GradeSystemoftheO.T.O.A.

StudentsoftheMonasteryoftheSevenRaysformthebodyoftheO.T.O.A.thatcorrespondstothefour
years oftheMonasterystudies.

TheMagicalGradesoftheO.T.O.A. andtheircabalisticcorrespondencesareasfollows:

IProbationer,correspondingtoMALKUTH.

II Novice,correspondingtoYESOD.

III StudentforPriesthood, correspondingtoHOD.

IV Lay-Brother,correspondingtoNETZACH.

V Initiate,correspondingtoTIPHARETH.

VI InitiateCoën,correspondingtoGEBURAH.

ConsistsofTantric Magic and coversMystic Masonry1 through5.

VII KnightoftheRainbow,correspondingtoCHESED.

TantricAlchemyandcoversMysticMasonry6- 41.Itisequivalenttosubdeacon.

VIII Companion Coën, corresponding to BINAH. Tantric Alchemy and Magic

containingessentialsofthe kundaliniyoga,withinanesoteric systemandHoodootradition.

IX KnightoftheSun,correspondingtoCHOKMAH.

TantricMagicandMysticMasonry42- 77. Itisequivalenttodiaconate.

X MasterCoën,SovereignofthewhitecityofthecentralSun,corresponding

toKETHER.AdvancedTantricMagic andAlchemy.

XI TemplierNoir(BlackTemplar),correspondingtoKETHER-DAATH-CHOKMAH.

.LuciferianGnosticismandEsotericEngineeringbaseduponTantricMagicandAlchemyandMysti
cMasonry78-89

XII Adept Priesthood, corresponding to KETHER-DAATH-BINAH. Advanced

EsotericEngineeringandTantric MagicandAlchemy.

XIII TemplierRouge(RedTemplar), correspondingtoDAATH.

PureMagicand Gnosticism,explorationonthe esotericworld ontheback oftheTreeofLife.Mystic

Masonry90-93.
XIV Reaux-Croix (Initiate), corresponding to Negative TIPHARETH. It is equivalent
toconsecration to the episcopate. Techniques of Vudu-Tantric magic, or the Afro-
Atlanteanlogic whichexploresthebackofthe treeoflife.

XV Reaux-Croix (Companion), corresponding to Negative YESOD. Mastery of the

finallodgesofwisdomandunioninthe Haitianrite "Chenu".Mystic Masonry94-97.

XVI Reaux-Croix(Master), correspondingtoNegativeMALHUTH.

Theultimate MasteryoftheAfro-AtlanteanandFranco-HaitianMagicalLaws.

THEHISTORYOF THEO.T.O.A.(1921-2001)
In 1905, the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Misraim was introduced into Germany fromEngland by
John Yarker, 97, who was then the Grand Hierophant of the rite. The first German leaderswere K. Kellner and
Theodor Heuss, who created a magical order known as the Ordo Templi Orientisby means of a reduction of the
magical grades of the Rite of Memphis-Misraim from 97 to 9, with a10thgrade,which waspurelyadministrative.

Lucien-Francois Jean-Maine was born in Leogane, Haiti, on January 11, 1869. He died in Boston in1960. He had
been initiated into the four grades of Voudoo, both religious and esoteric, by the time hewas consecrated as a
Gnostic patriarch in 1899. In 1910, he received the succession of the O.T.O.from Encausse, who had received it
about 1908. Encausse gave Jean-Maine his magicalconsecrations in order to establish a magical order similar to
the O.T.O. in Haiti. Following the return ofJean-MainetoHaiti,theOrdoTempli
OrientisAntiquawascreatedofficially December22,1921.
LatterlytheCouleuvreNoirewasorganizedinHaiti,in1922,onthebasisoftheHaitianO.T.O.A.

FollowingthedeathofEncaussein1916,theFrenchO.T.O.underwentaninternalschism. Onegroup, led by Jean

Bricaud, appealed to Theodore Reuss for a new line of succession and initiation.Reuss gave this neo-Gnostic
order his approval and transmitted to them his magical line: ofconsecration. Jean-Maine found himself at the
head of the original order, which followed the originalconstitution of Papus and Synesius. He decided to move to
Spain, where the original order wasstronger, and thus in 1919 relocated in Madrid. There he learned that as early
as 1907 Jean Bricaudhad organized a Gnostic church by separating himself from authority of Synesius.
Disturbed greatly bythese conflicts within the Gnosis, Jean-Maine consecrated as his vicar for Europe Martin
Ortier deSanchez y Marraga in 1921. Jean-Maine departed for Haiti, and upon arrival there entered into
anarrangedmarriagewiththeyoungestdaughteroftheVoudoopatriarchinLeogane.Onlyonechildwas bom of this
union, which was based upon the magical idea of producing an ideal body for theincoming soul of an advanced
adept. This child, a son, was born on January 18, 1925, and namedHector-Francois. The child was circumcised
according to Voudoo rites by his father, who later baptisedhimintotheGnosis.

Gradually, the Couleuvre Noire developed and absorbed the O.T.O.A., the later alone continuing inSpain,
under Lucien-Francois Jean-Maine's authority. In France, the O.T.O. of Bricaud became moreand more
centered about his used occult book store. Aleister Crowley had inherited the O.T.O.authority for England and
Germany with the death of the Grand Master Reuss, about 1921. InScandinavia, however, there continued an
O.T.O. jurisdiction, following the original constitution ofPapus, and linked to the Gnostic Church of the
Ophites, which had been organized within the O.T.O.current by Jean-Maine about 1912. This Scandinavian
Gnostic order is now entirely under thejurisdiction of the Monastery of the Seven Rays. From 1922 until his
death in 1960, Jean-Mainedevoted himself to magical studies and the education of his son Hector-Francois.
Both men held theoffices and magical orders of Masters Zothyrius, Mercurius, Aquarius and Capricorn, which
officersandordersheld latterlybyMichaelBertiaux.

Jean-MaineonseveraloccasionssoughttobringaboutunitywithinthetotalGnosticfamilyandsought
to communicate this idea to Bricaud and his successors. However, out of fear of a magical takeover,making
use of the techniques of esoteric Voudoo, the records of the older Gnostic churches weredestroyed, making
any evidence of Jean-Maine's link with Encausse difficult to prove. Only in theSpanish Sovereign Sanctuary
of Memphis-Misraim, from which all French occultists admit thatEncausse derived his Memphis-Misraim
authority, were these documents cherished. As thesedocumentsformthe basiclinkbetweenthe Monasteryofthe
Seven Raysand

the systems of esoteric and Gnostic Voudoo, they are guarded carefully, in order to keep them frombeing
destroyed by those who wish to deny Gnostic initiation to the black race. This is the reason whythe Order of
Martinists in Paris does not give out the initiations of the Rite of the Elect Priesthood toany Haitians, for they
fear that such Haitians would find out about their original right to these grades ofmagical attainment and
theurgy, and then set about to destroy the entire facade of modern Parisianoccultism. For this reason, the only
valid Haitian Gnostic bishops will be found within our tradition,
andatpresentsubjecttotheJurisdictionoftheHaitianPatriarch,DocteurPierre-AntoineSaint-Charles.

In Haiti, Hector-Francois Jean-Maine sought to revive an interest in the work of O.T.O.A. This orderhad
developed in Spain along very interesting sexo-magic lines. Therefore, in 1948-49, he began towork the rites
and degrees (there were 16 magical degrees) of the O.T.O.A. under the form ofLycanthropie Kabbalistique,
which is a very highly developed form of sexual magic reserved for thebest adepts of the Couleuvre Noire. This
magical current, which was formally established in January,1949 drew upon the Gnostic, Ophidian, Naasenic
and Tantric ideas of the original constitution ofPapus. On January 5, 1949, Hector-Francois, entirely nude and
with his body painted with the red,orange, yellow, cream and purple symbols of the highest adepts of
Lycanthropie Kabbalistique,opened the Temple of the Two Yggdrasills (the Solar-Legbha and the Stellar-
Legbha) by performingsexo-magical rites before the assembled Grand Master of the Haitian Esotericism. With
this type ofwork, he soon ritualized the entire Ophidian system of magical points, which is discussed in
theMonastery of the Seven Rays courses. With the ejaculations of each orgasm, he materialized tosensible form
the mighty Choronzon and other beings from beyond the limits of our universe, who areeverseekingto
pourintothisworld and reestablishtheirruleforever.

In order to show that the O.T.O.A. was different from the Couleuvre Noire and in no way connectedwith the
O.T.O., on January 17, 1949, Hector-Francois proceeded to a high mountain, outside ofLeogane. There at the top
of the mountain, and attended by 16 master-initiates of the O.T.O.A., hebegan the process of calling down the
Host of Heaven. Again, entirely nude, with his body painted withthe magical symbols of the 16 magical planets
of the Gnostic cosmology, the 24-year-old magician,possessed by the Cosmic Serpents, danced the mysteries and
performed sexo-magical rites with theattendingpriests.The resultingmaterializationsintheorgasmicaether servedto
showthattheHaitian
O.T.O.A. had captured the true magical current of the age and that Hector-Francois was indeed
themagicalhigh-priestofthe newage ofmagic.

