William Breeze | |
---|---|
Ὑμεναιος β | |
Title | Outer Head (Frater Superior) and Caliph (international leader) of "Caliphate" O.T.O.; Sovereign Patriarch and Primate of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (E.G.C.) |
Personal | |
Born | William Breeze 1955 (age 68–69) |
Religion | Thelema |
Nationality | American |
Citizenship | United States |
Denomination | Gnostic Catholic Church |
Lineage | Official church succession |
Alma mater | Harvard University |
Other names | Hymenaeus Beta |
Occupation | Author, musician, priest, human rights campaigner |
Organization | |
Order | Ordo Templi Orientis |
Senior posting | |
Period in office | 1986–present |
Consecration | August 12, 1974 by E.G.C. bishop Jack Hogg |
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William Breeze (born 1955), also known by his neo-Gnostic bishop title of Tau Silenus, is an American writer and publisher on magick and philosophy. He is the Sovereign Patriarch, or supreme governing cleric, of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (E.G.C.), the liturgical arm of Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), of which he is the current Outer Head of the Order (OHO), also known as Frater Superior, as well as caliph, the order's international leader. In this capacity he is a leading editor of the occult works of Aleister Crowley, the founder of the philosophy and religion of Thelema, who is regarded as its prophet. [1]
Under the name Hymenaeus Beta he is the second caliph to lead the traditional, orthodox, or "Caliphate" OTO (as opposed to the derivative organizations the Typhonian Order (formerly known as the Typhonian O.T.O.) of Kenneth Grant and the Society O.T.O. of Marcelo Ramos Motta, and is the direct successor of Grady McMurtry (Hymenaeus Alpha), who was the first of the caliphs and second of the overall leaders, or Outer Heads—directly after Crowley's immediate successor Karl Germer—to follow after Crowley in his role as leader of the order.
McMurtry served as caliph from 1978, when he re-founded the defunct O.T.O., until 1985 and Breeze has served as caliph from 1986 until the present. [2]
Caliph was a designation given to McMurtry by Crowley in relation to the continuing office OHO of O.T.O. [ citation needed ], of which Crowley was the ultimate religious head after taking over leadership of the order from its founder Theodore Reuss in 1923. According to Crowley, caliph is the elected spiritual and organizational worldwide leader of O.T.O. and is his successor. [ citation needed ] A lineage of caliphs carrying religious and organisational significance were designated by Crowley. The caliphs, as successors to Crowley, lead the order after his death. [ citation needed ]
Breeze came from a military family. Son of a US Army serviceman, he was born in Paris, France, where his father, Colonel Breeze, was on a tour of duty. Breeze spent his childhood accompanying his father, who had a distinguished military career, on many tours of duty across the United States, staying with him at various US military bases, including Fort Meade [3] where a remote viewing program took place; [4] Nellis Air Force Base, located in close proximity to Groom Dry Lake Air Force Base in Nevada, which is a highly classified remote detachment 83 miles (134 km) north-northwest of Las Vegas [5] closely linked to UFO phenomena; [6] Fort Bragg, where "Project Jedi" was run by Special Forces; and Montauk Air Force Station, at the eastern tip of Long Island, which was later associated with supposed time travel experiments [7] as part of the Montauk Project. [8] In the 1970s Breeze studied literature at Harvard University. [9]
In late 1970s, Breeze helped to publish Aleister Crowley's Magical and Philosophical Commentaries on The Book of the Law; Breeze was co-owner of the publishing company, 93 Publishing. [10]
