Charles Manson and the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O.

New O.T.O. groups in the US

Charles Manson, who was never a member of any O.T.O. group, is frequently referenced by the tabloid press in recycled stories about his alleged brief contact with Georgina Brayton’s 1960s Solar Lodge of the O.T.O.

The 'Caliphate' O.T.O. (a new American O.T.O. structured in 1977) has often described the Solar Lodge as "irregular." However, Phyllis Seckler, one of the 'Caliphate’s key figures and the wife of its founder, Grady L. McMurtry, acknowledged that the Solar Lodge had operated as an O.T.O. body.
To suggest that the 'Caliphate' would not exist without Manson is misleading; rather, the "Boy in the Box" scandal and the 'Solar Lodge affair' created a climate in which McMurtry’s effort to reestablish the O.T.O. gained urgency and legitimacy. Let’s explore this historical development further.

During Aleister Crowley's lifetime, there was only one active O.T.O. lodge in the United States — the so-called 'second Agapé Lodge' in California. Crowley was frequently dissatisfied with its members and activities, referring to them as "fans". On March 9, 1945, he recorded in his diary: "I place the Californian Lodge under INTERDICT." He later added: "Jack's NLT came just in time to stop me doing this." Recognizing the unstable situation, Crowley gave Grady Louis McMurtry special instructions: in the event of an "emergency," McMurtry was to assume control of Agapé Lodge, but only with the approval of Crowley’s appointed successor in O.T.O. matters, the German-born Karl Germer.

The complication, however, was that Germer held a low opinion of McMurtry, referring to him as a "Minus" and characterizing the United States as a "spiritual desert." On September 7, 1953, Germer officially closed the Agapé Lodge and instead favored Hermann Joseph Metzger in Switzerland as the O.T.O.’s European leader. Around this period, McMurtry became inactive in O.T.O. affairs.
This period of O.T.O. dormancy in the United States set the stage for later developments. The Solar Lodge emerged in the mid-1960s, operating independently but invoking the O.T.O. name. Meanwhile, McMurtry's return to O.T.O. matters in 1969 was largely a response to the Solar Lodge affair, the public scrutiny surrounding it, and his belief that a structured O.T.O. revival was needed to prevent similar incidents.

Introduction

Ray and Mildred Burlingame were affiliated with the second Agapé Lodge — reportedly for a period of ten years — prior to its closure in 1953 by Karl Germer. In 1961–1962, Georgina (Jean) Brayton (1921–1984) became acquainted with Mildred Burlingame and subsequently met her husband, Ray. Richard M. Brayton (1911–1989), a secondary school educator, taught Civics (Government) at the 11th or 12th grade level, with all of his students being African American.

In 1965, Jean Brayton, along with Frater Shiva and Soror Asi, established the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O., also known as the Riverside Lodge of the O.T.O..

Solar Lodge Ordo Templi Orientis Jean Brayton

Solar Lodge Ordo Templi Orientis Jean Brayton

Georgina / Jean Brayton

Dick Brayton exhibited little personal interest in esoteric matters [detail provided by Frater Shiva — see separate box below]. The Solar Lodge was, in effect, the orphaned offshoot of a previously dissolved O.T.O. lodge. Neither the Burlingames nor Grady L. McMurtry — who would later re-enter the scene — possessed formal authorization to initiate candidates into the O.T.O. or to establish new lodges. According to the Order’s statutes, the founding of lodges and the performance of initiations without explicit permission from a superior officer within the O.T.O. hierarchy is strictly prohibited.

Members of the Solar Lodge acquired a controversial reputation when some were accused of having forcibly entered the residences of Karl Germer’s widow, Sascha, Dr. Israel Regardie, and Mildred Burlingame in order to appropriate O.T.O. documents. Upon learning of these incidents, Phyllis Seckler — herself a former member of the now-defunct Agapé Lodge — contacted another Agapé alumnus, Grady L. McMurtry, in January 1969. Their subsequent collaboration, which led to marriage, would later form the nucleus of what became the 'Caliphate' O.T.O. [see below].

Years later, Solar Lodge member Robert Duerrenstein denied that anyone in the Lodge had participated in the aforementioned burglaries. His denial rested on the assertion that Ray Burlingame had informed them there was nothing of significant value related to the O.T.O. in those households. As McMurtry ironically noted: "Like true friends they only took one of each book, thus leaving Mrs. Burlingame a number of duplicates instead of taking everything." (Grady Louis McMurtry to Ray E. Lindstrom, October 17, 1970).

