The Ordo Templi Orientis (or O.T.O. as notably indicated on our Crowley tarots) is an initiatory occult society founded at the turn of the 20th century, closely linked to the emergence of Thelema. This esoteric spiritual current revolves around the thought of Aleister Crowley and the Book of the Law (Liber AL vel Legis), the sacred text of Thelema from 1904. A secret organization inspired by Freemasonry, the O.T.O. distinguished itself by claiming to hold the "key to all hermetic and Masonic secrets." History.
The Origins of the O.T.O. Between Fin-de-Siècle Occultism and Masonic Legacies
The Ordo Templi Orientis was born in the occult and Masonic effervescence of the late 19th century. Its very name – "Order of the Temple of the East" – evokes the legendary heritage of the Knights Templar. The order’s founders, Austrian industrialist Carl Kellner (1851–1905) and German occultist Theodor Reuss (1855–1923), indeed drew inspiration from Templar myths and their tradition of esoteric rites. The Knights Templar, suppressed in the 14th century, were notably accused by their detractors of illicit sexual practices during secret ceremonies. It was in this context that Kellner and Reuss, both high-ranking Freemasons, developed a new initiatory society.
Around 1904, they officially established the Ordo Templi Orientis in Germany. The order immediately presented itself as a federation of high Masonic degrees: Reuss and Kellner had obtained charters as early as 1902 authorizing them to practice several occult Masonic rites (Memphis, Misraïm, Swedish Rite) issued by the Englishman John Yarker, an influential figure in irregular Freemasonry. These exotic rites – blending Egyptianism, Illuminism, and Rosicrucianism – formed the core of the new order. In practice, the O.T.O. borrowed from Freemasonry its hierarchical degree structure, initiatory oaths, and part of its symbolism. Kellner’s ambition was to found a "Masonic Academy" synthesizing the various existing high-degree systems.
At the same time, the order incorporated more daring esoteric teachings. Kellner claimed to have discovered the true key to Masonic mysteries during his travels in the East, from three adept masters. In reality, his "adepts" seem to have been the ancient texts he studied: erotic treatises such as the Kama Sutra and the Arabic manual The Perfumed Garden, sources of a doctrine of sexual magic he intended to place at the heart of the order. From its beginnings, the O.T.O. presented itself as the holder of a unique occult knowledge: mastery of sexual energies as a path to illumination. Reuss, a journalist and active Freemason in many occult circles, established himself as the order’s organizer. He attracted to the O.T.O. some prominent figures of fin-de-siècle occultism: in France, the esoteric physician Gérard Encausse (known as Papus), in Germany the future founder of anthroposophy Rudolf Steiner, and the American H. Spencer Lewis (future creator of the Rosicrucian AMORC) received charters from Reuss integrating them into the nascent order.
By 1912, the O.T.O. publicly announced the nature of its secret teaching. In a special issue of its journal Oriflamme, Reuss proclaimed that the order "possesses the KEY that opens all Masonic and hermetic secrets, namely the teaching of sexual magic, which explains without exception all the mysteries of Nature, all the symbolism of Freemasonry, and all religious systems." This bold declaration marked the O.T.O.’s entry into the small world of esoteric societies of the time, while stirring curiosity and controversy. But it was also in 1912 that a decisive event would shape the order’s future: Reuss’s meeting with Aleister Crowley.
Aleister Crowley and the Integration of Thelema into the Order
Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), a British iconoclastic occultist, was initiated into the Ordo Templi Orientis in 1912 and quickly became its central figure. Legend has it that this entry happened in a dramatic way: Theodor Reuss supposedly approached Crowley to reproach him for having revealed an O.T.O. secret in one of his books. Indeed, in his collection The Book of Lies (1912), Crowley had published – without realizing it, he claimed – a veiled instruction concerning the arcana of sexual magic. When Reuss pointed this out, Crowley suddenly understood the esoteric meaning of a passage he had written himself, revealing one of the order’s key sexual practices. Impressed by Crowley’s ingenuity, Reuss admitted him into the O.T.O. and appointed him in 1912 as head of the British branch, with the title of National Grand Master X° for Great Britain and Ireland. Crowley thus received the authority to develop the O.T.O. in the English-speaking world, in exchange for discretion about the order’s "secrets."
