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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

Onmyodo – Zachary Gill (2022)

In 2021 I reviewed Gill’s Syncretic Indo-European Faith which I ran into by some accident at the time. Again by some accident, I now learn that that book was the first of a “Hammer & Vajra” trilogy. Amazon lists the present title as book two. The book itself says little about which book is which, but when I finished it, I had the idea that I accidentally read the third book before the second.

Anyway, “Onmyōdō” is a Chinese system from which both the Chinese Daoism, the Japanese Shinto and several elements of Buddhism come. In his quest for Indo-European syncretism, Gill dove into the far East.

He gives general history, tries to weed out Western misconceptions, points towards Indo-European similarities and aims at giving spiritual practices for daily life. Since I did not know all too much about especially the Chinese part of the story, the book is fairly interesting. It does seem to be quite a step aside from the Asatru/Vedic approach of the first book. Perhaps the other book Understanding Indo-European Cosmology bridges the gap. I am already reading that one, so await a refer in the future.

2022 Hammer & Vajra, isbn 979-8820280597

Geschichte Freimaurischer Systeme – Chistian von Nettelbladt (1879/2016)

I ran into this title in the catalogue of the Austrian publisher Geheimes Wissen. The full title of the book is (translated): “History of Freemasonic Systems in England, France and Germany”. It was first published in 1879. When I ordered the book I thought it was older. “Br. Freiherr C.D.F.W. von Nettelbladt” (1779-1843) wrote a history of Freemasonry in this version worth 800+ pages in two volumes.

The reason the book caught my interest was that I do not know all that much about the history of the varried Masonic landscape in Germany. Moreover, the book deals with both “regular” and “irregular” Freemasonry.

The book is extremely dry. It is almost as if you are reading 800 pages of minutes. The author does indeed provide a general history of Freemasonry, more specifically deals with France and Germany and writes about interesting developments such as the Strikte Observanz, Der Eklektische Bund, Die Afrikanischen Bauherren, the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer, Friedrich Schöder (1744-1816) and his system and about the Großloge Royal York and he did so not too longer after several of such organisations rose or perished, but his book is a tough read. Quoting correspondence and other histories, referring to frictions, he rarely says anything about interesting subjects such as what rituals and degrees were worked, why, where they came from, etc.

The book is mostly interesting for people who are interested in the organisational histories of the organisations mentioned above and less so for people like myself, who want to learn more about the way these organisations worked. There are almost no images. The author obviously did have access to a lot of material, also rituals and here and there refers to imaginary on tracing boards or elements from the rituals, but too little in my opinion.

The book presents massive walls of texts with hardly any alineas or sub-chapters, neither is there an index which allows you to look for something specific. There are gigantic chapters about the Strikte Observanz that are split into different periods, but that is as structured as you get it. Things get a bit better in the second volume and only the relatively short chapter about the Grand Lodge Royal York comes somewhat in the direction of what I was hoping for.

Generally speaking you see an everlasting struggle with ‘high degrees’ (of which Von Nettelbladt did not think highly), skip or keep. Also the influence of the Strikte Observanz has been massive also on the various other Grand Lodges that there were in these days. The Strikte Observanz tried to create a ‘super Grand Lodge’ but this was not realised before the system was dismantled after the Convent of Willhelmsbad of 1782. Many years later there actually would be such a ‘super Grand Lodge’.

Dry Masonic history. A classic one and easily available.

2016 Verlag Geheimes Wissen, ISBN 3903045950

Sovereign Thought – Gwendolyn Taunton (2022)

I have not followed Primordial Traditions / Numen Books / Manticore Press closely enough. A while ago I noticed that I missed a couple of titles. I got three of them, one of those being this book of the helmslady Taunton.

The subtitle promises: “The Philosopher & the Kingdom: From Ancient Greece to the Arthaśāstra”, but it is more: Ancient Greece and Arthasastra. The book is divided in two parts each with its own conclusion. The first part is about Greece, the other part about the far East. I enjoyed the latter part a lot better.

In the part about Greece you will read about politics before democracy and politics instead of democracy with Socrates and Plato as main thinkers of interest.