Report by a member of the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O.

Date: August 1999, compiled from several emails

I am a former member of the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O., in Los Angeles, from September 1967 to February 1968. I was looking for an apartment and ran across one owned by Georgina (Jean) and Richard Brayton, as they had advertised such for rent. They had at least three properties in the USC neighborhood. I only know about the houses and apartment in the USC neighborhood. This was at the beginnning of the time when they were building their empire. Jean encouraged me to attend a meeting, gave me the manifesto of the O.T.O., and a privately-printed copy of the Book of the Law. There were approximately 15-20 members as I recall at the time. I have forgotten most of their names. The house where they lived is no longer there. They seemed very organized, and quite dedicated. Los Angeles at that time was immersed in the same social ferment as San Francisco. Remember the summer of love? I had just come down from Haight-Ashbury. We were all still using LSD and looking for utopian groups. The news was only just beginning to sensationalize and distort what we were doing. But we were easy targets for the more experienced, sinister people who wanted our money, souls, etc. The O.T.O. looked like a cool group of people, at first, because they had all the right words. They were very welcoming, and wanted us to join in with their rituals. They practiced all the rituals you read about in the Equinox. They began initiating more and more people during the months I was involved, because they wanted to increase their numbers. Jean was clearly in charge, but was often absent. But she supervised the dismantling and reassembly of buildings in the desert. Her husband was a teacher at the University. Several of the lodge members were students. Many kinds of drugs were available. One or two of the members were making them. The house had a main temple on the top floor, but members had individual temples in their rooms, some quite elaborate. I left in order to go to Vietnam. This was before the affairs with the newspapers and the stories about Charles Manson. You can imagine the chills I felt in 1969, hearing about Charles Manson's beliefs in race wars, building retreats in the desert, hearing messages in Beatles songs, using drugs, talking about "man is god" and "Do what thou wilt" philosophies. Nevertheless, I did not know about the Solar Lodge scandal until I ran across it in an obscure book in a second hand bookstore in 1988! Now of course with the Internet there is all kinds of information and misinformation. The only thing I have read in the press was the book, The Family, by Ed Sanders. Some of his information seemed about right, but some of it was just plain wrong, I think. There was never a lodge in San Bernardino. They are confused with San Bernardino county, which is where Blythe is.Remark about a factual error. Blythe is located in Riverside County, not San Bernardino County. Vidal is located in San Bernardino County, with the county line being approximately 2 miles south of the town. The Sheriff's Deputies who were actually involved in the "Boy in the Box" case said the reason that the Riverside County Sheriff's Dept. took the case, rather than the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept. was that their office in Blythe was far closer than the SB County Sheriff's Office in Needles.

* * *

To my knowledge, the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. started in late 1966 — early 1967. The construction of the Ark began in summer of 1967. We used materials from quonsett huts we purchased and disassembled, then took them out into the desert, near the Colorado River. The exact spot was near the small town of Vidal, Calif. We were headquartered in an old house in Los Angeles, near the USC campus. We were building the "Ark " in the Mojave desert, near Blythe, California. There were about 15 to 20 other members of the Lodge at that time; men and women, all ages. A few were students at USC, but there were also professionals, housewives, and assorted others. No one as crazy as Manson at that time. Where did Charles Manson come from? I guess I'm not surprised, though. There were some pretty far-out types circulating between Haight Ashbury and L.A. in those days.Excerpt of "Ordis Templis Intelligentis" by Alex Constantine, 1996:

The O.T.O.'s Solar Lodge in San Bernardino was founded by Maury McCauley, a mortician, on his own property. McCauley was married to Barbara Newman, a former model and the daughter of a retired Air Force colonel from Vandenberg. The group subscribed to a grim, apocalyptic view of the world precipitated by race wars, and the prophecy made a lasting impression on Charles Manson, who passed through the lodge. In the L.A. underworld, the O.T.O. spin-off was known for indulgence in sadomasochism, drug dealing, blood drinking, child molestation and murder. The Riverside O.T.O., like the Manson Family, used drugs, sex, psycho-drama and fear to tear down the mind of the initiate and rebuild it according to the desires of the cult's inner-circle.

