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"The word of the Law is Thelema."6
Thelema begins with the observation that each life is deity and continues in lengthy, detailed commentary on the responsibilities and ramifications of godhood plus tips, hints and recipes for today's active deity. This is embodied in the three basic principles of Thelema. The first, and most famous, is: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."7 While this 'Law of Thelema' is generally insufficiently translated as 'do what you like,' Crowley maintained its true meaning was that: a) Each life has a higher nature and a divine purpose. b) That each life, with differing degrees of efficiency, is currently involved in communication with the higher self for the accomplishment of their divine purpose. c) That any and every life must begin their striving by actively acknowledging and actively worshipping the divinity in themselves, in certain concepts and in every other living thing.8 d) It is understood that the nature of one life's divinity and divine purpose may be inscrutable to another and even to him or herself.9
According to Crowley, the trick to the Law of Thelema is in the words "Thou" and "Wilt." The first word is formal in Old English and refers to the higher self, the deity within; and the second word refers to the divine purpose -- it is a different and more potent concept than 'will'.10
It will become clear, especially as the intelligence herein is presented, that the Law of Thelema is the inspiration for Michael's observation "Thou art God," -- notice the Thou from the Law of Thelema -- "That which groks [is God]."11
This is a difficult concept to express in a sound bite, and although both Crowley and Heinlein did pretty well, they and both complained bitterly that language was inadequate. The brevity and odd construction of these statements contain the 'fullness' of the concept, making them something along the lines of a koan, but like the koan, there is an obvious need for depth understanding. Apprehension doesn't come without effort and deep reflection.
The Law of Thelema has another use. Crowley instructed his followers to greet everyone with "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law," and began all of his communications, written and oral, with these words to remind the speaker and the listener of their shared divinity.12 Similarly, in Stranger the Nest even uses "Thou art God," as the first words shared among water brothers and the real world groups inspired by Stranger share this greeting often. Most modern Thelemites abbreviate the Law of Thelema to its Qabalic equivalent of 93, making this number something of a buzzword and greeting among the in crowd. Sadly, this abbreviation also reduces the impact of this most powerful statement.
Communicating with the divine as the center of all life and action brings us to the second major principle of Thelema: "Love is the law, love under will,"13 which is usually said in response to "Do what thou wilt..." or in closing a speech or letter.14
Typically, this Law of Love is also misunderstood as mere license. Crowley interpreted to mean that any action from the higher self must be, by definition, an act of the deity and, ergo, an act of love. This is not the fearful, insecure sentimentality of modern romance, but the divine and passionate union of one part of creation with all other parts of creation.15 As diverse as the universe itself, divine love can take many forms: according to Odin it can be death in battle, according to Vulcan it's a hard day's work raping the planet, according to Pan it's nymph and tuck, according to Hermes it's theft and seduction, et cetera.
Between the first two Laws, Thelema may sound like justification for the greatest possible excesses, and, well, it is. But, as Heinlein observed, these "[are laws] of nature, not an injunction, nor a permission."16 These principles do not pretend to describe a set of inspired religious lifestyle proscriptions. Rather, they comprise demonstrable, scientifically accurate, functional observations about life and the universe. Thelema begins with the observation that each life has the freedom to create and destroy at will regardless of any later moral, ethical or aesthetic judgement. Another way of rehashing the two first principles are to quote Hassan I Sabbah who said "There is no Truth. All is permissible." Provocative? You could write a book about it.17 This precise issue is addressed towards the end of Stranger when Michael has annihilated various criminals housed in prisons and in public office. Jubal asks him, "Aren't you afraid of playing God, lad?" "Mike grinned with unashamed cheerfulness. 'I am God. Thou art God... and any jerk I remove is God, too... And when a cat stalks a sparrow both of them are God, carrying out God's thoughts." 18 (Italics his.)
A mind-blowing responsibility comes with acknowledging the freedom to act and Heinlein points out that the law of Thelema applies to lynch mobs as well.19 Not that this devalues these observations. Rather, it demonstrates their global application and reemphasizes the understanding that one person's Great Will may be inscrutable to another.
