Servants of the Star and the Snake

The Servants of the Star and the Snake (SSS), founded in 1995, grew out of the remnants of the Ordo Templi Baphemetis (OTB), a thelemic magical order which had functioned earlier in the decade, and it retains the thelemic character of the OTB. SSS exists as a free association of magical practitioners, members variously defining themselves as ceremonial magicians, shamans, witches, neopagans, sorcerers, or tantrikas. Having jettisoned the hierarchical structures and degree systems of what is considered the Old Aeon, the magicians of the SSS come together for mutual sharing, learning, and networking. There are no leaders, no holy books, and no formal initiations; however, the group does have a special respect for the teachings of the late Sri Gurudeva Mahendrabath Paramahamsa, known to his followers as Dadaji, the cofounder of AMOOKOS (the Arcane, Magikal Order of the Knights of Shambhala) and the late Alain Daniélou.

The association is overseen by an administrator-general, a revolving office; the current administrator-general of the SSS is known by his magical name, Frater Eeyore. SSS may be contacted at P.O. Box 642, Weslaco, TX 78599-0642. It publishes a periodical, Lila. Closely associated is the American Gnostic Church, founded in 1985, headed by the Rev. James M. Martin. The church serves as an umbrella organization for several closely related spiritual movements, each claiming some form of illumination by stellar-gnosis. Through it, the SSS is closely related to the Order of Napunsakas in the West (ON), a tantrick Order for non-heterosexuals. The ON exists through an outer order for both males and females, though its inner order, the Cultus Skanda-Karttikeya (CS-K), is open only to males. The Tantra (from Hinduism) and Thelema (the magical system developed by Aleister Crowley ) systems have a common interest in sex magick, though traditionally they approach sexuality from different perspectives.

The SSS has a webpage at http://www.wild.au/sss/index.html.

Sources:

Servants of the Star and the Snake. http://www.wild.au//sss/index.html.