Morris McColley was not the head of the group, and he did not have a place in San Bernardino, but in Vidal, which is in the very large county of San Bernardino. Actually I don't think it was his place, either. And part of the reason in my opinion for the location may have been that it was close to Parker, AZ, which was the location of one of Jean Brayton's teachers. Morris was a barber, not a mortician, as I recall. I don't remember Barbara. Yes, the order did have apocalyptic views when I was there. That is why the "Ark" was built. This was a temple in the desert, built from disassembled quonsett huts. What is a quonsett hut? It is a temporary structure built in wartime. Made from large pieces of corrugated steel, it's like taking a big pipe, laying it on the side, cutting off the bottom half, putting doors on the ends, and windows in the sides. The group believed that "it was all going to come down" that is, a repeat of the Watts riots (remember, this was LA in 1967) not unusual. This was a time of revolutionary fervor among the young in many places including Germany, China, Paris, England, and of course peace and protest marches everywhere! We were caught up in a mixture of drugs, anti-war, and anti-establishment. The Order was powerful because it embodied these things. Interestingly, the racist attitudes were not made evident at first, but only hinted at. This was Jean's way ... she often would obliquely hint at things. We would listen to the Beatles albums and hear special messages. There were messages everywhere, if you could hear them. Hearing them often involved drugs. All kinds of drugs. Jean wanted converts, while the "gates of initiation" were wide open. She began putting on "profane parties" to bring in the masses, and people were attracted to the idea of a special, semi-secret organization with rituals, sex and strange doings and good drugs and groovy people! The group did not have a single, cohesive world view. There may have been some members who believed in hollow earth. Jean was very interested in Mei Ling's world prophecy, which, among other things, discussed a predicted world deluge. There were all kinds of ideas flying around the place! People were trying out different kinds of thoughts.

Question: Were the rituals and initiations para-masonic?
— Indeed they were, in fact, prior to taking the first degree, we were asked if we had ever had any contact with the masons.

Question: What were the ceremonies, and into which degrees were the initiations?
— The only ones I know about for sure were the minerval through the third. I believe others may have been conducted in the desert. I suspected the sex magick, which is one of the reasons I left ... the women weren't all that attractive!! They didn't tell you everything right at first :) But as I hung around the house, I picked up bits and pieces. Especially after I visited the ark. And of course, when everyone was high. Jean often referred to Ray Burlingame, and mentioned Parker, Arizona, which is possibly where they had lived for a time. I got the feeling that their contact had been a few years previously, but I don't know exactly. They sure had a lot of old books and other artifacts. I was in Jean and Dick's bedroom a few times (snooping) and besides being really messy, there was a lot of stuff. The only theft I knew about was when two members visited a house in the neighborhood that was for sale, and they took something from it, stating that it belonged to them anyway. I was put off by this, and it was another one of the reasons I felt distanced from the group. The only other illegal activity I knew of was drug use, but then, it was the 60's !

Question: Did Jean Brayton really think she was the reincarnation of Aleister Crowley?
— She never said this to me.

Question: Did she claim she was head of the O.T.O.?
— No, just that lodge. Jean never claimed to be OHO, or any grade, for that matter. And indeed, there was one other person who I met who might have had a leadership role, but I don't recall his name. I knew there were other groups, They were seen as rivals. But the lodge did not consider _all other groups to be rivals, nor did it consider freemasonry to be antithetical. I do not know the exact identity of the groups it considered to be enemies, I just know they existed. I do know that some of the lodge members considered black people to be enemies. This made me uncomfortable. My memory of Jean Brayton is that she was a good person. I believe her iron-fisted rule descended after my time, or else she hid it from me. In my experience, she was authoritarian, but not tyrannical. There were no children at the lodge when I was there, so I did not get to see how they were taught.