This dovetails nicely into the third principle of Thelema: "Every man and every woman is a star." Here is the essence of the 'all men are created equal' rap and is commonly misunderstood to mean that merely being born qualifies one for the rewards that other people may have accrued including respect, opportunity, love, security, et cetera. Its real meaning is that "Every man and every woman has a course, depending partly on the self, and partly on the environment which is natural and necessary for each. Anyone who is forced from his [or her] own course, either through a lack of self- understanding [sic], or through external opposition, comes into conflict with the order of the Universe and suffers accordingly."20
We find this curious, worshipful tolerance a familiar theme throughout Stranger -- a theme which balances the seeming severity of the two earlier Thelemic principles. Michael spends enormous amounts of (subjective) time and energy grokking before he acts, and thus he is in accord with himself and the universe, not counting mistakes, when he encounters a cusp. Jubal, the books other major character, is also in constant philosophical motion, attempting to grok through the haze of his self-admitted tribal taboos. Stranger's whole plot may be best understood as Jubal's (and the other major characters') eventual enlightenment to this basic Thelemic principle and the defeat of their cultural filters.
Before closing the topic of Thelema, it is important to pass on a few details about how Thelema is shared and practiced. This makes it easier to frame the clues from Stranger. The Thelemic current seems to have roots in the writings of earlier philosophers and magicians and the movements they founded,21 but modern Thelema stems from a brief, enigmatic text channelled by Crowley, called the Book of the Law or Liber AL vel Legis (we'll call it Liber Legis). It is the source from which all of Thelema is drawn.
It interesting to note that Heinlein has Michael reading "such deviant oddities as Crowley's Book of the Law" alongside other more traditional religious texts in the first scene that presents Michael as seriously struggling with his humanity.22 It is a very prominent, even tongue-in-cheek reference and many people, including Hymenaeus Beta, head of the world's largest Thelemic organization, recall Stranger as the first place they had ever heard reference to Crowley.23
Liber Legis is a complex, poetically striking book. It is rife with puns and references from diverse mythological, magickal, alchemical and Qabalic sources. It is a miracle of allegory and some of its codes have been an inspiration to cryptographers since at least before WWII. Its themes are myriad and include the announcement of the New Age,24 an age of the magickal child which follows the primeval maternal age and the current declining patriarchy. The book heralds earth changes and changes in the state of magick, offers advice and commentary on Thelema, and makes several predictions including the coming of a Thelemic magickal child who will succeed Crowley. This would seem a good idea since Crowley himself never figured out all of the kinks in Liber Legis, a situation which is predicted in taunting passages of the book itself,25 nor was Crowley ever at peace with contents of the book. Only years after he received Liber Legis, and only when absolutely inundated by bizarre synchronicity from the text, did he begin to circulate Liber Legis and propagate Thelema.
He did this by printing vast quantities of Liber Legis, and many other remarkable texts, and selling them or (rarely) giving them away. He also founded several magickal organizations and co-opted a pre-existing magickal organization of Masonic heritage, the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) into his Thelemic fold. These organizations grew (and splintered and metastasized) to become large worldwide networks of both secret and public Thelemic societies. This is an epic story in itself.
These magickal orders are based on nine degrees of initiation which reflect the acquisition of magickal and mundane knowledge and illumination. There is a tenth degree, mostly administrative, which indicates the order's temporal head, and even a mysterious eleventh degree. The Order is organized (mostly) around 'lodges' where members often share living, learning and ritual space. A quick scan of Crowley's bylaws for the OTO seem to call for the creation of an extended family within the lodge and a network of lodges around the globe, united in magickal ties deemed stronger than blood and dedicated to the propagation of Thelema.26 Does all this sound familiar? It is a very close approximation of the Nest and its influence is apparent in those real life groups inspired by Stranger. Coextant with the OTO is a religious body, the Gnostic Catholic Church which is organized roughly along the lines of churches everywhere, but whose final authority rests in the head of the OTO. The GCC is known primarily for their mass which celebrates the Goddess and her union with the God. It is a deeply moving ceremony and is one of the few Thelemic rituals routinely open to the general public. It bears a very strong resemblance to the ritual witnessed by Ben Caxton in Stranger.27
So, to recap, there seems to be an astonishing similarity to the content and forms of the nest and the philosophy and practice of Thelema; yet, for the purposes of this article, such similitude is but a start. So far, we have a neat set of coincidences and a single overt mention of "Crowley's Book of the Law." Yet, for a man of Heinlein scholarship this could be dismissed as a fluke or even as two great minds thinking alike. Let's see then, if we can demonstrate that Heinlein was intimately involved with magick in general and Thelema in particular.
