Here’s an excerpt from the 2024 Annual Report of the United States Grand Lodge of Ordo Templi Orientis:
Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) is an international religious and magical initiatory fraternity open to both men and women. O.T.O. was founded in Germany and England in the early part of the 20th century e.v., and was incorporated as a non- profit 501(c)(3) organization in California in 1979 e.v. It currently has Grand Lodges in the United States, England, Australia, Croatia, and Italy. Ordo Templi Orientis is the first of the traditional esoteric fraternities to formally accept the Law of Thelema, the religious revelation obtained by Aleister Crowley in 1904 e.v. It still operates by the original charters, constitutions, documents and principles established during its formative years.
The U.S. Grand Lodge of O.T.O. and M∴M∴M∴ (U.S.G.L.), also known as Ordo Templi Orientis U.S.A., or O.T.O. U.S.A. (http://oto-usa.org), is a duly chartered Grand Lodge and National Section of Ordo Templi Orientis, chartered by Ordo Templi Orientis International Headquarters on March 30th, 1996 e.v. It is a tax-exempt, non-profit religious organization incorporated on June 20, 1996 e.v. under the laws of the State of California. O.T.O. U.S.A. was incorporated for the purpose of the preservation and advancement of the religious tenets, doctrines, principles, teachings, traditions and rites of Ordo Templi Orientis, and all its funds are irrevocably dedicated to furthering that purpose.
U.S.G.L. is the most populous and active national section of O.T.O., with 45 active local Man of Earth bodies, 12 active Rose-Croix Chapters, and six active local organizers, in 30 of 50 states, as of March 2025 e.v. Each local O.T.O. body interfacing with the public (Man of Earth bodies) in the United States is designated as a Camp, Oasis, or Lodge, depending on its size and level of activities. Although there is often much interrelating between local bodies,each operates independently yet answers directly to the national government of U.S.G.L.
Specific local bodies (Oases and Lodges) provide ceremonial initiation into the first series of degrees of O.T.O. Most local bodies also regularly perform an O.T.O. ritual called the Gnostic Mass. This ritual is described in our system as “the central ritual of the O.T.O. both public and private,” and is presented under the auspices of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, the Gnostic Catholic Church, which is the ecclesiastical aspect of O.T.O.
Most local bodies also offer public classes, workshops and book studies that usually cover a wide range of Thelemic and esoteric/occult subject matter. Some of these may include various aspects of the theory and practice of Thelema, Qabalah, Yoga, Ceremonial Magick, Hermetic Science, Tarot, Astrology, Alchemy,
Mythology, Comparative Religion, and the history and structure of O.T.O., as well as various Thelemic celebrations, rituals, rites and holidays that assist and support the development of Thelemic community.
