The Motta System of Thelema
By
Paul Joseph Rovelli
Do what thou wilt
shall be the whole of the Law.
What is Motta's contribution to the development of the science and art of Thelema? Let's first consider that there have been different types of contributors to the art of Scientific Illuminism. Crowley was it's initial Avatar, Prophet and Mage. His first successor is his, at one time, proclaimed Magickal Son; Charles Stanfeld Jones (a.k.a. Frater Achad). Achad would discover the 'Key' to Liber AL vel Legis and so function as a channel for the fulfillment of prophecy. And further, Achad developed some highly evolved theories of his own that may contradict the prophet's interpretation of the Book of the Law, but developed into a system that has proven to be of practical use for a growing contingent of Scientific Illuminists.
Dion Fortune has for the careful investigator, proven herself to be the Avatar of Babalon as was Crowley the Avatar of the Beast. But that involves material outside the scope of the present work. And Kenneth Grant would also be seen as a developer the magico-sexual component of Thelema of which he would derive much of his ideas along these lines from Dion Fortune's work along with Crowley's. But Kenneth Grant is given the additional distinction of having mapped and charted regions of the consciousness and the roots of Thelema as it ties into currents that originated in the ancient 'Fertile Crescent' with a visionary bend that leans into the future development of the craft of Thelema.
Then along comes Marcelo Motta; disciple of Karl Johannes Germer whom was recognized by Crowley as a Master of the Temple. It seems to me that Germer must have been a man of stern discipline and Motta, a man of tremendous devotion. In mixing these two, and with Motta's already terse personality, we get the taught current of a lineage that Motta would develop with a strict set of guidelines and rules of conduct. And one's devotion to the letter of the Oaths signed in Motta's A\A\ was expected to be extremist as Motta himself was really a 'Black or White'man with no shades of 'Grey' in his worldview. One was either an Aspirant to the White Lodge or a 'dupe' of the Black Lodge.
Motta was about enemies. His foremost work, Letter to a Brazilian Mason, introduces the idea to his lineage that there is an egregore of the old aeon, coined as 'Christism' from which the Black Lodge attempts to prevent the inevitable cycle of changethat comes to all life and especially to those that seek racial evolution. This is also pointed out in his Black Lodge lectures; shown to members of the two known outer organizations that have evolved along his lineal successors. From this and combined with some of the writings of Dion Fortune, Motta delineates the nature and methods of psychic attack and protection from psychic attack. Spiritual Defense was necessary in the paradigm of the Manichean Polemic he set up as a mythos for his successors. And strict adherence to the commands of one's Superior along the lines of an Eastern 'Chela' to his Master, were an important component to his teaching methodology.
The Office of the Beast is probably the cornerstone in Motta's designs for his lineage, and this I don't believe came in any way from Germer's instructions; but were more interpretations of Germer's instructions by the increasing militant nature of Motta's thinking processes as his Thelemic career evolved. Motta was seeking a spiritual perfection to be proved only by passionate devotion immediately at the onset of someone's Aspiration and having first come in contact with Motta or any of his lineal representatives. This would be answered also by terse alienations and expulsions at even the hint of failure from any one of his student as seeming megalomania would grow within his psyche and lead to the famous O.T.O. trials of Maine and California.
Motta's writings on sexual liberation, scientific experimentation and socio-political issues along with his development of racial and evolutionary theorems along eugenics lines represents a unique discussion of the ideas in the development of a literary tradition for what is really an extremely young philosophical system on this planet. But it was his commentaries to the Book of the Law and Liber Cordis Cincte Serpente that brought him controversy. And his writings on the history of the O.T.O. since Crowley's death brought him to a conviction on libel and slander allegations. A brief bibliography of his writings include:
Biographical
Testament of Marcelo Ramos Motta
On Sexuality and Relationships
Letter on Marriage
Field Theory of Sex
Man & Woman
Liber DCL vel De Fonte Alquae Vitae (classes B&D)
On the Science of Thelema
Liber CCXXXI: A Personal Research
Motta on the Initiatic Process
The S.O.T.O. Initiations
De Regulae Vitae
General Notes on the Practices
Visionary Outlook & Development of a Mythos
The Black Lodge Papers
Letter to a Brazilian Mason
Calling the Children of the Sun
The Development of a Secret Society in America in the years 1957-2000
A Note upon Demons
What lineage follows in the wake of Motta? This is developing into a ball of confusion. To make it a little easier, we first have to set aside all those who claim lineage to Seckler in the U.S. and to others associated either with Crowley or students of Crowley's. From there, we first get the triumvirate of Claudia Canuto de Menezes, Danile Stone and William Barden as set forth in Motta's Last Will & Testament. With the failure of this due to suspicions these three quickly developed for each other, comes along David Bersson and Ray Eales who would soon align with Gregory von Seewald in order to form their inner lodge.
And to add to this confusion, the Caliphate has recently come out and claimed a connection to the Motta line despite their long-held purporting of Motta as insane and unfit for his self-proclaimed mantle. Indeed these as others were either expelled or excommunicated from his lineage before his death. And indeed no matter which part of his lineage one connects with, there is obfuscation, half-truths, traitor lists, accusations and character assassinations, including a betrayal of membership confidentiality and the publication of private letters.
But does this invalidate his contribution to this art & science? Absolutely not! Motta generated ideas in his commentaries and intellectual works that prove a scholarship that was articulate and profound. One may not like a lot of his ideas... but really, is any one single contributor to this science perfect in all that he or she has written and/or acted out? In the end, the serious Student should simply read all the contributors to this art of Scientific Illuminism and take from eash in accordance to his or her own personal Will.
Love is the law,
love under will