NOTOCON X was held in the Valley of Austin, TX, over this past weekend. All attendees continue to ride the high brought on by the theme, Fire of Motion. Members of Scarlet Woman Lodge, Bubastis Oasis and 718 Encampment exemplified what it means to serve in the Order by hosting on a truly wonderful event! All feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive.
An optional offsite event to view a selection from the Aleister Crowley Collection located at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin, was enjoyed by all who attended. Two of the archivists laid out various original holographs, photographs, tarot cards, journals, letters, etc., assisting us with flipping through notebooks and providing answers to questions. We highly recommend a visit to Austin to check it out.
35 talks on various topics of Thelemic interest were delivered by 39 Presenters, including 12 members of Texas Local Bodies. The event sold out! Attendees represented 45 Local Bodies in the U.S., 2 Camps in Formation in the U.S., and O.T.O. members from Italy, Australia, Germany, UK, Poland and Vancouver, British Columbia, all enjoying the Beauty and Joy that only such fraternity can bring.
Photo from the presentation titled Whores, Witches, Amazons and the Grand Dames of Wine
After what was likely the largest group performance of Sunset Liber Resh vel Helios during the banquet dinner on Saturday evening, our National Grand Master General Sabazius delivered a poignant and relevant keynote speech. We look forward to the opportunity for all to read his words when he posts it on his blog, The Invisible Basilica, in the coming days [ZeroEqualsTwo.Net will be posting the link as soon as we get it from the Most Holy King – who took this august office 20 years ago in this same Valley].
Invigoratingly beautiful commemorative coins were set out on the tables by an anonymous donor. The coins depicted on the obverse the Great State of Texas with a star marking the location of each Local Body in Texas, flanked by a unicursal hexagram, and the O.T.O. Lamen on the reverse. We were treated to an initiation welcoming a few more Bearded Davids, and the joy of each others’ company throughout.
The weekend culminated in what was, by all accounts, the largest celebration of Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass, with a total headcount of 263 Celebrants. A sublime band and choir, musically directed by one of the Bearded Davids, treated us to a heartfelt and resonating musical celebration, wherein most of the People joined in singing the Anthem.
Momentum is already building for NOTOCON XI, pointing our collective Will toward the Valley of Orlando, Fl. The onsite team for XI is already hard at work and an inspiration! We look forward to joining them in the celebration of their theme, For the Chance of Union, in 2017!
-Sr. Eshim, USGL Conference Committee Chair
