Originally this was Part Three of an article first entitled "One ... Two ... Three ... Zero", then published as "Send in the Clowns!"
Annuit Coeptis is the rechristened Whiskey Rebellion Camp Newsletter of the Caliphate pseudo-o.t.o. here in Pittsburgh. [P.O. Box 101722, Pittsburgh, PA 15237] Annuit Coeptis means "He (God) has smiled on our undertakings", and it is a motto adapted from Virgil to be found on the reverse of the great seal of the United States. Pull out a one dollar bill and you can find it, the seal itself reproduced by Kevin Bold on the last page of the Spring Equinox 1997 E.V. issue, Volume V, Number 1. [Hmm. Copyright infringement that perhaps the United States Government should sue Bold over?] The title of his newsletter and the use of the seal proves Bold's absolute lack of originality and creativity, and I would wager that the choice of the new name was based upon the fact that the initials are A.C., as in Aleister Crowley, "nuit" appears in the first word, and beginning with A he assured his publication a place at the top of the "O.T.O." publications list which appears at the end of every issue of the Grand Lodge's Magical Link.
Bold reruns "Duty" by Aleister Crowley, a bit of Crowley bait used often in the Caliphate, in The Magical Link and elsewhere, out there on the Internet if anyone wishes to obtain it without putting money in the Caliphate's pocket. I cannot applaud the publication of Crowleyana if it is merely used as bait to hook suckers and encourage them to subscribe to otherwise useless publications. It is such a cheap trick.
Oh, and there's that name again: Sabazius X°, National Grand Master of the Caliphate pseudo-o.t.o.. I suspect that now that Bill Breeze, Hymenaeus Beta, feels that he has his hooks firmly in Crowley's works and can now ride Crowley's coattails all the way to the bank, he is more than happy to turn over most of the Caliphate bullshit to another individual hiding behind a "magical name" as he tried to do. And who is this Sabazius? Although his "real name" is reported to be David Scriven, this is a question for which I do not at this moment have an answer. However, this keeps running through my mind:
And what's this? Another convention! And the cost is only $120.00, at least $80.00 of which is due by June 22. My God, people, don't you have anything better on which to spend your money?
There is herein a six column article entitled "The Truth About Marcelo Motta and the 'Society Ordo Templi Orientis'" by Frater Baraka IV°. Just before this Frater Baraka is referred to as the Whiskey Rebellion Camp Master, so probably Kevin Bold, who formerly called himself Frater Nanivartante 777 II°, is now calling himself Frater Baraka [BRK = 222? "Knee; to kneel; to bless, praise, curse." Maybe BRKH = 227, the word also meaning "A piscine (swimming pool), pond; blessing". I'm probably putting more effort into "Baraka" than he did in choosing the name!] This "magical name" sounds like something one would say to Gort, the robot in The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Baraka refutes "an erroneus mention of the O.T.O. in the local media" which he says
"claimed there were at least three organizations claiming to be the O.T.O., all of which ... spend the bulk of their time trying to prove that they are 'the real O.T.O..'"
He goes on to say that
"a review of back issues of Annuit Coeptis and its predecessor, the Whiskey Rebellion Camp Newsletter, not to mention those of other local and national O.T.O. publications, will show that we don't..."
Now the amusing thing here is that he then goes on, in pure Bold style, for five more columns to do exactly what he said he does not do! This rather inane individual starts with Kenneth Grant directly after making his statement and among other things says
"it should be obvious that Grant is not O.H.O. and his 'Typhonian O.T.O.' is not the real O.T.O."
From one of the organizations that claims to be the O.T.O., he then goes on to talk about a second organization, the late Marcelo Motta's S.O.T.O., rambling on about how Motta was trying to profit from Crowley's works, claiming the copyrights, as if the Caliphate that he is a member of is not guilty of the very same thing! And of course Motta was worse than the Caliphate [that's how it sounds when you read it] because he not only demanded more money from members, but also full-length nude photographs, "something the real O.T.O. has never done." Maybe not, but the Caliphate has done much worse over the years than ask for nude pictures of members. I hear that initiations are a big crowd pleaser because of the nudity involved, although far more members show up for the initiations of pretty young ladies than they do for males. And this is one of the more harmless things I have discovered about the Caliphate over the years.
[Oh my God! I just had an image flit through my mind of Kevin Bold naked! Ugh! I bet the barest minimum of officiating officers attended that initiation, all averting their gaze so as not to retch in the middle of the ritual.]
Blah, blah, blah, Motta was a real rotter ... why
"He also wanted power over his followers and other Thelemite groups, as shown by his autocratic behavior and his instigation of the legal battles."
Very much the same thing can be said about the Caliphate gang! Talk about a case of the pot calling the kettle black!
