Marcelo Ramos Motta (June 27, 1931 – August 26, 1987) was a Brazilian writer,

Thelemite Thelema () is a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and a new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician. Central to T ...

, and member of the

A∴A∴ The A∴A∴ ( ) is a magical organization established in 1907 by Aleister Crowley, a Western esotericist. Its members are dedicated to the advancement of humanity by perfection of the individual on every plane through a graded series of univ ...

occult society. Known for his work in the field of Thelema, he was a prominent figure in the Thelemic community and contributed significantly to its literature. Motta was also recognized by his magical names Parzival X° and Parzival XI°. His writings, which include translations of Aleister Crowley's works and original Thelemic texts, have had a lasting impact on the study and practice of Thelema in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and beyond.

Early life

Motta was born at the city of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

(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 Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail (; 3 October 1804 – 31 March 1869), known by the pen name of Allan Kardec (), was a French educator, translator, and writer. He is the author of the five books known as the Spiritist Codification, and the foun ...

and his mother was

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. 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 Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (; 25 May 1803 – 18 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secr ...

. He also read works by Papus,

Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (; – 8 May 1891), often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian-born mystic and writer who emigrated to the United States where she co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She gained an international foll ...

Patanjali Patanjali (, , ; also called Gonardiya or Gonikaputra) was the name of one or more author(s), mystic(s) and philosopher(s) in ancient India. His name is recorded as an author and compiler of a number of Sanskrit works. The greatest of these a ...

Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. H ...

and

Arnold Krumm-Heller Heinrich Arnold Krumm-Heller (15 April 1876 – 19 April 1949) was a German Physician, doctor, occultist, Rosicrucian, and founder of Fraternitas Rosicruciana Antiqua (FRA), a Hermeticism, Hermetic order in Brazil. He also was a German naval inte ...

. 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 AMORC (standing for, among others, the Ancient Mystical Order of the Rosy Cross or the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis) is a Rosicrucian organization founded by Harvey Spencer Lewis in the United States in 1915. It has lodges, chapters an ...

, 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 The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

research. During that time, he became interested in

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

and

tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play t ...

, 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 The Fraternitas Rosicruciana Antiqua (FRA) is a Rosicrucian Order originally established by German occultist Dr. Arnold Krumm-Heller, and acts in Brazil and Spanish-speaking countries. In Brazil, it was established in 1932 and has had its headqua ...

's Rosicrucian order, and took his first initiations in 1948. 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.

Career

Motta's first contact with

Thelema Thelema () is a Western esotericism, Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and a new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial ma ...

was through

John Symonds John Symonds (12 March 1914 – 21 October 2006) was an English writer known for his biographies of Aleister Crowley, as well as novels, plays, and children's books. His literary career spanned several decades, covering a wide range of genres ...

' book biography of

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley ( ; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...

, ''The Great Beast''. Motta saw many connections between the Law of Thelema and parts of his initiations at FRA, but he had never previously heard about Thelema or

. Furthermore, the book gave him some serious doubts about Crowley's initiations. 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 US, P. Krumm-Heller introduced Motta to

Karl Germer Karl Johannes Germer (22 January 1885 – 25 October 1962), also known as Frater Saturnus, was a German and American businessman and occultist. He served as the United States representative of Ordo Templi Orientis, and on the death of Aleister ...

, leader of

Ordo Templi Orientis Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.; ) is an occult secret society and hermetic magical organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century. The origins of O.T.O. can be traced back to the German-speaking occultists Carl Kellner, Theodor Reuss, ...

at that time.

Society Ordo Templi Orientis

Returning to Brazil in 1962, Motta translated and published Crowley's ''

Liber Aleph ''Liber Aleph vel CXI: The Book of Wisdoor Folly'' is the title of ''The Equinox'', volume III, number VI, by Aleister Crowley. The book is written in the form of an epistle to his magical son, Charles Stansfeld Jones, Frater Achad, whom Crowley ...

