Blue Equinox Oasis is the local body of Ordo Templi Orientis for the Metro Detroit area in South-Eastern Michigan, serving the fraternal needs of our Brothers and Sisters of the Order, and to Thelemites around the world.
Detroit has a long and rich Masonic history. We are the home of the largest Masonic Temple in the world. We also have a long history with Aleister Crowley and the OTO.
Back in 1918, Crowley met Albert W. Ryerson, then General Manager of Detroit ’s Universal Books, while staying in New York . Crowley became very interested in Ryerson, who was a Prince of the Royal Secret (32 ° ) Mason, and had many connections in the Detroit area. Crowley had already published 10 full, book-length journals, called The Equinox Volume 1 on the equinoxes from 1909-1913. After a 5-yearsilence, Crowley was ready to release the next volume. He wished to do so on the equinox in March of 1919. Ryerson, along with partner Gordon W. Hill, President of Universal Books, agreed to publish the first of Crowley ’s next volume. Ryerson and Hill also agreed to be the distributor of this and his other books through their Universal Book Store.
Crowley was also very exited about getting other like-minded Masons in Detroit interested in the OTO. By November of 1918, Crowley had found a printer and was busy editing and overseeing the publishing of his first Equinox volume in five years. In January of 1919, he sent the OTO’s Deputy Grand Master General, Charles Stansfeld Jones, to Detroit . Jones and Ryerson met with several of Detroit ’s Masons at the law office of Frank T. Lodge, who was the Past Grand Master of Michigan’s F.A.M. Lodge, a Sovereign Grand Inspector General (33 ° ) in the Scottish Rite, and presumptive leader of the OTO group in Detroit . Jones left the office with signed contracts between Crowley and Universal Book Store for 2,000 copies of The Equinox Volume 3, Number 1.
As Crowley was in New York promoting the art works that would be seen in The Equinox, Jones, still in Detroit , was busy trying to promote interest in Thelema and the works of the Master Therion on his own. He started by teaching classes at Universal Books. Due to the growing popularity of his classes, Jones soon started supplementing the classes at the store with classes at his apartment. After a short time he was holding classes in various locations around Detroit four times a week.
The weeks leading up to the release of the Equinox were starting to gather some interest in the community. However, there was some building anxiety about the controversial Crowley and his publication, mainly from Universal Books’ stockholders and local churches. Ryerson tried to assure the stockholders that The Equinox would sell.
On March 21, 1919 The Blue Equinox appeared, so called because of its blue cloth cover. Sadly this Equinox didn’t sell as Crowley had planned. There was a large backlash against Crowley , the OTO, and all involved in the publishing in Detroit ’s Masonic community as evidenced by the coverage in local and national newspapers
It is from this ill-fated, yet brilliant publication, that Blue Equinox Oasis gets its name.
If you would like to know more about the history of the OTO and Crowley in Detroit , feel free to read Blue Equinox Journal Volume 2, Panic in Detroit : The Magician and the Motor City by Richard Kaczynski, Ph.D., available for purchase from our Oasis. Please write to [email protected] for details.