Time Enough for Magick
Heinlein's interests had included magick from early in his career. In 1941 he wrote the novella Magic, Inc.,28 a delightfully wise and funny treatment of modern society's reaction to the 'scientific' discovery of magic. His story demonstrates a genuine scholarly inquiry into the history and practice of magic,29 and addresses many social, economic and political ramifications of a burgeoning high tech, magickal industry.30 In the story, widespread industrial use of magick falls victim to a racketeering operation composed of organized crime and corrupt government officials who plot to establish a monopoly on magick and then bar its use by private citizens. (One can almost whiff the spoor of G. Gordon Liddy!) It is easy to see how the story might have arisen from Heinlein's famous opposition to gun control for the plot can be summarized: "If magick is outlawed by government, only outlaws and government will have magick."31
Heinlein seems to have employed magickal and Thelemic themes in many of his works, particularly the later ones. Most of his plots concerned the liberation of strong minded individuals from external control and their transmogrification into their greater selves. This process of discovering and dedicating one's great destiny is inherent in "Do what thou wilt." It is a process Thelemites call apotheosis and is deemed, for many, the raison d'etre of magick, indeed, of life itself.
Since it is clear that Heinlein was involved in magickal scholarship -- and it's hard to imagine a field in which he wasn't engaged in some degree of scholarship -- Heinlein's exposure to Thelema may have initially come from his vast reading. Crowley was widely (and often grudgingly) considered the greatest magickal genius of his day even by people who hated him. His Qabalic classic 777 32 is a standard reference among all but Orthodox Jewish sources -- some of whom also note Crowley. Dion Fortune, Allan Bennett, James Joyce, Austin Osman Spare, Somerset Maugham, Sibyl Leek and most other early 20th century occult superstars had much to say about Crowley, most of it contradictory, and all of their works are profoundly affected by him. Crowley's influence was not confined to magick alone: he was an avid sportsman, a fecund writer, and a 'personality' whose life affected many artists, poets, writers and scientists of his time. It is hard to imagine a man as widely read as Heinlein missing mention of "the wickedest man in the world."
Yet, until recently it was very difficult to document Heinlein's personal involvement with magick except by examining his writings. He was an intensely private man who felt his livelihood potentially threatened by the repressive moral climate of his times.33 He seldom invited contact with the press or organized fandom and there are very few hints of his personal life available in his biographies. While some anecdotes survive that show Heinlein as some sort of Santa Claus or friendly wizard,34 he would have been a 'maybe' on the closet magician list were it not for his relationship with three of the most famous Thelemic magicians besides Crowley: John Whiteside Parsons, Marjorie Cameron and L. Ron Hubbard who together participated in one of the most famous 20th century magickal operations, the Babalon Working.
Hubbard, best known for his successful mid-life career transition from science fiction author to founding deity of the Church of Scientology, knew Heinlein intimately. Only several mentions of Hubbard are made in Heinlein's biographies and collected letters, but it is clear that they were close. Hubbard and Heinlein lived near each other, served as officers in the Navy, worked for the same magazines, and, from what one reads, seem to have been close personal friends.35 Hubbard also wrote copious science fiction, and even introduced Heinlein to literary agent and long time friend Lurton Blassingame.36 For that matter, Heinlein seems to have been intimate with the other messianic science fiction writers of his era, Theodore Sturgeon, Arthur C. Clarke and Frank Herbert -- whose works bear closer inspection for the magickally minded.
Cameron is an influential poet, artist and actress who contributed greatly to the underground arts movement in California over the last thirty years. An advocate of Goddess worship since the '50s, her life story reads like a Tom Robbins novel. Her list of close friends and co-workers includes many key writers, film makers including Kenneth Anger, Anais Nin, and Louis Culling. An exhibit of her artwork was seized by LA Vice in the early '60s and became the battleground for California's first art vs. obscenity trials. (She won.) She also appeared in some of Hollywood's best and most legendery underground films. An enormously spiritual and accomplished woman who is today very reclusive -- due to the demands of her "sacred grandmothering" -- she was the center of the Babalon Working.