'' 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

had numerous students under his tutelage. Karl Germer died in 1962, and in 1969,

Grady McMurtry Grady Louis McMurtry (October 18, 1918 – July 12, 1985) was an American ceremonial magician, student of occult writer Aleister Crowley, and an adherent of Thelema. He is best known for reviving the fraternal organization Ordo Templi Orientis ...

assumed control of O.T.O. based on his letters of "emergency authorization" given to him by Crowley. Motta established his own O.T.O. called Society Ordo Templi Orientis in Brazil and elsewhere. Motta's pupils included the Brazilian celebrity novelist

Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho de Souza ( , ; born 24 August 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His 1988 novel '' The Alchemist'' became an international best-seller. Early life Paulo Coelho ...

. In 1975, Motta published "The Commentaries of AL", as ''

The Equinox ''The Equinox'' (subtitle: ''The Review of Scientific Illuminism'') is a periodical that serves as the official organ of the A∴A∴, a magical order founded by Aleister Crowley (although material is often of import to its sister organization, Or ...

'', Volume V, Number 1. This book was published by Samuel Weiser, Inc., and contained commentaries on ''

The Book of The Law ''Liber AL vel Legis'' (), commonly known as ''The Book of the Law'', is the central sacred text of Thelema. The book is often referred to simply as ''Liber AL'', ''Liber Legis'' or just ''AL'', though technically the latter two refer only to ...

'' 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 (O.H.O.) of O.T.O. This claim was rejected by U.S. court in 1978, when Motta unsuccessfully sued for ownership of Crowley's copyrights. The case was finally rejected on appeal in 1985.

Death and successors

Motta died on August 26, 1987, in the city of Teresópolis (Brazil) at the age of 56 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. Daniel Ben Stone advertised S.O.T.O. in the classified section of the Llewellyn New Times and issued a very limited printing of the Oriflamme VI, #6 in hardcover. In 1991, Ray Eales (Frater 939) established H.O.O.R. (Holy Order of RaHoorKhuit), an outer Thelemic order, and has published various volumes by Motta under the imprint of H.O.O.R. Publications from

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. Claudia Canuto de Menezes remained relatively silent outside of issuing a statement in 2000 appearing to endorse Ray Eales and H.O.O.R.

Published works

In Portuguese

* Poesias (self, n/d 1951 e.v., Rio de Janeiro) * Chamando Os Filhos Do Sol (self, Abril 1962 e.v., Rio de Janeiro) * O Equinócio dos Deuses (Março 1976 e.v., Sociedade Ordo Templi Orientis no Brasil, Ribeirăo Preto) being the translation of Crowley's

Magick (Book 4) ''Magick, Liber ABA, Book 4'' is a book by 20th-century occultist Aleister Crowley with Mary Desti and Leila Waddell. It is widely considered to be Crowley's ''magnum opus''. ''Magick'' is a lengthy treatise on ceremonial magic (which he anac ...

Part IV * Yoga e Magia (Setembro, 1976 e.v. & 1981 e.v., Sociedade Ordo Templi Orientis Internacional, Ribeirăo Preto) being the translation of

Part I * Magia e Misticismo (Março 1982 e.v. & 1991 e.v., Sociedade Ordo Templi Orientis no Brasil, Ribeirăo Preto) being the translation of

(Part II) * Ataque e Defesa Astral (Março, 1986 e.v., Sociedade Ordo Templi Orientis no Brasil, Ribeirăo Preto) * Serviços de Inteligência năo săo Inteligentes (Setembro, 2000 e.v., The Headland Press, Old Greenwich) * Carta a um Maçom (1980 e.v., Sociedade Ordo Templi Orientis no Brasil, Ribeirăo Preto) * Dos Propósitos Políticos da Ordem (1987 e.v., Sociedade Ordo Templi Orientis no Brasil, Ribeirăo Preto) * Moral e Cívica Telêmicas (1987 e.v., Sociedade Ordo Templi Orientis no Brasil, Ribeirăo Preto)

In English

The publications of Thelema Publishing Company and Troll Publishing Company emanated from

