Explanatory Note: The research of Jerry Cornelius regarding any contact Charles Manson may have had with the Solar (Riverside) Lodge of the OTO, as published in Scribe (vol.1, no. 7, 1997), leads him to a wall of denial. Cornelius, in a hotly-written rebuttal, disagrees with me and other writers, particularly Ed Sanders and Peter Levenda, about the relationsip: "The most common misconception about the Solar Lodge that authors love to foster is the connection with Charlie Manson. Contrary to what some would like readers to believe, this is a misconception. He was not a member, nor is there any strong evidence that he ever visited the group. The sole source of these stories is found in Ed Sanders' book The Family published in 1971. Here Sanders wrote that at "least five separate individuals have claimed that they were told by a member of Brayton's rebel O.T.O. Lodge that Manson was involved with the Lodge." These allegations have never been substantiated and appear to be only second hand gossip told to a third party who then talked to Sanders, hardly the type of evidence which would stand up in a Court of Law. The only tenuous connection to the Manson murders is that the Solar Lodge problems occurred two months before the Tate-LaBianco murders.... We find authors like Alex Constantine ... along with Peter Levenda, the author of The Unholy Alliance, promoting the same old tired misconceptions, if not creating new outright lies." Odd that Cornelius should attack Sanders, et al. As recounted below, Sander's version of events originated with Grady McMurty, then the "Outer Head" of the OTO: "When it became known that Manson had been a visitor to Jean Brayton's O.T.O., McMurtry informed on Brayton to the FBI in order not to get involved in the FBI's investigations. He also fed the journalist Ed Sanders with material who as a return favour did not mention McMurtry in his book 'The Family.'" If Sanders is breeding "lies," they began with McMurty the FBI informant, himself. The following account by P.R, Koenig clarifies the connection, and substantiates some of the allegations that Cornelius dismisses as "lies" and "myths." The OTO has long attempted to revise history to distance itself from the Solar Lodge and Charles Manson, but the Order's own research, including the following, agrees with the published accounts denounced by Jerry Cornelius (though there is some small disagreement on details found in my own reporting, as noted in the text): ------------------------------------------------- Charles Manson and the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. P.R. Koenig New O.T.O. groups in the US Although Charles Manson never had been member of any of the many O.T.O. groups, the tabloid press often warms up his short contact with Georgina Brayton's "Solar Lodge of the O.T.O." of the 1960s. The "Caliphate" (the new American O.T.O. founded in 1977) often calls this earlier O.T.O. lodge 'irregular', but Phyllis Seckler, a protagonist of the "Caliphate" (the wife of its founder Grady L. McMurtry) recently admitted it to be a real O.T.O. lodge. To exaggerate, without Manson the "Caliphate" would not exist at all. -- Let's unroll the history a bit. During Crowley's lifetime there was only one active O.T.O.- lodge in the US; the so-called second Agape lodge in California. Since he was never satisfied with its members and activities (entry in Crowley's diary 9 March 1945: "I place the Californian Lodge under INTERDICT.") Crowley gave to one member of the group which he called fans, above mentioned McMurtry, a special instruction: in case of emergency to take care of this lodge, submitted to the veto of his heir, the German Karl Germer. But Germer never thought highly about McMurtry (calling him a "Minus" and considering the US as a "spiritual desert") and closed the Agape Lodge on September 7, 1953 in order to favour the Swiss H.J. Metzger as heir. Around this time, McMurtry completely lost his interest in the O.T.O. and that's maybe why others continued O.T.O. activities in the US. In the mid-1950s, two ex-members of this ex-Agape Lodge (dissolved in 1953), Ray and Mildred Burlingame, worked together with Georgina R. (Jean) Brayton (born 29 December 1921) and her husband Richard Montgomery Brayton (born 1911, university lecturer at the University of California) on some of Crowley's O.T.O.