Blood, Wine, and the
Golden Chain
Mysticism in the 21st Century
C. R. Monette
Blood, Wine, and the Golden Chain
© Copyright by Connell Monette (2012)
Sirius Ink Publications
First edition: forthcoming 2013.
This document contains a draft Introduction and Chapter Five
(The Order of Nine Angles) in advance of the publication of the
complete textbook.
This text may be freely copied and distributed, provided the author is
credited.
Blood, Wine, and the Golden Chain
FOREWORD
This special advance copy of Chapter Five is available with the
assistance of my collaborators in the project, to whom I am always
grateful. As the ONA does not per se support copyright, the simplest
and best solution in terms of professional obligation is to permit the
free copying of this Chapter, in advance of the textbook.
The complete textbook will be available in English and Arabic in
Summer 2013.
Blood, Wine, and the Golden Chain
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright 2
Foreword 3
Introduction 5
Chapter 5. The Order of Nine Angles 101
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INTRODUCTION
Religion and Religious Studies are active markets, perhaps more
active in the past ten years than in the previous fifty. While
Christianity and Islam, for example, continue to attract respectable
numbers of converts, a sizeable number of people in North America
and Europe seek guidance and spiritual growth from non-
conventional sources, or from mystical traditions that are on the
fringe of larger religious systems. While some have chosen
Buddhism or Zen, we have equally seen Sufism for non-Muslims,
Yoga and Tantra for non-Hindus, and Kabbalah for non-Jews; all
four examples are relatively common, yet held to be theologically
problematic or even heretical by the orthodox leaders of those faiths.
Further, others still have sought enlightenment from neo-gnostic
movements and initiatory societies like the Freemasons or OTO, or
even returned to pagan traditions, painstakingly reconstructed by
both academics and amateurs. Morocco itself has always held an
allure for spiritually-minded outsiders, with its rich (mainstream) Sufi
heritage, as evidenced by the "Sacred Music Festival".
Consequently, many universities today with a religious studies
program have faculty who specialize in mysticism (e.g. Harvard,
Brown), or offer courses in Mysticism (e.g. Ottawa, Toronto, UCLA),
or even entire degrees in mysticism (e.g. University of Kent,
University of Amsterdam). There are many textbooks that address
mysticism as a medieval phenomenon (Oxford Press has 30 such
books), or books that address a single contemporary tradition.
However, there are very few textbooks or anthologies that address
multiple mystical traditions in the 21st century. As an undergraduate
in the Department of Classical and Religious Studies at University of
Ottawa, the author of this work took such courses as "Contemporary
Religious Movements", "Mysticism and the Occult", "Death and
Dying" — all of which strongly featured mysticism and were excellent
courses, but which had no fixed textbook, and had to be taught by
course pack. As mysticism is very much a contemporary
phenomenon, a new textbook is much needed.
Blood, Wine, and the Golden Chain
The other important rationale behind the project is the developing
the new graduate program in religious studies at Al Akhawayn
University. Among the short list of possible courses for the later
semesters of the program are 'Mysticism' and 'New Religious
Movements'. It is the author's hope that this book could be used in
one or both courses. Thus this project aims to produce a
contemporary textbook of 'mystic' or 'initiatory' religious traditions.
The book is being written in English, then translated into Arabic.
The traditions featured have been chosen either due to acknowledged
international presence and long established tradition (i.e. Yoga,
Sufism, Theravada Buddhism, Kabala) or because other recent
studies have acknowledged them as up-and-coming traditions (i.e.
The Rune Gild, ON A, Wicca). Sufism has been accorded two
chapters, as the first chapter will address the Bouchichi tariqa of
Morocco, while the later chapter will address the Naqshbandiya,
which are a more international order of Central Asian origin.
Finally, a word about the overall tone of the book. Over the years,
one of the more pained frustrations voiced by some of my own
students (with a religious background) is that they could not locate or
recognize themselves in 'academic' discussions of their own tradition.
As an example: evangelical Christians often cannot identify with
supposedly 'objective' descriptions of their own particular brand of
Christianity, after it has been wrenched and contorted into place by
seemingly unaware scholars. As a rule, we must agree that if
members of a given tradition do not recognize their own tradition in
the words of the academic, then we have failed seriously at some
level. With this in mind, this textbook is written with the
participation of members of the traditions covered herein — not with
the intent to write a sympathetic account, but to ensure that the reader
encounters a description of the tradition that is recognisable both by its
members and students of religion alike.
Blood, Wine, and the Golden Chain
CHAPTER FIVE:
THE ORDER OF NINE ANGLES
On inspection, the Order of Nine Angles is a fascinating blend of
both pagan and sinister hermetic currents. With its roots in several
British covens which have since vanished, the ONA has grown in
size such that its member cells can now be found on all continents,
and boasts a sizeable presence in occult cyberspace. Though its
tenets and practices are reminiscent of tales of dark medieval or even
pre -Roman cults, the ONA today embraces contemporary
technology in sharing its philosophy, and its texts are available on a
multitude of websites and through such online media as video and
music. With the watchwords pathei-mathos (learning through
adversity'), the ONA is unique in that it offers an aggressive and
elitist spirituality, which pushes its members to find and overcome
their mental, physical, and psychic limits in the quest for spiritual
ascension. In parallel with grueling athletic and mental challenges,
the ONA acknowledges a pantheon of 'dark gods', along with an
occult system designed to introduce the initiate to the acausal or
supernatural world of the mystic. Indeed, if the mysticism of the
ONA is transgressive, its politics are equally so, as the Order
challenges its members to overcome not only personal, but social and
ethical limitations. Yet while it suggests rebellion against authority,
the ONA likewise demands a sense of honor and solidarity for those
mystics who travel this dark road together.
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BACKGROUND OF THE ONA
The founder of the group, Anton Long, has remained a mystery to
members of the movement, as well as to academics. While several
individuals have been at times identified as possible candidates, the
true identity of the figure remains a mystery. Long states in his own
biographical notes that he was born a British citizen, who in his
youth travelled extensively to such destinations as Africa, Asia, and
the Middle East. It is likely, given his later writings, that he was
exposed to a considerable range of folkloric and mystic traditions of
those regions which he visited. On his return to England, the young
man busied himself in academic pursuits, and appears to have
reached fluency in the classical languages (Greek and Latin), as well
as Arabic and possibly Persian. Yet as a student, Long appears to
have been drawn to the darker elements of society, and by his own
admission was involved in criminal activities. At the same time, and
perhaps due to his experiences overseas, Long also began studies into
the occult and paranormal. After investigating several English occult
societies and finding them either to be pretentious or lackluster, he
began to search for groups that were more suited to his particular
understanding of what an actual occult society should resemble,
notable among them the Manchester based satanic group known as
the 'Orthodox Temple of the Prince' as well as the 'Temple of the
Sun', with which he was more involved in a leadership role.