Ordo Templi Orientis — Velle Transcendental Research Association — Solar Lodge

To be continued below

Comment by a former member of the Solar Lodge,
see above

Robert Allen Duerrstein, "Bob" as I knew him, was in the dentistry department at USC, and got us all kinds of drugs. Edson Dunlap, aka "Big Ed", I knew little about, except that I think he had a lot of power in the organization. He was a former race car driver. James Gibbons "Spud" as we knew him, was a friendly man, a good soul, so I thought. I cannot imagine that he would subject his child to this thing. It troubles me to learn the identity of the parents whose child was the "boy in the box". Of all the people I knew in the group, I would have guessed them to be least likely to do such a thing. But I also understand how such a thing could happen. The "Order" promised a "short cut across the spirals of evolution to true enlightenment." Many of the people involved at that time had experimented with mind-altering drugs. Remember, this was in the time of Haight Ashbury and Timothy Leary and a rediscovery of Asian philosophy. I myself had just come from Haight Ashbury to Los Angeles in the summer of 1967, when I was introduced to the Solar Lodge. Many of us had tried LSD, and after a while, realized that it only took us a little way. We wanted to know if there was more, and the Solar Lodge promised us that there was. They used mind-altering drugs to help the process, but they were not the first. Certain branches of yoga use "arshti", which is a practice of giving drugs to acolytes to help them open up their perception. In addition, they were a kind of communal group, also very attractive at that time. I saw this when I first met them. They were renting apartments in South Central Los Angeles, and I rented from them, and eventually took the oath of the Minerval Degree from them. There appeared to be about 15-20 members then. Many lived in the same house with Jean and Dick. Some were students at the nearby University of Southern California. The core group members appeared to be a bit older, from mid 20's to 40's. Most new members were younger. The atmosphere at that time was enthusiastic, mystical, and a bit unsettling, because of the feeling that many things were not being revealed to newcomers. But this also attracted people to become more involved, in order to find out more. Jean began the practice of putting on "profane parties" in order to attract newcomers, because she said that it would only be possible for a limited time to gain new members. [see Frater Shiva in a separate box] They held ceremonies, including initiations in the third floor of one of the houses they owned. They taught yoga, Kabbala, and various forms of divination, such as Tarot reading. They also had an extensive collection of books, some of which appeared to be very old. They were also building a retreat in the Mojave Desert. They called it the "ark", because it was where we would all go when rioting began again in Los Angeles. (Remember, the Watts riots had happened two years before.) They built this desert temple near Blythe, CA from Quonset huts dismantled from old warehouses in southeast Los Angeles. The temple was in the shape of a pyramid [see Frater Shiva in a separate box], because of the power in that shape, because the location was roughly at the same latitude as Cairo, and for various other reasons. This apparently was the building that was burned, although I am only guessing. As one spent more time with the group, and advanced in the grades, more was revealed, and more demands were made. To paraphrase a passage from the Bible, "on the tongue, it was sweet, but in the belly it became bitter." But we were also instructed from the very beginning that part of the test of our worthiness would be our willingness to follow instructions that seemed unusual. Because we had to subdue the ego, which was very tricky, and would find any way it could to preserve itself. At the time I was involved, there was no illegal activity that I was aware of, other than the use of drugs and some petty theft of statues from neighbors' property [see Frater Shiva in a separate box]. Most of people's energy was devoted to the practices we were assigned. Sometimes a few of us would spend long hours into the night talking philosophy, but we were discouraged from talking about our practices or about what we knew about the organization [see Frater Shiva in a separate box]. This was a time when we questioned all values: our president had been assassinated a few years previously, our religions had become irrelevant, we were against the war in Vietnam, and many of the terrible things we had been told about drugs we felt were untrue. So we were throwing out the old ideas and reinventing ourselves. The Solar Lodge beliefs appeared to have answers to our dissatisfaction with traditional values, and they made us feel special, superior. But after a few months, I began to find the group a bit boring and narrow-minded, particularly in their views about Black people. Their racism was one area where they were out of touch with the mood of the times. But the racism was very subtle, and there was not preaching about white supremacy or aryanism [see Frater Shiva in a separate box] . Most of what I have read about the group varies from sounding fairly true to being wildly inaccurate. I doubt very much that Jean Brayton was a CIA operative, as was Cinque and other members of the SLA. She certainly was not a daughter of an Air Force Officer, as some say! She actually had a slight English accent and enjoyed making marmalade and tea. Maybe she was channeling Crowley! She never in my presence claimed to be Crowley's reincarnation, however. She did have many opinions about world events, but on close examination, her understanding of those events was shallow, incomplete. She chose to pay attention to what reinforced her somewhat apocalyptic views. This became tiresome to me eventually. She would, from time to time, say things that had a curious ring of truth. I remember in particular her saying that in order to truly change, one had to cut ties from old acquaintances. She once pronounced the family "public enemy number one", because it kept individuals from cutting the bonds of conformity. She loved to find greater truths in everyday observations, and many of the members extended this to looking for hidden meanings, notably in song lyrics, especially Beatles lyrics. All of what I have read about the group completely ignores the aspect of human aspiration that the group harnessed. The group members were not devils. They were ordinary people who were seeking. Since that time, we have seen many other examples of what can happen when ordinary seekers fall under the spell of a charismatic leader. Some can do much good, and some, such as the followers of Jim Jones, can do much ill. We would do well to spend some time not simply vilifying these people, but trying to understand what in human nature is attracted like the moth to the flame. The Solar Lodge followed the OTO motto that "Man is God". But I would modify that to add that it is true insofar as any human can understand a supreme being. Therefore, the "men" of the OTO are gods. And not all gods are great, or benign. It was this hubris, I think, that led to the unfortunate decision to put a child in a box. This is what happened to the Braytons and their Solar Lodge. What happened to me? I was forced to leave because of Vietnam. I joined a much more powerful and deadly cult, the U.S. Army.