"So," he continues, "in view of all this, why would anyone want to revive S.O.T.O.? One reason is money. Even without the Crowley royalties, five percent of all members' monthly incomes can add up - and, unlike their O.T.O. counterparts, S.O.T.O. 'lodgemasters,' provided they are not their 'lodge's' only member, get to keep forty percent of the dues they collect, according to S.O.T.O.'s 'Preliminary Documents.' ... A fourth reason is power: in addition to being entitled to forty percent of the dues, the ability to manipulate one's 'lodge' members through intimidation as noted above could also sweeten the pot."
Oh how horrible the S.O.T.O. is! Problem with what "Baraka" has to say is that it applies perfectly to the Caliphate pseudo-o.t.o. as well! Obviously Bill Breeze has been long looking for a way to profit from the works of Aleister Crowley, and by way of the Caliphate he has found it, both in publishing and the collection of dues and fees, for you are a fool to think that the members of the Caliphate and subscribers to their Magical Link are not supporting him. And when you have had conversations with as many ex-members of the Caliphate as I have you will discover that manipulation and intimidation of lodge members is part and parcel of their game as well. Better behave yourself, don't do anything that Breeze and company would disapprove of, or you will be put on "bad report"!
Okay, so the Caliphate is not an organization that spends most of its time trying to prove that it is the real O.T.O., claims the author of this inane article trying to prove that the Typhonian pseudo-o.t.o. and the S.O.T.O. are not the real O.T.O., continually referring to the Caliphate pseudo-o.t.o. as "the real O.T.O.", and claiming things like "The O.T.O., for example," referring to his Caliphate gang of course, "has a membership in the thousands...", but of course Newaeon readers will know that their membership numbers are highly misleading since they include the names of mere subscribers to The Magical Link, calling them "Associate Members", the names of people who long ago left the group or stopped receiving the Link, incarcerated felons and convicts who subscribed to the Link or joined the gang while behind bars, you know, for the most part the "outcast and the unfit". Yet Baraka brags on...
Yessiree, the Caliphate is just sooooo much better than the others. Why, below the V° dues are only $20 per degree per year, that is $20 for Minervals and I°, $40 for II° [but isn't the Second Degree below the Fifth Degree, and then shouldn't that be $20 and not $40?], while V° pay $104 per year and those above V° pay $150 or 1.5% of their taxable income above that amount. Yadda yadda yadda.
"In closing," FINALLY, "let us recall the words of the Book of the Law: 'Success is your proof.' Marcelo Motta failed where Grady McMurtry succeeded ..."
Oh, give me a break. And what did McMurtry succeed in doing? He succeeded in raising the rotting corpse of a dead temporal order to use it to serve his own petty, personal desires while misrepresenting Aleister Crowley and Thelema, and this is continuing today so that Bill Breeze and his cohorts might profit from the Prophet while Thelema is kept in cult status and misrepresented to the general public, the media and everyone who might benefit from Thelema, as just another whacky group of occultists who mouth pretty words while actually saying nothing, never practicing what they preach.
What is Baraka's measure of success?
The Caliphate APPEARS to have many more members than either the Grant or Motta groups. The Caliphate gang has the biggest mouths and more loudly rant and rave than the others. It employs litigation more frequently, actually winning when, in fact, losing was highly unlikely to begin with only because of the idiocy of the opponents. However, it is difficult to find a genuine Thelemite in the bunch and because of them Crowley and Thelema have as bad a public image today as they did back in the bad old days when the tabloids were attacking Crowley upon a daily basis. The few Thelemites who get involved with the Caliphate eventually wise up and leave the gang, some more quickly than others, and some are so turned off by the Caliphate that they are likely to let their Thelemic natures languish for years afterwards.
Success is your proof, indeed, but one must first establish how that success is measured, and if one measures that success by all the things that really count, then the Caliphate is an even greater failure than the Typhonian pseudo-o.t.o. and the S.O.T.O..
I have been asked why I do not start a Thelemic group, get more involved in the occult community and bring all the members of the various groups calling themselves the O.T.O. over to my group. Well, with apologies to the relative minority of sincere students and aspirants of Thelema and recognizing the fact that most of the true Thelemites in society are those outside of that community who do not yet realize their Thelemic nature, my reply has often been that I am interested in reaching, guiding and influencing the Movers and the Shakers...
Televangelists always have their hands out for donations. The collection plate is passed in Roman Catholic and other Christian churchs. The above organizations and others like them, on top of demanding fees and dues, also solicite donations. Myself not being a millionaire - in fact currently unable to pay anything but the minimum monthly payments on a maxed out Visa card, giving my all to Thelema - why should I too not make a bid for your money?
It is not a plea nor is it a demand. It is merely a suggestion.
