I. VAMA MARGA Foundations Of The Left-Hand Path - staticfly.net

pageant of magical societies, clubs and fraternities that have marched through
Western occult history from the nineteenth century to the present day will
recognize the "new cages" and "new decorations for those cages" that pass by
in such solemn but often ridiculous procession.
In 1970, in an article in the Los Angeles Free Press, the novelist
William S. Burroughs – who often turned to the theme of sex magic in his
work – reported on his own brush with the phenomenon of the spiritual
organization. After attending some courses provided by the Church of
Scientology, Burroughs came to similar conclusions as Krishanmurti had
concerning the ultimate futility of systematized group efforts at
enlightenment. Although he acknowledged the usefulness of some
Scientology techniques, Burroughs decided that "I am in flat disagreement
with the organizational policy. No body of knowledge needs an
organizational policy. Organizational policy can only impede the
advancement of knowledge. There is a basic incompatibility between any
organization and freedom of thought." Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard,
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operating on the fringes of a Californian O.T.O. lodge in the 1940s actually
played a significant role in establishing the sex-magical cult of the Scarlet
Woman, a curious tale we shall return to later.
To untangle the whole intricate history of the diverse groups that have
called themselves O.T.O. over the past century or so would tell us much
about the kind of human folly of which Krishnamurti spoke, but very little
about left-hand path sex magic. Those interested in a comprehensive account
of the O.T.O. story are directed to the authoritative work of Peter-R. Koenig.
However, a few clarifications are in order. The O.T.O. has been
described falsely by some unreliable journalists and authors as a vehicle for
Satanic orgies; in fact, it is more accurate to say that their practice of sex
magic is along the lines of Gnostic Christianity, as interpreted by its founder
Reuss and then elaborated upon by Crowley. Those that have looked into the
phenomenon a little more deeply may have learned that the O.T.O. can trace
its lineage directly hack to the Knights Templar and Illuminati. You might
also discover that the lost secret wisdom of these legendary Orders is still
authentically preserved within the O.T.O. Furthermore, it has been said, the
sexual secret taught to the highest degrees of the O.T.O. was communicated
by a trio of Eastern wise men, two yogis and a fakir. None of these things are
true.
Get past the most persistent layer of fictions concerning the O.T.O.,
and one uncovers another layer concealed beneath. There, one might discover
that the founding father of the O.T.O. was one of Austria's wealthiest and
most respected industrialists, the leading Freemason and Theosophist, Dr.
Carl Kellner. According to this tale, Kellner co-founded the Order with
another prominent Theosophist, Dr. Franz Hartmann, a close associate of
Madame Blavatsky. They were soon joined in the Order by the celebrated
creator of Anthrosophy, Rudolf Steiner. If true, this would have been an
impressive pedigree; few magical Orders could claim such eminent men as
patrons. But in fact, Kellner and Hartmann were both dead before their names
were associated with the supposed founding of the O.T.O, and all evidence
suggests that they had nothing at all to do with the O.T.O. in any capacity.
Rudolf Steiner's marginal connection to the O.T.O. is based on the most
tenuous of circumstances.
In exploring the O.T.O, one is reminded of the scene in The Wizard
Of 0z in which the Wizard is revealed as a shabby puppeteer manipulating the
hidden gears which create the illusion of the wondrous magical land of Oz.
When caught in the act, the Wizard. desperately cries, "Pay no attention to
that man behind the curtain!" The "Wizard" behind the curtain of the O.T.O
was the Anglo-German Theodor Reuss (1855-1923), who set in motion a
long-lived charade that many others have perpetuated over the decades.