Editing Order of the Solar Temple (section)

== Beliefs and practices ==
The beliefs of the OTS were extremely eclectic, with members mixing elements from several different traditions, among them [[Egyptian mythology]], East Asian [[folk medicine]], Rosicrucianism, some [[gnostic]] ideas, and ecological apocalypticism. Its members explored a variety of [[occult]] subjects, with occultists of varying systems of beliefs being invited to do workshops for the OTS. The Order did not have one coherent method of [[syncretizing]] its system of eclectic beliefs; they did not have a "normative theology", instead utilizing allegory and symbolism to clarify their own beliefs in this context.{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=305}} The more distinct beliefs of the OTS (e.g., reincarnation and or the Brotherhood) were hidden.{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=305}}

As an esoteric movement, the teachings of the OTS were elaborated upon only to those deemed advanced enough in the organization. Members progressed through several related movements: the Amenta Club, the Archedia Club, and the OICST.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=119}} Most of the dead were the high ranking members, with those left surviving being the lower ranking who had less access to the ideas of the group; this has caused difficulties in investigating their beliefs by scholars.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=119}} Many members of the OTS were wealthy and socially successful, in contrast to many other cults; members were often middle-aged professionals who were highly cultured.{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=117}}{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=305}} This drew from its approach, elitist and interested in aesthetics, with a religious view that was non-[[fundamentalist]].{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=305}} Its members were almost exclusively cultural [[Catholics]], to whom it offered a type of religious [[mysticism]] and ritual that had been minimized by the Catholic Church in the previous decades.{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=212}}{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=305}}

Commentators have suggested influences from [[Eastern religions]]; Emmanuelle was referred to as an [[avatar]], though this term was not used in any philosophical sense, and Jouret believed the world to be in the [[Kali Yuga]], as in [[Hinduism]]. Jouret's usage of the term was not in line with Hindu usage, being a much shorter period (6,000 instead of 432,000 years), more similar to Western astrological ideas. These and related concepts are widespread within New Age and Theosophical movements, and any further inspiration is contested.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=128}} According to Chyrissides, Di Mambro's contrasting of Emmanuelle as the avatar with the [[Antichrist]] showed that he still thought in a quasi-Christian manner.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=128}} In one of their letters, they displayed a belief in the [[New World Order conspiracy theory]].{{sfn|Walliss|2006|p=109}}

The OTS took a large portion of its ideology from the French alchemist [[Jacques Breyer]],{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=126}}{{sfn|Introvigne|2000|p=147}} inheriting his work's occult-apocalyptic themes.{{sfn|Introvigne|2006|p=30}} His books were circulated within the organization;{{sfn|Introvigne|2006|p=29}} It also asserted the arrival of the end of time; one chart calculates the "End of Incarnation" as "1999.8".{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=141}} Other years it gave were 2147, 2156, or 2666, though it also said that others were possible, as they were based on simple calculations. The precise date was viewed as less important than the preparation for the end itself.{{sfn|Introvigne|2000|p=147}}{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=141}} In another chart, Breyer relates that, based on the year [[Jesus]] is estimated to have been born, that the "Grand Monarchy" of the world "ought to Leave this world around 1995–96."{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=141}} The OTS was heavily influenced by the theosophist [[Alice Bailey]]. In particular, the preoccupation with the star Sirius and her emphasis on the theosophical concept of the [[Ascended Masters]] had influenced the [[Rosicrucian]] revival; Di Mambro also utilized her Great Invocation to begin Temple ceremonies. Jacques Breyer, and the New Age movement generally, had drawn heavily from Bailey's ideas. Bailey also introduced the "reappearance of the Christ" concept, where Jesus had been a medium for the "Christ", who, towards the end of the 20th century, as long as a certain set of conditions were fulfilled, would reappear to herald a new age, which would coincide with the drawing of the Masters close to humanity.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|pp=123–124}} 