In 1955 Hector-Francois, with the approval of his father, transformed the O.T.O.A. into a Gnostic andOphitic
church. The reason for this was quite simple. First of all, he was interested in the possibility ofunification and
simplification in all areas of initiatic activity. Knowing that there were other groupsmakinguseofthenameO.T.O.,
hesoughttoavoidanyconfusionbetweenhis magicalorderandwork and the non-Voudoo orders of Western Europe.
Secondly, he wished to develop his own systemso that it would be possible to explore newer areas in sexual
magic, without any idea of having to fulfillthe requirements of an already-existing magical order. With this in
mind, he sought to develop his ownTemple of Lycanthropie Kabbalistic. Because of his many travels in
connection with his education, andespecially in regard to his researches in Africa for his dissertation on those
magical plants that hadbeen brought to Haiti by the Voudoo high-priests who came as slaves in the early colonial
times, hewas able to make many contacts with magicians and sorcerers in various parts of the world. By meansof
exchanging initiations with these adepts, he was able to develop a truly universal gnosis of sexualmagic. His
father died in 1960, and the government of the Gnostic Church of Mempnis-Misraim wasgiven to Docteur de
Sanchez y Marraga, who ruled the widespread, but very small, order of adeptsfromhismonasteryinSpain.
Yet,duetohismanyhealthproblems,hefoundtheresponsibilitiesfartooheavyto bear,and pleaded with Hector-
Francoistoassisthim.

Michael Paul Bertiaux was bom in the USA in January, 1935 and studied theurgy under Haitianmasters and
Voudoo adepts from 1963-1975. On August 15, 1963, while he was visiting in Haiti,DocteurJean-Maine
explainedto Bertiauxthathe wasabouttoleaveforMadridto beconsecrated to
the patriarchate of the Ecclesia Gnostica, and wished to know if Docteur Bertiaux would be willing toassist him
in his esoteric work. An agreement was worked out, and Jean-Maine entered into a magicalpact with Bertiaux.
Upon his return to the USA, Docteur Bertiaux then devoted himself entirely to
thecauseofesotericstudies,whilekeepinghimselfintelepathic contactwithDocteur Jean-Maine.

Hector-Francois Jean-Maine was consecrated to the Gnostic patriarchate on November 2, 1963. ThisFeast Day
of the Catholic religion, and known as All Soul's Day, is sacred in Voudoo as the Festival ofthe God of Magic,
the Mighty Guedhe-Nibbho. Shortly afterwards Docteur de Sanchez y Marraga tookseriously ill and died.
However, for the next five years, he was held astrally within the magnetic sphereof the Earth by magical means,
and fed with sexual energy of Hector-Francois, in order to help him tolearn every detail of his magical office.
Indeed, it was by this method that de Sanchez y Marragaassisted Hector-Francois in the magical consecration of
Docteur Bertiaux in 1966. Since 1966, as theinfluence of the Gnostic Church has become world-wide again,
Docteur Jean-Maine had been able torelease the astral self of Docteur de Sanchez y Marraga, and then to rule
the rite ancient et primitif deMemphis-Misraim, assisted by Michael Bertiaux and the other Gnostic patriarchs.
In 1970, Hector-Francois consecrated Docteur Bertiaux as the Sovereign Grand Master of the O.T.O.A.,
following hiselectiontothatofficebytheGrand\MastersofSpain,HaitiandLouisiana-Illinois.Thisgradeisusually held
bythe assistanttothe"GrandHierophantoftheRiteofMemphis-Misraim.

Between April 10 and 17, in the city of Liege, Belgium, in the year 1973, there was held a meeting ofthe
worldwide synod of Gnostic Bishops of the true Gnostic succession and communion. The
followingorganizationswere presentthroughtheirrepresentatives:

1. The Monastery of the Seven

Rays2 .The EcclesiaGnosticaSpiritualis
3. TheAncientandPrimitiveRiteofMemphis-Misraim
4. TheEcclesiaGnosticaOphitica
5. TheUniversal MartinistFederationof Initiatics
6. TheAlbigensianGnosticRiteofHaiti
7.DieVereinigungfurgnostischesundmagischesChristentum
8. Die Vereinigung fur gnostische und theurgische Ontologie das esoterischen Christentum. (7 and
8areSwissGnostic andmagicalorders,based uponCatholictraditionandinitiatic order-foundation)
9. TheEsoteric RiteoftheRose-Croix
10. TheChurchoftheMandalaofGiordanoBruno
11. TheFraternitasHermetica
12. TheAmericanSynodofGnosticBishops
13. TheQBLH AlchemistChurch
14. TheMartinistOrderof Rose-CroixandAleph-Initiates
15. TheInterior SanctuaryoftheElectPriesthood
16. TheNaasenianGnosticBrotherhoodofInitiatesandAdepts

These mystical orders of initiation, derived from the ancient Gnostic and Hermetic traditions of
westernoccultism, approved the publication of the magical history of the Ecclesia Gnostica (Rite of Memphis-
Misraim) as well as the exchange of initiations and consecrations among all adepts present. Theseorders of
magical adeptship agreed to the formation of a world-wide magical brotherhood of adepts, tobe located within
the Inner Retreat of the Monastery of the Seven Rays, and having as its name "le riteancient et primitif de
Memphis-Misraim", wherein each constitutive body, order or society, will be ableto provide the initiatic
traditions and work for the various sections within the Memphis-Misraim degreesystem. As a result of this
action, Docteur Jean-Maine, the Grand Hierophant of the Rite of Memphis-Misraim,becomestheruling
adeptofeachofthe16memberordersandtheirsub-orders.

In the late 1960's and early 1970's, at the request of the synod of the Bishops of the Ecclesia GnosticaSpiritualis,
Docteur Bertiaux wrote the four years of lesson courses, which form the basic course of theMonastery
oftheSeven RaysOuterRetreat,directedfromtheInnerRetreatin Chicago.

Originally, the Monastery of the Seven Rays was a Roman Catholic and Benedictine institution, as itsname
implies. Much of this original tradition still seems to survive in many of the practices of thisschool. In the 18th
Century, the Monastery was a center of research for the Gnostic Catholic Church inSpain. This Church must be
understood to be of the "Old Catholic Spiritualist" tradition and notconnectedwith AleisterCrowley'sgroup.
In the present century, the Monastery became the center for a series of courses and magicalinstruction. The
Monastery was also reorganized due to the activities of the Rite of Memphis-Misraim,a one time Masonic order
that is now entirely theurgical in its work. The Outer Retreat of theMonastery became the school for an
international correspondence class in magical subjects, while theInner
Retreat,whichisnotphysicallylocatedinSpain,becamethe center ofresearch andinitiation.
The teachings of the Monastery are derived from Gnostic, Bon'pa, Tantric, Voudoo, Cabalistic andExtra-
Terrestrial Sources. Although the Monastery's aims have always been in accordance withThelemic principles,
stating clearly in the early stages of the course that self-discovery is the ultimategoal of occultism, it has always
been absolutely non-dogmatic in its approach. However, some adeptsof the Inner Order realized the importance
and the desirability of participating in the Work of the NewAeon and on August 15, 1973, formal acceptance of
the Law of Thelema was allowed. From August,1973,Hector-FrancoisJean-Maine
askedMarcLullytoserveasGrandMaster-Conservatorofthe
O.T.O.A. for a two year term, in order to integrate the New Aeon posture into the O.T.O.A. amongyoung
students. Marc Lully served in his office until he moved on to work with the psychianamovementsin
spiritualism.

On 1975, Docteur Bertiaux was appointed by Jean-Maine as Grand-Hierophant Conservateur of theRite de

Memphis-Misraim, and the same year he appointed Ken Ward, a Canadian chela of theMonastery, to serve as
the liaison for Thelemically-oriented Monastery students and raised Ward in1976 to the rank of Grand Master
of the O.T.O.A. in order to direct the research circle andcommunication program and publications of the
Monastery students who were formally committed totheLawofThelema,
Since this year the O.T.O.A. was operating within the MS7R system and headed by the Grand MasterWard,
who was in direct contact with the Inner Retreat and the Grand Hierophant Bertiaux. It began toissue a quarterly
publication called Instrumentum available only to the members. The O.T.O.A.became then a non-initiatory
order in the usual traditional sense. The Order became also a non-teaching one, although discussion and
exchange of ideas was encouraged between members. TheMonastery of the Seven Rays became a part of
Technicians of the Sacred and still is the teachingvehicle for the O.T.O.A. The official public organ of the
O.T.O.A. and the L.C.N. is a publicationentitled Societe Journal. Instrumentum is the quarterly journal for
members only of the O.T.O.A. andL.C.N.

In December, 1981 Ken Ward retired himself from the outer activities of the O.T.O.A. and namedManuel C.
Lamparter as the Sovereign Grand Master under the sanction of Docteur Bertiaux. DocteurLamparter was a
personal chela of Michael Bertiaux and a student of the Monastery of the SevenRayssince 1976.

Under Docteur Lamparter, the O.T.O.A. continued the same lines given by Ken Ward in establishingfriendly and
fraternal links with other Thelemic and Gnostic groups around the world. In December,1982 Manuel C.
Lamparter was consecrated Gnostic Bishop by the Most Reverend Rosa Miller inSeville, Spain. Tau Rosa was in
possession of all the valid Gnostic successions, and she accepted therequest of Docteur Bertiaux to go to Spain
in order to consecrate Manuel C. Lamparter there. In 1983the Spanish Gnostic Church was reorganized by
Lamparter under the name of "Ecclesia GnosticaLatina" (Ecclesia Gnostica Spiritualia) on the basis of the
O.T.O.A. structure and the teachings of theMonastery ofthe Seven Rays.

In December, 1988 Courtney Willis was appointed Sovereign Grand Master of the O.T.O.A., byDocteur
Lamparter, under the sanction of Docteur Bertiaux. In 1989 Michael Bertiaux declaredCourtney Willis as
Ogdoade-OrefoVIII while Manuel Lamparter resigned all offices in the OTOA by1995. Docteur Willis, also a
personal chela of Michael Bertiaux, is a natural magician and leading forcein the neo-African religious and
magical movement. Docteur Willis was so able to carry on the traditionof the Franco-Haitian O.T.O.
(F.H.O.T.O..) as he was given the ritual process of the Obligation of theSecret by Michael Bertiaux which was
not passed to Ken Ward or Manuel C. Lamparter as SovereignGrandMaster
oftheO.T.O.A.,andwithoutitauthorityfor theF.H.O.T.O.cannotbe possessed.
DocteurWilliswasappointedSovereignGrand MasterAbsolute(S.G.M.A.) oftheO.T.O.A.byMichael
P. Bertiaux and he has and continues to be the head and supreme authority for the O.T.O.A.,there isno other.
So in 1991 Docteur Willis was given the true and valid succession to the O.T.O.A.
directlyfromMichaelBertiaux.

InMay,2005DavidBethofGermany wasappointedSovereignGrandMasteroftheO.T.O.A.,bythe
Sovereign Grand Master Absolute, Docteur Courtney Willis. Docteur David Beth continues the
richtraditionsoftheO.T.O.A.,andbringswithhim knowledge,experienceandintegrity.
.
Under Docteur Willis and Docteur Beth the O.T.O.A. continued friendly and fraternal links withmagical,
Gnostic, Thelemic, neo-African, African and occult groups world-wide. But it was no longer a"Thelemic"
organization, and became more Gnostic and magical in nature, because Courtney Williswished to return to the
spiritist roots in Voudon or the original and esoteric intentions of the Jean-MaineFamille,with the
encouragementofMichael Bertiaux.

Nowadays,theO.T.O.A.isaGnostic-
magicalorganization.Thereare16gradesanddegrees(seenasanextensionofthefourelementsintothefourdimensions
ofspaceconsciousness)whicharefeltto be necessary simply as a structural tool. These grades and degrees are not
to be considered asstatus symbols, one being as equally important as another. The O.T.O.A. is intended to
function as amagical machine powered by the occult energy of its members. This is why structure or degree
systemis important. Any efficient machine must be precisely structured; otherwise, energy is lost. This
energycannotbe lostneedlesslybecause it

HistoryofLaCouleuvreNoire

ForthehistoryofL.C.N.,thereaderisreferredtothefollowing articlebyFraterJoseph.

The publication of Kenneth Grant's very excellent book (The Magical Revival,
London:Frederick Muller, Ltd., 1972) serves to show for the first time in public print
connectionsbetweentheO.T.O.magicalworkofAleisterCrowleyand theHaitianVoudoo and
GnosticMagic. In fact, it is Mr. Grant's contention the Crowley’s magick, and especially
his sexmagick, are identical with the magic and especially the magie sexuelle of the French
andHaitian Gnostic adepts. In view of this connection, it might be useful to give
someinformationontheFranco-HaitianO.T.O.A."OrdoTempliOrientis
Antiqua"anditsoriginsandderivatives.

It is now fairly well known that Crowley received the initiatic succession of the
EcclesiaGnostica Catholica from Theodore Reuss in 1912, at the time of his consecration to
the orderof the bishop for O.T.O. Reuss had received this succession in 1909 from Gerald
Encausse,GrandMasteroftheMartinistOrderandbishopoftheEcclesiaGnostica.Reussand
Encaussehad exchanged initiations, with Encausse receiving the initiatic succession of the
highestdegreesofthe O.T.O.fromReussforFrance andthe French-sneakingcountries.

Gerald Encausse, born July 13, 1865 at La Corogne, Spain, and known as "Papus"
hadreestablished the Martinist Order in Paris. In 1890, he had been consecrated along with
themystical writer Paul Sedir (Yvon Le Loup) and the occult-book publisher Lucien
Mauchel, tothe episcopate of the Ecclesia Gnostica, by Jules Doinel (Tau Valentin II). Those
who haveread Crowley's autobiographies know that Encausse inherited John Yarker’s Rite
ofMemphis-Misraim (which was originally French, but which had been transferred to
Englandvia the U.S.A.,between1860and1875,andwhichactuallywas the basisofthe German
O.T.O. since Sept. 1902) with the event of Yarker’s death in 1913. Thus, Encausse
wasknown to be connected with Egyptian and mystic masonry, Gnosticism, Martinism, and
theRose-Croix(throughStanislasdeGuaita),theElusCohens,andP.B.Randolph's"Fraternitas
LucisHermetica",whichoperatedinFrenchalongsexualmagicallines.Itmustbeunderstood,howev
er,thattheO.T.O.whichEncaussereceivedfromReussdidnotcontainthesecretdegreesandworkwhi
chCrowleywastodevelop withinhisownbranchofthatorder.
 Wearediscussing theearlierperiod,1909to1912,which ispriorto Crowley'sentryintothework.

One of the adepts known to Encausse, at the time in Paris, was a young Haitian
Gnosticbishop, Lucien-Francois Jean-Maine. He had been consecrated to the episcopate by
TauSynesium (who had been consecrated by Papus, Sedir, and Mauchel) and by one
mysteriousTau Orfeo VI (a Spanish Gnostic bishop of the golden line which drew upon one
Albigensianand Memphis-Misraim currents) in 1899, at the age of 30. Lucien-Francois Jean-
Maine tookas his episcopal name in Ecclesia Gnostica, Tau Ogoade-Orfeo I. Lucien-Francois
Jean-Mainewas born on January 11, 1869 in Leogane, Haiti, and died in Boston, in 1960.
Because of hisposition in the occult history of the times and because of his connections with
French andSpanish occultism, he was able to receive all the most important initiatic
successions andcurrents and transmit them to other members of his race and also to that one
line of Gnosticbishops which is derived from him and which has also absorbed the
successions and currentsoftheAmericanneo-Crowleyanderivatives.

In the Haitian Voudoo, esoterically considered, we must make two important

distinctions.First of all there was already an order comparable to the O.T.O. of Karl Kellner
and TheodoreReuss. I refer to the order and rite created by Toussaint-L'Ouverture, which
drew upon Frenchcabalism, illuminism, and Dahomeyan African currents. All students of
Haitian Masonry arefamiliar with this rite, which is entirely too little known, hut which
cannot be discussed in thisessay for reasons of space. Secondly there is a very important
distinction to be made betweenthese mysteries of Voodoo which are parallel to the VIII and
IX degree-work of the O.T.O.--Irefer to the "mysteries de la solitude" and "mariage
mystique"-and those mysteries of the veryesoteric Voudoo, which are close to the XI and
even higher work of Crowley's O.T.O.-here Imean the "mystery Luage". Thus, it is important
to note that both Crowley and this line ofesoteric Voudoo admitted to the development in
sexual magic and to the existence of secretdegrees of attainment. In this sense both the
Haitian Gnostics and Crowley were to go beyondthe O.T.O.ofReuss andEncausse.

It is noteworthy to mention that Lucien-Francois Jean-Maine received the Voudoo grades

ofinitiate,servitor,priest,andhigh-priestinHaiti,inhisownfather'stemple
inLeogane,beforeseeking his occult fortunes in Paris and Madrid. Also, there was a family
tradition that theJean-Maine line was traceable back to a French slave-owner, in Leogane,
who had died therein 1774, a common enough claim. In this case, the slave-owner was the
adept Martines dePasquales who had founded the Order of the Elus Cohens, that theurgic
current into whichLouis-Claude de St. Martin (born January 18, 1743), the founder of
Martinist mysticism hadbeeninitiatedinFrance.

Prior to his consecration to the episcopate, Lucien-Francois Jean-Maine was ordained to

thesubdiaconate,diaconate,and priesthood byTau OrfeoVI,ordersofthesacred
ministryoftheGnostic Church which fully matched in magical current his first three degrees
in esotericVoudoo, given to him by his father. Between 1899 and 1910, Tau Ogoade-Orfeo I
workedwith the scattered followers of the African-American adept P.B. Randolph (born
October 8,1825) forming the loosely structured "Fratemitas Lucis Hermetica" which worked
the sexualmagical techniques of their teacher and the three mysterious degrees of his inner
order. It hasbeen well established by historians that the O.T.O. of Kellner and of Reuss in
Germanyreceivedmostofitssexual magicalteachingsfromP.B.Randolph's"MagicSexuelle".
 It might be added that the MSS. of Randolph's work was also used by a group of
Polishfemalebishops,theMariaviteChurch,who
assistedtheirmalecounterparts,untilsuppressedby the Roman Catholics. Recently, Randolph's
"Fratemitas Lucis Hermetica" in France isheaded by a Mariavite Gnostic Bishop, Msgr.
Robert Bonnet. Also, it might be noted thatRandolph's sexual magic in MSS. was translated
into French and published by none otherthan that Polish high-priestess Maria de Naglowska,
before 1931. Finally, it should be notedthat Maria de Naglowska studied Voudoo with the
pupils of Lucien-Francois Jean-Mainebetween1921and1930.

About 1910, Encausse gave the X degrees of the O.T.O. to Tau Ogoade-Orfeo I "for Haiti
andthe French West Indies". A branch of the Fratemitas Lucis Hermetica was also planned.
Jean-Maine'sconsecrationtookplaceinParis.Encaussewhohadreceivedmostofthehighergrades of
the Rite of Memphis-Misraim, received a few more from Tau Ogoade-Orfeo I, whohad
received them from Tau Orfeo VI. Encausse, always the gracious Frenchman and never tobe
outdone, exchanged what he had received from Yarker, and Reuss. However, it must
beunderstoodthatthesuccessionofYarkerwas thatofpaid-for

diplomas and existed only on paper, while that of Tau Orfeo VI was sacramental in
characterand based on the magic of the Ecclesia Gnostica. Business difficulties and the war
kept TauOgoade-Orfeo I from returning to Haiti until 1921. In order to build up the Spanish
GnosticChurch, Tau Ogoade-Orfeo I moved to Spain in 1919, and in 1921 consecrated his
successorin Europe for the Spanish Gnostic Church-Rite of Memphis-Misraim occult
system. Hissuccessor took the name of Tau Ogoade-Orfeo II, and with his headquarters in
Madrid,directed the work of the Ecclesia Gnostica and the magical and Gnostic-esoteric
orders ofMemphis and Misraim. For under the combined influences of the O.T.O.,
Martinism,Gnosticism, and Voudoo-not to mention the Fraternitas Lucis Hermetica-the
Spanish andHaitian branches of the Rite of Memphis-Misraim gave up entirely their quasi-
masoniccharacter and became completely esoteric and Gnostic orders of magic, i.e., The
Gnostic andEsoteric Order of Misraim. or of Egypt and the Gnostic and Esoteric Order of
Memphis,within the larger, totally occult and much more ecclesiastical "Ancient and
Primitive Rite ofMemphis-Misraim". This point must be emphasized because there are other
branches of theRite of Memphis-Misraim which claim to continue a masonic character,
while it is onlyinterested in continuing the Gnostic and apostolic succession and the magical
currents ofinitiation.

TauOgoade-OrfeoIreturnedtoHaitiinlate1921andmarried.AsonwasbornNovember 18,1924,
whowasnamedHector-Francois.WhileinHaiti,Tau-Ogoade-OrfeoI createdtheHaitian Ordo
Templi Orientis Antiqua--the O.T.O.A.-officially organized in 1921. It wasstructured to work
in 16 degrees, rather than the X of the Encausse-Reuss order, or even theXI of Crowley’s rite.
Elements of Voudoo, magic, and Gnosticism were worked into a systemwhich "went up the
Tree of Life and then down the back". It would be considered a verydangerous system by
Golden Dawn standards, but then the Haitians had been excluded fromMartinist-derived
Golden Dawn by reason of their race, so don't judge them too harshly. I
amcertaintheyneverregrettedanythingtheydid!

In 1922, Tau Ogoade-Orfeo I created the magical order "La Couleuvre Noire" ("The
BlackSnake"), whichworkedfourdegrees,
withaprobationer'sandadministrativedegreeaddedtomake it six grades in all. The relationship
of the O.T.O.A. to "La Couleuvre Noire" can bebest described on the analogy of the
relationship of the O.T.O. of Crowley to the G.B.G.
andtheChoronzonCluboftheAmericanNeo-Crowleyanderivatives,exceptwithoutthelossof
anymagicalvitalityonthepart of"LaCouleuvreNoire",asitwasfoundedbythechiefofthe
O.T.O.A. andnotbyapupil.
In1930,"LaCouleuvreNoire"andtheO.T.O.A.weremadedepartmentsoftheRiteofMemphis-
Misraim,togetherwiththeGnosticChurchandthe
Fraternitas Lucis Hermetica in Spain and Haiti. In 1968, this was extended to the U.S.A.
andthe FrenchWestIndies.

In1960,TauOgoade-OrfeoI diedinBoston,U.S.A.,whileonatouroftheGnosticgroupsinFrance,
Spain, Belgium and the U.S.A., which were under his jurisdiction. His authority waspassed
on to Tau Ogoade-Orfeo II, the Spanish occultist and Gnostic with the provision thatthe son
of Tau Ogoade-Orfeo I was to be consecrated to the episcopate and inherit the orderand its
rites. This was accomplished in Madrid, on November 2, 1962, when the son of TaoOgoade-
Orfeo I, Docteur H.-F. Jean-Maine was consecrated bishop and elevated to thepatriarchate of
the Ecclesia Gnostica Spiritualis by Tau Ogoade-Orfeo II. The new bishop-primate and
patriarch took the name of Tau Ogoade-Orfeo III and thus continued the
GnosticsuccessionofHaitianbishops andGrandMastersoftheO.T.O.A.

On January 18, 1966, an American Martinist, Tau Ogoade-Orfeo IV, born January 18,
1935,was consecrated to the episcopate for the Rite of Memphis-Misraim. The consecration
tookplacein Chicago,withTau Ogoade-OrfeoIIandDocteurJean-Maineactingastheco-
consecrators. Later, Tau Ogoade-Orfeo IV received the complete magical consecrations
andcurrents of the Ecclesia Gnostica Hermetica on August 10, 1967. The Ecclesia
GnosticaHermetica carried the magical currents of the secret work of the O.T.O. and the
ChoronzonClub, and thus united the Crowleyan (Germerian) and Neo-Crowleyan (Choronzon
Club andG.B.G.) successions with the Gnostic and Hermetic traditions inherited from the
Vilattesuccession of bishops. The Patriarch of the Ecclesia Gnostica Hermetica Tau IX
(33=36) wasthe consecrator of Tau Ogoade-Orfeo IV. Then, Tau Ogoade-Orfeo IV
exchanged theepiscopate and Patriarchate in the Ecclesia Gnostica Spiritualis with Tau IX
(33-36) bymaking him XVI (33=36) of the Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua. Again, on
December 25,1967, another Gnostic succession from Msgr. Vilatte was received from Tau IV
(13=16) themissionary bishop of the QBL Alchemist Church of Illinois (Egyptian Apostolic
Succession)by Tau Ogoade-Orfeo IV. This is the same apostolic succession which the French
Martinistand Gnostic bishop Msgr, C. Chevillon passed on to the Swiss O.T.O. bishop who
inheritedthe Crowleyan order from Karl Germer. Astrologers should take note that Tau IV
(13=16),born
January5,wasconsecratedtotheQBLAlchemistepiscopateoftheVilattesuccessiononNovember4,
1967. TauIV(13=16)previouslyconsecratedinEcclesiaGnosticaSpiritualisto the episcopate on
January 18, 1967, assisted in the exchange of consecrations andsuccessions on August 10,
1967.In 1989 Tau Ogoade-OrfeoIV appointed Ogoade-OrefoVIII(Courtney Willis)as the
Sovereign Grand Master Absolute of the La Couleuvre Noire,born onDecember 19,1955 is
the spiritual son of Tau Ogoade-Orfeo I..On September 7th, 1991 TauOgdoade-Orfeo VIII
was consecrated as Hierophant of the La Couleuvre Noire by TauOgoade-Orfeo IV. Thus, the
American O.T.O. and Gnostic successions were united with theFranco-Haitian and Spanish
successions. The events of 1966-1969 are discussed in the
5thYearcourseoftheMonasteryoftheSevenrays.

