New: October 27, 2015
http://www.ordrereauxcroix.org/
http://oto-usa.org/
http://www.aurumsolis.info/index.php?lang=en-us
Another entry here will be my analysis of 3 large organizations, The Martinist Order Ordre Reaux Croix, the Ordo Templi Orientis and the Ordo Aurum Solis. Their main websites are listed above. I used the O.T.O., for the U.S., because it had more information than the world site did. I will speculate on these and show you what might be the best ones to consider joining or using for your daily ritual work.
I analyzed Freemasonry for over 5 years to come to some startling conclusions about what it is about. If I wanted to look at these more closely I would take a look at early books in print that describe what the philosophy is all about. Francis King with The Secret Rituals of the O.T.O. will give you some idea about what the early rituals were like. Over time, these organizations may rewrite their rituals and they may be nothing like the early writings of the ceremony before. Aleister Crowley is not my favorite author. He spoke in codes or riddles, and claimed he was "the Beast". He may have wanted to identify with a form of the devil to command the negative spirits for his black magic aims. Crowley's only significant work, in my opinion, is 777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley.
I have a background in Rosicrucianism. I have studied Freemasonry, researched its history through many books and have come to some conclusions. I am under oath not to discuss some of ideas of Rosicrucian philosophy. After awhile, I became familiar with Martinism. I am not sold entirely on Martinism. The philosophy is based on the beliefs of Claude de St. Martin. His idea of prayer was interesting, but his objective and the way he goes about it - I am in disagreement with. However, I am not a member of Freemasonry.
In either case, I can steer you toward some of the books that can tell you whether these philosophies would be of interest to you. The book The Wisdom of the Mystic Masters by Joseph Weed is one of the best books about being a Rosicrucian. It is written by a former member of the organization. The Rosicrucian Manual, available from online booksellers, is one of the most curious books. There is startling information about the 10th, 11th and 12th degrees. I won't ruin it for the booksellers, but will tell you to get the book and read it. I am inactive (completed 2 degrees at my local Lodge, 6 degrees through mail order correspondance) and did not fully complete the degrees. The degrees have changed my life and I recommend it to anybody to try it for 2 years. See if it doesn't change your life. They will give you something that you can use in daily life. You can read the books to find out some of the information, but it is best to join the organizations for a year or two to find out the real information about the orders.
The last order mentioned is probably my favorite. I have the book by Denning and Phillips which is along the lines of the Ogdoadic Tradition. Denning and Phillips were authors of several books from Llewellyn Publications. I can relate to these teachings the most. Jean-Louis de Biasi appears to be the current Grand Master and has written several books that may expand on this tradition further. Lon Milo DuQuette is one of the governing officers for the Ordo Templi Orientis. Both authors have some great books in print that may be far greater works than what is provided by the organizations they belong to.