Jouret defined seven principles of the Order of the Solar Temple, which were taken basically unaltered from Breyer's [[Sovereign Order of the Solar Temple]] (OSTS). The OSTS wrote their seven principles as follows:{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=129}}
# Re-establishing the correct notions of authority and power in the world.
# Affirming the primacy of the spiritual over the temporal.
# Giving back to man the conscience of his dignity.
# Helping humanity through its transition.
# Participating in the Assumption of the Earth in its three frameworks: body, soul, and spirit.
# Contributing to the union of the Churches and working towards the meeting of Christianity and Islam.
# Preparing for the return of Christ in solar glory.
=== Ascended Masters and Sirius ===
[[File:Close-up of Sirius.jpg|alt=The star Sirius. It is shown as blue and is significantly larger and brighter than surrounding stars.|thumb|The star [[Sirius]]]]
In OTS theology, the star [[Sirius]] was a focal point, as the "Blue Star" that had appeared roughly 26,000 years ago.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=119}} Following the appearance of the star, the [[universe]]'s history could be divided into several "ages", viewing the present moment as being one in which the world was moving from the [[Age of Pisces]] to the [[Age of Aquarius]]; this belief in the astrological ages was shared with several other New Age and occult groups.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=120}} In the OTS's view, the arrival of the Age of Aquarius would result in the [[apocalypse]], with the Earth being consumed by fire.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=120}} The OTS then aimed to create a group of souls dedicated to surviving this apocalypse.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=120}}

The OTS believed Sirius to be the home of the "Ascended Masters" (also called the Great White Brotherhood).{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=119}} The OTS conceived of the Ascended Masters as having arrived on earth, where they inhabited [[Agartha]] (an underground spiritual realm popular in esoteric thought).{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=119}}{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=311}} Their belief in the Ascended Masters was shared by the [[Theosophical Society]].{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=122}} The Masters were, in the OTS's conception, effectively souls with the ability to manifest in physical form; both the Masters and human beings were perceived as souls who were merely temporarily occupying their bodies, and at the time of death would move on to another.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=119}} The OTS believed that advanced or elite members could, at will, "de-corporealize", in accordance with their degree of initiation into the OTS.{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=315}}{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=120}}

=== Reincarnation ===
Both the Masters and human beings were believed to be capable of reincarnation, a key aspect of OTS theology.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=119}} OTS members believed themselves to be reincarnated versions of the original Templars who had been burned at the stake with grandmaster [[Jacques de Molay]],{{sfn|Clusel|Palmer|2020|p=219}} and even further, members of a class of people who had been reborn since ancient times, whose purpose in the world was to fulfill a "cosmic mission".{{sfn|Mayer|1999|p=173}} Di Mambro personally claimed he was a reincarnation of, among others, an Egyptian pharaoh, one of the [[Twelve Disciples]], [[Longinus]] (the Roman soldier who pierced Jesus's side during the crucifixion){{Efn|As noted by Chryssides, the lives of the apostle and Longinus would have overlapped in time. Chryssides notes this as either a mistake on the informant's end or, alternatively, a sign that Di Mambro may have "had little regard for doctrinal consistency".{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=120}}}} and an Ascended Master, Manatanus. Jouret claimed he was a reincarnation of [[Bernard of Clairvaux]], founder of the original Knights Templar.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=120}} Di Mambro often revealed these past lives to members, in the process giving them new spiritual identities. In doing this, according to Susan J. Palmer, both drama and the illusion of spiritual progress were applied to the member's time in the group.{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=309}}

The OTS was said to believe that souls had no gender,{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=309}}{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=129}} however Chryssides notes this is difficult to reconcile with the "cosmic marriage" doctrine, as well as the explicitly gendered nature of the Ascended Masters who were always consistent in gender throughout their incarnations.{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=129}} One former OTS member expressed the idea that the "inner self" was sexless, with there being no difference between the souls of the sexes.{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=309}} The "Cosmic Child" was always referred to as a he, despite being a girl.{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=129}}

