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Agape Lodge
Agape Lodge was founded in the 1930's by Wilfred Talbot Smith. On 3 May 1932 Smith and Regina Kahl moved into 1746 N. Winona Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. The house was admirably suited in every respect for entertaining and housing the flock of Thelemites. On the ground floor was a living room, music room, kitchen and dining room, and a bedroom that was used by Smith. This bedroom had a porch facing the backyard where Smith tended a garden and a bed of roses. The backyard was shaded by a magnificent large sapota tree. The second floor of the house had five bedrooms: Regina occupied one which also had its own porch. A large unfinished attic, measuring 36 ft. by 18 ft., was accessible by means of a ladder pulled down from the ceiling.
With the O.T.O. now being revived in North America, Wilfred Talbot Smith founded the Agape Lodge No. 1, based at his Hollywood home, and brought in 7 initiates to the Minerval level in September 1935. He advertised the foundation of his group through an advert in American Astrology magazine and printed a pamphlet explaining what the O.T.O. was. The Agape Lodge held regular meetings, lectures, and study classes, as well as social events and a weekly Gnostic Mass open to the public. In February 1936 they held a Mass in honour of Wayne Walker, a proponent of New Thought who ran a group known as The Voice of Healing; they had hoped to attract Walker and his supporters to Thelema, but they were put off by the Lodge's sexual openness. Later that year, Smith and Oliver Jacobi's employer, the Southern California Gas Company, discovered their involvement in the Lodge, demoting Smith to bookkeeper and firing Jacobi. Angered, Jacobi left the Lodge altogether, while Smith shut down the group's private ritual activities for the next three years. As a result, the public attendance of the Gnostic Mass plummeted.
Activities picked up again when Kahl, who worked as a drama teacher, brought three of her interested students into the group, among them Phyllis Seckler, and other individuals also joined the group, among them Louis Culling and Roy Leffingwell. However, the rising number of members caused schisms and arguments, and the Lodge again ceased its private activities from March 1940 to March 1941. They returned to their activities to initiate a couple who had become interested in the O.T.O. through attending the Gnostic Mass, rocket scientist Jack Parsons and his wife Helen Parsons. Parsons became enamored with Thelema, although initially expressed both "repulsion and attraction" for Smith. Smith wrote to Crowley, claiming that Parsons was "a really excellent man . . . He has an excellent mind and much better intellect than myself . . . JP is going to be very valuable". The Parsons would help bring new members into the group; Grady McMurtry and his fiancée Claire Palmer, and Helen's sister Sara Northrup. In February 1939 a young college student who had attended the mass, Ayna Sosoyena, was murdered; although police drew no connection to the Lodge, sensationalist local tabloids connected the two, although were unaware that the Lodge was involved with Crowley or Thelema. A sympathetic local radio reporter allowed Smith to explain the purpose of the Mass to allay fears of the group, but the interview was never aired in an agreement with local press that they would drop the story.
By this point, the Agape Lodge was fully operational once more, although Crowley had remained highly critical of Smith, believing that he was failing to raise sufficient funds for Crowley's personal use. He appointed Karl Germer, a German Thelemite recently arrived in the US, to be his representative on the continent, and instructed Germer to oversee the payment of dues to himself. He also specified that it would now be Germer, and not Smith, who was his chosen successor. Attempting to placate Crowley, in December 1941 Smith stated that all Lodge members now had to contribute 5% of their earnings as an "Emergency Fee" that went to Crowley. Crowley's criticisms nevertheless continued, and Smith suffered a mild heart attack, retiring prematurely from work at the age of 56 before undergoing an operation to remove haemorroids in February 1942.
Smith decided to relocate Agape Lodge to a larger premises, renting the large house at 1003 South Orange Grove Avenue in Pasadena from June 1942 for $100 a month, moving many of the lodge members into the house, living as a form of commune and raising livestock and vegetables in the grounds. Parsons had begun a relationship with Sara Northrup, while Smith consoled Helen, who would become his partner for the rest of his life; nevertheless the four remained friends. Although they had ceased to publicly perform the Gnostic Mass, membership of the lodge continued to grow. A number of prominent members however left, among them Regina Kahl and Phyllis Seckler. Soon, both the FBI and the Pasadena police department began to investigate the O.T.O. and Agape Lodge, particularly as Germer, now leader of the North American O.T.O., was German; ultimately, they decided that the group was no threat to national security, describing it as a probable "love cult". Crowley however had remained highly critical of Smith's leadership of the lodge, and ordered Wolfe to send him on a personal magical retreat; she felt conflicted, but eventually conceded to Crowley's demands. Both Crowley and Germer wanted to see Smith ousted permanently, believing that he had become a bad influence on the other lodge members; many of the members, including Jack and Helen Parsons, wrote to them to defend their mentor, but Germer nevertheless ordered him to stand down, with Parsons appointed head of the lodge.
