We’re looking
forward to May 1st, and the release of The Rite of Saturn.
Last week, we shared the first act of The Rite of Jupiter.
This week, we’re
offering Act One of The Rite of Mars. Once again, yes, we know that
The Rite of Mars was originally presented as a one act play, but once
again, we found the intermission important for the way we framed the
narrative.
Please enjoy it, and
if you are interested, you can stream the rest!
While you are
visiting our Vimeo site, you can also enjoy this introductory lecture
by Dr. Richard Kaczynski, free for streaming and download.
And if you are super excited to get your copy of The Rite of Saturn, you can order advance copies of the DVD from Amazon.
Let’s begin with the assumption that you want to make art, be it staging a Rite of Eleusis, or any other means of self expression. Then let’s continue with the idea that you want to share that art with other people.
How do you do it?
Start with the basics: social media, invite your friends, posters, and reaching out to any special interest blogs, podcasts or online magazines that appeal to your target audience.
But in terms of really bringing in an enthusiastic crowd, we suggest you make an event of the presentation. Over the years we explored several manners for doing this to greater and lesser success. Here is a mile high overview of our strategy.
We Started Taking the Show on the Road
We staged The Rite of Luna in 2005, and before presenting it in May in Seattle, we traveled to Sekhet Maat Lodge in Portland, OR to do a “pre-show”.
This was a somewhat stripped down version of the final presentation, without the multimedia aspects and some of the larger set pieces. But it served as a target date to get the cast ready for performance, allowed us to create buzz around the material we were presenting, and work out some of the kinks in front of a supportive crowd.
The Rite of Mercury at Sekhet Maat Lodge, 2010
The members of the Lodge really loved having us, and we learned that strange rule performing artists encounter, the further you travel, the cooler you are.
This method went well enough that we used the same strategy for two more shows, The Rite of Venus in 2007, and The Rite of Mercury in 2010. At some point I should go into detail on The Rite of Venus 7/7/7 event, as that deserves a post all it’s own.
As we continued to explore this strategy, we discovered that there were problems and expenses associated with travel we had not anticipated. In addition, as our sets grew more and more elaborate, the idea of bringing them to other locations became more problematic.
So we needed to explore a new strategy.
We Brought the Show Home
Employing that aforementioned strange rule (the further you travel, the cooler you are) in it’s converse, we decided to invite a guest speaker from out of town with a solid draw (and so much charm!) to speak for one of our performances. We then increased the ticket cost for that one show enough to cover airfare and expenses.
Thus we had one person traveling, no sets, and a draw that naturally created a more robust event. Additionally, buzz about the lecture event increased buzz about the remaining performances.
Lon Milo DuQuette
Our first guest lecture was delivered by the inestimable Lon Milo DuQuette, who was kind enough to give a talk and performance before one of our presentations of The Rite of Sol, as well as provide a couple of lectures for Horizon Lodge, our local O.T.O. body.
The “video” of Lon’s Lecture, created by Daniel Christensen
We had this wonderful plan to record the lecture on video and make it a special feature on the DVD. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the recording media. The video was entirely lost. But as fate would have it, we had audio rolling through the lecture as well.
Our good friend Daniel Christensen volunteered to create a power point style video to accompany the lecture, which we placed on YouTube, and which continues to receive traffic to this date.
Incidentally, Daniel has invited his mother to several of our presentations, which she has always graciously attended and appreciated. After seeing the last one, Daniel proceeded to show her clips from some of the others she had missed, and to try to explain the overall narrative. She was confused by much of this. Eventually, he showed her the video he had created for Lon’s lecture.
After watching it, she turned to him and asked: “Why didn’t you show this to me first?”
As it turns out, this lecture is an excellent introduction to the overall structure of The Rites of Eleusis.
After our success with a guest speaker for The Rite of Sol, we decided this was a better investment of our resources. Since then we have had the pleasure of having Richard Kaczynski, Merle Ward and Dr. David Shoemaker provide guest lectures, each bringing their own wit and wisdom to their presentations.
