Builders of the Adytum

Domain XIV · Western esoteric, divinatory & new spiritual movements · Paul Foster Case · 1921 · United States

What it is

What it is. B.O.T.A. describes itself as "a religious non-profit, tax-exempt, California Corporation" and a modern Mystery School whose teaching is "based on the Holy Qabalah and the Sacred Tarot"; it names Paul Foster Case as founder and Ann Davies as its second leader, and states that its purpose…

Format

• Membership and dues: lessons "cannot be purchased, but are a privilege of membership"; dues are set to roughly cover production and operating costs and may be paid monthly to annually; Pronaos groups set their own dues; donations are invited. One independent writer reported NZ$10 a month in 2023.
• Sequence (as the brochure states it): about two months of foundational lessons and "experiments" in Hermetic psychology (including how problems relate to karma); about three months of familiarisation with the Tarot Keys, which are then posted to the student; a following year of "Fundamentals of…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status (one line): no controlled research on B.O.T.A.'s claimed effects (health, prosperity, expanded consciousness, healing by ritual, colour and sound) is known; the order does not claim predictive tarot.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• belief disagreement mistaken for harm; real neglect of care needs (escalate).
• giving beyond means, decisions deferred to senior members, inability to miss attendance.
• shame about "failing" the practice; working sign: symptoms settle with adjusted practice.
• pull toward a teacher role; working sign: the client keeps the order and therapy distinct.
• the client asking you to interpret (decline gently); the session becoming a lesson in Qabalah.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.