It should be understood by the readers that the O.T.O. and the Martinist lines of
initiationswere continually being linked by means of the Gnostic episcopate. Also, the
succession of theesoteric Voudooists and the O.T.O. successions were united by Gnosticism,
in the magicalRite of Memphis-Misraim., and in the magical world of the south side of
Chicago Afro-Americanspirist-gnostics duringthe1960's.
On August 31,1968, Tau Ogoade-Orfeo IV consecrated the Haitian occultist Docteur Pierre-
Antoine Saint Charles, born July 21, 1934, to the episcopate of the Ecclesia
GnosticaCabalistica, the newly consecrated and elevated bishop taking as his patriarchal
name TauEon III, Tau VIII (29=32). Thus, in another Haitian adept and Gnostic voodooist
were unitedthe following lines of succession which parallel those of Tau Ogoade-Orfeo I in
1910: (1) theEncausse succession of the S.I.I, of Martinism; (2) the O.T.O. Eclessia Gnostica
Hermeticaand Chronzon Club successions from Tau IX; (3) the Vilatte succession of the
Gnosticepiscopate, now possessed by all of the heirs of Crowley's order; (4) the Memphis-
Misraim,Ecclesia Gnostica Spiritualis, and Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua successions from
TauOgoade-Orfeo I; (5) the Voudoo succession of the four degrees (mentioned earlier in
thisessay), which Docteur Saint-Charles received from his Haitian traditions, Tau Eon III
thenexchanged his Voudoo consecrations in their esoteric and magical, rather than
religious,currents with Tau Ogoade-Orfeo IV, for the successions of the Ecclesia Gnostica.
TheseVoudoo currents were further developed when Tau Ogoade-Orfeo III added the
magicalcurrent of the esoteric Voudoo high-priesthood to the succession of the Ecclesia
GnosticaSpiritualis. Thus, the lines of esoteric Voudoo and Aleister Crowley did meet in a
definitesuccession of Gnostic bishops, and in the dynamics of thelemic Voudoo. Note:
Thissuccession is also possessed by the present (1989) Caliph of the O.T.O.-forming a
linkbetweenCrowleyandthemagicfireofHaitianVudu.

In order to add more Haitian magical elements to the current, on July 27, 1970, Tau Ogoade-
Orfeo IV consecrated to the episcopate in Ecclesia Gnostica Spiritualis Tau Ogoade V
(TauXV, 57=60) the well-known Haitian scientist, born July 27, 1930. The newly-
consecratedbishop is the great-grandson of Haitian presidents Michel-Cincinnatus Leconte
and NordAlexis.

And so the magical currents flow on and on and on. About the Ecclesia Gnostic
Spiritualis,yes, it is still in existence. In fact, in the words of John Yarker, when describing
the Rite ofMisraim, "Inaquietwayitisstillconferredinthis
countryunderitsownSupremeCouncil",composed of the Voudoo Gnostic bishops of 1989,
and the Franco-Haitian ghost of "LeMaitre Therion".

LOVE ISTHELAW,LOVE UNDERWILL.

The La Couleuvre Noire is a priestly order of service to the spiritual being of the
voudonreligion in its esoteric andgnostic formulation. The Couleuvre Noire was founded in
Haiti inthe 1920's as part of a reform and simplification of the theurgical orders and rites
used inHaiti since the 18th century. Techniques used in the La Couleuvre Noire are based
on thelongestablished magical,priestlyand theurgical practicesofserviceto
oftheinvisiblepresence and for the promotion of the power of the spiritual light and to fight
againstobjective andpsychicevil.

Sovereign Grand Master

ABSOLUTETauOgdoade-OrfeoVIII
 The magical Order of La Couleuvre Noire (LCN) was founded by Lucien-Francois Jean Maine, the head of
theO.T.O.A.. La Couleuvre Noire is an order of esoteric voodoo and consists of 6 degrees – a probationer
degree, 4activedegreesandoneadministrativedegree.The4activedegrees ofLCNarethefollowing:

I°: The 'Lave-Tete' or

'Initiate'ii°: The 'Canzo' or

'Serviteour'III°:The'Houngan'

or'Priest'

IV°:The'Baille-ge'or'Hierophant'

Eventhoughtheymaintaincloserelations,TheO.T.O.A.underSovereignGrandMasterAbsoluteCourtneyWillisandt
heL.C.N. aretotallyseperateorders.

InsideVoudonGnosis

This essay is a shortened and edited version of a talk given by David Beth (Tau
Melchizedek)at Treadwells, London, in January 2007. We will touch upon the Monastery of
the 7 Rays andthe 4 Year Courses and their place within the continuum. The Voudon Gnostic
Workbook willbe mentioned and its connection to the LCN. Rites of Initiation, sexual magic,
the mysteriouspointschaudsandconferementswillallbepartofthisessay.

Monasteryof theSevenRaysandthe4YrCourses:

TheMonastery istechnicallya separateand independentbodybutfactuallyisconnected tothe

O.T.O.A. and acts as its major teaching vehicle through the 4 Year Courses of the Monastery (whichwill soon be
8 Courses). In regards to the Courses, there is often initial confusion and many peopleexperience this at first,
including myself when I began the work years ago. This confusion however iscaused mainly by the quite
demanding nature of the material, it being very technical and abstract attimes, presenting a network totally
different to any of the systems you usually encounter, and thus alsocontradictingthingsonemayhave
previouslylearned.

However, the courses demand a lot of close attention and they are not designed to be understoodrationally only,
on the contrary, the principles are to be integrated into your magical persona in order toreally get the full
benefits. Michael Aquarius is a 'Being' speaking through and related to M.B. and itmakes sense when he claims
he is the master of everything (related to the system) as the system anduniverse of the courses is M.B.s magical
universe or rather M.A.s magical universe in which he is thesupreme ruler.Averylogical gnosticargument.

TheCourses stateclearlythatthissystempresentedinthecoursesisasubjectivesystem,createdby
M.B. with certain 'aid' from higher beings, utilizing the keys and secrets of his occult
backgrounds,O.T.O.A., L.C.N. etc. So what you get is a product of this 'using of the keys' which is
perfectlydesigned to lead by example, to help a student step by step to create his own magical universe,
toinspirestudentsto buildtheirownmagicalworld ratherthan becomingmereimitators.

One thing you can be sure of - all that is presented in the Courses works beyond any doubt. There areno
mathematical equations to support this, but we are talking about a gnostic type of science andknowing. It is the
transformative qualities and usability towards a gnostic transformation which areproven beyond doubt. And keep
in mind, you are not supposed to copy everything that is said in theCourses - you need to understand the
principles and then construct your own magical universe - this isthe treasure of the courses as such, applicable
for anyone. For Initiates of the O.T.O.A. and L.C.N.these materials of course possess many more additional
qualities and usabilities - and we have manyadditionalmaterials,guidanceandinitiations,etc.to supplementthem.
The secrets are not in a a book! The Courses are not the secrets of the Orders and nobody will beable to
penetrate to the deeper layers of the O.T.O.A. as such, who has not got anykind of link to theOrders and any
kind of guidance,. The same applies to work with the VGW as will be explained in duecourse.

The original Monastery courses, at least the major part, was written by Bertiaux on commission for anesoteric
Templar group active in Europe and South America mainly. These people were brought toBertiaux byJean
Maine.

Bertiaux wrote chapter after chapter sending them to this group. Now it is easy to see that what
wentintothemonasteryCourses were,amongstotherthings,directresultsobtainedthroughO.T.O.A.and
L.C.N. work and teachings, but to this Bertiaux added a lot of other ideas coming from his diversespiritual and
intellectual background like theosophy and philosophy and created a complete path toGnostic initiation. So
what we see here in the courses is partly a result of working with O.T.O.A. keys,they are notthe
keysthemselves.

Bertiaux intended the Courses to be of gnostic and magical inspiration, something that people likeKenneth
Grant understood well and they used it. The Courses did not however provide initiation intotheO.T.O.A.and
L.C.N.orthe Voudon Gnosticcurrentin theirown way.

When that templar group disintegrated, Bertiaux and the Orders bought back the copyrights becausethey
thought the materials to be too precious to get lost in history and used the Courses as the basictraining tool for
the correspondent students of the O.T.O.A. It was found that the ideas and toolspresented in the Courses
provided a perfect basis for higher work in the Voudon Gnostic societies.These outer students or the outer
order was headed originally by Ken Ward. So this is when theCourses became an integral part of the O.T.O.A.
curriculum and the basis for initial study. For thosealigned with the O.T.O.A., the Courses hold many surprises
and many doors are inserted which leadthe observing and dedicated student deep into the labyrinth of the
Voudon Gnosis. With the help ofmentors and guides within the orders, the student is led on a magical journey.
Potential students canget many extra papers, initiations and empowerments upon showing that they
successfully enter thedeeper layersoftheorder'sworkthrough theCourses.

TheVoudonGnosticWorkbookandtheLaCouleuvreNoire(L.C.N.)

The VGW has a slightly similar history as the Courses. Some of the initial papers making the core ofthe VGW
were intended as scripts for a weekend seminar on the LCN in New York. That seminarnever materialized but
H. Slater of Magical Childe was so impressed with the papers that he askedBertiaux to expand on them and
then to publish them as a book. This was done and what we got wasthegreatVGW!

The VGW was thus not written to give away the keys to the Voudon Gnostic system, but to explainhow things
may work there and examples of what is being done. It is clear by reading it, that manyextra initiations and
empowerments are needed to be successful in that work. Here again, the role of amentor and guide comes into
play. The L.C.N. is also a very specialized course of studies which is notfor everyone. It deals with very negative
qualities (not in the profane human sense) and to work withthese is not business as usual for the western initiate.
If one truly enters the LCN type of work, lots ofmentalstabilityand equilibriumisrequired-we do notbanish!

To really work the L.C.N. type of system in its deeper aspects, personal tuition and guidance areabsolutely
needed as is the Aflatus, the mysterious direct connection through the Voudon Gnosticcurrent and its
spirits. Without this, all the higher work with the VGW and ultimately L.C.N. isimpossible.