The best part of this practice is having the opportunity to hear the lectures in the theater, while immersed in the work itself. It really drives the material home.
“It is necessary, in this world, to be made of harder stuff than one’s environment.” ― Aleister Crowley
This post has been delayed because I find the subject matter particularly difficult. For my own part, I have nothing but the deepest appreciation and respect for everyone who wanted to work with us along the way, and I make it a practice to foster an attitude of gratitude for the abundant support we have been provided. I have always seen my role as being supportive to the artists we work with, and have made every effort to be understanding and patient when situations become difficult.
Complaining about other people and their behavior, especially in a public forum, isn’t something I am either keen to do, or particularly comfortable with.
Yet, it would be a disservice to anyone looking for practical advice if I were to pretend that there were never interpersonal challenges, never disagreements, and that we were never placed in a situation where we made the decision to remove a cast or crew member from our team. It happened on several occasions over the years, and each time was uncomfortable, but ultimately we did what we thought was best for the team, and the project.
This particular post, like many others, also presumes that you, the reader, are the person running the project, and the advise is geared accordingly.
In our last post we talked about Adjustment, course correction, and how moving forward often means just, “not taking things personally”. Rather than succumbing to frustration, accept the reality and soldier on. This is likewise the first order of business in conflict management when dealing with difficult people.
“We were just joking!” Capricornus explains to Choragoge
Fortunately, those skills will likely cover you over 80% of the time, and often fostering the attitude of courageous adjustment on your team is enough to smooth out the wrinkles and keep the project moving forward without taking further action. It is surprising, but true, that when you tell people that you expect them to be able to handle a challenge, and when you put that idea to them with conviction, that they will believe you and act accordingly!
The other 20% of the time, you may find yourself dealing with the sort of intransigence that can only be solved by removing the human obstacle from the equation.
The
reasons that a person might be difficult are as varied as the people,
themselves. There are some who are attached to their own vision, and
cannot refrain from argument. There are some who are cruel and
disruptive to other cast members for their own amusement or out of
insecurity. There are some who will just actively do the opposite of
whatever you ask in the name of “Chaos Magick” or some other
excuse to defy any and all authority. There
are some who simply claim that they wish to be involved, and proceed
to do nothing, but argue their devotion to the project.
Some challenges can be overcome by setting firm expectations, and sticking to them. If the behavior can be discussed, acknowledged, and modified, chances are good that this will be a great learning opportunity for everyone involved. Working with a group is one of our best catalysts for growth, and one of the benefits of doing this work. Don’t be too quick to run off volunteers who may just be working through some personal foibles.
“Their false compassion is called compassion and their false understanding is called understanding, for this is their most potent spell.”
― Aleister Crowley
Nevertheless, the underlying truth is that unless you believe that you can work through the issue, the reason is not important. If the person cannot address the concerns about their conduct, then the project leaders must address the concerns, by removing the person from the project. A problematic person cannot be ignored within the group. They will drive off the rest of the team.
And if someone is making a point of being difficult while trying to create and rehearse, there is a good likelihood that they will be equally or more difficult when it is time to perform! Sadly, it also means they will be difficult when asked to leave.
They will argue. Make a scene. Accuse you of being cruel. Defame you on the internet. Try to foster bad publicity. Possibly reach out to crew members and supporters and try to convince them to withdraw support. And my all time favorite, accuse you of being a poor Thelemite for interfering with their will*.
“And another thing! You are a BAD THELEMITE!” …is NOT what Magister Templi said to Aquarius.
This, BTW, is non-sense. If anyone has the will to be involved in your project, they must necessarily have the will to meet your criteria. And if it is truly their will to celebrate The Rites of Eleusis and they cannot do so as a member of your team, they can certainly go and do it themselves. Wish them luck, and escort them out!