Parsons was the 'poor, little rich boy' co-founder of the California Institute of Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratories in Pasadena.37 Considered one of the most brilliant rocket scientists of his day, he is credited with advancing both solid and liquid rocket fuels, enabling much of the post-war jet and rocket technology. Werner Von Braun claimed that it was Parsons, not himself, who was the true father of American rocketry. NASA owes much to this man's brilliance and energy and named a crater on the moon after him. Parsons was also a dedicated Thelemic magician involved with the OTO from late in the '30s, eventually becoming magister templi of the famous Los Angeles-based Agape Lodge. Crowley favored Parsons and greatly encouraged the young scientist.38 Parsons' true life story is every bit as compelling as Faust's. He was a remarkably handsome, noble, creative and passionate man. While inventing the technology that would eventually land us on the moon, he ran the Agape Lodge -- then the world's only functioning OTO lodge -- edited and published the lodge's single newsletter, the Oriflamme, and maintained an active participation in many of the arts and sciences. A recently published collection of his essays Freedom is a Two-edged Sword demonstrates his startling clarity of vision and keen understanding of magick.39 It should be required reading for anyone with an opposable thumb. Parsons died the day before Midsummer in 1952 following an explosion at his home. The official explanation for the tragedy is oddly poetic and ironic -- he dropped a vial of fulminate of mercury. Forty years later, conspiracy theories abound about his death, as they do for that other handsome, noble, world class hero who was dedicated to the space program. How does an upper class, major league rocket scientist genius get involved with something like Crowleyism? World history is full of leading scientific minds who have found the magickal tradition both exciting and useful. Leonardo da Vinci, Dr. John Dee, Franz Kepler, Giordano Bruno, Isaac Newton, and even Copernicus all published works in what would later be dubbed "occult sciences." Liebnitz and Boule, whose algebra is the fundament of all modern computers and communications, derived their theories from their Qabalic work. Most of the early advances in chemistry came from alchemists, much of mathematica stems from the magickal traditions, and metaphysics was considered part of a complete education up until the end of the 19th century. It is only within the last hundred years that the Establishment has forced scientists to kick magick into the closet -- and, from what one hears, magick continues to whisper through the keyhole. In fact, Parsons was introduced to Thelema and the OTO by a fellow scientist (there seem to have been several around) and later became 'sold' on Crowley and Liber Legis because they predicted the work of Einstein, Heidegger and quantum theory. Many leading scientists today are still very deeply moved by Crowley and Thelema.
Cameron 40 and others recall that Heinlein and Parsons were quite close friends. They may have met at the Los Angeles Science Fiction Fan club wich maintained a reading room -- they were certainly seen there together. It was also common for science fiction authors to tour the Pasadena-based Jet Propulsion Laboratories that Parsons co-founded. Heinlein was particularly avid in availing himself of such tours. He used to take years off to study advances in science and often wrote glowing of NASA. So here was Parsons, the wunderkind of the rocket scientist community while Heinlein was its chief PR man and visionary. Space travel was both men's passion and livelihood. They had much in common, including their friendship with L. Ron Hubbard, who must have mentioned one to the other. Heinlein lived within driving distance of Agape Lodge which often performed the Gnostic Mass and, judging from Stranger and other writings, Heinlein was quite familiar with the ritual.41
In 1946 Hubbard and Parsons collaborated on perhaps the most famous modern magickal operation: the Babalon Working. This was an intensive, exhausting operation which allegedly opened a dimensional door for the manifestation of the goddess Babalon in human form. The Babalon Working was initiated to answer the previously mentioned prophecy of Liber Legis, the prophecy of Crowley's magickal heir, of which it said: "The child of thy bowels, he shall behold them.
"Expect him not from the East, not from the West; for from no expected house cometh that child."42 This prophecy continues to grip the imagination of many Thelemites and also forms the basic plotline for Stranger.
At the risk of getting a bit ahead of ourselves, let's take a second to compare the above quote from Liber Legis to the scene in Stranger where Madame Vesant the astrologer struggles with Michael's natal chart. She quickly becomes stumped -- he comes from no expected house.43 And since we're comparing Stranger quotes to Thelemic quotes, let's review Crowley's retelling of the Bacchus/Dionysus myth with an eye to the plotline of Stranger."[O]ne commemorates firstly his birth of a mortal mother who has yielded her treasure house to the Father of All, of the jealousy and rage excited by this incarnation, and of the heavenly protection afforded to the infant. Next should be commemorated the journeying westward [sunward?] upon an ass. Now comes the great scene of the drama: the gentle, exquisite youth with his following (chiefly composed of women) seems to threaten the established order of things, and that Established Order takes steps to put an end to the upstart. We find Dionysus confronting the angry King, not with defiance, but with meekness; yet with a subtle confidence, an underlying laughter. His forehead is wreathed with vine tendrils...[h]e is an effeminate figure... [who] hides horns.44
At this point, of course, we're well into the third part of the proof, the decoding of Stranger. After all, we have proven that the basic concept of Thelema is in all ways consistent with the grokking of Stranger. We have demonstrated that Heinlein had intimate contact, not just with Thelema and magick, but with two of the most famous Thelemic magicians in history. And, if we need more proof, there are many other little clues as well. For example, in the last letter in Grumbles From The Grave, 45 Heinlein uses Crowley's Thelemic motto, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law," and Heinlein's later books use many Crowleyan, Thelemic, Qabalic or magickal references. In fact, decoding Heinlein's work may well serve as a correspondence course in magick allegory. But before we dig further into the text of Stranger, let's examine the history and criteria of allegory so we have a common frame of reference for our foray.

