Order
Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.)
The initiatory order Aleister Crowley rebuilt around his religion of Thelema.
Order · Founded 1,902 · Germany; now international · Active today
Founded by Carl Kellner, Theodor Reuss, Aleister Crowley — Founded c.1902 in Germany; reorganised by Crowley around Thelema c.1912.
What it was
Ordo Templi Orientis was established in the early 1900s in Germany by Carl Kellner and Theodor Reuss as a Masonic-style order teaching a secret of sexual magic.
After Aleister Crowley joined around 1910, he rewrote its rituals around Thelema — his religion founded on “Do what thou wilt” — and made it the principal vehicle for his system. It remains active internationally today.
Its place in the lineage
The O.T.O. carries the Golden Dawn’s ceremonial magic forward into the modern era and, through Crowley, shaped twentieth-century occulture and witchcraft.
Founders & leaders
Its tradition
Connected orders
The circle · 7 in the Atlas
Each star is a teacher; colour marks how they were tied to the order. Tap a star to open them.