It can be rather like a bad breakup in a public place. Loud, angry and embarrassing. I recommend that any difficult conversation like this involve the person in question, and two members of the team. Don’t do it in front of everyone if you can help it, and don’t go alone. Three is the magic number.
And when they do respond loudly, and they may, once again the adage, “Don’t take it personally” comes to mind. You cannot allow yourself too much time to revel in hurt feelings when dealing with a troublesome individual. You have a production to run, and they have already derailed it to some degree. There is a very good chance that causing you distress is precisely the reaction they are looking for, and I suspect you have better things to do.
Remove them from the group, e-lists, etc. and move on with the work. Explain it to the remainder of the cast without getting personal. Remember, another person may have to depart, and they will be watching for how you treat people when they leave. Every courtesy you show to a difficult person once they have been removed reflects well on you, and keeps the channels of communication open. You want people to come to you and let you know what is happening, rather than being afraid to reach out to you, thus allowing their struggles come as a surprise at the eleventh hour.
I also strongly recommend that you do not respond on social media, do not engage in debate, do not play into their narrative, do not try to “show them” by doubling-down in even more egregious behavior than their own. This is a victory for your detractors. This plays to the narrative of their persecution. And in the end, it is a waste of creative energy.
“The best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or to spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick alongside it.”
― D.L. Moody
This is a quote I often paraphrase as: “Sometimes you lay a straight stick next to a crooked stick and call it a good days work.”
And this is a much easier task when you remember this simple truth: You are not in a power struggle with anyone. If you are in charge, you can listen to every idea (at the appropriate time), consider every option, and make your decision. You can adjust as necessity requires, as we previously discussed. You are never obligated to debate. If you are running the show, that is it.
Now, if you make it awful, people will leave. But if you allow someone else to make it awful, people will also leave. At the end of the day, you do not have to explain yourself, defend your position, or apologize for being responsible for making the decisions. You just have to step into your role as an authority and act according.
And, Oh, my friends! Don’t let that go to your head, either. That is the other pitfall of taking things personally.
[Editor’s Note: Today we are happy to feature a guest blog post by Daniel Christensen, an Eleusyve alumni who has been involved in every Rite we staged in one manner or another. For several weeks we’ve been talking about a post about the mechanics of invocation, and the various techniques employed in devotional work. We asked Daniel to kick off the topic because of his well rounded background with several methods of devotional work, many of which informed the practices of our cast over the years.]
I was honored to be involved with the Eleusyve Theater Group between 2004 and 2018, performing and/or working back stage for all seven of the rock opera Rites of Eleusis. Wrapped in and around that experience, I was also involved with a neo-pagan ritual theater group that performed a weekend-long immersive and interactive modern interpretation of the Eleusinian Mysteries.* I know that in some places, there are hard feelings between some neo-pagans and some Thelemites. I am not here to sing Kumbaya to make it all better**. What I will say is that each of those world-views and practices informed my approach to the other.
I would also point out the elephant in the temple: The big differences between these two forms of theater are rooted in the assumptions that we make about who our audience is and what they expect.
A few years ago, I saw two rituals rather close together, both on the descent of Inanna: one neo-pagan and one Thelemic. Both used the same myth and yet each presented the ritual in fundamentally different ways.
The neo-pagan ritual was rooted in physical participation: it was a community accustomed to spiral dances, improvised chants, and extemporaneous revelations from participants in touch with mythological archetypes. The attendees came to an old concrete military bunker after dark. They walked from station to station, shivering and shedding their bits of ego at each of the stages. A gate guardian demanded Inanna give up something to proceed; the attendees likewise gave up something of their own to proceed down to Erishkagal.
The Thelemic ritual was based in a culture that values individual observation and contemplation of a rite. Mass participation is limited to proscribed steps and signs, to pre – scripted recitation. Attendees to the Thelemic Descent ritual walked into a temple and sat against the side-walls, facing the center, as in a Gnostic Mass. The attendees watched Inanna make her progress down, just as they would watch the Priest progress from the tomb to the altar. They participated by reading excerpts from poetry, in unison; their sacrifice was written down and carried by one of the officers.
