Grady Louis McMurtry (October 18, 1918 – July 12, 1985) was a student of Aleister Crowley and an adherent of Thelema. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (ˈkroʊli (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947 was a British Occultist Writer, mountaineer Thelema is a philosophy of life based on the rule or law "Do what thou wilt He is best known for reviving the fraternal organization, Ordo Templi Orientis, which he headed from 1971 until his death in 1985. Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO ( Order of the Temple of the East, or the Order of Oriental Templars) is an international fraternal and Religious
| Grady McMurtry | |
| Born | 18 October 1918 Big Cabin, Oklahoma |
|---|---|
| Died | July 12, 1985 (aged 66) San Francisco, CA |
| Education | MA (Political Science) University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation | Caliph, OTO |
Contents |
Early life and career
Born in Big Cabin, Oklahoma, to a half-Cherokee alcoholic mother and a bank-robbing in-and-out-of-prison father, he was raised by his maternal grandfather and other relatives. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Big Cabin is a town in Craig County, Oklahoma, United States. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The University of California Berkeley (also referred to as Cal, Berkeley and UC Berkeley) is a major research university located in Berkeley Big Cabin is a town in Craig County, Oklahoma, United States. The Cherokee (ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ a-ni-yv-wi-ya, in the Cherokee language) are a people native to North America, who at the time of European contact He lived in various parts of Oklahoma and the Midwest, and graduated from high school in Valley Center, Kansas in 1937. Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Valley Center is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. He then moved to Southern California to study engineering at Pasadena Junior College, where he made friends with some students at nearby Caltech. Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U The California Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Caltech) is a private, Coeducational research university located in Pasadena Among them was Jack Parsons, who shared his enthusiasm for science fiction, and who introduced him to Thelema. John Whiteside Parsons (born Marvel Whiteside Parsons on October 2, 1914 &ndash died June 17, 1952) was an American Rocket In 1941 he was initiated into the Minerval and I° of Ordo Templi Orientis (O. Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO ( Order of the Temple of the East, or the Order of Oriental Templars) is an international fraternal and Religious T. O. ), a secret society headed at the time by Aleister Crowley. Secret society is a term used to describe a variety of organizations Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (ˈkroʊli (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947 was a British Occultist Writer, mountaineer
In February 1942, two months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, his entire R. The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by O. T. C. (Reserve Officers Training Corps) class was called to active duty, and he served as an officer in Ordnance. ROTC links here For other uses see ROTC (disambiguation A Reserve Officers' Training Corps ( ROTC) ROTC produces officers in all branches Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part a military force as opposed to reserve duty. He took part in the Normandy invasion, the liberation of France and Belgium, and the occupation of Germany. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. He was recalled to active duty to serve in the Korean War, eventually reaching the rank of Major. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the Please see " Major " for other countries that use this rank In the United States, Major is a Military rank denotes He was recalled again for another tour of duty in Korea in the early 1960s, then six months prior to completing 30 years Reserve service, he was mustered out during a RIF (Reduction In Force), thus losing what would have been an earned pension. A pension is a steady income given to a person upon Retirement, typically in the form of a guaranteed annuity. His "retired" rank was Lieutenant Colonel. Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies He continued his studies as a civilian between tours of duty, with both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. A bachelor's degree is usually an Undergraduate Academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three four or in some cases and Political science is a branch of Social sciences that deals with the theory and practice of Politics and the description and analysis of Political systems The University of California Berkeley (also referred to as Cal, Berkeley and UC Berkeley) is a major research university located in Berkeley
During World War II, especially when he was stationed in England in 1943 and the first half of 1944, McMurtry was able to meet with and become a personal student of Aleister Crowley, who elevated him to IX° of O. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including T. O. , giving him the name Hymenaeus Alpha (which enumerates to 777) in November 1943. In September and November of 1944 (and once again in June 1947) he received letters from Crowley referring to him as Crowley's "Caliph" (or eventual successor). When McMurtry returned to California after the war he was appointed Crowley's O. T. O. representative in the United States (April 1946) subject only to the authority of Crowley's viceroy and heir apparent, Karl Germer. Karl Germer ( 22 January, 1885 - 25 October. 1962 was the Outer Head of the Order (OHO of Ordo Templi Orientis from 1947 until his death in
Crowley died in December 1947, and Germer was recognized as the head of O. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. T. O. At the time the only functioning Thelemic O. Thelema is a philosophy of life based on the rule or law "Do what thou wilt T. O. body in the world was Agape Lodge in Southern California, which was headed for a time by McMurtry's friend Jack Parsons. John Whiteside Parsons (born Marvel Whiteside Parsons on October 2, 1914 &ndash died June 17, 1952) was an American Rocket McMurtry planned to start a lodge in Northern California, but his deteriorating relationship with Karl Germer (based on Germer's refusal to initiate new members) put an end to his plans. Northern California is the northern portion of the US state of California. Karl Germer ( 22 January, 1885 - 25 October. 1962 was the Outer Head of the Order (OHO of Ordo Templi Orientis from 1947 until his death in He tried to organize other O. T. O. members in California to lobby Germer to change his policy, but the situation came to a head at a meeting in 1959 in which Dr. Gabriel Montenegro (Germer's representative) "ordered" McMurtry to cease his efforts. This order was reiterated in writing in November 1960. He unwillingly complied with the order, and McMurtry was disillusioned enough by this turn of events to end his direct involvement with O. T. O. In 1961 he moved to Washington, D.C., where he soon became completely out of touch with other O. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D T. O. members.
