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Marcelo Ramos Motta
Born: 27 June 1931 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Died: 26 August 1987, in Teresópolis, Brazil.
Marcelo Ramos Motta was a Thelemic writer from Brazil, and member of A∴A∴ He was known as Frater Adjuvo.
Early life: Motta was born at the city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Very little is known about his childhood, only that he was born into a family with Swiss-German ancestry and received a very strict education, amplified by his admission at the Military Academy of Rio de Janeiro (Colégio Militar do Rio de Janeiro). His father was a follower of the doctrine of Allan Kardec and his mother was Catholic. At eleven years of age he became interested for the first time in the mysterious "Rosicrucians", after reading Zanoni, the novel by Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and he "decided to search for them and to become one of those mysterious Adepts". But his first contact with a self-proclaimed Rosicrucian society, the Brazilian branch of AMORC, did not satisfy him and he started his search for an initiatory school of the sort he found in Arnold Krumm-Heller's novel Rose-Croix.
His time at the Military Academy of Rio de Janeiro gave him a sense of duty and discipline, which he applied to his occult research. During that time, he became interested in astrology and tarot, among other esoteric topics. Those interests were not very common among his fellow students, but they gave him some knowledge to argue with his philosophy teacher in a debate that became famous for years.
At the age of 17 he made contact with the Fraternitas Rosicruciana Antiqua, Arnold Krumm-Heller's Rosicrucian order where Motta took his first initiations in 1948, at the age of 17. Local political tension impelled him to move to Europe and then to the United States of America. His mission on this voyage, given by the Brazilian leadership of the FRA, was to meet Parsival Krumm-Heller (son of Arnold Krumm-Heller and then legal leader of FRA) and mediate the contacts between the Brazilian group and the international leadership.
Thelema: Motta's first contact with Thelema was through John Symonds' book The Great Beast. Motta saw many connections between the Law of Thelema and parts of his initiations at FRA, but he had never heard about Thelema or Aleister Crowley. After asking P. Krumm-Heller about the subject, Motta received from him considerable material about Thelema and Crowley, readings that completely changed Motta's opinion about Crowley and his methods and philosophy. Later, in the USA, Krumm-Heller introduced Motta to Karl Germer, leader of Ordo Templi Orientis at that time. Motta was a member of the A∴A∴ under Germer and was inducted into the IX° of the O.T.O. by Germer in late 1956.
Returning to Brazil in 1962, Motta translated and published Crowley's Liber Aleph and wrote Calling the Children of the Sun, the first Thelemic writing published in Brazil (later this work was suppressed by Motta himself for fear of political repercussions). From this year to 1987, Motta, as a member of A∴A∴ had numerous students under his tutelage.
Karl Germer died in 1962, and in 1969, Grady McMurtry assumed control of O.T.O. based on his letters of "emergency authorization" given to him by Crowley. In 1975, Motta published The Commentaries of AL, as The Equinox, Volume V, Number 1. This book was published by Samuel Weiser, Inc., and contained commentaries on The Book of the Law written by Aleister Crowley and by Motta himself. He also used this book to announce his claim to be the Outer Head of the Order of O.T.O.. This claim was rejected by a U.S. court in 1978, when Motta unsuccessfully sued for ownership of Crowley's copyrights.
Later years: Motta admired and practiced oriental martial arts, especially Judo and Tae Kwon Do. In 1973 Motta self-produced a movie called O Judoka (The Judo Fighter). Apparently the movie did not pay for itself, forcing him to pay for its debts in the few following years.
Motta never had any kind of economic stability, jumping from job to job and making a living as an English teacher, aided by the help of his followers. He died on 26 August 1987, at the city of Teresópolis (Brazil) at the age of 56 of myocardial infarction (a heart attack.)
Motta established his version of O.T.O. called Society Ordo Templi Orientis in Brazil and elsewhere. The order never revealed the number of its members but it does seem to be smaller than the legally recognized Ordo Templi Orientis. Motta's pupils included the Brazilian celebrity novelist Paulo Coelho, mathematician and philosopher Gary Costner, and musician Raul Seixas. He originally bequeathed his succession to the care of three pupils (William Robert Barden, Claudia Canuto de Menezes, and Daniel Ben Stone) on condition that they agree. They failed to do so although Barden did succeed in publishing some authorized editions of Motta's work.
