Phyllis Seckler
- This article is about a Thelema personality/topic
Phyllis Evalina Seckler (18 June 1917 – 31 May 2004), also known as Soror Meral, was an American occultist and writer. She held a ninth degree (IX°) in the Sovereign Sanctuary of the Gnosis of Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) and was a lineage holder in the A∴A∴ tradition. She studied under Jane Wolfe, a student of Aleister Crowley. She was a member of the Agape Lodge, the only active Lodge of the O.T.O. at the time of Aleister Crowley's death. Seckler played a key role in preserving significant aspects of Crowley's literary heritage, typing portions of his Confessions and the complete texts of The Vision and the Voice and Magick Without Tears during the 1950s. Additionally, Seckler was essential in reactivating the O.T.O. with Grady Louis McMurtry in the early to mid-1970s following the death of Crowley's appointed successor, Karl Germer. Seckler continued her lifelong work with the A∴A∴, founding the College of Thelema and co-founding the Temple of Thelema with James A. Eshelman. Later, she facilitated the formation of the Temple of the Silver Star. For 25 years, she published the biannual thelemic journal In the Continuum. From 1979 until her death, Seckler served as a master of the 418 Lodge of O.T.O. in California.
Early life
Youth: 1917–1939
Seckler was born in Edmonton, Canada on 18 June 1917.[ Her family moved to California when she was only about four years of age, as her father had lost a political bid for mayor of Edmonton and had gone deeply into debt for that. After graduating from high school in Los Angeles, she had a year of work in a junior college and then another year of work to fit her as a stenographer. She then got a job with a bank and attended drama classes in Hollywood conducted by Regina Kahl who was a member of Ordo Templi Orientis. She attended The Gnostic Mass written by Crowley and met Wilfred Talbot Smith and actress Jane Wolfe. She joined the O.T.O. in August 1939 and on 6 June, of 1940, became a Probationer of the A∴A∴ under Jane Wolfe, who had studied with Crowley in Cefalu.
O.T.O. Agape Lodge: 1939–1944
Agape Lodge No. 2, founded by Wilfred Smith in 1935, was located in Hollywood and originally had seven initiates at the Minerval level. The lodge conducted regular meetings, lectures, study classes, social events, and a weekly Gnostic Mass open to the public. On June 6, 1939, Regina Kahl, a drama teacher, recruited Seckler and other individuals who attended drama classes, including Louis T. Culling and Roy Leffingwell. Kahl taught at Los Angeles City College, and the W.P.A. supported the program to provide employment during the Depression years. Kahl had substantial theater knowledge, having appeared on stage many times and studied her drama parts for opera. Seckler joined her class in January 1937, feeling bored with her job at the bank and finding it quite challenging to memorize her lines and perform the skits and small plays Kahl assigned. She often referenced topics related to Thelema and quoted Crowley.
Near the end of the semester, Regina Kahl decided to stage a small play in the house attic at 1746 Winona Boulevard, where the Gnostic Mass was held. They had a dais with three steps and curtains, and Kahl determined that this could be used for a play. About five of Kahl's students helped present the play. It was a warm June evening, and Seckler walked through the darkness with some anticipation for the evening's entertainment. Seckler joined the crowd, and soon, their group went upstairs to the second floor and then to the attic, where they enjoyed the play immensely. Afterwards, they returned to the living room and were treated to refreshments and good conversation. Once again, the invitation to the Mass was extended. Then, Wilfred Talbot Smith recited some of Crowley's poetry. Seckler was drawn in by the atmosphere and took the opportunity to attend the Gnostic Mass several times that summer, often accompanied by Paul Seckler, who later became her husband or another friend. Other Agape lodge members included rocket scientist Jack Parsons, his wife Helen Parsons, L. Ron Hubbard, and Sara Northrup, Helen Parsons's sister, whom he later married. Seckler became friends with Ron Hubbard and also formed a friendship with Wilfred Smith. She later moved into the large house rented by the O.T.O. at 1003 South Orange Grove Avenue in Pasadena, where many lodge members, including Hubbard, lived communally and raised livestock and vegetables on the grounds.
Art and teaching: 1945—1947
Seckler studied art and graduated with honors, earning an M.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles. After obtaining her teaching credential in art, she taught at a high school in Northern California for 20 years. About three years after starting her job, Jane Wolfe passed away, leaving all her papers and books to Seckler. During those years, Seckler also focused on her work in the A.·.A.·. and became a close friend of Karl Germer, who was a friend of Jane Wolfe and was at the time living in New Jersey, working as a machinery merchant. Their friendship began through correspondence.
Throughout Seckler's years as a teacher, Karl Germer, who maintained continuous correspondence with her, oversaw her degree work. She later met Marcelo Motta, who was introduced to her by Germer, and wrote to him; however, his letters conveyed a dictatorial attitude towards her.
