Occult Orders

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What are Occult orders? They are groups of like-minded people who have formed an association. The splendour and degree of sophistication will depend on the numbers involved and their purposes. In short, Occult Orders are private clubs and, though anyone may apply to join, membership is vetted and tightly controlled, as is their right. From a spiritual point of view, such organisations are unnecessary, but people are free to form such groups or to join those that already exist. It is their own decision.

As with a Golf Club say, or a political party, one's welcome might be warmer if one had lots of money or social status. If you are a peer of the realm, for example, you would not wait long for promotion. Public schools deflect criticism of being elitist by admitting one or two scholarship boys, and occult organisations have their token members too. Exclusivity is an attraction, remember. A long waiting-list, like a queue outside a cinema, suggests that the show is worth seeing. An expert in PR can arrange these things.

Which orders are worthy or genuine? You are inviting me to make a value judgement when, like you, I am a mere outsider or so people think. In case it has so far escaped your attention, I have passed my seventieth birthday and during my long life I too have been headstrong, misguided and rash. To be candid, I joined many groups and learned a lot of fairly hard lessons. So I haven't always been an outsider, and my 'other name' may well survive on many a membership roll. Even so, I must guard against giving a jaundiced view of matters that I now regret but which I embraced wholeheartedly at the time.

If my nephew sought my advice on which groups to join, I would tell him to have a close look at declared aims and objectives, and then compare these with their actual activities and the real goings-on. Other things being equal, you are pretty safe in joining a group that sticks to principles that you can endorse. Naturally, you would do well to get out quick if the death rate among members is higher than the national average. Just be careful, that is all. Be aware that matters are not always what they seem especially closer to Hollywood.

Are their activities controlled? On the temporal plane, yes indeed, but on the spiritual or mystical plane, not really. This is where resounding titles and grandiose names come into play, with a certain fondness for aristocracy, nobility or even royalty. In Victorian Britain, many patent medicines made ludicrous claims but managed to sell well by just this kind of appeal to snobbery. Cough mixtures claimed to be endorsed by 'crowned heads of Europe', while laxatives were 'favoured by dignitaries of church and state'. Today, products make reference to olden times, grandmother's recipe, and family secrets.

If any group declares that it is spiritual or magical then the Beyond takes a close interest. Astral agents will zoom close to scrutinise, observe and take back reports. After that, positive and negative powers will either visit or stay away according to the truth of the situation that is found. There is no need for people like me either to damn a group or give our blessing. All is taken care of in the fullness of time. Free will permits all of us to work out our own damnation or salvation. The Beyond does not interfere to correct fools who are hell-bent on destroying themselves.

Nothing happened to prevent the massacre and mass suicide of members of the Solar Temple in Canada and Europe. However, people are prevented from profiting from their own wickedness or the misery that they cause to others. There are other agents in ancient times they were called 'woe-eaters' that sniff out the worst culprits and wreak havoc.

Are they subject to law? Civic authorities control activities of associations, clubs and friendly societies in most countries, and they keep an eye on matters like finance, property, winding-up, structure, management and aims. It was easier in former days, but governments nowadays have a keen interest in taxation. The French, who are ever alert to the possibility of another revolution, regulate these matters carefully indeed. And intelligence agencies everywhere keep a sharp eye on any activities that might be a cover for terrorism, anarchy or other forms of dissent.

Are Occult groups democratic? Not at all. Even where they have committees or consultative assemblies, they merely go through the motions. But there are good reasons for this. Democracy is a principle that applies to earthly matters of a political nature. Since man's authority does not extend into the other world, he has no claim on its governance. Occult groups purport to serve, or to help members to approach, the mystical or the divine; they must not stifle the spirit with bureaucratic red-tape or legalistic procedures. The churches have developed such a complex body of canon law that it takes special training to deal with it, but it refers to the structure, organisation and management of the church as an institution. It cannot affect that which is beyond their reach, i.e., the supernatural and the divine. As regards the spreading of truth the simplest regime is a divinely-inspired leader reined in by a committee of older members e.g., Christ and his band of twelve Apostles.

What are the aims of such Orders? They vary as much as, or even more than, Christian sects and denominations do, but, that said, they have certain features in common. Doctrinal elaborateness is usually linked to the intellectual capacity of the average member. So you will get "primitive" simplicity in some groups, and "scholastic erudition" in others. In many cases, people are interested mainly in accessory detail than in the broad aims of doctrine. New Age followers, for example, can rattle on about a hundred aromatherapy oils, and scores of crystals, but having nothing whatsoever to say about the different kinds of angelic beings or what it is that God has said.

Do Occult Groups have charity status? By and large, Occult groups believe that they are doing good work, but what precisely that good work might be is somewhat vaguely defined. This is why the law keeps an eye on such things. Much as I might wish to do so, the police would not allow me to collect money in the street for my own branch of the RSPCA the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Amado. Cricket Clubs can hold benefit matches for named players so it is obvious that I am clearly in the wrong line of business. That said, we can all see why gullible citizens have to be protected against the wiles of unscrupulous criminals. There are cheats and con-men everywhere who would not hesitate to enrich themselves at the expense of ordinary folk, by playing on their fears, their weaknesses and their superstitious ignorance. Some Occult organisations may fall into this category.

Which Orders do you mean? to dare to point the finger. Besides, if they did exist and they do not then they'd be so rich that they'd employ a whole team of top-class lawyers just to attack people like me. They'd accuse me of libel and defamation and pursue me relentlessly through the courts until I was bankrupted by legal costs. Since my kind of Occultism does not provide me with the same kind of trust fund, I would be financially ruined. So I repeat: there aren't any.

How might such Orders operate? Well, if such groups existed and remember, I am not saying that they do then they would have caught the eye of organised crime a long time ago. Gangsters are always on the lookout for new ways of extorting money from the working population and they would muscle in on any kind of lucrative Occultism. Once these elements had taken over then their first step would be to construct a membership list that included 'persons of influence' and 'pillars of the community'. They would have police officers on their books, as well as lawyers, judges, doctors and businessmen. Their power-base would focus much on the here and now, whereas that of true Occultism is centred on the Beyond.

Then any such group has got to be phoney? Not necessarily. The organisation itself is run by a central elite whose existence is carefully concealed from run-of-the-mill members. They would erect a convincing facade of studies, meetings and ritual activities to keep the ordinary folk distracted and happy. Thus the rank and file members would scoff at any critic and reject any charges of corruption. They would be utterly sincere too, prepared even to go into a witness-box and swear that everything about the organisation was above-board and blameless.

Faced with this kind of fact, I can only repeat that such groups no longer exist today. All Occult societies, Orders and institutes are one hundred per cent genuine .. which is why they extend such a warm fraternal welcome to me.

Why do they sound like Horror Movies? Well, all fiction is based on truth and there is nothing new under the sun. Films issuing from the rear orifice of Hollywood may depict the Devil and Evil in certain ways .. and if you notice, in those films, the devils always lose in the end and evil is always conquered which makes one wonder about the real identity of the producers! In the real world though, wickedness and evil do not bask in the sun or parade in the public square; they hide in mazes, they cover themselves with cuckoo-spit, and they pretend to be what they are not.

Most orders say they have Occult goals, but the truth is that almost all of them are pursuing more earthly goals and ones with a particular political slant. For instance: they are far too keen to eradicate all competition.

Do Orders have occult value? According to them, yes, but in my opinion, no. They are so weak, shallow and unreasonable. They set up superficial towers of intellectual complexity, and create doctrines that are tremendously intricate. But it is all a hollow sham. They try to blind the critical eye by flooding it with minutiae, but there is a doctrinal shallowness that palls in the mouth. Quite often, they are dedicated to a single cause and have about as much chance of offering you a mystic meeting with God as I have of getting you a date with a member of the royal family. They may be keen to attract new members, not because they wish to save souls or help them live better lives, but because they see strength in numbers. You will see this in their publicity. They boast about the extent of their influence. They are not really concerned about helping genuine seekers to find the truth.

What about secret societies? Before you even stop to listen to what a Secret Society may have to say, or what its members may believe, do please take a second look. This time, examine it from the point of view of a retired Headmaster who can clearly remember what schoolboys are like. He knows, you see, that there is a particular period in early adolescence when every boy's mind is invaded by a love of codes, passwords, labyrinths and secret passages. It happens before sex hits him and its effects are far worse and longer lasting. This is why there are stories in every large book for schoolboys that deal with golden statues in Tibet and lost cities deep in the Amazon. Their developing mind yearns for colour and excitement to relieve the boredom of tedious lessons and that humble submission to parental authority.

Well, a few people seem never to grow up and they stay in that period for the rest of their life. In a way, this is understandable or forgivable because their days are so hum-drum, monotonous and boring that it is even worse than being back at school. So they need a bit of extra colour to distract them, and they fling themselves into the fun and games so whole-heartedly that they most probably lose the distinction that divides fantasy from reality.

Well, some Secret Societies are like that. They are little more than social clubs. I mean to say look here it is possible to hire a Masonic Hall for a wedding reception, I believe, or a dance.

Do I need a Master to enter an Order? This is like asking if you have to be a Conservative in order to buy the 'Daily Telegraph'. Come now. Do not be naive. It all depends on what you are going to use the 'Daily Telegraph' for, would not you say? In general, Occult Orders prefer to have exclusive control and therefore they do not take kindly to the hovering presence of Masters whose influence might dilute their own. They do not like to be contradicted, you see - and Masters would do just that.

There is also a tendency among certain orders to get members to sign away a percentage of their gross income for life. Since this always puts me in mind of louche gangsters lolling on the Riviera in luxury at the victim's expense .. I advise people not to sign. Occult orders can lead to occult invoices.