Sometime later, his efforts brought him into contact an underground
pagan tradition, both matriarchal and sinister in character, referred to
by him as the 'Camlad' tradition. Long was initiated into the Camlad
tradition, and eventually became its head. Under his leadership,
sometime in the early 1970s the Camlad coven merged with two
other similar societies (the Noctulians and his own Temple of the
Sun), and reformed as the Order of Nine Angles (ONA). While
little is known about the three separate groups that became the
Order, it is understood that they shared a synthesis of several
elements: hermetic, pagan, and satanic. The Order clearly made use
of all three elements in its early texts, in order to appeal to a broad
range of potential members. 3 Yet a critical examination of the ONA's
key texts demonstrates that the satanic overtones were largely
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cosmetic, and that its core mythos (or theology) is actually syncretic
and pagan, though not revisionist or neopagan as other movements
such as Wicca or Asatru. 6 During the 1970s through the 1990s, the
Order experienced rapid growth, mainly through promotion in print
media related to mysticism and the occult. Over this time, Long
developed and refined the core tents of the Order of Nine Angles,
along with its mythos, structure, strategic aims, and particular strains
of expression.
While the ONA by definition has no actual "leader", Anton
Long has continued as the driving force behind the ONA, and the
principal author of most of the Order's texts. Possessed of a gifted
intellect and apparently a polymath, his works include not only the
public mystical teachings of the Order, but also several thousand
pages of text on ethics, honor, and several novellas of 'sinister'
fiction. While Long writes primarily in English, it is clear that he
draws inspiration from not only British but also international sources;
not infrequently, his texts include passages of Classical Greek, as well
as Sanskrit and Arabic spiritual terms. Yet despite his driving role in
the Order over the last three decades, in March 2012 Anton Long
announced his retirement from public life, saying that the ONA is
well positioned to move into the 21 st century with new hands at the
wheel. At the same time, the official websites of the ONA
announced that the inner circle of the ONA had elected Chloe
Ortega (aka Chloe 352) to succeed Long as the official spokesperson
of the Order. 9
STRUCTURE AND DEMOGRAPHICS
While the origins of the Order of Nine Angles are rooted
predominantly in British paganism, it has since spread to become a
global entity, with 'nexions' (cells) or associated groups in America,
Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Poland,
Russia, Serbia, Spain, and South Africa. The majority of the
traditional nexions are located in the British Isles, Ireland, and
Germany, and the original cell, known as 'Nexion Zero', has long
been located in Shropshire, England. However with the coming of
the new century, two of the most senior or 'flagship' nexions are
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located in the USA (WSA352 headed by Chloe Ortega) and Australia
(Temple of THEM, headed by Ryan Anschauung). The very nature
of the ON A makes data gathering difficult, as the movement is
secretive by definition. Further, the ONA has carefully avoided a
central administration with hard data on its membership, preferring
to operate as a network or 'kollective' (sic) of nexions instead.
Further, the ONA does not require its members to pay dues or
register themselves either locally or centrally. There is no
'membership' charter, no admission requirements — it is not a
structured lodge or temple, but rather a movement, a subculture or
perhaps metaculture that its adherents choose to embody or identify
with. Yet conversely, neither is the ONA entirely anonymous, as it
boasts a powerful online presence in the virtual world. A simple
Google search, for example, shows how far beyond rural England the
ONA has evolved, from a small group of covert pagans to a global
community.
Further, the Order itself provides multiple examples of what
'members' of the ONA could be. In early 2012, Anton Long stated
that 'there are (a) people associated with traditional nexions (who
follow the initiatory Seven Fold Way); (b) Niners; (c) Balobians
(often musicians and artists; (d) members of gang/ tribes inspired by
our ethos (Satanic or otherwise) such as a biker gang in Florida, and a
Hispanic group in New York; (e) Empaths who follow the
Rounwytha tradition and who work and live reclusively or are part of
small (often Sapphic) groups; (f) people associated with ONA
inspired Occult groups.' By Seven Fold Way, Long refers to the
sinister hermetic tradition of the original ONA; by Niner, he refers to
a more modern type of folk-based or gang-based culture who
support the ONA by practical (sometimes criminal) rather than
esoteric means; by Balobians, the ONA refers to artists and musicians
who contribute to the movement through the fine arts; by Kounwytha
is implied a rare group of gifted individuals similar to folk-mystics or
psychics. The final category (ONA inspired groups) is likewise a
difficult one to approach, as the specific esoteric vocabulary of the
Order has indeed been appropriated by several groups which may or
may not directly acknowledge their connection to the ONA, though
their texts demonstrate clear influences — examples include the US-
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based 'Tempel ov Blood' and European 'Temple of Black Light'.
Given the very broad range of possibilities, the Order does not use
the term 'member', but prefers instead to use 'associate', as it
represents better the affiliation that an individual, nexion, or group
may share with the Order proper.
Given the complexities, then, of determining who is a
'member' of the Order, as of early 2012 it is likely that the global total
is over two thousand associates of the Order, allowing for the
broadest possible definition of who 'belongs' to the ONA. In terms
of active nexion members, the Order's leadership reports that at
present approximately three hundred members have identified
themselves to the flagship nexions. Further, the Order's websites
and leadership report that the gender balance is roughly even split,
though this varies by region. In the UK, for example, the traditional
nexions are said to have continued the matriarchal leadership and
gender bias, with some of the original 1970's nexions being
reportedly entirely female; in the US, the flagship nexion (WSA352)
reports a 2:1 male/female ratio: and in Australia, the flagship nexion
(Temple of THEM) reports that the balance of male/female is
even. These examples are not meant to be necessarily understood
as exemplary, but rather as the Order's semi-official stance on
demographics and gender.
CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP
From its inception, the ONA has rejected the idea of any central
church, lodge, or temple which has authority over the rest of the
membership. This is likely (in part) a survival mechanism, as there is
no central authority figure with whom the movement lives or dies.
Thus while Anton Long is credited with the inception of the Order, it
is widely understood that Long himself is a persona of the unknown
founder. Further, it is equally possible that "Anton Long" has served
as a mask for several individuals in the last decade, and thus may
continue to appear in future to offer guidance to the Order as
needed. Thus Long serves to validate currents and ideas within the
ONA, offering guidance and suggestions to the collective, but never
orders or dictates. The diffused nature of the ONA also makes a
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take-over impossible, as there is no central seat or office for an
individual to covet or seize. Thus a coup or schism (such as that
suffered in other occult societies) is theoretically impossible, since at
most a single person may lead a nexion, and never the entire Order.
Yet while there is no central authority within the ONA, that
is not to say that there is no leadership or structure. The founding
members of the Order, known commonly as the 'Old Guard', have
served as a sort of inner council since the inception of the ONA.
