A Word from CHS/OTA on “American Magick”

We are pleased to see interest in the film American Magick and appreciate the work that went into its creation. It is an excellent film and highly recommended.

For students, seekers, and curious viewers who would like a fuller understanding of our Order, its history, and its structure, we offer the following:

1.     The Church of the Hermetic Sciences (CHS) was founded in 1970 by Carroll “Poke” Runyon. The Ordo Templi Astartes (OTA) is our fraternal Order, with Rivendell as the Mother Lodge.  All Lodges operate on the coven model; Rivendell’s is led by Magister Frater Thabion 7° and Very Honored Soror Zandria 7°. This honors the sacred balance between our patron deities, Baal and Astarte, and preserves the spirit of our pagan origins.

2.     The Fifth Degree of the Crata Repoa Reformatis (Balahate) emphasizes the Temple Legend elevating the Queen of Sheba (Balkis) alongside Solomon, equalizing the Divine Feminine.

3.     Some film materials reflect lodge-specific concepts, not Order-wide practices.

4.     The sacred foundation of CHS/OTA is Canaanite-Phoenician, reflecting the birthplace of King Solomon according to maps of that period. We also draw upon the Hermetic teachings rooted in Ptolemaic Egypt (305 BC to 30 BC), the final independent Egyptian dynasty marked by the reign of Cleopatra, which was a multicultural synthesis of Greek, Egyptian, Phoenician, Canaanite, Persian, and broader Mediterranean influences. The Ptolemaic period demonstrated that cultural synthesis, founded on mutual respect, creates richer, more dynamic expressions than any single tradition could produce alone.

Thanks for your interest in our work and our tradition. Enjoy the film. And be sure to stay tuned for our next project , Cleopatra’s Mystery School – Then and Now."

Carroll “Poke” Runyon / Frater Thabion
Founder, Ordo Templi Astartes / Church of the Hermetic Sciences