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The Secret Pillars Of The OTO – Isaac Pendragon (2024)

I happened to stumble upon a recent publication of and about the Ordo Templi Orientis. Apparently the OTO decided to do something about transparency and communication and published this 128 page booklet.

The book reads like the OTO hired some communication, management guru. There are six chapters, each introduced with an advertising text, like on the back:

Discover the hidden pillars of the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), a journey into the mystical paths of one of history’s most fascinating esoteric societies. Isaac Pendragon unveils the profound mysteries and teachings defining the OTO in this groundbreaking work

Terms such as “analysis”, “delving deep”, “comprehensive evaluation” are abound, but the information remains short and shallow. A chapter introduction promises either of the quoted phrases and the subject gets five lines. On top of that, there is a lot of repetition. Almost every page explains that the phrase “do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law”: “is not a call for hedonism, but a directive to align one’s actions with their true will”. Also the importance of Reuss and Crowley is stated again and again, often in similar sentences, but without much real information. It is like some communication agency actually wrote the texts for a website.

I would really have liked to learn about the history in more detail, the philosophy, the rituals, the organisation (how many groups, where, how many members, etc.), but The Secret Pillars Of The OTO mostly seems to be more of an advertisement aimed at prospective members, than a guide for researchers. Sure, you will learn a thing or two about the organisation, but I hope that this is the first book in a series and that after this introduction, the ‘information density’ becomes a bit higher.

2024 Tredition, isbn 3384152859

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