Tag Archives: notocon

For the Chance of Union

Hermetic Library Fellow T Polyphilus reviews For the Chance of Union: Proceedings of the Eleventh Biennial National Ordo Templi Orientis Conference, a selection of papers from the eleventh biennial NOTOCON of the United States Grand Lodge, in Orlando, Florida, 2017.

Ordo Templi Orientis OTO For the Chance of Union

This slender sixth collection of papers presented at the National Conference of OTO USA includes facsimiles of the program materials for the conference and full texts of about a third of the presentations. The ones that are included are a diverse bunch, covering Thelemic culture, occult history, ceremonial ritual, and magical technique, among other topics. There are two papers on Enochian angel magick, one on the editorial history and infrastructure of the Goetia, the Grand Master’s address with reflections on religion and contemporary society, the Deputy Grand Master’s talk on the nature of “success,” Thelemic songs, theory of “magical gender,” and a review of the Crusades relative to Thelemic chivalry. The quality of content here is on a par with previous years, even if this volume has a lower page-count than average.

NOTOCON X in Austin, TX on Aug 14-16th, 2015

The tenth biennial National Ordo Templi Conference (NOTOCON X) of US Grand Lodge, with the theme “Fire of Motion”, will be held in the Valley of Austin, TX on August 14 to 16th, 2015. The logo was done by Hermetic Library anthology artist Mustafa al-Laylah, and I’m also proud to say the library’s Hermetic Hosting is supporting this event with donated hosting for their conference event site.

NOTOCON X Fire of Motion 2015

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Our dynamic regional community reflects the cultural diversity of Texas. The O.T.O. bodies in our area include people from all demographics and reflect the society around us.

When practicing magick in a conservative part of the country, we become each others’ support and confirmation of our chosen path. Practicing the radical philosophy of Thelema is a challenge that we share in as we raise our children, fight for freedom, and build our community.

Our theme expresses the heat of a southwestern summer, but more significantly how we achieve our Will while working, parenting, creating, and evolving as individuals, as well as in the Thelemic community and the red states we live in. New Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas are part of our region.

So given our daily environment and all of its challenges, how do our Magical practices lead to personal change, meeting goals, and furthering our progress on a daily basis? How, specifically, has Thelema led to changes in people’s work places, families, and communities? How do we manifest the Law in our everyday lives, whether at work, play, or home? How do Thelemites handle the problems encountered in a predominantly Christian environment, especially in the work place and other areas where our philosophy of freedom conflicts with expectations of conformity?

Despite all the pitfalls, we thrive together, and our light can shine brightest in the darkness. We are families, we are lovers, we are seekers, we are teachers. We are husbands, sisters, children and crones. Above all, we are Magicians. We are the fire of Will as it manifests in the Love we share as we grow and change together. We are Fire in Motion.

We hope you will come on down to Texas and celebrate with us, but be forewarned: it’s gonna get hot in here!

Love is the law, love under will.”

Manifest Thy Glory

Manifest Thy Glory: Proceedings of the Eighth Biennial National Ordo Templi Orientis Conference was recently released, and may be of interest. This book includes the text of presentations by many Hermetic Library fellows, including Sabazius, T Polyphilus, Colin Campbell, and Beth Kimbell, and touches many topics related to the subject matter of the library.

National Ordo Templi Orientis Conference NOTOCON Manifest Thy Glory

“Manifest Thy Glory offers a selection of papers from the eighth biennial National Ordo Templi Orientis Conference (NOTOCON) of the United States Grand Lodge of O.T.O., held in the Valley of Detroit, Michigan, in 2011 EV. The papers cover diverse topics including the Holy Guardian Angel, talismans in magick, spatial orientation in ritual, and other magical methods; occult history and biography, including the Stèle of Revealing and Ida Craddock; promulgation of Thelema through publishing and podcasts; textual analysis from Catullus to ‘Liber Trigrammaton;’ a touching reminiscence from the incomparable Lon Milo DuQuette; and even space, the final frontier. Other highlights include a street guide to Thelemic historical sites in Detroit, and the address given by U.S. National Grand Master Sabazius. They represent some of best modern practical and scholarly work on Ordo Templi Orientis, Thelema, and the magick of Aleister Crowley.