Directly or indirectly, the Old Guard has guided and shaped many of
the younger nexions, and their word carries considerable weight.
Many younger associates of the Order work to make contact with the
Old Guard - a difficult feat, as they maintain considerable secrecy —
in hopes of tutoring or gaining access to the original oral tradition of
the ONA. While the actual identities of the Old Guard have been
kept secret, they have been known through such pen-names as
Christos Beest, Sinister Moon, DarkLogos, and PointyHat. In day
to day terms, the Old Guard has worked together with Anton Long
to decide what aspects of the pagan tradition to transmit to the
younger generations of the Order, and those decisions are best seen
through the lens of the many ONA documents released to the public.
However, at the end of 2011, the Old Guard stated that they would
be withdrawing from the public sphere, similar to Long's withdrawal
several months afterwards. Whether their withdrawal is permanent,
or whether they will maintain in contact with the flagship nexions
remains to be seen. Whatever the long term impact of the retirement
of Long and the Old Guard, it is certain that the greatest potential
loss to the ONA is that of the oral tradition.
However, even as the Old Guard had begun its gradual
withdrawal from public duty in the last decade, new voices have risen
to prominent positions. Though no nexion is technically above the
others, there is a system of peer recognition amongst the Order's
cells. Several nexions are public and well recognized, forming a sort
of 'New Guard': among them are (British) Daughters of Baphomet,
(Italian) Secuntra, and (Canadian) Aerhaosh, and Alien Nation
(Iceland). ' Most prominent and vocal, however are the flagship
nexions: (Australian) Temple of THEM and (American) White Star
Acception (aka. WSA352).
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TEMPLE OF THEM
If any one nexion serves as a bridge between the traditional ONA of
the 20' century, and the ONA of the future, it is the Temple of
THEM. 17 The name of the nexion (Temple of THEM) appears to be
a reference to the name 'THEM' used for the dark spirits or deities of
the Order, referenced in some of the ONA's fiction, e.g. 'Falcifer'.
Further, if any of the Old Guard remain accessible to the public, it is
Ryan Anschauung. Writer, historian, artist and visionary:
Anschauung appears to serve not only as counselor to those intrepid
souls searching for answers in the ONA's esoteric traditions, but also
as archivist of the Sinister, including the semi-official archivist of the
ONA. As editor of the Black Glyph Press, Anschauung has
published the collected public works of the ONA (De Requisite
Exquisite) and its nexions, as well as his own haunted insights into the
Order's past and present. From available information written by
the Temple themselves in their e-zine Oto Anorha, THEM originally
consisted of six key members. Asked in 2011 about its membership
numbers, one of its founders admitted over the course of 2009-2011
the increase of two more key members bringing the total to eight.
Asked in 2012 about its membership numbers, the Temple of THEM
replied that those details were no longer being released. From the
evidence available online it is apparent from literally hundreds of
posts and dozens of articles released by THEM that there is constant
and long term contact between the Temple and the public with
hundreds of instances of consultation by would-be-initiates on
various esoteric matters being fielded by THEM representatives or
perhaps just one. It is reasonable to assume there is an equal or larger
share of such questions fielded privately. Thus while the core of the
nexion remains likely small, the Temple's true strength is in its
influence over those ONA associates or would-be affiliates who
correspond with Anschauung and his nexion.
WHITE STAR ACCEPTION (WSA352)
Articulate, urbane, and assertive: WSA352 is one of the most
outspoken and compelling voices of the 21 st century ONA. The
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mission statement of WSA352 is: 'To Presence the Dark,
Progression, & the Sinister Feminine. The White Star Acception is a
Sinister Tribe of the Order of Nine Angles. The Acception was
established to provide a social structure and social order supportive
of the practice and application of the Sinister Sevenfold Way, and to
preserve the teachings and traditions of the ONA for Sinister
Posterity.' WSA is a unique nexion in that it has multiple 'colonies' in
4 locations: California, Arizona, Texas, and New York. Progressive
by nature, as opposed to being rooted in the traditional paganism of
the ONA, the social structure of WSA is likened in their own writings
to urban tribalism or gang culture. The California colony reports
approximately 35 members, Arizona has 57 active members, while
New York and Texas have much smaller numbers of active
associates. The average age of the associates of the WSA nexion is
15-30, which is in keeping with the gang culture theme. One unique
trait of White Star Acception is the Boudoir, a council of female
members. The Boudoir is the 'supreme authority' of the whole WSA,
and it internally appoints something called the triumvirate which has a
term of 10 years. The triumvirate is made up of the Chief Executive
Office (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Chief Propaganda
Officer (CPO), who works with the ideology, indoctrination,
Propaganda, memetic, internal Human Relations, and outer Public
Relations. WSA maintains a powerful web presence, and appears to
be the driving force in promoting the ONA online through blogs,
official (or semi-official) websites, and social media sites. White Star
Acception is also progressive in terms of cultural and ethnic diversity,
and has been one of the principle agents in promoting the ONA
amongst the Asian and Buddhist communities both nationally and
globally.
THE OUTER REPRESENTATIVE
As stated above, the Order of Nine Angles has no centralized office
or authority, beyond whatever respect is commanded in the persona
of its founder. Nevertheless, there exists a position within the Order
known as the Outer Representative, who serves as a both the official
spokesperson for the ONA to the exterior, and also as the de-facto
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voice of the Old Guard within the Order itself. Over the last 30
years, a number of figures have held this office. Most memorable is
Christos Beest, the pen name of British artist and composer Richard
Moult, who served as Outer Representative during the 1990's.
Contemporary occultist Michael Ford became the ONA's outer
representative in 1996, under the pen name 'Vilnius Thornian',
though he later relinquished the role in 2002. Recently in 2011, Chloe
Ortega of WSA352 was nominated Outer Representative by the Old
Guard just before their withdrawal, making her the current
spokesperson for the Order of Nine Angles. A young woman of
mixed Latino and Thai descent, Chloe Ortega is the first female
Outer Representative to hold the office in public ONA history. An
avid thinker and gifted writer, she is best known to the Order as a
progressivist and force for change, and frequently works to hybridize
the initially Europeanized ONA philosophy with her own Buddhist
philosophy. Under Ortega's influence, the ONA is likely to be
increasingly less associated with satanism (as in the past), and more
with Tantric, Islamic, and eastern ideals.
BELIEFS & PRACTICES OF THE ONA
The Order of Nine Angles has five core principles, which are: 24
1. The Way of Practical Deeds. This refers to the conviction that
the ONA is a collective of action, not merely reflection. Initiates are
expected to live an 'exeatic' life, meaning a life that defies social
conventions (and indeed laws). A initiate of the ONA may, for
example, decide to become (e.g.) a vigilante, soldier, or criminal in
their quest to understand life through action.
