For a more comprehensive view of my philosophy, please read my book Templar of the Ruby Star, and its companion novels Diary of a Scarlet Woman and A Comedy and/or Tragedy of Pan: Commentary by Dr. Hunter Lumiere. A lighter, more abridged version can be found in my poetry book Metaphysical Instruction in Verse.
Since I don’t know at what point in time or history that you may be reading this, and if I am alive or not when you are doing so, please note that any group or individual that practices a philosophy of hatred or discrimination towards others based on race, gender, sexuality, religion or creed is NOT a Templar of the Ruby Star, as these hateful beliefs are antithetical to my teachings in every way. I wish we lived in a world where this went without saying, but as practices deemed occult have a considerable tendency to be appropriated by such groups, it seems necessary to include this point in hopes that it will be totally irrelevant in the time of the reader.
Also note that while one of the primary aims of my practice is a positive increase of one’s mental health, this does NOT make any aspects of my practice replacements for more conventional therapeutic paradigms, or for taking medications prescribed by medical and mental health professionals. In fact, seeking mental health professionals for therapy (which may or may not include medication) comes highly recommended by me, as when one is tinkering around in their inner world, they need all the qualified help they can get to deal with the consequences.
The Templar of the Ruby Star was a symbol that emerged in my inner visionary work shortly after joining Crowley’s OTO around 2017, roughly 11 years into my spiritual practice. I believe it was a way for my mind to reconcile the Christian-ish symbolism that peppered my early, Kabbalistic visions with Crowley’s more Thelemic imagery. It is basically the name for my personal spiritual practice that consists of using daily meditation and intuitive bodywork (primarily via intuitive hands healing, such as Reiki) to reach a state where you are doing intuitive bodywork more often than not.
I feel now that after 20 plus years of having developed this practice on a personal level, I am ready to share it and the philosophy behind it with others. It is by no means a magickal order with set locations where people cavort and discuss esoteric secrets. It consists instead of tools I give people for the purpose of them using them as individuals to further their own growth on their own terms. Once a class is over, I or whoever their teacher was should no longer enter the picture unless the student has specific questions on technique or application.
Historically and mythologically, the Knights Templar were said to be a Christian order that traveled to the east for the Crusades, and in doing so absorbed the more bodily teachings of sex magick from those they met there, creating their own secret rites that broke Christian taboos around sexuality, diet, and the body as a whole. While it is likely that most of these stories are based more on legend and Catholic propaganda than truth, to me they had always represented an order that combined mystical/ spiritual states of consciousness with bodily pleasures such as sex and drugs.
On a similar note, the Ruby Star in Thelema is often said to represent the chakra on the forehead known as the Third Eye, which is the seat of intuition, as well as the sphere of Chokmah in Crowley’s Hermetic Kabbalah, which represents both the Divine Masculine Father God and the part of consciousness tied to spontaneous intuitive expression. In other Thelemic texts, particularly Crowley’s Holy Book Liber Stella Rubea, it is hinted that the Ruby Star may also symbolize acts of sex magick which involve the experiencing of inner, spiritual states through this most delightful and bodily of means.
All of this symbolism points to the same concept, which defines the Templar of the Ruby Star: one that develops the intuition through the healing of the inner world, then allows that intuition to guide them to worldly pleasure and work that is both fulfilling and helps better the world around them in some way.
Sample tools that one can use to develop a practice to do so are present in both my intuitive bodywork manuals/courses and the books Templar of the Ruby Star and Diary of a Scarlet Woman and A Comedy and/or Tragedy of Pan: Commentary by Dr. Hunter Lumiere. The first level of classes is foundational and provides one enough to accomplish the work, the rest provide additional tools to help develop and refine this process further, and discuss how to ethically present it to others.
Because no one can measure the level of one’s healing except the individual, it should not be expected that one that simply reads my books or even receives an attunement/initiation from me or one qualified to do so will actually do the simple yet difficult work of the Templar of the Ruby Star. Consequently, there are only two titles that can be externally conferred upon those that do initiate into these teachings: Stella Rubea Initiate (SRI) and Senior Stella Rubea Initiate (SSRI).