Crowley, already an influential member of several occult orders (he had co-founded his own mystical school, the A∴A∴, and spent time in the Golden Dawn), saw in the O.T.O. a ready-made structure to insert his own spiritual vision: Thelema. This Greek term meaning "Will" designates the religious philosophy he founded after receiving in 1904 the Book of the Law. This short prophetic text, which he claimed to have written under the dictation of a supra-human intelligence named Aiwass, proclaims a new spiritual era, the Aeon of Horus, governed by a single law: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will." In other words, each individual must discover and fulfill their True Will, their authentic purpose in the cosmic order, in freedom and respect for others’ wills. Crowley considered himself the prophet of this new Thelemic revelation and from then on dedicated himself to spreading it within the O.T.O.
Between 1913 and 1918, Crowley undertook a thorough revision of the O.T.O. With Reuss’s approval, he rewrote all initiation rituals to infuse them with Thelemic principles, gradually removing purely Masonic references to create a coherent system suited to the new era. He also composed in 1913 the liturgy of a Gnostic Catholic Church attached to the order: a ritual mass called the Gnostic Mass, allegorically celebrating the mysteries of creation, love, and will (this ritual, published as Liber XV, became the central ceremonial of the O.T.O. according to Crowley). By integrating Thelema – that is, the Book of the Law and its precepts – as its ideological foundation, the O.T.O. became "the first of the great organizations of the Old Aeon to accept the Book of the Law," according to Crowley. The order thus acquired a new doctrinal corpus focused on the realization of True Will, spiritual freedom, and the exploration of mystical energies through symbols and rituals.
In 1922, due to health problems, Theodor Reuss resigned and appointed Crowley as his successor as Outer Head of the Order (O.H.O.). Crowley, now international head of the O.T.O., accelerated the transformation of the organization according to his vision. He made the order the main vehicle of his magical and religious philosophy. This Thelemic orientation was not unanimously accepted among the original members. When Crowley had the Book of the Law translated into German in 1925 to distribute it among German lodges, a crisis erupted. A core of German members rejected the doctrinal innovations imposed by Crowley. Not sharing the cult of Rabelais and Horus, nor Crowley’s anti-Christian approach, they split off and continued their activities on the margins, maintaining a pre-Thelemic lineage of the O.T.O. — notably Eugen Grosche, who founded his own occult society, the Fraternitas Saturni, based on a system close to the O.T.O. but purged of Thelema. Despite these departures, Crowley retained the support of other German disciples (such as Martha Küntzel and Karl Germer) and managed to maintain a branch of the O.T.O. in Germany loyal to his views. Nevertheless, the unified order as conceived by Reuss no longer existed: it had split between an international Crowleyan movement and local dissidents opposed to the "Law of Thelema."
Rituals, Internal Organization, and Esoteric Legacies
The Ordo Templi Orientis adopts a structure and ritual practices inspired both by Freemasonry and Western occult traditions. Initiation unfolds through a series of progressive degrees, each conferring particular teachings and secrets. Like Masonic grades, O.T.O. initiation ceremonies stage allegories and symbols intended to gradually transmit to the candidate the understanding of the "mysteries of Nature" and their own spiritual identity. Historically, the O.T.O. had ten numbered degrees (I° to X°) organized into three triads (symbolically corresponding to the Man of the Earth, the Lover, and the Hermit). The first six degrees provide general occult teachings, preparing the initiate for the more specific revelations of the higher degrees. Indeed, it is at the 7th, 8th, and 9th degrees that the practices of sexual magic, which distinguish the order, are communicated: use of sexual energy – notably through control of ecstasy, symbolic transmutation of vital fluids, etc. – for spiritual and operative development. The 10th degree is purely administrative, reserved for the national leader of the order (Rex Summus Sanctissimus). Under Crowley’s influence, an informal 11th degree was added, linked to non-traditional sexual techniques he experimented with, but this grade does not imply a hierarchical function. Finally, the title of XII° or Frater Superior designates the O.H.O., the international head of the order.
