Difference between revisions of "The Ceremony"

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'''The Ceremony''' is a ritual performed by [[The Order]] to transfuse blood from a girl in the [[Hymn of One]] with a drastically high amount of ribozymes with that of an [[Elder]]. We can now guess that the blood transfusions were used for giving the elders "Eternal Life".  
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'''The Ceremony''' is a ritual performed by [[the Order]] to transfuse blood from a girl in the [[Hymn of One]] with a drastically high amount of ribozymes with that of an [[Elder]]. We can now guess that the blood transfusions were used for giving the elders "Eternal Life".  
  
 
==Introduction==
 
==Introduction==
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===Gnostic Mass===
 
===Gnostic Mass===
[[Aleister Crowley]] wrote The Gnostic Mass—technically called Liber XV or "Book 15"—in 1913 while travelling in Moscow. In many ways it is similar in structure to the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church. However, the comparison ends there, as the Gnostic Mass is a celebration of the principles of [[Thelema]]. The Ceremony calls for five officers: a priest, a priestess, a deacon, and two acolytes, called “children”. The end of the ritual culminates in the consummation of the Eucharist, which is a glass of wine and the host, called a [[Cakes of Light|Cake of Light]], after which the congregate proclaims “There is no part of me that is not of the gods!”
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[[Aleister Crowley]] wrote The Gnostic Mass—technically called Liber XV or "Book 15"—in 1913 while traveling in Moscow. In many ways it is similar in structure to the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church. However, the comparison ends there, as the Gnostic Mass is a celebration of the principles of [[Thelema]]. The Ceremony calls for five officers: a priest, a priestess, a deacon, and two acolytes, called “children”. The end of the ritual culminates in the consummation of the Eucharist, which is a glass of wine and the host, called a [[Cakes of Light|Cake of Light]], after which the congregate proclaims “There is no part of me that is not of the gods!”
  
 
It is the central rite of [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] and its ecclesiastical arm, Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica.
 
It is the central rite of [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] and its ecclesiastical arm, Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica.

Revision as of 01:37, 10 October 2007

The Ceremony is a ritual performed by the Order to transfuse blood from a girl in the Hymn of One with a drastically high amount of ribozymes with that of an Elder. We can now guess that the blood transfusions were used for giving the elders "Eternal Life".

Introduction

A Change In My Life is the first video in which Bree mentioned the Ceremony that she had been selected to perform. Her videos prior to this one had focused on her life as a homeschooler, her platonic friendship with Daniel and the friction between them and her parents. Following this video, the mysterious Ceremony became one of the major points of interest of the series and triggered a suspenseful chain of events.

Preparation

Bree explained that she had to undergo rigorous preparation for the Ceremony. She had a special diet, took iron supplements, received injections of a then undisclosed substance, learned the rare language of Enochian and practiced exercises and walking steps with her new helper Lucy. The reasons for many aspects of her preparation remain unclear. Her injections and pills in particular had sparked curiosity in many viewers.

Details of the Ceremony

Judging from Bree's accounts of the Ceremony, it is held rarely. She and her parents considered it a great honor that she was selected to participate in it. Her parents themselves were not invited to attend, although they did greatly encourage her participation. Not even Bree knew exactly what the Ceremony would be like. She imagined that she would have to do the walking steps and use her knowledge of Enochian, but other than that she did not know what to expect.

Questioning the Ceremony

Daniel was the first character to voice concern about the Ceremony. He was highly suspicious about the information they were withholding from Bree and her parents. Bree's blind trust in her parents and the Order long prevented her from questioning the darker aspects of the Ceremony. For instance, no one explained to Bree the significance of any of her preparations. She did not know the contents of the injections, and her own father either wouldn't or couldn't tell her at the time.

Another mysterious aspect of the Ceremony is the selection process. Bree is honored from the start that she was chosen for the Ceremony, but never explains how this happened. She eventually learns from her father that the Order selects a pool of young girls who show "potential" at birth. These children are placed in what they call "protected homes" with adoptive parents from within the Order. When they reach puberty, they single out one to participate. Their criteria has not been revealed, other than being Trait Positive, however in Kate Modern, Dr. Griffin explains in Dr. Weirdo that as a rule, trait positive girls are abducted as babies.

The Staged Ceremony

On October 12th, 2006 a fake Ceremony was held and Bree posted a video soon thereafter happily stating that it had been a success. Daniel had followed her to the site of the Ceremony and filmed what he could see of The Ceremony. It was held outdoors at night in a wooded area and little could be seen clearly except some dimly lit hooded figures, among them was Bree. A few days later Daniel sensed that something was amiss, and eventually Bree confessed that the Ceremony was not the real one, and that she had been persuaded to lie to him about it. The Order had taken the opportunity to photograph Daniel spying on them, and Bree was remorseful when she found out.

