The Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.) was founded in 1922 in Los Angeles by occultist Paul Foster Case. “Adytum” is Latin for “Inner Shrine” or “Holy of Holies,” and “Builders” refers to the metaphor of building a spiritual temple without hands, as Jesus is believed to have done.
Case, born in 1884, was a prominent figure in the occult community. He had been a senior member of the Hermes-Thoth Alpha et Omega Temple, a group that was part of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. This organization, along with the Masonic blue lodge system, heavily influenced B.O.T.A.’s foundation.
Case’s tenure with the Golden Dawn ended after a disagreement with Moina Mathers, the order’s principal head. Following this conflict, Case departed from the order and, along with some former members, established his own mystery school. This new organization was the Builders of the Adytum.
B.O.T.A. was conceived as a school dedicated to teaching the Ageless Wisdom, a purported universal truth that is believed to be “written by God upon the face of nature.” This wisdom, they contend, is timeless and not a product of human thought. The organization’s teachings are based on the belief that the Qabalah is the mystical root of both ancient Judaism and early Christianity.
The organization’s curriculum is delivered primarily through correspondence courses, which were a key aspect of its structure from the beginning. These lessons cover a wide array of esoteric subjects, including occult tarot, Hermetic Qabalah, esoteric psychology, astrology, Gematria, and meditation techniques. The goal of these teachings is to guide members toward higher states of consciousness and divine illumination.
After Case’s death in 1954, his secretary Ann Davies became the new head of the B.O.T.A. Under her leadership, the organization expanded its reach beyond the United States. Its teachings spread internationally, and new groups were established in Europe and Australia.
Today, B.O.T.A. continues to operate with a worldwide membership estimated to be around 5,000. It remains a correspondence school at its core, though it also holds various ritual services and study groups. While some of these activities are open to the public, others are reserved for more advanced members. The organization’s headquarters is still located in Los Angeles.
Key Sources:
Clark, P. A. (2013). Paul Foster Case: His Life and Works.
Drummond, T. (1991, December 17). Secretive Order Peers Inward for Enlightenment: An alternative: “Builders of the Adytum,” or BOTA, has about 300 members in the county who study Tarot “keys” and meditate. The Los Angeles Times.
Hulse, D. A. (2000). The Western Mysteries. Key of It All.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 