Gnosticism, Transformation, and the Role of the Feminine in the Gnostic Mass of the Ecclesia ...

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FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School
11-13-2014
Gnosticism, Transformation, and the Role of the
Feminine in the Gnostic Mass of the Ecclesia
Gnostica Catholica (E.G.C.)
Ellen P. Randolph
Florida International University, [email protected]
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Randolph, Ellen P., "Gnosticism, Transformation, and the Role of the Feminine in the Gnostic Mass of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica
(E.G.C.)" (2014).FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations.Paper 1686.
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FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Miami, Florida

GNOSTICISM, TRANSFORMATION, AND THE ROLE OF THE FEMININE IN THE
GNOSTIC MASS OF THE ECCLESIA GNOSTICA CATHOLICA (E.G.C.)

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
in
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
by
Ellen P. Randolph

2014
To: Interim Dean Michael R. Heithaus
College of Arts and Sciences

This thesis, written by Ellen P. Randolph, and entitled Gnosticism, Transformation, and
the Role of the Feminine in the Gnostic Mass of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica
(E.G.C.), having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to
you for judgment.

We have read this thesis and recommend that it be approved.

_________________________________________
Whitney Bauman

_________________________________________
Lesley A. Northup

_________________________________________
Christine E. Gudorf, Major Professor

Date of Defense: November 13, 2014

The thesis of Ellen P. Randolph is approved.

________________________________________
Interim Dean Michael R. Heithaus
College of Arts and Sciences

________________________________________
Dean Lakshmi Reddi
University Graduate School

Florida International University, 2014
ii
DEDICATION
To Thoth. I also dedicate this thesis to my family and friends. Thank you for your
patience and encouragement.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to thank my committee for their interest and commitment to this thesis,
especially Dr. Christine Gudorf, whose expertise and confidence sustained me while
completing this thesis. For their contributions to methodology, interpretation, or
orientation in this thesis, I would also like to thank Dr. Whitney Bauman, Dr. Lesley A.
Northup, Dr. Oren Baruch Stier, Dr. Albert Wuaku, Dr. Steven Vose and Professor
Daniel Alvarez. I also wish to thank the Department of Religious Studies at Florida
International University for support during the graduate program, especially Dr. Erik
Larson, Luz Aviles and Yusimi Sayus.
With sincere appreciation, I would like to thank the two local bishops for
sponsoring my research at the local lodge. They were exceedingly generous with their
time, experience, contacts and books, making it not only possible for me to attempt this
thesis, but also inspiring me to explore the Gnostic Mass deeply. They maintained an
elegant poise throughout the research, allowing the essence of the Mass to express itself
though my own experience. Any errors or misjudgments are my own, which I cherish all
the more for being a true measure of my limited understanding. Thank you also to the
nonlocal bishop who clarified several key ideas and, at least twice, surprised me into a
new viewpoint. I would also like to thank the members of the local lodge who kindly
welcomed me and spent hours with me discussing the Mass. It is a brave and noble thing
to be willing to share your magical, ritualistic and spiritual experience with others,
especially when you may not be able to control the presentation. I especially thank the
Priestess and the Priest who did this not once, but twice! Thank you also to the other local
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members, the visiting members and visiting congregants who allowed me to participate in
the Mass with them.
Finally, to wise friends who listened to ideas, made suggestions and pointed me
towards additional sources, I offer my enduring appreciation.
v
ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS
GNOSTICISM, TRANSFORMATION, AND THE ROLE OF THE FEMININE IN THE
GNOSTIC MASS OF THE ECCLESIA GNOSTICA CATHOLICA (E.G.C.)
by
Ellen P. Randolph
Florida International University, 2014
Miami, Florida
Professor Christine E. Gudorf, Major Professor
The Gnostic Mass of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (E.G.C.) suggests a
heterosexual gender binary in which the female Priestess seated on the altar as the sexual
and fertile image of the divine feminine is directed by the male Priest’s activity, desire
and speech. The apparent contradiction between the empowered individual and the
polarized gender role was examined by comparing the ritual symbolism of the feminine
with the interpretations of four Priestesses and three Priests (three pairs plus one).
Findings suggest that the Priestess’ role in the Gnostic Mass is associated with
channeling, receptivity, womb, cup, and fertility, while the Priest’s role is associated with
enthusiasm, activity, phallus, lance, and virility. Despite this strong gender duality, the
Priestesses asserted that their role was personally and spiritually empowering, and they
maintained heterosexual and polarized gendered roles are necessary in a transformative
ritual which ultimately reveals the godlike unified individual.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1
The Gnostic Mass: Origins and History.................................................................. 2
The Gnostic Mass: Temple Layout and Mass Officers ........................................ 11
The Gnostic Mass: An Interpretation of the Ritual ............................................... 17
The Work of the Priestess: West and East ............................................................ 19
Behind the Veil: Mystery of Mystery ................................................................... 21
Every Man and Every Woman Is A Star .............................................................. 27
Gnosticism and Enthusiasm in the Gnostic Mass ................................................. 33