In 1979, when Breeze was 24 years old, he met Grady McMurtry. Ten years earlier, McMurtry and his wife, known as Soror Meral, had re-established Ordo Templi Orientis by invoking the emergency orders from Crowley given to McMurtry in the “Caliphate letters”, which gave McMurtry authority (subject to previous OHO's approval) to "take charge of the whole work of the Order in California to reform the Order". [11] In 1982 McMurtry granted Breeze a charter to form an Ordo Templi Orientis lodge in Canada. In 1983 Breeze founded Phoenix lodge in Montreal becoming a Master of it. [12]
McMurtry served as the head of Ordo Templi Orientis until his death in 1985. [13] In that year, Breeze succeeded McMurtry as Acting Outer Head of OTO, after all active IX-degree members met in order to elect McMurtry's successor. [14] He was nominated by Helen Parsons Smith, a widow of Wilfred Talbot Smith, who was a founder of Agape Lodge. Upon his election, Breeze assumed the responsibility of raising the O.T.O. to greater heights and of reconstituting the A∴A∴, with a view to re-establish two orders the way Crowley originally envisaged. Unfortunately, Breeze is a failed Probationer and had no authority to "reconstitute" the A∴A∴ in any capacity. Over the next decade, Breeze spent his time establishing International Headquarters and chartering new Lodges. [12] By the end of the twentieth century, the organization had grown to several thousand members. [15]
In 1986 Breeze succeeded McMurtry as the Patriarch of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, the liturgical arm of O.T.O. As a contemporary occult Church, it exists as an integral part of OTO. During McMurtry's governance of OTO in the 1970s, the Gnostic Catholic Church and OTO functioned as separate organisations. In 1986, Breeze co-joined the separate Gnostic Catholic Church with OTO. [16] Under his leadership the Church has expanded greatly, growing in several countries. [17]
Breeze was consecrated by E.G.C.'s bishop Jack Hogg as Tau Silenus [18] on August 12, 1974. [19] Hogg was a bishop of the Gnostic Church of Thelema whose lineage could be traced directly to J. Doinel, one of the founders of the Gnostic tradition, who also consecrated Aleister Crowley. [20]
Starting in 2005, Breeze begun chartering new international Grand Lodges, including those of Australia and United Kingdom, the latter covering England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, plus British Crown Dependencies. [21] Despite the O.T.O. formalising itself with regulations and policies, Breeze allowed the leadership in local areas the freedom to experiment with tactics for growing the organisation. [15]
In England several new O.T.O and E.G.C bodies were chartered by the United Kingdom Grand Lodge, including lodges and camps in Bristol, Hastings and Leeds. [22]
On October 10, 2014, Breeze was unanimously re-elected de jure Outer Head of the Order by a council of Grand Masters. [23] On May 16, 2015, the organisation celebrated 30 years of his governing of OTO. [12]
Motta's A∴A∴ movement was first formally announced in the early January 1976, when Motta's edition of the Commentaries of AL with introduction by James Wasserman went to print. Motta was a disciple of Karl Germer whom he met in 1953 and his A∴A∴ work was also supervised by Germer. [ citation needed ] Motta, in turn, took on his own students, including James Wasserman and J. Daniel Gunther, both of whom he expelled from the order.
After his election as the Outer Head of the O.T.O. in 1985, Breeze sought to rebuild the A∴A∴ so that both orders could again operate in the way Crowley intended. Having spent the years immediately following his election giving most of his attention to the O.T.O activity, in the summer of 1992, together with J. Daniel Gunther who was involved exclusively with the A∴A∴, and other students of Marcelo Motta, Breeze renewed the A∴A∴ activity which at that point was dormant. [24]
The revived A∴A∴ began to grow. [25] with the subsequent publications of The Equinox journal, newly typeset in authorised format with exhaustive editorial work by Breeze himself, along with assistance of other O.T.O. and A∴A∴ members, which was issued jointly by the O.T.O. and the A∴A∴, starting with The Equinox Vol IV, No. 1 and 2 published in 1996.
