(Here, we are posting one of our favorite essays written by our dear Chloe Ortega of WSA352, under the pen name Kryptonymus. Anyone who is familiar with the Lodge and our views on esotericism would understand clearly why this writing is very important to us. This essay was firstly published in Nexion Zine. We are thankful to Chloe for sending us a Word version of the essay so we can republish it here. - ABG Lodge)
.:. I’ve heard dozens and dozens of people of the past 10 years of my cyber-travels ask the question regarding secret societies such as the OTO & Freemasonry: “How is it a secret if it’s everywhere?” In other words, how is it a secret society, if there are temples and lodges in every city, members got insignias on their cars, they maintain websites, etc?
The answer is that the existence of such societies are not secret, and neither are the ideologies of these groups a secret. But everything else about such societies are secret or private. Groups like the OTO are a “society of secrets.” Secrets in the sense that the internal stuff of such groups are closed to the general public. For example, the initiation rituals are secret, as well as the private modes of recognition such as grips and passwords, ritual work, etc. Groups like the OTO and Freemasonry also have a different layer of “secrets,” which is the “esoterica” of the symbolism and allegories used.
In this sense, there are some American gangs which are secret societies… or societies with secrets. In old days, the crips and bloods actually had – or still have – secrets. For example the Bloods from the East coast have their “Book of Knowledge,” which is the culture, mythos, folklore, history, and teachings taught to new “initiates” by word of mouth catechistically. This would be something you memorize and pass on orally.
So for example, if a young crip were to be asked by a random OG questions like: 1) What year did the crips start in and where, 2) what kind of field was it, 3) what was the name of the high school, 4) what was the name of the street, 5) how many deep was the original crip gang, 6) what were they called, 7) what was the name of the initiation song, 8) what was the dress code, 9) what’s “your crown isn’t high” mean, & 10) break down C.R.I.P.
If the young crip did not know any of the answers, then something ain’t right with him. He’s isn’t “bona fide,” in other words. It may be that the young crip is just claiming to be a crip, but was not made one by a legit crip gang. Otherwise his people would have taught him the private oral knowledge so he can answer the questions if and when asked. The answers being: 1) 1969, 2) in a football field, 3) located on the campus of John C. Fremont high school, 4) on San Pedro street; 5) the original crip gang was 18 deep, 6) they were called the Avenue Cribs, 7) the initiation song was called “The rich have to cry, the poor have to cry,” 8) they wore Levis, acey duecy hats, and a walking cane; 9) “ya crown isn’t high” means that you ain’t cripping to the fullest, not putting in all you’ve got, not repping to the fullest, 10) the breakdown of C.R.I.P is Constructed Revolution In People.
The same goes for groups like the OTO and Freemasonry. If a person claims to be an OTO initiate and you asked him or her the question: “In whom do you put your trust,” and they don’t answer it right, something is wrong with their “credentials.” The question is taken from the First Degree initiation ritual of the OTO. The only correct answer for the OTO is: “In myself.”
If the guy claims to be a Mason, and you asked him the same question: “In whom do you put your trust,” and he doesn’t have the right answer, it implies that he was never initiated in the First Degree, since that question is from the First Degree. In Freemasonry, the only right answer to that question is: “In God.” Or the Mason can be asked: “What’s the wage of a Mason?” The only real answer is: Corn, Wine, & Oil. If he didn’t have the right answer, he reveals that he was never initiated into the Second Degree. And the question can be asked: “How many steps did you take to be a Mason all together?” The answer would be roughly: “Six feet from West to East.” If the man didn’t give the right answer, then he reveals that he was never initiated a 3rd Degree Master Mason.
The same goes for traditional Haitian Voodoo. In Haiti, Voodoo isn’t just a religion or “cult.” Each sect/group is an independent secret society with secret grips, passwords, and catechism. If someone claims to be an Initiate of this species of Voodoo, then they should be able to answer basic questions such as: 1) what’s an Oum’phor, 2) what are reposoirs, 3) what is a voodo-sih, 4) where were you purified, 5) how many times were you ‘put to bed’ [couche], 6) how long did your purification last, 7) what did you wear during your initiation, 8) what is an asson, 9) what is the meaning of ‘li pas te alle en bas d’leau,’ & 10) what is the name of the Voodoo asson and what does it mean? The questions are taken from the very initiation ritual the Voodoo claimant should have gone through. Thus, if she or he cannot answer these questions, they reveal that they did not in fact get initiated.
