Paul Foster Case

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American occultist and founder of the occult school, the Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.). Case was the author of many books, such as "The Book of Tokens" and "The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order," and his occult school became highly successful, particularly well known for a correspondence course on tarot. Case’s mother was a teacher, and his father was the head librarian of the town library. Case was literally born in the library, and a more appropriate birthplace cannot be imagined for a man who exhibited an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. He learned to read as a very young child, and exhibited exceptional musical talent. He began training in piano and organ when he was only three, which later led to a position as church organist when he was nine years old. By the age of four, he could often be found in the attic of the town library, reading "forbidden books." When Case was seven, he began corresponding with Rudyard Kipling about his "fourth-dimensional" experiences; Kipling verified that these were actual states of being, and Case soon found he was able to consciously manipulate his dreams. It was at a charity event when Case was 16 that he met the occultist Claude Bragdon. A question from Bragdon about the origins of playing cards started Case on his quest to discover the origins and uses of Tarot. He spent years doing extensive research and study, as well as meditation, on the archetypal images of the Major Arcana. He described his absorption in this task as being "guided" by an inner voice, and his discoveries on the Tarot were published before he turned 21. The extensive work Case had done led to a meeting with Michael Whitty, the Praemonstrator of the Thoth-Hermes Temple of the Golden Dawn in New York City. Invited to join the Order, Case accepted and was initiated into the Second Order on 5/16/1920. Within one year, he succeeded Whitty as Praemonstrator. Although he was considered the most knowledgeable occultist in the temple, Case had difficulty with the system of Enochian, later concluding it was demonic in nature. He ran into some difficulty because of his teachings on sex magic; however, sexuality became increasingly important to him. A third problem soon arose. Other members complained that Case was having a personal relationship with a sorer (a female member of the group), Lilli Geise, whom he later married. Moina Mathers, who had a long-standing correspondence with Case, commented by saying, "The artist in you, which I recognize, and with whom I deeply sympathize, would probably choose to learn the Truth through the joy and beauty of physical life," but ultimately asked him to resign his position. Leaving behind his position, Case said, "Guidance seems to have removed me from the high place to which I have never really aspired. The relief is great." Soon thereafter, he formed his own occult school, the School of Ageless Wisdom, which failed a few years later. Abandoning his artistic endeavors and his career as a musician, he then moved to Los Angeles where he established the Builders of the Adytum. Case was initiated into Freemasonry on 3/22/1926, passed on 4/12/1926 and was raised on 6/28/1926 in Fairport, New York. His first marriage was to Lilli Geise; she died just a few years after they married. He remarried Harriet, who was with him when he died, on 3/02/1954 while vacationing in Mexico. Link to Wikipedia biography