Sacred Landscape: essays and articles on archaeoastronomy, sacred architecture, and sacred geometry
Lucky Mojo Forum: practitioners answer queries on conjure; sponsored by the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
Herb Magic: illustrated descriptions of magic herbs with free spells, recipes, and an ordering option
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers: ethical diviners and hoodoo spell-casters
Freemasonry for Women by cat yronwode: a history of mixed-gender Freemasonic lodges
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church: spirit-led, inter-faith, the Smallest Church in the World
Satan Service Org: an archive presenting the theory, practice, and history of Satanism and Satanists
Gospel of Satan: the story of Jesus and the angels, from the perspective of the God of this World
Lucky Mojo Usenet FAQ Archive: FAQs and REFs for occult and magical usenet newsgroups
Candles and Curios: essays and articles on traditional African American conjure and folk magic
Aleister Crowley Text Archive: a multitude of texts by an early 20th century ceremonial occultist
Spiritual Spells: lessons in folk magic and spell casting from an eclectic Wiccan perspective
The Mystic Tea Room: divination by reading tea-leaves, with a museum of antique fortune telling cups
Yronwode Institution for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology
Yronwode Home: personal pages of catherine yronwode and nagasiva yronwode, magical archivists
Lucky Mojo Magic Spells Archives: love spells, money spells, luck spells, protection spells, etc.
      Free Love Spell Archive: love spells, attraction spells, sex magick, romance spells, and lust spells
      Free Money Spell Archive: money spells, prosperity spells, and wealth spells for job and business
      Free Protection Spell Archive: protection spells against witchcraft, jinxes, hexes, and the evil eye
      Free Gambling Luck Spell Archive: lucky gambling spells for the lottery, casinos, and races