The answers are: 1) the Oum’phor is what a voodoo temple is called, 2) the reposoirs are trees in the yard of the Oum’phor in which the gods and spirits dwell, 3) a voodo-sih is a “voodoo adept,” 4) I was purified in the Djevo, which is a room adjacent to the Oum’phor, 5) how many times you couche [go to bed] depends on the mystere [loa] being called to oversee your initiation, for example the number of Erzulie is 6 [days], 6) the initiate must remain in the djevo for 21 days, 7) the initiate wears nothing, is nude, and cannot wear any kind of jewelry, 8) an Asson is a calabash rattle which is the symbol of the office and authority of the houn’gan or mam’bo the initiators, 9) ‘li pas te alle en bas d’leau’ means a false houn’gan or mam’bo who was not given the asson by a mystere but takes one anyway, & 10) the name of the voodoo asson isKoheleth-a-dom. Coeleth, Co-Le-Th, Co-Le-Tha, or Koheleth [depending on the region, argot/dialect, oral tradition, and sect] in voodoo tradition signifies that man is dependent not upon himself, but upon the supernatural occult forces, called by voodoo initiates various things such as ‘mysteres,’ ‘angels,’ ‘saints,’ or ‘loas.’
This last question and its answer may actually shed some esoteric light on the second Black Book of Satan of the ONA, called: Caelethi, which deals with the Dark Gods. The Dark Ones/Gods of course being supernatural [acausal] occult forces/beings. Each Dark God has its own “sigil,” called a “veve” in Haitian voodoo. Like the mysteres/loas of this species of traditional voodoo, many of the Dark Gods have their own traditional chants. The voodoo loas are called down from Ife – their supernatural realm – and they make their presence felt in various ways. The Dark Gods are called down from the acausal into our causal realm, and the Dark is Presenced in various ways. These supernatural occult forces make their presence felt sometimes magically, sometimes subtly, sometimes via visions in trance states [pathworking, frenzy, etc, in ONA]. But these supernatural occult forces do make their presence felt to the initiate.
But why the secrecy and silly questions? If you are an idealist, then such questions are of no worth or use. Why so? Because why do you need to know the answer to silly questions if all you are into the OTO, Thelema, Satanism, Masonry, ONA, Islam, Buddhism, whatever for is to believe in a set of ideas, ideals, ideations, ideologies? For example, as an idealist: who cares about the details of where you go to wash yourself and how many faucets there are when you’re in Mecca on your Hajj when all you want to do is believe in the ideation/ideological memes of Allah and Jihad? I mean really, what do water faucets have anything to do with God and Jihad? Who cares about the details of Che’s life and how he became who he was, if all you want to do is wear his face on a tee-shirt because you like the IDEA of revolution. If you are a pragmatist, you’ll understand the practical use and nature of such questions. It has to do with circles of trust; how much you can say, share, and reveal to whom; and also with the issue of legitimate authority.
For instance, it’s a matter of security and safety for a crip or blood to not trust any old somebody with a blue or red rag. It’s stupid and naïve to do so. If two unfamiliar crips or bloods are going to get together and “do business,” with each other, both parties have it in their interest to challenge the other to make sure they are “real” crips or bloods and not fakes, wannabes, or undercover cops roll playing. If the guy is an undercover cop, then your ass is going to jail if he witnesses you committing a crime. If the guy is a fake or a wannabe, it means he likes the aura and mythos of the gang and likes to attention and way people behave with him, but most likely, he won’t be down to do any real crime, cuz he’s just toying with the idea and not actually living it.
With something like the OTO – since it’s a sex “cult” – you just can’t believe some random person claiming to be a high initiate of the OTO. Otherwise you’d be having 11th degree anal sex magick with random claimants all over the place. You lack some faculty or mechanism of differentiation, where you can’t tell those who are actually initiated into your Way and Culture, and those who simply are toying with the idea because such falsely acquired identity gives such claimants an image whereby they are treated boy others in certain ways they desire to be seen or treated.
With Freemasonry, in olden times – circa 1500-1800 – on many places that were Catholic Church controlled, being a Freemason was a major crime punishable by death. There is this thing called: Infiltration. If a Catholic infiltrator were placed in the company of Masons to collect information and intelligence, and you were stupid where you simply believes and accepted anybody claiming to be a Mason to be a bona fide Mason you would risk your own life and the lives of others. The functioning idea here is that you are not challenging the other person to disprove him or to reveal that he is a fake. The functioning idea is: self-preservation and personal security.