How many orders are there? In addition to the 'none' that I have already mentioned, perhaps there are a few ... but not as many as you would probably imagine. First of all, we can discount the really weird ones that have a membership of one. These are formed by sad, neurotic souls in the echoing silence of their own bed-sits or studio flats. Second, we can ignore the anarchic orders set up by defiant young dissidents as a way of opting out of the social system. Both kinds tend to have extremely grand titles, using words like 'international' or 'cosmic', plus something reminiscent of H P Lovecraft on a bad day. You can see at once that it is just an extension of those role-playing games. They are part of a fantasy.

Much the same can be said for the older, better established orders, often of 18th or 19th Century origin. Peel away their imperialistic overtones and their militarism, and there is little substance .. and even less point. Many of them sank without trace when their founders died.

Why do orders love exotic atmosphere? For the same reason that little boys love 'Indiana Jones', and older men like a strip-tease dance with a snake, i.e., it lends a bit of excitement to life. Now every striptease dancer knows that frills, and beads, and fringes, and feathers all help to add to the titillation even when 'matters of real interest' are slight indeed. Have you never stopped to wonder why black lace underwear and black net stockings are so intriguing? Dress a pork chop in seven veils and it seems suddenly more alluring. In every group, even among my own students, there is always one soul (at least) who urges the others to opt for exotic topics or who loves mysterious overtones and touches of imaginative complexity. They often give the show away by wearing an unusual aftershave!

Can a member of an Order be your student? If that is what you want then you are not really ready yet to be my student. I do agree that some of the (non-existent) orders are worthy of respect, but I doubt if they teach what I teach. If you had a foot in two camps then, the greater the discrepancy, the greater the likelihood that you would tumble into the gap. There would be frequent conflicts of faith, clashes of opinion, and dilemmas of conscience. If you were to ask the same question of the chiefs of your Order then I think they would give a similar answer.

Why do you debunk others? Me? Debunk others? What an outrageous suggestion! You can hardly expect me to approve of quacks or to condone seven-day wonders who peddle phoney doctrines. It took years for government gradually to clamp down on medical fraud and pharmaceutical exploitation. They did it when it finally dawned on them that, far from being harmless, these false remedies were costing the Health Service money. As yet, government has not passed any laws that constrain religion and prosecution would have to rely on statutes to do with fraud and embezzlement. But if human law is hesitant, Cosmic Law is clear: no man may hurt the innocent with impunity. It is part of my duty to warn the credulous against their own folly.

But you recommend group activities? Yes, because social or group situations are much more natural, whereas solitary study can set up morbid fears and nasty ideas. But there is a big difference between being with friends, and spending your life with cloistered brethren. No one will press you to become a Master or an Initiate. You can stay a layman for ever, if you prefer. No one can tell you to become a priest. That kind of life-decision can only be made by you and all we can do is offer neutral counsel and support.

Must I join an order to see rituals? This is true of most orders, but just as some abbeys welcome the public to join their worship, so I invite my students to take part in certain rituals. As in theatre, many of you like to attend but few would wish to be actors. Do you want to participate or are you content merely to observe? The decision is yours. In either case, you should see it as an opportunity to explore your own true nature and perhaps learn something meaningful about your original self.

Do you belong to an Order? I am the Head of an Order, but I do not insist on, or expect, students to apply for membership. In fact, I do my best to stop them thinking about such matters until they are a little wiser in the wicked ways of the world. As I ought to have realised, this has absolutely no effect, and most of my students believe that they have already been members of this Order for years. They are wrong, and you too would be wrong if you thought that you became a member automatically. You are always totally free and being my student has no connection with joining an order.

What is the Order you belong to? Well, it is not an Order as such, but a religion, and it is as old as mankind. In casual terms, we call ourselves The Elder Kind, or Friends of the Beyond. This confuses any foes who might try to launch inter-continental curses at us. The title is a reminder of the close links that exist, and we forge even stronger ones by magic.

May people join your Order? We are unlikely to grow just by natural reproduction, so yes, of course people may join. On the other hand, we are not yet faced with extinction, so would-be members cannot just walk in as if we were a fast food joint. With some Orders, you pay a fee and that is it, but with us you have to prove your eligibility. We do not set out to trap the young or feeble-minded, and we do not court people whose life has made them desperate. We are willing to help anyone, but entry to the family is reserved for those whom we could live with.

Is there any literature about it? There are no glossy brochures or colourful leaflets. If a person shows an interest and seems eligible, then they get appropriate information at the right time. If they press for special treatment, they disqualify themselves. Can we leave matters there for now? It would be silly to say more since nothing is on offer. The time is not ripe.

Why not say more? It takes time to know another person through and through, yet you and I have not even met yet. If we talk about private or personal things, this would suggest a bond that does not actually exist. There is no point in pretending otherwise. So come on! Play fair! This book is only meant as an introduction-not a proposal of marriage.

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