In April Helen gave birth to Smith's son, who was named Kwen Lanval Parsons. In May, Smith and Helen left for a two-room cabin in Rainbow Valley with their baby, where Smith undertook his magical retirement. Back in England, Crowley undertook an astrological analysis of Smith's birth chart, and came to the conclusion that he was the incarnation of a god, greatly altering his estimation of him; Smith however remained sceptical. Refusing to take orders from Germer any more, Smith resigned from the O.T.O., while Parsons—who remained sympathetic and friendly to Smith during the conflict—ceased lodge activities and resigned as its head. In a letter informing Crowley of this decision, Smith remarked "Would to God you knew your people better." Germer subsequently appointed Max Schneider head of the Agape Lodge, which remained inactive.
The following is a description of the house at 1003 S. Orange Grove Avenue, Pasadena, California.
The house was huge, a mansion and not only had the cellars but also three floors. Just off the carriage entrance was the entrance to the kitchen and to the back stairs and across the hall from this area was the library, which had bookshelves lining the walls half way up. On the top half there were German town and village scenes done in a beautiful tooled leather. The ceiling was of genuine gold leaf and this room boasted a small wash room just off it.
The kitchen was huge and at the end near the hall had a cook's pantry. At the side which led to the dining room there was a butler's pantry with glass fronted doors. Regina's [Regina Kahl] collection of china looked very fine on the shelves and here Jack [Jack Parsons] kept his fruit brandies. At the back of the kitchen was a large porch which we used for eating most of our meals. Another wash room suited for servants was situated on the side of this perch. Here Jane Wolfe and I held sway for many days. Jane did most of the shopping but would get exhausted with the job and so Betty Northrup was assigned to help her. I [Jane Wolfe] was also supposed to have help with the cooking of meals from Betty and Grace Miller, but neither was much to be depended on for hour to hour and day to day assistance. The job became very difficult for me, for our room was on the third floor and the two babies had to be cared for, fed, diapered, watched, and all the rest of the work needed for young ones. No one in the house had ever had children before so no one knew what I faced except Grace but she wasn't there for very long.
The oval dining room was used for most of the social events. It had a fine wood paneling on the lower half of the walls and an expensive woven tapestry on the upper half. Here the dining table from Winona Blvd. was put and since it was one of the better pieces of furniture, it looked very well. Also, one of the better couches was placed against the length of one wall, with a coffee table in front of it. Dinner was usually served in this room, and especially if there happened to be company.
Beside the dining room was the music room which was open to the very large front hall with a sweeping staircase which led to the second floor. There were two windows flanking the front door and on these there still remained the original silk curtains, but now clingy and split. These were not changed for the length of the occupancy of this house.
As one entered the front door, one would find a reception room to the right which was furnished with lesser and shabbier pieces of furniture from Winona Blvd. and from Jack's and Helen's [Helen Parsons] house. Regina's piano graced the music room and Jack's phonograph and record collection was also placed there. When music was played or records were on the phonograph, the sound echoed through the front of the house as there were not enough rugs to absorb the sound and mute it.
To the left of the entrance was a very long living room running from front to back of the house. It had paneling very finely done over all the walls and the ceiling had excellent plaster work, quite complicated, and in white. A fireplace was in the middle of one long length of wall opposite the sliding paneled doors and at the back end of the room were glass doors to the floor which let out on a large terrace. This was to be our Temple and Lodge meeting room and eventually, the plans were that the Mass would be put on in this room. This never happened. Folding chairs and other odd chairs lined the walls and at the front end was a table and chairs for the Head of Lodge and officers. The floor was uncarpeted and this room, too, sounded very empty and had echoes.
On the second floor, the room above the kitchen was given to Regina. This had a large porch off it to the back which was open partly and partly covered by a line of roof. This porch was just over our screened eating porch. The room over the library was given to Jane. These rooms were quite alike and each had a very large tiled white bathroom and large closets.
Across the hall and at the back of the house was a suite of two rooms which Jack and Betty Northrup occupied. A bathroom was between these two rooms. Across from these was the guest room with only a wash basin in a closet. But this room was beautifully papered in a blue and white design of flowers. Here some of the better bedroom furniture was placed which went very well with the wallpaper. Beside this room was the top of the grand staircase leading up from the ground floor.