Haitian voodoo has a long and very interesting history. Haiti was the first black “colony” in the New World to gain independence. The struggle and fight those slaves had to go through to gain that freedom from their European masters dealt with real wars, real killing, real revolution, etc. The independent secret voodoo societies and the networks such groups formed with other groups were crucial in this struggle of civil uprising. Being able to tell a fake voodoo initiate, from an infiltrator was a matter of life and death, and freedom and continued slavery. Again, the working idea is that you are not challenging the other person to reveal that he is a fake, as if to win some dick sizing contest. The working practical idea is personal security. Why would these Haitian slaves in these voodoo secret societies need personal security? So that they can continue their work – their Struggle – unmolested/unharmed by the powers that be. This is a very important point of view.
Regarding the ONA
In a document written in the 1990’s it is stated:
[Begin Quote]
The ONA is organized on the basis of cells, basically for two reasons: (1) Security and (2) Effectiveness.
The structure means that each new Initiate/member has one (at most two) Order contacts who channel information/teachings and so on, and who offer guidance/instruction. When this member reaches the stage of External Adept, they usually form their own Temple for ceremonial magick and for teaching, recruiting their own members, whose Order contact thus is that External Adept. Each Temple thus formed exists independently. Hence, if it or any of its members are ‘compromised’, the chain cannot lead very far, enabling other members in other Temples to remain secret and so continue with their own work, both personal (following the path to Adeptship) and aeonic (aiding the sinister dialectic).
Further, such a structure is effective, because: it enables each member to progress at their own pace; it enshrines a fundamental principle of genuine Satanism [individuality, and freedom from subservience to authority] and it enables practical experience of a character-building type [e.g. by organizing and running a Temple at an early stage].
Essentially, the Order is secret – and intends to remain so as far as most of its members and activities are concerned. – ONA, Hysteron Proteron, Organizational Structure
[End Quote]
So even since the 90’s the ONA has described itself as being a secret order, for reasons of security and effectiveness. The Order is cellular in structure. Cells here meaning individuals and groups. Like a civil resistance movement in Europe during Nazi occupation times. Such an ordering of people who share a common goal and vision of freedom needs to be secret so they can do their work. They also need to be loosely based on independent cells. If one resistance cell is discovered and its members captured, the other cells are safe to continue to do their work, because the resistance is not actually an organized organization with a central leader calling the shots. Each cell is its own thing. The cells just carefully work together to actualize a common goal they have.
In such an environment and condition, even though different cells may have to work together, there is – and must always – be an air or attitude of distrust: never to fully trust anybody outside of your own cell; no matter what they claim. Even if you have witnessed members of some other cell put in the dirty work like you do, you still can’t trust them completely. For, it may be that such other members of such other cells may be genuine in their resistance, but trusting other cells too much may jeopardize your own cell, if say the other cell gets caught and information forced out of them.
Concerning Nyms:
[Begin Quote]
Initiate Names
a) Some suggestions, based on names traditionally used in sinister Temples:
b) Contract and/or transpose your own name to form another; for example, ‘Conrad Robury’ gives Cabur, Nocra and so on.
c) Find a demon form with whom you feel an affinity, and use that name, either as it is or contracted/transposed.
d) Construct your name from a Satanic phrase or chant – for example, ‘Quinvex’ can be derived from the ‘Quando Vindex’ of the Diabolus.
What is important about all the above is that you feel ‘attracted’ to a particular name or phrase.
Whatever method is used, the name or phrase should derive from traditional Satanism (as explicated in this book) and for this reason names/demons deriving from other traditions should not be used. –Black Book of Satan
[End Quote]
During my era, an odd critical remark the mundane Satanists make about ONA people is that they use pseudonyms [nyms] and not their real government Christian names like they [the mundanes] do. Therefore – according to their mundanely non sequitur logic – if a person uses a fake name, and doesn’t reveal their real identity on Facebook, then they are fakers. BTW, in my era, the American NSA is collecting face pictures off cyberspace – such as facebook – to put into their face recognition database.
Ever since the old days of the Black Book of Satan, it has been suggested and taught that initiates of the ONA pick and use a pseudonym or an “initiate name,” and not their real names. In fact, anybody who is anyone in ONA culture is known by their nyms, initiate names, pen names, whatever: Anton Long, Steven Brown, Christos Beest, Hagur, etc. And over the years this idea of having “initiate names” has evolved into the use of pseudonyms and even pseudo-personas. What’s a “pseudo-persona” mean here when I use it? Like the persona behind Mark Twain versus his real everyday personality. Like the difference between the actual person of David Myatt versus the mythos of Anton Long. Like the difference between the artists Richard Moult and the persona attached to Christos Beest when he was involved with ONA. Like who we know as Anton LaVey, as opposed to who this man really was on a mundane everyday moment.
