Agape Lodge
This article is about a Thelema topic
The Agape Lodge was an American chapter of Ordo Templi Orientis founded in California in 1935 by Wilfred Talbot Smith. After World War II, it was the only remaining O.T.O. organization. The O.T.O. itself traced its origins back to Carl Kellner and underwent leadership changes until Aleister Crowley took over in 1925. In 1935, Smith established Agape Lodge No. 2 in Hollywood, drawing in initiates through advertisements and hosting regular meetings, lectures, and social events, including a Gnostic Mass open to the public.
The lodge faced challenges in 1936 when Smith and another member faced consequences at their workplace due to their involvement, leading to a temporary shutdown of private ritual activities. The lodge experienced growth in 1939 with the initiation of Jack Parsons, a jet fuel engineer, and his wife Helen. However, tensions arose within the lodge, including a murder accusation in 1939, leading to negative publicity.
In 1941, conflicts intensified with the entry of Helen's sister Sara Northrup, who had an affair with Jack Parsons, causing a rift between sisters and further disrupting the lodge's harmony. The lodge moved to Pasadena in 1942 and faced scrutiny from law enforcement agencies due to allegations of a "black magic cult." Crowley and Karl Germer criticized Smith's leadership, leading to Jack Parsons taking over as the head of the lodge in 1942.
In 1945, L. Ron Hubbard became involved with the lodge, leading to a controversial business venture in 1946 that resulted in financial losses and legal disputes. Parsons, facing personal and financial turmoil, sold the Parsonage, and the Agape Lodge stopped holding regular meetings in 1949.
Background
The original O.T.O. was founded by the wealthy Austrian industrialist Carl Kellner. After Kellner died in 1905, Theodor Reuss became the Outer Head of the Order. After Reuss died in 1923, Aleister Crowley was elected Head of the Order in 1925.
In 1915, the lesser-known Agapé Lodge No. 1 of Vancouver, B.C., had been established.
Hollywood: 1935 - 1936
In 1935, Wilfred Talbot Smith established Agape Lodge No. 2 at his Hollywood home, 1746 Winona Boulevard (now demolished). In September 1935, he initiated seven members to the Minerval level of the Ordo Templi Orientis. Smith promoted the formation of his group through an advertisement in American Astrology magazine and printed a pamphlet explaining the O.T.O. The Agape Lodge conducted regular meetings, lectures, study classes, social events, and a weekly Gnostic Mass that was open to the public.
In February 1936, the lodge held a Mass to honor Wayne Walker, a leader of the New Thought movement who ran a group called "The Voice of Healing." The members of the Agape Lodge aimed to attract Walker and his supporters to Thelema, but the Lodge's sexual openness deterred them. Later in 1936, Smith and Jacobi's employer, the Southern California Gas Company, found out about their involvement with the Lodge, resulting in Smith's demotion to bookkeeper and Jacobi's termination. Upset, Jacobi completely left the Lodge, while Smith decided to suspend the group's private ritual activities for the following three years. Consequently, public attendance at the Gnostic Mass dramatically declined.
Hollywood: 1939 - March 1940
In 1939, the group initiated Jack Parsons, a jet fuel engineer, and his wife Helen Parsons, who had become interested in the O.T.O. through attending the Gnostic Mass. Smith wrote to Crowley that Parsons was "a really excellent man ... He has an excellent mind and much better intellect than myself ... JP is going to be very valuable". The Parsons would help bring new members into the group Grady McMurtry and his fiancée Claire Palmer, and Helen's sister Sara Northrup.
- February 1939
In February 1939, a young college student named Ayna Sosoyena, who had attended the mass, was murdered. Although police found no connection to the Lodge, sensationalist local tabloids linked the two, unaware that the Lodge was associated with Crowley and Thelema. A sympathetic local radio reporter allowed Smith to explain the purpose of the mass to ease fears about the group, but the interview was never aired due to an agreement with the local press to drop the story.
Crowley appointed Karl Germer, a German Thelemite who had recently arrived in the US, as his representative on the continent and instructed Germer to manage the payment of dues to himself. He also specified that Germer, not Smith, would be his designated successor.
