Michael Bertiaux
Encyclopedia
Michael Bertiaux is an American
occult
ist and Old Catholic Bishop
, perhaps best known to the general public via the publication of his massive Voudon Gnostic Workbook (1988), a 615-page compendium of various occult lessons and research papers spanning the sub-fields of Voodoo, Neo-Pythagoreanism, Thelema
and Gnosticism
. Long considered by occultists one of the underground classics of 20th century occultism, the book was out of print for many years and fetched increasingly high prices in the antiquarian market before it was reprinted in paperback by Red Wheel/Weiser in 2007. Note that the unique spelling of "voudon" is an innovation of Bertiaux's, (though it is similar to the traditional spelling of vodun). Bertiaux also coined the term vudutronics to refer to his idiosyncratic interpretation of this religion.
Bertiaux was born in Seattle, WA on 18 January 1935. His father was a captain in the merchant navy and his mother was a prominent Theosophist.
Bertiaux served as an Episcopalian
minister in the Seattle area before traveling to Haiti
in 1964, where he was initiated into the system of Haitian Voodoo. He settled in Chicago
in 1966, where he formed (among other bodies) the Neo-Pythagorean Gnostic Church. Bertiaux's interpretation of Voodoo has been strongly influenced by Martinism
, a Francophone version of esoteric Christianity and Masonry which became established in Haiti in the 18th century.
Bertiaux has long been associated with the Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua, an initiatic gnostic-magical order supposedly founded in 1921 in Haiti by the gnostic patriarch and voudon high-priest Lucien-Francois Jean-Maine. The O.T.O.A. tradition comes from the gnostic voudon, as practiced in secret societies. There a synthesis was developed of European gnostic-hermetic currents, being the heritage of the ancient western initiatic tradition, with the Haitan metaphysics. Inside the O.T.O.A. works the Monastery of the Seven Rays. Both of these organizations cooperate with the gnostic church Ecclesia Gnostica Spiritualis.
La Couleuvre Noire (founded in 1922 but with much older, direct roots) is an independent order, closely cooperating with the O.T.O.A.. It is dedicated to the practice of advanced techniques of gnostic voudon, a powerful system of afro-atlantean magic in its traditional and purest form. Today, Courtney Willis (Tau Ogdoade-Orfeo VIII) is the Hierophant and the Sovereign Grand Master Absolute (SGMA) of the L.C.N. as well as the S.G.M.A. of the O.T.O.A. Michael Bertiaux (Tau Ogdoade-Orfeo IV) is the Grand Conservateur of the L.C.N. and the Hierophant of the O.T.O.A. Bertiaux also heads the Choronzon Club, in his words "his personal magical club" for his personal students and initiates.
For a period Michael Bertiaux was also a secretary of the Theosophical Society
until moving to Chicago
in 1966, where he trained and qualified as a social worker, a job he remained in for just under forty years. He worked especially with the Chicago Haitian community, now comprising approximately 5,000-15,000 individuals.
Bertiaux's life and occult system are examined in Kenneth Grant
's books, Cults of the Shadow (1975), Nightside of Eden (1977), Outside the Circles of Time (1980) and Hecate's Fountain (1992). Grant devotes two entire chapters of Cults of the Shadow to a discussion and analysis of Bertiaux's work in La Couleuvre Noir, as well as a portion of the chapter “Afro-Tantric Tarot of the Kalas."
An exposition of Bertiaux´s magical system and Voudon Gnosis can be found in David Beth
´s book ´Voudon Gnosis´ published by Scarlet Imprint (1st ed. 2008) and Fulgur Ltd. (2nd, revised and extended ed. 2010)
Bertiaux was also featured in the 1985 book and documentary by Nevill Drury
, The Occult Experience.
Bertiaux's magical system is complex, including terms unique to himself, such as the 'meon' and 'Zoythrian' energies but also drawing on magical extensions of the writings of H.P. Lovecraft and the teachings of Aiwass
.
Following his retirement, Bertiaux has focused on his art and writing.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
ist and Old Catholic Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, perhaps best known to the general public via the publication of his massive Voudon Gnostic Workbook (1988), a 615-page compendium of various occult lessons and research papers spanning the sub-fields of Voodoo, Neo-Pythagoreanism, Thelema
Thelema
Thelema is a religious philosophy that was established, defined and developed by the early 20th century British writer and ceremonial magician, Aleister Crowley. He believed himself to be the prophet of a new age, the Æon of Horus, based upon a religious experience that he had in Egypt in 1904...
and Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
. Long considered by occultists one of the underground classics of 20th century occultism, the book was out of print for many years and fetched increasingly high prices in the antiquarian market before it was reprinted in paperback by Red Wheel/Weiser in 2007. Note that the unique spelling of "voudon" is an innovation of Bertiaux's, (though it is similar to the traditional spelling of vodun). Bertiaux also coined the term vudutronics to refer to his idiosyncratic interpretation of this religion.
Bertiaux was born in Seattle, WA on 18 January 1935. His father was a captain in the merchant navy and his mother was a prominent Theosophist.