In accordance with the true ancient magico-mystery traditions, the keys to the work with the
systemsaregivenorallyin personalinitiationandviaesoterictransmission.No other way ispossible.

Rites ofInitiation:
In the O.T.O.A. as well as the L.C.N. there do exist initiations. However, up to now there have neverbeen
formal initiations into the 16 degrees of the O.T.O.A., simply because the degree system is onlysupposed to be
a guideline to what the students are studying. All degrees have the same importanceand no one member is
better or 'higher' than another. There are a few people in the orders whopossessa superior
position,duetoadministrativeorsacramentalreasons.

We see no reason to give out formalized initiations a'la O.T.O., Golden Dawn etc. as we do not see areal
magical power and value there. We consider these initiations dramatic theatre style activitiesdesigned to work
on the psyche of the candidate and in good cases this may be so. These rituals
aresterile,oftenoutofdateandrelied onthesurprise effectwhichoftenthey donothaveanymore.

As said before, in the O.T.O.A. and L.C.N. there exists initiations - they are given to special students,who have
distinguished themselves and have proven their loyalty and abilities. Those are the
peoplewhoenterfromtheouterorders (studyingcourses,etc.)totheinnerorders andlayers.Herethereexist quite a large
number of initiations and empowerments, which are given from a 'master' to astudent. There are different kinds
of such 'rites'. At this point, only a handful of masters are able to giveout any kind of initiation; L.C.N. type of
initiations and higher initiations and empowerments are onlygivenbyMichaelBertiaux,CourtneyWillisand
DavidBeth (TauMelchizedek).

Empowerments and initiation rites are being given in a 'freestyle' shamanistic method, meaning thatwhilst they
do follow certain guidelines and esoteric rules, they are individually prepared and given toeachcandidate who
isreadyto receivethem.

One such initiation into the LCN type of work requires amongst others the anointing and activation ofcertain
points on the naked body of the initiand, while the initiator who is possessed by the patronspirits, speaks and
chants in the Langue Mystere which to 'receive' and 'utter' he was trained.
TheinitiationsandempowermentsintheLCNare only concerned withmagical transmissions.

It is not unusual for a candidate to experience vision, trance, possession and extreme emotions andaltered states
of mind totally different from the experience of a usual initiation ritual. Pure spirit force isactivated here and is
transmitted from the master to the candidate in order to unlock power zones
inthebody,ortoactivatesexualcentersor preparethe'meat'toreceivespiritsaspermanentresidents.

Other initiation rites are hinted at in the VGW, although they are at times quite conceiled. Wecan
referyou here,forexample,totheGuzottepapersoftheVGW.

SexualMagic:

Speaking about Guzotte, this is a good time to move into the field of sexual magic. Of course manyknow that
the work of the O.T.O.A. and L.C.N. is based on a sexual magical structure. For those whohave studied the 2nd
Year of the Monastery Courses, know just how elaborate and multilayeredsexualmagic canbecome.Iamvery
confidentinfactthatthe sexualmagical system taughtin the
O.T.O.A. is far more complex and elaborate than most if not any other sexual magical system outthere.

As we have no time to enter the whole field of the sex-magic of the O.T.O.A. and L.C.N. I have pickedoutone
area,thevery elemental typeofsexualmagicwealso use intheOrders.

Here now we are concerned with the sexual magic of the very powerful elemental voudon sorcerer. Itis the
kind of magic that generates the most powerful magical energies as it draws from the mostarchaic and
aboriginal elements of man and indeed his animal-heritage. The untamed raw animalsticpowers are accessed
and released and can be put to use by the sorcerer. Plus this is a way ofworking directly with certain groups of
spirits accessible only though such more extreme forms ofsexualmagical work.

We are not concerned here with a theoretical and methaphorical idea of sexual magic or a descriptionof only
inner processes. This form of sexual sorcery is physical, it is extremely challenging to
thementalstabilityanditisaboutthe'descent'.Thereseemstobe acontradictionhere.Shouldwe not
only be concerned with the 'higher', the ascent, higher evolution, higher goals and higher striving of theSoul?
This exactly is what we aim for, but to empower and forward these goals, we can make use of asource of power
which rests within the aboriginal, archaic Self of man which he still carries along withhimto thisday.

Many are aware that the O.T.O.A. and L.C.N. include some of the most highly elaborated forms ofgnostic
thought and magical philosophy. In fact Master Bertiaux said once that without having studiedHegel and the
German philosophers which he considers highly esoteric, one cannot be his student.He and other adepts of the
orders have and had great intellectual training and were thus able toincorporate highly abstract and theoretical
systems of philosophy and thought into the occult andgnostic framework of the Orders. But unlike the
philosophers, who were in most cases 'only' thinkers,maybe esoteric thinkers, but not occultists, the adepts of
the O.T.O.A. & L.C.N. were indeed able tobring these systems alive in a magical way, to empower and feed
these theoretical systems and
turnthemintopracticalmagicalandspiritualsystemsfortheuseofspiritualandmagicalevolution.

They empowered these theoretical and philosophical and highly elaborate systems with the mostprimitive,
powerful and elemental kind of sexual energy accessible, thus uniting two powerful polesand giving birth
toa newcreation.
In the elemental temples of the orders we are convinced that we must build out of and focus theenergy upon
the low and elemental powers. We want to stir up ancient powers and cosmic emotionsand
memories.Wepreferthelowto the highvibrationstoachievethis.

In the secret research laboratories of the O.T.O.A. and L.C.N., especially during its Haitian phase andin the
60ies and 70ies in the US as well as in the branch of the Choronzon Club closely tied to theVoudon Gnostic
continuum, much work in these fields was conducted. Only very few and naturallytalented magicians, both
male and female, are able to enter the deepest layers of this area. Thesetemplesarefullyoperative within
thecontinuumoftheJean-Maine VoudonGnosistoday.
In the following you can read an excerpt from a secret paper authorized for the inner elemental cell
oftheOTOAbythe Choronzon Club within our continuum:

Seated in his throne in the north of the temple, in the place of the least light, the master will sing
theconjurationofelemental being:"Numesama,Alfragor,Darteama,Kasqecot-
I am without beginning and without end, I am the wideness of space and the thinness of time, I
amnothing and I am everything, for my name is darkness and my essence is the firstborn of all
potencies.Comeforth andworship me,I amyourmaster and yourgod"

The servitors will now break forth and worship the master and his body with their lips, mouths,
tonguesand hands. The Master rises and is possessed by the invisible and terrible powers of darkness
andweirdness, as strange voices are heard and a great fear descends upon the assembly, a fear of
deathandloss ofone's verybeing.TheMaster beginsthesecondconjurationinamysterious tongue[….]

And then later in the text the Master proclaims: 'I am Gog and Magog, there is no power to
restrainme!' - if he wishes to practice ritual sexual intercourse of any type, he will hold them and
have themstandnextto histhrone.

This was a very tame part of this rite which is also an initiation rite. But I think you can see the pointandthe
directionittakes.

Lycantrophy, time travelling and esoteric psycho-analysis are all amongst the techniques employed
bytheinitiatesofthese elemental sexualtemples.

The adept will be confronted with forms of energy and practices which he may find extremelyunsettling
and against his civilized nature, so only those who feel a calling to travelling back to
thebeginningsoftime,tothecreatureofinstinctandrawpowerwill beabletosanely survivethistrip.

During the work with the elemental sexual sorcery there are often times when we work directly with thespirits
who of course do not suffer the same problems as we humans do. They have not the
samemoralcodesorconfinements.
The guardian spirits of the voudon gnosis delight in sexual magic as it is a direct link to them and
awayofcommunicationandexchange.Anditisnotthetheoreticalhighlyabstractformsofsexualmagic or what some
people call Right Hand Path sexual systems or what usually is understood by LeftHand Path magic in the West,
but the most direct, primitive forms of sexual sorcery that creates themost powerful effects when working with
the dark mysteries of the Voudon Gnosis. In these our darktemplesofprimitivepowers,thesexualmagic
ofsecretcultsofancienttimesarebeingcontinued.

In the initiations into the dark mysteries of the High-Priests of Hades, of Guedhe-Nibbho and BacalouBaca,
strange rites are carried out which bring us back into contact with the elemental powers of ourpre-civilizedSelf.

We will not go into detail here and explain exactly the rites and methods of those specialized innerorder cults as
this is reserved only for those few adepts actually entering this field of work. Only somuch. To work in this
field, it is not only necessary to have a fundamental understanding of the usualforms of sexual magic, like we
find in the O.T.O.-system or in the other systems of the East and West,but one must have done intense and
thorough investigations into the self and must have thrown offmost of the conventional and modern shackles
that keeps the primal man in bondage, also andespeciallyregardingsexuality.

A preliminary work before entering the shadow sorcery could be the work explained in the Guzottepapers of
the VGW, especially the development of the 'Eros of Les Loa' and of course thedevelopmentofthe
pointschauds.
All this involves a very explorative mentality and the potential initiate must be ready to venture far
intothedarkrealmsoftheSelfandmagicaluniverses.