=== Cosmic coupling ===
One important OTS practice was "cosmic coupling" or "cosmic marriage".{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=120}}{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=302}} Following Di Mambro's reveal of a member's past lives, either Di Mambro or Jouret — though Jouret himself was forced by Di Mambro to separate from his wife due to "cosmic incompatibility"{{sfn|Bédat|Bouleau|Nicolas|1997|pp=108–109}} — forced apart married couples and put them with other members.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=302}}{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=309}} A ceremony was performed bonding the "discarnate archetypal forms" of the paired members.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=120}} Di Mambro himself was bonded with Bellaton in a ceremony (viewed as the reincarnation of [[Hatshepsut]]).{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=120}} Di Mambro claimed he did this as the will of the "Cosmic Masters".{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=302}}

The goal of these cosmic couples was to birth seven or nine elite "cosmic children", one of whom was his daughter Emmanuelle (another included Tabachnik's son). According to Di Mambro, these seven children would form "the conscience of the new humanity" and were raised to fulfill this role.{{sfn|Clusel|Palmer|2020|pp=220–221}}{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=310}} The "Cosmic Child" Emmanuelle was the subject of worship by group members; though her specific role in the group is unclear it was unique in the group.{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=129}} She underwent a special baptism of water from the [[Jordan River]] and Jerusalem-sourced chrismal oil.{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=129}} At the time of the mass suicides, there were only five cosmic children.{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=310}} In splitting up a couple, Di Mambro explained to them that their "karmic cycle" had been fulfilled; they were reassigned to a new partner, whereupon they were sent off on a mission together.{{sfn|Clusel|Palmer|2020|p=243}}

These pairings often had large age gaps: Dominique Bellaton (in her 30s) was paired with Patrick Vuarnet who was 14 years younger and Thierry Huguenin's marriage was broken apart and his wife (in her 30s) was matched with Di Mambro's 14 year old son.{{sfn|Clusel|Palmer|2020|p=243}} Another cosmic couple had a 30-year age gap.{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=309}} Bruno Klaus, upon leaving his wife at Di Mambro's order, declared: "The Masters have decided. I am going to live with another woman".{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=302}} While marriage was idealized in the OTS, the leaders encouraged [[familialism|defamilialization]] through this practice.{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=309}} Ex-members often complained they were forced into these cosmic unions, though other ex-members said the OTS did not intrude in their personal or family lives.{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=309}}

=== Ritual ===
Ritual was an important aspect of the OTS's beliefs, described as its "core activity" by scholar Hendrik Bogdan.{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=144}} According to [[George D. Chryssides]], what the OTS offered was a "mystical mood" that was available to all, not just those who were "spiritually gifted"; in a way similar to traditional Catholicism, through ritual the core messages of the group could be made available to those who were not well versed in the systems of thought used to understand it.{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=129}} There were a number of initiation rituals, of a Masonic nature – not in being directly related to actual freemasonry, but in their type of ritual practice, which once it was established afterwards spread outside of freemasonry.{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|pp=134–195}} The OTS's initiation rituals were typical of neo-Templar groups but also incorporated aspects of New Age, Rosicrucian and alchemical practice.{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=146}}

One initiation ritual, the "Reception Ceremony" of the Hermetica Fraternitas Templi Universali (the name for the OTS in the English speaking world), which was the official initiation into the first degree {{Lang|la|Templi Noviciae}}, member candidates called aspirants are first given a copy of the oath they will take so they can become familiar with it (an uncommon practice for other Masonic initiatory societies).{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|pp=146–147}} The ritual objects used for the ritual include: a Templar cross, a sword, a three branched [[candelabrum]] with white candles, a vase containing a red rose, a red cushion, an altar, a sacred book (e.g. a Bible open to the [[Gospel of John]]), a red [[votive]] candle, and crosses, which are given out to the initiates. The ritual must include six officiants for the initiates. Compared to other Masonic rituals, it starts simply, with the playing of [[Bach]]'s [[Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565|Toccata]] and the lighting of the votive candle, before the assembly is brought in, the candelabrum is lit and the chief officiant of the ritual opens and calls for prayer.{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=147}}

