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V i va 4 1 8Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.It is my pleasure to announce the resurrection of our 418 newsletter.418 is the official newsletter of Abrahadabra Oasis, the local body of theOrdo Templi Orientis. One of the goals of this publication is to offer aforum to express Thelemic thought, whether it be in the form of poetry,art, or as an informational article. Please send your submissions to418@abrahadabra-oto.org.Abrahadabra Oasis418So what does 418 stand for? The qabalistic number of the wordAbrahadabra is 418. Abrahadabra is also referred to as the “Word ofDouble Power.” More specifically, it represents the uniting of thePhotograph taken byMicrocosm with the Macrocosm—represented by the pentagram andGwendolyn Beaulieuthe hexagram, the rose and the cross, the circle and the square, the 5and the 6, etc.—also called the attainment of the Knowledge andConversation of one's Holy Guardian Angel. You can see the importance of the number 418 tothose of us who practice Thelema.Abrahadabra is a word that appears in the Book of the Law, the central sacred text ofThelema. Its author, Aleister Crowley, described it as “the Word of the Æon”, which signifieththe Great Work accomplished. My hope is that this newsletter can serve as a medium for us allto accomplish the Great Work of our local body.Love is the law, love under will.In this issueM ay 2 0 1 2Special points of interest:About Ordo Templi Orientis2Alphonse Louis Constant3Upcoming Event Descriptions4-5 Original Art byNicholas “The Barbarian” Kelley Calendar of Events on back page.About usAbrahadabra Oasis is anofficial body of the Ordo TempliOrientis located in Portland,Maine.Ordo Templi Orientis is anouter Thelemic Order, which isdedicated to the high purpose ofsecuring the Liberty of theIndividual in his or heradvancement in Light, Wisdom,Understanding, Knowledge, andPower through Beauty,Courage, and Wit, on thefoundation of UniversalBrotherhood.418 is the official journal ofAbrahadabra Oasis. It is availablefor downloading in PDF formaton the Abrahadabra website.Submissions are accepted on anongoing basis. We are currentlyseeking submissions: Rituals,poetry, essays, artwork, andother original creativeexpressions are welcome.Please send submissions to:418@abrahadabra-oto.org

About Ordo Templi OrientisU.S. Grand Lodge is not a Lodge in the above sense; rather,it is the name of the entire national section of Ordo TempliOrientis in the United States, comprising all the local bodiesand members in the U.S., together with the administrativeofficers and governing bodies responsible for its operation.As a nonprofit corporate entity, U.S. Grand Lodge is knownas “O.T.O. U.S.A.” Our program synopsis and missionstatement provide a summary of the purpose and activities ofU.S. Grand Lodge.Ordo Templi Orientis is the first of the great Old Æon ordersto accept the Book of the Law, received by Aleister Crowley in1904 e.v. This book proclaims a New Æon in human thought,culture and religion. The Æon arises from a single supremeinjunction: the Law of Thelema, which is Do what thou wilt.This Law is not to be interpreted as a license to indulge everypassing whim, but rather as the mandate to discover one’s TrueWill and accomplish it; leaving others to do the same in theirown unique ways. “Every man and every woman is a star.” TheLaw of Thelema can ultimately be fulfilled only through theindividual efforts of each person. Nevertheless, many worthyaspirants to the Great Work of Thelema have a genuineneed for information, guidance, fellowship, or the opportunity to assist their fellow aspirants and serve humanity. Such aspirants will find welcome in O.T.O.If you wish to become a member of O.T.O., many resources are available to assist you in locating andcontacting a local body to apply for initiation.See the membership page (and the pages towhich it refers) for details. It should be clearlyunderstood that initiate membership in O.T.O.requires a physical ceremony, and that we offerno formal correspondence courses or other remote services, though informal correspondencewith members is welcome.O.T.O. was originally affiliated with European Masonry but is no longer a Masonic organization, though itshares some terminology and traditions with Masonry.The complex but intriguing history of O.T.O. may beof interest for the light it sheds on the origins of ourcurrent organization and goals.O.T.O. is a California nonprofit corporation anda federally recognized tax-exempt religious entity under IRS section 501c(3). We have provenourselves to be the genuine O.T.O. of AleisterCrowley, both in the U.S. Federal Courts, andmore importantly by our demonstrated successin faithfully promulgating practical Thelemic philosophythrough a careful implementation of Crowley’s vision of themission of the Order.The O.T.O. operates local bodies throughout theworld; most members participate directly in one or more ofthem. There are three levels of local bodies within the O.T.O.:Camps, Oases, and Lodges, in order of increasing importanceand services available. Most local bodies offer classes on magick, ritual, cabala, and other topics of interest to practicing Thelemites. Many bodies perform the EGC Gnostic Mass on a regular basis. Other common local activities include performanceof group rituals (for example, the Rites of Eleusis), publicationof a newsletter or journal, and cooperative activities with otherlocal alternative-religious groups. To find a local body nearyou, see the US local bodies or international contacts listings.All material 1996-2011 by Ordo Templi Orientis.Ordo Templi Orientis, O.T.O., and the O.T.O. Lamen are registered trademarks of Ordo Templi Orientis.Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica is a registered trademark of OrdoTempli Orientis USA.Please visit the U.S. Grand Lodge website atwww.oto-usa.org2