Regina Kahl, a drama teacher, introduced three of her interested students to the group, including Phyllis Seckler. Other individuals who joined the group were Louis T. Culling and Roy Leffingwell.
The Lodge again ceased its private activities from March 1940 to March 1941.
Sara Northrup joins, 1941
Sara Northrup joined the O.T.O. in 1941, at Parsons' urging, and was given the title of Soror [Sister] Cassap. She soon rose to the rank of a second-degree member, or "Magician," of the O.T.O.
At the age of seventeen (June, 1941) Northrup began a passionate affair with Parsons while her sister Helen was away on vacation. She made a striking impression on the other lodgers.
When Helen returned, she found Northrup wearing Helen's own clothes and calling herself Parsons' "new wife." Such conduct was expressly permitted by the O.T.O., following Crowley's disdain of marriage as a "detestable institution" and accepted the swapping of wives and partners between O.T.O. members as commonplace.
Although both were devoted O.T.O. members, Northrup's usurpation of Helen's role resulted in conflict between the two sisters. Parsons and Helen's reactions toward Northrup were strikingly different. Parsons directly told Helen that he preferred Northrup sexually: "This is a fact that I can do nothing about. I am better suited to her temperamentally – we get along well. Your character is superior. You are a greater person. I doubt she would endure what you have with me – or support me as effectively." Some years later, addressing himself as "You," Parsons reflected that his affair with Northrup (whom he called Betty) marked a significant step in his development as a practitioner of magick: "Betty served to facilitate a transference from Helen at a critical period ... Your passion for Betty also provided you with the magical force needed at the time, and the act of adultery tinged with incest served as your magical confirmation in the law of Thelema." Conflicted in her emotions, Helen sought solace in Smith and began a relationship with him that lasted for the rest of his life; the four remained friends.
Northrup's hostility towards other members of the O.T.O. caused further tensions in the house, which Aleister Crowley heard about from communications from her housemates. He dubbed her "the alley-cat" after an unnamed mutual acquaintance told him that Parsons's attraction to her was like "a yellow pup bumming around with his snout glued to the rump of an alley-cat." Concluding that she was a vampire, which he defined as "an elemental or demon in the form of a woman" who sought to "lure the Candidate to his destruction," he warned that Northrup was a grave danger to Parsons and to the "Great Work" which the O.T.O. was carrying out in California.
Other O.T.O. members raised similar concerns. The O.T.O.'s U.S. head, Karl Germer, described her as "an ordeal sent by the gods." Her disruptive behavior shocked Fred Gwynn, a new O.T.O. member residing in the commune at 1003 South Orange Blvd: "Betty went to almost fantastical lengths to interrupt the O.T.O. meetings that Jack organized. If she couldn't break them up by making social engagements with key personnel, she and her crew would head to a bar and keep calling in asking for certain people to come to the phone."
Relocation to Pasadena in June 1942
In June 1942, several other Thelemites moved to 1003 South Orange Grove Blvd, an American Craftsman-style mansion. They all shared the $100 monthly rent and lived communally, creating a new base for the Agape Lodge, replacing Winona Boulevard. They maintained a garden and butchered their own livestock for meat, as well as for blood rituals. Parsons decorated his new room with a copy of the Stele of Revealing, a statue of Pan, and his collection of swords and daggers. He transformed the garage and laundry room into a chemical laboratory, often hosting science fiction discussion meetings in the kitchen and entertaining the children with fairy hunts in the 25-acre garden.
Parsons stirred up controversy in Pasadena due to his preferred clientele. Parsonage resident Alva Rogers recalled in a 1962 article for an occultist fanzine: "In the ads placed in the local paper, Jack specified that only bohemians, artists, musicians, atheists, anarchists, or any other exotic types needed to apply for rooms—any mundane soul would be unceremoniously rejected."
