Parsons Smith was the sister of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's wife Sara Northrup Hollister, and was the first wife of Jack Parsons, a prominent figure in both rocket engineering and occultism. She married Parsons in 1935, becoming involved in his pursuits in both realms. Their marriage coincided with Parsons' significant contributions to rocket propulsion technology in the United States, including his involvement with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the founding of Aerojet Engineering Corporation. She participated in his interest in the occult, particularly in the teachings of Aleister Crowley's Thelema movement. Alongside Parsons, she engaged in various rituals and practices associated with Thelema, acting as Priestess in The Gnostic Mass.
During the 1970s, Parsons Smith played a role in the dissemination of Thelemic teachings and practices within the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) community. She became involved in the editorial process of The Equinox, a seminal serial publication associated with O.T.O. Under her imprint, Thelema Publications,[6] she oversaw the publication of several issues of The Equinox (Volume III).
As a publisher, Helen Smith played a role in not only ensuring the continued publication of The Equinox but also in fostering the growth and dissemination of Thelemic teachings. Her dedication to preserving and promoting the legacy of Thelema through the publication of these works contributed to the expansion of the Thelemic literature during the 1970s.
Biography
Early life
Mary Helen Northrup was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Burton Northrup and his wife, Olga Nelson, the daughter of a Swedish immigrant to the United States.[7] She was the granddaughter of Malacon Kosadamanov, a Russian who changed his name to Nelson when he emigrated to Sweden.[8]
Jack Parsons in 1938
In 1923, the family moved to southern California, a destination said to have been chosen by Olga using a Ouija board.[7] She worked for her father's firm, Northrup Business Adjustments, during the 1930s. In 1933, she met Jack Parsons, a chemist who became a noted expert in rocket propulsion, at a church social.[2] Helen and Jack were engaged in July 1934[9] and in April 1935, they were married.[7] They bought a house in Pasadena.[2]
In January 1939, the Parsons were introduced to Agape Lodge of Ordo Templi Orientis in Hollywood by siblings John and Frances Baxter. Agape Lodge was founded by Wilfred Talbot Smith in 1935. It initially had 7 initiates to the Minerval level.[10] The lodge held regular meetings, lectures, and study classes, as well as social events and a weekly Gnostic Mass open to the public.[11]
Over the ensuing months, Jack's fascination with Thelema deepened, leading them both to become regular attendees at the church's events and rituals, including The Gnostic Mass. Later in 1939, Helen's 15-year-old sister, Sara Northrup, moved in with the couple while she finished high school.[12]
Initiation into Ordo Templi Orientis
On February 15, 1939,[13] Jack and Helen underwent initiation into Ordo Templi Orientis at Agape Lodge. During this period, Jack adopted the Thelemic motto Thelema Obtenteum Proedero Amoris Nuptiae [The establishment of Thelema through the rituals of love], while Helen took on the title Soror Grimaud.[14] In tandem with Jack's burgeoning interest in Thelema, Helen also delved into the teachings of Aleister Crowley and the philosophical underpinnings of the Great Work of Thelemic doctrine. Despite initial skepticism from some quarters, particularly among their acquaintances in the scientific and literary communities, Jack's sphere of influence came to include Phyllis Seckler, Grady Louis McMurtry, and McMurtry's fiancée Claire Palmer.[15]
Throughout the early 1940s, Helen's participation in the activities of the Agape Lodge mirrored Jack's, with both actively engaged in the rituals and ceremonies conducted within the Thelemic community. Concurrently, Helen provided support for Jack in his pioneering work in rocket propulsion, notably his involvement in the foundation of the Aerojet Engineering Corporation in March 1942 to develop JATO technology for military applications.[16]
Life at Agape Lodge
Helen went away for a period in June 1941, during which Jack, influenced by the permissive atmosphere of O.T.O., initiated a relationship with Helen's 17-year-old sister, Sara. Upon Helen's return, Sara boldly proclaimed herself to be Parsons' new wife, revealing Jack's inclination towards her. Amidst this tumultuous situation, Helen sought solace in the company of Wilfred Talbot Smith, sparking a relationship that endured for the rest of his life.[17]