2. The Way of Culling. The most controversial of the ONA's
principles, this tenet has two sides. One the one hand, it refers to the
ONA's conviction that some human 'scum' have no place in society,
and that they deserve to be removed. Thus a member of the ONA
may decide to join a police force to obtain combat training, and then
use their position of authority to kill criminals, rather than arrest
them. On the other hand, this tenet also refers to blood sacrifice to
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the dark gods, in a manner similar to that described in pre-Christian
Europe among the Celts and Germanic tribes, or among some rare
Shaivite sects in classical India, or as the early modern Thuggee
• ^ 25
society.
3. The Way of Kindred Honour. This principle emphasizes the
need for solidarity and mutual trust, honor, and respect between the
various nexions and members of the ONA. The Order sees its
members as an extended family, and in the rare cases of dispute, has
very clear guidelines as to how those disputes are allowed to be
conducted. In simple language, the ONA protects its own.
4. The Way of Defiance of and Practical Opposition to Magian
Abstractions. This principle refers to the ONA's opposition to
what it perceives as illegitimate Magian (western Judaeo-Christian)
control of global culture and economics. The Order insists that its
members fight against forces like globalism and rampant capitalism,
in an effort to return to an earlier, less exploitative form of society.
5. The Way of the Rounwytha Tradition. The ONA teaches that
the Magian culture has greatly reduced the role of women in society
and spirituality. Thus it encourages the return to the Rounwytha
tradition, which is the mystic, empathic, folk tradition that embraces
and reveres the divine feminine archetype. The term itself is almost
certainly derived from Old English riinwita, meaning 'one who
understands' or perhaps 'one who knows secrets'.
THE SEVEN FOLD WA Y
The spiritual paradigm of the Order of Nine Angles is complex,
being both syncretic and constandy evolving. As mentioned above,
the ONA's beginnings were from the fusion of three separate
traditions (Camlad, Noctulians, Temple of the Sun), and can perhaps
best be described as dark Anglo-Celtic paganism, with strong satanic
overtones. Yet over the last three decades, the ONA has
incorporated increasing amounts of hermetic lore, alchemical texts
and terminology that is clearly from medieval Indian and Islamic
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esoteric. While the Order is very diverse in terms of the type of
associates / affiliates it attracts, the core mystical tradition of the
ONA is the Seven Fold Way, also known as the Hebdomadry. 21
The Seven Fold Way is essential a hermetic system that defines itself as
being deeply rooted in Western occultism, and provides a path to
ascension that is exceptional difficult in physical and psychic terms.
The Seven refers to both the seven grades of the path, as well as the
seven planets which are understood to have esoteric significance.
The seven stages of the Way are (1) Neophyte, (2) Initiate, (3)
External Adept, (4) Internal Adept, (5) Master/Mistress, (6) Grand
Master/Mousa and (7) Immortal. Yet unlike other degree-based
systems, the ONA does not offer initiation to its students; rather, the
students must initiate themselves through personal grade rituals and
challenges. For example, a person who desires to begin the Way
must obtain and study the key texts, and perform a private hermetic
ritual under the full moon. Having done this, they have obtained
the first grade (Initiate). To reach the second grade, one is required
to learn the core texts and begin to master certain basic practices, as
well as undertake a regimen of physical fitness. Important practices
also include learning a variant of monastic chant, path-working with a
special 'sinister' tarot that the magician must construct or
commission, and developing skill at a special game known as the 'Star
Game', which is detailed in the Order's key texts (see image on next
page. Grades rituals (meaning the rituals of passage) for the fourth
stage (Internal Adept) involve living in complete isolation for at least
one season, as well as being able to cycle, run, and hike considerable
distances. Each grade thereafter requires increasingly difficult
challenges, culminating in the 5 ( grade (Master) with the mystic
having to undertake physical challenges comparable to a triathlon, as
well as having developed/learned several esoteric skills along the way.
INSIGHT ROLES
One of the most challenging aspects of the Seven Fold Way is the
insistence on learning through adversity, known in Greek as pathei-
mathos. In broad terms, once an initiate of the Seven Fold Way
reaches a certain stage in their spiritual journey (External Adept), they
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are obliged to undertake a role not unlike a professional internship,
where for a period of several months the initiate must practice a new
way of life. Interestingly, the ONA's suggested Insight Roles during
the 1980s and early 1990s were largely criminal or military. For
example, the essay 'Insight Roles: A Guide' from 1989 on the subject
reads that an initiate should:
'2) Become a professional burglar, targeting only victims who
have revealed themselves to be suitable (e.g. by testing them -
qv. the Order MSS dealing with victims etc.). The aim is to
specialize in a particular area - e.g. fine art, jewelry - and
become an "expert" in that area and in the techniques needed
to gain items.
3) Undertake the role of extreme political activist and so
champion heretical views (by e.g. becoming involved in
extreme Right-Wing activism). The aim is to express
fanaticism in action and be seen by all "right-thinking people"
as an extremist, and a dangerous one.
4) Join the Police Force (assuming you meet the
requirements) and so experience life at the "sharp end" and
being a servant to a higher authority.'
Clearly, these early roles were potentially very dangerous, and likely to
introduce the initiate to danger and indeed violence (either active or
passively). Yet in the late 1990s and early 21 st century, new insight
roles introduced through ONA essays include a period of monastic
life as a Buddhist monk. This drastic shift in possible roles could be
read perhaps not as a softening of the ONA's pro-violence
convictions, but rather as a step towards the internationalizing of the
Order.
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Photo of Stat Game 3
Photos ofONA member during Insight Role
.32
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CA USAL &ACA USAL REALMS
The Order of Nine Angles holds that the world of normalcy which
we inhabit is the causal world. Herein the laws of cause and effect,
of time, space, and gravity all apply. The causal world is a place where
the laws of physics are absolute, and where science is sufficient to
explain and understand all things. Yet the ONA also posits the
existence of the acausal, a term referring to the supernatural realm
where the laws of physics are meaningless, and where time and space
are perceived or exist in ways that most humans cannot possibly
understand. The acausal plays a central role in the mystic tradition of
the Order. Indeed, the very concept of the Adept is tied into one's
apprehension of the acausal, and ability to 'presence' it - that is to
drawn on the numinous energies of that other place - and draw
them into this world, in order to cause change in accordance with the
sorcerer's designs. This is effectively what constitutes magic or
sorcery, according to the mystical paradigm of the ONA. According
to the main texts of the Order, real sorcery is complex, and should be
divided into three categories. The simplest type of magic is external
(or hermetic), and resembles what most people envision when they
imagine magic: love spells, curses, luck spells, and spells to bring
good crops and harvest. The second category of magic is internal,
focusing on the transformation of the sorcerer from something
human to something alien. The final category is aeonic magic, which
is focused not on the sorcerer or her/his particular aims, but rather
on the creating widespread (perhaps memetic) change on a social
scale. In terms of the theory behind magic or sorcery, humans are
thought to be capable of creating supernatural change in the causal
world, as they are living nexions (or doorways) to the supernatural
acausal realm. Yet while the acausal is a source of tremendous power,
it is not considered to be a safe or friendly realm, any more than the
ocean itself - and like the ocean, it is believed to be inhabited by
beings that are both ancient and powerful.