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Pamphlets

* Thelemic Political Morality (S.O.T.O., 1978 2nd pr 1980) * Manifesto (S.O.T.O., 1980 SA UK edition published by Society Ordo Templi Orientis of England, 1980 - designated '2nd ed') * Of the Political Aims of the O.T.O. (S.O.T.O. 1980; expanded ed Dark Star Press SA2005) * Letter to a Brazilian Mason (Troll Publishing Co, 1980) * Liber AL vel Legis — The Book of the Law (Troll Publishing Co, 1980 - hardcover; German ed by Aton Lodge Press, Bochum, 2013) * Calling the Children of the Sun (S.O.T.O. 1983–84; reprint lulu.com, 2019)

The Equinox series

All volumes in this series were issued as hardcovers, however there was an unauthorised paperbound reprint of "The Commentaries of AL" published by Joseph J. Zver of Allentown PA in 1985. The major portion of Volume V, #2 was also printed in a limited edition, signed spiral-bound format with a custom index by Gregory von Seewald (March 1996 e.v., The Headland Press, Old Greenwich). * The Equinox — Vol. V n. 1 — "The Commentaries of AL" (September 1975 e.v., Samuel Weiser, Inc., New York & 1976 e.v., Routledge & Kegan Paul, London and Henley, red cloth) Preface by James Wasserman. Includes Crowley's 'Old' and 'New' Commentaries on Liber AL, together with Motta's own commentaries. * The Equinox — Vol. V n. 1 — "The Commentaries of AL" 2nd ed (September, 1990 e.v., Thelema Publishing Company, Canberra, purple cloth) Includes new editorial material by William Barden and expanded index as well as Crowley's 'Old' and 'New' Commentaries on Liber AL, together with Motta's own commentaries. * The Equinox — Vol. V n. 2 - "Satan and Christ" (March 1979 e.v., Thelema Publishing Company, Nashville) This was the only volume of the series to feature not only a standard edition, but a deluxe edition limited to 200 copies signed by Motta. Though popularly known as 'LXV Commented', this volume includes various other texts by Crowley and others including Motta and

Fernando Pessoa Fernando António Nogueira de Seabra Pessoa (; ; 13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, and publisher. He has been described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th c ...

. Liber LXV is Crowley's "Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente" - "The Book of the Heart Girt With a Serpent". * The Equinox — Vol. V n. 3 — "The Chinese Texts of Magick and Mysticism" (September 1980 e.v., Thelema Publishing Company, Nashville) Includes Crowley's versions of the Yi Jing; the Dau de Jing; and the Jing Gan Jing, with other texts by Crowley commented. Also includes work by comic book writer T. Casey Brennan and texts by others including Ray Eales. * The Equinox — Vol. V n. 4 — "Sex and Religion" (March 1981 e.v., Thelema Publishing Company, Nashville) Includes Crowley's "Bagh-i-Muattar", "The Paris Working", "The Wake World", Crowley's 1906-07 diaries, and other texts, commented.

The Oriflamme series

All volumes in this series were issued as trade paperbacks only. * Oriflamme - Vol. VI, n. 1 - "Yoga and Magick" (June 1982 e.v., Society Ordo Templi Orientis International, Nashville) Includes Book Four Part I with Motta's commentary, News, and Reviews. * Oriflamme - Vol. VI, n. 1 - "Yoga and Magick" 2nd Ed. (December 1984 e.v., Society Ordo Templi Orientis International, Nashville) Includes a revised "O.T.O. News" section as well as Book Four Part I with Motta's commentary, and Reviews. * Oriflamme - Vol. VI, n. 2 - "Magick and Mysticism" (December 1982 e.v., Society Ordo Templi Orientis International, Nashville) includes Book Four Part II with Motta's commentary, News, and Reviews. * Oriflamme - Vol. VI, n. 3 - "Magick Without Tears Unexpurgated Commented— Part I" (December 1983 e.v., Society Ordo Templi Orientis International, Nashville) Includes the first half of Magick Without Tears with Motta's commentary, News, and Reviews. * Oriflamme - Vol. VI, n. 3 - "Magick Without Tears Unexpurgated Commented— Part I" (December 2018 e.v., Society Ordo Templi Orientis in Australia, Canberra) Includes the first half of Magick Without Tears with Motta's commentary, News, and Reviews. * Oriflamme - Vol. VI, n. 4 - "Magick Without Tears Unexpurgated Commented— Part II" (December 1984 e.v., Society Ordo Templi Orientis International, Nashville) Includes the second half of Magick Without Tears with Motta's commentary, News, and Reviews. * Oriflamme - Vol. VI, n. 5 - "Thelemic Magick Unexpurgated Commented — Part I" (June 1987 e.v., Society Ordo Templi Orientis In Brasil, Rio de Janeiro) Includes Crowley's