The Door into Stranger
In the last paragraph of the preface to the new version of Stranger, Virginia Heinlein departs from her brief history of Stranger to mention that the names of the characters have "great importance to the plot. They were carefully selected: Jubal means 'the father of all,' Michael stands for 'Who is like God?' I leave it for the reader to find out what the other names mean."70
That's about as subtle a challenge as a gauntlet in the face and it makes one wonder exactly why it was so important for her to mention it. Could it be that she and Robert had wanted someone to connect the dots and decode Stranger? Why is this so important now?
Let's go ahead and tackle the names anyway and see what we get. We'll start with Valentine Michael Smith. As Bruce Franklin writes in Robert A. Heinlein: America through Science Fiction:71 "He is: Valentine, both a message of erotic love and a martyred saint; Michael, keeper of the gates of heaven, archangel who leads the heavenly hosts against the forces of evil; Smith, the American everyman. He is also a 'superman' from a culture far in advance of human culture in mysterious ways. And he is unfallen man, the New Adam who has never tasted the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. He is likened to Dionysus, and later assumes the name of Apollo. Above all, he is the new messiah, re-enacting the crucifixion, destined to save the elect in a mortally diseased world."72
As we've shown, Valentine most strongly references the early Gnostic; the martyred saints fit into are another story. Michael is the archangel most closely associated with the Holy Grail, another big yoni symbol, and the elemental plane of water for which Michael has great affinity. There were several early cults to the Archangel Michael that worshipped the sword in the cup. Smith might also refer to another famous Thelemite, Wilfried T. Smith, Parsons' first magickal mentor, who headed the Agape Lodge before Parsons was appointed magister templi by Crowley. Crowley disapproved of Smith who ran a fairly sex-drenched lodge and managed to sprinkle his seed widely in the Thelemic community including siring a child by Parsons' first wife. Although it is unclear why this might offend Crowley (of all people!), he nonetheless conspired to remove Smith and wrote a treatise entitled Liber Apotheosis 132: The Hidden God, with which he convinced Smith to retire into intense solo magickal research. This last connection may be tenuous to Stranger, but Smith seems to have been a remarkably charismatic man with more than a hint of religious huckster, much like the Archbishop Digby character whose Fosterite Church so influences Michael.
As we've shown, the character of Valentine Michael Smith follows Crowley's archetypal retelling of the Dionysus/Bacchus myth which later evolved into the Jesus motif. He also fulfills all but one of the prophecies of Liber Legis as the Thelemic messiah who follows, and is heir to, Crowley. (It is interesting to note that Parsons was once widely considered to be Crowley's heir and, as mentioned above, his Babalon Working was designed to invoke yet another heir.) There is another thought here. Ann Lynnworth, a magickal scholar and the author's co-vivant, suggests that Messiahs tend to take their functional forms in books: Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha all appear to the vast majority of their flock on paper. In light of her theory, it is interesting that Stranger's impact on society seems to follow along the lines of other Messianic faiths in their early years.73
The sole Liber Legis prophecy that Michael doesn't answer is that he fails to crack the code in Liber Legis.74 What he does do is to open the New Aeon, the Age of the Magickal Child, by the revealing of the Martian language, which may be isomorphic. It is interesting to note that most of the attempts made to crack the Liber Legis code involve some sort of extra-terrestrial connection.75 Although there is still much more information regarding Valentine Michael Smith, there isn't enough space in this article to cover it. Rather let's move on to examine Ben Caxton, the Winchell reporter. Most of Stranger's Part 4 is devoted to Caxton's description and analysis of his experiences in the Nest and his transformation as a result. Through Caxton, the audience gets a box seat in the consciousness of a man undergoing initiation and apotheosis -- not to mention a peek into the inner sanctum of the Gnostic- Templar Nest. His transformation is the very fulcrum of the novel, but who does Caxton represent? In 1910, Crowley staged the Rites of Eleusis at Caxton Hall in London. According to Crowley, and to many of the regulars who wrote about their experiences first hand, these were initiatory experiences which caused personal evolution in the audience members. A precursor to performance art, the Rites were presented as sacred drama and received mixed, but usually bad reviews. Despite the uneven commentary, the Rites ran successfully until the outbreak of WWI in 1914. It becomes clear that Ben Caxton, the