-rituals. After Germer's death in 1962, the Brayton group started to call itself Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. or Riverside Lodge of the O.T.O. and was something like a motherless satellite of a dissolved lodge. Neither Burlingame nor the later re-appearing McMurtry possessed the permission either to initiate or to found a new lodge of the O.T.O. It is strictly and explicitly forbidden to initiate or install lodges without permission by a superior, according to the O.T.O. statutes. Members of the Solar Lodge were accused of having ransacked the homes of Sascha Germer, Israel Regardie and Mildred Burlingame in order to collect O.T.O. material. When Phyllis Seckler (another ex-member of the dissolved Agape Lodge) came to hear this, she contacted another ex-member of the same dissolved lodge, Grady L. McMurtry in January 1969. Soon they would marry and become the founding nucleus of the "Caliphate". [see below] Years later, Solar Lodge member Robert Duerrenstein denied that any member of the Solar Lodge ever ransacked the houses of Sascha Germer et alii for the simple reason that Ray Burlingame had told them that there was no O.T.O. material worth stealing. 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 andapartment 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 oflove? 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. * * * 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, house wives, 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, dicussed 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/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 ceremonies and which initiations (into which degree)? 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 to be the re-incarnation of Aleister Crowley ? She never said this to me. Question: Did she claim to be the Head of the OTO ? 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. To be continued below In August 1969, Charles Manson's 'Familiy' committed their 'famous' murders. At the same time, the Solar Lodge caused scandals as well. Here's a newspaper clip of 'The Washington Post', October 31, 1969: Boy Tells Of Chaining By Cultists INDO, Calif, Oct. 30 (UPI) - Anthony Saul Gibbons, 6, sitting on a pillow on the witness stand so he could be seen, tes- tified Wednesday he was burned with matches and imprisoned in a packing crate at a desert com- mune for starting a fire. The small boy was barely audible as he relatd the events that led to his being chained inside the sweltering box for 56 days during the sum- mer on the farm commune operated by a cult called Ordi Templar Orientialis. Eleven members of the commune, including the child's mother, are on trial for felony child abuse. Anthony, now a ward of the court, said his fingers were burned with matches after he started the fire which destroyed a house and injured a group of goats June 20. He testified he was placed in the packing crate with his legs chained and let out only to do his "chores." The boy was questioned repeatedly before he took the oath as Defence Attorney Keith Blazer attempted to establish if the boy knew what a lie was. The boy said he understood that he would be punished if he told a lie. After Anthony testified, the prosecution rested its case. Candace Reos, a former member of the Lodge, was deposed by the Riverside police in 1969. Reos said that Brayton controlled the thinking of the members. One member, she said, was ordered to curb his sexual urges by cutting his wrists every time he was aroused. Mrs. Reos told police that when she became pregnant, Jean Brayton was angry and told her that she would have to condition herself to hate her child. Reos told the police that children of the cult's 43 adult members were secluded from their parents and received "training" that took on "very severe tones." "There was a lot of spanking involved," she reported, "and a lot of being enclosed in dark rooms." The teachers, she added, "left welts." If so ordered, adult cultists would beat their children. The FBI files on the Solar Lodge [Blackened parts by the FBI are marked XXX. Please note that Charles Manson is not mentioned at all. A facsimile of this document can be found in my Materialien zum OTO ] Date: 8/15/69 TO: DIRECTOR, FBI ATTN: Identification Division FROM: SAC, LOS ANGELES (88-16511) SUBJECT: GEORGINA R. BRAYTON, aka Jean Brayton - FUGITIVE; RICHARD MONTGOMERY BRAYTON - FUGITIVE; ROBERT ALLEN DUERRSTEIN - FUGITIVE; EDSON FRANK DUNLAP - FUGITIVE; JAMES HERBERT GIBBONS - FUGITIVE UFAP - CHILD ABUSE OO: Los Angeles The following information was furnished 8/14,15/69 