James Wasserman, Thelema & O.T.O.

SEP 22, 2017 James Wasserman WIKIPEDIA

James Wasserman (born 1948)^[1] is an American author and occultist. A member of Ordo Templi Orientis since 1976 and a book designer by trade, he has written extensively on spiritual and political liberty.

A member of O.T.O. since 1976, Wasserman founded one of its oldest lodges, Tahuti Lodge, in New York City in 1979.^[9] He has played a key role within the Order in publishing the literary corpus of Aleister Crowley. In 1983, he worked with two other members of O.T.O. to produce The Holy Books of Thelema,^[5][10][11] a collection of Crowley’s Class A (inspired) writings.

DEC 7, 2010 James Wasserman JAMES WASSERMAN BOOKS

After attending Antioch College, Jim Wasserman spent several years traveling in the U.S. in search of spiritual teaching. He settled in New York City in 1973 and began working at Samuel Weiser’s Bookstore, then the world’s largest English language occult specialist. After six months, he moved to the publishing department, where he rose to General Manager and helped develop Weiser’s in-house production department. Among his many responsibilities, he discovered a love for book design while creating his first book jacket.

Jim has also played a key role in numerous seminal publications of the literary corpus of the English philosopher Aleister Crowley. Three of the most important of these include his supervision of Weiser’s 1976 edition of The Book of the Law, in which the holograph manuscript was appended to the corrected typeset text of the O.T.O.’s 1938 publication, in conformity with the book’s instructions, for the first time in a popular volume. After several years of negotiation, he successfully arranged to professionally re-photograph the Crowley/Harris Tarot paintings for an improved second edition of the Thoth Tarot deck published in 1977, to which he contributed the Booklet of Instruction. In 1983, he helped to produce The Holy Books of Thelema, the critical collection of Crowley’s inspired (Class A) writings.

In 1992, Jim wrote and designed Art and Symbols of the Occult (Inner Traditions), which was revised and expanded in 2005 as The Mystery Traditions: Secret Symbols and Sacred Art. This magnificent collection of full color occult images is unmatched in its depth, scope, and beauty.

In 1993, he edited and wrote an extensive introduction to Aleister Crowley and the Practice of the Magical Diary, which was revised and expanded in 2006 for Redwheel/Weiser. Now fully annotated, it is an immensely useful text for both beginners and serious scholars of Crowley’s works.

In 1994, after 15 years of development, his groundbreaking edition of The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day was published by Chronicle Books. The book features a magnificent color reproduction of the complete Papyrus of Ani with an integrated English translation. Modern technology and painstaking book design were joined to reclaim and recreate an ancient masterpiece.

In 1996, he edited a new edition of Aleister Crowley’s epic poem AHA! Liber CCXLII with commentaries, to which he contributed an Afterword and redesigned text and cover (New Falcon Publications).

In 2001, his book The Templars and Assassins: The Militia of Heaven, a major study of the medieval Order of Assassins and the Knights Templar, was published by Inner Traditions. It would provide a prophetic look at Islamic Terrorism just four months prior to the September 11 attacks.

The Slave Shall Serve: Meditations on Liberty, published in 2004 (Sekmet Books), is his most controversial book. It is a collection of essays devoted to the relationship between Political Liberty and the Spiritual Path.

In 2005, he and his wife Nancy launched The Weiser Concise Guides, a series of books on basic occultism. Each book is written by an expert in the field and follows the overall theme of accessibility in theory and practice, as well as listing the best resources for continued study. The series includes five titles: Alchemy, Yoga, Herbs, Astrology, and the teachings of Aleister Crowley.

In 2006, Jim assembled a magnificent collection of Crusader images for An Illustrated History of the Knight Templar. This full-color masterpiece offers a visual cornupia of the Knights Templar Order, their fortifications in the Holy Land and Europe, historical battles, interpretative romantic paintings, along with modern photographs. The accompanying text and captions help to place the modern Crusades in context.

In 2007, Secret Societies: Illuminati, Freemasons, and the French Revolution was published by Ibis Press. An enlarged edition of the classic text by Una Birch, Secret Societies and the French Revolution, this book has nearly been doubled in length by Jim’s editorial efforts. A must for those who seek to understand the real influence of the Illuminati.
In 2007, he and Keith Stump completed the screenplay for Divine Warriors: The Birth of Heresy, an epic historic drama. Against the sweeping background of the medieval Crusades, two political and religious enemies from opposing mystical secret societies, the Knights Templar and Syrian Assassins, discover a unifying faith that leads them in a fight to protect and liberate mankind.

In 2008, The Secrets of Masonic Washington: Signs, Symbols, and Ceremonies at the Origin of America’s Capital was published by Inner Traditions. This full-color guide provides a history of Freemasonry and our Founding Fathers, as well as an inspiring walking tour of Washington, D.C. It includes important Masonic structures and symbols that fill the center of Americaƕs capital. It is a visual and poetic testament to the spiritual principles underlying the unique American experiment.

In early 2009, he and his wife Nancy released To Perfect This Feast: A Performance Commentary on the Gnostic Mass. An outgrowth of their resource website on Aleister Crowley’s Gnostic Mass, it breaks new ground in the understanding of that key rite.

In 2010, he and J. Daniel Gunther completed Pythagoras: His Life and Teachings, published by Ibis Press. Theh book is a compendium of classical sources on the Father of Philosophy, one of the most influential figures of all time.It has been and expanded for a modern audience. Originally written by Thomas Stanley and published in 1687, this edition includes a Preface by Manly P. Hall and an Introduction by Dr. Henry L. Drake. It includes a study of Greek and Latin sources and is illustrated.

Jim is currently working on An Illustrated History of Solomon’s Temple: The Spiritual Heart of the Bible. The Temple is the intersection between Heaven and Earth, the dwelling place of the Lord among His peoples, built when ancient Israel was at the peak of its political and spiritual power. The site of Solomon’s Temple became the headquarters of the Knights Templar, and is at the center of the founding myth of Freemasonry.

In addition to his love of graphic design and an interest in religion and creative mythology, he maintains an ardent passion for political Liberty. He is a student of the United States Constitution, the writings of the Founding Fathers, and is a lifetime member of the NRA.

SEP 22, 2017 Tahuti Lodge: Ordo Temple Orientis in the Valley of New York City TAHUTI LODGE

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
AL I:40

Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), the Order of Oriental Templars, is an international fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century. The O.T.O. is dedicated to the high purpose of securing the Liberty of the Individual and his or her advancement in light, Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, and Power. This is accomplished through Beauty, Courage, Wit, on the Foundation of Universal Brotherhood.

Love is the law, love under will
AL I:57

With this Magical “Oath of Encampment”, a small group of young, ceremonial magicians gathered together to perform the Natal Working consecrating the birth of Tahuti Encampment of the Ordo Templi Orientis. The date was Sunday, October 21, 1979 e.v. Sol and Luna were in the Sign of Libra, the Scales.

It had only been one month to the day that Brother James Wasserman had received his Charter authorizing him to operate and administer a Camp of the O.T.O. in New York City from Caliph Hymenaeus Alpha IX*, X*. Br. Wasserman and close friend Br. Richard Gernon were the nucleus of a group of devoted practitioners of the works and teachings of Aleister Crowley.

For more information on the early history of Tahuti Lodge, O.T.O., and the NYC occult scene during this time, refer to In the Center of the Fire: A Memoir of the Occult 1966-1989 by James Wasserman.

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