Personality develops along with names and new found identities. It’s the psychological “magick” behind the use of mottos in groups like the Golden Dawn and OTO. You’re no longer just some ordinary person. Your motto is Therion by golly! And this Therion name begins to develop its own personality/persona. Therion is a philosopher, a guru, a master magickian, a prophet of Thelema. Anton Long isn’t just some random person from a small town in the middle of nowhere! He’s the master mind of an occult criminal organization! Beesty Boy isn’t just a guy who doodles and plays the piano by his lonesome self in the middle Scotland somewhere. He’s Christos Beest: an evil Nazi human sacrificing devil worshiping guy with magical powers to call upon the very forces of darkness!
This psychological magic is a time honored method of forging a new person out of somebody. When you join something like TM or the Self Realization Fellowship or the Hare Krishnas – whatever – you eventually are given a new name. You’re no longer Bob Smith of Smalltown America. You’re Baba Ji’s initiate Rajeesh Hindustani. And you’re not ordinary, you’re a person on a quest for the secrets of… Kriya Yoga! Of oneness with Krishna! You’re on your way to be a Bodhisattva! When you convert/revert to Islam, you’re no longer Jimmy Jones of Somewhere Alaska. You’re Mustafa al-Ameriki! And you’re not ordinary, no sir, cuz one day you will walk several times around a big black brick cube in the middle of a desert!
And that shit works. It causes you to develop into a new person over time. Families and gangs do this. In a big family you end up being called by a nickname family members just give to you: Uncle Chuck, Skinny Jimmy, Smiley, Snoop Dog. Having these nicknames or “new names” does something to you. Those new names aren’t simple ordinary generic names on some birth certificate. People who like you, love you, want you, gave you that name to you; to signify that they accept you. You belong to somebody. You’re wanted. It’s more personal than a generic name. It identifies you with that group… and it causes you to gradually identify stronger with that group. As a new gang banger, when your new gang fellas gives you a new name, you are more inclined to develop a deeper bond with those guys, and thus, you become more willing to participate in the same criminal activity and behavior they do.
If it’s not a new name, a new title works just as effectively in transforming you into a new person over time. Put in enough time and energy into the Mormon Church and you’ll get the title “Elder,” and that means something in that specific social order. The title Father of a Catholic sect does the same. You were given a new “name” [title]: you are wanted and liked, honored even. And your personality changes and develops into someone/something new to live up to that new title. And “Adept” of the ONA thusly understood, isn’t just an empty title. It’s a conduit of inner change.
A nym understood thusly isn’t just a random pseudonym, it is the seed of a new personality, a new type of person, and even one’s muse. Have you ever thought about what the persona Anton Long can say and express and write that David Myatt can never say, express, and write? Or as a muse: the nym Christos Beest, and the identification with the ONA acted as a muse to the artist RM in such a way that he was inspired for a time to produce artwork, chants, music.
I’m writing from the point of view of a pragmatist though, or a “realist,” and not an idealist or theoretician. To a theoretician who deals with belief-sets, theories, ideas, etc. Things like pseudonyms, pen names, alter egos, personas, titles, have no use, worth, or meaning. They actually get in the way of believing in ideas, thinking about ideations, and juggling theories.
From a down to earth perspective, as a realist, if we have some desire to change ourselves into a new person, or new type of human being [as ONA states is a goal of an initiate]: what exactly does that mean in Reality. What is meant here by “person,” or “human being,” that which we are trying to change? Your body? Your mind? Your heart? Your personality? Your attitude? Your worldview? The way you think and process information? Your level of intelligence? Your comfort zone? Your capabilities? Your character? Your wardrobe? Your hair style? What exactly are you trying to change and self-develop? Whatever it is we are trying to change has to start somewhere. Everything in this causal universe has an initial cause [causal beginning].
In Buddhism the causal chain for causally affecting and influencing physical reality looks like this: 1) Thought/Mind influences, 2) Emotion/Heart which governs, 3) Action/Behavior which manifests 4) Kamma [causal end results]. And so to change the person you are outside, one has to first change what is inside. That inner change begins in the realm of thought/mind. Meaning how you see or perceive yourself, your inner self-image, your inner confidence, etc. That inner change can realistically – in a psychological way – begin with the adoption of a new name, or title, a new wardrobe, and crafting a new persona: a persona attuned to that which will help bring about the change desired.
So for example, from a Theravada perspective, let’s say there is man who is a drunk. Causally – karmically – his drinking problem has cost him his job, wife, and kids. He’s living in a shelter and has hit rock bottom. The man now wants to change and become a new person. How does he do it? He first has to start inside, and by that I don’t mean it in a dumb spiritual way. Inside meaning: it first begins on the level of psychology, in the mind, in other words.