I offer you no fancy titles, no membership in a great international fraternity, no degrees or grades. I am neither selling initiations nor a place in the kingdom of heaven. Why, I don't even have a good get-rich-quick magical spell to offer! In fact, if you make out a cheque payable to G.M.KELLY and send it to P.O. Box 3773, Pittsburgh, PA 15230-3773 U.S.A., [E-Mail: gmkelly93@verizon.net ] the only thing I can promise is to keep this web site alive and continue my work for whatever you may think it is worth. That's it. All you would receive in return, along with my gratitude, is the satisfaction of knowing that I will be able to continue my work in behalf of Thelema, which, with time, assistance and finances, will increase with the years.
If you would like to assist me and Newaeon in our work and you cannot afford to help us financially, please do not feel guilty! Guilt is a mental obsession inappropriate to Thelemites. Also, do not fear that you will be put on "bad report"! If you have information that you believe I might find useful, especially if it can be backed up with accompanying documentation, please share it with me. If all you can do is sincerely wish me the very best in my efforts, your good wishes will give me strength and be appreciated.
A local free publication called Pittsburgh City Paper has been running the following ad under the heading of "Spiritual/Psychic" events and services for Kevin Bold and his little Caliphate camp:
"ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Instruction in magick, finding one's True Will; social events, Gnostic Mass, O.T.O. initiation, semiannual publication. Write: P.O. Box 101722, Pgh., PA 15237. Call 734-5296. 'Love is the law, love under will.'"
You will recall that Kevin Bold, in his newsletter, claimed that
"earlier this year, there was an erroneus mention of the O.T.O. in the local media. An independent tabloid claimed there were at least three organizations claiming to be the O.T.O., all of which, according to that article's author, spend the bulk of their time trying to prove they are 'the real O.T.O. ...' However ... we don't ..."
On October 27th of 1996 E.V. Ms. Ann Rodgers-Melnick of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published a good sized article about yours truly and Aleister Crowley, going a long way to help clean up the unfairly tarnished image of A.C. and Thelema. In this article she wrote,
"According to Kelly, Crowley's OTO died out because Crowley and his chief lieutenant stopped accepting new initiates. They were appalled that the lodges had deteriorated into sleazy sex clubs, Kelly said. He contends that no legitimate Thelemic OTO now exists - a point furiously disputed by several groups that call themselves the OTO."
Of course I said nothing like "sleazy sex clubs" during the interview, but when I read that and imagined how the phrase would piss off both the Caliphate and the S.O.T.O. I accepted it with a chuckle. Close enough. Now I'm not sure exactly what Bold was referring to in his newsletter, but certainly a similar ad as the one above for David Bersson's little S.O.T.O. club appeared in another free small local publication, In Pittsburgh Newsweekly, for Kevin, who says that he and his people do not spend a lot of time trying to prove that they are the real O.T.O., while doing just that very thing in the same article, also sent an angry letter to In Pittsburgh. I and probably many other people missed it, printed at the bottom of a page in the October 8, 1997 E.V. issue. I later found it and quote the letter here in full:
A HIGHER ORDO? To the Editor:
The 24 Sept. edition of In Pittsburgh carried an advertisement from a group calling itself "Society Ordo Templi Orientis." I would like you and your readers to know that this group is in no way affiliated with the real Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), which the late English occultist Aleister Crowley joined shortly before World War I, eventually becoming leader of the order until his death in 1947. Crowley's successor was Karl Germer, who died in 1962 without naming a successor of his own.
Fortunately for the order, Crowley had written letters to an American member, Grady McMurtry, authorizing McMurtry to take over should Germer fail to name a successor. The order thus continues to survive today, and has a chapter in Pittsburgh.
Those In Pittsburgh readers who would like to know more about the real O.T.O. and its activities in the tri-state area may write to P.O. Box 101722, Pittsburgh, PA 15237, OR CALL (412) 734-5296.
KEVIN BOLD
Pittsburgh
But of course Kevin Bold and the rest of the Caliphakes do not spend their time trying to convince everyone that they are the REAL O.T.O. ... oh no!
Inevitably another letter then appeared in the very next issue of In Pittsburgh for October 15, 1997 E.V., and I quote:
CALL TO ORDO To the Editor:
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I read the letter from Kevin Bold (Oct. 8), surprised that he was still around and still under the delusion he was true O.T.O.
Let it be known that Kevin Bold or his Whiskey Rebellion Camp are a fake O.T.O., unauthorized by Karl Germer. Grady McMurtry was a liar, a traitor and a fool.
Kevin Bold lies when he states that Karl Germer did not name anyone as the Successor for the O.T.O. Karl Germer named Marcelo Motta his true successor and follower.