by XXX Riverside County Sheriff's Office, and XXX Riverside County District Attorney's Office, Blythe, California. These agencies requested Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution (UFAP) assistance for captioned subjects: This case involves an organization or cult known as O.T.O., which letters stand for Ordo Templi Orientis (Order of the Temple of the Orient or Oriental Templars). It is also known as the "Eye of Horus" and has had book stores under this name. The aims of O.T.O. are the teaching of hermetic science or occult knowledge, the pure and holy magic of light, the secrets of mystic attainment and yoga of all forms. According to cult literature entitled "Manifesto of the O.T.O.", it embodies the whole of the secret knowledge of all Oriental orders and "has existing branches in every civilized country in the world." The O.T.O. maintained book stores in Blythe, California, and at 1918 West Eight Street, Los Angeles, which later moved to 1241 West 30th Street, Los Angeles. These "Eye of Horus" book stores were managed by subject ROBERT ALLEN DUERRSTEIN. A group or commune of the O.T.O. based in Los Angeles, California, at 1241 West 30th Street and 2627 Menlo Street, approximately one and one half to two years ago began building a retreat or commune on 20 acres of land located in a remote desert area, 38 miles north of Blythe, California, on Highway 95. According to tax records, this property is in the name XXX. During the period of construction, the cult members worked in Los Angeles and travelled to this property on weekends. About three to four months ago, a large part of this group moved to this desert commune and several obtained jobs in Blythe. The buildings consisted of a Quonset type building and "houses" made out of "piano boxes" and "A" frames. They maintained livestock such as cows, goats, and horses on this property. The O.T.O. also listed a run-down tavern, motel, store, and station at Vidal, California, approximately two miles from their commune. Among persons moving to this commune were five children, two of which were ANTHONY SAUL GIBBONS, also known as Saul Gibbons, age 6, XXX. Their mother, BEVERLY JUNE GIBBONS, a white female, age 36, and xxx APPROX. father, JAMES HERBERT GIBBONS, an employee of the Los Angeles County Probation Department at Camp David Gonzales, were members of O.T.O. Witnesses state that according to rules of the cult, the parents were not to have direct control over their children and the children would be in effect wards of the O.T.O. [Remark P.R.K.: This sounds like Reuss' concept of a social utopia, somehow tried out by Crowley at his Abbey of Thelema at Cefalú] On 7/26/69, XXX went to the commune to look at some horses which were for sale. At this time, they observed a child chained inside of a large shipping crate and thereafter notified the Riverside County Sheriff's Office. Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies proceeded to the commune, where they found SAUL GIBBONS sitting on a mattress in a 6' by 6' box. A heavy metal chain was padlocked to his left leg and the other end of the chain was locked to a large metal plate. The box also contained a No. 10 can partially filled with human waste and swarming with flies. Also, the box contained an uncovered plastic jug with drinking water, a food encrusted plate, and a small washtub filled with dirty water. The stench was nauseating, the flies were swarming, it was hot, and the boy could not recall how long he had been in the box. The recorded temperature in Blythe since 7/1/69 reached 117 degrees with 12 days raching 110 degrees or more. Investigation determined that on 5/20/69 the Quonset hut at the commune, with many of the cult's belongings, burned down. This fire was not reported to authorities. Cult members determined that SAUL GIBBONS set the fire and about three days later, GEORGINA BRAYTON, RICHARD BRAYTON, and ROBERT DUERRSTEIN, as well as other cult members, proceeded to the commune from Los Angeles. XXX former O.T.O. members, stated that GEORGINA BRAYTON is the leader of the group and ROBERT DUERRSTEIN is second in command. The group is strictly disciplined and JEAN BRAYTON finalizes all decisions. Upon arrival at the commune in May, JEAN BRAYTON is alleged to have held lit matches to the hand of SAUL GIBBONS as punishment for burning the Quonset down and for killing two goats which were destroyed by the fire. She allegedly made SAUL bury the goats after which he was "beaten all day" with bamboo sticks by the adult members of the commune while the BRAYTONS and DUERRSTEIN watched. SAUL was then put in an "A" frame building by the "cow pens" and chained to the heavy metal plate. He allegedly stayed in the "A" frame two weeks, during which time he was fed only bread and water. Thereafter, he was transferred to the 6' by 6' wooden box in which he was found on 7/26/69. A week or two after SAUL's original punishment at the commune, a meeting was held at the O.T.O. Temple, 2627 Menlo, Los Angeles. JEAN BRAYTON told those present that as punishment for setting the fire she had burned SAULS's hands with matches, made him dig the grave and bury the carcasses of the two goats. and then chained him in an "A" frame, where he was to sit in Asana, a yogie position. She then said that when it was convenient, she was going to give SAUL LSD and set fire to the structure in which he was chained and give him just enough chain to get out of reach of the fire. She asked if anyone had any objections or better ideas. No one, including SAULS' mother, BEVERLY GIBBONS, who was present at the meeting, had any objections. ROBERT DUERRSTEIN suggested they kill the child, but JEAN BRAYTON said this would not be necessary. BEVERLY GIBBONS allegedly remarked during these conversations that it was "sacrificing one to save many". SAUL GIBBONS, age 6, was apparently chained in the above condition from about 5/23/69 to 7/26/69. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office arrested the following cult members after SAUL was found and they were subsequently booked 8/13/69 on Riverside County Grand Jury indictments charging child abuse. They are currently out on bond: CLIFFORD ALAN REOS, white male, age 21, 5'10", 160 pounds, brown hair, and green eyes; MICHAEL JOHN FOXWORTH, white male, age 20, 6'20", 175 pounds, brown hair, and brown eyes; GARDNER HERBERT REYNOLDS, JR., white male, age 22, 5'11", 180 pounds, brown hair, and hazel eyes; JAMES EDWARD HUNGERFORD, white male, age 22, 6', 175 pounds, brown hair, and blue eyes; VIRGINIA CELESTE MICHEL, white female, age 21, 5'3", 110 pounds, brown hair, and blue eyes; PATRICIA ANN MOSHER, white female, age 26, 5'3", 105 pounds, brown hair, and blue eyes; JACK REVEL NEECE, white male, age 22, 5'8", 140 pounds, brown hair, and blue eyes; JOHN FRANCIS NICHOLSON, white male, age 21, 5'8", 148 pounds, brown hair, and blue eyes; JUIDH LYNN OSTER, nee Angelson, also known as Julie Oster, an employee of the Bank of America; BEVERLY JUNE GIBBONS, white female, date of birth 5/13/33, 5'4", 105 pounds, brown hair, and brown eyes; JEFFERY FLYNN As previously stated, the above listed persons have been charged with felony child abuse and are currently out on bond. On 7/28/69, XXX Riverside County District Attorney Investigator, interviewed XXX who were all together at Blythe, California. He also talked that date by phone with XXX. Warrants were not outstanding for these persons at this time and they were not arrested. All of these people disappeared thereafter and their whereabouts are currently unknown. XXX Vidal, California, advised the Riverside County Sheriff's Office 8/4/69 that XXX disappeared after the above arrests and that she had seen a letter from RICHARD BRAYTON to XXX , which was postmarked in Arizona, city unknown. While JULIE OSTER was in the Blythe jail, conversation was overheard between JULIE and O.T.O. friend in which JULIE said that if "she (JEAN BRAYTON) couldn't come back in the stat, someone else would have to administer the business enterprises at Vidal". Also, that the BRAYTONS "weren't safe in the United States". On 8/13/69, the Riverside County Grand Jury returned a true bill charging 19 members of the O.T.O., including all five captioned subjects, with violation Section 273(a), California Penal Code, Child Abuse, a felony. This case was discussed with Assistant U.S. Attorney DAVID P. CURNOW, Los Angeles, by SA XXX on 8/14/69. He authorized prosecution of all five captioned subjects for violation Title 18, Section 1073, U.S. Code, UFAP - Child Abuse. He recommended $25,000 bond for each subject. On 8/15/69, complaints were filed by SA XXX before U.S. Commissioner JOHN MORGAN, Riverside, California, and warrants were issued. Fugitive Form Letters submitted. GEORGINA R. BRAYTON is a white female; born 12/29/21, possibly in England; 5'5", 135 pounds; brown hair dyed red; green eyes; California driver's licence F553407; and Social Security