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US Grand Lodge Podcasts

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

As some of you may already know, the USGL website has started presenting regular podcasts of thought-provoking interviews featuring individuals involved in myriad realms of mysticism, spirituality and magical theory and practice. As well as interviews with people such as Richard Kaczynski and James Wasserman, our Deputy National Grand Master General, Rodney Orpheus, and our Quartermaster and Initiation Secretary, Sr Estella (Susan Jameson-Bonner) have featured recently. In the latest episode, Sr Estella, whose distinctive mezzotint landscapes represent magick in nature, discusses the inspiration and method of drawing her own Tarot deck and the relationship between magick and art.

Please go to http://oto-usa.org/podcast.html to hear more.

Love is the law, love under will.

Deputy National Grand Master Appointed

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

Greetings and Health from the Supreme Grand Council

The United Kingdom Grand Lodge of Ordo Templi Orientis is pleased to announce the appointment of Brother Rodney Orpheus to the position of Deputy National Grand Master General, effective from the Vernal Equinox An iv17.

Love is the law, love under will.

Fr Hyperion.

New UKGL Research Academy Formed

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

Greeting and Health. I am happy to announce that on 21st December 2008ev the Supreme Grand Council of UK Grand Lodge approved the formation of a new National Research Academy. This is a new and prestigious initiative for UK Grand Lodge, which brings together some of the best researchers in the Order in the UK. The new Academy’s purpose is to serve the Order by conducting and publishing research upon the history of Ordo Templi Orientis and to thus further illuminate its rites, degrees and traditions. It produces peer reviewed material of the best quality – both through its principal journal, Minerva, and through other publications. It also provides research services to the Order nationally, to chartered local bodies, and to its own membership and serves to provide a new focus for research activity in the UK, in particular through its annual Convocation – a yearly conference presenting the results of the best quality formal research on our Order.

The new Research Academy has a number of categories of membership. This serves to take account of the differing degrees of initiation possessed by its researchers. Limited Associate membership of the Academy is open to all members of UK Grand Lodge of the First degree or higher; Full Associate membership is open to all those who have reached the degree of K.E.W. Fellowship in the Academy is limited to thirteen Fellows and is awarded based upon their contributions to the work of the Academy and their production of new research of the highest quality.

Members of the Academy benefit in a number of ways. They receive a copy of the Academy journal, Minerva; they have the right to submit their own queries on research topics to the Fellows; they can freely submit papers for peer review to the journal – the result of this is that, even if a paper is not accepted for publication, they are guaranteed to receive useful peer review notes on their own work. Finally, their membership of the Academy means that their own attendance at the annual Convocation is already paid for. Membership of the Academy, as well as further details of its work, can be obtained by emailing the Secretary at

Love is the law, love under will.

UK Trademark Case

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

I am happy to report that OTO has prevailed against Starfire Publishing Ltd.'s opposition to our trademarks for OTO and O.T.O. in the United Kingdom. In her decision of June 8, Anna Carbone, the Appointed Person hearing OTO's appeal, found in favour of OTO, overturning a previous decision in favour of Starfire. OTO's registrations of the marks OTO and O.T.O. are now proceeding normally in the UK, joining our previous registrations of Ordo Templi Orientis; and the OTO Lamen. Under UK law, there can be no further appeal of a decision by an Appointed Person, in either the Trademark Registry or High Court.

Ms. Carbone overturned the previous decision on the necessary points of law, as is required for any successful appeal. She also rejected the opposition's argument that OTO was a descriptive term for a religion that was in widespread use. She accepted our position that OTO was merely the initials of the name of a religious organization. She found our prior use of the mark OTO on publications to be brand and mark of origin use compatible with trade mark use. She clearly understood that our steps to protect our trademark through registration came from our belief that we are the only legitimate organization entitled to do so. Her decision was made on technical points of law and not evidence, though she did read all of our evidence and had recourse to it from time to time. She did not, therefore, rule on the validity of our historical legitimacy, but she did cite our belief respectfully more than once.

This litigation was not one we initiated -- these were proceedings brought against us by Starfire acting on behalf of Kenneth Grant's spurious OTO organization, with support from organizations led or founded by other expelled or resigned OTO members, such as Albion OTO and OTO Foundation. These groups would be well advised to find another name. We were merely filing a routine maintenance trademark. Now, having provoked us, they can reasonably expect enforcement proceedings from us if they do not stop appropriating our name, initials and lamen.

All that said, I bear no personal animus against the opposition. I consider Michael Staley, in other circumstances, to be a friend of long standing.

Thanks.

I would like to thank everyone, inside and outside OTO, who helped with these cases. The late James Garvey VI° of Tahuti Lodge in New York City made a generous and especially timely donation of $31,000 to assist with the UK case; Jim was the gentlest soul I've ever known, but he was an Irish fighter at heart. US Grand Lodge was of assistance more times than I can mention; thanks must go to Sabazius X° and Hank Hadeed for treasury support. I would like to thank Vere Chappell, for skilfully managing the necessary legal financing; Clive Harper for sane counsel and support in the hearings; UK Grand Lodge for support, and in particular Hyperion X° for hospitality during case development; Secretary General Aion and J.-M. Kleeman of OTO Italia for translation assistance; Bill Heidrick for help with evidence development; Ian Rons for his spontaneous public relations assistance as well as attendance at the last hearing; Paul Feazey of Lashtal.com for providing a forum for ventilating the issues arising from the case; and Prof. Bradford Verter for his independent expert opinion. Thanks must also go to our brilliant legal teams: in the UK, our solicitor Nigel Parnell, and our barristers Fiona Clark and Andrew Nichol QC, and in the US, Alan Harris and Dave Zelenski of Harris and Ruble. Many others helped in other ways; you know who you are.

Next Steps

With these two decisions, OTO is again litigation free. We continue -- now with fewer distractions -- our publications program. The completely restored "Confessions" is approximately half complete. Other books that rely on "Confessions" (i.e. cite it extensively) are being held until it is finished. For a foretaste of the revaluation of Crowley's life this new edition will produce, I suggest reading Richard B. Spence's Secret Agent 666: Aleister Crowley, British Intelligence and the Occult (Feral House). I made the extensive and numerous sections of "Confessions" deleted by Symonds and Grant available to Prof. Spence, and they clearly helped him to weave his fascinating account of Crowley's career. In other publishing-related news, Stephen J. King of Australia has been appointed editor of the unabridged Magick Without Tears. He proved his considerable editorial abilities with his recent authorized second edition of P. R. Stephensen's The Legend of Aleister Crowley. Love is the law, love under will.

Hymenaeus Beta.