* * *

I am fearful of having my name associated with the group, and being contacted by any of the old members of the group. I'll tell you a story: In 1972 I revisited the meeting house to see if any of the people I had known were still there. the windows of the house were papered over so that no one could see in. Finally, a person who I recognized answered the door. He was extremely guarded, and looked as though he had aged considerably in the 4 years since I had seen him (he couldn't have been over 25) He asked me if I had heard the news about the group (I hadn't. I knew nothing of the associations with Manson) Then, fixing me with a very sinister scowl, he told me never to return unless I was rejoining the group. "This is not a bullshit organization", he said. The more I am finding out about this group, the more I realize I did not know very much about them. and I would imagine that some of the former members are still around. And right now here in the States is a bit of fear about what crazy person might be loose with a gun!

Comment by Frater Shiva,
another former member of the Solar Lodge

Ray and Mildred Burlingame, plus Mr. Basham, initiated Jean Brayton into the Minerval degree and the first degree on Tuesday evening, October 30, 1962. After her ceremonies, Milton Basham (and, it is said, his wife also) received the Second degree. Jean's husband, Richard (Dick) Brayton, never received any form of teaching or initiation from the Burlingames. Somewhere, at intervals of a few months, between the date of this initiation (Oct 1962) and July 1965, Ray Burlingame initiated Jean Brayton into the V° and the IX°, supplying her with (carbon-copy-style) copies of all the papers and initiation rites pertaining to all the grades, until the stack of papers was nine layers deep. The final document, Emblems and Modes of Use, was hand copied by Jean Brayton with pen and paper from a hand-written document that Ray had set before her after her brief ceremony. In case anyone wonders … there was no sexual activity involved. Then he stood over her and watched as she transcribed the "codex" into her own possession.

I (Shiva) was present during many of the meetings described in the time period cited above. I was never present at an "initiation," but I stood solitary guard in the outer temple as the higher grades were being transmitted in another room. The radiating energy (which "leaked through the veil") had a peculiarly subjective "radioactive" quality. No drugs were ever used — Frater Aquarius warned of their dangers and was firmly set against them. I have repeated what she described to me about certain activities that took place behind that "veil," and it is the same rays and activities that she used when she transmitted this same information to me, and to several others (in the V°), and to a few of us in the higher numbers. This entire series of transmission of degrees is sometimes hotly debated, and it is not recognized by the current OTO, incorporated. I have publicly acknowledged their position and here is … why?

1. The generally accepted rule for authorizing initiation is a written note (charter) from The Grand Master Baphomet (for beginners, see III° oath). Setting aside any considerations of the fact that there was no Grand Master in any form in those days, I must admit — We had no written charter, neither from any Grand Master nor from Frater Aquarius (Ray).

2. Instead of a charter, the entire operation revolved around a certain IX° talisman that I have openly described elsewhere. After Ray had given Jean her final papers, he said, "By the way, you'll need this …" as he passed her the powerhouse that had come to him from Aleister Crowley via Jane Wolfe. This was not an OTO emblem — it was what we might call a "Thelemic Emblem," placed on top of a graded stack of OTO initiation documents. This does not constitute generally accepted authority to initiate into the OTO or to use the initials OTO®.

3. Since the engine that ran our daily lives was the A.·. A.·. curriculum, and the commonly used name for our society was "Solar Lodge," I am content with that title, historically speaking, for it carries its own distinct vibration.

4. In respect of our relation to any external body or corporation, our organizational structure and operation would fall under the title, Clandestine.