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DARK GODS
One of the defining features of the Order of Nine Angles is its
unique pantheon of sinister entities with which the mystic is expected
to work. The Dark Gods are unique to the ONA, in that their names
and sigils are not found in other contemporary or historical systems
of hermetic or pagan tradition. Yet the Order is not dogmatic about
their existence - in fact, it is expected that the mystic may decide to
perceive such entities as part of the subconscious. The texts of the
ONA provide names and sigils of some of the dark gods, along with
instructions for how to contact them, with the caveat that such an
undertaking may cause insanity or even death if poorly done. In the
essay 'The Dark Gods: A Basic Introduction for non-Adepts', the
ONA states that:
According to sinister tradition, the Dark Gods are actual
entities which exist in the acausal universe. According to our
spatial, causal, perception, these beings may be regarded as
"timeless" and "chaotic" (and also terrifying not mention
"immoral"). Since our consciousness is by its nature partly
acausal, these entities may become manifest for us — or rather
may be partly perceived by us ... The ordeal of the Abyss
involves confronting these entities, and accepting them for
what they are: that is, unbound by our illusion of opposites
and the alleged conflict between "good and evil".'
Some of the dark gods in Naos include primitive archetypes with
familiar names such as 'Baphomet', albeit recast in a different role
than that of medieval imagining. For example:
Baphomet: the archetypal dark goddess, described as a mature woman
bearing a severed head, and covered in gore. This figure has strong parallels to the
(Irish) Morrigan and (Indian) Kali. The severed head is also a parallel to
medieval dpictions of the Algol constellation, with reversal of gender roles.
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However other of the dark gods' names are clearly drawn from
Classical sources and astronomy, as for example:
The sigil for this dark god is clearly astrological, resembling the
Ursae (dipper) constellations. Kthunae is likely from xOova (underworldly) in
Greek.
Said to be a 'bringer of wisdom '; its sigil appears to be Semitic or
ProtoArabian in origin, especially given moon and star symbol. The body of the
sigil appears to be adapted from the Carthaginian 'Tanit' glyph.
4
A complex figure, not a deity but rather a sort of dark messiah (or
perhaps antichrist) who is expected to fully embody the virtues of the Order and
usher in a new age. Vindex will be a human mystic who presences the Acausal
energies in a way yet unseen or unheard of, except in myth.
Still other of the dark gods appear to be genuinely alien, or perhaps
inspired by horror/ science fiction. Take, for example:
;>■•■
ATAZOTH
Interpreted to mean 'an increasing of a^oth', and yet is called 'the most
poweful of the dark gods'. This dark god is figures in one of the ONA's
fictional texts by the same name. Yet it is difficult not to notice the passing
familiarity with the alien being A^athoth', and thus the Order may in part being
giving a nod of the head to the sinister fiction of New England author HP
Tovecraft.
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THE TREE OF WYRD
The ONA promotes a model of the Cosmos that is based on a model
which incorporates the seven planets into a structure known as the
Tree of Wyrd. Wyrd, in this particular case, is an Anglo-Saxon word
which can be translated as 'fate' or 'destiny'. These planets are the
Moon, Venus, Mercury, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The
ONA text Naos includes an image of the Tree, showing not only the
seven spheres (themselves nexions), but also the pathways between
them, which are used in the hermetic 'path-working' rites of those
who pursue esoteric initiation via the Seven Fold Way. This implies
that the sorcerer-initiate of the Seven Fold Way would undertake
hermetic rituals that involve the sorcerer attempting to draw on the
energies of one or more of the planets, in a particular sequence
suggested by the Tree of Wyrd (see illustration below). Thus the
magic of the Order and its mystic cosmology in some ways mirrors
that of the medieval astrological texts of European and North Africa.
The ONA's 'Glossary of Terms' (201 1) describes the Tree of Wyrd
as follows:
'The Tree of Wyrd, as conventionally described ("drawn")
and with its correspondences and associations and symbols [-]
represents certain acausal energies, and the individual who
becomes familiar with such correspondences and associations
and symbols can access [-] the energies associated with the
Tree of Wyrd. The Tree of Wyrd itself is one symbol, one
representation, of that meeting (or "intersection") of the
causal and acausal which is a human being, and can be used
to represent the journey, the quest, of the individual toward
the acausal - that is, toward the goal of magick, which is the
creation of a new, more evolved, individual.'
An illustration of the Tree of Wyrd taken from the ONA text Naos is
represented below.
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THE MEANING OF THE NINE ANGLES
One of the mysteries of the Order has been its very name.
Frequently aspiring associates ask: to what does the 'Nine Angles'
refer? The ONA offers several answers to this question through
various texts and essays. On the one hand, the Nine Angles are said
to refer to the seven planets individually (as seven angles), in addition
to the entire system as a whole (as the eight angle), and with the
mystic as the ninth angle. Clearly, the term 'angle' can be understood
figuratively. Another possibility is that the term refers to seven
'normal' alchemical stages, plus two additional processes that involve
esoteric time. A further possibility suggested by ONA texts is that it
refers to nine emanations of the divine, as recorded in medieval sufi
texts. It is equally likely that the Order has borrowed from classical
Indian tradition that arranges the solar system into nine planets, and
the world itself 'has nine corners'; or perhaps from the Sanskrit
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srivatsa, a special mark with nine angles that indicates supernatural or
heroic.
ESOTERIC TEXTS OF THE ONA
The Order of Nine Angles has produced literally thousands of pages
of fiction, theory, and practical guides for its initiates - and
surprisingly, has made the great majority of its texts available for free
to the public via web distribution. In terms of fiction, the ONA
boasts the Deofel Quintet as its principle work: a collection of five
esoteric tales numbering well over 500 pages, which deals with
frightening supernatural forces and sinister societies. These tales are
prefaced by an introduction which suggests various critical readings
possible for the initiate to get the most understanding from the
stories in the collection. There are two primary sources which merit
special attention: these are Naos and Codex Saerus. Naos is the main
esoteric text of the Order, which outlines the stages of the Seven Void
Way. An interesting manuscript by contemporary standards, it is
freely available on the internet as a PDF document. The document
itself has sections that were initially typed, with several pages that are
handwritten. Naos contains three major sections: (a) an overview on
the theory and practice of the Seven Fold Way; (b) an overview of
sorcery (e.g. ecstatic, hermetic, empathic, planetary); (c) a collection
of esoteric, covering such topics as mystic chant, the Star Game,
alchemy, and the runes. While Naos positions itself as a complete
esoteric system, it nevertheless has clear influences. Much of the
terminology is drawn from classical Latin or Greek, while the system
or paradigm of hermetic magic that draws on the seven planets is
evidenced in such medieval Arabic texts as the Ghayat l-Hakim (later
known as the Latin Picatrix), as well as Shams l-Maarif. The reliance
on planetary spirits is a feature common to North African and
Middle Eastern esoteric texts from the medieval period, as opposed
to European magical texts, which rely on (Judaeo-Christian) liturgical
goetia.
