James Wasserman

James Wasserman (born 1948)[1] is an American author and occultist. A member of Ordo Templi Orientis
since 1976 and a book designer by trade, he has written
extensively on spiritual and political liberty.

his wife Nancy published To Perfect This Feast,[12] a performance commentary on the Gnostic Mass. Wasserman
is described by Dan Burstein as a founder of the modern Ordo Templi Orientis in his guide to Dan Brown's
novel Angels & Demons.[13] In 2012, Wasserman wrote
an extensive account of his own experiences in the development of the modern O.T.O.[14]

Publishing career

Wasserman began working in 1973 at Weiser Books,

then the worlds largest bookstore and publishing company to specialize in esoteric literature. While working
at Weiser, he met and befriended legendary lmmakers
and occultists Harry Smith and Alejandro Jodorowsky.[2]
Wasserman worked with Brazilian occultist Marcelo
Ramos Motta to publish the Commentaries of AL in 1975,
for which he wrote the introduction. Additionally, he supervised the 1976 Weiser publication of The Book of the
Law, the rst popular edition to append the holograph
manuscript to the typeset text.[3][4] In 1977, Wasserman
arranged to professionally re-photograph Frieda Harris'
Tarot paintings for use in an improved second edition of
Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot deck, and also wrote the
instruction booklet.[5]

3 Public appearances
Wasserman has appeared on several television and radio
shows.[15] In 2009, he discussed his book Secrets of Masonic Washington at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.[16] In 2012, his performance of Liber Israfel
was broadcast on The Discovery Channel in a program
entitled Secrets of Secret Societies.

4 Works
4.1 As writer

Wasserman left Weiser in 1977 to found Studio 31, where

he produced the Simon Necronomicon, a volume purporting to be the mythological Necronomicon made famous by Howard Philips Lovecraft.[6] In 2008, it was
reissued in a high-quality 31st anniversary edition by Ibis
Press. In 1994, Wasserman assembled a team of scholars, photographers, and editorial sta to produce a fullcolor version of The Egyptian Book of the Dead featuring
the Papyrus of Ani as discussed in In the Center of the
Fire[7] His edition of the Book of the Dead was described
as oering much of value in presentation, layout and
commentary[8] by John Baines, professor of Egyptology
at the University of Oxford.

Introduction in Motta, Marcelo (1975). The Commentaries of AL. New York, NY: Samuel Weiser.
pp. ix-xi. ISBN 0-87728-287-0.
Instructions for Aleister Crowleys Thoth Tarot Deck.
New York, NY: Samuel Weiser. 1978. ISBN 087728-444-X.
An Introduction to the History of the O.T.O. in
Crowley, Aleister (1986). The Equinox III, Vol. 3,
No. 10. Samuel Weiser. p. 87. ISBN 0-87728719-8.
The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of
Heaven. Destiny Books, 2001. ISBN 978-0-89281859-4

Ordo Templi Orientis

The Slaves Shall Serve: Meditations on Liberty. Sekmet Books. 2004.

A member of O.T.O. since 1976, Wasserman founded

one of its oldest lodges, Tahuti Lodge, in New York City
in 1979.[9] He has played a key role within the Order
in publishing the literary corpus of Aleister Crowley. In
1983, he worked with two other members of O.T.O. to
produce The Holy Books of Thelema,[5][10][11] a collection of Crowleys Class A (inspired) writings. In 1986,
his essay An Introduction to the History of the O.T.O.
appeared in The Equinox III, No. 10. In 2009, he and

The Mystery Traditions: Secret Symbols & Sacred Art

(a revised and expanded edition of Art & Symbols of
the Occult, 1993). Destiny Books, 2005. ISBN 9781-59477-088-3
An Illustrated History of the Knights Templar. Destiny Books, 2006. ISBN 978-1-59477-117-0
1

6
The Secrets of Masonic Washington: A Guidebook
to Signs, Symbols, and Ceremonies at the Origin of
Americas Capital. Destiny Books, 2008. ISBN
978-1-59477-266-5
Wasserman, James; Nancy Wasserman (2010). To
Perfect This Feast: The Gnostic Mass (Revised second ed.). Sekmet Books. ISBN 978-0-9718870-39.

6 References
[1] James Wasserman Biography.
Jameswassermanbooks.com. James Wasserman Books. Retrieved 201107-19.
[2] Igliori, Paola (1996). American Magus: Harry Smith.
New York, NY: Inandout Press. p. 275. ISBN 09625119-9-4.

