Friday 4 July 2014

Vyvyan Deacon Lodge J

Some more interesting material on Vyvyan Deacon and his alleged OTO
filiation.
Vivienne Browning, Deacon's daughter, writes in 'Uncommon Medium' :
"Vyvyan (who was knowledgeable about the OTO and whose contacts with it
were independent of Bennett [Frank, not Alan] and preceded Crowley's
becoming Outer Head) had established 'J' Lodge of the Rosicrucians in
Australia and to this his small group of followers used to come.
Vyvyan had assumed the Browning Rosicrucian inheritance after the death
of Robert Barrett Browning."
Now, while this indicates the family Rosicrucian filiation of Deacon,
something I don't dispute - there is a good deal of evidence for it - I
would strongly question Vivienne Browning's assertion that her father's
contacts with the OTO preceded Crowley becoming Outer Head.
It is not just that no evidence is given for it, it is that in her
biography, Vivienne Browning has provided little or no information on
the period from 1908 - when we leave Deacon in Britain - and when she
picks up his story in 1912 in Melbourne.
We have Tillett to thank for the estimate that Deacon emigrated around
1908, Vivienne Browning doesn't even provide us with that information.
It seems that she does not have any information about his activities in
those years, or at least none she was prepared to divulge.
There is some mention of Deacon possibly visiting India on the way to
Australia, but that is it.
Personally, I suspect the OTO contacts of Deacon came via Yarker and
Wedgwood, and had little to do with Reuss.  Without some tangible
evidence, I very much doubt they preceded Crowley's becoming Outer
Head.
What would be really interesting would be to see whether Deacon's
'Christian Mystics of the Rose Cross' survived in any form.
And to see what their records, assuming they have some, say about the
matter.  

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