This proves that the Society Ordo Templi Orientis is the true O.T.O. and all others are sub-branches or fakes!
And any documentation from Grady McMurtry was always subject to the approval of Karl Germer.
Eat the dung of the evil ones from the black pit, Kevin Bold, and strike with your weak magick against my shield, pompous fool! Love is the law, love under will.
FRATER A (JACOB LOT)
Pittsburgh
The fun never stops! Of course they are both full of, well, you know, and both Kevin and Jacob are lying. The authority Crowley gave McMurtry was NOT the leadership of the O.T.O. and it was indeed dependent upon Germer's approval, and Germer never approved it. Furthermore, Germer NEVER appointed Motta as the leader, the O.H.O. of the O.T.O., and you will kindly note that Jacob simply expects readers to accept his word as "proof". Newaeon readers can refer to previous newsletters and supplemental encyclicals for further information in regard to both of these false claims.
By the way, if there is any doubt whatsoever in your mind as to what the Caliphate pseudo-o.t.o. is really all about, here is the "New O.T.O. Dues Schedule effective January 1, 1998 e.v." as published in Volume 1, Issue 1 of Agape, "the Official Organ of the U.S. Grand Lodge of the Ordo Templi Orientis":
| DEGREE | DUES | FEES |
|---|---|---|
| Minerval | $ 36.00 | $ 36.00 |
| I | 36.00 | 36.00 |
| II | 72.00 | 36.00 |
| III | 108.00 | 72.00 |
| IV | 144.00 | 100.00 |
| P.I. | " | 31.00 |
| K.E.W. | " | 20.00 |
| V | 180.00 | 120.00 |
| K.R.E. | " | 60.00 |
| VI | 216.00 | 120.00 |
| G.I.C. | " | 60.00 |
| P.R.S. | " | 60.00 |
| VII | 252.00 | 60.00 per subdegree |
| VIII | 288.00 | 210.00 |
| IX | 324.00 | 300.00 |
November before last a Sister-in-Thelema visited me. She loaned me a "craptop" computer, one friend called the nevertheless useful if "antiquated" laptop computer, and this I used to type twenty years worth of Newaeon material onto disk. This was the beginning of the Castle of the Silver Star web site that you are now reading, which my dear sister started and which I now must build upon and manage. Of course this would not be possible if a Brother-in-Thelema, along with his charming wife, had not driven ten long hours to donate a computer to Newaeon. I am not using their names here simply because I do not believe they want me to. You see, both individuals are still considered members of the Caliphate pseudo-o.t.o., although they have not paid their dues lately, shown no real interest in the gang, and in fact have voiced their disagreements. I am not uising their names because if I did they would be harassed by the Caliphate, have already been somewhat harassed for not toeing the party line and daring to voice a favourable opinion of yours truly. Freedom is an essential aspect of Thelema, but it is certainly not the hallmark of the Caliphate pseudo-o.t.o.
When my Sister-in-Thelema mentioned to her Caliphate friends that she was planning to visit me, Breeze [Caliph Hymenaeus Beta], by way of his friend Jack Hogg, asked her to look around and see if I had anything worth taking away from me in a law suit and she told me she was supposed to "steal something". She, of course, only laughed at Jack and Bill, and it did not in anyway improve her opinion of the Caliphate.
Breeze only recently became aware of the Newaeon web site. How this can be I do not know, but the Caliphate does such a good job of suppressing information that apparently even their Caliph doesn't always have the information he wants! It was his "friend" Jack who told him, rather later than Bill would have preferred, and while the great Caliph does his very best in guarded moments to appear unaffected by anything I say and do, he went absolutely ballistic in this unguarded moment with his "friend". Immediately he started talking about suing me, you know, the chief "Thelemite" who preaches that "The word of Sin is Restriction" wants desperately to restrict me, denying me my rights as a Thelemite and an American. Of course I wish him all the luck in proving himself to be other than he pretends to be in an effort to collect those dues and fees so that he may continue to finance his trips around the country and abroad, as well as his collecting of rare Crowleyana for his private collection. And let's not forget the groupies and all that they bring with them! He, of course, does not have a case, and even if by some weird perversion of law he was successful in his endeavor, Breeze would quickly learn that I do not even own the computer recently donated to Newaeon. I do not own my library. I simply have no money. He can ask the lawyer he has on retainer how this can be if he can't figure it out for himself. And of course ... can you imagine the things G.M.Kelly would say in a court of law to have entered into the records! The allegations! The evidence! The people who might show up to corroborate these allegations and defend bad old me! There are so many skeleton's in Breeze's and the Caliphate's closet that it makes the catacombs in Rome look like a cubbyhole.
Yes indeed, Bill Breeze is most certainly, as some have said before me, an ill wind that bloweth.