II. LITERATURE REVIEW ...........................................................................................45
The Scarlet Woman, the Queer Mass and Formulae ............................................ 45
Sex Magic, Transformation, and the Role of Women .......................................... 49
Scarlet Women: Birthing the New Aeon .............................................................. 56
The Priestesses of the Agapé Lodge: Defining the Role ...................................... 61
Modern E.G.C. Priestesses: Voices of Experience ............................................... 66
Feminist Thelema and Invisible Women .............................................................. 77
Previous Fieldwork: Gender and the Gnostic Mass .............................................. 85
Participant Observation and Performance ............................................................ 97

III. RESEARCH .............................................................................................................108
Ritual Space, Mass Teams and Congregants ...................................................... 109
Experiencing the Gnostic Mass for the First Time ............................................. 115
The Priestess’ Role in the Gnostic Mass ............................................................. 121
What Energy Does the Priestess Experience? .................................................... 126
Identifying the Goddess: Two Priests’ Experiences ........................................... 129
Representing the Feminine: Fertility and Blood ................................................. 131
Representing the Feminine: Image and Devotion ............................................... 135
Representing the Feminine: Feminism and Empowerment ................................ 142
Gender, Sexuality and Polarity in the Gnostic Mass .......................................... 147
The Gnostic Mass as a Transformative Performance ......................................... 153

IV. DISCUSSION ..........................................................................................................160
Solving the Mystery: Myself as Participant ........................................................ 160
Patterns in the Local Lodge: Channeling, Enthusiasm and Energy .................... 166
Gender and the Role of the Feminine: Fieldwork Comparisons ......................... 173
Gendered Image and the Sacred Gaze ................................................................ 177
Feminism and the Gendered Spectator ............................................................... 183
Gendered Performance and Individual Power .................................................... 188
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Gender, Channeling and Speech ......................................................................... 197
The Priestess in the Gnostic Mass: A Different Gnosis? .................................... 203

V. LIST OF REFERENCES .........................................................................................211

VI. APPENDICES ..........................................................................................................217

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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

Every man and every woman is a star.
Aleister Crowley, The Book of the Law

The central ritual of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (E.G.C.) is the Gnostic Mass,
a dramatic performance in which the clergy invoke and convey divine energy to the
congregation through the consecration and consumption of the Eucharistic bread and
wine. In the Gnostic Mass, the sexuality and fertility of the female Priestess is elevated
on the altar but appears to be directed by the male Priest’s activity, desire and speech.
Literature review and related fieldwork suggest that the Mass may act as an intentional
transformative device which creates a systematic change of perception in the participants
so that they recognize themselves as wholly divine – as stars, gods or creators with
empowered individual will. As part of this dramatic enactment, the seated Priestess is
revealed as a representation of the divine feminine, and although it is not required, she is
often naked. Although there have been several scholarly books and articles written about
Aleister Crowley and the influence of his esoteric order, the Ordo Templi Orientis, in
modern esoteric traditions and new religions, there has been relatively little research
about their central ritual, the Gnostic Mass. Further, given that the Gnostic Mass focuses
on the elevation of the Priestess as conduit for feminine creative energy, there are
surprisingly few studies about the role of women in the E.G.C. as co-creators in a ritual
which while radically claiming creative power and the divinity of individuals, also
reaffirms the female ritual role as attractive, fertile and receptive. The current thesis
examines the apparent contradiction between the empowered individual and the polarized
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