Bertiaux served as an Episcopalian
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
minister in the Seattle area before traveling to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
in 1964, where he was initiated into the system of Haitian Voodoo. He settled in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1966, where he formed (among other bodies) the Neo-Pythagorean Gnostic Church. Bertiaux's interpretation of Voodoo has been strongly influenced by Martinism
Martinism
Martinism is a form of mystical and esoteric Christianity concerned with the fall of the first man, his state of material privation from his divine source, and the process of his return, called 'Reintegration' or illumination....
, a Francophone version of esoteric Christianity and Masonry which became established in Haiti in the 18th century.
Bertiaux has long been associated with the Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua, an initiatic gnostic-magical order supposedly founded in 1921 in Haiti by the gnostic patriarch and voudon high-priest Lucien-Francois Jean-Maine. The O.T.O.A. tradition comes from the gnostic voudon, as practiced in secret societies. There a synthesis was developed of European gnostic-hermetic currents, being the heritage of the ancient western initiatic tradition, with the Haitan metaphysics. Inside the O.T.O.A. works the Monastery of the Seven Rays. Both of these organizations cooperate with the gnostic church Ecclesia Gnostica Spiritualis.
La Couleuvre Noire (founded in 1922 but with much older, direct roots) is an independent order, closely cooperating with the O.T.O.A.. It is dedicated to the practice of advanced techniques of gnostic voudon, a powerful system of afro-atlantean magic in its traditional and purest form. Today, Courtney Willis (Tau Ogdoade-Orfeo VIII) is the Hierophant and the Sovereign Grand Master Absolute (SGMA) of the L.C.N. as well as the S.G.M.A. of the O.T.O.A. Michael Bertiaux (Tau Ogdoade-Orfeo IV) is the Grand Conservateur of the L.C.N. and the Hierophant of the O.T.O.A. Bertiaux also heads the Choronzon Club, in his words "his personal magical club" for his personal students and initiates.
For a period Michael Bertiaux was also a secretary of the Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is an organization formed in 1875 to advance the spiritual principles and search for Truth known as Theosophy. The original organization, after splits and realignments has several successors...
until moving to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1966, where he trained and qualified as a social worker, a job he remained in for just under forty years. He worked especially with the Chicago Haitian community, now comprising approximately 5,000-15,000 individuals.
Bertiaux's life and occult system are examined in Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant was a British occultist, novelist, and poet, who with his partner, the artist Steffi Grant, headed the magical order previously known as the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis but which is now referred to as the Typhonian Order.-Occult background:Grant's occult experiences began in 1939...
's books, Cults of the Shadow (1975), Nightside of Eden (1977), Outside the Circles of Time (1980) and Hecate's Fountain (1992). Grant devotes two entire chapters of Cults of the Shadow to a discussion and analysis of Bertiaux's work in La Couleuvre Noir, as well as a portion of the chapter “Afro-Tantric Tarot of the Kalas."
An exposition of Bertiaux´s magical system and Voudon Gnosis can be found in David Beth
David Beth
David Beth is a German esoteric philosopher and occultist. He is a close friend and collaborator of Michael Bertiaux.-Profile:Beth was born and raised in Africa by German parents. He has lived in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, the United States and Europe...
´s book ´Voudon Gnosis´ published by Scarlet Imprint (1st ed. 2008) and Fulgur Ltd. (2nd, revised and extended ed. 2010)
Bertiaux was also featured in the 1985 book and documentary by Nevill Drury
Nevill Drury
Nevill Drury is an editor, publisher, and professional in many aspects of the publishing business, as well as the author of over forty books on subjects ranging from shamanism and western magical traditions to art, music, and anthropology. His books have been published in fifteen languages...
, The Occult Experience.
Bertiaux's magical system is complex, including terms unique to himself, such as the 'meon' and 'Zoythrian' energies but also drawing on magical extensions of the writings of H.P. Lovecraft and the teachings of Aiwass
Aiwass
Aiwass is the name of the being who Aleister Crowley claimed dictated The Book of the Law, the central sacred text of Thelema, to him on April 8, 9, and 10th in 1904.-The dictation:...
.
Following his retirement, Bertiaux has focused on his art and writing.
Books
- Ontological Graffiti Fulgur LimitedFulgur LimitedFulgur Limited is an independent English publishing house founded in 1992 that produces fine press esoteric titles.- History :Originally an informal business partnership, Fulgur was set up by Robert Ansell, Gavin W. Semple and Hayley Tong at 13 Park Crescent, Worthing on August 8, 1992...
forthcoming 2012. - Vudu Cartography Fulgur LimitedFulgur LimitedFulgur Limited is an independent English publishing house founded in 1992 that produces fine press esoteric titles.- History :Originally an informal business partnership, Fulgur was set up by Robert Ansell, Gavin W. Semple and Hayley Tong at 13 Park Crescent, Worthing on August 8, 1992...
2010. - The Voudon Gnostic Workbook (1988). Reissued by Weiser 2007.
- Cosmic Meditation Fulgur LimitedFulgur LimitedFulgur Limited is an independent English publishing house founded in 1992 that produces fine press esoteric titles.- History :Originally an informal business partnership, Fulgur was set up by Robert Ansell, Gavin W. Semple and Hayley Tong at 13 Park Crescent, Worthing on August 8, 1992...
2007.