Alphonse Louis ConstantNoémi Cadiot, who left him seven years later.In 1852, Constant met the messianic mathematician Jozef Maria Hoëhne-Wronski (1778-1853), whose brilliant attempts atfusing philosophy, religion, and mathematics provided Constant with the impetus towards synthesizing the disparate elements of his own life: Christianity, utopian idealism, mysticism, and rationalism. This synthesis manifested as occultism,whose tenets Constant set forth in a treatise called Dogme dela magie, written under the pen name Eliphas Lévi. The treatise was later developed into Lévi's most famous work, Dogmeet rituel de la haute magie.(1810-1875 e.v.)by T. ApiryonCopyright 1995, 1997Ordo Templi Orientis. All rights reserved.Usually known by his pseudonym “EliphasLévi Zahed,” which is a translation of hisname into Hebrew, this Parisian was almost single-handedly responsible for the popular resurgence of the Secret Traditions in the19th Century. Lévi synthesized Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism,Qabalism, Gnosticism, Masonry, Rosicrucianism, Alchemy, Tarot,Mesmerism, Spiritism, along with the writings of Boehme, Swedenborg, Paracelsus, and Knorr von Rosenroth into what we knowtoday as “occultism.”After Noémi had left him, he moved for a short time to England, where he met with Sir Edward Bulwer (later Lord) Lytton, and where he performed his famous evocation of Apollonius of Tyana. He returned to Paris, took on a number of pupils, and became increasingly famous and influential throughhis unique writings on philosophy and scientific theurgy, aswell as his personal charm.Constant was born the son of a poor shoemaker in Paris. He attended a Catholic school for poor children, where he showed agreat aptitude for religion. At 15, he entered the seminary of SaintNicolas du Chardonnet to study for the priesthood, where helearned, among other religious matters, the Hebrew language. Themaster of this seminary, Abbé Frère-Colonna, taught the youngConstant that humanity, fallen from the bosom of God throughoriginal sin, must return towards Him by a process which tearshim away from matter and gradually spiritualizes him. He alsotaught the boy that history was divided into four great eras of progressively greater spiritualization: the first began with Adam; thesecond began with Abraham; the third began with Jesus; and thefourth was to begin with the advent of the Paraclete, the HolySpirit. Abbé Frère was deposed for his views while Constant wasstill attending the seminary. Constant always remained faithful tothe basic tenets of Catholicism, but he never forgave the Ecclesiastical authorities for disgracing his beloved teacher.Aleister Crowley considered him to have been an Adeptus Major, as well as his own immediately previous incarnation.Crowley translated his La Clé des Grandes Mystéres (“The Keyof the Mysteries” 1861), which Crowley considered to be hisown Adeptus Exemptus thesis. Lévi’s Dogme et Rituel de lahaute magie (1855-56 & 61, translated into English by A. E.Waite under the title “Transcendental Magic”) is included inthe Liber E reading list and is required reading for entry to theprobationer level of A A His other major published works include: Histoire de la magie(1860), La Mystéres de la qabalah (Ms. 1861, publ. 1920),Legendes et symboles (1862), La Science des esprits (1865),Paradoxes of the Highest Science (1883), Livre des splendeurs(1894), Clés majeurs et clavicules de Salomon (1895), Le Livredes sages (1912) and The Magical Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum (1970).In 1832, he entered the theological college of Saint-Sulplice andwas ordained Deacon in 1835. His years at Saint-Sulplice weredreary and disillusioning, as the students vied for the favor of thedirectors who manipulated and coerced them. He was scheduledto be ordained Priest in 1836, but he had met and fallen in lovewith a young girl. Although nothing ever came of the relationship,he realized that he could not live without human affection andabandoned his vows before his ordination.References:Crowley, Aleister; The Book of Thoth [1944], Samuel Weiser, NewYork 1969/74King, Francis and Isabel Sutherland; The Rebirth of Magic, Corgi,Aylesbury 1982McIntosh, Christopher; Eliphas Lévi and the French Occult Revival,Rider & Co., London 1972Webb, James; The Occult Underground, Library Press, LaSalle,Illinois 19742/1/97Originally published in Red Flame No. 2 - Mystery of Mystery: APrimer of Thelemic Ecclesiastical Gnosticism by Tau Apiryon andHelena; Berkeley, CA 1995 e.v.After hearing of his apostasy, his mother committed suicide. AfterSaint-Sulplice, Constant spent a period associating with revolutionary socialists, including Flora Tristan, grandmother of PaulGauguin and M. Ganneau, the “Mapah.” He spent three short3