man, represents the archetypical initiate who passes from well-accomplished manhood to something larger (godhood?) through a series of initiations which assist in the realization of higher understandings. The process, often psychically painful, demands rigorous self-examination and the continual testing of the initiate's habitual beliefs. Caxton clearly was the subject of such an initiation. And he clearly crosses through the three Thelemically phases in his transition: a man of the earth, the lover and the hermit. This progression is described in Liber Legis76 and is mirrored in most Thelemic societies. A few more observations: Ben is Hebrew for "son of" or "heir to" and Caxton certainly winds up as an heir to Michael's fortune thereby becoming something like Jubal's grandson. Historically, there is only one Caxton of note, Britain's first commercial printer, who doesn't seem to have been so important, but the author has seen this Caxton's name on several odd monuments including the facade of Harvard's famous Widener Library so there may be more here than meets the eye.77 Moving along, we come to the astrologer, Madame Alexandria Vesant who clearly references the Theosophical Society and Krishnamurti movement co-founder Annie Besant. To grok the Vesant/Besant isomorph, remember that the letters B and V are qabalically equal (from the Hebrew letter Beth -- the letter symbolizing magick -- which is pronounced either B or V depending on the addition of a dot in its center). To emphasize this point Heinlein spoon feeds his audience a dialogue78 in which her name is actually spelled out, which may qualify Stranger as the world's most blatant Book of Secrets. Crowley -- and most Thelemites to follow -- had little patience for the Theosophists79, whom he felt were mostly misguided academics, who possessed some laudable inquisitiveness. Vesant, the Stranger astrologer who secretly advises the head of state through his domineering wife (Oh, Nancy, just say, Gno!) , is portrayed as a well-meaning but mercenary charlatan who accidentally accesses a hidden magickal ability that is later expanded upon when she receives Michael's Martian enlightenment.80 Next we come to the most complex character in the story, Heinlein's alter ego and the real star of the show, ladies and gentlemen -- Jubal Harshaw. Decoding Jubal is the most exciting part of the puzzle (so far anyway). It is hard to equate Jubal to any historical character, although he references many, and the only hint we have early in the game is Virginia Heinlein's note that Jubal means the "father of all."81 The biblical Jubal isn't much help82 although the name does translate roughly from the Hebrew into 'father of all'. 83 On the surface, Stranger's Jubal may be paternal and he certainly seems patriarchal, but "Father of All?" Looking deeper, however, there are a few clues in the text that identify Jubal with one of the most striking aspects of the Gnostic-Templar connection. Several times in the text, a horrified Jubal is told that the only accoutrement of note in the minimalist nest is a large hologram of Jubal's head84 which they revere as the "patron saint of the Church" and of whom Michael says he is the "one who groks all." Many of the nestlings actually worship Jubal, much to his chagrin.85 But wait, wasn't there another secret religion that worshipped a sacred head at its center? Indeed, one of the weirdest details to come from the raid on the Templars was that they worshipped a sacred, sometimes bearded, head which was deemed their savior and the fountain of all wisdom. Variations on the theme of a sacred head predate the Templars by thousands of years86, and the theme recurs often in later Templar imitators. The head was worshipped in various ways and referred to by the names Mahomet and Baphomet. Mahomet seems to derive from the Greek word for '[first] principle' or 'source' and has a history of Gnostic use. Mahomet was also contemporarily used as a word meaning simply idol, and some of the more rabid anti-Moslems of the time tried to link the word to Mohammed, accusing the Templars of collaboration with the hated Saracens.87 Baphomet, however, was by far the head's most common appellation and has been translated in various ways. The Moorish Spanish -- the Moors were Islamic, Arabic-speaking Northern Africans who occupied Spain for several centuries and ranged far enough north to put the Black in the Black Irish -- had a word bufihimat (pronounced abufihamet in the Arabic) which means "father [source] of knowledge [wisdom]".88 Another possible derivation is from the Greek baphe metis, which means "baptism of wisdom" which led some theorists to suggest the Templars were a survival of a John the Baptist cult, since John's beheading could easily have been iconized in the manner of Jesus' crucifixion. The most widely accepted translation is that of a code. Spelled backwards (backwards spelling being common in occult works), Baphomet stands for three abbreviations, tem, oph, ab, which enlarge to "Templi omnium hominum pacis abhas" or "the father of the temple of universal