BOTA membership

wandking

Case started Tarot early

Born Oct. 3, 1884, Case spent childhood in New York. In 1900 CE, at sixteen, Case met the occultist Claude Bragdon, as they had both donated their talents to a charity performance. It was in this meeting that Paul Case got his first "directive". Bragdon asked Case, "Where do you think the playing cards come from?" This simple question sparked an immediate search for the origins and uses of Tarot. Within a very short period of time, Case had collected every book and every set of Tarot Keys available. He spent years researching, studying, and meditating on these archetypal images.

Meanwhile in England, In 1898, Aleister Crowley gained initiation into the society and progressed rapidly through the ranks. The next year he went to Paris and compelled Mathers to promote him into a higher level of the secret order and Mathers complied. The London lodge, under leadership of actress Florence Farr, rejected this promotion. When Crowley returned to England in disguise exclaiming he was the "Envoy Extraordinary," from Mathers in an attempt to gain control of the Second Order of the Golden Dawn, he wore Highland dress with a black mask and brandished a gilt dagger. During his effort, Crowley suffered a formal rebuff, complete with legal problems.

It was an uneasy alliance between Crowley and Mathers and it deteriorated. Crowley considered himself a better magician than Mathers. Allegedly, this led to magical warfare between the men. Mathers sent an astral vampire to assault Crowley. Crowley counterattacked, sending a legion of demons after his ex-ally, now turned rival. Eventually antics by Crowley prompted his expulsion from the order. Crowley retaliated by publishing secrets of the society in his biannual magazine, The Equinox.

Several esoteric groups now bear the name Golden Dawn and many claim lineage from the original London lodge. Crowley and Regardie, although condemned for revealing Golden Dawn secrets likely held limited knowledge. Yeats, Waite and Horniman blocked Crowley from ascending to the Second Order and Mathers not long after promoting him clashed with the recent initiate. After Mathers sent Crowley to London, the British Lodge voted to break ties with his Paris order, which initiated a series of public exchanges by various members. In a sea of dissention, the once secret organization drifted into public domain. Finally, Yeats assumed control over the Second Order of the Golden Dawn and attempted to restore harmony within the group but his effort proved fruitless. Due to internal strife, the order dissolved in 1902 CE, triggering formation of several splinter groups.

Mathers, after becoming destitute in Paris, unintentionally soiled the name Golden Dawn after entering into a disastrous relationship with the couple named Mr. and Mrs. Theo Horos. This pair made their living as frauds with an occult slant. Apparently, by developing rapport with a freshly formed American order, they either acquired or forged credentials. Based on the documents and enticing personalities, the two conned Mathers out of legitimate Golden Dawn documents, which they used for setting up spurious temples for confidence schemes. When Mathers finally heard word of their actions, he denounced them as swindlers. Costing Mathers most of his Paris following, the couple disappeared only to surface in London several years later facing statutory rape charges. In an ensuing trial allegations that the Horos couple used young women as sex magic partners and then took their money, again brought the order into the open and under fire. Deviously misused, the name Golden Dawn became a poor choice for all early splinter groups.

Indeed Mina had a hand in the New York order but her husband who founded the British order died in 1918. On July 18, 1921, Moina Mathers wrote Case regarding complaints she had received regarding some of his teachings. Apparently, Case had begun discussing the topic of sex magic, which at the time had no official place in the Order curriculum. Since no knowledge lectures exist on the subject, whether sex practices were ever taught in the Golden Dawn has been a long standing question. In her correspondence with Case, Moina wrote, "...I have seen the results of this superficial sex teaching in several Occult Societies as well as in individual cases. I have never met with one happy result."

1919 Moina Mathers returned to London after MacGregor’s death and established the Alpha et Omega 3 and the Thoth-Hermes Temple of the Golden Dawn (Alpha et Omega) drew lineage from her. Here is a list of other Temples that flourished and were chartered under the Golden Dawn with the Chief S.L.MacGregor Mathers. The following are not break-away Temples but duly authorized Temples.(Temple No. 3, Isis Urania was the first Temple that was chartered to Mathers.)

No. 1. Licht Liebe und Leben: Nuremberg - Fraulein Sprengel (Soror S.D.A.), 1870

No. 2. Hermanoubis Liege: Dr. Thyssen (L.E.T.) Dormant, 1889

No. 3. Isis - Urania: London - Dr. W. Wynn Westcott (S.A., N.O.M.) Dr. W. R. Woodman (M.E.V., V.O.V.) S.L. MacGregor Mathers (S.R.M.D., D.D.C.F.), 1888

No. 4. Osiris Temple: Weston Super-Mare - B. Cox (C.D.S.), 1888

No. 5. Horus: Bradford - T.H. Pattinson (V.V.M.), 1888

No. 6. Amen-Ra: Edinburgh - Dr. J.W. Brodie Innes (C.S.S.), 1894

No. 7. Ahathoor: Paris - S. L. MacGregor Mathers (S.R.M.D., D.D.C.F.), 1894

No. 8. Ihme: Boston U.S.A., 1895

No. 9. Themis: Philadelphia U.S.A., 1895

No. 10. Thoth-Hermes: Chicago U.S.A. - Mrs. Lockwood, 1895

No. 11. Alpha Omega (Isis Temple): W. London - Dr. E.W. Berridge
 

Rusty Neon

A bookseller in California is asking $5000 U.S. for a collection of 271 lessons from BOTA [20 years worth].