The sexual magic taught in the O.T.O. long fueled fantasies. However, internal documents published in the 1970s revealed a coherent symbolic system: the high-degree rituals involve ritualized sexual practices (autoerotic at VIII°, sacred heterosexual at IX°, possibly homosexual at XI°) serving as supports for ceremonial magic operations. Far from mere pleasure-seeking, these rites aim to use ecstasy as a driving force for the adept’s magical will – an approach influenced by Eastern esoteric readings (tantrism) but adapted to a Western occult framework. This use of sex as a "universal key" was, as seen, proclaimed by Reuss as early as 1912 and systematized by Crowley in the Thelemic corpus of the order.
Alongside secret initiations, the O.T.O. has an ecclesiastical branch called the Gnostic Catholic Church (E.G.C.). Founded around 1913, it openly celebrates a central rite: the Gnostic Mass, written by Crowley. This mass, halfway between theatrical liturgy and magical ritual, features a priest and priestess officiating before an altar bearing the order’s symbol (a seal shaped like a chalice and a pattée cross). Through poetic invocations and offerings, it aims to exalt the masculine and feminine principles, the Sun and the Moon, and to symbolically unite the practitioner with the inner divine. Crowley considered this rite "the central ceremony of the public and private celebrations" of the O.T.O. The Gnostic Catholic Church claims to be the heir of the French Gnostic movement launched at the end of the 19th century by Jules Doinel. Aleister Crowley himself was consecrated a Gnostic bishop through this lineage: he received an episcopal consecration validating his status as Patriarch of the universal Gnostic Church, in the line initiated by Doinel and propagated by the French occultist Papus. He then transmitted this spiritual authority to the head of the O.T.O., so that each leader of the order bears the title of Gnostic bishop. This Gnostic claim complements the Masonic heritage of the O.T.O., illustrating its dual nature: both an esoteric initiatory order and a mystical church.
Doctrinally, the O.T.O. subscribes to the principles of Thelema formulated by Crowley. Beyond the law "Do what thou wilt", the order adheres to the vision of a universe governed by the cyclical evolution of aeons (spiritual ages). According to Crowley, humanity has just entered the Aeon of Horus, the era of the crowned and conquering Child, succeeding the Aeon of Osiris (the age of patriarchal sacrificial religions) and the Aeon of Isis (the primitive matriarchal era). The Aeon of Horus is characterized by the affirmation of the sovereign individual, called to grow in consciousness and love to realize their True Self. The O.T.O. sees itself as the instrument of this new era, charged with anchoring the Law of Thelema in the world. In practice, this means the order encourages comparative study of religions, the quest for the Guardian Angel (the individual’s divine soul), and the practice of various mystical techniques (yoga, Kabbalah, meditation, ceremonial magic), grouped under the term Magick. This eclectic synthesis reflects Crowley’s influence on the spiritual orientation of the O.T.O.: from a classic esoteric Masonic society, he made it the vehicle of a new philosophical religion, imbued with Hermeticism, Gnosis, and modern occultism.
Crises, Schisms, and the Order’s Revival (1920–1985)
In the 1920s, the fully Thelemized O.T.O. under Crowley remained confidential and weakened by divisions. In Germany, the 1925 split led to the creation of the Fraternitas Saturni by Eugen Grosche, a rival organization largely adopting the teachings of the O.T.O. (sexual magic, astrological esotericism) while rejecting the prophecy of the Book of the Law. This German occult fraternity, founded in 1926, still exists today outside the O.T.O. Crowley, for his part, chose to focus his efforts on the English-speaking world, where his personal influence was stronger. From 1920, he settled in Cephalonia (Greece) then Paris, and founded in Sicily the short-lived Abbey of Thelema – an experimental community living according to the law "Do what thou wilt". Although this communal project was unrelated directly to the O.T.O. (it was Crowley’s private initiative), it contributed to forging the mage’s dark legend: expelled from Italy in 1923 for "immoral practices," Crowley was stigmatized by the British press as "the most wicked man in the world." These scandals reflected on the O.T.O., associated with his name, and fueled persistent public mistrust of the order and Thelema in general.