Re-establishing O. T. O.
| Thelema Category:Thelema |
| Core topics |
| Mysticism |
|
Thelemic mysticism |
| Thelemic texts |
|
Works of Crowley |
| Organizations |
| Deities |
|
Nuit · Hadit · Horus |
| Other topics |
|
Stèle of Revealing |
In October 1962 Germer died from complications following a prostate operation at the age of 77, without naming a successor as head of O. Thelema is a philosophy of life based on the rule or law "Do what thou wilt Liber AL vel Legis is the central sacred text of Thelema, written by Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt in the year 1904 Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (ˈkroʊli (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947 was a British Occultist Writer, mountaineer True Will is a term found within the mystical system of Thelema, adapted from the philosophy of François Rabelais in 1904 with Aleister Crowley 's writing The number 93 is of great significance in the religion of Thelema, adapted from the philosophy of François Rabelais by Aleister Crowley in 1904 Magick, in the broadest sense is any act designed to cause intentional change Within the modern system of Thelema, developed by Aleister Crowley in the first half of the 20th century Thelemic mysticism is a complex mystical path designed to Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum, plural magna opera) from the Latin meaning great work, refers to the best the greatest The term Holy Guardian Angel was possibly coined either by Abraham of Würzburg, a French Cabalist who wrote a book on Ceremonial magick during the 15th century Aleister Crowley wrote The Gnostic Mass — technically called Liber XV or "Book 15" — in 1913 while travelling in Moscow Aleister Crowley ( 1875 - 1947)—mystic occultist and mountaineer—was a highly prolific writer not only on the topic of Thelema and Magick Aleister Crowley, the founder of the religion of Thelema, designated his works as belonging to one of several classes The A∴A∴ (Latin Argenteum Astrum or Greek Άστρον Αργόν, "Astron Argon", both literally "Silver star" alternately Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO ( Order of the Temple of the East, or the Order of Oriental Templars) is an international fraternal and Religious Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica ( EGC) or the Gnostic Catholic Church, is the ecclesiastical arm of Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO an international fraternal Nuit (alternatively Nu Nut or Nuith is the speaker in the first Chapter of the Book of the Law, the sacred text of Thelema written or received in Hadit (sometimes Had) refers to the Thelemic version of an Egyptian god. Heru-ra-ha (literally " Horus sun-flesh" among other possible meanings is a composite deity within Thelema, a religion adapted from the philosophy of Babalon —also known as The Scarlet Woman The Great Mother or the Mother of Abominations—is a goddess found in the mystical system of Thelema, which was established Chaos (derived from the Ancient Greek, Chaos) typically refers to Unpredictability, and is the antithesis of Cosmos. Baphomet is a name of unestablished origin It first appeared in trial transcripts during the Inquisition of the Knights Templar in the early 1300s Choronzon (also known as 'Coronzon' or '333' is a Demon or Devil that originated in writing with the 16th century Occultists Edward Kelley Ankh-af-na-khonsu was a priest of the Egyptian god Mentu who lived in Thebes during the 25th and 26th dynasty (c Aiwass is the name of the being whom Aleister Crowley claimed dictated The Book of the Law, the central sacred text of Thelema, to him on April Maat or Mayet, thought to have been pronounced as *Muʔʕat (Muh-aht was the Ancient Egyptian concept of Truth, balance order— Law The Stèle of Revealing refers to an ancient Egyptian funerary artifact of Ankh-af-na-khonsu or Ankh-ef-en-Khons which played a role in the creation of the religion known Abrahadabra is a word that first publicly appeared in The Book of the Law, the central sacred text of Thelema. The unicursal hexagram is a Hexagram or six pointed star that can be traced or drawn Unicursally in one continuous line rather than two overlaid triangles Abramelin oil, also called Oil of Abramelin, is a ceremonial magical oil blended from aromatic plant materials T. O. His widow, who was not a member of O. T. O. , retained material possession of the O. T. O. 's extensive archives (her co-executor in Germany, Frederick Mellinger, lost interest in the O. T. O. within a few years). Though individual members carried on with their spiritual activities the central organization, for all intents and purposes, ceased to function.