Wanting Out

The staged Ceremony and the pictures secretly taken of Daniel were the last straw in getting Bree and her parents to question the motives and morals of the Order. Bree's parents asked the Deacons to excuse her from participating, but they were unsuccessful. The Deacons insisted that they would not have sufficient time to prepare another person, as the date of the Ceremony was approaching, although much later, in The Perfect Beach, Alex told us that they had selected a new girl. A few days following her parents request to excuse her, Bree saw them get taken away by Lucy and one of the Deacons. After this, she ran away with Daniel and was on the run for months. It is unclear whether the Ceremony has was held with a different girl in her stead.

Death

In the 2007 Season Finale, the TAAG were able to find the location of the Ceremony, but were unable to rescue Bree before its completion and Bree's apparent death. From hour ten, it appears that the Ceremony is nothing more than a method of extracting trait-positive blood from young women. It is unclear if this was in fact the Ceremony, or if there is a separate Ceremony that was not witnessed. It is also unclear whether Bree knew that performing the Ceremony would result in her death.

Other notable details

  • In the video Bree The Cookie Monster, as they are rating cookie recipes, P. Monkey holds up the scores "10," "12," and "06." This fueled speculation that Oct. 12th, 2006 would be the date of the Ceremony, as it is also the date of Aleister Crowley's birthday, known as Crowleymas.
  • In her video The Ceremony Is Tomorrow :), Bree revealed that it would indeed take place on October 12, however this turned out to be the fake Ceremony.
  • In the video I Completed The Ceremony, Bree told us a little about the "Ceremony", however she had a bandage on her shoulder again, which in prior videos signaled that she had received an injection. This seemed suspicious to many viewers and to Daniel, since she should have no longer needed shots if the Ceremony had indeed been completed. Their suspicions proved to be on the mark, as Bree eventually confessed in I Lied To Daniel.

Influences

Given the religious undertones of the series, it is not unlikely that the idea for the Ceremony was in part inspired by real-life religious rituals. Some rituals and beliefs that might have influenced the ideas for the Ceremony are

Body of Light

According to Crowley, the Body of Light is not only used for astral travel--but in fact is the storehouse of all experiences. (From Magick Without Tears, Ch. 81):

In Magick, on the contrary, one passes through the veil of the exterior world (which, as in Yoga, but in another sense, becomes "unreal" by comparison as one passes beyond) one creates a subtle body (instrument is a better term) called the body of Light; this one develops and controls; It gains new powers as one progresses, usually by means of what is called "initiation:" finally, one carries on almost one's whole life in this Body of Light, and achieves in its own way the mastery of the Universe.

Gnostic Mass

Aleister Crowley wrote The Gnostic Mass—technically called Liber XV or "Book 15"—in 1913 while traveling in Moscow. In many ways it is similar in structure to the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church. However, the comparison ends there, as the Gnostic Mass is a celebration of the principles of Thelema. The Ceremony calls for five officers: a priest, a priestess, a deacon, and two acolytes, called “children”. The end of the ritual culminates in the consummation of the Eucharist, which is a glass of wine and the host, called a Cake of Light, after which the congregate proclaims “There is no part of me that is not of the gods!”

It is the central rite of Ordo Templi Orientis and its ecclesiastical arm, Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica.

External links

The Order of Denderah
Branches Hymn of One · Operation APHID · SHENtek
Covers Lullaby Project · Wyman Foundation · Verdus Pharmaceuticals · Hart Study · Bio-Therapy Report LLC · Sacred Spirit · St. Grinstead
People Aleister Crowley · Elders · Shadows · Deacons · Seekers · Helpers · Watchers · Thugs · Assassins
Locations Adak Island · An Order boat · An Order hospital · Alcombe Antiques · The Cowboy's Ranch · The Human Ransom Location · La Crete · Lucy's vacant building · The Lullaby Project · The Lullaby Project Center · The Order Facility · Order HQ · Pleasant Manor · Porter's hospital · Precious Blood bunker · Recruitment Centers · Sacred Spirit · Salinas Campaign Headquarters · S.S. Hathor's Song · St. Grinstead · Topanga Canyon · Verdus Pharmaceuticals · Wickenburg · Zavalla
The Ceremony Trait positive · Free will · Injections · Enochian · Iron pills