Chapters 1–12 with Motta's commentary, News, and Reviews. * Oriflamme - Vol. VI, n. 6 = "Thelemic Magick Unexpurgated Commented - Part II" (December 1991 e.v., Daniel Ben Stone, Washington, DC) Includes the remainder of Crowley's

with Motta's commentary. * Oriflamme - Vol. VI, n. 6 - "Thelemic Magick Unexpurgated - Part II" (December 1991 e.v., Society Ordo Templi Orientis in Australia, Canberra) Includes the remainder of Crowley's

HOOR Publications & Silver Star Publications

* The Equinox - Vol. VII, n. 1 - (March 1992 e.v., Silver Star Publication, Tampa) - Edited by Ray Eales & Vance Borland. Includes a collection of texts, a number of which were written by Aleister Crowley, others by Motta and also many other pieces by members of S.O.T.O.. * Two Essays (1996 e.v., HOOR Publications, Tampa) - Includes Motta's "Letter to a Brazilian Mason" and "Thelema, Politics, Society and You, an Essay" by Eales. * Astral Attack and Defense (2006 e.v., HOOR Publications, Brasil) - Translated by Monica D. Rocha with commentaries by Ray Eales. * Thelemic Political Morality and other Essays (2007 e.v., HOOR Publications, Tampa, FL) - Includes Motta's essays commented by Ray Eales and Monica D. Rocha.

Independent

* Letter to a Brasilian Mason ilingual Portuguese and English edition(2005 e.v. Dark Star Press, Highland Park, NJ) Biographical Note translated by Monica D. Rocha. * Thelemic Society ilingual Portuguese and English edition(2005 e.v. Dark Star Press, Highland Park, NJ) Includes "Thelemic Political Morality" and "Of the Political Aims of the O.T.O.". * Tracts on Aquarian Masonry (2005 e.v. Thelema Media Group, Highland Park, NJ) Includes "Thelemic Political Morality", "Letter to a Brasilian Mason", "Of the Political Aims of the O.T.O.", and "Manifesto" as well as Monica D. Rocha's translated biographical note to "Letter" as well as an introduction and index created by Dominick Bruno. * A Literary Selection from the Works of Marcelo Ramos Motta (lulu.com, 2017). Contains poetry from Marcelo Ramos Motta's "Poesias", first published in Brasil in 1951 e.v. It is here translated from Portuguese into English for the first time. The volume also contains two screenplays and a novelet written under the pen name 'Mark Hellington'. Both screenplays were produced by the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

in the late 1950s e.v, and his sci-fi novelet, "The Silver Cube", first appeared in

Future Science Fiction ''Future Science Fiction'' and ''Science Fiction Stories'' were two American science fiction magazines that were published under various names between 1939 and 1943 and again from 1950 to 1960. Both publications were edited by Charles Hornig f ...

in 1958 e.v.

References

External links

Marcelo Ramos Motta and the A∴A∴A S.O.T.O. headed by Fr. Zeus IV in Pittsburgh, PA
(Archived copy of 2017's original text).
Caretakers of Thelema
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Motta, Marcelo Ramos 1931 births 1987 deaths Brazilian occultists Thelemites Brazilian science fiction writers