Anything the drunk can do psychologically will act as seeds of this change. The drunk can first get a new wardrobe where he cleans himself up, fixes his hair, and dresses nice. He can change his attitude and be friendlier with people. He can go to church to stimulate his spiritual parts and make new wholesome friends. All that psychological stuff then influences how he Feels about himself and about Life.
This is the stage of change when depression begins to fade, happiness comes back, self-confidence begins to develop, a new “outlook” on Life develops, goals develop, and something to Live for or work for develops. Those emotion/heart born things in turn governs the man’s actions and behavior in Life. He may get a job to make money. He may start dating again. And so on. Those actions and behavior is what bares the fruit, and is what will actually change him as a person and change his Life. But that change, realistically must begin inside, as simple seed stuff in the field of mind.
So for me, it’s very telling of a person’s pragmatic paradigm [or lack of one] and of their level of a practical understanding of things when they reject and see no worth in such little seed stuff like a nym, a persona attuned to Buddhism, Islam, Traditional Christianity, ONA, whatever. When they demean the small stuff, and glorify the big stuff. It’s the mental signature of an idealist or theoretician: to throw away and belittle the small stuff and glorify the big stuff.
Cuz what exactly is an idealist [one who is not realistic]? It’s a person who is entranced or spell bounded by the bigger picture. That’s what an ideal is: a big picture, a master piece. For example: Utopia, where there is no class struggle, no poverty, no private property, no money, and everyone shares everything and works for free. That’s a big picture. The perfect marriage, that’s an ideal, an idealistic big picture. The realist will ask: well how do you materialize the perfect marriage? What do the little steps that will make Utopia a reality look like? Where does it realistically begin? An idealist is a person who thinks about an apple all day long and things they can make with apples. A realist is a person who plants the apple seed. The apple fruit is the bigger picture: the possible end result of an apple tree. Realistically, that apple tree must come from somewhere.
What’s your IDEAL career? Your IDEAL mate? You IDEAL social life? The IDEAL Buddhist? The IDEAL Christian? The IDEAL Muslim? The IDEAL Satanists? The IDEAL ONA-er? If you can picture or describe one of these IDEALS, you are describing something which does not exist. How do we know it does not exist? Because everything in this causal universe comes into being from a causal seed/event/thing: and you have done nothing to plant that causal seed. You simply have the idealistic envisioning of something. What does the causal seed for an ideal career look like? That’s the realistic question and point of view. What does the causal seed for an ideal mate look like? How does it begin? Where does one start to manifest this ideal boyfriend? What does the causal seed of an ideal Buddhist, Satanist, or Republican look like?
You see, if you pay close attention, you will notice that there is a giant difference between keeping it real and asking questions like what the causal seed for something look like, and: Living up to idealisms. Being captivated, mesmerized, spellbound by phantasmal ideals that don’t exist. Is it even possible to manifest an idealistic anything? The main part of words like ideal, idealism, and ideology is IDEA. Such things are just ideas, abstractions, and can only be such. From the vector of a realist – on the Real – or a pragmatist, everything must have a beginning, and such beginning often start very simple. As complex as the human being is as a fully developed adult, it starts off as simple sperm and egg, and some chromosomes.
Becoming an initiate of the ONA actually – realistically – starts with simple causal seeds. A few ONA manuscripts by Anton Long, a nym, a persona crafted and attuned to the essence or spirit of the ONA, even little wardrobe things like crystal rings and crystal pendants [mentioned in the BBS]. These are all little psychological seeds that germinate in mindspace. Which in turn will influence how you Feel about yourself and feel about Life and things in general. Eventually your state of emotion/heart will influence your actions and behavior. It’s those actions, behavior, how you express your Life, how you Live Life that will change you into a new person.
You see, idealistically some people in ONA already have this ideal image of an ONA initiate. They are hardcore, murderous, devil worshippers. That’s fine. The problem is: you can’t force someone to just go out and be hardcore, murderous, devil worshipers. Why? Because it’s an ideal: it’s not real. In the same sense that you can’ just force a Buddhist to be a Bodhisattva or a Radical Muslim to be a Jihadist, or a young man into Fatherhood, or a young woman into Motherhood. In the same sense that you can’t force a young person to live up to aged, elderly wisdom. There is a time and season for everything, and everything has a beginning.
The military has an “ideal” image/vision of a soldier. Realistically you can just drag random people off the street, sign them up, and belittle them for not living up to the ideal of a perfect soldier. But you can make a random person gradually into a great soldier: in increments, gradually, step by step. In other words, before a soldier ever becomes a murderous Rambo, he needs to develop – plant the causal seeds – of simple little things like waking up at 4 in the morning, standing up straight, speak loudly with confidence, learn to roll his tee-shorts and make his bed right. The idealist will ask: well what does any of that have anything to do with being Rambo? Why do they ask that? Because they can only see the big imaginary picture.