Some veteran Lodge members disliked Parsons' influence, fearing it promoted excessive sexual polyandry that was religiously harmful, but his charismatic speeches at Lodge meetings ensured his popularity among most followers. Parsons soon launched the Thelemite journal Oriflamme, where he published his poetry, but Crowley remained unimpressed—mainly because of Parsons' mentions of drug use—and the project was quickly abandoned.
Despite the arguments among the commune members, Parsons remained committed to Thelema. He contributed nearly all of his salary to the O.T.O. while actively recruiting new members—including Forman—and he financially supported Crowley in London through Germer. Parsons had started a relationship with Sara Northrup, while Smith comforted Helen, who would become his lifelong partner; however, the four of them remained friends. Even though they had stopped publicly performing the Gnostic Mass, the lodge's membership continued to increase.
Several prominent members, however, departed, including Regina Kahl and Phyllis Seckler.
Law enforcement concerns
Agape Lodge soon came under investigation by both the Pasadena Police Department and the FBI. Both agencies received allegations of a "black magic cult" involved in sexual orgies; one complainant was a 16-year-old boy who claimed lodge members raped him, while neighbors reported a ritual involving a naked pregnant woman jumping through fire. Karl Germer, the current leader of the North American O.T.O., originally hailed from Germany. Neither agency found evidence of illegal activity and concluded that the Lodge posed no threat to national security.
Parsons becomes head of the lodge
Crowley, however, had remained highly critical of Smith's leadership of the lodge and ordered Wolfe to send him on a personal magical retreat. She felt conflicted but ultimately complied with Crowley's demands. Both Crowley and Germer wanted to see Smith removed permanently, believing he had become a negative influence on the other lodge members. Many of the members, including Jack and Helen Parsons, wrote to them defending their mentor, but Germer nonetheless ordered him to step down, with Parsons appointed as head of the lodge.
In New York, Jack Parsons met with Karl Germer, the head of the O.T.O. in North America.
In December 1941, Smith announced a policy requiring all Lodge members to contribute 5% of their earnings as an "Emergency Fee" that would go to Crowley.
Around this time, Smith suffered a mild heart attack and retired at the age of 56 before undergoing an operation in February 1942.
After being a long-term heavy user of alcohol and marijuana, Parsons now habitually used cocaine, amphetamines, peyote, mescaline, and opiates as well. He continued to engage in sexual relations with multiple women, including McMurtry's fiancée Claire. When Parsons paid for her abortion, McMurtry was angered, and their friendship deteriorated.
Refusing to take any further orders from Germer, Smith resigned from the O.T.O., while Parsons—who continued to be sympathetic and friendly to Smith throughout the conflict—halted lodge activities and stepped down as its head. In a letter informing Crowley of this decision, Smith wrote, "Would to God you understood your people better."
Germer then appointed Max Schneider as head of the Agape Lodge, which remained inactive, while Crowley, Germer, and Schneider began spreading falsehoods about Smith, including accusations that he was responsible for raping initiates—claims that many Lodge members refuted.
Parsons family
Helen gave birth to Smith's son, Kwan Lanval Parsons, in April. In May, Smith and Helen left for a two-room cabin in Rainbow Valley, California, taking their baby with them, where Smith began his magical retirement. Back in England, Crowley conducted an astrological analysis of Smith's birth chart and concluded that he was the incarnation of a god, which significantly altered his perception of Smith; however, Smith remained skeptical.
Helen was significantly less optimistic, writing in her diary that she sensed a "sore spot where my heart should be." She engaged in intense—sometimes violent—arguments with both Parsons and Northrup. Helen began an affair with Wilfred Smith, Parsons' mentor in the O.T.O., and had a son in 1943 who bore Parsons' surname, even though Smith most likely fathered him. Northrup also became pregnant but had an abortion on April 1, 1943, arranged by Parsons and carried out by Dr. Zachary Taylor Malaby, a prominent physician and Democratic politician from Pasadena.
Parsons continued to provide financial support to Smith and Helen, even though he requested a divorce from her and defied Crowley's orders by inviting Smith back to the Parsonage when his retreat concluded.
