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Part of a series on
Thelema
Unicursal hexagram
The Rights of Man
Holy Books and Stele The Book of the Law The Holy Books of Thelema The Stele of Revealing
Key figures Ankh-af-na-Khonsu François Rabelais Aleister Crowley Victor Neuburg Charles Stansfeld Jones Jack Parsons Wilfred Talbot Smith Jane Wolfe Karl Germer J. F. C. Fuller Grady McMurtry Marcelo Ramos Motta Marjorie Cameron Sara Northrup Helen Parsons Smith Phyllis Seckler Christopher Hyatt Kenneth Grant James Lees Nema Andahadna James Wasserman Kenneth Anger The Scarlet Women Rose Edith Crowley Mary d'Este Sturges Jeanne Robert Foster Roddie Minor Marie Rohling Leah Hirsig Leila Waddell
Core concepts One Star in Sight Great Work True Will The Abyss Magick Qabalah Holy Guardian Angel Thoth Tarot Yoga Gnostic Mass The Aeon
Methods Abrahadabra Night of Pan Liber Resh Crossing the Abyss Banishing Invocation Bornless Ritual Qaballa Sex magic Body of light Tree of life
Thelemic texts Aleister Crowley bibliography Kenneth Grant bibliography Marcelo Motta bibliography
Organizations A∴A∴ O∴A∴A∴ Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC) Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) Society Ordo Templi Orientis (SOTO) Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn Typhonian Order (TOTO)
Deities Nuit Hadit Heru-ra-ha Aiwass Therion Babalon Baphomet Chaos Ma'at
Places Boleskine House Abbey of Thelema Agape Lodge
Related topics Abramelin oil Cake of Light Choronzon Eroto-comatose lucidity Goetia Magical formulae Number of the beast Obeah and wanga Qlippoth Table of magical correspondences The Beast and Whore of Babylon Worship of heavenly bodies
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For references to other Gnostic churches, see Gnostic church.

Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC), or the Gnostic Catholic Church, is the ecclesiastical arm of Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), an international fraternal initiatory organization devoted to promulgating the Law of Thelema. Thelema is a philosophy of life first described by François Rabelais and later revived and elaborated by Aleister Crowley, who took Thelema as the name of the philosophical, mystical and religious system which he developed based on The Book of the Law. The word Catholic denotes the universality of doctrine and not a Christian or Roman Catholic belief set.

The chief function of EGC is the public and private performance of the Gnostic Mass (Liber XV), a eucharistic ritual written by Crowley in 1913. The structure of the Mass is influenced by the rite of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the initiatory rituals of the Ordo Templi Orientis. Its content draws from the symbols and texts of Thelema, rituals of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, and Richard Wagner's Parsifal. Its most notable separation from similar rites of other churches is a Priestess officiating with a Priest, Deacon, and two Children. In addition to the Eucharist, baptism, confirmation, marriage, and last rites are offered by EGC.

Crowley described the Gnostic Mass as "the central ritual of the OTO, both public and private". It is the single most commonly performed ritual at OTO bodies, with many locations celebrating the Mass monthly or more frequently. Most OTO bodies make some or all of these celebrations open to interested members of the public, so the Mass is often an individual's first experience of the OTO.

EGC has a hierarchical structure of clergy, assisting officers, and laity which parallels the degree structure of the OTO initiatory system. Before 1997, the two systems were more loosely correlated, but since then there have been strict rules concerning minimum OTO degrees required to serve in particular EGC roles.

Membership

Membership in EGC is similar to the Roman Catholic Church, with some important differences. As currently constituted, E.G.C. includes both clergy and laity. Clergy must be initiate members of O.T.O., while laity may affiliate to E.G.C. through baptism and confirmation without undertaking any of the degree initiations of the Order.

Novice clergy are initiate members who participate in the administration of E.G.C. sacraments, although they have not yet taken orders (i.e., been through a ceremony of ordination).