Number XXXX. She allegedly has claimed to be the reincarnation of Sir ALEISTER CROWLEY, who wrote "Book of Lies" published in London in 1913. CROWLEY, since deceased, was an alleged leader of O.T.O. RICHARD MONTGOMERY BRAYTON is a white male; born 1911 in Ohio; 5'10"; 165 pounds; black hair, graying; brown eyes; Social Security Number XXX, California driver's licence B240125, and Criminal Identification and Investigation (CII) Number XXX. He was arrested for burglary by the Los Angeles Police Department 9/28/68, their number XXX. BRAYTON is alleged to have become addicted to percodan. ROBERT ALLEN DUERRSTEIN is a white male; born 9/23/39; 6'3"; 160 pounds; brown hair; blue eyes; California driver's license F819421; and with address 1241 West 30th Street, Los Angeles. EDSON FRANK DUNLAP is a white male; born 10/10/30; 6'2", 180 pounds; brown hair; hazel eyes; address 1241 West 30th Street, Los Angeles; and California driver's license F324970. DUNLAP, a dentist and graduist of University of Southern California (USC) Dental School, is reportedly a high cult member and has worked for XXX has a bank account at the Bank of America, 1255 Sartori Avenue, Torrance. JAMES HERBERT GIBBONS is a white male; born 8/22/32 in California: 6'1"; 160 pounds; brown hair; Social Security Number XXX and was employed by the Los Angeles County Probation Department. He also has degrees in theology and made application to teach at the Palos Verdes Junior College, Blythe, California. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office also has felony warrants for charging child abuse in connection with this matter for DENNIS CASTINEREZ, also known as Paul Masters, Steve Quilly, a white male, 25 years of age, 5'7", muscular build, dark hair, and tan complexion. CASTINEREZ allegedly may be avoiding the draft. They also have felony warrants to B. APPORX. Lorna FLYNN, a white female, and GEORGE CHRISTIAN SCOTT, a white male. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office to date has not located these persons. UFAP process is not outstanding for CASTINEREZ, LORNA FLYNN, or GEORGE SCOTT at this time. XXX The O.T.O. leases and operates the Richfield Service Station at 3401 South Flower, Los Angeles, which is run by cult member XXX. Other cult members work at the station. XXX ------------------------------------------------------ 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. 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, 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. 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. 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, an 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. 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 hubrid, 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 revisted 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! It seems that the accused individuals faced a Judge in December 1971. In January 1972, Jean Brayton's Midnight Press published a "Special 'COMICS' Issue". Obviously the Solar Lodge was now called Velle Transcendental Research Association, Inc. In this magazine Vol.1;4 it was spoken of the first "farce" trial and that a higher court than the Indio Superior Court had to accept their proofs, e.g. "the existence of the psychological report which confirms that [the boy in the box] Anthony [Saul Gibbons] was not harmed emotionally or physically." It was spoken of the several delays coming from attorneys; perjuries, witheld 'confidential' material, not provided transcripts and the 'fact' that Anthony Saul Gibbons, a six-year old boy, emerged on July 26, 1969, "in good health as confirmed by a doctor's examination" from the box. Jean Brayton took following stance towards the Judge: "The Riverside Railroad Injustice System supports judges and prosecutors who are neighbours, who belong to an in-group clique of socialites, who golf together, who evaluate trial action according to political pressure, who exchange functions of the judicial system indiscriminately, who ignore welfare and probation recommendations to inflict jail terms in their warehouses of perversion, who have professional witnesses and intimidated witnesses perjure themselves in order to unjustly malign those who endeavor to bring true freedom and love into the hearts of all mankind." Members of Velle Transcendental Research Association, Inc. called themselves "Vellens" and the group considered itself to be a "True, Universal Brotherhood" paying