Ordo Templi Orientis facts for kids

A special symbol (called a Lamen) of the Ordo Templi Orientis.

Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) is a group that acts like a club or family and also has religious beliefs. It was started in the early 1900s. The name means "Order of the Temple of the East."

The O.T.O. was first planned to be like another old group called Freemasonry. Later, a leader named Aleister Crowley changed it. He made its main ideas based on something called the Law of Thelema and a book called The Book of the Law.

Like some other special groups, joining the O.T.O. involves special ceremonies. These ceremonies help members feel like a family. They also teach them about spiritual and philosophical ideas.

The O.T.O. also has a church part called the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC). This is also known as the Gnostic Catholic Church. Its most important public ceremony is called the Gnostic Mass.

Images for kids

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  This diagram from 1926 shows how the O.T.O. was first organized.