The part about the far East has more focus on religion and politics. Here the main thinker is Canakya who formed a massive empire three centuries before our common era and wrote down how he managed to do that. Even though his system fell out of use, it seems to enjoy a growing attention today.

Not entirely my subject, but the second part was a good read.

2022 Manticore Press, isbn 0645670006

The Hermetic Physician – Daffi / Pantano (2022)

The story of this book is actually more interesting than the book itself. Pantano I knew from his Numen book The Magic Door, an introduction into the Italian occult scene. I now know that he borrowed the title from a book of Giuliano Kremmerz (1861–1930 born Ciro Formisano). Pantano announced a new book which is going to include Kremmerz and that is what led me to this title from 2022.

Kremmerz had some followers in his day and he founded several “Fraternity of Myriam” groups. Marco Daffi (1900-1969 born Ricciardo Ricciardelli) knew Kremmerz, but was not a Myriam member. In 1981 he published a critical history of Kremmerz’ groups and the different Myriam groups that came or continued after Kremmerz’ death (Giuliano Kremmerz e la Fr+Tm+ di Miriam 1981). Many Kremmerz followers were not pleased with that publication.

Pantano has translated the book of Daffi and added some more material. In the book you will mostly learn about the Myrian groups, not too much about Kremmerz and his ideas. Also, as the title suggests, there is more focus on Kremmerz as an esoteric physician, than as an esotericist proper. The book gives an idea of the Italian occult scene around the year 1900 and Daffi tries to show that even when ‘the master’ is of high calibre, his followers not necessarily are as well.

As appendices you will get some texts of Kremmerz. Some purely organisational for the Myriam groups, but also his introduction to magic. For more about that side of Kremmerz, I refer the recently reviewed The Hermetic Science of Transformation.

Die Pansophie Der Hermetischen Bruderschaft Vom Rosenkreuz – Heinrich Tränker (2021)

The first of the six Pansophia issues does appear to have texts of the society itself. Here it calls itself the “Hermetic Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross”. “Collegium Pansophicum” is another one.

The about 130 pages are filled with rather pomp texts. Perhaps my German is not good enough, but most of the time I have little clue what the author is trying to say. It seems to be a boasting of what the new Pansophy (‘all-wisdom’) can bring to human kind without saying too much what the philosophy entails. The group puts itself in line with the classical Rosicrucians who emerged around 1614 and who reemerged around 1920.

The book has an interesting thought here and there, but I cannot say that I learned much about what the philosophy or teachings the group had.

2021 Verlag Geheimes Wissen, isbn 3903302473

Kleines Mystisch-Magisches Bilderbüchlein – Heinrich Tränker (2021)

Sixth, and last, of six volumes of the Pansophia magazine of the German Pansophical Society. These magazines were published in the 1920’ies and have been reprinted by the Austrian publishing house Geheimes Wissen.

It is a “little, mythical-magical image book”. I thought/hoped that it was the society made a collection within their themes of interest. Instead, it is a republication of Daniel Stoltzius von Stoltzenberg’s Chymisches Lustgärtlein from 1624 (1) with an introduction.

In that introduction “Garuda” says that this is the clearest Alchemical text. I think I rather agree with Alexander Roob who says that the book contains beautiful engravings, but Stoltzius’ poems are hardly enlightening.

Indeed, there are images each accompanied by a poem. Some of the images were unfamiliar to me, many I know from Roob’s collection. It is amusing to read through this “Bilderbüchlein”, but it is not quite the: “A. B. C. Students of the Fraternity of the Rose Cross” that is promised.

(1) Can be found online (accessed 23/4/2024)

Pathways To Bliss – Joseph Campbell (2018)

Another collection of lectures of Campbell. I thought this title would be how Campbell views the incorporation of myth in daily life. In a way it it.

The “remarkable storytelling” from the cover again works on my nerves a bit. Indeed, also this title reads like Campbell is talking by heart in front of a group, which in most cases is true.