On June 9, 1942,[a] the dynamics within the Parsons household evolved as they, along with Smith and other Thelemites, established a communal living arrangement at 1003 South Orange Grove Avenue in Pasadena. The Lodge had subdivided the house, a rambling mansion next door to the estate of Adolphus Busch,[b] into 19 apartments which were populated with a mixture of artists, writers, scientists and occultists.[18] This American Craftsman-style mansion became the new epicenter of Agape Lodge, where they lived communally, engaged in rituals, and explored esoteric practices. Her husband Jack now habitually used cocaine, amphetamines, peyote, mescaline, and opiates as well.[19][20] He continued to have sexual relations with multiple women, including McMurtry's fiancée Claire. When Parsons paid for her to have an abortion, McMurtry was angered and their friendship broke down.[21]
Jack's professional commitments at Aerojet intensified, paralleled by his deepening involvement in occult practices. Despite efforts to balance his disparate vocations, his dual roles drew scrutiny from colleagues and authorities. Although the Lodge had ceased to publicly perform the Gnostic Mass, membership continued to grow.[22] However, a number of prominent members left, among them Regina Kahl and Phyllis Seckler.[23] Agape Lodge soon came under investigation by both the Pasadena Police Department and the FBI. Both had received allegations of a "black magic cult" involved in sexual orgies; one complainant was a 16-year-old boy who said that he was raped by lodge members, while neighbors reported a ritual involving a naked pregnant woman jumping through fire. After Parsons explained that the Lodge was simply "an organization dedicated to religious and philosophical speculation", neither agency found evidence of illegal activity and came to the conclusion that the Lodge constituted no threat to national security.[24]
Crowley and Germer wanted to see Smith removed as head of the Agape Lodge, believing that he had become a bad influence on its members. The Parsons wrote to them to defend their mentor but Germer ordered him to stand down; Parsons was appointed as temporary head of the Lodge.[25] Despite tensions and disagreements among commune members, Helen remained committed to Thelema, serving as the lodge secretary and priestess in The Gnostic Mass.[4] Amidst this dynamic personal and communal environment, Helen gave birth to Smith's son, Kwen Lanval Parsons, in April 1943.[26] Smith and Helen left with Kwen for a two-room cabin in Rainbow Valley in May.[27]
Crowley encouraged Smith to step down from his role in the Agape Lodge and instructed him to take a meditative retreat.[28] Parsons continued to financially support Smith and Helen, although he asked for a divorce from her and ignored Crowley's commands by welcoming Smith back to the Parsonage when his retreat was finished.[29] Their divorce was finalized on October 15, 1946; four days later Jack married Marjorie Cameron.[30] In 1952, Parsons died at the age of 37 in a home laboratory explosion that attracted national media attention; the police ruled it an accident, but many associates suspected suicide or murder.[31]
Later life
Helen married Smith on December 30, 1954 before a judge in Santa Monica[32] and they moved to Malibu,[33] where they began their own Thelemic group called "The Church of Thelema". They continued performing the Gnostic Mass together.[5] Smith purchased a plot of land there where he built his own house for himself, Helen, and their son, whom he gave the magical name "Hoc Id Est" ("This Is It"). Construction was interrupted in February 1955 when he underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate.[34] This developed into prostate cancer, and mistrusting of conventional medicine, he sought out an alternative treatment at the Hoxsey Clinic in Dallas, Texas, which he visited in December 1956, but they were unable to help him.[35] Smith died as a result of the disease at home on 27 April 1957, leaving Helen a widow. He was cremated at the Grandview Memorial Park in Glendale.[36]
On October 25, 1962, Karl Germer also died from prostate cancer at the age of 77, without naming a successor as head of O.T.O. His widow, Sascha, who was not a member of O.T.O., retained material possession of the extensive O.T.O. archives. Though individual members carried on with their spiritual activities, the central organization, for all intents and purposes, ceased to function.[37] The death of Germer deepened O.T.O.'s quiescence in the early 1960s, leaving O.T.O. leaderless.[38] Parsons Smith worked with Gabriel Montenegro to advance the cause of Thelema.[2]
In 1968, Phyllis Seckler wrote to Grady McMurtry to inform him that the archives in Germer's widow's care (including Aleister Crowley's library) had been burglarized the previous year by persons unknown. When McMurtry became aware of the situation he decided to take charge of what remained of O.T.O. and restore the Order by invoking the emergency orders from Crowley which gave him authority to "take charge of the whole work of the Order in California to reform the Organization". He assumed the title "Caliph of O.T.O.", as specified in Crowley's letters from the 1940s. His witnesses were Dr. Israel Regardie (1907–1985) and Gerald Yorke, who both offered their support.[37]
