James Luceno is a former fifth degree ranked member of the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), an initially welcoming, symbol-rich spiritual society rooted in Aleister Crowley’s philosophy of Thelema.  Over time, what began as an immersive and meaningful community experience became increasingly controlling and ethically troubling, ultimately leading James to view it as a harmful, cult-like system. One in which he had to step away from, getting him ostracized from the community he invested 11 years into.   Today James joins us LIVE to dive deeper into the initiation rituals themselves— what he’s personally seen and experienced the rituals do to people, why they feel profound and transformative, and how the logic of initiation gradually extends beyond the rituals themselves to shape how members interpret the dysfunction and harm they experience in the Order.  Click here to watch on YouTube [https://youtube.com/live/l3aIdJeg0vE] Watch James’ initial interview here [https://youtu.be/g-w8Kwhd0dQ] Follow and support James! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Entelecheia [https://www.youtube.com/@Entelecheia] Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/turningofthesky [https://www.patreon.com/c/turningofthesky] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/turningsky/ [https://www.facebook.com/turningsky/] X: https://x.com/LapisMercurii [https://x.com/LapisMercurii] Subscribe to our C2C "CLIPS" Channel! [https://www.youtube.com/@CultstoConsciousnessClip] Support C2C - Any donations are welcome and appreciated to support the making of this podcast. Find our FULL (uncensored) merch store here! [https://cults-to-consciousness-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd] Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness [https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness] Venmo @sheliseann Find us on Social media! Instagram @cultstoconsciousness [https://www.instagram.com/cultstoconsciousness]  Host Instagram @sheliseann  [https://www.instagram.com/sheliseann/] Co Producer / Host @jonathan.rosales_  [https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.rosales_] TikTok @cults.to.consciousness  [http://cults.to.consciousness] Twitter @cultstocon [https://twitter.com/cultstocon]  **Disclaimer: This podcast provides a platform for guests to share their personal experiences and opinions. The views expressed are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or producers. Any allegations discussed are unverified and represent personal accounts only. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. The podcast assumes no legal responsibility for statements made by guests.** See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].