A fraternity has established itself in Baton Rouge, but one must find it in order to be initiated.
Flyers are hung in Coates Hall and a discreet Facebook page is set up but only the curious would dare to look further into the secret society called Ordo Templi Orientis, also known as OTO.
The religious fraternity was originally intended to model Freemasonry but under the leadership of the magician and poet Aleister Crowley it was reorganized around the law of Thelema or the law of will, as its central religious principle.
Thelema is an umbrella term for a religious movement and is Greek for “will.”
Thousands of years ago, this religious experience was the norm in the ancient world as local cults were common, but, culturally, OTO resembles Catholicism, according to Xavier*, a local organizer of Thelema Club of Baton Rouge.

The Thelema Club of Baton Rouge is a collection of OTO initiates and enthusiasts who meet with one another to discuss the literature and practice rituals.
OTO contrasts contemporary religion by placing the burden on individuals to discover will, he added.
Similar to many secret societies, OTO membership is based on a specific initiatory path with numbered degrees that start at zero and are divided into three triads: man of earth, the lover and the hermit.
The degrees represent a narrative of the sun or a cosmological metaphor to give people a meaning to their existence, Xavier said.
Although some of the religious literature of OTO comes off as dark, there is a concentration and appreciation of beauty and empowerment, he said.
Xavier said there is no denial of pain and suffering, but those experiences are seens as shadows that eventually pass and that nevertheless, the sun always comes out.
Just like in the ancient world of religions, OTO doesn’t have a god for one to reconcile oneself with, but instead there is a communication with icons or spirits to accomplish or understand something, he said.
Mysticism is the will to death and Magick is the will to life, Crowley once said. Magick is the science and art by which one might achieve communication with spirits and mysticism is the science and art by which one might understand what the spirits have to tell you.
This contrasts with modern religion because one is not waiting for divinity but rather seeking answers by applying ancient practices to learn what these spirits have to say about the nature of the soul and world, Xavier said.
Thelemites believe the question of afterlife will lead to an abandonment of the present life, so instead of hiding behind religious ideology, they believe it is better to embrace life, power and will, he said, and whatever happens in the afterlife happens.
Xavier said he found OTO because he had an experience with the Christian church that was similar to Crowley’s, but he still had a yearning for meaning that Christianity didn’t provide, so he began to look elsewhere.
Magick has a certain romanticism that appeals to people’s religious instinct, he said.
For an experienced magician, it’s almost commonplace to practice Magick every day, he said, it’s also common to practice with a team: one gathers the tools, another recites words and another looks into the smoke to find what they’re looking for.
“It’s an unbelievable thing to experience,” he added.
“A lot of people have physical reactions like pissing themselves or vomiting because they’re so mortified by what they’re witnessing,” he said, “but I have a high tolerance for the grotesque and the grim.”
When you’re conjuring demons and ghosts, you’re dealing with things that have a dark nature, he said, that is why there are rituals to guard yourself from their energy and to fortify your body of light.
These communications, whether with angels or demons, have a purpose of gaining knowledge, favors, gnosis or both.
Thelemites also practice simple rituals and come together for gnostic mass to eat cakes and drink wine.
For more information on the organization, visit the Thelema Club of Baton Rouge’s Facebook page. 
*Editor’s Note: The subject of this story wished to remain anonymous. The Daily Reveille elected to use a fictitious name, Xavier, to preserve his identity.
Revision Note: The article was originally published with the headline “Ordo Templi Orientis society established in Baton Rouge, practices law of Thelema,” but was changed in order to be more accurate. The Daily Reveille regrets this error.