The chief officiant then explains the ritual's purpose and tells those present to meditate on the importance of what is about to happen. The aspirants are then brought in, and [[Gregorian chant]]s are played; the chief officiant asks them if they wish to continue. They are informed that by taking the oath it reaches "beyond human limitation", and once they take the oath their life will be towards the "Path of Service, of Light, and Unity", and that the member's "field of consciousness will broaden and your scale of values will change, giving the full significance to the notions of Honour, Loyalty, Courage, Disciple and Effort", whose concerns should now be to "preserve and respect the Consciousness of Life, to maintain Harmony and radiate Love".{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=147}} Following this, the Vigia (a role probably restricted to female OTS members) or the chancellor would tell the aspirants the meaning of the ritual items used, before the aspirants are made to approach the altar, kneel on their right knee and place their right hand on the book, and read their oath aloud, before signing it. After this is completed, the chief officiant declares that they have reached the degree and gives them a cross as the emblem of the Order, which they are told has been blessed by an "Official Priest" and that all members should wear it during meetings.{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=147}}

Then, at the end, the "Templar Psalm" is read thrice. This psalm is included in many Solar Temple initiation rituals, and reads:{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|pp=147–148}}

{{Blockquote|text={{lang|la|
NON NOBIS DOMINE NON NOBIS / SED NOMINI TUO DA GLORIAM}}
{{translation|NOT FOR US, LORD, NOT FOR US / BUT TO THY NAME GIVE GLORY}}}}

After, the chief officiant extinguishes the flames of the candles and candelabrum and announces the end of his work. [[Hallelujah]] is then played and everyone except the "Master of Ceremonies" and the "Guardian" positions leave.{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|pp=147–148}} Another Order TS (the English aspect of the OTS) ritual, "The Dubbing of a Knight" (not an admission ritual, but probably a second degree ritual), states that the knighthood can only be granted by either the Grand Master (Di Mambro), the Deputy Grand Master, or "a dignitary" appointed by the Order. It is Catholic in nature and includes a [[Mass in the Catholic Church|mass]] performed at the same time. The oath given in this ritual reads thus:{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=148}}

{{Blockquote|text=I [blank] swear here and now a solemn oath to nobly serve the cause of the Temple, in a spirit of detachment and humility.

I shall strive in all circumstances to maintain a worthy and just attitude, not only with regard to my co-disciples, but also whenever I represent our Venerable Order in the world.

I promise to respect the sacred rules of the Temple which rule our Venerable Order, to live them permanently in accordance with the Ethic which constitutes its force and to obey the directives of my Superiors without reserve.

I commit my self to respect and conform to the customs and laws of the countries in which I might be called to serve.}}

In another ritual, the "Traditional Ritual for the Donning of the Talar", which is more complicated, the candidate is "purified" and sheds their clothes, standing only in their underwear to "cast[...] off all impurities". Scholar Hendrik Bogdan noted several of its lines as "particularly ominous" in light of the deaths. In one part it is stated that{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|pp=149–151}}

{{Blockquote|text=always remain worthy<br>of wearing this Sacred Robe<br>whatever may happen,<br>even if your physical life is in danger,<br>for you will soon learn<br>that physical life is of no importance.}}

As well as the rituals of initiation, there were mystical or magical rituals.{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=145}} Underground sanctuaries were built by the group, hidden behind false walls and only accessible through secret passageways: to enter them, a member would have to take a ritual number of 22 steps (probably a reference to the 22 paths of the [[Tree of life (Kabbalah)|Tree of Life]] in Kabbalah).{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=311}}{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=145}} In one ceremony attended by cult researcher Jean-François Mayer in the summer of 1987, in order to commemorate the [[summer solstice]], the Templars held a bonfire in the French countryside. Following their lighting of the fire, there were instructions and the members turned around the fire only clockwise. Mayer said during the event that it was ritual, whereupon a member corrected him and said it was not merely ritual but "something much more".{{sfn|Hall|Schuyler|2000|p=129}}

