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If anyone alive today can
be compared with the genius of Valentinus,
it is certainly Michael
Bertiaux. The depth
of the work he has produced is nothing short
of astonishing and is matched only by the
practicality of the material. The
Voudon Gnostic Workbook,
which was published in the early 90's (in
paperback form) by Herman Slater's Magickal
Childe remains the single most important
book on magick published, in my opinion,
since Crowley's Book 4. Before discussing
Bertaiux's work, a brief introduction to
his history and affiliations is in order.
The website for the Ordo
Templi Orientis Antiqua & La Couleuvre
Noire European HQ describes
the lineage of the OTOA from Lucien-Francois
Jean-Maine (who) had been initiated
into the four grades of Voudoo, both religious
and esoteric, by the time he was consecrated
as a Gnostic patriarch in 1899. In 1910,
he received the succession of the O.T.O.
from Encausse
(1), who had received it about 1908. Encausse
gave Jean-Maine his magical consecrations
in order to establish a magical order similar
to the O.T.O. in Haiti.
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The "Official"*
History
of the OTOA states
Michael
Paul Bertiaux was bom
in the USA in January, 1935 and studied
theurgy under Haitian masters and Voudoo
adepts ... (o)n August 15, 1963 ... Docteur
Jean-Maine explained to Bertiaux that he
was about to leave for Madrid to be consecrated
to the patriarchate of the Ecclesia Gnostica,
and wished to know if Docteur Bertiaux would
be willing to assist him in his esoteric
work. An agreement was worked out, and Jean-Maine
entered into a magical pact with Bertiaux.
Upon his return to the USA, Docteur Bertiaux
then devoted himself entirely to the cause
of esoteric studies, while keeping himself
in telepathic contact with Docteur Jean-Maine(2)
An important outer manifestation of Bertiaux's
initiation is the Monastary
of the Seven Rays which
(o)riginally...was a Roman Catholic
and Benedictine institution, as its name
implies. Much of this original tradition
still seems to survive in many of the practices
of this school. In the 18th Century, the
Monastery was a center of research for the
Gnostic Catholic Church in Spain. This Church
must be understood to be of the "Old Catholic
Spiritualist" tradition and not connected
with Aleister Crowley's group. In the present
century, the Monastery became the center
for a series of courses and magical instruction...
and is now entirely theurgical in its work.
Bertiaux's published work is focused on
the development of the various spiritual
streams in relation to Gnostic philsosophy.
The lessons mentioned above consisted of
a four-year curriculum which was never
intended to end with the Fourth Year Course.
The fifth Year course was spoken of in various
ways. We heard of the Voudon Gnostic Workbook
as being the 5th year of study. Actually
the Workbook is re-presentative of a parallel
development to the Monastery's work.(3)
Interestingly, the VGW seems to "vibrate"
at a higher rate than any other book I have
ever owned ( and I have a personal library
of nearly 2000 volumes ) which places it,
in some sense, in the same catagory as the
mythical Necronomicon, though the spiritual
energy that flows from the work is of a
much higher order than Lovecraft's fictional
grimoire. It seems that Bertiaux has found
a way to create a "reciever" in
the form of a book, as anyone that studies
it, in my experience, begins to come in
contact with certain streams of power, whether
deliberately invoked or not.
As mentioned, Bertiaux's work is true to
the Gnostic perspective in that it is immensley
practical. Throughout the papers that form
the VGW and the Monastary of the Seven Rays
course Bertiaux outlines not only a technology
of occult practice but also a philosophy
whereby a magician may, following the methods
used by Bertiaux, develop a tech applicable
to any desired working. The work of the
Gnostic, as taught by Bertiaux does away
with the classical occult theories of the
past and instead develops his work along
radionic and creative lines. An example
of this can be found in his essay on the
Necronomicon
which gives several simple techniques for
exploring the power-zones that emminate
from that book. I have incorporated some
of these ideas in my N-Space
Mechanics : The Vision of the Temple.
Bertiaux also stresses the creative aspects
of magic and himself has created many "active"
works of art, including paintings which
have been reproduced (unfortunatly in black
and white) in Kennteth Grant's Typhonian
Trilogies. Several full color examples of
his expressionistic paintings can be seen
at the Caduceus
Books site.