Frater Shiva, Email dated 16 March 2011."It was also at this time of the first initiations [1965] that I conceived and suggested the name “Solar Lodge.“ The term, “Solar,“ was selected due to its derivation from the Sun (Sol), around which everything else in our “solar system“ revolves. It was intended that there would eventually be additional Lodges that would “revolve“ around this central Solar Lodge. Capricornus [Jean Brayton] liked it and the appellation was immediately adopted. Now, when still a Probationer, Frater Sol had experienced great difficulty settling on a magickal name for himself. Eventually he accepted a name that I designed for him: “Rajka,“ which Qabalistically speaking is RJKA = 231 = “To rise like the Sun.“ After his I° initiation, he was upgraded to Frater “Sol,“ implying that he had “risen.“ Solar Lodge was not named after Frater Sol, rather the reverse was true." — Frater Shiva: "Inside Solar Lodge — Outside the Law", York Beach, 31.

The Braytons had a small, one-bedroom house on 30th street, in which they lived. Jean (without the knowledge of her husband) bought a two-story "mansion" two doors away from their home — it was her intention to rent rooms to students from USC. Shiva (your author) was the first student to arrive and rent. The place was still under refurbishment (it was a mess) and he took the first room that had been cleaned leaned up (Room #4 — 1963 e.v.) — then he helped Jean rebuild the rest of the rooms. Other students came and pretty soon the whole place was rented. The situation remained like this for two years. After the Lodge got underway (subtly in 1964 - but formally in 1965), a third property, with many rooms, was purchased down the street — about 7 lots away. This is the ONLY house that still remains and it is currently (2005 e.v.) owned by … USC … who rents rooms to students therein. There were no "members of religious cults;" there were students, SOME of whom became members of the Lodge. Other students (all) knew of our magickal activities, but they "minded their own business" and no effort was made to convert them for we were consciously abiding by the "attractive principle" — that is, they had to ask first. "Always make them ask!" Eventually, three additional, really big and ornate [but old], houses were purchased on another street. The last one was bought after left the Order (in '72 e.v.). There was only one bookstore, but it moved around (reincarnated?). First it was across the street from USC, then it moved a few miles north into central L.A., then it moved to Blythe, CA. Rooms were not rented to "members of religious cults," but to students. Some of these (about 50%) joined the Lodge. One could justify the quoted phrase, but it is not what was being done. Around 1967, a franchise (that's like a rental — not a purchase) was engaged Frater Apollo with Atlantic-Richfield (now "ARCO"), under his own volition. It ran successfully for 2 or 3 years — until the whole Lodge blew up..

A list of 50 initiates is posted at the Mystic-History website. Frater Anubis submitted a list of 75 named initiates to me around 1979-80 — just after he left "The Tong." He should know. He was the Grand Treasurer General and he kept those records — along with the recording of "dues paid" at the average rate of $20 per year, I believe. This was always considered a token payment, indicative of one's continued interest. Other money from members was Never solicited. In the final two years of my seven-year tenure, Work was solicited. Money from the public was Never solicited. Early (the first 5 years) Work and monetary donation were completely voluntary without any encouragement. That fact alone should raise interest. The Braytons were operating at poverty level when they bought that first little house. The amazingly rapid growth into a constant, positive cash flow, with the ability to acquire property really fast — while making it pay for itself, is one of the mysteries that people often cite when referring to Solar Lodge. It has been compared to the crusader-era Templar phenomenon. They ended up in deep doo-doo too! But that is another story, being one of the key elements in the second book, now under construction — if I can ever get back to it while engaged in this essay.

There were 75 initiates, formally recorded. There were many, many others who were "guests" in the house (one or another of the 8 houses) for the purpose of visiting while investigating the Law of Thelema. Overall, I would say somewhere around 250. Maybe more. Frater Shem offered open house to about 8 people each evening, once a week, for at least 3 years.

Quote: (from anonymous source) "Jean began the practice of putting on 'profane parties' in order to attract newcomers …"
Fact: Only one such party was ever held. It was Night on the Nile. It was the grand opening of the newly-restored "Grand Lodge" on Menlo Avenue. It was not to attract newcomers. It was an invitation-only event wherein the close friends and family members of any member was invited. It was hardly expected that any of these people would want to join. The main objective of this "party" was to serve notice on meddlesome friends and family members that had been, overtly or covertly, attempting to dissuade a member away from his/her beliefs and/or associations. I wrote the script for the play ("The Succession of Aeons") and I also put the vodka in the punch bowl. As I was doing so, Frater Shem, under his own direction and free will, poured a big slug of LSD into the same punch bowl. The results were, to say the least, interesting. All of this was contained within a circle and the ceremony (play) include The Invocation of Thoth, which is always considered a big hit. Some of the more interesting results happened after any given "guest" left the circle.