Street gangs have an ideal image of the right kind of gang banger. But – the thing I really like about gangs – is that most gangs are naturally realists. When you join a street gang, they don’t push you or force you to live up to ideal. They start you off simple. They give you a gang nickname, they teach you how to wear your rag right, they teach you the right slang dialect to use, they tell you about their history, or past battles with enemies. They hang out with you, smoke bud with you, drink with you. It’s a slow process. Just like forming a large piece of stone into a statue of the goddess Venus takes time. It may be that for years that stone may not look like anything presentable. And so it is with the new gang members, it may be that for years, he or she may not kill a rival gang member. But in time he will… in the right situation, condition, and environment. In the same sense that a trained soldier will kill also in the right situation, condition, and environment. But to be trained takes time and effort.
As causal creature we have our existence within the framework/matrix of a causal system. Action can’t exist without condition, situation, and environment to act upon; or to cause to become an act. You can’t have sex: if there is nobody to have sex with. To have somebody to have sex with, you need to manifest the right situation, condition, and environment. You can’t force a random Muslim to be a terrorist. But if you manifest – or manipulate – the right condition, situation, and environment whereby the Muslim is driven to an extreme state mind and emotion and is not thinking rationally, he will blow himself and others up. If you manifest the right condition, situation, and environment, such as making a mountain slop downwards, a river will ACT in accord with such causal matrix and flow downwards.
And so if the idea – the ideal – is to make random ONA initiates into some perfectly evil sinister killer revolutionist, than you can’t force initiates to live up to that idealistic image. It doesn’t work that way. The idealist and theoretician can’t understand this, because they are dealing with ideals, phantoms, and fantasies. The initiate must be given time to incrementally develop into something close to that ideal: towards that ideal. The initiate must be given time to develop in the general direction of that ideal. This takes time and begins with very simple causal seeds. Realistically, if you remove those causal seeds, reject them, disregard them: you have no Fruit.
Regarding Anonymity & Authority
Using things like “initiate names” or pseudonyms to conceal identity are useful thing, are causal seeds of inner change, and a part of “ONA culture.” And the use of such produces something called anonymity. The following quote is topical, and reinforces or echoes this culture:
[Begin Quote]
The O9A – secretive in terms of the identity of the majority its adherents – has been widely criticized both by those claiming to be occultists (of whatever type) and by those writing about modern occultism. –ONA, Originality, Tradition, And The Order of Nine Angles.
[End Quote]
So, on the one hand, in ONA there exists a culture which encourages the use of pseudonyms, and the concealment of identity, which makes adherents or associates of ONA anonymous to the public and to each other [other ONA cells]. And then on the other hand we run into something like this:
[Begin Quote]
This means that we most certainly do not trust nor respect some anonymous or anonymized person who writes about themselves and/or about the O9A via the medium of the internet. Thus we suspect them, and everything they write, be it via e-mail, or on some weblog or on some forum or on some website; even if – or especially if – they claim to be O9A and/or claim to be part of or to have founded some O9A nexion/group or claim to have done various sinister deeds. Thus we suspect them, and everything they write, even if they have been making such claims or writing about the O9A for years; even if what they write seems in line with the esoteric philosophy of the O9A; and even if we have been in contact with them for years via mechanisms such as e-mail or a written correspondence. –ONA, Some Advice For Neophytes Regarding The Order of Nine Angles
[End Quote]
How does this make any sense? As someone in ONA once said to me: “[T]here is real life, and there is the internet.” That was paraphrased. It makes perfect sense if you understand the meaning of the word “Individuality” in ONA, and if you understand who the Authority in ONA is.
The functioning concept here is: one’s immediate circle. We trust nobody outside of our own ONA cell/nexion. Meaning people we are in close contact with in our real world lives: family, friends, co-workers, fellow classmates, members of our Drecc gang, members of our private Traditional ONA nexion in our cities. Everyone else are unfamiliar people who exist outside that circle of immediacy. It is foolish to trust and believe a person you are not intimately familiar with. Especially anonymous people online.
But you can ask: “But you’re anonymous?” Or: “But if we use nyms and hide our identities aren’t we all anonymous?” The answer is yes, and as it should be. I am nobody to you. What claims I make means nothing. Anything I can ever say about my ONA credentials, what I have done regarding ONA are moot and essentially unsubstantiated claims made by an anonymous person. And likewise are you each to me… as things should be. Why so? Because it makes sense if you understand what ONA is trying to say when it describes the ONA Way as an “Individualistic Way.”