homage to masonry. After all, the egyptian god Tahuti was magically invoked to call forth a tribunal before "Horus! Lord of the Aeon!!" where "The Grand Inquisitor [ie the Judge] and Prosecutor" were forced to "Swear that we will never again hinder our [illegible] man in his search for true freedom and understanding. We also swear to strive ever stronger in our search for truth and knowledge of our true selves!" Rumour goes as that Jean Brayton escaped being arrested when she fled to Ensenada, Argentine. The birth of the "Caliphate" as a consequence of Charles Manson's involvement with the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. ? In January 1969 Phyllis Seckler informed Grady McMurtry about the events. On 29 April 1969 McMurtry moved from Washington to California and started to make vain attempts to involve ex-members of the ex-Agape Lodge on his side. On 9 June 1969, in response to these efforts, the ex-member Jean Shivonen, for one, wrote back to McMurtry: "I'm not interested." Nevertheless, McMurtry and his wife, Phyllis Seckler founded a group called "Continuum" and started to publish Crowley material. It was this group "Continuum" which was the nucleus of five members that soon was to become the "Caliphate", a new O.T.O. that was founded in 1977 in order to receive the tax-free status and to benefit from alleged Crowley copyrights all over the world. Spicy remark: Crowley's Last Will and Testament does not mention McMurtry at all but named the Englishman John Symonds as "Literary Executor". While the Solar Lodge did not think that Sascha Germer had any O.T.O. materials of interest, McMurtry discussed the idea of filing suit against Sascha Germer in order to force her giving her archive over to McMurtry. The local police advised McMurtry not to do so. On 20 March 1973, McMurtry and Seckler decided to "copyright" Crowley material for the first time. The subsequent list provides evidence of the 'involvement' of the "Caliphate" with the Solar Lodge, that is: some letters that are in the archive of the "Caliphate". When it became known that Manson had been a visitor to Jean Brayton's O.T.O., McMurtry informed on Brayton to the FBI in order not to get involved in the FBI's investigations. He also fed the journalist Ed Sanders with material who as a return favour did not mention McMurtry in his book "The Family". Newer editions of Sanders' book do not mention any O.T.O. at all. to Yorke, Germer, McMurtry, Grady L., IX°, 10/17/1969 Gerald Sascha Regardie, Break in, Braytons, Names McMurtry, Yorke, Letter regarding the 11/21/1969 Grady L. Gerald beginning of the California O.T.O. Thelemic dates, Berkeley days. Brayton, Burlingame, Letter re. accusations of 12/23/1969 Jean Mildred robbery. Brayton, McMurtry, Letter re. accusations of 12/23/1969 Jean Grady L. & robbery. Burlingame, Mildred McMurtry, Yorke, ltr. re. Heflin, Thoth, Diary 03/08/1970 Grady L. Gerald of a Drug Fiend, Degree papers, Solar Lodge, Caliphate papers. McMurtry, Notes Handwritten notes re. the n.d. Grady L. towards the investigation of the recovery of 1966-1969 thefts and the the Crowley acceptance of the Caliphate. Library (3/8/70) Hughes, R. McMurtry, Correspondence regarding 5 - 9/1970 Glenn Grady L. & groups in L.A. in 1970 Phyllis Braytons, Morlochs, Stars of the O.T.O., and the notorious O.T.A. McMurtry, Yorke, Letter re. Braytons, Arthur 08/10/1970 Grady L. Gerald Lyons, Abramelin Squares, Book of Thoth, Astral Travel. McMurtry, Crammer, Ltr. re. West Point robbery, 10/11/1970 Grady L. Thomas with details of the other Lt. thefts, 1966-1969. McMurtry, Lindstrom, Ltr. outlining the 1966-1969 10/17/1970 Grady L. Ray E., FBI thefts, their connection with the "boy in the box" case, and the role of the Braytons in both. McMurtry, Germer, Ltr. re. Brayton gang, Stella 10/25/1970 Grady L. Sascha Secker's innocence, West Point police, investigation of thefts 1966-1969, Caliphate. 