Under his name as Frater Superior of the O.T.O., Hymenaeus Beta, Breeze is known as the preeminent editor of The Equinox journal, issued jointly by the O.T.O. and the A∴A∴, and the commentaries on the Holy Books of Thelema. [26]
On April 10, 1982, Breeze and McMurtry began producing a new edition of The Holy Books of Thelema, which was published by Weiser Books in April 1983. [26] Breeze did the design and editorial work, and James Wasserman handled typesetting and the layout, production and proofreading. The Holy Books of Thelema were originally published in 1909 by Crowley under the title "ΘΕΛΗΜΑ" in three small books that Crowley had put out privately for the A∴A∴ members. [26] The previous edition by Israel Regardie was published in 1972 with Sangrael Press but was out-of-print. [27]
The 1996 edition of The Law is for All (a collection of Crowley's commentary on The Book of the Law ) edited by Breeze is based upon the original manuscript of Louis Wilkinson and has an introduction by the material's original editor. It includes annotations, reading lists and indexes not found in the earlier edition. [28]
In May 2013 Breeze made available his own researches, undertaken for the definitive edition of Liber Legis. [29]
During the summer of 1982, Equinox Vol. III, No. 10, edited by Breeze, went to press, featuring the core O.T.O. documents. [11] Breeze also added a number of A∴A∴ papers, along with letters from Magick Without Tears, the text of The Book of the Law, and various other writings by Crowley, Wilfred Talbot Smith, and Frater Achad, also featuring James Wasserman's essay on the history of the O.T.O. Breeze wrote an extensive introduction and showcased a group of contemporary Thelemic poets and artists, along with a section on Kenneth Anger's films. [30]
In 1996 Breeze's edition of The Equinox Vol. IV, No. 1: Commentaries on the Holy Books and Other Papers, went to press. It included number of previously unpublished pieces in the Equinox series, including Liber LXV's commentary, and a colour reproduction of Crowley's illumination of Liber Pyramidos. [31] Its main feature, Liber Cordis Cincte Serpente (Liber LXV) is considered to be one of the Holy Books of Thelema. It includes Crowley's commentary which, unlike in the earlier editions, was positioned opposite and facing the corresponding text of Liber LXV. Breeze's edition also includes other works of Crowley and shorter commentaries which have not been published before, including Charles Stansfeld Jones' commentary on Liber A'ash (written by him as an A∴A∴ assignment, and then annotated by Crowley), and other commentaries Breeze included to aid the aspirants within the system of the magical Order of the A∴A∴ in the attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, and the grade of Adeptus Minor. [32] It contains reprinted documents important in defining the A∴A∴ training system, including Crowley's works such as One Star in Sight, Liber XIII, and Liber CLXXXV, to which this book adds An Account of the A∴A∴ introduced by Crowley's essay titled Occultism published for the first time, including one unpublished version of the A∴A∴ Student Examination. It also contains a large colour plate section including a colour reproduction of Crowley's original illuminated manuscript of Liber Pyramidos and paintings by J. F. C. Fuller dealing with A∴A∴ teachings. These paintings have been used as the covers of the edition. [33]
In 1998 Breeze's edition of The Equinox Vol. IV, No. 2 went to press. It contains the fourth major edition of Liber 418 (The Vision and the Voice), considered by Crowley to be second in importance behind The Book of the Law which established the religious system of Thelema. [34] Previous major edition of The Vision and the Voice was published by Israel Regardie in 1972 and had been out of print. Breeze's 1998 edition, which includes Crowley's commentary as footnotes, made the material of Liber 418 available to a large audience for the first time. [35]
Devoting much of his time in administering the Order, Breeze also devoted a lot of time to development of the corpus of Thelemic literature and preservation of OTO's archival heritage. Under Breeze, OTO's publishing efforts have undergone a process of standardisation, and many previously unpublished works have been made available through Breeze's meticulous editorial efforts. [36] However, no new publishing activity has occurred for more than a decade. The last notice of upcoming publications was in an OTO newsletter dated 2013, and none of the promised volumes have yet appeared. [37]
In 1990 Breeze undertook research for the definitive edition of Crowley's Confessions, [38] becoming the biography's co-editor. [39] This edition is yet to be published as of 2020.