The Seven rays are an Atlantean signifier
which have been cultivated by esotric societies
throughout recorded history. It should be
noted that the currents developed by Bertiaux
and the Monastary are listed as Gnostic,
Bon'pa, Tantric, Voudoo, Cabalistic and
Extra-Terrestrial Sources.
It is my contention that the revitalization
of the Gnostic currents can only come about
through the recognition of the vast Spiritual
complexes which are, in many different ways
connecected with the Earth in this critical
moment of history. Certainly, we are on
the cusp of the Aeon of Horus (or age of
Aquarius as it is popularly known) and to
this end the foundation of this work has
been developed into the present by the Adepts
of the previous century, from Blavatsky
and Levi, to Crowley and in the present,
Bertiaux, Kenneth Grant and others whose
work is less publically known. In fact,
the Nag Hamadi books were revealed, I believe,
in order that they might further engender
the incarnation of the Elect in the time
of this Phase/transition of the Aeons. It
is likewise no coincidence that they were
translated and published at precisly the
same time M.
Bertiax was opening the Monastary of the
Seven Rays to a wider
public. To this end, the History continues:
However, some adepts of the Inner Order
realized the importance and the desirability
of participating in the Work of the New
Aeon and on August 15, 1973, formal acceptance
of the Law of Thelema was allowed. (4)
This event was also critical, as the Law
of Thelema was in danger of falling, as
it were, on rocky ground(5) as the stagnation
of the "orthodox" OTO shows. Bertaiux's
extension of the 93 Current (in the Aivass(6)
Physics and elswhere) demonstrates the vitality
of the Logos of the Aeon, though I believe
it shall manifest (outwardly, at least)
through the rectification of the currents
founded by Christ Himself which was transmitted
through Paul to Valentinus and, ultimately,
hidden from the world until this very moment.
For
the magician, every day is a battle to hold
back the forces of Evil.
- Voudon
Gnostic Workbook, Chapter 9, The Battleground
of the Gnosis. |
* By official I mean
it is posted on the main site of the OTOA
in the US and Europe (and so I presume approved),
not that either of these sites represent
it as an Official document of the OTOA.
(1) Also known as Papus (he)
is primarily remembered as an author
of books on magic, Qabalah and the Tarot...As
a young man, Encausse spent a great deal
of time at the Bibliothèque Nationale
studying the Qabalah, the Tarot, the sciences
of magic and alchemy, and the writings of
Eliphas Lévi. He joined (briefly)
the French Theosophical Society ...He was
also a member of the H.B. of L. [Hermetic
Brotherhood of Luxor
--ed.]...in 1888, Papus, Saint-Yves and
de Guaita joined with Joséphin Péladan
and Oswald Wirth to found the Kabbalistic
Order of the Rose-Croix.
In 1891, Papus formed an organization called
l'Ordre des Supérieurs Inconnus of
three degrees, commonly known as the Order
of the Martinists, which was based on two
extinct Masonic Rites: the Rite of Elus-Cohens
or Elected Priests of Martinez Paschalis,
or de Pasqually (c.1700-1774 e.v.); and
the Rectified Rite of Saint-Martin of Louis
Claude de Saint-Martin (1743-1803 e.v.)
In 1893, Papus was consecrated a bishop
of l'Église Gnostique de France by
Jules Doinel, who had founded this Church
as an attempt to revive the Cathar religion
in 1890. In 1895, Doinel abdicated as Primate
of the French Gnostic Church leaving control
of the Church to a synod of three of his
former bishops, one of whom was Papus. In
March of the same year, Papus joined the
Ahathoor Temple of the Golden Dawn in Paris.
- Invisible
Basilica
Encausse's writings
on the Tarot are still, I think, some of
the best works on the subject if one is
fortunate enough to find them (in English).
(2) http://www.techniciansofthesacred.com/new_page_16.html
(3)http://www.otoa-lcn.org/ecykle.htm
(4)http://www.techniciansofthesacred.com/new_page_16.html
(5)cf Gosp. Mark Chapter 4, 3-9.
(6) or Aiwass
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