Leaping Laughter Lodge OTO

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OTO is a Thelemic Religious Order dedicated to the high purpose of securing the liberty of the individual and his or her advancement in light, wisdom, understanding, and power. This is accomplished through beauty, courage, and wit, on the foundation of universal brotherhood.

The OTO is the first of the old aeon orders to accept The Book of the Law, received by Aleister Crowley in 1904 e.v., with its message of a revolution in human thought, culture, and religion based on a single supreme injunction:

This is not to be interpreted as a license to indulge every passing whim, but rather as the mandate to discover one's True Will and accomplish it, leaving others to do the same in their own unique ways.

The Law of Thelema can ultimately be fulfilled only through the efforts of each individual. Nevertheless, many worthy aspirants to the Great Work of Thelema have a genuine need for information, guidance, fellowship, or the opportunity to assist their fellow aspirants and serve humanity. Such aspirants will find welcome in the OTO.

Visit our website at http://www.leapinglaughter.org.

We're proud to announce that effective June 1st, 2007 e.v. we have moved into a new larger and nicer temple space. The address is 1618 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413, the building has a sign that reads "Diamond's Coffee Shoppe" out front.

To get to the space, you will need to walk through the coffee shop entrance into the back of the building where the studios are housed. Our space is on the east side of the building in Suite 125 and is labeled with a small sign that says Leaping Laughter.

The Gnostic Mass:

Liber XV - The Gnostic Mass is the central ritual, public and private, of Ordo Templi Orientis. It is through the Gnostic Mass that the ecclesiastical arm of the OTO, Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (Gnostic Catholic Church), or EGC, performs its functions. The Gnostic Mass is, as a noted OTO member once said: [...] a ritual of power and beauty, which shadows forth age-old mysteries and affirms the dawning Law of Liberty.

Leaping Laughter Lodge preforms the Gnostic Mass with Joy and Beauty on a regular basis. Usually, this is weekly, and sometimes even twice a week now. Check our calendar for more details. Masses (as well as all our other events), are always open to the general public unless otherwise noted. A donation of $8 is requested of non-members, but we will not turn away seekers if they happen to forget their wallets at home. Please be advised; the Mass takes about an hour to preform. We ask that first-timers arrive about 15-20 minutes before the ritual is scheduled to begin, so the Deacon will have time to go over the basics of the Mass, and the congregational participatory sections. We also strongly suggest that you take the time to familiarize yourself with the text of the Gnostic Mass before hand. It may also be helpful to first-time congregates to read A First Look at the Gnostic Mass, a short piece by T. Polyphilus which addresses many of the frequently asked questions about the Mass. After the ritual is over, we usually hang out afterwards and talk, sometimes late into the night... which is a great opportunity to share Profound Insights, new Qabalistic Theorems, and Hilarious OTO Stories! It's also a good time to get to know the members of Leaping Laughter Lodge, and for us to get to know you.

Aleister Crowley wrote Liber XV in 1913 in Moscow, the year after his appointment by Theodor Reuss as the X° Head of the British Section of O.T.O. According to W. B. Crow in ..A History of Magic, Witchcraft and Occultism.. (Aquarian Press, London 1968), Crowley wrote it "under the influence of the Liturgy of St. Basil of the Russian Church." Crowley published the Gnostic Mass three times during his life: in 1918 in The International, in 1919 in The Equinox, Volume III, No. 1 (the "Blue Equinox"), and in 1929 in Appendix VI of Magick in Theory and Practice. Theodor Reuss published a German variant in 1918. It was first publicly celebrated on Sunday, March 19, 1933 e.v. by Wilfred T. Smith and Regina Kahl in Hollywood, California. Crowley writes in Chapter 73 of his Confessions:

During this period [The summer of 1913 e.v. - Ed.] the full interpretation of the central mystery of freemasonry became clear in consciousness, and I expressed it in dramatic form in ..The Ship'. The lyrical climax is in some respects my supreme achievement in invocation; in fact, the chorus beginning:

"Thou who art I beyond all I am..."

seemed to me worthy to be introduced as the anthem into the Ritual of the Gnostic Catholic Church, which, later in the year, I prepared for the use of the O.T.O., the central ceremony of its public and private celebration, corresponding to the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church."

Initiation:

One of the defining activities of an O.T.O. Lodge, is the performance of our initiation rituals. In these rituals, O.T.O. seeks to instruct the individual by allegory and symbol into the profound mysteries of nature, and thereby assist the initiate in discovering his or her own true identity.

An initiation ritual is like a drama or play wherein the candidate is the main character. Dramatic and ritual elements combine to communicate mysteries that have been handed down through the ages.

All men and women who are free and of full age may apply to become a candidates for initiation. Applications may be obtained by contacting the Lodge Secretary. Prospective candidates must also obtain the sponsorship of two members who will vouch for them before we will accept the application. A serious candidate should find it easy to obtain sponsorship once they have gotten to know our members and have demonstrated something of their character. Sponsorship in O.T.O. is, however, no light matter and our Initiates are instructed to pay close attention to the caliber and seriousness of all potential candidates, as sponsorship reflects upon the judgment of those who agree to sponsor a particular candidate for initiation.

Once a person has been through the Minerval degree (the first of our initiations), that person is considered a guest of the Order and not yet considered to have taken on the responsibilities of full membership. This degree allows the candidate to gain an introduction into our mysteries and the opportunity to decide if they desire to seek further Initiation and become full members of M.'. M.'. M.'. by taking the First Degree.

More information about O.T.O. Initiations can be found here.