In 1991 Breeze published an edition of Liber Aleph vel CXI: The Book of Wisdom or Folly (93 Publishing, New York), [40] which was a reissue of 1962 edition published by Thelema Publishing Co. [41] Liber Aleph was written in New York City at the end of the First World War and is considered one of the most important commentaries on Crowley's teachings, conceptually written as if to Crowley's magical child, in the style of books fathers used to write for their children, with hereditary spirit of medieval grimoires. The text of Liber Aleph has been described by Crowley as an extended and elaborate commentary on The Book of the Law. [40]
In 1994 he became the editor of the second edition of Book 4, Liber ABA published by Weiser Books. Through editorial notes, Breeze enabled the reader to trace much of the evolution of Crowley's thoughts through successive revisions of the Magick in Theory and Practice manuscript. [42]
In his capacity of head of OTO, Breeze helped many investigators such as Lawrence Sutin (author of Do What Thou Wilt: A Life of Aleister Crowley published in 2000, ISBN 978-0312288976), [43] Richard Kaczynski (author of Perdurabo: Life of Aleister Crowley published in 2010 by North Atlantic Books, ISBN 978-1556438998), Tobias Churton (author of Aleister Crowley: The Biography published by Watkins Books in 2012, ISBN 978-1780281346), [44] and Anthony Clayton (author of Netherwood: Last Resort of Aleister Crowley published by Weiser Antiquarian Books in 2012, ISBN 978-0957233409), [45] [46] to study OTO, Thelema, Aleister Crowley and related topics using the materials OTO is the guardian of. [47]
Throughout his career, Breeze helped several former members of Agape Lodge, including Marjorie Cameron [48] and Helen Parsons Smith to publish their works on Thelema and magic, acting as co-editor of their works. [49]
Helen Parsons Smith was a founding member of Agape Lodge along with her first husband Jack Parsons and Wilfred Talbot Smith, who she would marry after Parsons's death. She was also the sister of Scientology founder's wife Sara Northrup Hollister. Breeze first came in contact with her when he worked with Peter Macfarlane who ran 93 Publishing, a small publishing company in Canada where Smith's deceased second husband used to live. Parsons Smith asked for Breeze's help and assistance with publishing of some of Crowley's limited edition works which she was gifted during her membership of Agape Lodge and her marriage to Jack Parsons. She became good friends with Breeze and was later instrumental in Outer Head of The Order elections, nominating Breeze as the candidate to head the Order after passing of Grady McMurtry. [50]
Los Angeles artist and occultist Marjorie Cameron was Breeze's close friend. On February 10, 2015, Breeze chaired a panel discussion dedicated to Cameron and her work, which was held at Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. [48]
In 1980s Breeze together with Marjorie Cameron acted as co-editor of a compilation of essays authored by Jack Parsons' who was a rocket scientist and founding member of Agape Lodge. In 1980 Freedom is a Two-Edged Sword collection of essays was published by New Falcon Publications, presenting Parsons thoughts on magic and initiation( ISBN 9781561841165). In 2008 Breeze acted as editor of Jack Parsons' Three Essays on Freedom published by Teitan Press( ISBN 978-0-933429-11-6). [51]
In his capacity of Frater Superior of OTO, Breeze advised several American museums and exhibitions on esoteric art. [52] In February 2016, Breeze co-chaired “Occult and Art” panel discussion which took place at 80WSE Gallery in New York with Professor Susan L. Aberth and artist Jesse Bransford co-chairing the panel. [52] The panel discussed various artists and occultists, including Aleister Crowley, whose paintings were exhibited amongst other modern and contemporary artists who have each expressed their own engagement in magical practice. [53]
Under his name as Frater Superior of the O.T.O., Hymenaeus Beta, Breeze has written extensively on magic and Thelemic initiation in various occult periodicals, including The Magical Link [54] and texts entitled Culture Versus Cult contained within The Equinox Vol 3 No. 10, published in 1990. [55] His editorial forewords include prolegomenon to Liber Aleph Vel CXI: The Book of Wisdom or Folly, [56] preface to Initiation in the Aeon of the Child: The Inward Journey [57] written by J. Daniel Gunther (published in 2014, ISBN 978-0892542093), as well as editorial introduction to Magick: Liber ABA, Book Four ( ISBN 978-0877289197) and introduction to Aleister Crowley's edition of The Goetia , which explores the relationship between Crowley and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, and the importance of the Lesser Key of Solomon in the grimoire tradition. [58]
