Joining the OTO

[autodydact]

I've been considering joining the OTO for quite some time now and thought I'd ask here what you all think. I'm open to all statements about them and advice. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, which results in me reaching a situation where I feel unable to do any work or practice for fear that I'm doing it wrong, so I'm eager to find a group where I could receive a level of guidance to reassure myself that I'm on the right track. Obviously, this makes the OTO attractive, as they are fairly numerous and easily contacted, but I still want to ensure that they are right for me before jumping in head first.

Obviously I am aware of the general nature of the OTO, their grades and lineage. I'm also fairly well acquainted with thelema, although am by no means an expert on the topic. I suppose the main thing holding me back is the mass of mixed messages and contradictory information floating around. So I'm looking for some sage advice and info regarding their practices that goes into a little more detail than their websites do! Of course I understand that due to various oathes no one can give details about initiations, but what about the other stuff?

[Desecrated]

If you can find a local chapter, Why not?
Might be a good experience.

[oldspirit]

That is what bothers me about Orders/Temples/Cults/Covens. They tend to give the prospect such vague and genralized information that the seeker ends up never knowing what the hell his getting into. Now, i am not referring to initiation rituals, I like that these are kept seceret keeping a dramatic and frightening element of surprise to the initiate as it should, what i am talking about is just share the names of your dieties for crying out loud dont pressure the seeker into dedication or initiation (all that i have been involved with do) let the seeker seek. A prospect needs to get diety names info on the dieties a basic idea of how the damn organization operates without this "oh well i cant tell you until you reach first degree silly [clown] (or whatever its is for them)" like a carrot in front of a turtles mouth teasing him to work at your will. Be careful friend these High Preist/ess will pressure you into things before your are ready, because it gives them power when you dedicate yourself under them to their dieties/angels/energies and then after youve been pressured into 1st degree within a few months (oh yeah thats a common waiting time for many covens) not to mention the dedication they had you do after the first meet/circle/temple erecting you attended, you possibly think damn this one isn't for me and leave VERY UNCOMFORTABLLY because they have pressured you into something that you were not educated on first. be careful friend, my advice stay solitary or find a friend or two to practice with but dont join any "ORGANIZATION" you will find the word is not even fitting to describe most of them. but hey they might have all the answers you looking for loll

[Cybernetic_Jazz]

Lon Milo Duquette makes a good sales pitch for that and if their Qabalah is A.'.A.'. I'm sure it's very potent stuff. The only elephant in the room for me is the 'cakes of light'' at the Gnostic mass, if anything people say generally is true it sounds like a hepatitis wish.

[autodydact]

The OTO don't have deities per say... They aren't a Wiccan group, so secret deity names aren't a factor. And regarding pressure, I'm fairly certain that I'm strong willed enough to tell them to fuck off if they start trying to make me do things against my will..,

Regarding the cake of light, I've heard that ingredient x is only present in homeopathic amounts... They make one cake with ingredient x, cook it to ash and then use some of the ash in subsequent cakes. So realistically, it's only there in a symbolic sense and probably accounts for <1% of the final product.

[Cybernetic_Jazz]

If you're considering Thelema check out David Shoemaker's Youtube channel for 'Living Thelema'. He's pretty much lifting chapters right out of his own book by that title. I don't know how different the teaching structure might be but you'll get a good idea of where their tarot and Qabalah goes. My best guess - it'll be very Knowledge and Conversation geared either way.

The only thing I don't really understand yet is what the big difference is between traditional Golden Dawn formula and Thelema aside from renaming some things in the LRP and LRH (Ruby and Sapphire with subs for archangels), removal of Theoricus grade, and Portal renamed Dominus Liminis. It mostly looks like Golden Dawn on Ad Libs with perhaps one other difference, Crowley liked the pivot of Strength and Justice around the Hermit/Virgo that he decided to do a different key swap around the Moon/Pisces pole - ie. keeping the updated Hebrew alphabet attributions but leaving the Key #'s alone.

[manofsands]

Go with your gut. Read some of the material, see if it appeals to you. If it has something to offer...