We offer this to O.T.O. members and others interested in the Gnostic Mass motivated by respect for the ritual written by Aleister Crowley.

We strive to adhere to the written instruction of Liber XV. Since Crowley described the Mass as the central ritual public and private of O.T.O., we are particularly anxious to see the ritual "rightly performed." We have observed several customs developing over the decades with which we disagree. Therefore we offer our own interpretation for wider distribution in hopes you will consider alternative performance options.

Reasonable people may hold different opinions, sometimes passionately. This commentary represents our best efforts to remain faithful to the text of Liber XV as we understand it; the traditions we inherited from Agape Lodge through my initiator and friend the late Caliph Hymenaeus Alpha; and our many years of practical experience with the ritual.

Our definition of legitimate is simple:

Now, a note of clarification. Liber XV is not Class A. Therefore, we have made certain minor tweakings in the script. (Please refer to the PDF Performance Missal.)

In Section VI we added the instruction, “[He takes the Paten],” because a couple of lines down Crowley says, “He takes the Cup.” This maintains the balance we believe he intended.

Similarly, in Section IV we added, “[The people sit.],” because several lines down Crowley wrote, “All rise and stand to order.” Logically, to rise, they must have been seated. Similarly, we moved instructions for the Dieu Garde from Section  V because we interpreted “stand to order” as Dieu Garde, “the universal position when standing.”

It should also be obvious that we accept the Frater Superior's right to have modified the List of Saints in the Collects.

All this may sound overly technical. However, due to performance customs, with which we disagree, that have crept into the Mass over the last decades:

This commentary is designed  to be held in your hands and used during Mass practice sessions with participating Mass officers.

We specifically avoid doctrinal issues or metaphysical speculation with one or two tiny exceptions.

We repeat the statement on page one of the manuscript. Namely:

It represents the combined efforts of a Priest and Priestess team who are Bishops within the EGC and who present this in obedience to our Oaths. One of our team has performed the Mass and trained others since 1979. We have performed the Mass together since 1991.

We hope you will find this of value to your practice and urge you to compare your own performance of the Mass with Aleister Crowley’s written instructions for same.

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