Both rituals had the same essential story. Both had priests and priestesses, music, lavish altars and costumes. Both had a profound impact on the people who attended. And yet, without even touching on the myth or the mystery, you know that both were very different in their presentation. Why? Because I believe a community will interact with your art in the manner to which they are accustomed. Both directors knew what their audiences would and would not do. We challenged a lot of that in both the Mysteries and the rock opera Rites. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. (I’m still sad no one sat in the “splash zone” for the Rite of Jupiter. I mean, y’all wear enough black, it wouldn’t show.)
This way to the “slash zone.”
Still reading? Good.
Devotional practices work the same way. For the more secularly inclined, I’m talking about digging into a spiritual role by digging into yourself; getting your roots down into it and letting the archetype and the role grow into you. Devotion is action, attention is focus.
For the group that presented the modern Eleusinian Mysteries, this devotional practice was an essential part of the performance. Auditions were held in November and weekly rehearsals began in January (for a festival that happened in late March/early April.) But before the first rehearsal, each of the priests and priestesses began devotional work at home. Actors were encouraged to erect an altar for the god-form they portrayed, to decorate it with bits and pieces and symbols appropriate to the role, and to spend time (daily, if possible) working on and with that. Having an outward manifestation – an altar, a talisman – gives the subconscious mind some symbols to chew on.
To provide balance, the actors also dug in to some good old fashioned left-brain research. One year for the Eleusinian Mysteries, I had the role of Ares – Greek god of war. Of course, my gut reaction was to sign up for a martial arts class. But in my research, I learned that before Ares was a fighter, his mentor first taught him to dance. (You don’t think he caught Aphrodite’s attention by his spear work alone, do you?) In the end, my tango lessons taught me more about my body and my kinesthetic sense than the krav maga. (Bonus: It made for a great showdown at the end of the Rite of Venus between Libra/Jon and Saturn/me.
So if devotion is energy and attention is focus, the third ingredient is time. My best results always come from stuffing my brain full of facts and then letting them ferment until an idea falls out. That fermentation usually means walking away and letting my mind unwind on something else. Remember though: research and contemplation and action all have ways of stirring up changes in your brain, but ideas take time and rarely adhere to a schedule.
The results? Investing the energy and focus over time can lead to transformation. Back when I was involved, the festival celebrating the Eleusinian Mysteries included not only staged and scripted performances, they also included improvisational, interactive time between the attendees and the priests and priestesses. After months of work (plus a few crisis counseling classes), the actors could step into their roles and, if all went right, speak and act in ways they believe those gods would behave. They became the walking, talking altars with which the attendees contemplated and furthered their own spiritual growth and development.
All this was bouncing around in my brain before this random dude approached me at a party and said, “I’m making a rock opera version of Crowley’s Rite of Luna. Wanna play?” At the Rites, we had devotional altars to the gods backstage in our dressing rooms. On one memorable occasion, we allowed the audience to make devotional offerings to the godform, which led to someone offering a thong to Venus. As I said, a community will experience your art in the manner they are accustomed.
*For the purposes of this article: the “Rites of Eleusis” will refer to the ritual theater plays written by Aleister Crowley and concerning the lightning path of the planets on the Tree of Life from Saturn to Luna; “the Eleusinian Mysteries” will refer to both the ancient and modern ritual theater surrounding the story of Demeter and the abduction of Persephone. ** I will also add that I consider myself a dilettante (in Lon Milo DuQuette’s sense) in both traditions. I was initiated and have long since retired from the Wiccan organization; baptized and confirmed in the EGC. Any mistakes or misunderstandings I make about the Fundamental Nature of How These Groups Work are my own and should not reflect upon Eleusyve Productions, the Ordo Templi Orientis, the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, or the Aquarian Tabernacle Church.