Later life
Rescue of Crowley literary remains: 1947–1969
Crowley passed away on December 1, 1947. Agape Lodge, of which Seckler was a long-standing member, was the only active Lodge of the O.T.O. at that time. At the time of Crowley's passing, many of his significant manuscripts remained undiscovered, having been stored in various locations with different followers, and many had not yet been published.
Karl Germer, appointed as Crowley's successor, became the Outer Head of the Order (O.H.O.) and began working on the preservation of Crowley's literary remains.
In his role as Grand Treasurer General, Germer received 3 tons of materials from England. He transported these literary materials to a house in Hampton, New Jersey, where he established a dedicated library and began the process of filing and record keeping. Before the materials were sent to the United States, copies of everything in manuscript form had been created in England. Afterward, Germer and Gerald Yorke worked together to exchange any writings by Crowley that the other did not possess. Yorke planned to leave the Crowley papers in his possession to the British Museum.
Additionally, there was a third individual in England who acquired numerous copies of various writings by Crowley. Yorke later donated a significant portion of his collection to the Warburg Institute in London, where it is currently stored. Seckler was unaware that copies had been produced, and many of her actions and concerns were based on the belief that only one copy of Crowley's unpublished writings existed.
It was primarily thanks to the efforts of Germer, Israel Regardie, and a few others that Crowley's work was preserved and published. In 1951, while Germer was in Hampton, New Jersey, Seckler expressed her concern that some unpublished works of Crowley might be lost unless copies were made. He shared her concerns, and as a result of this correspondence, Seckler began typing copies. During the summer of 1951, she typed part of the Confessions. In the summer of 1952, she typed The Vision and the Voice, complete with all its intricate notes. Her knowledge of Qabalah enabled her to identify typographical errors in the manuscripts. The following summer, she typed Magick Without Tears. The two later copies, made on Multilith plates, were sent to Germer in Hampton, where he received assistance from two dedicated members of O.T.O. to create reproductions. Germer was immensely grateful for Seckler's labor and efforts, and he gifted her Crowley's materials, which were hard to find at the time.
In 1954, soon after "Magick Without Tears" was printed, Germer retired from his job in New Jersey and moved to California. He had lived in New Jersey for about seven years and initially did not have a regular base of operations in California. This concerned Germer, and for some time, he sought decent headquarters to continue publishing Crowley’s works. After about two years, he found a house in West Point, California. He then set up the Head Office of the O.T.O. there and reassembled the library, which had been packed away during his move. He dedicated himself to sending Crowley's writings to various publishers to preserve Crowley's work.
Germer’s death: 1962
Germer died in late October 1962, and his will to dispose of Crowley's literary remains specified that all Crowley materials should go to the Heads of Ordo Templi Orientis, maintaining hereditary rights. Sascha Germer and Frederick Mellinger of the Swiss O.T.O. were appointed as executors of the will. All of Germer's personal property was to be left to Sascha. After Germer's death, his widow became very suspicious and was unable to place the materials in a location befitting their importance. Seckler was among the first to be informed of Germer's death by his widow.
A correspondence began between Germer's widow and Frederick Mellinger, but Mellinger refused to come to California to assist with the disposal of Germer's library. Shortly thereafter, Mellinger passed away, leaving Sascha with the responsibility of figuring out what to do with Germer's library, correspondence, and other materials.
Knowing that Sascha Germer could not fulfill the task of securing Germer's library, Seckler reached out for assistance from 'higher planes' and was reportedly given clear instructions to help Sascha safeguard Crowley's literary remains. One of Seckler's additional directives, which she later conveyed to Sascha, was that no one in Southern California should learn of Germer's death. Seckler sensed that the materials should only be protected by Germer's widow and felt that something was seriously amiss in Southern California.
The Germer Estate robbery: 1967
By 1967, news of Germer's death had spread to Southern California. Consequently, a group arrived at the Germer estate, which had served as the headquarters of the O.T.O. during Karl Germer's life. They told Germer's widow that they were members of O.T.O. and she fell for the trick and opened the door. Immediately, they blew gas in her face, overpowered her, and administered a shot that put her out completely. They then robbed Germer's library on the second floor of the house. The local sheriff was called to Germer's house, and a report was made.
In 1967, Seckler learned that items considered part of O.T.O. heritage material had been stolen from Germer's house. Sascha Germer was robbed of some of the most important documents and accused Seckler's child, Stella, of taking them.