Quote: (anon) "The temple was in the shape of a pyramid …"
Fact: There was no temple at Solar Ranch. There were simply two Quonset huts, some minor out-buildings, and one small travel-trailer. One Quonset was a combined bunkhouse, living room, kitchen .. and yes, ceremonies were performed there. One of them resulting in the UFO story that has not yet been revealed. A thoughtform of a pyramidal temple was certainly in place. But first, the four cornerstones had to be erected. The Quonset complex was only the first cornerstone — the other three never had time to be started. This Quonset complex was indeed the structure that burned, taking with it the vast majority of the archives. This whole destruction would probably have been avoided if the guru had merely hastened to the words that she heard when she meditated upon the next step: "Capricornus [Jean Brayton] withdrew alone several hundred feet into the desert and sat down in meditation. She sought the meaning of the disaster and in response a loud, internal, booming voice said unto her, “The Gates of Initiation are closed! Send everyone away!“ Instead, she said to herself, “I will never send anyone away!“ She then returned to the group and proclaimed, “This is a big problem, but I have decided we will rebuild!“ Note: She did not reveal her internal message to me (or anyone else) until six months later! This is the critical juncture where it all started to unravel." - Frater Shiva: "Inside Solar Lodge — Outside the Law", 2007

Note: I am choosing not to dispute anon's "bitter" description as he moved on up through the grades; this probably was his experience. Many initiates go through this. However, since he/she was apparently affiliated before the playing of the Atu XVI card (the blasted tower), it might be noted that, at that time, all labor was strictly voluntary. No money was sought. Free, high-quality food was always offered. The "following of unusual instructions" meant performing The Tasks of the Grades as written in their currently-held A.·. A.·. Paper. There was no personal, dictatorship operating. Everybody followed the same curriculum. If one showed up for work, then one had to do what the team leader said. "Put this toilet on that second flatbed trailer over there!" "Jack the car up higher so I can get this engine installed." "Call every rental agency in the phone book and see if they have a water pump we can use to empty this flooded basement." — Just like what happens when you go to work in the outer world. Any bitterness was his/her own, because the rest of us (most of us) were on a roll, generally enjoying every moment of it — except when those moments of personal crisis arose. And that, being handled, it was time to get back to work.

Quote: (anon) "… some petty theft of statues from neighbors' property."
Fact: I have seen this quote before. Amusing, isn't it? The neighbors didn't have any statues. They had, essentially, nothing. This was a University area that was on the fringe of the ghetto. Frater Shiva himself (that's me) bought and delivered the various statues that adorned the properties. They came from curio shops on Hollywood Blvd. The neighbors did actually steal a large yellow Buddha statue from us. It was the same one that a certain member who disappeared (from his family and former associates) was cited as "being buried under." Rest easy, for this "murdered" member is one of the eight who still exists (circa 2005 e.v.) within the hidden core group of survivors.

Quote: (anon) "… we were discouraged from talking about our practices …
Fact: This is absolutely correct. It was a strict A.·. A.·. curriculum within a group that practiced group rites on a regular schedule (weekly). Any discussion of personal practices was supposedly limited to one's "link" (guide) or one's student (downline). Of course, people find it hard to keep their mouths shut and there were frequent reminders about this. Oh Lord! It's like Ashramic discipline — I feel bitter!

Quote: (anon): "The racism was very subtle, and there was not preaching about white supremacy or aryanism."
Fact: This racism theme is one that keeps coming up. If there was any racism, it must have been in the lower grade levels — where, it should be noted, it probably did exist — just like it exists within almost everyone on this planet — maybe that's why it was "subtle." I was on the council that approved the initiation of a black person. He asked, he did the work, he got admitted. Our operational phrase was "Refuse none." Our neighbors were almost exclusively "people of color." We were invited into their homes on numerous occasions where we were offered tea, coffee and cookies while we discussed our ancestries, various economic distresses and assorted neighborhood problems. "It's those kids down at 1201 who are stealing all the bicycles;" (we discovered a "bicycle shop" in their garage and spoke to their parents). They visited our homes when they had something to impart. All things considered, I think our "racial adjustment" was far more harmonious than most societies were at that time, and even as they are today. I might add that a certain mistrust was present and discussed at all levels: of certain young, black men (never women), unknown to us, in a group of three or more. They could be easily identified by their dress and their bearing. We lived on the edge of the racial abyss. These emissaries of the gangs that lurked just out of our range of sight and influence were decidedly dangerous people. The influence of hard drugs was present in their eyes and they were never friendly. If this is "subtle racism," well, I doubt it. It is common sense. Frater Shiva: "Liber Disclosum No Number BEING AN ANAL-LYSIS OF MATERIAL PUBLICKLY POSTED BY MR. KOENIG (SWITZERLAND) THAT REFERS TO Solar Lodge R.I.P.", March 2011.