As a musician, Breeze came to prominence in the late 1990s when in the early years of his musical career he worked with poet-percussionist and Velvet Underground cofounder Angus MacLise. Breeze played electric viola, mandolin, guitar, bass and electronics. Footage of Breeze performing alongside Maclise was shown at the exhibition Dreamweapon: The Art and Life of Angus MacLise (1938–1979) from May 10–29, 2011 curated by Johan Kugelberg and Will Swofford Cameron. [59]
Breeze has played with Psychic TV and appears on the recordings Thee Fractured Garden (1995), Cold Blue Torch (1995), Trip Reset (1996) and Spatial Memory (1996) and is mostly credited as playing viola and viola synthesizer. [60]
Breeze was a member of Coil as an electric viola player from 1997 through 2000. Coil was a British avant garde music band founded by John Balance and Peter Christopherson whose main studio was based in London and from 1999 in Bristol. [61] Starting in 1997, Breeze played electric viola and guitar on Coil's Equinox and Solstice EPs (later compiled as "Moon's Milk in Four Phases" and the accompanying limited bonus mail order only EP recorded in 1999), and played live with the band onstage during their Barcelona concert in 2000. [62]
Breeze has also appeared live as a member of Current 93, an experimental music group founded by David Tibet. His first appearance with the band was on the 3rd of May 1997 at the Union Chapel in London where Breeze first met John Balance of Coil, Balance also appearing onstage with the band. [63]
Breeze supports numerous non-profit organisations which promote the human rights and religious liberty of religious minorities as well as campaign for religious freedom and freedom of belief. He made a significant contribution to enhancing religious freedom internationally through various means such as creation of public and private spaces for positive inter-faith exchanges. [64]
Thelema is a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and a new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician. Central to Thelema is the concept of discovering and following one's True Will, a unique purpose that transcends ordinary desires. Crowley's system begins with The Book of the Law, a text he maintained was dictated to him by a non-corporeal entity named Aiwass. This work outlines key principles, including the axiom "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law," emphasizing personal freedom and the pursuit of one's true path, guided by love.
Liber AL vel Legis, commonly known as The Book of the Law, is the central sacred text of Thelema. The book is often referred to simply as Liber AL, Liber Legis or just AL, though technically the latter two refer only to the manuscript.
Ordo Templi Orientis is an occult secret society and hermetic magical organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century. The origins of O.T.O. can be traced back to the German-speaking occultists Carl Kellner, Theodor Reuss, Heinrich Klein, and Franz Hartmann. In its first incarnation, O.T.O. was intended to be modelled after and associated with European Freemasonry and as such in its early years only Freemasons could seek admittance.
The Holy Books of Thelema is a collection of 15 works by Aleister Crowley, the founder of Thelema, originally published in 1909 by Crowley under the title Θελημα, and later republished in 1983, together with a number of additional texts, under the new title, The Holy Books of Thelema, by Ordo Templi Orientis under the direction of Hymenaeus Alpha.
Ceremonial magic encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic. The works included are characterized by ceremony and numerous requisite accessories to aid the practitioner. It can be seen as an extension of ritual magic, and in most cases synonymous with it. Popularized by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, it draws on such schools of philosophical and occult thought as Hermetic Qabalah, Enochian magic, Thelema, and the magic of various grimoires. Ceremonial magic is part of Hermeticism and Western esotericism.
The A∴A∴ is a magical organization established in 1907 by Aleister Crowley, a Western esotericist. Its members are dedicated to the advancement of humanity by perfection of the individual on every plane through a graded series of universal initiations. Its initiations are syncretic, unifying the essence of Theravada Buddhism with Vedantic yoga and ceremonial magic. The A∴A∴ applies what it describes as mystical and magical methods of spiritual attainment under the structure of the Qabalistic Tree of Life, and aims to research, practise, and teach "scientific illuminism".