[Second Editor’s Note: Daniel sells himself short in this post, as he was not merely involved, he was entirely integral. And a really good sport. As evident in the clip below, which is one of several promotional videos we shot featuring “Pastor Steve”.]
[This post was provided to me by Sister Lita at my request. I will be hosting guest posts here from time to time. If you would like to provide content, please reach out and let me know! -editor]
In early 2015, an email of inquiry went out to all O.T.O. Grand
Masters, Frater Superior Representatives, and as many Masters and
Secretaries of each local body around the world. Had they or any
of their predecessors presented the Rites of Eleusis? If so, please
respond. All the information about those rites would contribute
to our Order’s overall knowledge of how well Crowley’s works had
stimulated his inheritors. The response received was nothing short of
amazing, and that information was presented at the Centennial
Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in May of 2015.
As the information came flooding back, an Excel was produced, listing
each country, the name of the local body, the date performed, which
rite was presented, and any commentary about the event. The total
number of performances came in at just over 600! A copy of the
presentation can be found in the last chapter of the centennial
celebration volume of Success is Your Proof.
Most
Thelemites who have read about Aleister Crowley’s Rites of Eleusis,
know that those first seven performances were held at Caxton Hall in
London in 1910. However, the rites would not gain the attention they
deserved for almost seventy years. That is, until 1979 when Agape
Lodge No. 2 in Hollywood, introduced their members to Crowley’s
Eleusis series, by informally doing readings of the rites.
Thereafter, interest widely spread around the world.
What the presentation and chapter on the Rites did not include, due
to time and space constraints, were some of the additional comments
offered when these rites were reported. Some of the comments spoke of
interesting people that participated, and some of them were anecdotes
of fun and scary things that happened. It is some of those comments
which I found most fascinating and will herein share a few of them.
For instance, Grady McMurtry served as Magister Templi for the Rite
of Saturn for Thelema Lodge in October of 1982. Lola de Wolfe hosted
a Rite of Saturn in June of 1983 at her home near Mt. Diablo. An
original cast member from the Broadway production of Hair
acted in the Rite of Saturn, sponsored by Thelema Lodge in 1985. Even
Hymenaeus Beta contributed some original poetry of Harry Crosby, for
a Rite of Sol.
There were mishaps, too. At a Rite of Mars presented by Camp 23 in
the U.S. in 1980, they reported that they had placed a cauldron on
stage for a burning fire, but during the presentation the cauldron
tipped over and sent up dramatic tall flames. It wildly impressed the
audience, who thought it was part of the play, but it was not. The
fire did not last long, but the floor got pretty burned. Another Mars
fire story happened at Apep Lodge in Australia in 2010. It was a
1970’s theme, held outdoors around a fire pit, with red velvet
curtains all around, and a sexy funky soundtrack. Everyone began
drinking early, and sometime shortly after the rite, someone got too
drunk, too close, and caught fire. Fortunately the fire on his
clothing was quickly put out and he did not get hurt. Athene Lodge of
Denmark in the mid 1990s, presented a Rite of Saturn. They had rented
a community building, but they had to keep their celebration secret.
They had fun smuggling in the wine, which was otherwise outlawed on
the premises.
Also in the early 1990s, 93 Lodge in San Clemente, California,
presented the Rite of Luna in their garage with the rafters full of
pine branches and cricket noise, but what really wowed the crowd was
the use of a blue laser light cone that shown down upon Luna, until
that veil was broken. In 1996, 93 Lodge put on the Rite of Sol.
Jesus on the cross wore sunglasses, and Brother Lon Duquette led a
Mexican hat dance around huge sombreros on the floor. The Lodge also
offered a synchronized swimming presentation in a pool for a Rite of
Venus. In Los Angeles, Blue Horizon Oasis in 2009, presented the Rite
of Saturn with a Krishna motif, and that same year, LVX Oasis had a
punk rock theme for the Rite of Mars, a Rite of Saturn with an Andy
Warhol theme, and a Rite of Sol with a Templar setting.
