Formally founded in 1978 by former AMORC member Joseph Di Mambro, the OTS was said to have been influenced by the work of Jacques Breyer, founder of the earlier Sovereign Order of the Solar Temple, and by the Renewed Order of the Solar Temple co-founded in 1968 by former SS officer Julien Origas and Belgian obstetrician Luc Jouret. Jouret would later become the charismatic prophet and guide of Di Mambro's OTS, claiming to be a reincarnated Templar Knight.

The basic tenets and practices of the OTS blended Christianity, New Age philosophy, Golden Dawn inspired ritual, homeopathic remedies and eugenics via specially arranged "cosmic marriages."

In October of 1994 as membership of the OTS was declining due to allegations of fraud, the charred remains of five members of the OTS were found in a condo in Morin Heights, a popular Canadian ski resort. The infant child of two of the members had been stabbed repeatedly. It was later revealed that Di Mambro felt this child to be the Anti-Christ. A day later in Cheiry, Switzerland, 22 members were found dead in a farmhouse with a secret chamber. Many appeared to have been suffocated or shot in the head. On the same day in Granges-sur-Salvan, Switzerland, the charred members of another 25 members were discovered. Again, not all appeared to be suicides. Jouret and Di Mambro were found among the dead.

December of 1995, 16 members were found dead and burnt in a forested area near Grenoble, France. March of 1997, a mass OTS suicide was discovered in St. Casmir, Quebec. This time, three teenagers had survived after convincing their parents that they wanted to live.

Total deaths through murder and suicide: 74

What To Think:

The Templar tradition is alive and well. Evil is real, the end is nigh, the world will soon end in flames, and life is an illusion. It is only the spiritual that matters. Women are delicate flowers that must be protected from contamination by the infidel hordes. Only through specially arranged marriages and selective breeding will "cosmic children" capable of surviving the coming environmental apocalypse be born, new messiahs to usher us forth into a new age of human enlightenment. Awakened members of the OTS must die by fire in the manner of the original Templars in order to transition to a higher state of spiritual consciousness and new life in the Sirius system. Laster light shows are totally awesome.

What To Wear:

Think Ninth Gate or Eyes Wide Shut. Ceremonial robes and capes in the Templar colors of red, gold, white and black, heavy golden chains with Templar cross bling or the double-headed phoenix seal of the Order, swords, lances, medieval armor, hemp and other earth-friendly natural homespun fibers. Swiss watches, ski gear and plastic bag hats should figure prominently into your wardrobe. Bonus points for anything that is especially flammable. Gasoline for example.