There were a few individuals, notably Kenneth Grant of Britain, Hermann Metzger of Switzerland, and later, Marcelo Ramos Motta of Brazil, who claimed succession to Germer. Kenneth Grant (born 1924 is a British Occultist and head of the Magical order which he calls Ordo Templi Orientis but which is commonly referred to as The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Marcelo Ramos Motta ( June 27, 1931 – August 26, 1987) was a Thelemic writer in Brazil, member of A∴A∴. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld McMurtry was unaware of any of these developments until 1968, when he received a letter from Phyllis Seckler, a fellow Agape Lodge O. Phyllis Evalina Seckler (1917 - 2004 also known as Soror Meral, was a IXth degree member of Ordo Templi Orientis, and a student of Jane Wolfe, herself T. O. initiate.
Seckler's letter was to inform McMurtry that the archives in Germer's widow's care (including Aleister Crowley's library) had been burglarized the previous year by persons unknown. When he became aware of the situation he decided to take charge of what remained of the O. T. O. In 1969 he left his job at the United States Department of Labor and returned to California to investigate the burglary. The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety wage and hour standards Though the crime was never officially solved, McMurtry felt that it had probably been carried out by a group, falsely claiming affiliation with O. T. O. , that called itself "Solar Lodge". He had moved into Seckler's home in Dublin, California, and soon they were married. Dublin is a suburban city of the East (San Francisco Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States.
At this time, McMurtry decided to restore the Order by invoking his emergency orders from Crowley which gave him authority (subject to Karl Germer's approval) to "take charge of the whole work of the Order in California to reform the Organization", and he assumed the title "Caliph of O. T. O. ," as specified in Crowley's letters to McMurtry from the 1940s. His witnesses were Dr. Israel Regardie (1907-1985) and Gerald Yorke, who both offered their support. Israel Regardie (Francis Israel Regudy (born on November 17, 1907 in London, England, died March 10 1985 in Sedona Along with Seckler and two other surviving members, Mildred Burlingame and Helen Parsons Smith, he slowly began performing O. T. O. initiations again. They also eventually succeeded in their efforts to find a publisher for the Tarot deck designed by Aleister Crowley. The tarot (also known as tarocchi, tarock or similar names is typically a set of seventy-eight cards comprised of twenty-one trump cards, one O. T. O. was registered with the State of California on December 28, 1971 as a legal organization. It is curious that previously Seckler had written to Marcelo Motta that he was named as Germer's successor according to his widow. This occurred shortly after Germer's death.
In 1974 McMurtry and Seckler separated, and he moved to Berkeley, California. Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States. Germer's widow died in 1975, and in 1976 the surviving members of O. T. O. were enabled by court order to claim the still considerable archives. In October 1977 McMurtry founded Thelema Lodge in Berkeley to serve as the headquarters of his resuscitated O. T. O. Many initiations were performed, and a weekly celebration of the Gnostic Mass was soon established in the San Francisco Bay area. A Gnostic Mass is a religious Mass administered by a Gnostic church. McMurtry, and other initiators chartered by him, established O. T. O. groups in many other areas in the United States and internationally. By 1985 the O. T. O. , by its own report, had more than seven hundred members in several different countries. In that year McMurtry, in failing health, successfully sued Motta in United States district court over the possession of the O. The United States district courts are the general Trial courts of the United States federal court system. T. O. trademarks and copyrights. He died in a San Francisco Bay Area convalescent hospital on the day that the U. The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, or the Bay, is a geographically and ethnically diverse metropolitan region that surrounds the S. court clerk released the text of the decision that set the seal on McMurtry's efforts to reestablish the O. T. O. Since then McMurtry's "Caliphate" O. T. O. has, by its own report, grown to over three thousand members in more than fifty countries.
Bibliography
- "Hymenaeus Alpha: In Memoriam" in The Equinox Vol. III, No. 10, March 1986
- The O. T. O. Newsletter Vol. I, Nos. 1-4, May 1977 - March 1978
- Transcript of an interview with McMurtry about his early life, serialized in the Thelema Lodge Calendar, November 2000 - September 2001
- Transcript of U. S. District Court Proceedings, D. C. No. 83-5434-CAL, GRADY McMURTRY, et al. , Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. SOCIETY ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS, et al. , Defendants-Appellants.
- Biography Abstract of McMurtry by Nathan W. Bjorge, serialized in the Thelema Lodge Calender, September 1999
- McMurtry was also a rather unprolific poet. A comprehensive collection of 134 poems was published as "The Poetry of Grady Louis McMurtry" Red Flame No. 1, September 2001
See also
External links
- "On Knowing Aleister Crowley Personally" by Grady Louis McMurtry
- "On Technical Information and On Curriculum" a series of essays by McMurtry
- Luminist Archive collection of McMurtry articles
- Ordo Templi Orientis
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic