The Builders of the Adytum (BOTA, also spelled B.O.T.A., BotA, or B.o.t.A.) is a school of the

Western mystery tradition Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

which is registered as a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

tax-exempt Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...

religious Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...

organization. It was founded by

Paul Foster Case Paul Foster Case (October 3, 1884 – March 2, 1954) was an American occultist of the early 20th century and author of numerous books on occult tarot and Qabalah. Perhaps his greatest contributions to the field of occultism were the lessons ...

and has its roots in both the

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ( la, Ordo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae), more commonly the Golden Dawn (), was a secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics during the late 19th and early 20th ce ...

Barrett, David V
"Builders of the Adytum"
in Clarke, Peter Bernard (ed.). ''Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements''. Psychology Press, 2006. and the

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to Fraternity, fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of Stonemasonry, stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their inte ...

blue lodge system.Hulse: Western Mysteries;p.148 It was later extended by Ann Davies. The B.O.T.A. teaches by correspondence, covering

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

psychology, occult tarot,

Hermetic Qabalah Hermetic Qabalah () is a Western esoteric tradition involving mysticism and the occult. It is the underlying philosophy and framework for magical societies such as the Golden Dawn, Thelemic orders, mystical-religious societies such as the Bu ...

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...

, and

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

techniques. It also holds a variety of ritual services and study groups, some open to the public.l Official BOTA website
/ref> Worldwide membership is around 5,000.

Origins of the name

“

Adytum The adyton ( , 'innermost sanctuary, shrine', ) or (Latin) was a restricted area within the cella of a Greek or Roman temple. The ''adyton'' was frequently a small area at the farthest end of the cella from the entrance: at Delphi it measured j ...

” is Latin for “Inner Shrine” or “

Holy of Holies The Holy of Holies (Hebrew: ''Qōḏeš haqQŏḏāšīm'' or ''Kodesh HaKodashim''; also הַדְּבִיר ''haDəḇīr'', 'the Sanctuary') is a term in the Hebrew Bible that refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle, where God's prese ...

” and “Builders” refer to the emulation of the Carpenter from Nazareth, Jesus, who some members of the B.O.T.A.B.O.T.A
What is B.O.T.A.?
/ref> believe was adept in the mysteries of building a living temple without hands ().

History

The Order was founded 1922 by

. Case was a senior memberGolden Daw
l Golden Dawn Biographies
/ref> of the

in the United States. After a disagreement with

Moina Mathers Moina Mathers, born Mina Bergson (28 February 1865 – 25 July 1928), was an artist and occultist at the turn of the 20th century. She was the sister of French philosopher Henri Bergson, the first man of Jewish descent to be awarded the Nobel Pri ...

, head of the Golden Dawn and widow of

MacGregor Mathers Samuel Liddell (or Liddel) MacGregor Mathers (8 or 11 January 1854 – 5 or 20 November 1918), born Samuel Liddell Mathers, was a British occultist. He is primarily known as one of the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a cerem ...

, he left the Golden Dawn along with some former members and formed a separate order. With the death of Paul Foster Case his secretary Ann Davies became the head of B.O.T.A.. The order flourished and expanded to Europe and Australia.

Beliefs

B.O.T.A. believes that the

Qabalah Hermetic Qabalah () is a Western esoteric tradition involving mysticism and the occult. It is the underlying philosophy and framework for magical societies such as the Golden Dawn, Thelemic orders, mystical-religious societies such as the Bu ...

is the mystical root of both ancient

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

and the original

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. People of all faiths are accepted if they are mystically inclined. For members of the B.O.T.A., the means whereby higher consciousness, illumination and enlightenment may be gained include both theory and practice. These teachings and practical secrets constitute what the Builders of the Adytum refer to as Ageless Wisdom. It is called “Ageless” because they believe it is not susceptible to the mutations of time. Ageless Wisdom is not viewed by the B.O.T.A. as primarily a product of man’s thinking. It is “written by God upon the face of nature” and is always there for men and women of all epochs to read, if they can.

Regional organizations

B.O.T.A. has Study Groups and Pronaos healing ritual work in many cities throughout the world: # Northeast US # Midwest / Southeast US # Southwest US / Rocky Mt. # Northwest US # Southern California / Arizona / Nevada # South America & Mexico # Australia and New Zealand # Europe

Study groups

These groups are open to all and afford an opportunity to interact with those who share a common spiritual teaching and practice. The purposes for the Study Groups include (1) developing fraternal Love and Harmony, (2) developing

higher consciousness Higher consciousness is the consciousness of God or, in the words of Dawn DeVries, "the part of the human mind that is capable of transcending animal instincts". While the concept has ancient roots, it was significantly developed in German ideali ...

, (3) incorporating the principles of Ageless Wisdom in everyday life, (4) learning to enjoy together the operation of the One Will (the will of God), and (5) providing an open door to the Mysteries to all who genuinely seek them.

Group ritual

Group Ritual Work has long been used in the

as a dynamic means of bringing about spiritual and fraternal insights. Open only to B.O.T.A. members, this ritualistic work occurs after

initiation Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...

into

Pronaos A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

which includes an

oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to ...

secrecy Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

. Its aim is to impress symbolism more effectively upon the aspirants' psyches through dramatic enactment, bringing the static images of the

B.O.T.A. tarot deck The BOTA Tarot (also spelled BOTA, B.o.t.A., or BotA) was created by Paul Foster Case, founder of Builders of the Adytum (BOTA), and artist Jessie Burns Parke. Although it is based upon, and for the most part closely resembles, Arthur Edward Waite' ...

into motion.

References

Sources

*Hulse, David Allen. ''The Western Mysteries''. Llewellyn Publications; 2nd edition, 2002.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Builders Of The Adytum Magical organizations Religious belief systems founded in the United States