Karl Germer
| Karl Germer | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 22, 1885 Elberfeld, Germany |
| Died |
October 25, 1962 (aged 81) West Point, California |
| Nationality | German |
| Known for | Frater Superior of the Ordo Templi Orientis, 1947 - 1962 |
Karl Germer (22 January 1885 – 25 October 1962), also known as Frater Saturnus, was a German occultist and the successor of Aleister Crowley as the Outer Head of the Order (OHO) of Ordo Templi Orientis from 1947 until his death in 1962.[1] He was born in Elberfeld, Germany and died in West Point, California.
Germer studied in a university, worked as a military intelligence officer in the First World War and received first- and second class Iron Crosses for his service.[2] In 1923 he sold his Vienna property and founded the publishing house Pansophia Verlag in Munich. Germer stayed with his wife Maria at the Abbey of Thelema from January 10, 1926 until sometime in February.[3] In 1926, he moved to America with his wife and in 1927 founded the Thelema-Verlags-Gesellschaft, which published German versions of Crowley's works.[4]
Germer's visa gave out and he had to return to Germany in 1935. He was arrested by the Gestapo on 13 February 1935 for being an associate of the "High Grade Freemason Aleister Crowley".[5] He was first held at the Columbia-Haus in Berlin and was then moved to the Esterwegen concentration camp.[6]
As author and occultist Aleister Crowley’s representative in Germany, Germer moved to America after being released from Nazi confinement. In 1942, Crowley appointed Germer as his successor, and he fulfilled that position after Crowley's death in 1947.[7]
References
- ↑ Melton, J. Gordon; Baumann, Martin (2010). Religions of the World, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. ABC-CLIO. p. 2150. ISBN 1598842048.
- ↑ Kaczynski, Richard (2010). Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley (second edition). Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books. ISBN 978-0-312-25243-4.
- ↑ Kaczynski 2010, p. 423
- ↑ Kaczynski 2010, p. 426
- ↑ Starr, Bro. Martin P. (1995). "Aleister Crowley: freemason!". In Gilbert, Robert A. ARS QUATUOR CORONATORUM. Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge N. 2076 (vol. 108 ed.). Frome and London: Butler & Tanner Ltd. pp. 150–161. ISBN 0-907655-32-7. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
- ↑ Churton, Tobias (2011). Aleister Crowley: The Biography: Spiritual Revolutionary, Romantic Explorer, Occult Master and Spy. Duncan Baird Publishers. ISBN 178028134X.
- ↑ Orpheus, Rodney (2009). "Gerald Gardner & Ordo Templi Orientis". Pentacle Magazine (30). pp. 14–18. ISSN 1753-898X.