Scarlet Woman Lodge in Austin, Texas, presented many rites with fun
themes from 1997 through 2000. Saturn was set in an asylum with the
mental illness of Saturn, one Rite of Mars had a gangster setting and
another Mars had the cast dress as chimps, gorillas, and bonobos, but
only one character was human. In the Rite of Mercury, that character
was a carnival circus clown. A Jupiter rite had an Indian Ganesh
theme, and a Venus rite had a Shakespearean Midsummer setting.
In 1990, Albion Lodge in London presented all seven rites at Conway
Hall to celebrate Crowley’s works. It was only the second time the
rites had been presented in their original city since 1910. They even
included original musical pieces with a live violin player. As well,
there is Eleusyve Productions located in Seattle, Washington, which
has successfully produced all the rites in the form of rock operas,
with great success.
Every one of the rites has had its character’s words remain
intact, but in how the stories are presented is left wide open to its
readers, and each rite will fit well in almost any historical setting
or theme. Each modern presentation continues to stand as a strong
testament to the power of Crowley’s writings. These iconic rites
are an important part of Crowley’s legacy, and with their ongoing
presentations, they will continue to inspire future generations. If
your local body decides to do theatrical readings or live
performances, no matter where in the world they take place, please
let your Eleusis Historian know.
The historian keeps track
of all Crowley’s Rites of Eleusis presentations produced
worldwide. This reporting is voluntary, but when done, becomes a
part of our historical files. Please include the name of the local
body, which rite was produced, the date and place of presentation,
copies of any fliers, programs, or pictures, and any comments on a
particular theme. Please email to: eleusis@oto-usa.org
Thank you for helping to keep these rites alive and inspiring.
Sister Lita-Luise Chappell has been an O.T.O. member since January of 1991, is the founding Master of Golden Lotus Lodge, a Bishop in the Order, and serves as the International Rites of Eleusis Historian. She has a Masters in Psychology and a Doctorate in Human Sexuality. Dr. Chappell is also a published author of The Thelemic Cookbook, two books of poetry, and three books of international murder mysteries; all available on Amazon.com. Her social commentary on sex in sports, Sticks & Balls, and her spy novel, Hiding in Paradise, will be out later this year.
If you read my
previous post about gender essentialism in The Rites of Eleusis, you
may have gotten the opinion that I have some pretty liberal ideas
about sex and gender. You would be right.
I can cite many events, many ideas and observations, many philosophical points that support my view that the intimate lives of our neighbors should never be our business, and never be politicized, but I think this story tells it best. I discovered it while researching the morality laws in antiquity, and it is a heartbreaking tale of loss, discrimination and religious politics that also happens to be the singular turning point for the Eleusinian Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone, and why and how they ended.
I should note here at the outset that my “mind your own business” attitude is not intended to say we should ever ignore those in distress, those who are being hurt, exploited, manipulated or coerced. Rather, we should refrain from torturing those who are enthusiastically happy with their consensual relationships, however they manifest. The glory of the world is in diversity.
Returning to the
main point, much as our documentary started out with the question:
“Who started staging The Rites of Eleusis after Crowley presented
them, and why?”, this post started with the question: “When did
the cult of Demeter at Eleusis and the Eleusinian Mysteries in
antiquity end, and why?”
The short version is that, after 2 millennia of nearly uninterrupted operation, Roman Emperor Theodosius closed all the Pagan shrines between 389 and 391 c.e., and the Telesterion at Eleusis was among them. That would have gotten you the point as answer “B)” on a multiple choice quiz in Western Civilization 101, if the other options were: “A) Ronald McDonald outlawed the Eleusinian Mysteries after the Grimace Affair in 1977.”, and “C) Nero burned downed ALL the shrines, like the pyromaniac he was.”
But the date isn’t the story. I included it a few times over the years in presentations, and I mention it in the voice-over in our Rites of Eleusis documentary, because it was interesting to me. Then, during some unrelated research, I stumbled upon the story behind the date, and that is what I want to share with you.
