"Neither East nor West" offers a selection of papers from the ninth biennial National Ordo Templi Orientis Conference (NOTOCON) of the United States Grand Lodge of O.T.O., held in the Valley of Sacramento, California, in 2013 EV. The papers in this volume explore a diverse array of esoteric traditions ranging from courtesanship to Kabbalah; from I Ching to Islam; and from vinification to Voodoo. They explore the roots of Western ritual magic in the grimoire tradition, from manuscripts such as the "Goetia" and "The Offices of Spirits"; and discuss how encounters between Afro-diasporic religions and Western ceremonial magic have spawned unique permutations on the Tarot. Other highlights include inspirational words from our always funny yet profound Deputy Grand Master Lon Milo DuQuette; and Saturday evening's keynote address by the U.S. National Grand Master Sabazius. Together these papers represent some of the best modern practical and scholarly work available on Ordo Templi Orientis, Thelema, and the magick of Aleister Crowley.
The first NOTOCON conference took place in 1997 EV in Akron, Ohio, and has since been held on alternate years in different cities around the United States. "Neither East nor West" is the fourth collection of papers from the national conference to be made available, following the inaugural volume "Beauty & Strength" for the 2007 EV conference. Ordo Templi Orientis is an international fraternal order of men and women devoted to the pursuit of individual liberty, the study of magick, and the promulgation of the Law of Thelema. Founded in the early twentieth century, it has been shaped by such leading lights as Carl Kellner, Theodor Reuss, Aleister Crowley, Karl Germer and Grady Louis McMurtry.