http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=278687628

B.O.T.A. [Paul Foster Case].
271 LESSONS ISSUED BY THE BUILDERS OF THE ADYTUM IN LOS ANGELES.
written by Paul Foster Case, and revised in 1961 by Ann Davies. The lessons, which were issued over the span of about 20 years comprise the following sub-sets: Master Pattern Lessons 1-12, Tree of Life 1-40, Developing Supersenory Powers Through the Tarot 1-53, Tarot Fundamentals 1-47, Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom 1-17, Tarot Fundamentals 1-32, Seven Steps 1-7, Introduction to Tarot 1-11, and The Great Work, lessons 1-52. The Great Work constitutes the highest grade of instruction that B.O.T.A. offers, (as stated in a letter by them contained here). Each lesson is about eight pages in length, all in very good to fine condition. These lessons take over 20 years to complete, one lesson a month, at a charge of $12.00 per lesson, with regular written tests. There is no way to buy the lessons all at once from BOTA. There are included a number of other booklets and charts issued by BOTA. Very rare.
Bookseller Inventory #6212

Price: US$ 5000.00 (Convert Currency)
Shipping: Rates & Speed

Bookseller: Todd Leif Pratum Antiquarian & Scholarly, 627 Vernon Street, (appointment req.), Oakland, CA, U.S.A., 94610
 

Leo

BOTA Membership

BOTA is not for the person that wishes to focus on fortune telling. The methodology taught in the BOTA lessons is given out an extremely slow pace because the method focuses on depth and self-exploration. This is a hold-over from the 1930's and before where there was not a lot of other source material out there.
The BOTA material is unique with the exception of one book that is out of print and is supposedly written by some anonymous priest. I will not mention the book freely because I believe it is an extraction of the BOTA material but can be found if you look hard enough.
I have completed all of the material and I am still a supporting member. I am affiliated with other Orders and know that BOTA has some on the best material available that is not readily available from other sources.
You do however; have to sift through the Christian blinds and ignorance in the material. I have been teaching Tarot and Qabalah for over 15 years and I recommend BOTA to all of my students as a self-paced method for developing the deeper meanings of QBL, Hebrew and Tarot.
Do not let the general first series scare the experienced or knowledgeable seeker and Qabalist. The reward is long-term and does cost money.
I do not officially represent BOTA in any way.
In Light and Love, LITL-DWTW
Frater Leo
.
 

mac22

Leo said:
BOTA is not for the person that wishes to focus on fortune telling. The methodology taught in the BOTA lessons is given out an extremely slow pace because the method focuses on depth and self-exploration. This is a hold-over from the 1930's and before where there was not a lot of other source material out there.
The BOTA material is unique with the exception of one book that is out of print and is supposedly written by some anonymous priest. I will not mention the book freely because I believe it is an extraction of the BOTA material but can be found if you look hard enough.
I have completed all of the material and I am still a supporting member. I am affiliated with other Orders and know that BOTA has some on the best material available that is not readily available from other sources.
You do however; have to sift through the Christian blinds and ignorance in the material. I have been teaching Tarot and Qabalah for over 15 years and I recommend BOTA to all of my students as a self-paced method for developing the deeper meanings of QBL, Hebrew and Tarot.
Do not let the general first series scare the experienced or knowledgeable seeker and Qabalist. The reward is long-term and does cost money.
I do not officially represent BOTA in any way.
In Light and Love, LITL-DWTW
Frater Leo
.

Well Leo I'm in month 6 of 12 I have YET to see anything that is not available in the public domain. After being a great admirer of PFC and his works both public & private I can honestly say I am thoroughly disappointed....And I am put off by their constant harping for further donations with every lesson.

IMHO they are far more interested in getting your money than they are desiminating "hidden knowledge."

I figured that it costs the average student $8112[US] for the minimum of 13 years of monthly lessons. That's a hefty price tag for knowledge that is available nowadays in numerous books in the public domain .
 

terroin

I have been attending BOTA for a couple of months – (a) their Qabalistic services, which incorporate readings and a talk/sermon by a senior member, and (b) a set of recorded talks by Ann Davies, originally delivered in the 1970s. I’ve just subscribed for the first set of lessons.

I’m prepared to read a lot of “what I know” and "could read elsewhere" – I have, after all been reading material from various “occult” and Qabalistic disciplines and participating in groups of various kinds for several decades. But I find the BOTA talks (both the sermons and the Davies recordings) still offer me an interesting and original perspective on many points and that's an encouraging sign.