Published works: In Portuguese: - O Equinócio dos Deuses (being the translation of Book 4 Part IV) - Yoga e Magia (being the translation of Book 4 Part I) - Magia e Misticismo (being the translation of Book 4 Part II) - Ataque e Defesa Astral (Astral Attack and Defense, written by Motta) - Carta an um Maçom (Letter to a Brazilian Mason, written by Motta) - Dos Propósitos Políticos da Ordem (Of The Political aims of the O.T.O., written by Motta) - Moral e Cívica Telêmicas (Thelemic Political Morality, written by Motta)
In English: - Letter to a Brazilian Mason - Manifesto - Thelemic Political Morality - Of the Political Aims of the O.T.O. - Liber AL vel Legis — The Book of the Law - Yoga and Magick — Book Four Part I - Magick and Mysticism — Book Four Part II - The Equinox — Vol. V n. 1 — The Commentaries of AL - The Equinox — Vol. V n. 2 — LXV Commented - The Equinox — Vol. V n. 3 — The Chinese Texts of Magick and Mysticism - The Equinox — Vol. V n. 4 — Sex and Religion - Thelemic Magick Unexpurgated Commented — Part I - Thelemic Magick Unexpurgated - Part II - Magick Without Tears Unexpurgated Commented— Part I - Magick Without Tears Unexpurgated Commented— Part II - Calling the Children of the Sun
Contents and details of Equinoxes:
The Commentaries of AL being The Equinox Volume V, No.1, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London and Henley, 1975. First published in the USA by Samuel Weiser, 1975. First published in Great Britain by Routledge Keegan and Paul, 1976. Hardback. - Liber AL vel LEGIS sub figura CCXX as delivered by XCIII = 418 to DCLXVI - Liber HAD - Liber NV - The Mass of the Phoenix - Liber Artemis Iota - Liber OZ - The OTO Manifesto - One Star in Sight - Facsimile of the Original Manuscript of Liber AL
The Equinox Volume V, No.2 Thelema Publishing Company, 1979, Regular and Deluxe editions. Hardback, 410 pp. - Praemonstrance - Poem in a Straight Line, Fernando Pessoa - The Slightly Smaller Stick - The Eighth Poem of the Keeper of the Herds, Fernando Pessoa - The OTO Manifesto - Taking a Stand, Soror K.A. - Liber LXV Commented, Crowley A, Motta M - Untitled Poem, Jonathan Harker - Liber CCXXXI A Personal Research, Motta M - The Slightly Smaller Stick (II)
The Chinese Texts of Magic and Mysticism, being The Equinox V, No. 3. Thelema Publishing Company, Nashville, 1980. Hardback 486 pp. - Publishers' Note - Editorial - At the Door, Claudio Canuto - Jin Gan Jing, Ge Yuan (Aleister Crowley) - Moonbeams, Claudio Canuto - What Rabbits are Like, Brennan T - The Silverfish (I) (Reviews) - The Worm in the Tomb, JC Ellis - Meditations on Li Po, Ray Eales - The Dao De Jing, Lao Zi (commented) - The Silverfish (II) - Five Songs, Marcelo Motta - The Synagogue of Satan, Crowley A - What's in a Name, Crowley A - The Silverfish (III) - The Yi Jing, Zhou Wen and Zhou Wu (commented) - The Silverfish (IV) - Appendix I: The Way of the Dao, Crowley A - Appendix II: Two Lessons on the Yi Jing, Crowley A - Appendix III: Tree of Life, Wolfe J - Appendix IV: A.C.'s Two Systems of Hexagram Attributions - Appendix V: Tao Teh King (alternative frontispiece) - Directive No.1 - Acknowledgements
Sex and Religion, being The Equinox V, No. 4 Thelema Publishing Company, Nashville, 1981. Hardback, 695 pp. - Editorial - A Letter on Marriage - Poems (I) - Leah Sublime - Reviews (I) - The Field Theory of Sex - Poems (II) - Liber DCL vel De Fonte Aqvae Vitae - Notes on the Practices - Diaries 1906-07ev - The Paris Working - The Bagh-i-Muattar - Abjad-I-Al'Ain - Reviews (II) - The Wake World - Heavenly Bridegrooms - Psychic Wedlock - Woman and the Future - Reviews (III) - Statement of Thelema - Reference Index
The Commentaries of AL being The Equinox Volume V, No. 1 Second Edition, Thelema Publishing Company, Canberra, 1990. Hardback, 458 pp. The 2nd edition has a more extensive index. It also has a slightly larger format, matching other Equinox editions published by TPC.