In the book,
Berkowitz, a lawyer, traces the history of sexual laws and crimes via
the case laws associated with a variety of cultures starting with
Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets through the imprisonment of Oscar
Wilde for “gross indecency”. It is an engaging and often
disturbing account of how sexuality was (and is) categorized into the
“acceptable” and “unacceptable” realms of human culture, and
the even more disturbing practice of the implementation of sexual
punishment (not punishment for sexual conduct, but the use of sexual
assault as state sanctioned
punishment) that humanity has employed through the several thousand
years of recorded history.
I
found the book to be as well written as it was disturbing, and I find
myself returning to it regularly when discussing common sexual
morality with common people, as it affords many examples of just how
arbitrary our morality is, how contrived, and ultimately how
manipulative. It is a panorama of how humans cannot seem to stay out
of each others personal lives, and the cruel lengths we can go to
when we are trying to correct what is not our business.
Within this book, Berkowitz included an account of The Massacre at
Thessalonica. And because he did his homework, he included a few
details that my Western Civilization textbooks tended to gloss over.
Sex between men was common in the Ancient world, and while there were some political ramifications regarding who was “on top”, the populous at large accepted the practice. Not so much a Goth garrison that was policing the Greek city of Thessalonica, and homosexual sex was especially repugnant to their commander, Butheric.
A half century after the rule of Emperor Constantine, Christian inspired laws that regard all sex as obscene, but allowed that sex within marriage was a necessary evil, gave no license to homosexual practice. This was convenient for Butheric, who used these laws to strike out against the local practice, and one of those he arrested was a chariot racer who was a local favorite. (For modern context, imagine a sheriff in a rural area arresting a flamboyant professional wrestler.)
The Goths had not counted on the 100,000 spectators from the Hippodrome in Thessalonica descending upon the garrison, demanding his release. When they refused to free the aforementioned charioteer, a mob murdered the Goths in a full on fan-boy riot. To add insult, they mutilated Butheric and dragged his remains around the city.
When news of the revolt reached the Emperor in Rome, in a fit of rage he ordered a savage retaliation. Just before the start of the next games, a reinforced garrison locked the gates of the Hippodrome and proceeded to ruthlessly butcher every man, woman and child in attendance, regardless of whether they have been involved in the previous riot.
At least 7,000 killings later the massacre was over. This did not sit well with Thedosius reputation as an Emperor given to Christian Mercy, and either through genuine remorse, or political savvy, Theodosius reached out to Ambrose, later a Saint, and at that time the Bishop of Milan, to receive absolution for this crime.
He was denied.
Instead of receiving the Emperor to hear his confession, Ambrose sent a letter threatening to deny the Eucharist, and withhold the blessing of the Church until Theodosius did penance.
This was the first time the Church had taken any action of this kind, and Ambrose withheld the sacrament for eight months despite the Emperors pleas. The penance that Saint Ambrose finally managed to extort from Theodosius was the closing of all the pagan shrines throughout the Roman Empire.
VanDyke, Saint Ambrose & Emperor Theodosius, 1620
That’s how it happened. That is how pagan practice in Rome ended. The vestal fires were extinguished. The sanctuaries were closed. Traditions that were already thousands of years old when Christ was wandering around Galilee were outlawed.
In just over a century, all male-male sex was to be legally seen as an offense to the Christian God, and punishable by death within Rome. What started as the arrest of a chariot racer in a province of the Empire, ended with the Church seizing political control of that Empire, and thousands of years of mystery tradition was wiped out through a type of spiritual extortion.
If you have been enjoying our blog posts so far, but thinking, “I really want this to get more granular and nerdy!” well, you are in for a treat. And since I am going out on a limb with my nerdy self, feel free to play along at home!
In part three of our discussion of The Rites of Eleusis as Magickal Textbook (or study guide, if you will) we are going to wander into the weeds of interpretation!