The first ordination in E.G.C. is that of the diaconate. Second-Degree initiates of O.T.O. who have been confirmed in E.G.C. can be ordained as Deacons, whose principal duties are to assist the Priesthood.

The sacerdotal ordination admits members to the priesthood. Sacerdotal ordinands must hold at least the K.E.W. degree of O.T.O., a degree only available by invitation. The Priesthood is responsible for administering the sacraments through the Gnostic Mass and other ceremonies as authorized by their supervising Bishops.

The Priesthood is supervised and instructed by the Episcopate, or Bishops. Full initiation to the Seventh Degree of O.T.O. includes episcopal consecration in E.G.C. The Tenth-Degree Supreme and Holy King serves as the Primate or chief Bishop for any country in which O.T.O. has organized a Grand Lodge. The Frater (Soror) Superior of O.T.O. is also the Patriarch (Matriarch) of the Church, with ultimate authority over the clergy.

The similarity of the titles of the various E.G.C. offices and ranks reflects some common history with Christian churches. However, E.G.C. does not administer Christian sacraments, and has no Christian ecclesiastical standing.

Rituals

The principal ritual of the E.G.C. is the Gnostic Mass, a Eucharistic ceremony written by Aleister Crowley in 1913. Theodor Reuss produced and authorized a German translation in 1918.

The text of the Gnostic Mass makes reference to ceremonies of baptism, confirmation, and marriage. Crowley left some notes towards a baptism ritual, and his "Liber CVI" was written for use in a last rites circumstance. The Bishops of the contemporary Church have developed rituals for all of these purposes, as well as infant benedictions, exorcisms, consecration of holy oil, funerals, and home administration of the Eucharist to the sick.

Although some Gnostic Masses are held privately for initiates only, there is nothing secret about E.G.C. rituals as such, and they are commonly open to the public.

Saints of EGC

EGC has a unique list of saints cannonized by Aleister Crowley and read during the Collects of the Gnostic Mass. The Saints are both mythical (ex. Moses and Dionysus) and historical (ex. Simon Magus, Adam Weishaupt, Friedrich Nietzsche) and cover a wide range of personality, culture, and work.

The Gnostic Saints illustrate advancement of thought and culture through Great man theory. The list begins with magi of the Argenteum Astrum, deified figures of eastern religions such as Krishna and Laozi, showing the procession of religious currents culminating in the Law of Thelema. Next listed are God-men, psychopomps, and heroes such as Heracles, Osiris, and Odysseus indicating initiatory figures of mystery schools. Then such poets as Catullus and Swinburne "and many an holy bard" are acknowledged as representing the bard's role in bringing information across cultural boundaries and preserving religion in art. Gnostic figures of early Christianity (Manes, Pythagoras, etc.) signify the importance of early Christian syncretism into mysticism and initiatory cults. Lastly are significant Graal myth characters Merlin, Arthur, Gahmuret, and Parzival which lead into a list of historical personages detailing the development of western thought into modern religious movements, ending in the list of Outer Heads of the Order of OTO given their role as spiritual leaders.

History

The E.G.C. descended from a line of French Gnostic revival churches that developed in the 19th century. At that time, these Gnostic churches were essentially Christian in nature. In 1907, Gerard Encausse, Jean Bricaud, and Louis-Sophrone Fugairon founded their own, simply called the Gnostic Catholic Church. In 1908, they gave O.T.O. Grand Master Theodor Reuss episcopal consecration and primatial authority in their GCC. Later that year, Reuss incorporated the Gnostic Catholic Church into O.T.O. after the original founders renamed their own church to the Universal Gnostic Church.

The name "Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica" was not applied to the church until Crowley wrote the Gnostic Mass in 1913, which Reuss proclaimed to be the church's official rite. This marked the first time an established church was to accept the Law of Thelema as its central doctrine. Reuss then announced a new title for himself: the "Sovereign Patriarch and Primate of the Gnostic Catholic Church."

