• OTO Canada
• Ordo Templi Orientis
  • OTO History
• E.G.C.
  • E.G.C. History
• Updates
• Admission
  • Freedom
  • Full Age
  • Interviews
  • Dues & Fees
  • OTO Triads
  • Other Rites
• Writ / Libri
• Contact
• Sitemap

The

Ecclessia Gnostica Catholica

Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (E.G.C.), or the Gnostic Catholic Church, is the ecclesiastical arm of Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.). The E.G.C. is a Thelemic religious environment, dedicated to the advancement of Light, Life, Love, and Liberty through alignment with the Law of Thelema.

The E.G.C. Gnostic Mass (Ecclesiae Gnosticae Canon Missae) is the central Public and Private rite of the Ordo Templi Orientis as set forth in Liber XV, composed by Crowley for O.T.O. and E.G.C. in 1913. Its beauty is expressed through the passion play designed for the Gnostic Catholic Church by Aleister Crowley.

The ceremony of the Gnostic Mass is not one of passive adherence by the congregants to a Priestcraft that must intercede with the Deity on their behalf. All persons attending the Mass are expected to participate throughout the ceremony by recitation of the Creed and Anthem, responding during the Collects, engaging in the appropriate gestures and participating in Communion. As our formula, that of Thelemic Gnosis, is based upon the principle of Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law, it necessitates that action is taken by each congregant so as to directly connect to the egregore and thereby take personal responsibility for their own spiritual growth. Ultimately each Man to become his own Priest and each Woman her own Priestess through their own Gnosis. And as Love is the law, love under will, it is through this foundation of Agape, or direct engagement of uniting, that the Ecclesiastical community is established, being a forum for members and guests to gain an experience of the Divine within and without. Through participation in this dramatic ritual, they build the necessary components wherewith to appreciate in an ever developing manner, Gnosis.

Lay membership in E.G.C. is available through baptism and confirmation. Members of O.T.O. in good standing are eligible for clerical ordination in E.G.C.. Members of I° and higher (or even 0°, in some situations) are eligible for ordination as Children, and those who have reached K.E.W. are eligible for ordination as Priest or Priestess. Many O.T.O. local bodies celebrate the Gnostic Mass on a regular basis. For more information about the E.G.C., its history and structure here.

“Let the rituals be rightly performed with joy & beauty! There are rituals of the elements and feasts of the times. A feast for the first night of the Prophet and his Bride! A feast for the three days of the writing of the Book of the Law. A feast for Tahuti and the child of t he Prophet -- secret, O Prophet! A feast for the Supreme Ritual, and a feast for the Equinox of the Gods. A feast for fire and a feast for water; a feast for life and a greater feast for death! A feast every day in your hearts in the joy of my rapture! A feast every night unto Nu, and the pleasure of uttermost delight!”

Through the E.G.C. one can be:

• Baptised into the E.G.C. at the Degree of Minerval;
• Confirmed in the E.G.C. at the First Degree and above.

Confirmed E.G.C. Members may be Ordained an:

• E.G.C. Child at 1st Degree (in developing areas Minerval if there is need);
• E.G.C. Deacon at 3rd Degree (in developing areas 2nd if there is need);
• E.G.C. Priest(ess) at KEW or higher;
• E.G.C. Bishop at 7th Degree.

Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC) is the ecclesiastical arm of OTO. It offers lay membership conferred through the ceremonies of baptism and confirmation. Lay membership confers no special privileges.

The regularized process is to become Baptised and then Confirmed into the Church proper so as to have Lay Membership. Then doing service in the role of a Child so as to show competency at this level. When one has gained the appropriate degrees and spent some time in the role of a Novitiate Deacon one can become ordained as a full E.G.C. Deacon. Again, upon showing competency as an ordained Deacon, one can begin to practice as a Novitiate Priest or Priestess and upon attaining the appropriate degree can be formally ordained as full Clergy of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica.