The Grand Master Sabazius instituted the Order of the Lion and the Order of the Eagle on May 1 1998 EV with this announcement:
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
As most probably realize, the Law of Thelema was not entirely the result of praeterhuman forces. Crowley, as a scholar and even in his role as Prophet, was strongly influenced by the lives, ideas and works of many men and women who came before him. The road to The Book of the Law was built over many, many years by many, many hands now long stilled. So it is with all the Great Principles of our Order, spiritual, philosophical, and practical.
The roots of our Order extend deeply into history, well before the advent of the New Aeon and the birth of such men as Crowley, Reuss, Kellner, and Doinel. It is these roots which have provided, and continue to provide, food and water to the Scarlet Flower that grows in the enclosed garden of our Order; and we must know and appreciate those roots if we are to truly know and appreciate that Flower.
With this in mind, I have decided to establish a program within the U.S. Grand Lodge which will formally recognize men and women of the past who have contributed in diverse but important ways to the development and advancement of the great principles of our Order. Men so recognized will receive an honor called the Order of the Lion; women will receive the Order of the Eagle. Nominees for these honors must be historical (as opposed to purely mythological) men and women, and must have died at least eleven years before award.
Any member of U.S. Grand Lodge in good standing of at least Third Degree may submit a nomination to any Sovereign Grand Inspector General in the U.S. (directly or indirectly); but all such nominations must be accompanied by a thorough, well-researched and documented essay defending the nomination. Such essays must be type-written or printed, must include a brief biographical profile of the nominee, and must clearly and eloquently demonstrate why the nominee should be considered for the Order of the Lion or the Order of the Eagle. Meritorious nominations will be forwarded to the Supreme Grand Council for further consideration. Notification of awards, along with selected nomination essays, will be published occasionally here in Agapé.
Love is the law, love under will.
Nomination essays are now also accepted in electronic-document form (e.g. Word doc, Google Drive doc, or similar).
The following people have been awarded these Orders. The date of award is noted for each. Links are to nomination essays or to another good source of information about each individual.
The Order of the Eagle
- Rose Edith Kelly – April 1999 EV
- Dame Leila Ida Nerissa Bathurst Waddell IX° – April 1999 EV
- Mary d’Este Sturges (Soror Virakam) – April 1999 EV
- Leah Hirsig – April 1999 EV
- Ida Craddock – April 1999 EV
- Helena Petrovna Blavatsky – April 2000 EV
- Emma Hardinge Britten – April 2003 EV
- Anna Mary Bonus Kingsford – November 2004 EV
- Frieda Lady Harris – August 2013 EV
- Phyllis Seckler IX° – August 2018 EV
The Order of the Lion
- Sir Saint Aleister Crowley XI° – April 1999 EV
- Sir Grady Louis McMurtry X° – April 1999 EV
- Sir Karl Johannes Germer X° – April 1999 EV
- Dr. Sir Theodor Reuss X° – April 1999 EV
- Sir Carl Kellner – April 1999 EV
- Dr. Sir Franz Hartmann IX° – April 1999 EV
- Dr. Paschal Beverly Randolph – April 1999 EV
- François Rabelais – April 2000 EV
- Henry Klein – August 2013 EV
- John Yarker – August 2013 EV
- James Branch Cabell – August 2018 EV