These inner cults of elemental sexual sorcery are not the same as the inner cults usually spoken ofwhen
discussing the more advanced work of O.T.O.A. & L.C.N. These inner cults and inner order workcan be very
well accessed without ever moving into this field of which we speak here. In fact mostinner order adepts will
never enter and descend into those temples of the High Priests of Hades asthey lackthenatural
predispositionforsuch work.

For most members and higher adepts of the OTOA and LCN it is more than sufficient to make use oftheresults
ofthefusionofthehighlyelaborateandadvancedthoughtsystems withthemostelemental and primitive sexual magic.
They will surely be able to reach the highest summits of spiritualand occultattainment.

Their talents and abilities are put to use on other fronts and research laboratories of the inner Orders.Their
contact with sexual magic will also be very challenging and intense of course as the sexo-magical energies are
the foundation of all our work. And surely they will be able to use all the resultsand benefits created by the
adepts of the elemental sexual temples as well as those adepts will beableto use theirresultsand theircreations.

But there remain those masters in the secret laboratories and temples who will continue to explorefurther those
dark realms and perform these rites of sexual magic to create pools of strong rawelemental energy and power
from which all the High-Priests of the O.T.O.A./L.C.N. can draw
energiestoempowerorinitiatetheirstudentsalong the linesofthe system.

Lycantrophy

We have mentioned Lycantrophy, which in the L.C.N. is a very important mode of work. It is used bythe
Shadow Power Shamans from our tradition. Kenneth Grant has hinted correctly at some of thereasonsasto
whywe employthiswork.
Always keep in mind that the system of Les Vudu is a very spontaneous one, one of possession andrapture, not
unlike the cults of Dionysius in the ancient world. So if we want to work with Lycantrophia,we do not use a
precisely written out formula, but we have a 'way of procedure' and an interpretationofouractions.
You do not prepare for possession by animal spirits, but you may open your psychic doors, by settingup a room
for this purpose, by the use of perfumes, oils, incense etc. This way you can set a stage forthe spirits. These
spirits however must not be ami-animals, goody goody spirits, or friendly, butprobably are raw elemental forms
governed by basic desires. Once the spirits have come upon you,the energy is very Dionysian and very wild.
Loas for this work would include Ti'Moufette and MystereBlatte.

Conferements:

We will only shortly address the issue of the Conferements here. The only reason to speak about thisin the first
place is the seemingly great misunderstanding and confusion some people have whenusingthe phrase in
connectionto ourwork.
First of all, there never was an ultimate or final conferement in what we call the Hyde Park days of theordersin
Chicago,norwasthere one before.

However the orders do employ a series of 16 conferements used as 16 empowerments to activate

16differentpowerswithin the body.

Today, after the O.T.O.A. and L.C.N. have come together under one leadership, there exists a
certainconferement now which bestows the sacramental powers of the Orders, meaning the ability to
giveempowerments and initiations and to carry on the lineage of the Voudon Gnosis. This sacramentalpower is
only possessed by Docteurs Courtney Willis and David Beth by direct transmission fromDocteur Bertiaux. This
power has never been previously transmitted or given and can only be given inapersonaland directway.

PointsChaud:

As the Points Chaud are a very important and a central component of the work of the VoudonGnostics, let us
discuss some basic ideas. This is also apparently needed as all over the cyberspacepeopleclaimmanythingsin
regardstothe pointschaud,toooften displayingtheirignorance aboutit.

ThePointsChaudsare intelligententitiesanddynamicprocessesofenergies.

They have their roots and source of power in the bisexuality of esoteric voudon and thus are
ultimatelyprinciplesand communication-energiesofLesVudu,the GodsoftheVoudon GnosticWorld.

We have 336 hot points - 16 basic axioms and the 64 magical interpretations plus the
256amplifications.

After they have been opened they merge with the mind and psychic field of the Voudon Gnosticinitiate. As
they are radiations of the Voudon Gnostic archetypes and spirits, they are being sustainedby these specific
energies unique to our system. And thus one can loose the activated point chauds
ifonebecomesdisconnectedfromthe current.

All of these points need to be inducted into the individual system of magical operations (his
[in]visiblebodies)in orderforaninitiate tofunction perfectlyasavoudon Gnosticmagician.

The Points Chauds are centers that when activated can release specific Kalas/Ojas
manifestedthroughsexo-magicalwork.
So how are the points chauds given or received? Well, there are different ways in our system to dothis. Let
us briefly touch upon the system described in the VGW and it relates again to the Guzottesystem.

We know by now that one needs to be attached formally and magically to the Voudon Gnostic Systemasa
preliminary.

Q:ArethePoints-Chaudsofthissystementitiesorarethey processes?
A: Both. Everything in this field is both an intelligent entity (beyond human levels of intelligence) and
adynamic process or energy. When the candidate is with the system, these points-chauds merge withhismind
and psychicfield.
They do not when the same person is separate. They are like psychological complexes of the mostcreative sort,
which being radiations of the archeytpes are sustained by the planetary energies inquestion. Hence, it would be
possible to lose the powers if you withdrew from the gnostic continuum ofthe system."

The points chauds are closely associated to what we call the 'presentments' which are in theiressences very
powerful 'appearance elementals'. These Presentments are the way in which LesVudu, the Gods of esoteric
Voudon, interact with the body of the initiate. It is the communication ofinitiatic energies.

These Presentments now need to be developed and then become Hot Points. This development musttake place
through viewing and understanding the Presentments as Pheonismes. The understandingis done through a
process of 'esoteric logic of the body' as Bertiaux terms it. This process is
bothindividualandexperientialbutalsoguided throughinitiatictransmissionsfrom the HighPriest.

Pheonismes are thought forms of an extremely sensual and sexual and exotic character. Whereverthe
Pheonismes are present the athmosphere is one of intense lust and excitement. The Pheonismesarealso
artificialelementalsand thuscan come andgofromthemagician.

When this process of understanding the presentments as pheonisms is achieved, the pheonismsbecome
hotpointsand then canbemapped outin thevariouspowerzonesofthebody.

Upon receiving the points chauds a link is established between the sexual energies and the cosmiclifestream.

The perfect voudon Gnostic whose points chauds have been opened also thus becomes a livingvampire
(butin averydifferentwaythan isusuallythought).

DavidBeth(TauMelchizedek)
S.G.M.O.T.O.A./L.C.N.

TheCollectionofPacquetsintheEmpowermentsofAmbaktu
ByMichaelBertiaux

Inside of the empowerments of Ambaktu, especially in its esoteric phase, we find the build-
upof centers of power, the gradual coming together of forces, and the collection of energies of
atangible and exact type. We understand this to be the collection of pacquets. The life
andpower of the empowerments have been concentrated in these points of force, which are of
acollective nature. They appear to be collections of esoteric hot-points. From the Vudu, I
havereceivedthefollowingexplanation:

The smaller the area of space, the more concentrated would seem to be its powers. This
hasbeen shown by the ways in which the energies envelop themselves or intensify so that
theappearance they have Is as a continuous turning inwards or moving into a more and
moreclosely defined and combined space. The powers that are in space are the powers
which therealm of space possesses. They a.e the powers which imagination has discovered
within thecompactnessofspace.Thishappensinanycollectionorseriesofspellssothattheyarein
every way more and more closely identified with themselves, especially with the many
andvaried forms of themselves, because they are trying to be known to themselves in the
samearea as they occupy. They want to know themselves without any intermediary, without
anypause in the act of knowing. So everything in the science of Vudu will turn in upon itself
andcome to know itself more by this self-involvement. This seems to make the power
strongerand to make it appear as if it derived its powers from becoming more and more
confined toever smaller spaces- Ghuedhe, or the Saturn-Pluto complex of the Voudoo
Mysteries, appearstoteachbyexamplethisprocess asheistherulerofthisideal.

Sowecanunderstandthatspaceispowerinalatentordiffusedandextendedwayandwhenit is
concentrated it becomes power-bearing in an ever-increasing degree. This space is alsothe
place of imagination, or the magickal use of imagination, where the priestly power is to
befound as diffused and spread over the entire place of work. Then when it is brought into
innerand Light pockets, or brought together in bundles and collections, like any other object
mightin the physical world, it takes on a power and a uniqueness of force. It becomes energy
andlife; indeed, it expresses itself as a life of its own. This power can then be used by the
priestlyhand to direct the mysteries exactly and without any loss of energy, as the fuel of
mysticismand the physics of initiation. When we want to talk about how it is that the Vudu
Mystereswork in the world of matter, we simply have to focus upon what it is that. is given as
pureenergy and how it is managed by the priestly hands. From this living form of being,
which isthe spiritual level of reality, we see in the abounding and absolute compactness of
space thereason for the existence of these energies and their level of productivity. They are
constantlymaking powers by their pushing inwards upon themselves. This pushing inwards of
thepowers, which gives to the powers their unique quality or the force of the divinity, which
weassociate with such empowerments, when given, creates its own space- but it also takes
overthe exoteric spaces around the inner spaces so as to form a pattern of protection and a
patternofenergy.Eachpriestly initiatorhasseen thepowerswhentheyaregroupedabouttheesoteric
and exoteric placements. These are the powers which have a special uniqueness andspecial
form of divine mao-work. By an esoteric method known only to himself, the priest cantrace in
the body of the student, who must be a chela, the pathway of the occult energies andhow in
the field of energies, the powers are laid out or distributed. He will do this work by aspecial
and secret method which allows him to locate the powers in their ideal placement,rather than
in their approxirriate distribution. Remember that the priest must locate thesepowers
wheretheyaresupposedtobeandthencomparethemtowheretheymightbe.Hethen must move the
back to where they should be, if there is any distance between the idealand the real placement.
For if there is any distance, it must be explained. The distance occurslargely as the result of
the activities of past lifetimes. The practice of certain
theurgicaloperations,especiallythoseofahighlypersonalandsubjectiveform,willtendto drawthe
points of power away from their original and archetypal spaces, or spiritual placements.
Whenthis happens, the first work is to try and find out where the powers are and bring them
back towhere they belong. There are special rituals, which are done to achieve this and these
ritualsare alwayseffectiveinachievinga returntothe basicplacementofpower.