ONA is something you/we each put into practice in our own individual lives, at our own individual discretion, in our own individual way. As such – being an individual way – nobody else matters. How some other person practices their ONA, what their opinions are about ONA or how you practice ONA, if they say you’re doing ONA wrong… these things don’t matter, because ONA is an individualistic path.
To use an analogy, I drive a Lexus. That Lexus came from some car lot where many other Lexuses can be found. All these Lexuses were made by the same manufacturer. And so my Lexus is my personal individual way of getting around from place to place. What I do with my Lexus and how I drive it is none of your business. And conversely, what you do with your Lexus, and how you drive it, is none of my business. What you may say or opine about what I do with my Lexus, and how I drive it is irrelevant, because a “Lexus” is not a collectively owned thing. It is the brand name of an individually owned thing.
ONA is the brand name of a vehicle – a yana in Buddhism – which is designed be owned and used by the individual to get you someplace: your Wyrd. As such, other people who are associated with ONA don’t matter. Individuality does not equate with collective practice, organization, authority, etc.
People online who claim to be ONA and whatever their opinions about ONA are, or how they think you are doing ONA, mean nothing as an individual practicing something designed to be practiced on an individual basis. They aren’t a member of your immediate circle. They are anonymous. Simple as that.
Anonymous people – which includes me – online or on whatever medium, who claim to be know-it-alls of ONA, as if they were some “authority” on ONA or of ONA, are acting and behaving out of bounds. Why so? Because in ONA, there is no authority outside your own individual authority and judgment. As this quote states:
[Begin Quote]
In the O9A therefore, individual pathei-mathos is ‘the ultimate authority’. Not individuals, not some title, self-given or otherwise. Not Mr Anton “I claim no authority” Long; not his writings; not his diverse exeatic life; not his ‘esoteric philosophy’ that, presenced by others, is the O9A. Not what some O9A Adept – someone who has successfully undertaken the Seven Fold Way up to and including the rite of internal adept – says or writes. Not what some O9A ‘outer- representative’ – self-described, or otherwise – has said or written. –ONA, Authority, Learning, and Culture, In The Sinister Tradition Of The Order of Nine Angles
[End Quote]
And this quote on individual judgment:
[Begin Quote]
The authority of individual judgement is one of the fundamental axioms of the esoteric philosophy of Anton Long and thus a fundamental principle applicable to how that esotericism is presenced in the praxises of the Order of Nine Angles (O9A/ONA).
This axiom means that even the writings of Anton Long, and his esoteric philosophy, are only guides, a necessary beginning, and possess no ultimate authority. –ONA, The Authority Of Individual Judgement – Interpretation And Meaning
[End Quote]
If Anton Long invented/created the ONA, and if he says nothing he has written is authoritative – “possess no ultimate authority” – and he made the ONA: then surely, you can understand that the opinions of some anonymous person should really mean nothing.
It may be that such anonymous person – which includes me – claiming to be ONA is sincere and tries to practice ONA, and even manifests the unwritten etiquette. It may be that such anonymous person may know a great deal of esoteric gobbledygook about ONA. But in a weltanschauung and Way of Life where the Individual’s judgment, pathei-mathos, and experiences are his/her own authority, is paramount, and takes first priority: what meaning does anything such other ONA person’s views and opinions – anonymous or otherwise – have to you as an individual living an individual Way of Life?
Especially if they are anonymous. And we of this era in ONA know there have been a few anonymous people claiming to be ONA acting as if they were some authority figure, or behaving as if what they know or how they interpret ONA is authoritative. We know such types of anonymous people try to say that how you/we do our ONA is wrong and not the way it should be done. Because if Anton Long who made the ONA says that he is no authority, then how much less authoritative are the opinions and views of some anonymous ONA claimant who had nothing whatsoever to do with the creation of ONA? Think about it.
The problem is that most people in and out of ONA have trouble understanding just what exactly the word “Individual” means. Such people are enamored with the idealism of Individuality, but in reality they are not individuals and do not behave in a manner of someone who understands that other people around them are individuals: are entitles to be individuals. To such types of people, the other person’s individual judgment means nothing, it’s their own judgment that should mean something to others. To such types, the individual method of practice of the other person is meaningless, it’s their own idea of how things should be done that others should adopt. It’s stupid, and it’s telling of the level of mentality and character of such types of people.