Arrival of L. Ron Hubbard in August 1945
In August 1945, L. Ron Hubbard visited 1003 South Orange Grove Blvd. at the behest of Lou Goldstone, a well-known science fiction illustrator who lived there.
Parsons immediately took a liking to Hubbard and invited him to stay in the house. Parsons wrote to Crowley that, although Hubbard had "no formal training in Magick, he possesses an extraordinary amount of experience and understanding in the field. Based on some of his experiences, I deduce he is in direct contact with some higher intelligence, possibly his Guardian Angel. ... He is the most Thelemic person I have ever met and is in complete accord with our own principles."
Hubbard became Parsons' "magical partner" for a sex magic ritual that was intended to summon an incarnation of a goddess.
Hubbard soon began to engage in "affairs with one girl after another in the house." Ultimately, Northrup became infatuated with Hubbard. The two of them made no secret of their relationship; another lodger at Parsons' house noted how he saw Hubbard "living off Parsons' generosity and hooking up with his girlfriend right in front of him. Sometimes when they sat at the table together, the tension was almost palpable." Parsons, despite attempting to suppress his feelings, became intensely jealous. He felt deeply disheartened but tried to maintain a brave facade, informing Aleister Crowley:
About three months ago, I met Captain L. Ron Hubbard, a writer and explorer whom I had known for some time. He is a gentleman with red hair and green eyes; he is honest and intelligent, and we have become great friends. He moved in with me about two months ago, and although Betty and I remain friendly, she has transferred her affection to Ron.
I believe I have made significant progress, and since Betty and I are the best of friends, there is little to lose. I cared for her quite deeply, but I have no desire to control her emotions; I can, I hope, manage my own. I need a magical partner, and I have many experiments in mind.
Inspired by Crowley's novel Moonchild (1917), Parsons and Hubbard sought to magically conceive a "magical child" through immaculate conception. This child, born to a woman somewhere on Earth nine months after the work's completion, would become the Thelemic messiah embodying Babalon. To quote Metzger, the aim of the Babalon Working was "a daring attempt to shatter the boundaries of space and time," facilitating the emergence of Thelema's Æon of Horus, according to Parsons. Crowley was bewildered and concerned by the project, expressing to Germer that he was "fairly frantic when I contemplate the idiocy of these louts!"
Motivated to find a new partner through occult means, Parsons began devoting his energy to practicing black magic, raising concerns among his fellow O.T.O. members, who feared he was invoking troublesome spirits into the Parsonage. Jane Wolfe wrote to Crowley that "our own Jack is enamored with Witchcraft, the houmfort ↗[Note 1], and voodoo. From the start, he always wanted to evoke something—no matter what, I am inclined to think, as long as he got a result." He informed the residents that he was imbuing statues in the house with magical energy to sell them to fellow occultists. One ritual allegedly brought screaming banshees to the windows of the Parsonage, an incident that troubled Forman for the rest of his life. Parsons reported paranormal occurrences in the house resulting from the rituals, including poltergeist activity, sightings of orbs and ghostly apparitions, alchemical (sylphic) effects on the weather, and disembodied voices. One modern scholar speculates that the voices were a prank by Hubbard and Sara.
In December 1945, Parsons began a series of rituals based on Enochian magic during which he masturbated onto magical tablets, accompanied by Sergei Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto. Describing this magical operation as the Babalon Working, he hoped to bring about the incarnation of Thelemite goddess Babalon onto Earth. He allowed Hubbard to participate as his "scribe," believing he was susceptible to detecting magical phenomena. As described by Richard Metzger, "Parsons jerked off in the name of spiritual advancement" while Hubbard "scanned the astral plane for signs and visions."
Hubbard–Northrup–Parsons business venture of 1946
In early 1946, Hubbard, Northrup, and Parsons decided to start a business together. They planned to purchase yachts on the East Coast and sail them to California for resale at a profit. On January 15, 1946, they formed a partnership called "Allied Enterprises." Parsons invested $20,000 in capital, Hubbard contributed $1,200, while Northrup did not invest anything.