Since this was an outright fabrication, so Seckler decided to discover who the thieves might be. During her investigation, she wrote to various people, uncovering the whereabouts of former Agape Lodge members, including a female friend who had been deeply involved in Thelema for many years and had many students. She visited Seckler to inform her about some thefts from her apartment committed by one of her trusted students after her husband's death in the summer of 1965. A year later, Israel Regardie's library was also targeted for theft by the same group of people while Regardie was away. The last robbery occurred at Germer's house in West Point. Later, it was revealed that the robberies were carried out by members of an organization that called themselves The Solar Lodge. They later found themselves in trouble (The Boy in the Box (Vidal, California)), leading to the organization being shut down by the FBI.
Rescue of O.T.O. heritage: 1975
Germer's widow, Sascha, died on April 1, 1975, but Seckler only learned of her passing a year later. In late April 1976, Helen Parsons Smith and Seckler drove to Germer's house in West Point, only to discover that Sascha had been dead for a year and that the house had been vandalized three times or more since her death, as it was nearly impossible to secure properly.
While the 1967 robbery and the events that followed caused some damage, part of Germer's library survived. The Crowley archive was recovered from the Germer estate in the summer of 1976, after the rights were finally transferred to O.T.O., and it was later moved to a storage facility in California. The contents included Crowley manuscripts, surviving catalogs of Crowley typescripts, and memorabilia.
Re-establishing O.T.O. 1969–1978
During her investigation of Germer's library robbery, Seckler began corresponding with Grady McMurtry, who was living in Washington, D.C. at the time. As a result of their lengthy correspondence from December 1968 to April 1969, McMurtry left his job in Washington, D.C. and traveled to California, arriving there on April 29, 1969. McMurtry learned for the first time from her that Germer had been dead for several years.
Seckler learned that McMurtry, who had met Crowley, possessed letters of authorization from Crowley regarding the O.T.O. This meeting took place when McMurtry was a young lieutenant in the American forces, serving in England during World War II. Crowley seemed to have anticipated that Germer might not appoint a successor. In those letters, Crowley named him as Caliph and successor to Germer, authorizing McMurtry to take charge of the O.T.O. in case of an emergency. Seckler later reactivated the Order with McMurtry (Frater Hymenaeus Alpha) by invoking his "emergency powers" to reconstitute the order, which had declined following Germer's death. McMurtry and Seckler had both been longstanding members of the O.T.O. Thanks to the combined efforts of McMurtry and Seckler, the O.T.O. was incorporated under California law and began to expand in North America for the first time since Crowley's death.
418 Lodge: 1979–2004
Under her pen name Soror Meral, Seckler served as a Master of 418 Lodge of O.T.O. in California from its inception in 1979 until her death.[citation needed]
The College of Thelema
Seckler founded The College of Thelema and was a co-founder of the Temple of Thelema alongside James A. Eshelman and Anna-Kria King. Both organizations offer a course of study developed by Seckler to help aspirants succeed within the A∴A∴ system.
The Temple of the Silver Star
Before her death, Seckler established the Temple of the Silver Star as an independent continuation of her work, which was later founded by Seckler's student David Shoemaker in 2008.
Works
Seeking to guide her students to an understanding of the Law of Thelema, particularly a deeper awareness of oneself and one's magical Will, Seckler continually published the biannual journal In The Continuum, which featured her essays on Thelema and initiation, including those from Crowley's Collected Works, as well as instructional articles for the students of the A.:.A.:. The journal included illustrations and essays to clarify some of Crowley's thoughts and facilitate the understanding of Thelemic principles expressed in Liber AL. Printed for nearly 25 years, from 1976 through 1996, In The Continuum also published rare works by Aleister Crowley that were, at the time, out of print or hard to find.
Empowerment of women
Throughout her life, Seckler was an outspoken supporter of feminism and a women's rights advocate who championed working women. She campaigned for the empowerment of women in the Thelemic community, with a particular focus on those whose contributions to the Thelemic movement were overlooked. Seckler convinced many women to advocate for workplace rights, reproductive rights, and recognition. She utilized her writing skills to promote Thelemic women's causes in her biannual journal, In The Continuum, to raise awareness of critical Thelemic issues such as gender equality. She often criticized certain Thelemic groups that would only accept women who had social standing and good education. Throughout her teaching career, Seckler spent time in underprivileged areas of Northern California, assisting vulnerable gay men and disadvantaged women, including survivors of rape, who wanted to learn about Thelema and Crowley but lacked access to a teacher or the necessary resources to buy relevant books. She aimed to provide opportunities to marginalized Thelemites, particularly those facing poverty and illiteracy, encouraging them to submit their articles and illustrations for her Thelemic periodical. Additionally, she sought to leverage cinema technology to make Thelema more accessible to a broader audience. After Seckler's passing, a newsreel film about women and the occult, based on her work, was viewed by an estimated 10 million people.
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- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Phyllis_Seckler ]
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- ↑ Religious Leader, Educator Phyllis Seckler Dies at 86, http://sorormeral.org/