Stella Rubea Initiates (SRI) are merely those that have received an initiation or attunement and completed the instruction of the foundational level and/or one or more of the next three levels. Senior Stella Rubea Initiates (SSRI) are those that have completed initiations and instructions for all five levels of this practice and have been deemed qualified to teach and initiate others into this practice by me or another SSRI.
As stated above, this does not mean anything except that the SRI or SSRI in question has received a level of instruction. It does not confer any degrees of enlightenment, or even suggest that the individual has used this in a constructive or useful way. This concept is reinforced on the certificates of completion for each level, which read that “so and so has completed this level of instruction and received the initiation: don’t get too excited; they may still be a total schmuck if they don’t do anything with it, and sometimes even if they do.”
To complete any level of instruction in this practice, or to read about it doesn’t mean anything by itself. It’s like buying a gym membership and not going to the gym. It is only by using the techniques presented to heal the self and help create a better world around you that these techniques are useful. Actions speak louder than words, and the results of these actions will speak the loudest as to whether you are succeeding or failing on your inner journey. This is not a practice for those that wish to transcend their humanity in some spiritual way: it is rather for those that would choose to embrace their humanity by feeling it and healing it more deeply, and expressing that depth to others in pleasant, constructive ways.
This said, there is more fun symbolism in the titles SRI and SSRI for those that have interest in Aleister Crowley’s specific brand of numerology, where each letter is assigned a number and words/ phrases that add up to identical numbers are said to have some sort of connection. While as some of my works suggest, I am critical of those that spend too much time that could better be spent in actual inner practice laboring over rational proofs of made-up math, I certainly consider them a fun distraction similar to playing video games or watching television. Plus, it is always somewhat validating when something that comes to you in inner work (such as the titles I’m about to present) has a numerological value that actually does tie to the concept presented. For more details on this brand of numerology, read Crowley’s 777 and Other Qabalistic Writings.
SRI = 60 + 200 + 10 = 270. 270 is the number that is the equivalent of I.N.R.I. Most will know this as the initials of Jesus written on the cross, but those more into esoteric, alchemical concepts may have seen it presented as a phrase that translates to “by fire, nature renews itself.” Here again, we see the concept of the combination of something considered by some to be spiritual (Jesus) with a more bodily concept. Fire represents desire in most alchemical symbolism, and it is desire that stokes the sexual act which of course is how human beings reproduce. So we see in each SRI an aspiration to both the spiritual and the bodily, sometimes (and ideally) simultaneously.
SSRI = 300+60+200+10 =570. In Crowley’s system, this represents many things including the words “heads,” “gate/ door,” and “concussion/earthquake.” This is all very appropriate to me as the SSRIs are the heads of the order in the sense that it is them that are responsible for passing these teachings onto others. In doing so, they are not really doing anything except acting as a gate or door for each initiate to explore and heal themselves. It is my hope that this will create a concussion/earthquake to the world around them in the positive sense of them healing themselves and their environments, but of course this depends on individual practice and merit.
In less esoteric terms, in my time SSRIs are also an acronym for a kind of anti-depressant medication. This fits my symbolism perfectly, as the core philosophy of my practice is that people’s lives are miserable because of the traumas inflicted on them by both their upbringings and a society that gives few means to heal those traumas. By having practices such as this one that help heal these traumas then takes that healing a step further to improve the world around them, a previously sad, sick society becomes healthier. It is of course my hope that my SSRIs act as anti-depressants for the sad societies they live in, but again, that depends entirely on the merit of each one of them to use the techniques I present to heal themselves and others first. As the old saying goes, the compliments pass when the quality meets, and only quality -not pretense that it exists -deserves compliments.
If any of the symbolism of SRIs, SSRIs, the Templar of the Ruby Star, Thelema or Christianity don’t resonate with you, don’t worry. They are just metaphors that my mind came up with to help classify and direct this practice. If you follow what I present to create a practice of your own, your own symbolism not just should but will emerge. It is only for the sake of historical preservation of how I came to this work, and as an example of what such a system looks like, that I present my own symbolism. The only truly important thing is how you use what is presented as a springboard to your own healing and development on your own terms.
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