In 1979, Hymenaeus Alpha X° (Grady McMurtry) separated the E.G.C. from Ordo Templi Orientis, and made it into an independent organization, with himself at the head of both. However, in 1985, his successor, Hymenaeus Beta, dissolved the separate Gnostic Catholic Church corporation and folded the church back into O.T.O. In 1991, he formally tied the initiatory and ecclesiastical together by making certain degrees a requirement for various duties within the church (Dionysos Thriambos, 2005).

The Gnostic Creed

A creed is a statement of belief—usually religious belief—or faith. The word derives from the Latin credo for "I believe". The creed of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica—also known as the Gnostic Creed—is recited in the Gnostic Mass, during the Ceremony of the Introit.

The text of the Creed is as follows:

I believe in one secret and ineffable LORD; and in one Star in the Company of Stars of whose fire we are created, and to which we shall return; and in one Father of Life, Mystery of Mystery, in His name CHAOS, the sole viceregent of the Sun upon the Earth; and in one Air the nourisher of all that breathes.

And I believe in one Earth, the Mother of us all, and in one Womb wherein all men are begotten, and wherein they shall rest, Mystery of Mystery, in Her name BABALON.

And I believe in the Serpent and the Lion, Mystery of Mystery, in His name BAPHOMET.

And I believe in one Gnostic and Catholic Church of Light, Life, Love and Liberty, the Word of whose Law is THELEMA.

And I believe in the communion of Saints.

And, forasmuch as meat and drink are transmuted in us daily into spiritual substance, I believe in the Miracle of the Mass.

And I confess one Baptism of Wisdom whereby we accomplish the Miracle of Incarnation.

And I confess my life one, individual, and eternal that was, and is, and is to come.

AUMGN. AUMGN. AUMGN.

Explication of the Creed

The first six articles profess several beliefs by the congregants. The remaining two are confessions. The Creed ends with the Thelemic form of the Pranava, equivalent to the sacred Vedic syllable "Aum" or to the “Amen” of the Judaeo-Christian tradition. On the basic form of the Creed, Sabazius and Helena (1998) write:

The first 4 clauses are attributed to the four letters of Tetragrammaton YHVH: the Father (Chaos); the Mother (Babalon); the Union of Father and Mother in the Son (Baphomet); and the Daughter, the Bride of the Son (the Church). The two following clauses describe the essential products of the Mass from the perspective of the congregation. The final two clauses are in the form of confession rather than belief and describe parallels between the occurrences in the Mass and the life of the individual.

The six articles of belief in the Creed can also be seen as corresponding with certain elements in the Gnostic Mass:

• The Lord: The Priest
• One Star: the Deacon
• Chaos: the Lance (of the Priest)
• Air: the Sword (of the Priestess)
• One Earth: the Paten
• One Womb: the Cup
• Babalon: the Priestess
• Baphomet: the Eucharist
• The Church: the Congregation
• The Miracle: the consumption and ingestion of the Eucharist

Other Creeds

• Nicene Creed—Christianity
• Apostles Creed—Christianity

See also

• The Book of the Law
• Ordo Templi Orientis
• Gnosticism

References

• Crowley, Aleister. Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass.
• Ordo Templi Orientis, U.S. Grand Lodge (2004). Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica. Retrieved January 3 2005.
• Sabazius & Helena. (1998). The Creed of the Gnostic Catholic Church: an Examination. Retrieved Sept. 20, 2004.
• Thelemapedia (2005). Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica. Retrieved June 9 2005.

External links

• More on the E.G.C. at Thelemapedia.org
• Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica homepage
• Thelemapedia—The Gnostic Saints
• The Gnostic Catholic Creed: Seeds of Self Knowledge by Fr. HydraLVX, appearing in Lion & Serpent: The Official Journal of Sekhet-Maat Lodge Volume 6, Number 2.
• A Collection of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica and Gnostic Mass Materials

• Thelema
• Gnosticism
• Churches