Parsons Smith joined McMurtry, Seckler, and Mildred Burlingame, another surviving member of Agape Lodge: together they slowly began performing O.T.O. initiations again. They also eventually succeeded in their efforts to find a publisher for the Thoth Tarot deck designed by Crowley. O.T.O. was registered with the State of California on December 28, 1971 as a legal organization.[37]
During this time, Helen Smith, as she was known after her marriage to Wilfred Smith, played a role in the dissemination of Thelemic teachings and practices within the O.T.O. community. She became involved in the editorial process of The Equinox, a seminal serial publication associated with O.T.O. Under her imprint, Thelema Publications, Helen oversaw the publication of three issues of The Equinox[c] which served as a platform for the transmission of esoteric knowledge, rituals, and philosophical treatises central to Thelema.[2]
Parsons Smith asked William Breeze for assistance with publishing of some of Crowley's works which she had received during her Agape Lodge days as limited editions, including Crowley's paraphrases of the Yî King, titled Shih Yi, Khing Kang King, and Tao Teh King. The two had first met due to Breeze's connection with Peter Macfarlane who ran 93 Publishing, a small publishing company in Canada where Parson Smith's now-deceased second husband had lived before moving to California. With Breeze's help, Parsons Smith published several books[39] as issues of The Equinox, volume III.[40]
As a publisher, Helen Smith played a role in not only ensuring the continued publication of The Equinox but also in fostering the growth and dissemination of Thelemic teachings. Her dedication to preserving and promoting the legacy of Thelema through the publication of these works contributed to the expansion of Thelemic literature during the 1970s.[2]
In late April 1976, Parsons Smith and Seckler heard that Germer's widow Sascha had died on April 1 or 2 a year earlier. They were unable to get legal access to the house until July. They then drove to Germer's house in West Point and discovered that the house had been vandalized since her death, as it was almost impossible to lock properly.[37] Around 1980, Parsons Smith bound a second issue of Karl Germer's 1952 first edition of Crowley's The Vision and the Voice from a number of the original unbound pages obtained from Germer's house.[41][6]
Through the 1980s she occasionally attended Areopagus meetings of Ordo Templi Orientis and continued to play a role in its guidance as the Order expanded.[2] She was instrumental in Outer Head of The Order elections, nominating Breeze as the candidate to head the Order after the death of Grady McMurtry in 1985.[39]
Parsons Smith died on July 27, 2003, in the Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee, California.[3]
Editions published
Crowley, Aleister (1971). Parsons Smith, Helen (ed.). "Shih Yi: A Critical and Mnemonic Paraphrase of the Yî King by Ko Yuen". The Equinox. III (7). Oceanside, California: Monthelema.
Crowley, Aleister (1974). The Soul of the Desert. Kings Beach, California: Thelema Publications. ISBN978-0-913576-08-3.
Crowley, Aleister (1976). Parsons Smith, Helen (ed.). "The Tao Teh King, A New Translation". The Equinox. III (8). Kings Beach, California: Thelema Publications. ISBN0-913576-06-9.
Crowley, Aleister (1980) [1952]. Germer, Karl (ed.). The Vision and the Voice (Helen Parsons-Smith ed.). Barstow, California: Thelema Publishing Company. With an introduction by Israel Regardie. This was a second issue of Germer's 1952 edition.[6][41]
Carter, John (2004). Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons. Port Townsend, Washington: Feral House. ISBN978-0-922915-97-2.
Hedenborg White, Manon (2019). "Her Banner Is Unfolded: Babalon and Scarlet Femininities in the Writings of Jack Parsons". The Eloquent Blood: The Goddess Babalon and the Construction of Femininities in Western Esotericism. Oxford Studies in Western Esotericism. New York: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190065027.003.0005.
Hedenborg White, Manon, ed. (2020). The Eloquent Blood: The Goddess Babalon and the Construction of Femininities in Western Esotericism. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0-1900-6502-7.
Holt, Nathalia (2016). Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars. Little, Brown. ISBN978-0316338905. OCLC917345188.
Rivers, Dianne Frances (1967). A Bibliographic List with Special Reference To the Collection at the University of Texas (Thesis). The University of Texas at Austin.