When Cameron departed for a trip to New York, Parsons retreated to the desert, where he believed that a preternatural[Note 2] entity psychographically provided him with Liber 49, which represented a fourth part of Crowley's The Book of the Law, the primary sacred text of Thelema, as well as part of a new sacred text he called the Book of Babalon.
Their final ritual took place in the Mojave Desert in late February 1946, during which Parsons abruptly decided that his undertaking was complete. On returning to the Parsonage he discovered that a woman named Marjorie Cameron—an unemployed illustrator and former Navy WAVE—had come to visit. Believing her to be the "elemental" woman and manifestation of Babalon that he had invoked, in early March Parsons began performing sex magic rituals with Cameron, who acted as his "Scarlet Woman", while Hubbard continued to participate as the amanuensis. Unlike the rest of the household, Cameron knew nothing at first of Parsons' magical intentions: "I didn't know anything about the O.T.O., I didn't know that they had invoked me, I didn't know anything, but the whole house knew it. Everybody was watching to see what was going on." Despite this ignorance and her skepticism about Parsons' magic, Cameron reported her sighting of an Unidentified flying object (UFO) to Parsons, who secretly recorded the sighting as a materialization of Babalon. [[File:L Ron and Sara Hubbard June 1946.jpg|upright|thumb|left|Hubbard and Northrup aboard the schooner Blue Water II in Miami, Florida, June 1946.
In April 1946, Hubbard and Northrup left for Florida, taking with him $10,000 drawn from the Allied Enterprises account to fund the purchase of the partnership's first yacht. Weeks passed without a word from Hubbard. Louis Culling, another O.T.O. member, wrote to Karl Germer to explain the situation:
As you may know, by this time, Brother John signed a partnership agreement with Ron and Betty whereby all money earned by the three for life is equally divided between the three. As far as I can ascertain, Brother John has put in all of his money ... Meanwhile, Ron and Betty have bought a boat for themselves in Miami for about $10,000 and are living the life of Riley, while Brother John is living at Rock Bottom, and I mean Rock Bottom. It appears that originally, the (y never secretly intended to bring this boat around to the California coast to sell at a profit, as they told Jack, but rather to have a good time on it on the East Coast.
Crowley wrote to opine: "It seems to me, based on the information of our brethren in California, that Parsons has an illumination in which he has lost all his personal independence. He has given away both his girl and his money from our brother's account. Apparently it is the ordinary confidence trick."
Left "flat broke" by this defrauding, Parsons was incensed when he discovered that Hubbard and Sara had left for Miami with $10,000 of the money; he suspected a scam but was placated by a telephone call from Hubbard and agreed to remain business partners. When Crowley, in a telegram to Germer, dismissed Parsons as a "weak fool" and victim to Hubbard and Sara's obvious confidence trick, Parsons changed his mind, flew to Miami and placed a temporary injunction and restraining order on them. Upon tracking them down to a harbor in County Causeway, Parsons discovered that the couple had purchased three yachts as planned; they tried to flee aboard one but hit a squall and were forced to return to port. Parsons was convinced that he had brought them to shore through a lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram containing an astrological, geomantic invocation of Bartzabel—a vengeful spirit of Mars. Parsons initially attempted to obtain redress through magical means, carrying out a "Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram" to curse Hubbard and Northrup. He credited it with causing the couple to abort an attempt to evade him:
Hubbard attempted to escape me by sailing at 5 P.M., and I performed a full evocation to Bartzabel [the spirit of Mars or War] within the circle at 8 P.M. At the same time, so far as I can check, his ship was struck by a sudden squall off the coast, which ripped off his sails and forced him back to port, where I took the boat in custody... Here I am in Miami, pursuing the children of my folly; they cannot move without going to jail. However, I am afraid that most of the money has already been dissipated.
Parsons subsequently resorted to more conventional means of obtaining redress and sued the couple on July 1 in the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Florida. His lawsuit accused Hubbard and Northrup of breaking the terms of their partnership, dissipating the assets, and attempting to abscond. Eleven days later, the case was settled out of court, with Hubbard and Northrup agreeing to refund some of Parsons' money while keeping a yacht, the "Harpoon," for themselves.