peace among men."89 If this sounds precocious for an abbreviation, remember that even fancier abbreviations were common before the advent of typewriters. And there's more... Baphomet survives as a major inspiration in many occult groups that follow. Different likenesses, some stemming from Templar days (and before?) are used, the most common being a (bearded) head90 or goat's head and an allegorical portrait of an androgynous beast-man that combines aspects of goat, dog, ass and man -- Eliphas Levi's rendering is perhaps the most famous example. After popping up in numerous places in Western history, Aleister Crowley adopts the name Baphomet, and the Templar seal, upon assuming the leadership of the OTO, which, the reader remembers, is allegedly the 20th century survival of the original Templars.91 But there's still one level deeper. Baphomet is clearly an eidolon92 of the Arcadian Pan who was the major deity of the Lupercalia, the inspiration of the Greek educated Valentinus, the goat- or horned god revered by both Gnostics and pagans, and, seemingly, the inspiration of the Templars. But the Pan we're talking about isn't the simple satyr that most sanitized Christianized accounts allow, Pan of Arcadia is none other than Bacchus and Dionysus. He is called Pangenitor, the "father of all" and Panphage "the eater (grokker?) of all," and is perceived as the wild, lusty, natural, chaotic intelligence that exists beyond our linguistically enforced illusion of reality. He is symbolized by the goat man or a bearded head. Pan is a favorite of Thelemites who, like the god, deem it holy to "[u]nite passionately with every other form of consciousness, thus destroying the sense of separateness from the Whole."93 One of Crowley's most moving poems, and dynamic invocations, is the Hymn to Pan. Parsons, writing after the Babalon Working, conceives of Babalon as the female eidolon of Pan. Pan and Baphomet are also the principle deities for the Chaos Magick movement, a modern offshoot of Thelema.94
To recap: we have a clear indication that Jubal is Baphomet and that Baphomet is translated in several interesting ways using several languages but always with the same meaning which is "source [or] father of all (wisdom)", an attribute which Michael often ascribes to Jubal.95 But there is still one more level of meaning, and all the sweeter for its blatancy. Towards the end of Stranger, when Vesant, who calls Jubal "an old goat," asks for Jubal's birth information for a horoscope, he replies: "I was born on three successive days..."96 This is a very odd sentence, particularly as a snappy comeback, since it involves the obsolete British term 'successive;' and Heinlein usually writes pure American. What was he up to? Compare this odd sentence from Stranger to the very first sentence in the introduction to Liber Legis which reads, "This book was dictated... on three successive days..."97 That's one hell of a connection. It means that Jubal equals Baphomet and that the 'source of all wisdom' equals 'the source of Thelema.' Or in other words, Jubal is the recapitulation -- or even the source -- of Thelema! As we pointed out however, Liber Legis is the source of Thelema. It is a channelled text, and its author, mentioned in the second sentence of the introduction, is an entity named Aiwass. Does he connect to all of this? In commentaries to Liber Legis collected in The Law Is For All,98 Crowley considered Aiwass to be Baphomet. Thus Heinlein was saying that Jubal Harshaw alias Aiwass alias Baphomet alias Panphage Pangenitor, is the embodiment of Thelema, indeed the source of Thelema and the "father of all." This statement, made over the course of Stranger connects modern Thelema with its vast cultural legacy, its miraculous future and its 'hereditary' connection to another realm of reality. Holy Cosmic Trigger, Batman!
Corollary Observations
We're awfully close to understanding Heinlein's motives now. We've proven the link of Thelema and Stranger, and the link between Heinlein and Thelema. The text of Stranger meets the criteria for allegory and is loaded with puzzles which clearly reference magickal and Thelemic themes. But there are two remaining areas for discussion that are particularly important for this article's proof. One is Heinlein's first hand familiarity with Thelemic societies and the other is the link between Stranger and the Babalon Working. Historically, Heinlein was never a member of the OTO, although he certainly may have seen the Gnostic Mass as it was open to the public. Yet his description of the people and events in the nest are oddly reminiscent of life in secret Thelemic communities.99 One of the first things one notices about practicing Thelemites is their radiant good health and physical charisma. In fact, there are many stories told about people becoming involved with Thelema because they had met several Thelemites and were amazed at how healthy, calm, productive and, well, 'lucky' these Thelemites were. Heinlein certainly makes note of the apparent increases in mental and physical health among members of the nest..