Quote: "Many kinds of drugs were available. One or two of the members were making them."

Shiva replies: Many kinds of drugs were available everywhere. Dexedrine® was routinely used by approximately 60% of the entire dental school student body — some say I am wrong, "because it was at least 85%." LSD and similar substances were absolutely legal to sell, buy, hold and consume. Pharmaceutical-grade, Sandoz® Laboratories' LSD-25 was the sole provider. In an environment like this, all other drug settings pale in comparison. If you were a part of it, in the mid-to-late 60s, then you know what I mean. Interestingly, we had no problems with any members in relation to alcohol or cocaine, both of which were extremely popular in the outer world. Nobody was "making" any drugs at any point in the whole adventure - with one exception: Frater Yama decided to extract the LSD molecules out of Morning Glory seeds, a perfectly legal ritual. He borrowed my vacuum pump to get the goop separated from the solvent (diethyl ether). The whole Grand Lodge stunk badly for a few hours and the resulting libation was the poorest quality medicine I have ever encountered — nausea mixed with lethargy and no transcendental powers. This was done once! Nobody in their right mind would partake of his mixture a second time.

Marijuana, although illegal, was available everywhere. Just like the alcohol prohibition a couple of decades into the new aeon. Solar Lodge did not furnish, sell or provide any drugs of any kind to any person, except in the course of its use as a libation in a formal magickal ceremony. The members brought their own marijuana. Everybody, everywhere, within this circle and amongst their worldly friends, had their own marijuana. Members passed the marijuana around instead of a bottle. Again, this was during formal ceremonies. I am sure that individual members indulged in their own habits, but I saw no evidence of what is termed "chronic use." Marijuana was not used in the house or at the ranch for work parties or social purposes (the so-called "recreational" use). The closest thing to an outer world usage was dispensation for the purposes of watching the first runs of Star Trek® every Friday evening, which for us was a great game of synchronizing ideas and Qabalistic correlation.

Now there's always an exception — Just when we were coming under the watchful eyes of the citizenry of Blythe, California, one member was busted in the parking lot of The Eye of Horus bookstore for selling marijuana. Capricornus (Jean) was furious; I was a bit irate. He was running his own little, private operation, that's what he was doing.

Quote: Remark about a factual error. Blythe is located in Riverside County, not San Bernardino County. Vidal is located in San Bernardino County, with the county line being approximately 2 miles south of the town. The Sheriff's Deputies who were actually involved in the "Boy in the Box" case said the reason that the Riverside County Sheriff's Dept. took the case, rather than the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept. was that their office in Blythe was far closer than the SB County Sheriff's Office in Needles.

Shiva replies: There was no need to perform this song-and-dance justification. Solar Ranch, where the alleged crime took place, was distinctly positioned in Riverside County, just about a thousand feet south of the San Bernardino County line. The town of Vidal, in San Bernardino County, was never invaded by the law as no alleged crimes were attributed to that location; they came looking for fugitives a time or two, but they never found anybody they wanted.

Excerpt of "Ordis Templis Intelligentis" by Alex Constantine, 1996:

Quote: The O.T.O.'s Solar Lodge in San Bernardino was founded by Maury McCauley, a mortician, on his own property.

Morris McCauley, R.I.P., was a Master Magician (IIIº) who came along way after Solar Lodge was underway. During the high adventures with the FBI, he secretly removed a set of initiation documents and went away to another city to found a new Order (still in existence, even though he has passed away). He was a barber, who had previously been a mortician in a family of morticians. He played no part in the founding of Solar Lodge, and he owned no property in San Bernardino (city or county).

Frater Shiva, Email 16th March 2011.

Bibliography

Primary and Archival Sources