During the interwar period, the O.T.O. saw its activities decline in Europe under the blows of fascism. In Germany, from 1933, the Nazi regime banned occult and Masonic organizations: O.T.O. lodges, assimilated to Freemasonry, were dissolved or went underground, and several members had to flee the country. Karl Germer, one of Crowley’s main followers in Germany, was interned in a labor camp due to his Masonic affiliation and ties to Crowley. He eventually exiled himself to the United States. Similarly, the British O.T.O. gradually faded away. By the late 1930s, there was practically only one active lodge left in the world: the Agape Lodge No. 2 in California. It had been founded in 1935 in Los Angeles by Wilfred T. Smith, a Crowley disciple, with the help of Jane Wolfe (a former Hollywood actress converted to Thelema). During World War II, the Agape Lodge – relocated to Pasadena under the direction of astronomy engineer John Whiteside “Jack” Parsons – was the last bastion of the O.T.O. in operation. Parsons, a flamboyant figure passionate about occultism, simultaneously led his research in rocket propulsion (he would co-found the Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and his duties as a Gnostic priest within the O.T.O. Despite the isolation of this Californian enclave, Crowley continued corresponding with his American followers during the war, hoping to keep the order alive.
In 1947, Aleister Crowley died in England at the age of 72. Before passing, he had taken care to bequeath all his rights and writings to the O.T.O., and officially appointed Karl Germer (Frater Saturnus X°) as his successor at the head of the order. Germer, a refugee in the United States, thus inherited the title of O.H.O. and the heavy task of rebuilding the organization. However, a period of dormancy began. Germer, a discreet and rigorous figure, decided to suspend initiations within the O.T.O. From 1947 until his death in 1962, he mainly devoted himself to the posthumous publication of Crowley’s works (he supervised the publication of Magick Without Tears in 1954 and the annotated The Vision and the Voice). Without new recruitment or a clearly designated successor (Germer did not name one), the O.T.O. withered. At Germer’s death in 1962, the order appeared almost moribund: the Agape Lodge in California had dissolved shortly before, and the remaining members in contact could be counted on one hand.
Yet, it was at this same time that an unexpected Thelemic revival occurred, through a series of claimants to Crowley’s legacy. During the 1960s–1970s, no fewer than four distinct groups claimed succession to the historic O.T.O.
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In England, Kenneth Grant (1924–2011), Crowley’s last secretary, had received in 1951 from Germer the authorization to establish an O.T.O. lodge in London. A bold mystic, Grant quickly mixed Thelema’s teachings with his own experiences (he claimed to communicate mediumistically with extraterrestrial intelligences he called Nou). In 1955, he created the New Isis Lodge, which diverged from Germer’s instructions; Germer expelled him from the order. Grant then pursued his path independently: over many writings, he developed a personal esotericism combining Thelemic magic, Lovecraftian occultism, and tantrism. He proclaimed himself Crowley’s legitimate heir based on an ambiguous note from Crowley who saw him as a possible trained successor. Grant’s group, later known as the Typhonian Order, still exists in the UK. However, it officially renounced using the name O.T.O. and has operated since the 2000s as an independent esoteric order, the fruit of Grant’s unique vision.
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In Germany and Switzerland, another current was led by Hermann Metzger (1919–1990). Metzger had joined a branch of the O.T.O. still active in German-speaking Switzerland, stemming from contacts Reuss had established before Crowley. Supported for a time by Germer, Metzger rebuilt after 1962 an organization he considered the direct heir of the pre-Crowley O.T.O. Proclaiming himself O.H.O., he led his Illuminist Order from Stein (Switzerland) and initiated new members in Europe. However, this so-called Swiss lineage gradually died out after Metzger’s death (his successor, Annemarie Aeschbach, died in 2008, and the group ceased all activity shortly after).