Northrup was able to dissuade Parsons from pressing his case by threatening to expose their past relationship, which had begun when she was under the legal age of consent. Hubbard's relationship with Northrup, while legal, had already caused alarm among those who knew him; Virginia Heinlein, the wife of the science fiction writer Robert Heinlein, regarded Hubbard as "a very sad case of post-war breakdown" and Northrup as his "latest Man-Eating Tigress."
Parsons was ultimately compensated with only $2,900. Hubbard, already married to Margaret Grubb, bigamously married Sara and went on to found Dianetics and Scientology.
Fate
Parsons sold the Parsonage to developers for $25,000 under the condition that he and Cameron could continue to live in the coach house. Parsons appointed Roy Leffingwell to head the Agape Lodge, which would now have to meet elsewhere for its rituals. Agapé Lodge continued in Southern California until 1949, after which the Lodge ceased to hold regular meetings.
Left "flat broke" by this defrauding, Parsons was incensed when he discovered that Hubbard and Sara had left for Miami with $10,000 of the money; he suspected a scam but was placated by a telephone call from Hubbard and agreed to remain business partners. When Crowley, in a telegram to Germer, dismissed Parsons as a "weak fool" and victim to Hubbard and Sara's obvious confidence trick, Parsons changed his mind, flew to Miami and placed a temporary injunction and restraining order on them. Upon tracking them down to a harbor in County Causeway, Parsons discovered that the couple had purchased three yachts as planned; they tried to flee aboard one but hit a squall and were forced to return to port. Parsons was convinced that he had brought them to shore through a lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram containing an astrological, geomantic invocation of Bartzabel—a vengeful spirit of Mars. Parsons initially attempted to obtain redress through magical means, carrying out a "Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram" to curse Hubbard and Northrup. He credited it with causing the couple to abort an attempt to evade him:
Members and notable associates
In addition to earlier members, a document entitled "O.T.O. Degree Work 1938-43" lists the names and initiation dates of 57 initiates.
- Wilfred Talbot Smith was an English occultist and ceremonial magician who founded the California Agape Lodge in 1935.
- Karl Germer, who moved to the lodge after he was released from internment at Esterwegen concentration camp in 1941.
- Jane Wolfe was an American silent film actor who took part in the founding of the Agape Lodge of Ordo Templi Orientis in Southern California as well as being its lodge master.
- Oliver Jacobi, a co-worker of Smith's at the gas company.
- Roy Edward Leffingwell (2/24/1938), a Pasadena radio broadcaster and pianist, he became head of the lodge after Jack Parsons.
- Jack Parsons (2/15/1939), rocket fuel engineer, owner of Pasadena mansion, who became head of the Lodge. Spouse of Helen Parsons, brother-in-law and later, lover, to Sara Northrup.
- Helen Parsons (2/15/1939), spouse of Jack Parsons, sister of Sara Northrup. Ultimately married Wilfred Talbot Smith.
- Harold S. Soule (8/26/39), son-in-law of Roy Leffingwell and recording engineer.
- Phyllis Seckler (8/26/1939), who in the 1970s would marry Grady McMurty and be involved in reconstituting the OTO.
- Reea G. Leffingwell (8/26/1939), spouse of Roy Leffingwell
- Louis T. Culling (5/18/1941) had been a follower of Choronzon Club and GBG founder C. F. Russell. In 1946, Culling wrote to Crowley informing him of Parsons' business venture with L. Ron Hubbard, future founder of Dianetics and Scientology. Culling was an advocate of the practice of Dianism, which he explains is "sexual congress without bringing it to climax", with each participant instructed to regard their partner not as a "known earthly personality" but as a "visible manifestation of one's Holy Guardian Angel. In the 1960s, Culling published two works entitled The Complete Magickal Curriculum of the Secret Order G.'.B.'.G.'. and Sex Magick.