One of these rituals was where ranking members could supposedly witness the masters manifest in the underground chambers of the group, in what were actually holographic shows by Antonio Dutoit.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=119}} OTS rituals may have involved [[hallucinogen]]s, and utilized visual effects as well as music.{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=144}} Among the utilized effects were lightning effects, through which the masters and ritual objects like the [[Holy Grail]] were seen to appear.{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=145}} In order to achieve the community of souls that would survive the apocalypse, the OTS invoked [[sex magic]], in which sexual activities are performed in order to acquire spiritual gain,{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|p=120}} though how much this was actually practiced is unclear.{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=145}} A former member alleged that Di Mambro would have sex with members of both sexes, and convinced men in the group that sex with him "reharmonize[d] the chakras". This sometimes involved practices like [[sodomy]].{{sfn|Bédat|Bouleau|Nicolas|1997|p=148}} Jouret was said to do so more readily than Di Mambro;{{sfn|Bédat|Bouleau|Nicolas|1997|p=148}} Jouret was known to have sexual relations with both men and women in the group.{{sfn|Bédat|Bouleau|Nicolas|1997|pp=148, 152–153}}

=== Transit ===
[[File:Supposed UFO, Passaic, New Jersey (cropped).jpg|alt=A black and white photo of a blurry, disk shaped aircraft.|thumb|A supposed image of a [[flying saucer]], one of the initial proposed methods of "transit"]]
The "transit" terminology and concept is derived from [[AMORC]], which Di Mambro had been a member of. AMORC uses "transit" as a term meaning death, among other vocabulary the OTS borrowed from the organization.{{sfn|Mayer|2006b|p=91}}{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=143}} AMORC, as with the OTS, saw death as merely a "transition", in which the physical body separates from the soul; unlike the soul, the physical body will change and decay.{{sfn|Bogdan|2006|p=143}}

The concept had first been brought up by Di Mambro in 1990 or 1991. It was to mean a voluntary departure of the members to another dimension in space, or an act of consent to bring the "germ of life" to another planet.{{sfn|Clusel|Palmer|2020|pp=228–229}}{{sfn|Mayer|1999|pp=181–182}} He told the members that they would be summoned on short notice, and would need to be ready as this could occur any day.{{sfn|Mayer|1999|pp=181–182}} They conceptualized the transit as a ritual involving magic fire, where they would undergo a spiritual voyage to the star [[Sirius]].{{sfn|Clusel|Palmer|2020|p=221}} According to Di Mambro, he did not know yet how they would transit, though he metaphorically evoked the idea of being picked up by a [[flying saucer]] or passing across a mirror.{{sfn|Mayer|1999|pp=181–182}} OTS members were familiar with similar ideas prior: in 1987, Jouret had for sale at one of his lectures a comic strip,''[[Voyage Intemporel]],'' that tells of a group of UFO believers who are picked up before a great cataclysm.{{sfn|Mayer|1999|p=181}} Following the gun scandal, Jouret began speaking of the transit concept as well.{{sfn|Clusel|Palmer|2020|pp=228–229}}

Palmer argued that the transit could have been viewed as a solution for many of the problems the OTS faced. It prevented the "loss of charisma" that Di Mambro would have to deal with given his old age and illness, as well as his suffering personal relationships with others.{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=315}} The problems of succession that the group faced, with conflict between Jouret and Di Mambro and Jouret's leadership problems in Canada, would also be solved. One interpretation was that it may have been a funeral intended for a [[Pharaoh]] (as Di Mambro was interested in [[Egyptian mythology]]), intended to bring Di Mambro's "retinue" with him into the afterlife and keep his power.{{sfn|Palmer|1996|p=315}}

According to the later testimony of members, they did not interpret it as mass suicide, with one stating that they believed the transit was instead the idea of being ''saved'' from disaster.{{sfn|Mayer|1999|pp=181–182}} Members otherwise interpreted it innocuously or as an ephemeral concept, such as one interpretation of the transit being that the group would simply move to another geographical location or leave [[Geneva]]. According to Mayer, the transit concept was perhaps not a break with the OTS's earlier survivalist ideas, but instead a continuation, a survival in other dimensions where this one was irreversibly doomed.{{sfn|Mayer|1999|pp=181–182}} Academic [[Massimo Introvigne]] wrote that their suicide "elude[s] easy comparisons with Jonestown and Waco", but was actually far more comparable to the later [[Heaven's Gate (religious group)|Heaven's Gate]] group.{{sfn|Introvigne|2000|p=138}}