The master bedroom and huge bath with an old fashioned tub on four legs was just over the living room. The space was also partly taken up by huge closets. This was occupied by Wilfred and Helen. There had been a switch of partners. Jack was enamoured of Betty and Wilfred and Helen coupled.
Helen did most of the housework, using a dust mop along the bare floors and otherwise trying to keep the place clean. Wilfred did a lot of repair work and other work connected with being the head of Lodge and of the household.
The servant's quarters were on the top floor. At the head of the back stairs was the sitting room for the servants and just off this at the back of the house was the large room which was given to me and my two girls. To attend to them, put them down for naps and all the rest, I had to climb two flights of stairs from the kitchen. Naturally, I kept them with me for those parts of the day when they weren't sleeping. But if either one woke from a nap at an unusual time, I might not be there to see it, for once in awhile I had to scrub the whole of the kitchen floor while they slept, it being impossible to do this at any other time. Also, the youngest, Lisa, was only one year old and apt to need a nap at odd times. Stella, the oldest, was very poor at taking naps and would rather reach beyond her crib and tear up a book than sleep.
However, Jane and I would usually get a chance to rest after lunch for the most part.
Opposite to my room were the bathroom and two small rooms, the first of which was assigned to Frederic Mellinger and the 2nd to Jonas. There was a musty smell in Frederick' s room and it was not long before he discovered this was due to bats in the attic. There was a regular time of it to try and exterminate the bats.
Frederick took care of the library and since he was an Astrologer, he also made up all charts needed for new members of the Order. He was also assigned the job of watering the extensive grounds and since this was completely out of his experience, he had quite a time of it wrestling with the hoses. Some of the grounds simply could not be watered so the grass went dry in front part of the time and also down in the hollow where there was a ring of bay trees.
See "Darkhouse" by Alva Rogers for an eyewitness description of Agape Lodge of 1945.
Another description of the house at 1003 S. Orange Grove Avenue, Pasadena, California.
The house was one of the first Craftsman-style houses to appear in Pasadena. Upon entering the house, the visitor came first into a large hall, boarded with ornate cedar panels and dominated by a sweeping, hand-carved, mahogany staircase, over which Jane Wolfe had hung a portrait of Crowley. The original silk curtains still hung in the windows on either side of the front door. The hall opened into a large oval dining room, with woven tapestry walls above birch paneling; the adjacent music room housed Reginal Kahl's piano and Parsons' phonograph and records. A giant, carved fireplace held court in the long dining room, from behind which led a secret passage, one of many in the house. Glass doors led outside onto a large terrace. Here, it was decided, lodge meetings would be held and the Gnostic Mass performed. The grandest room of all was the library, its four walls lined with bookshelves. Above them the walls were covered with tooled leather depicting scenes from German village life. The house's large kitchen was to become the center of daily life in the new Agape Lodge. It opened onto a covered porch off the building's back, where day meals were taken. Stairs led down to the cellar, a space large enough to hold 50 people easily but which was to be devoted to holding the OTO's sizable collection of wine.
On the second floor were six bedrooms, each with a tiled bathroom. On the top floor a further five rooms were found, former servant's quarters. Slightly apart from the main house stood the garage and laundry, a two-floor structure, in which Jack Parsons built himself a home laboratory. Twenty-five acres of garden interlaced with tiled walls stretched sown towards the Arroyo. Walking along one of the paths, one came upon a pergola with mosaic tile floors, and a glass tile fountain ten feet in diameter, which was used by the lodge's children as a paddling pool. A large structure known as the Tea House kept watch over the bay trees at the bottom of the garden.
The members of the house fenced off a large vegetable garden and planted beets, carrots, beans, and tomatoes. They bought rabbits, chickens, and goats to keep for food or to sell at market.
O.T.O. Degree Work 1938-43
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Crowley Night at 1746 Winona Blvd. in October of 1936
1936 (front row) Georgia Haitz, Oliver Jacobi, Regina Kahl, Wilfred T. Smith & Jane Wolfe
Regina Kahl as the Priestess, sitting on the altar at 1746 Winona Blvd.
1933 - Gnostic Mass Wilfred T. Smith & Regina Kahl
1938 - Gnostic Mass Wilfred T. Smith, Regina Kahl & Paul Seckler
1938 - Gnostic Mass Wilfred T. Smith, Regina Kahl & Paul Seckler
March 1939 Wilfred T. Smith, Regina Kahl & Luther Carroll
Wilfred T. Smith
1003 South Orange Grove
1003 South Orange Grove 3 April 1946
1003 South Orange Grove
Agape Lodge Meeting Minutes
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