Campbell talks about things I do agree with. “The necessity of rites”, the importance of mythology, etc. He makes valid points every so often. Quite soon he starts talking about Freud and Jung. Initially it is amusing how he compresses the ideas of Freud into a page and a half, but especially when it comes to Jung, Campbell’s psychological approach to his subjects annoyingly starts to surface. Way too many pages are spent on psychology instead of mythology. After a mildly interesting interlude, follow boring “dialogues” in which Campbell talks with a “man” and a “woman” talk about the difference men and women.

I think this will be the last title of Campbell that I read until I forget again that he is not really my author.

2018 New World Library, isbn 9781577314714

Introduction to Magic, volume III – Julius Evola (editor) (2021)

The third and last part of the translation of Evola’s republication of the UR and KRUR magazine essays. This time no lengthy and interesting introduction about the Italian ‘Hermetic scene’. This last volume just got a short introduction and then goes to the texts.

Just as in the previous volume we go from Alchemy to magic to ancient and Renaissance philosophy, Eastern ways of thinking and also commentaries about then contemporary new currents in New Age and psychology.

In this last volume we see more clearly Evola setting himself against Guénon. He is critical about Guénon’s views on Freemasonry and the most interesting text in this volume is Evola’s lengthy and detailed commentaries on the ideas of Guénon.

There is also a text of Giuliano Kremmerz (1861–1930) through which the UR group clearly aligns itself with the Italian ‘Hermetic current’.

Just as in the previous two volumes there are texts that interest me more than others. Overall there are but a few really interesting texts, but in general the three volumes of Introduction to Magic give a good idea of the esotericism of the circle in which Evola moved.

2021 Inner Traditions, isbn 1620557193

Das Lehrsystem des Ordens der Gold- und Rosenkreuzer – Bernhard Beyer (1923/2008)

I was curious if I could find any material of the German ‘extra-Masonic’ order of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer (1757-1787). Just like when I was doing the same for Fraternitas Saturni I found my way to the Austrian publisher Geheimes Wissen (‘secret knowledge’). I thought that Pansophia was perhaps a publication of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer and that the publisher republished it. That is not the case though.

It appears that in the 1920’ies in Germany there was a “neo Rosicrucian” movement (according to the German Wikipedia) called “Pansophische Gesellschaft”. Between 1923 and 1925 they published six volumes of a periodical called Pansophia, Urquellen Inneren Lebens (‘Pansophia, primal sources of inner life’). The third volume of which contains material of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer.

The author / compiler of this work went to different Masonic archives to gather material of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer. This material is ordered by the nine degrees that the order had. Beyer did not manage to gather a complete archive. Of some degrees he found ritual texts, of other degrees only secondary material. He was not able to consult the famous Kloss archive in Den Haag which also contains Gold- und Rosenkreuzer material.

Beyer starts with giving some background to the material. Even though the order was not founded by Freemasons, it was initially intended to be a system for ‘higher degrees’, so only Master Masons could apply. Later the “Juniores” degree was added which is basically a summery of the three “craft” degrees of Freemasonry. Of the first degrees you get (snippets of) the rituals with educational texts and Beyer’s elucidations. It is not always clear what text is of Beyer and what of the material that he gathered.

The Gold- und Rosenkreuzer different substantially from ‘Freemasonry proper’. The first degree has three tracing boards for example. Several of the rituals need more rooms than what is common in Freemasonry. Almost needless to say, but the texts are much more esoteric than your ‘average’ Masonic ritual. There are interesting alchemical texts, also what appear to be instructions for practical Alchemy. There is a bit of Kabbalah. But mostly, many texts are mostly procedural and rather dull. Detailed descriptions of what and how a table should be set, requirements, etc.

The book contains several images, some in colour and all the way at the back, there is a fold-out page. Oddly enough none of the images are anything as elaborate as the famous Geheime Figuren which are also supposed to be from the same group and published around the same time. Perhaps the present title was internal material and for the Geheime Figuren they set out to make a better looking publication for a larger audience.

All in all the publication gives a fair insight into the working of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer. In the German language by the way.

2008 Geheimes Wissen, isbn 3902705027