Individual judgment means that if you write an essay or make some ONA artwork, and I like it, it’s my call. I can choose to hate it also. And vice versa. If you see some use and value in what I have written, then that’s your call based on your own individual judgment. If you hate what I’ve shared or written, that’s fine also and is still your call. I’m no authority on ONA, and certainly no one’s authority in ONA, and neither are you to me. This is the perspective each individual initiate really needs to learn to cultivate. It would reduce drama and power games people play. And ONA would actually become what it was intended to be: an Individualistic Way.
The Wannabe Authority
They do find their way into ONA. They are the ones who act and behave as if their interpretation – usually a Traditional Satanic one – is the only way: revealing a lack in understanding of what Out Forms [causal forms] are. They confuse the forms for the essence. They assert their opinion and views about ONA onto others. They act and behave as if what they know about ONA is definitive and authoritative. They point fingers and tell you you’re not doing your ONA right. They are usually anonymous internet nobodies.
Thankfully ONA has a way to call out these pretentious wannabe authorities. It’s called the 10 Questions of an Adept which are questions DM/AL put together which only he actually has the answers to. The answers are orally given to associates of his immediate circle, when one needs to do some work for ONA, just as a means whereby they can prove that they are associates of DM/AL. Usually this immediate circle of associates are called various things such as: the Usual Suspects, the Old Guard, or the “Inner Circle.” The 10 questions are as follows:
[Begin Quote]
1) What is the meaning and the correct uses [plural] of the term Fayen?
2) What alchemical season is appropriate to Dabih and why?
3) What is the reason that Petriochor is used in the Rite of Afsana, and what is this Rite?
4) What one [singular] terrestrial location is used in calling forth Yusra?
5) How do the Nine Angles relate to Azal, Dhar and Zamal, and what Earth-bound (causal) form (structure/construct) is used to symbolize this?
6) What symbolic structure/construct is beyond the (advanced) form that is The Star Game?
7) How does the causal phenomena perceived in the causal as “gravity” relate to a specific type of acausal energy, and what has this to do with the Dark Gods mythos and the nexion that is the planet Earth?
8) What is the esoteric name of the acausal entity that has the common exoteric name Satan?
9) What manuscript, other than Al-Kitab Al-Alfak, is a source for the nine emanations?
10) Where and when was Al-Kitab Al-Alfak written and what name/title appears on the first folio?
[End Quote]
The practical thing to keep in mind is that if anybody claiming to be ONA is acting and behaving as if they were some authority on ONA, as if their opinions and views about ONA or about how you put into practice your ONA means anything, and they can’t answer these questions: they are not Adepts of ONA.
If they are not adepts, then certainly they are no authority, and what they know about ONA, their opinions, and views about ONA and about how you/we may practice ONA, are the meaningless drivel of an anonymous wannabe authority. They lack the understanding that in ONA the only – the ultimate – authority is you yourself as an individual initiate.
Another way to test one of these pretentious wannabe authority figures is to ask them questions drawn from Christos Beest’s underground autobiography called Myndsquilver [MS]. MS isn’t a reliable way to test a person for adeptship mind you. What it may indicate is a lack of some type of connection with someone who was known to be publically associated with ONA. Beesty eventually made his identity known in public as being an associate – and Outer Representative – of ONA. He was the last authentic Outer Rep. Authentic here meaning having been picked by DM/AL to be Outer Rep and being of an era – pre-internet – when such a post was needed to answer questions from those interested, send out ONA MSS via snail mail, etc.
Most of us associated with ONA use pseudonyms and maintain anonymity, as per the nature of ONA in general. But some of us are in some way – directly or indirectly – connected to at least one person once publically known to be ONA; namely RM/Beesty Boy.
If the wannabe authority can’t answer simple questions from MS and from the 10 Questions of an Adept, then it indicates that not only is this person not an adept, but that they are also not associated with any known – verifiable – associate of ONA. So then how can such a person – regardless of how much they may know about Traditional Satanism – be of any authority of ONA? Why would such a person’s opinions and views about how you/we do ONA matter?
This isn’t to say that an ONA Adept is any authority in ONA. Because if Anton Long himself – who created the ONA – says he is not an authority in ONA, then neither is an Adept of ONA. The proven adept is just more reliable with what they may know about ONA simply because they are associates of DM/AL.
There are practical reasons for maintaining secrecy and anonymity. But such anonymity makes each of us to the other unverifiable, anonymous people. As things should be. Because I shouldn’t matter in any way to you, and vise versa. The simple rule of thumb is to keep things within your immediate circle, and to trust no one outside that circle fully. Especially if they are acting like pretentious authorities in ONA on the internet. You are as an individual self-initiates associate of ONA your own authority. You have the right to maintain secrecy, to keep your identity private, and to practice ONA in whatever way you see fit, as per ONA corpus. The ONA is an Individualistic Way.