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In the United States, where the O.T.O. had survived, it was Grady Louis McMurtry (1918–1985) who undertook to revive the order. McMurtry, a former army officer who had met Crowley during the war, possessed letters of mission signed by Crowley authorizing him to "take charge of the entire Order in California to reorganize it" if needed. Armed with this legitimacy, he gathered around him former members of the Agape Lodge (notably occultist Phyllis Seckler and other veterans from the 1940s) and began initiating new adepts from 1970 onward. McMurtry resumed the traditional title of Caliph (meaning successor, which he held from Crowley) and officially rekindled the O.T.O.’s star in America. In 1979, he filed the statutes of Ordo Templi Orientis, Inc in California, giving the organization recognized legal existence. In 1982, the state of California even granted it nonprofit religious association status. Despite modest beginnings and sometimes chaotic leadership (McMurtry, a colorful character, favored occult experiments and could appear eccentric), this "California O.T.O." grew throughout the 1980s.
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Meanwhile, in Brazil, a former student of Germer named Marcelo Ramos Motta (1931–1987) also claimed to be the legitimate successor. Motta created in the 1970s a rival organization named Society Ordo Templi Orientis (S.O.T.O.) and published voluminous new Equinox volumes, mixing Crowley’s writings and polemical pamphlets against his rivals. A legal battle then ensued between McMurtry’s and Motta’s groups over the recognition of the "O.T.O." trademark and rights to Crowley’s work. In 1985, after several years of lawsuits in the United States, the courts decisively ruled in favor of McMurtry’s organization: a tribunal recognized it as the sole legitimate heir of the O.T.O. and exclusive owner of Crowley’s copyrights. Motta’s claims were rejected, sounding the death knell of his movement – the S.O.T.O. marginalized after Motta’s death in 1987.
In the space of twenty years, the Ordo Templi Orientis thus rose from its ashes and clarified its succession. At Grady McMurtry’s death in 1985, the remaining IX° degree members elected William Breeze (born 1955) as his successor, who took the mystical name Hymenaeus Beta. Breeze, a Crowleyan editor and scholar, has since held the position of Frater Superior and O.H.O. of the so-called "Caliphate" O.T.O. Under his leadership, the order has continued its international expansion, growing from a few dozen active members in the 1980s to several thousand initiates affiliated worldwide today.
An Occult Order Under Critical Scrutiny
The O.T.O. has also faced suspicion from authorities in some countries. In 1995, a French parliamentary report on sects included the Ordo Templi Orientis in a list of 173 "concerning sectarian movements." This mention, motivated by the order’s occult reputation and its closed initiatory nature, had no legal consequences. No specific offense or criminal drift was attributed to it, and the O.T.O. was not banned. Moreover, French authorities have since abandoned such broad listings: the O.T.O., which only requires its members to freely study the Law of Thelema and does not violate civil laws, is no longer considered a threat by anti-cult vigilance organizations.
Within the Church and conservative circles, criticism has mainly targeted Aleister Crowley’s persona – accused of Satanism, depravity, or charlatanism – rather than the order itself. However, this negative image long reflected on the O.T.O., regarded as a den of "black magicians" out of ignorance of its true philosophy. The reality, as we have seen, is more nuanced: the O.T.O. presents itself as the guardian of a syncretic mystico-initiatory tradition, blending Masonic symbolism, Gnostic spirituality, and Thelemic ideals.
More than a hundred years after its founding, the Ordo Templi Orientis continues to exist today with several lodges. Long shrouded in mystery and the object of fantasies, it is now better documented thanks to the work of historians of esoteric currents. Despite the controversies surrounding it, the O.T.O. has endured: both a remnant of old initiatory societies and an actor in modern alternative spirituality.