- Sara Northrup (6/13/1941), sister of Helen Parsons, sister-in-law and later lover of Jack Parsons, later spouse of L. Ron Hubbard.
- Grady McMurtry (6/13/1941) reconstituted the OTO in the 1970s, later married Phyllis Seckler
- Claire Palmer (6/13/1941)
- Ray G. Burlingame (12/14/1941)
- Richard Canright (7/18/1942)
- Barbara Canright (7/18/1942)
- Carl Rudolph Pastor (12/12/1942)
- Harry Helmuth Pastor (12/5/1942)
- Mildred Burlingame
- Regina Kahl
- Marjorie Cameron
- Alva Rogers
- Fred Gwynn transferred to Agape Lodge from the San Jose, California based AMORC in 1944-5, with his wife, Margot Shippen Cumings Gwynn. The couple moved into 1003 with their toddler, Margaret (Peggy) Shippen Gwynn. Fred broke with Agape Lodge in 1946-7 to study exclusively with Israel Regardie. During his Lodge days he served as Lodge Secretary.
- Margot Shippen Cumings Gwynn became an initiate in 1945-6 while living at 1003 with her husband, Fred Gwynn, who had been initiated earlier. She left with Fred and their daughter, Peggy, in 1946-7 to become Ron Hubbard’s private secretary and editor. She later rejoined the Rosicrucian Order.
Parsons also rented rooms at the 1003 S. Orange Grove Boulevard house to non-Thelemites, including journalist Nieson Himmel, Manhattan Project physicist Robert Cornog, and science fiction artist Louis Goldstone.
Notes
- ↑ A hounfour (also called oufo, hounfor, oum'phor, or houmfort) is a Vodou temple. The leader of the ceremony is a male priest called a houngan, or a female priest called a mambo. The term is believed to derive from the Fon houn for "abode of spirits."
- ↑ The preternatural (or praeternatural) is that which appears outside, beside or beyond (Latin: præter) the natural. It is "suspended between the mundane and the miraculous".
Further reading
- Carter, John (2004). Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons'Italic text (new ed.). Port Townsend: Feral House. ISBN 978-0-922915-97-2.
- Corydon, Bent (1987). L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?. Secaucus, New Jersey: Lyle Stuart. ISBN 978-0-8184-0444-3.
- Culling, Louis T.; Weschcke, Carl Llewellyn (2010). The Complete Magick Curriculum of the Secret Order G.B.G.: Being the Entire Study, Curriculum, Magick Rituals, and Initiatory Practices of the G.B.G (The Great Brotherhood of God). Llewellyn Worldwide. ISBN 978-0-7387-1912-2.
- Holt, Nathalia (June 2016). The Women Behind the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Atlantic.
- Kaczynski, Richard (2010). Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley (second ed.). Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books. ISBN 978-0-312-25243-4.
- Kansa, Spencer (2011). Wormwood Star: The Magickal Life of Marjorie Cameron. Oxford: Mandrake of Oxford. ISBN 978-1-906958-08-4.
- King, Francis (1977). The Magical World of Aleister Crowley. Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-77423-5.
- Lewis, James R. (1999). Witchcraft Today. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-134-2.
- Metzger, Richard (2008). Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult (second ed.). Newburyport, Massachusetts: Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari. ISBN 978-1-934708-34-7.
- Miller, Russell (2014). Bare-faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard (third ed.). London, England: Silvertail Books. ISBN 978-1-909269-14-9.
- Parsons, John Whiteside (2008). Three Essays on Freedom. York Beach, Maine: Teitan Press. ISBN 978-0-933429-11-6.
- Pendle, George (2005). Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-84853-0.
- Rasmussen, Cecilia (March 19, 2000). Life as Satanist Propelled Rocketeer. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- Starr, Martin P. (2003). The Unknown God: W.T. Smith and the Thelemites. Bollingbrook, Illinois: Teitan Press. ISBN 978-0-933429-07-9.
- Urban, Hugh B. (2006). Magia Sexualis: Sex, Magic, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism. Oakland, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-93288-3.
- Wright, Lawrence (2013). Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-307-70066-7
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