The first NOTOCON conference took place in 1997 EV in Akron, Ohio, and has since been held on alternate years in different cities around the United States. Manifest Thy Glory is the third collection of papers from the national conference to be made available, following the inaugural volume Beauty & Strength for the 2007 EV conference.

Ordo Templi Orientis is an international fraternal order of men and women devoted to the pursuit of individual liberty, the study of magick, and the promulgation of the Law of Thelema. Founded in the early twentieth century, it has been shaped by such leading lights as Carl Kellner, Theodor Reuss, Aleister Crowley, Karl Germer and Grady Louis McMurtry.” [via]

Neither East nor West

Hermetic Library fellow Sabazius has posted his keynote speech from NOTOCON IX, which had the theme “Neither East nor West” and which took place earlier this month in Sacramento, California. This was the ninth NOTOCON, a biennial conference for the US Grand Lodge of Ordo Templi Orientis.

“Neither East nor West. Neither the house of dawn, nor the house of dusk, neither the realm of beginnings nor the realm of endings; neither here nor there, neither black nor white, neither the past nor the future, neither the old nor the new. We find ourselves in transit; in the interstices, the in-between places, partaking of partialities, gradients, nuances, and transients. Familiar things pass away, and strange, new things confront us, leaving us excited, but also perhaps somewhat unsure, insecure, and anxious. We feel well rid of some of the old, and we welcome some of the new—but not all, necessarily.

In the face of the insecurity of the impermanence that confronts us, comfort and courage can often be found in belonging to, and identifying with, an institution that is anchored, to some extent, in history and tradition, and which exhibits the size and strength to endure into the future. We want to be a part of something larger than ourselves. It is a natural human impulse, one not lightly to be dismissed. I daresay this is why many of us are here tonight. It is, in fact, I think, one of the very foundations of human culture, and we see this tendency everywhere, manifesting in mysticism as well as in a propensity to gather together in tribes of various sorts.” [via]

NOTOCON IX: Neither East nor West

The website of the 2013 biennial National Ordo Templi Orientis conference for OTO in the US has been announced, so you may be interested in checking that out. The upcoming ninth conference is in Sacramento, CA on Aug 9 – 11, 2013. Of course, the conference is open to initiates only; but there’s time enough for that if you are interested. Although this is just the initial bit of information about the upcoming conference, you can gander through past conference sites to get an idea of the kind of presentations and events that will likely happen this time around as well.

“The NOTOCON IX Onsite Team invite you to join with Brothers and Sisters from around the country (and a few from around the world) for Ordo Templi Orientis U.S.A.’s ninth biennial national convention, to be held August 9 – August 11, 2013 e.v. in Sacramento, California.

Our theme for 2013 e.v. is ‘Neither East nor West.’ No, we’re not referring to our physical location (which is decidedly West Coast)! This is a paraphrase from Liber AL, Chapter 1, verse 56: ‘Expect him not from the East, nor from the West, for from no expected house cometh that child. Aum! All words are sacred and all prophets true, save only that they understand a little…’

The true meaning of this verse will not be discussed here (so as not to become a ‘centre of pestilence!’) but we’re taking the verse as inspiration to explore the currents of thought flowing into Thelema from sources East and West: Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Voudoun, Christianity, Islam, Judaism (and mystical variants of these such as Sufism and Qabalah), medieval alchemy, martial arts, religion and magick of North and South America, Australia, and Africa. Thelema is a syncretic tradition. In the true spirit of ‘The aim of religion, the method of science,’ Thelemites from Crowley and on have studied every mystical and magical tradition available; taken what worked, and left the rest. This convention will celebrate the great diversity and depth of the traditions from which Thelema has drawn.” [via]