Codex Saerus is the other principal ONA grimoire. Where Naos is
very much a text for the solitary practitioner, the Codex assumes that
one has founded a nexion (coven) with which to perform group
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ceremonies. While the majority of these have satanic themes (not
unlike that of Huysman's La Bas), a close reading suggests that the
framework is genuinely more pagan than actually 'satanic' in the
traditional sense. Interestingly, while both texts originate from the
same decade, there are few instances of contemporary nexions
making use of the Codex except as a symbol or reference to archaic
(even fictitious) practices, whereas Naos is still described as a tool for
the modern initiate. It has been noted that the Codex is an example
of a localized (British) understanding of the sinister tradition, and
therefore the ONA nexions in the Americas, Africa, and Asia would
develop their own 'Codex' which is culturally relevant to the region in
which they are situated.
CONTEMPORARY GOALS
Since its inception, the Order of Nine Angles has described its own
progress as having moved through various iterations or phases.
Initially in the 1970s and 1980s, the main mission of the ONA was to
raise awareness of its existence within the occult community, and to
increase its numbers. As a direct result, many of its core texts were
produced and published during this critical period. In the 1990s and
early 21 st century the ONA entered the second phase of its existence,
which emphasized less on recruiting and more on the refining of the
Order's teachings - this was a relatively quiet period, and many of the
Order's senior members withdraw from public scrutiny, leading many
to the assume that like many other occult groups, the ONA was
defunct. However in 2008, the ONA entered a new phase
(recognized as ONA 3.0 in late 2011), which featured much more
aggressive promotion of the Order through virtual media such as
blogs, online discussion forums, Facebook and Youtube. Today the
ONA is widely considered one of the leading Left Hand Path groups
by virtue of its online presence.
Given the non-hierarchical structure of the ONA, it is
difficult to direcdy identify the Order's goals for the immediate or
long distance future. As the Old Guard has withdrawn, Anton Long
has stated that the future of the Order belongs in the hands of its
younger members, so any guesses as to the direction of the future
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ONA must take into consideration the currents of the flagship
nexions, in addition to the stated goals of Long and the other senior
members of the ONA. Yet there are some goals that do appear to
be common to the Order in general, which are summarized below.
The New Aeon: the ONA believes that the current aeon (spiritual
age) has failed, and that global culture is sickened by the weight of its
own stagnation. Corporate greed, political instability, religious
extremism, and environmental disruption are all symptoms of the
Magian (Judaeo-Christian) political failure to lead. The Order's
solution is to usher in a new age, a sort of golden age where society
returns to nobler ideals and cultural norms, and where the social
structure itself is based on tribalism rather than the city-state of
today. This will be accomplished through the returning of the dark
gods, which may be understood in either a literal or figurative sense.
Vindex: the ONA believes that the change in the current age will be
heralded by the coming of Vindex (mentioned above under 'Dark
Gods'), a heroic revolutionary who will lead the movement that
restores justice. Vindex (literally 'avenger' in Latin) is considered to
be the successful 'presencing' of acausal energies in the causal world,
perhaps in a manner to the demigods Achilles or Arjuna. In fact, it
may be best to consider Vindex a hero in the Homeric Greek sense
of the word, meaning a semi-divine warrior. It is held that Vindex
will lead the ONA to prominence (if not dominion) in the new aeon,
with the likely support of the Order itself. The ONA states that
Vindex may be male or female, and of any ethnicity. Vindex is also
upheld as an archetype to which any mystic of the Seven Fold Way
can aspire to embody.
Expand or Die: the ONA is aware that it does not exist in a
vacuum, and that rival sects or traditions compete for the same group
of potential initiates. The Order admits that it is one of three western
esoteric groups that are openly aligned with the Left Hand Path.
The withdrawal of the 'Old Guard' and recent appointment of Chloe
Ortega, herself a young American, is perhaps a sign that the Order is
aware that the future of the ONA is safest in the hands of fresh
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blood, rather than to risk stagnation. likewise, the ONA of today is
considerably more diverse than the Order in the previous century, in
that its very concept of affiliation has broadened to include not only
the mystics of the Seven Fold Way who are the spiritual core of the
order, but also Balobian artists who use video and media to promote
the ONA's sinister spirituality, and Dreccian urban tribes who put the
sinister mythos into concrete action.
THE FUTURE VISION OF THE ONA
Growth and Evolution: the ONA recognizes that while its past is
rooted in the pagan and satanic traditions of western Europe, these
were a starting point, rather than an anchor. The ONA nexions of
the early 21 st century may admit their spiritual heritage has very dark
roots, but the overall tone of the Orders' new leadership rings in
sharp contrast with that of the 1980s and 1990s. While the Order's
members may still occasionally enjoy the term 'satanic' as a moniker,
it is an image that the ONA appears to be ready to discard as out-
moded and out-dated, an outer form that has ceased to be culturally
relevant or useful. ' The ONA of today appears to include spiritual
vocabulary of Buddhism and Islam, perhaps in an effort to expand its
potential market beyond the 'regular' dark or gothic subcultures of
the Americans and Europe. Further, the Outer Representative of the
ONA has stated that in this new century, the ONA looks to recruit
from better educated and more socially mobile levels of society, and
to focus on higher learning of its associates. This is not to imply that
the Order in any way will become more mainstream or less extreme
in its convictions, but rather that one may expect to see a marked
increase in its ability to articulate its message of social change and
personal transformation through assimilation or sublimation of
sinister forces/archetypes. If the current new generation of
leadership is any indication, the Order stands a strong chance of
achieving its current and future goals of growth and development.
To what extent the traditional mythos of the ONA will remain intact
in the 21 st century, or will evolve along with the Order, remains yet to
be seen.
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I am indebted to Anton Long, Ryan Anschauung, and Chloe
Ortega, as well as other senior members of the ONA who asked not
to be named, for their assistance, data, suggestions, and personal
testimony in the research and production of this chapter. The
majority of this data was obtained via interviews in late 2011 and
early 2012. To the best of his knowledge, the author is the final
academic to interview Anton Long before his retirement from public
life.
This is not to say that there are no hypotheses about the identity of
Anton Long, but rather that the principle suspect (David Myatt) has
refused to acknowledge any connection with this nom-de-guerre. It
is also quite possible that the name has been used by multiple
individuals over the last 30 years, and may continue to be used in a
similar vein. See, for example, ONA (2011) 'Questions for Anton
Long II', Ortega (2012) 'ONA: A Brief Overview'; Senholt, J. C. 'The
Sinister Tradition: Political Esotericism & the convergence of Radical
Islam, Satanism and National Socialism in the Order of the Nine
Angles', Norwegian University of Science and Technology,
Conference: Satanism in the Modern World (November 2009) :7.
Contra, see Myatt, D. (2011) 'David Myatt: ONA Grandmaster, Nazi,
Satanist, Muslim, or Mystic?'
Personal correspondence with Anton Long, 27 October 2011. Cf.
Ortega (Sept. 2011).
4 Long, October 2011.
5 ibid.
' As evidence, Long states that the Camlad tradition was: 'indigenous
paganistic [emphasis mine] . . . from that area of England known as
the Welsh Marches. They had certain traditions, nearly all of which
were aural - traditions such as spending three or more months alone
in forests or mountains in order to develop certain Occult abilities,
and a rural ceremony (infrequendy held) involving a human sacrifice
in order to ensure good crops and healthy livestock' (October 2011).
Examples of the major texts include The Deof el Quintet (1974-85),
Naos (1 st ed. 1979, revised ed. 1989), Codex Saems (1 st ed. 1983, revised
ed. 2008).
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Personal correspondence from Sinister Moon, 20 March 2011; cf.
ONA (2012) 'The ONA Lineage'.
See, for example, the official ONA website, which reads: As of
December of 2011 (122 year of fayen) the Old Guard quietly elected
Christos Beest's successor to the post of Outer ONA Representative.
The new Outer Rep has been privately informed. Julie Wright - a
friend and "historiographer" of David Myatt - as a third party has
confirmed this over at her site at the following link:
http://www.davidmyatt.ws/dwm-about.html in the ONA section'
(http://www.o9a.org/news/).
Personal correspondence with Anton Long, 27 October 2011.
Long also writes (18 November 2011) that the distribution of ONA
affiliates can be partially estimated as: 'United States 34.1%, Canada
8.2%, United Kingdom 7.1%, Italy 6.5%, Egypt 5.9%'.
"Long, October 2011.
The Tempel ov Blood (sic) has been previously discussed by Sieg
(2009): 6-9. It maintains a very low profile, but has a website at
<http://tempelovblood.tripod.com/>. Attempts to contact the
group for interview purposes did not receive replies. The website
identifies the Tempel's purpose as follows: 'The Tempel ov Blood
exists as a Nexion to the Dark Gods as well as a guidance and
filtration system for aspiring Noctulians. For those seeking a harsh
alchemical change into the Transcendental Predator based on a
synthesis of Sinister Hebdomantry and Vampirism.. .Our Calcination,
Seperation, and final Coagulation will create a New Being capable of
bringing about the "Day of Wrath" spoken of in the Diabolus Chant'
While not directly acknowledging the ONA, the use of the Order's
signature vocabulary (e.g. nexion, dark gods, hebdomantry) is evident.
The Temple of Black Light is a very different organization, in that
its focus appears to be gnostic and 'necrosophic' (or necromantic), in
that it is dedicated to a re-casting of the Biblical Cain as its chief
patron. In late 2011 the Temple of Black Light dissolved its website,
but its core texts Uber Falxifer and Uber Falxifer II both make use of
the terms causal and acausal, which appear to be drawn from the
ONA.
13 Personal correspondence with Anton Long, 27 October 2011.
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14 Personal correspondence with Chloe Ortega, 11 October 2011 &
Ryan Anschauung 5 April 2012.
15 Cf. Senholt 7.
1 A lengthier list of known nexions is available on the official website
of the ONA under the heading 'Nexions' at <http://www.o9a.org/>.
17 The public website of the Temple of THEM is available at
<http://www.wix.com/mvimaedivm/ryananschauung>.
18 The Black Glyph Society site is at
<http://www.lulu.com/spodight/theblackglyphsociety>.
19 Personal correspondence with Ryan Anschauung 5 April 2012.
20 The official blog of WSA352 is available at
<http://onanxs.wordpress.com/>.
21 Personal correspondence with Chloe Ortega, 11 October 2011.
22 ibid.
23 ONA (2012) 'The ONA Lineage'.
24 See, for example, Long (2011) 'The Core ONA Traditions'.
21 Cf. Senholt 5-6, Sieg G. Angular Momentum: From Traditional to
Progressive Satanism in the Order of Nine Angles', Norwegian
University of Science and Technology, Conference: Satanism in the
Modern World, November 2009): 5 & 7. It is noteworthy that while
this principle has (understandably) attracted considerable attention
for its overt criminality, none of the nexions interviewed admit to
every having carried out this practice in ritual terms, though some
evidence suggests that members of the ONA have joined police or
military groups in order to gain the opportunity for legitimate (or
legal) violence through combat in war. By personal communication in
April 2012, Ryan Anschauung comments that the television series
'Dexter' portrays an individual who frequently performs (ritual)
culling, yet through effective narrative he is able to appeal to a public
audience as a type of antihero. In correspondence of 27 October
2011, Long, writes: 'Yes, some traditional nexions known to me do
practice ritualized culling (some only every seventeen years or so), as
some Niners and Dreccs cull in their own individual non-ritualized
manner.' He also gives the example of a fictionalized account in the
short story Wolves' available at www.o9a.org/wp-
content/uploads/texts/living-the-dark-side.pdf
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About this tradition, ONA (2012) writes: 'Given the nature of
these abilities, qualities, and skills, the overwhelming majority of
individuals who follow the Way of the Rounwytha are women - who
thus embody our sinister feminine archetype — although a minority
are men who, following The Seven Fold Way into and beyond the
Abyss, have successfully melded the sinister with the numinous and
who thus embody and are that rare archetype, The Mage, with such
archetypes, by the nature of such entities, being in constant fluxion.
Or, expressed exoterically, being an expression of the uniqueness of
such esoteric individuals. Among these [female Rounwytha] abilities,
qualities, and skills are: (1) Empathy; (2) Intuition, as a foreseeing -
prae signification/intimation — and as interior self-reflexion; (3)
Personal Charm; (4) Subtlety/Cunning/Shapeshifting; (5) Veiled
Strength. Rounwytha skills and abilities were evident, for example
and in varying degrees, in the Oracle at Delphi, in the Vestales of
Rome; in the wise, the cunning, women of British folklore and
legend; in myths about Morgan Le Fey, Mistress Mab, and Ajxa^ovst;;
and in historical figures such as Cleopatra, Lucrezia Borgia, and
Boudicca.' See http://rounwytha.wordpress.com/.
27 See Naos 9-44.
28 ibid. 11-12.
ibid. 47-58. Examples of 'sinister chant' are available at:
<http://www.o9a.org/sounds/>
The manuscript Hostia III reads: 'Several physical (and mental)
goals of which the minimum standards are (a) walking 32 miles
carrying a pack weighing not less than 30 lbs in under 7 hours over
difficult hilly terrain; (b) running 20 miles in less than 2~hours over
fell-like / mountainous terrain; (c) cycling not less than 200 miles in
12 hours.' See Long, A. Hostia III (Thormynd Press: Shropshire,
1992).
Image courtesy of Ryan Anschauung. Source:
<http://www.wix.com/mvimaedivm/ryananschauung#!star-game-
gallery>
' Sources: http://www.o9a.org/wp-content/uploads/02441932.jpg
and http://www.o9a.org/wp-content/uploads/92847272.jpg.
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See, for example, Naos 7-8, 'Causal/ Acausal' in Naos 105, or
'Acausal Existence - The Secret Revealed' in Hostia I (1992).
34 See, for example, ONA, 'Guide to Black Magick' (22 Sept. 2009) at
<http://vndx.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/guide-to-black-
magick/>
35 ibid.
This glyph is very similar to the Phoenician 'Tank' symbol used in
Carthage and its setdements.
/ I (Tank) from <http://math.arizona.edu/~dido/tanit2.jpg>
37 Cf. 'Vindex' writings of the Numinous Way founder, David Myatt.
The symbol is similar to that used for the star Algol, the demon
star, as depicted in medieval texts. Credit for pointing this out to me
is due to Chloe 352, and to Alektryon Christophorus of Brazil whose
comments were instrumental in this link, and whose full article was
published in Oto Anorha 29. See, for example, the symbol for Algol in
the work of Agrippa in his De Occulta Philosophia. The Algol symbol is
below:
M ° «ii
Ji (Algol)
See, for example, Long, A. 'Concerning The Meaning of The Nine
Angles: A Collection of Texts (Part One)' (2009) at
<http://www.o9a.org/wp-content/uploads/texts/nine-angles-texts-
partl.pdf>; also Long, A. 'Concerning The Meaning of The Nine
Angles - Part Two' (2010) at <http://www.o9a.org/wp-
content/uploads/texts/nine-angles-texts-part2.pdf>.
On the nine angled srivatsa, Gonda states that: 'This [mystical]
figure . . . has nine angles: the number nine often occurs in
connection with auspicious objects, powers and ceremonies
related to material welfare [emphasis mine]' (45). See Gonda, J.
Ancient Indian Kingship from the Religious Point of View
(Continued)', Numen, Vol. 4, Fasc. 1 (Jan., 1957): 24-58. The Indian
belief that the world has nine corners is attested even in medieval
European sources, e.g. Father Emanual de Veiga (1549-1605), writing
from Chandagiri in 1599 who states i Alu dicebant terram novem
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constare angulis, quibus celo innititur? (Others said that the Earth had
nine angles [emphasis mine], by which it was lifted up to Heaven),
see Charpentier, J. 'A Treatise on Hindu Cosmography from the
Seventeenth Century', Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University
of London, Vol. 3, No. 2 (1924): 317-342. It is clear despite claims that
the term 'nine angles' was introduced in the twentieth century, the
term is centuries older, especially in esoteric or cosmological
discourse.
See Pingree, D. The Latin Version of the Ghajat al-Hakim, Studies of
the Warburg Institute, University of London (1986); Ritter, H. ed.
Ghayat Al-Haktm Wa-Ahaqq Al-Natyatajn Bi-Altaqdim (Leipzig : B.G.
Teubner, 1933); al Buni, Shams al-Ma'arif (Birmingham: Antioch Gate,
2007).
Indeed, the founder of the ONA has stated in several documents
(and interviews) that Naos was influenced by a private collection of
unpublished Arabic manuscript folios, which may share a common
ancestry with which the Picatrix and Shams; from personal
correspondence with Anton Long, 28 October 2011.
As an example, the Black Mass is a culturally relevant ceremony for
nexions in (Christianized) Europe, but would be nonsensical in a
Hindu or Buddhist region.
Personal correspondence with Anton Long, 12 November 2011.
43 The other two groups are commonly identified as the Church of
Satan and Temple of Set. This does not imply that either group
admits to rivalry of any sort officially, though anecdotal evidence
from the online discussion forums suggests that the discourse
between the three groups has historically been (and continues to be)
heated. See, for example, the correspondence between ToS founder
Dr Michael Aquino and 'Stephen Brown' in "The Satanic Letters of
Stephen Brown" in Hostia I.
Sieg astutely notes (2009): 'I suggest here that the Order of Nine
Angles is also post-Satanic, having outgrown its identification with its
original Satanic paradigm to evolve its system into novel forms. I also
suggest that although it still retains the concept of the "Sinister" as a
familiar, familial moniker, the ONA is poised to outgrow its exclusive
identification with the Left-Hand Path - a trend already indicated by
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the ease with which it assimilates, uses, and subverts Right-Hand
Path esoteric and exoteric forms to its particular aeonic purposes;
such that the ONA system includes but transcends even the Left-
Hand Path / Right-Hand Path dualism which would otherwise
appear endemic to the concepts of the sinister.' See Sieg, 2-3.
129
ONA - BIBLIOGRAPHY
Charpentier, Jarl. 'A Treatise on Hindu Cosmography from the
Seventeenth Century', Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University
of "London, Vol. 3, No. 2 (1924): 317-342.
Gonda, J. Ancient Indian Kingship from the Religious Point of View
(Continued)', Numen, Vol. 4, Fasc. 1 (Jan., 1957): 24-58.
Long, Anton. Hostia I (Thormynd Press: Shropshire, 1992.)
Long, Anton. Hostia III (Thormynd Press: Shropshire, 1992).
Long, Anton. 'Concerning The Meaning of The Nine Angles: A
Collection of Texts (Part One)' 2009. Order of Nine Angles. January
2012. <http://www.o9a.org/wp-content/uploads/texts/nine-angles-
texts-partl.pdf>.
Long, Anton. 'Concerning the Meaning of The Nine Angles - Part
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Blood, Wine, and the Golden Chain
Temple of THEM, De Requisite Exquisite vols 1-4 (Black Glyph
Society, 2011)
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Blood, Wine, and the Golden Chain
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Connell Monette is the Assistant Vice President for Academic
Affairs at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, and teaches Literature
and Religious Studies there in the School of Humanities and Social
Sciences. He holds a PhD in Medieval Studies from University of
Toronto, and his major areas of research are medieval literature and
religion. He is the author of The Medieval Hero, 2 st edition (2011), and
a contributor to the Preternature, The Journal of Indo-European Studies, The
International Journal of Euro-Mediterranean Studies, Comparative Islamic
Studies, and Islamic Horizons. He currently lives in Ifrane with his wife
and daughter.
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