31 Facts About Karl Germer

Karl Germer served as the United States representative of Ordo Templi Orientis, and on the death of Aleister Crowley became his successor as the Outer Head of the Order until his death in 1962.

Karl Germer founded the Thelema Publishing Company and published several of Crowley's books after his death.

Karl Germer was born in Elberfeld, Germany and died in West Point, California.

Karl Germer stayed with his first wife at the Abbey of Thelema from the beginning of January until February 1926.

In 1926, Karl Germer got married for the second time and travelled to the United States, his wife being an American citizen.

Money was always a problem but Karl Germer saw that Crowley must have it so that the work could go on and the books could be published.

Karl Germer raised funds for Crowley in one way or another, making donations of his own and contributing money from OT.

Karl Germer wanted to help Crowley to be published, and help promote Crowley's philosophy of Thelema via Crowley's artwork and by the distribution of Crowley's publications.

Since Karl Germer had business experience, he did well at this, even though he often had insufficient funds.

Since Hitler knew enough about Thelema to ban Liber AL in Germany, Karl Germer became his enemy when his religious beliefs became known.

On Hitler's orders, Karl Germer was arrested by the Gestapo on 13 February 1935 in Leipzig and incarcerated.

Karl Germer was first held at the Columbia-Haus prison in Berlin.

At around the same time, Cora contacted the American Consulate in Berlin who pleaded for Karl Germer's return to the US as his wife was a US citizen.

Karl Germer remained there for seven months, witnessing cruelties of various sorts on the Nazi side.

Karl Germer wrote a reply to her and it was read by the Nazis which resulted in Karl Germer being placed in solitary confinement.

Karl Germer was no longer allowed to read and for six weeks, he never saw the day nor was allowed in the open air.

Karl Germer's defense being that he had been a Major in World War I on the German side and was of pure German blood, and that the charges were too vague.

Karl Germer moved to Belgium where he took an apartment and started working as an exporter of heavy farm machinery in Brussels, making frequent trips to England and Ireland.

In Brussels, Karl Germer had the means to store his personal belongings, his diaries and other things at a friend's house.

On 10 May 1940, when the Germans marched into Belgium Karl Germer was again incarcerated.

Karl Germer was later sent to Saint-Cyprien camp in the Pyrenees-Orientales where 90,000 Spanish refugees were interned in March 1939.

Karl Germer had seen that Crowley needed aid to finish his publishing work in his later years.

Two months later, on 23 September 1942, Karl Germer married Vienna piano teacher Sascha Ernestine Andre.

Karl Germer was a special appointee of the Order with jurisdiction over Agape Lodge.

Karl Germer had had a lot of trouble getting reports from Agape Lodge and answers to his letters from Wilfred Talbot Smith, the lodge master.

Karl Germer started working on preservation of Crowley's literary remains and getting his books published.

At the time of Crowley's death there were still many important manuscripts which were yet unpublished; Karl Germer sent these to various publishers, seeing these works of Crowley into print for the first time.

In 1954, Karl Germer retired from his job in New Jersey and moved to California on the advice of Jane Wolfe and her student Phyllis Seckler who were his confidants.

Karl Germer did not expect to die before accomplishing this task the way he envisaged it, and therefore did not name a successor in his will.

Karl Germer died as a result of prostate cancer in late October 1962.

The will Karl Germer made to dispose of Crowley's literary remains kept at his estate provided that all of the Crowley materials should go to the Heads of Ordo Templi Orientis.