Full titles, contents and details of Oriflammes:
Yoga and Magick by Aleister Crowley being Book Four Commented Part I, being The Oriflamme Volume VI, No.1, Printed by Society Ordo Templi Orientis International O.T.O, 1982, (details as per imprint, no place of publication listed). Paperback, 78 pp. ISBN 0-933454-05-8. - A Note - Aha (excerpt) - Preliminary Remarks - Asana - Pranayama and Mantrayoga - Yama and Niyama - Pratyahara - Dharana - Dhyana - Samadhi - Summary - Book Reviews - O.T.O. News
Magick and Mysticism by Aleister Crowley, being Book Four Part II, being The Oriflamme Vol. VI ,No.2 Printed by Society Ordo Templi Orientis International O.T.O., 1982, Paperback, 174 pp. ISBN 0-933454-06-6. $15. - Preliminary Remarks - The Temple - The Circle - The Altar - Scourge, Dagger and Chain - The Holy Oil - The Wand - The Cup - An Interlude - The Sword - The Pantacle - The Lamp - The Crown - The Robe - The Book - The Bell - The Lamen - The Magick Fire - Reviews - Toothless but Toothsome - O.T.O. News - Stop Press Notice
Illustrations: - The Magician - The Circle - The Altar - The Microcosm of Vitruvius - The Holy Oblation - Scourge, Dagger, Chain and Phial - Wand, Cup, Sword and Disk or Pantacle - The Sigillum Dei Aemeth - Example of Lamen - The Censer (Crowley Design)
Magick Without Tears (Unexpurgated, Commented) Part I [by] Aleister Crowley, being The Oriflamme Vol. VI, No. 3 Published by Society Ordo Templi Orientis International O.T.O, 1983, Paperback, 625 pp., ISBN 0-913735-00-0 - A Note on Type - Editorial - Foreword
Magick Without Tears (Unexpurgated, Commented) Part II [by] Aleister Crowley, being The Oriflamme Vol. VI, No. 4 Published by Society Ordo Templi Orientis International O.T.O, 1984, Paperback, 578 pp., ISBN 0-913735-01-9 - Editorial
Thelemic Magick - Unexpurgated Commented, Part I - by Aleister Crowley and Marcelo Motta, being The Oriflamme Vol. VI, No. 5 Published by Society Ordo Templi Orientis In Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil O.T.O, 1987, Paperback, 419 pp., No ISBN. - Editorial - Introduction - Chapter 0: The Magical Theory of the Universe - Chapter I: The Principles of Ritual - Chapter II: The Formulae of the Elemental Weapons - Chapter III: The Formula of Tetragrammaton - Chapter IV: The Formula of ALHIM and ALIM - Chapter V: The Formula of I.A.O. - Chapter VI: The Formula of the Neophyte - Chapter VII: The Formula of the Holy Grail - Chapter VIII: Of Equilibrium and Other Matters - Chapter IX: Of Silence and Secrecy - Chapter X: Of the Gestures - Chapter XI: Of Our Lady Babalon and the Beast Whereon She Rideth; Also Concerning Transformations - Chapter XII: Of the Bloody Sacrifice: and Matters Cognate - Intelligence Service are Not Intelligent Part III - O.T.O. News - Reviews - Reference Index
Note: Thelemic Magick - Unexpurgated Part II - by Aleister Crowley being The Oriflamme Vol. VI (Paperback, 430 pp.) was published after Motta's death and clearly the intended follow-up to Motta's edition of Part I, but does not contain any Motta commentaries. The imprint says 'Published by Society Ordo Templi Orientis International, Typography and Index by Society Ordo Templi Orientis in Australia, Printing and Binding by Society Ordo Templi Orientis in Brasil, O.T.O.' |
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