Grady Louis McMurtry was an American ceremonial magician, student of occult writer Aleister Crowley, and an adherent of Thelema. He is best known for reviving the fraternal organization Ordo Templi Orientis, which he headed from 1971 until his death in 1985.
The Equinox is a periodical that serves as the official organ of the A∴A∴, a magical order founded by Aleister Crowley. Begun in 1909, it mainly features articles about occultism and magick, while several issues also contained poetry, fiction, plays, artwork, and biographies. The most recent issue was published in 1998.
True Will is a foundational concept in Thelema, the philosophical and magical framework established by Aleister Crowley early in the 20th century. It represents the intrinsic and divine purpose unique to each individual, transcending mere personal desires and societal expectations. At the core of Crowley's teachings is "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law", a central dictum of his received work, The Book of the Law. This principle asserts not a license for unchecked indulgence, but rather a mandate for individuals to align their actions with their truest spiritual calling. By adhering to their True Will, practitioners of Thelema seek to fulfill their spiritual destiny by harmonising with the cosmic order.
Abrahadabra is a significant word within Thelema, received and revealed by Aleister Crowley in The Book of the Law, the central sacred text of Thelema. This magical formula represents the Great Work accomplished—the union of the microcosm (individual) and the macrocosm (universe). It is considered the key to the Aeon of Horus and a word of power that symbolizes the realization of True Will.
Aleister Crowley was an English writer, not only on the topic of Thelema and magick, but also on philosophy, politics, and culture. He was a published poet and playwright and left behind many personal letters and daily journal entries. Most of Crowley's published works entered the public domain in 2018.
Marcelo Ramos Motta was a Brazilian writer, Thelemite, and member of the A∴A∴ occult society. Known for his work in the field of Thelema, he was a prominent figure in the Thelemic community and contributed significantly to its literature. Motta was also recognized by his magical names Parzival X° and Parzival XI°. His writings, which include translations of Aleister Crowley's works and original Thelemic texts, have had a lasting impact on the study and practice of Thelema in Brazil and beyond.
Karl Johannes Germer, also known as Frater Saturnus, was a German and American businessman and occultist. He served as the United States representative of Ordo Templi Orientis, and on the death of Aleister Crowley became his successor as the Outer Head of the Order (OHO) until his death in 1962. He founded the Thelema Publishing Company and published several of Crowley's books after his death. He was born in Elberfeld, Germany and died in West Point, California.
The Equinox of the Gods is a book first published in 1936 detailing the events and circumstances leading up to Aleister Crowley's 1904 transcription of The Book of the Law, the central text of Thelema.
Phyllis Evalina Seckler, also known as Soror Meral, was an American occultist and writer. She was a ninth degree (IX°) member of the Sovereign Sanctuary of the Gnosis of Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), and a lineage holder in the A∴A∴ tradition. She was a student of Jane Wolfe, herself a student of Aleister Crowley.
The Blue Equinox, officially known as The Equinox is a book written by the English occultist Aleister Crowley, the founder of Thelema. First published in 1919, it details the principles and aims of the secret society O.T.O. and its ally the A∴A∴, both of which were under Crowley's control at the time. It includes such topics as The Law of Liberty, The Gnostic Mass, and Crowley's "Hymn to Pan".
"Liber OZ", also known as "Book 77", "The Book of the Goat", and "The Rights of Man" is a single-page declaration authored by the English occultist Aleister Crowley in 1941. This text, initially published as a leaflet or broadside, delineates the fundamental rights of individuals as viewed through the lens of Thelema, the spiritual and social movement which Crowley founded in the early 20th century. Thelema emphasizes the principle of individual will as its core tenet.
James Wasserman was an American writer and occultist. A member of Ordo Templi Orientis since 1976 and a book designer by trade, he wrote extensively on spiritual and political liberty.
Helen Parsons Smith was an American occultist, entrepreneur, book editor, and publisher. She served as Priestess of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica at Agape Lodge of Ordo Templi Orientis in Pasadena, California, during the 1940s, and the independent Church of Thelema in Malibu, which she co-founded with her second husband Wilfred Talbot Smith, during the 1950s.