The second aspect of nest life that Heinlein mentions is the calm, synchronized, unhurried, efficient movement one finds among some Thelemites.100 When this author first experienced the strange sense of unconscious choreography in a Thelemic lodge, the description from Stranger leapt to mind. It is a fascinating phenomenon and one not encountered elsewhere. It is a particularly odd observation to make about a 'cult' since, in this author's experience, most members of alternative religions are enormously, even willfully disorganized. (It is said that managing pagans is like herding cats.) Finally, the social life in secret Thelemic communities often centers around food, work and deep play with no wasted time, exactly as portrayed in the nest. Heinlein paints an exceptionally accurate picture of an eminently healthy, vibrant people and their pleasant comings and goings, shared mealtimes, and oddly synchronized spontaneity. This precisely Thelemic picture seems improbable for him to have deduced without having been involved with a magickal community. The question is: Which one? None of the Thelemic communities or scholars this author has approached remember Heinlein as more than a terrific writer. Indeed, most are surprised by the Thelemic connection. Here is another area for research.
This recalls Heinlein's link with Parsons. As a part of the Babalon Working, Parsons 'received' a short 'book' entitled Liber 49 or The Book of Babalon. Parsons claims it was the fourth chapter to Liber Legis, a claim which made him less than popular with Crowley and the OTO. Regardless of this claim, it is a powerful text that deals mostly with the coming of the Thelemic heir. There are two parts in particular that stand out after reading Stranger. The first is part of the channeled instructions to Parsons for the ritual -- it advises him to clear his mind in preparation: "Consult no book but thine own mind. Thou art god. Behave at this altar as one god before another." 101 It is interesting to note that these words were mouthed, not by Parsons, but by his Scribe, L. Ron Hubbard, who was close friends with Heinlein at about the same time the latter was working on his first shot at Stranger. The other Babalon Working quote which stands out, and there are many quotes which are not so overt, comes from Liber 49 which Parsons channeled alone out in the desert -- e.g., sans Hubbard: "37 For I am BABALON, and she my daughter, unique, and there shall be no other women like her. 38. In My Name shall she have all power, and all men and excellent things, and kings and captains and the secret ones at her command. 39. The first servants are chosen in secret, by my force in her - a captain, a lawyer, an agitator, a rebel - I shall provide." (Italics added)
Of course, throughout Stranger, Michael's first friends, later referred to as the "First Called," line up in exactly that order. Captain Von Tromp of the Challenger, is the first character one meets in Stranger. Jubal Harshaw is an invaluable attorney to Michael as well as part time MD, and full time Baphomet. Ben Caxton is a Winchell reporter and professional fly in the ointment who mobilizes Stranger by using Michael as a lever with the current administration. Gillian Boardman is a nurse who literally tosses her career away to steal Michael out from under the noses of Federation Security. Liber 49 predicts that the magickal child will have powers and guidance from beyond to assist through the early years. This seems to track with Stranger in the way that Michael shows an uncanny knack for attracting good people and having events roll his way and is even observed by Jubal Harshaw and others throughout the book.
All of this brings us back to one big question: Why? In Heinlein's letters he claimed that besides making money and entertaining his readers, he wanted them to think, to ask questions.102 But that doesn't add up. Heinlein was a great writer; he could have asked all of these questions without all the codes. The answer must lie elsewhere.
So let's review: Heinlein is involved in a secret Thelemic society composed of artists, writers, scientists, and other advanced and odd minded folk. Their magick works, their lives are transformed and it is time to transmit their message to a vast number of people who desperately need to evolve. There is no interest in repeating the 'burning times' of their spiritual forebears, who rose up, were murdered, and rose again like some ontological Phoenix. And, to make matter worse, the gods had somehow selected Crowley as the channel for their newest batch of goodies only to see Crowley (and his followers) spectacularly martyred in one of the most vicious press assassinations of our century. There was only one thing to do. We had done it many times before: Go into hiding and open up under a new name. And that is exactly what Heinlein did. He designed Stranger to be a magickal seed containing the spiritual and intellectual DNA of Thelema, which he placed into the fertile loam of his times, sowing a crop which includes the neo-pagan, ecosophical, sexual and consciousness movements -- not to mention much of the current trend in Thelema. For any who cared to track his ideas, Heinlein encoded many additional lessons. And he included enough clues so that, some day, as a healthy, vibrant race of magickal women and men prepared to take to the stars, they'd come to know that the man who continued the sacred lineage of Valentinus, the Gnostics and the Templars, and who nursed it through the 20th century, the "man who sold the stars" was none other than, the 'father of us all', Robert Anson Heinlein.

Stranger In A Strange Land