Naturally, the mystical relationship between the Guru and the Chela must be established
andofaverylong duration,becausetheymusthold together
anastralandmentalwebwork,whichserves as the occult connective between lifetimes. These
mystical and magickal powers are inevery sense eternal, since they otitlast the episodes of
time or temporal incarnation, whicheachchelamustexperienceas
hegrowsmoreandmoredeeplyintothemysticalenergies. In
thepastperhapstherelationshipbetweentheGuru and theChelawasnot asidealasit-Issupposed to
be or should be considering the work in metaphysics. Now, in this lifetime, as theenergies are
now available for exploration and research, the chela can achieve the true level ofbeing and
the true awareness of mystical growth. He must come back to where the power ofthe Guru is
to be found, and this is measured by the distances between what is the space of
thecollectionofpacqtietsand whatitshouldbe.Thenthe mysticalhealingcanbegin.

Question:Arethereexamples,ofthesedistancesbetweenpowersinthetraditionsoftheVudu-
gnosis,ascontainedinthe Old RomanCatholicChurchfromAtlantis?

Answer: Yes. The mystical traditions of the Atlantean Church have come down to us in
formsof special rituals, which are either Old Roman Church in form or based on the Vudu-
Mysteries. These traditions are built up in order to overcome the distances between the
Guruand the Chela. They are designed in order to overcome the distances between the ideal
and theform of reality found in the chela. There is always a kind of separation between the old
ways,which are the ideal, and the ways we find the energies present in the chela when he
first,appears to us. But the work can be done in order to make him free from the
differencesbetween the ideal and what has come with him into this lifetime. This means that
while thereis a certain distinction to be experienced in the act, of incarnation, the act itself can
becorrected by a magickal or theurgical operation. This is shown in the Tibetan and Old
RomanCatholic elements, as we find them in the Vudu-Process. The actual techniques of
exorcismand purification, which are made use of in the process are actually or dynamically
given asways of restoring balance. It Is particularly important to know fliat the old systems
work veryeffectively,because theyare usingthesameformsfromlifetime tolifetime.

Question: Does the sex of the priest make the power of the sacrament work in this process
ofthe restorationofbalance?

Answer: The Atiantean methodology made it necessary for the priesthood to be composed
ofmales, since it drew its occult power in this respect from the male mysteries. This is
repeatedinthepatternsoftheOld RomanChurchofHaitiand
alsointheTibetanEsotericwork.Foritwas taught that the male chelas would become male
priests by means of these mysteries of ametaphysical view of male sexuality, based on
physical incarnation as a fact. In order toovercome the imbalance of the energies, the chela
would incarnate in a male body and so allof the collections of pacquets, or gatherings of
energy at this point, were to be seen as a focusofthemalepowers andempowerments.

Question:Andwastherenotasecretmaptobefoundinthisprocess,
whichguidedtheoldformofpriestlymagickinthe directions oftherestorationofbalance?

Answer: The Old Roman Church of Atiantis and, Haiti did teach the existence of such a
mapto be found in the body of the chela, which showed actually where there were
differencesbetweentheidealortrueplacementofthepowersintheircollectionofpacquetsand
whatwasthe actual result of the process of incarnation, because the energy levels at the
moment of theact of incarnation were so diffused. This diffusion was the cause of the error or
degree ofimbalance, which the laws of the gnosis and 'Its special operations sought to restore
and makedefinite andstrong.
We should now come to look at the methods which were used by these priests in order
tomakeareturntotheoriginalpowersareality.Hereistheesotericexerciseusedfor correctingthe
collection of pacquets as used by the late Archbishop Cyrus A. Starkey of the Old
RomanCatholic ChurchofHaiti:

1. FromwhatsourcesdidBishopLucien-FranooisJean-
Mainederivehisspecialoccultandgnostic powers and abilities, as well as his special role in
the evolution of esotericconsciousness?

2. BishopLucien-FrancoisJean-MainedidnotderiveanyspecialpowersfromtheDoinellineof
Gnostic Bishops in France, for he made claim to the succession of Doinel through his
owncontactandconsecrations bySynesius.

3. 1don'tthink
thathiscontactswiththebishopsoftheVilattesuccessionwereparticularlyhelpfulinthis
respect,either.

4. Forwhileafewmagiciansweremadebishops,thisdidnotmakethebishopstheyconsecr
atedintomagicians, sowehavetolookelsewhereforour explanation.

5. It is possible that bishop Jean-Maine had special powers given to him from his contact
withhisfatherandgrandfather,whowere magicians

6. Ifso,thatpowerwouldbehighlyelementaland may beviewed

asamixtureofrawVoudooandextremelycorruptedpracticesofa Martiniste-Martinesiste
type.

7. ThiswouldbeofwhathadsurvivedofEsotericMartinisminl9thcenturyHaitianditwouldbe
atypeofAngelicmagickmixedwithanexplicitand primordialsorcery.

8,Then,whenhecametoFrancehemadecontactwithsomepriestsandbishopsofamagickal
line,whichalsohada succession fromtheRomanCatholicChurch.

9. ThenhemadecontactwithFatherBoullanandwithsomeoftheother
magickalbishopsandwashimselfconsecrateda bishop

10. Duringsometimewhilehewasayoungman, hedevelopedhispowersbecausehealwayshad a

position of leadership in these Gnostic Churches and Esoteric Groups; also, at an
earlyagewefindevidence ofhisdoingverydifficultformsofmagickalresearch.

11. My own opinion is that Bishop Lucien developed a particular method of gnostic
magickand usedittopowerthe workhe wasdoinginthe Gnostic Church.

12. WoulditbetruetosaythatBishopLucienusedEsotericVoudoomethodsextensivelyandthatthey
werenotrecognizedbyhis contemporaries?

13. Ithink so,becausewehavetorememberthatVoudooinany

formwasnotknownorrecognized as such; especially since various corrupt practices of
Voudoo mixed withMartinismcould notbeidentified properly,exceptbyhighlyspecialized
experts

14.SincethemagickalworkofBishopLucienwasdonesecretly,hisesotericsocietycouldnot
beobserved aswork;although itwasunderstoodbybededicated to realsorceryand as
having a male membership of expert sorcerers, dedicated to the Famille Ghuedhe and
notrecognizedas anyEuropeanmysticalsociety.

15. It should be understood, also, that Bishop Lucien put great emphasis upon types
ofVoudooinitiaticpractice,whichwereforeigntotheEuropeantradition,makinguseofmanysecret
formsandtechniques,whichwereidentifiablyYoudooesque.

16. Thereasonthatweknowthis informationaboutBishopLucienisthathissonBishopH.F.Jean-

Maine made use of these traditions and explained and identified them and isolated themin
terms of which of their historical components were esoteric Martinist and which wereVoudoo
of the School founded by his father. In our school, every exercise makes use of
thesecomponents, which were present in the work of Bishop Lucien. This means that the
chela willhe able to distinguish between the components or elements of Esoteric Martinism
includingthe mystical traditions of the Elus Coens, those principles which were a form of
corrupt ElusCoen practice, various esoteric developments of skills and methods from
Martinism and fromthecorruptformsoftheElusCoenswork,
comeformsofgnosticmagickandmagickalgnosisfrom a wide variety of sources, various corrupt
forms of occult knowing and revelation,variuos types of esoteric Voudoo, which were heavily
influenced by both Legbha and FamilleGhuedhe traditions and finding expression in the inner
gnosis of La Couleuvre Noire and,finally, various mediumistic influences, especially the
mediumistic work which was related tothe Gnostic Church of Doinel, but developed
independently by Bishop Lucien, who was averypowerfultrancemedium.

Also,thestudentwhobecomesamysticalchelashouldstrivetobehighlyinventive,forasthework of
Bishop Lucien contains many modifications of traditional materials, which we areable to
distinguish, so the chela will bring through as the result of his work with his owncollection of
psychic pacquets many innovations and developments out of the traditional andhistorical
materials to which he is introduced by way of initiation into the Atlantean MysterySchool
Readings. It is by this means that he will be able to restore the balance of the oldpowers and
occult energies, which are present in his soul, awaiting reawakening and
theempowermentsofthepriestlymysteries.