3 copies. McMurtry, Brayton, Letter to Jean Brayton et 02/02/1971 Grady L. Jean al., informing them of his awareness of their actions, charging them to come and see him at their earliest convenience Brayton, McMurtry, Letter responding to GLM to 05/01/1971 Richard Grady L. JB 2/2/1971, suggesting Mildred Burlingame as a go-between McMurtry, Lindstrom, letter re. Brayton case. 05/12/1971 Grady L. Ray E., F.B.I. McMurtry, Crammer, Letter re. Braytons, & Dick 05/13/1971 Grady L. Thomas, Lt. Brayton letter of 5/1/1971. McMurtry, Hayes, Henry Four letters re. the 05/--/1971 Grady L. C., Sgt. Braytons, "A Plea for Religious Toleration", and the Abramelin/Enochian squares. McMurtry, Letter to Draft of a letter to the 05/--/1971 Grady L. Jean Brayton Brayton group, prob. not et al. of mailed. Declares them falsely the falsely named as O.T.O. named "Solar Lodge - McMurtry, Seckler, list of items sent re. 07/25/1971 Grady L. Paul Braytons, Caliphate, Art Lyons. McMurtry, The Brayton List of members of the n.d. Grady L. Group Brayton Group culled from newspapers and personal knowledge by GLM. Velle Midnight Partisan rag of the Brayton 10/--/1971 Trancendental Press group, immediately following Research Vol. I, No. the "boy in the box" case. Assn. 3 Excellent examples of occult agit-prop. McMurtry, Notes on the Notes on the investigation of 06/13/1973 Grady L. Brayton Case the Braytons and relevant dates and certain events prior Brayton's Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. existed before the "Caliphate" did. Now McMurtry somehow had to get rid of the unwanted rival and, despite any historical facts, as self- styled Head of the O.T.O. claimed worldwide supremacy. He founded a new Agape Lodge, called it a Grand Lodge and started to silence or activate other O.T.O. lodges or members according to their willingness to accept his claimed supremacy. Therefore, he called Brayton's Lodge "irregular" saying that Burlingame's initiatic powers had been invalid but at the same time accepted those other ex-members of the ex-Agape Lodge's (dissolved in 1953) 'powers' who supported his claims (e.g. Phyllis Seckler, H.P. Smith, etc.). Not only Burlingame's powers got ignored, also Kenneth Grant's, Marcelo Ramos Motta's, H.J. Metzger's. -- Pertinent "propaganda" did the rest to uphold this fairy tale. Either both groups, Brayton's Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. and the "Caliphate" are regular O.T.O. off-shoots (that is: motherless satellites of an ex-O.T.O. body dissolved in 1953) or both aren't. Meanwhile, some of the "Caliphate" authorities notice this dilemma and agree that Burlingame "performed limited O.T.O. activities" without specifying them. "CALIPHATE" AND SOLAR LODGE: IRREGULAR ? K = Koenig S = Scriven, Xth of the "Caliphate", email correspondence in late 1996 K: I also would like to see any such paper [= charter to initiate] for individuals like Seckler, H.P. Smith and the Burlingames (who, according to Heidrick, did initiations in the late 1960s) (Heidrick to [EMAIL PROTECTED]). If you can't show such paper I would like to hear your explanation why any initiations done by above mentioned individuals should be "real" initiations? (the "emergency" argument does not count because it does not mention/assert "initiations"!)--- S: By McMurtry's recognition of them. K: Therefore, the Solar Lodge is a "real" OTO lodge or is McMurtry's recognition haphazard or selective? K:---Heidrick told that some members of the Solar Lodge now are members of the "Caliphate". (Heidrick to [EMAIL PROTECTED], 9 Oct 1994) Is that true? If yes: Since when? And why? I thought that members with a criminal history are excluded ... S: I am aware of the initiation of the son of a former Solar Lodge member. We also have members who were once members of the "Order of Thelema," a later successor organization to the Solar Lodge. I do not believe we have any members who were members of the original Solar Lodge who would have been involved in the Germer/Regardie/Burlingame thefts or the "boy in the box" scandal. People with criminal histories are not _necessarily_ excluded from membership. The nature of the crime, the age of the individual when the crime was committed, and the individual's behavior during and after civil punishment are taken into consideration. Brayton's initiation occurred before McMurtry's implementation of the Caliphate, which was, according to my current reckoning, in 1969; or according to your reckoning, in 1977. K: In other words: there is uncertainty as to why Mildred B's initiation of the Brayton woman should have been not valid because Mildred had no charter to do initiations - while McMurtry's initiations should have been valid although he never had such charter. S: This is a good point, but I believe I have answered it above. K: But M.Burlingame's initiation of Brayton is not denied! S: She did perform the initiation, but we do not recognize its validity, because it was performed in 1963 or 1964; both after Karl Germer's death and before