Donation requests are a minor inconvenience - they're voluntary and easily binnable. I'm relieved NOT to read any comments here about an escalating scale of fees to get more "advanced" material. Please tell me that's not the case.

More than anything, I joined BOTA for the sake of talking and socialising with people of a similar “questing” turn of mind. That I consider a value in itself. The printed lessons are far from all of BOTA.

I may still be disappointed in the printed material at first, but I’ll give it time (so long as none of those "escalating fees" pop out of the woodwork :)

I must declare my interests; I come to the question very much from a qabalistic and magical perspective, not specifically from an interest in Tarot. My Tarot interest is chiefly in its value as a meditative tool rather than for divination.

As an instance of my viewpoint, I came here looking for answers on the traditional attributions of the angels pictured on Major Arcana VI, XIV and XX in the Waite-Coleman and Case decks. I can’t find any comments on this, or even a forum in which my question might sit well.

BOTA talks suggest the attribution is Lovers-Raphael, Temperance-Michael (the angel in Waite’s and BOTA's XIV looks very “airy” and solar to me and carries an idea of mediation between opposites and therefore more like my idea of Raphael) and Judgement-Gabriel. This leaves Uriel to be placed. I read on at least one website (www.cosmictarot.co.uk/index_files/Angels.htm) the suggestion that Uriel [“light of God”] is the figure on Trump XV – Lucifer or Satan. Heresy? Or mainstream?

Any other input on this, while I’m about it? Or indications of a sub-forum where the question might sit better?

As for BOTA again, I encouraged by the praise given to its syllabus by a very prominent figure in the circles of Thelema (followers of Crowley). He naturally disagrees on “theological” points – and over the interchanges of Major Arcana Justice and Strength and Emperor and Star - but nonetheless thinks highly of it; and I in turn value the scholarship he has shown on a forum to which we both contribute.

Unfortunately, BOTA does not return the admiration; I have learned not to talk about Thelema or Enochian matters in their presence :)

Good to participate; hope this contribution has not been too long.

Terroin
 

Grigori

terroin said:
As an instance of my viewpoint, I came here looking for answers on the traditional attributions of the angels pictured on Major Arcana VI, XIV and XX in the Waite-Coleman and Case decks. I can’t find any comments on this, or even a forum in which my question might sit well.

I found a couple threads where this is discussed.
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=78716
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=73152
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=49525
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=48583
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=37039

It might also be of benefit to try posting in the Golden Dawn sub-forum, or of course the Rider Waite Smith section.
http://www.tarotforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=135
http://www.tarotforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=58

Welcome to AT :)
 

terroin

Leo said:
The BOTA material is unique with the exception of one book that is out of print and is supposedly written by some anonymous priest.
Is this the "Kybalion" you speak of? I thought that was written by three "initiates", one of whom is reputed to have been PFC, but he never confirmed that.

I find my local BOTANs willing to spek of it quite freely - and I find it an interesting work in itself.

Or did you have something else in mind?

I will not mention the book freely because I believe it is an extraction of the BOTA material but can be found if you look hard enough.

I looked for it on the basis of an oral mention (during a BOTA service) and Google even obligingly corrected my spelling :)

I have completed all of the material and I am still a supporting member. I am affiliated with other Orders and know that BOTA has some on the best material available that is not readily available from other sources.
You do however; have to sift through the Christian blinds and ignorance in the material.

Ah, all those "blinds". I'm always a little sceptical about allegations of "blinds"; maybe the sources really believed what they were saying.

I have been teaching Tarot and Qabalah for over 15 years and I recommend BOTA to all of my students as a self-paced method for developing the deeper meanings of QBL, Hebrew and Tarot.
Do not let the general first series scare the experienced or knowledgeable seeker and Qabalist. The reward is long-term and does cost money.
I do not officially represent BOTA in any way.
In Light and Love, LITL-DWTW
Frater Leo
.

Thanks for that; your sign-off inticates that you come from a different philosophy than that behind BOTA, yet you still find it valuable. That's always good to hear.

Terroin
 

terroin

similia said:
I found a couple threads where this is discussed.
[...]
Welcome to AT :)

Thanks muchly for those pointers. There's clearly a knack to searching this forum, which I will acquire in time :)

Terroin
 

Teheuti

terroin said:
Is this the "Kybalion" you speak of?
No, I think it's a reference to The Rabbi's Tarot
http://www.amazon.com/Rabbis-Tarot-Daphna-R-Moore/dp/1892693402/

There's also The Thursday Night Tarot by Jason Lotterhand - excellent book! Jason was asked by Case to be his successor but Jason wasn't interested in running the organization. He's considered by many to be Case's spiritual heir.
http://www.amazon.com/Thursday-Night-Tarot-Weekly-Wisdom/dp/0878771476/

Amber Jayanti's Living the Tarot is also based on BOTA teachings.
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Tarot-Amber-Jayanti/dp/1578633141/

I thought that was written by three "initiates", one of whom is reputed to have been PFC, but he never confirmed that.
You'll find information on this at
http://marygreer.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/articles/

Mary