The Temple of Solomon: From Ancient Israel to Secret Societies. Inner Traditions, 2011. ISBN 978-159477-220-7

[3] Crowley, Aleister (1976). The Book of the Law. New

York, NY: Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-334-6.

In the Center of the Fire: A Memoir of the Occult

1966-1989. Ibis Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0-89254201-7

[4] Wasserman, James (2012). In the Center of the Fire: A

Memoir of the Occult 1966-1989. Lake Worth, FL: Ibis
Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-89254-201-7.

4.2

As editor

Crowley, Aleister (2006). Aleister Crowley and the

Practice of the Magical Diary. Weiser Books. ISBN
978-1-57863-372-2.
Birch, Una (2007). Secret Societies: Illuminati,
Freemasons, and the French Revolution. Nicolas
Hays. ISBN 978-0-89254-132-4.
Stanley, Thomas (2010). Pythagoras: His Life and
Teaching. Ibis Press. ISBN 978-0-89254-1607.(with co-editor Daniel Gunther)
The Weiser Concise Guide Series(5 titles) |publisher=Redwheel/Weiser

4.3

As publisher

Eva Von Dassow, ed. (1994). The Egyptian Book of

the Dead. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN
978-0-8118-6489-3.
Simon, ed. (2008). The Necronomicon. Lake
Worth, Florida: Ibis Press. ISBN 978-0-89254146-1.

4.4

Screenplay

Divine Warriors: The Birth of Heresy. With Keith

Stump and Harvey Rochman, 2007.

REFERENCES

See also
William Breeze
Lon Milo DuQuette
Richard Kaczynski
Rodney Orpheus
Lionel Snell

[5] Louise, Rita. James Wasserman - Secrets of Masonic

Washington. Justenergyradio.com. Body, Mind & SoulHealer. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
[6] Simon, ed. (1977). The Necronomicon. New York, NY:
Schlangekraft/Barnes Graphic.
[7] Wasserman, James (2012). In the Center of the Fire: A
Memoir of the Occult 1966-1989. Lake Worth, FL: Ibis
Press. pp. 145147. ISBN 978-0-89254-201-7.
[8] Baines, John (1995-04-21). The Egyptian Book of the
Dead. Times Higher Education (London). Retrieved
2011-07-19.
[9] Tahuti Lodge O.T.O., serving the New York City
Metropolitan Area. Tahutilodge.org. Tahuti Lodge,
Ordo Templi Orientis. 2009. Retrieved November 22,
2011.
[10] Crowley, Aleister (1983). The Holy Books of Thelema.
York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-5799.
[11] Wasserman, James (2012). In the Center of the Fire: A
Memoir of the Occult 1966-1989. Lake Worth, FL: Ibis
Press. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-89254-201-7.
[12] Wasserman, James & Nancy (2010). To Perfect This
Feast: A Commentary on Liber XV (2nd ed.). Sekmet
Books. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-9718870-3-9.
[13] Burstein, Dan (2004). Secrets of Angels and Demons.
New York, NY: CDS Books. p. 140. ISBN 1-59315140-3.
[14] Wasserman, James (2012). In the Center of the Fire: A
Memoir of the Occult 1966-1989. Lake Worth, FL: Ibis
Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-89254-201-7.
[15] James Wasserman Media Page
[16] James Wasserman at the National Press Club 2009 Part 1
on YouTube

External links
Ocial website
Studio 31, Inc.
Intrinsic Books - Publishing, Intellectual Property
Management, Marketing
The Egyptian Book of the Dead - Wasserman
Wasserman podcasts at Thelema Now!
Radio interviews at Hieronomus & Company, 21st
Century Radio
A Treasure of Antiquity Reborn: Recreating the
Papyrus of Ani
at In the Center of the Fire website
at GnosticMass.org website

8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

James Wasserman Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wasserman?oldid=660509232 Contributors: Deb, Bearcat, Joe Roe,

RussBot, Chris the speller, Seide, Jarkeld, Waacstats, Deepseabattles, M.O.X, Chzz, Tassedethe, Yobot, AnomieBOT, Rodneyorpheus,
Skyerise, RjwilmsiBot, Alpha Quadrant, Demiurge1000, Helpful Pixie Bot, Tashif, SoaCantor, Hewhoamareismyself, Stamptrader, Repeatper and Anonymous: 4

8.2

Images

8.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0