McMurtry's activation of the Caliphate. McMurtry could have recognized it retroactively, but he did not do so. [ Nevertheless, Phyllis Seckler openly admitted: They were an O.T.O. Lodge. ] [ AFTERWORD, 1997: Not after the "boy in the box" scandal, understandably - he tried to put as much distance between himself and the Solar Lodge as possible in the FBI's eyes! It begs the question: does "Caliphate" recognition of an initiation rest upon moral grounds, i.e., can it be "retracted" later if the "Caliphate" doesn't like/ approve the initiate? Another double standard is operating here: according to S's own criteria, Burlingame was actually entitled to be "performing limited OTO activities" alongside McMurtry, Seckler and Smith. Otherwise the "Caliphate" would simply have been McMurtry by himself "holding it in trust", just as Motta could have been said to have done with Motta's SOTO. ] Manson and the O.T.O. ? Before Charles Manson (born 1935) was a visitor to the open 'parties' at the Solar Lodge meetings, he already had a sort of history of occultism himself. Allegedly Manson first got interested in Scientology while he was incarcerated in the McNeil Island Penitentiary in Washington (Scientology has recruiting programs for prisons). It is said that Manson received about 150 hours of Scientology counselling in prison. After his release from prison, he went to Los Angeles where he was said to have met local Scientologists and attended several parties for movie stars, possibly the July 18 initial dedication of the first Celebrity Center. Manson was eager to meet celebrities in order to find producers for his guitar music (e.g. he contacted a member of the Beach Boys or Doris Day's son). There are hints that it was only shortly afterwords that he got involved with the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. and may also have had met the Process, a Satan-orientated group which originally broke away from Scientology which itself had its own history with Crowley's O.T.O.). What had Manson to do with the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. ? As witnesses reported (see above) Jean Brayton 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." About 50 non-members had been attracted, among them Hollywood stars like Jerry Kay, art director of the movie "Easy Rider" who left around August 1967. He hadn't done much more than take the oath of probationer [A\A\?], then he left and took the Book of the Law, illustrated and sold it. The most famous guest was Charles Manson who considered himself to be the re-incarnation of Aleister Crowley: like Jean Brayton. The scandals around the Solar Lodge happened at the same time as those of Manson's 'Family' who murdered Sharon Tate and her friends (at least seven people) in August 1969; and it was in the same geographical location. This and the occult background of Manson and Jean Brayton made the yellow press assume a direct connection between the assassinations done by Manson's 'Family' and that "Boy in the Box" event of the O.T.O. But the cult character of the 'Family' and of the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. produced one peculiar line to other O.T.O. groups: One member of Manson's 'Family', Robert Beausoleil lived together with the movie maker Kenneth Anger. Before he participated in murdering celebrities of Hollywood, Beausoleil was acting as the Lucifer in Anger's movie 'Lucifer Rising'. While sitting in prison, he composed the music for the same movie. Kenneth Anger also was instrumental in founding Anton LaVey's Church of Satan -- LaVey playing the role of the Satan in Roman Polanski's movie "Rosemary's Baby". The murdered Sharon Tate was Polanski's wife. Today, Kenneth Anger is a close friend of William Breeze, the Caliph of the "Caliphate", the new O.T.O. group that was founded as a consequence of the Solar Lodge and Manson events. Books on Charles Manson and the Solar Lodge: Ed Sanders: "The Family", New York 1971 Phyllis Seckler's magazine "In the Continuum", Oregon Court transcript Marcelo Ramos Motta vs. Samuel Weiser Inc. 1985 Marcelo Ramos Motta: "Oriflamme" VI;5 Rio de Janeiro 1987 Sandy Robertson: "Aleister Crowley Scrapbook", London 1988 Vincent Bugliosi: "Helter Skelter", New York 1988 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is an outline from the German "Das OTO-Phaenomen" (1994) and from the English "O.T.O. Rituals and Sexmagick" (1999). See also Jerry Cornelius: Myths of the Solar Lodge Revisited