To start with, allow me to say for the record, “I love The Rites of Eleusis presented as strict A.:. A.:. style rituals.” If you are a purist, who wants to present the material exactly as Aleister Crowley did, to the best of your ability, I am all for it! Hell, yes! And please, let us know when you are staging it! Put a link in the comments! I’d love to be there, and will bring friends!
Also, God I hope you find a violinist who can perform that music! I have never seen that done, and would LOVE it! I just wanted to go on record and say that as much as I love interpretation, I love all the interpretations, including the purist variety.
The Rite of Saturn – Caxton Hall, London 1910
That said, our work with the Rites is highly interpretive, and the study that informs our interpretation can be broad and eclectic. As an example: Let’s discuss Capricornus Emissarius from The Rite of Saturn. (If you didn’t make it to see The Rite of Saturn last September, we are sorry you missed it! You’ll have to wait for the video in June to watch all the scenes I am referring to. I included pictures.)
In order to fully appreciate our interpretation of Capricornus Emissarius in The Rite of Saturn, allow me to provide this helpful chart:
You can see that we have graphed the astrological figures present in each Rite against the dominant planetary force, and included the small card Tarot attributions that present information along the same axis. The meanings of these cards in the Tarot also include numerical and elemental influence, much as the characters in The Rites incorporate additional influences from the paths and myths associated with the God forms.
You may note that there are no astrological attributions for Jupiter. There are several ways that the central figures can be interpreted in The Rite of Jupiter, and strict astrology is the least satisfying. Seeing as the Sphinx represents the attributes of the Fixed Signs of the Zodiac taken in conjunction with one another (see The Key to the Mysteries by Eliphas Levi), it is not much of a stretch to interpret Hermanubis as the Mutable Signs, and Typhon as the Cardinal Signs.
This is consistent with the alchemical attributions associated with the elements that the figures on the wheel represent, Salt being Fixed, Mercury being Mutable and Sulfur being Cardinal.
The Wheel of Fortune from The Book of Thoth
Additionally, we can interpret the principal characters in The Rite of Jupiter as exemplifying all of the planetary rulers from The Rites that follow, but presented in their infancy. Thus Typhon represents Mars, Dionysus as the hidden God becomes Sol, The Sphinx evolves into Venus, Hermanubis becomes Mercury and Hebe and Ganymede become Luna and Pan, respectively.
Taken in combination, these two interpretations are immanently more satisfying than any singular astrological attribution for these figures in The Rite of Jupiter, which is why I left them off the chart. But I digress.
Returning to the question of the attribution of Capricornus Emissarius. First note that Sagittarius, alone, of all the astrological signs, has no representative in The Rites of Eleusis, unless you ascribe that association to Capricornus Emissarius. Otherwise, this seems like rather an obvious oversight. But looking at the various meanings of Emissarius we have: “emisary”, “agent”, “spy” and the literal meaning “stallion”. If we see Capricornus Emissarius as a spy (as he is depicted in The Rite of Saturn) and as the precursor to Capricorn, Sagittarius becomes a logical attribution.
Especially given the literal meaning stallion, which we turned into a double-entendre, as horse is also slang for heroin, and our Capricornus Emissarius was depicted as an alchemist, creating laudanum. To add another layer, the conjunction of Saturn and Sagittarius is depicted in the 10 of Wands in the Rider-Waite Tarot. Which is just the sort of thing one might symbolically use to their advantage in creating the iconography of a scene. (Tip of the hat to Melissa Holm and Ryan Holsather, who developed this motif so beautifully, and Richard Cardone, who breathed life into it).
The 10 of Wands, Rider-Waite Tarot DeckRichard Cardone as Capricornus Emissarius The Rite of Saturn, 2018
Obviously, this is all interpretive! Far outside of the bounds of anything we can claim Aleister Crowley intended, but that is hardly the point.
As creative magician, we should always look deeper, strive for more! Exceed! What wild interpretations have you seen? Anything you would like to share?
