Interview with Soror Oh WoW
Alice Scarlet Death
Soror Oh WoW is a 25 year old transgender woman who is a priestess in training for the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica and is also the administrator for the Columbus, OH Thelema meetup.
She identies as anarchocommunist, polyamorous, pansexual, occultist, and Thelemic Atheist. She enjoys playing viola and listening to early ’80s post-hardcore. Cooking is also on her repertoire. She also identifies as casual or “soft goth.”
Her occult interests lie in tarot, Qabbalah, astrology, her animal guide, and working with the O.T.O.
I was curious what it was like being transgender and working with Ordo Templi Orientis, so I asked her a few questions regarding the matter.
When did you come out as transgender?
I began to play around with my gender expression in late 2014, for a time at O.T.O. functions I could have been wearing… pretty much anything to be honest. But after taking my Minerval in the early summer of 2015 knew that if I were going to follow my Will and be happy in my way then gender transition was a finite expression of will that I had to undergo.
Have you run into any trouble with your pursuits to be a priestess in O.T.O.?
Yes and no. I had no trouble finding a bishop who not only was willing to work with me in this capacity, but actually excited to see how things play out for me learning how to better help people in my situation. But in the other hand, I know that some people have negative feelings about it in the eastern Midwest, they have kept it mostly to themselves. I do feel like I have experienced a few verbal aggressions about my work and my gender identity.
Although it is not how I handled it, I believe that we must not shy away from protecting ourselves from these. We must actively speak out for the rights of others and ourselves.
What made you decide to be a priestess?
I am a ritualist at heart, I really enjoy learning about the methods of ritual and how they affect us.
I honestly feel like the Gnostic Mass may be the most powerful public ritual I have ever seen, and the chance to partake in the “miracle of the mass” is so breathtakingly awesome to me.
The first time I saw the Gnostic Mass I was dumbfounded by the priestess and knew that one day I would sit where she did and joyously proclaim “There is no law beyond do what thou wilt.”
Have you ever thought about playing viola for a Rites of Eleusis?
Yes, I have thought about this. Although the script specifically calls for several of the female characters to have violins I really see no reason that a viola would not be acceptable, unless there is a secret “musical instruments” column of Liber 777.
I actually dressed up as Sister Scorpio from The Rite of Mars this Halloween that just passed. And I consider it to be part of my “Bucket List” to play Scorpio-Apophis from the Rite of Sol at least once for a legitimate presentation of said Rite.
What is your favorite card from the Thoth tarot deck?
I feel like this is not a fair question because there are too many too choose from. But I think The Moon might play a big part in my journey as my natal moon is in Pisces.
Do you feel like the culture in O.T.O. to be friendly towards transgender people?
I feel like the over-arching organization is trans friendly, but as I mentioned earlier there have been some local issues.
I think things are moving in the right direction within the Order though.
What is soft-goth? Do you wear all grey?
I usually say soft goth to portray my style. What that entails is mostly black clothes (sometimes with colors like royal purple or white in conjunction with the black) and very dark makeup usually enclosing black or silver eye shadow with dark lips (wine colored lipsticks typically.)However the thing that “makes my goth soft” is tale lack of bulky accessories often worn by many goths.
It is entirely a personal thing, but I do not care for jewelry and other such accessories. The only accessory I really like are flower crowns (especially in colors like black or silver,) and I wear my O.T.O lamen most days.
The term “casual goth” may be more accurate.
Why did you choose O.T.O. as your primary outlet?
The practical answer is that it is the only Thelemic order readily accessible in my part of the world, However, as I started interacting and learning more with the system I fell in love with O.T.O.
I think the Order could stand to grow in certain aspects, but I love and believe in O.T.O. I am the type of person who could never recommend something to another person unless I really believed in it, and I would recommend O.T.O. to any individual who wants to learn and grow as person and advance further into the New Aeon.
Where can I find contact information for your Thelema meetup in Columbus, Ohio?
The easiest way to find out about us and our events is on our facebook page. Questions can be directed to columbusthelema@gmail.com
(Editor’s Note: It is important to note that a meetup is not an officially recognized O.T.O. body. However, a meetup is usually the first step in the process. If you’d like see a list of official bodies in your area please visit the O.T.O. US website.)
