Difference between revisions of "The Ceremony"

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{{redirect|Ceremony}}
'''The Ceremony''' is a ritual performed by [[The Order]] to transfuse blood from a girl in the [[Hymn of One]] with a drastically high amount of ribozymes with that of an [[Elder]]. We can now guess that the blood transfusions were used for giving the elders "Eternal Life".  
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'''The Ceremony''' is a religious ritual performed by the [[Hymn of One]] and [[the Order]] with a [[Trait positive|Trait Positive girl]]. The Hymn of One's ritual acts as a diguise for the true ritual, performed by [[the Order]].
  
==Introduction==
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==The Selection Process==
[[A Change In My Life]] is the first video in which [[Bree]] mentioned the ceremony that she had been selected to perform.  Her videos prior to this one had focused on her life as a homeschooler, her platonic friendship with [[Daniel]] and the friction between them and [[Bree's parents|her parents]].  Following this video, the mysterious ceremony became one of the major points of interest of the [[Lonelygirl15|series]] and triggered a suspenseful chain of events.
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===Hymn of One===
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[[Bree]] is honored from the start that she was chosen for the Ceremony, but never explains how this happened. She eventually learns from her [[Drew Avery|father]] that [[the Order]] selects a pool of young girls who show "potential" at birth. These children are placed in what they call "protected homes" with adoptive parents from within [[the Order]].  When they reach puberty, they single out one to participate.  
  
==Preparation==
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===The Order===
[[Bree]] explained that she had to undergo rigorous preparation for the ceremony.  She had a special [[Bree's diet|diet]], took [[Iron pills|iron supplements]], received [[Bree's injections|injections]] of a then undisclosed substance, learned the rare language of [[Enochian]] and practiced exercises and walking steps with her new helper [[Lucy]].  The reasons for many aspects of her preparation remain unclear.  Her [[Bree's injections|injections]] and [[Iron pills|pills]] in particular had sparked curiosity in many viewers.
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The true criterion on which girls are selected is whether they are "[[Trait positive|Trait Positive]]", meaning their counts of a special ribozyme are exceptionally high. If that is the case, the girl is abducted as a baby, and placed with parents from the Hymn of One (under the above-mentioned disguise).
  
==Details of the ceremony==
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==Purpose==
Judging from [[Bree|Bree's]] accounts of the ceremony, it is held rarely.  She and her [[Bree's parents|parents]] considered it a great honor that she was selected to participate in it.  Her [[Bree's parents|parents]] themselves were not invited to attend, although they did greatly encourage her participation.  Not even [[Bree]] knew exactly what the ceremony would be like.  She imagined that she would have to do the walking steps and use her knowledge of [[Enochian]], but other than that she did not know what to expect.
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===Hymn of One===
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The religious disguise for the Ceremony, the supposed purpose, was never revealed in the series - mostly because Bree didn't know it herself.
  
==Questioning The Ceremony==
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===The Order===
[[Daniel]] was the first character to voice concern about the ceremony.  He was highly suspicious about the information they were withholding from [[Bree]] and her [[Bree's parents|parents]][[Bree|Bree's]] blind trust in her [[Bree's parents|parents]] and [[the Order]] long prevented her from questioning the darker aspects of the ceremony.  For instance, no one explained to Bree the significance of any of her preparations.  She did not know the contents of the [[Bree's injections|injections]], and her own father either wouldn't or couldn't tell her at the time.
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The true purpose of the Ceremony is to '''transfuse the blood of a [[Trait positive|Trait Positive]] girl into an [[Elder]], to prolong his life for an additional [[The Weekend Starts Here?|40 - 50 years]].''' The [[rogue Elder]] claimed in [[What Happened?]] that, while he looked "alright" on the outside, his liver and kidneys were ninety years old.
  
Another mysterious aspect of the ceremony is the selection process.  [[Bree]] is honored from the start that she was chosen for the ceremony, but never explains how this happened.  She eventually learns from her [[Bree's parents#Father|father]] that [[the Order]] selects a pool of young girls who show "potential" at birth.  These children are placed in what they call "protected homes" with adoptive parents from within [[the Order]].  When they reach puberty, they single out one to participateTheir criteria has not been revealed, other than being [[Trait Positive]], nor their methods for moving the children to "protected homes".
+
==Preparations==
 +
===Hymn of One===
 +
For the religious disguise, [[Bree]] had to undergo rigorous preparation for the Ceremony.  She had a special [[Bree's diet|diet]], took [[Iron pills|iron supplements]], received [[Bree's injections|injections]] of a then-undisclosed substance, learned the rare language of [[Enochian]] and practiced exercises and walking steps with her new helper [[Lucy]].  The reasons for many aspects of her preparation remain unclearHer [[Bree's injections|injections]] and [[Iron pills|pills]] in particular had sparked curiosity in many viewers. However, it should be known that the injections were actually used to make Bree trait negative. The iron pills, however, are still a mystery.
  
==The Staged Ceremony==
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In season 2, [[She's Telling The Truth|Emma tells us]] she is preparing by learning a dance that "some people do find weird", as well as "a chant that needs to be recited". Emma, contrary to Bree, talks about being "special" because of her blood, and does know about the blood transfusion procedure - she claims it is called "chelation" and supposed to "build up the health of my blood and strengthen my spirit". She also claims that, after the Ceremony, the Ceremony Girl is taken to a "special place in the mountains, near Sedona" where she "learns all the hidden secrets of the universe".  
On October 12th, 2006 a fake ceremony was held and [[Bree]] posted a video soon thereafter happily stating that it had been a success. [[Daniel]] had followed her to the site of the ceremony and filmed what he could see of [[The Ceremony]].  It was held outdoors at night in a wooded area and little could be seen clearly except some dimly lit hooded figures, among them was Bree. A few days later Daniel sensed that something was amiss, and eventually Bree confessed that the ceremony was not the real one, and that she had been persuaded to lie to him about it.  [[The Order]] had taken the opportunity to photograph Daniel spying on them, and Bree was remorseful when she found out.
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==Wanting Out==
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One should keep in mind, though, that Emma had seen the video of Bree's demise (including the transfusion), and learned about blood traits, ribozymes etc. from Jonas and Daniel. It is thus likely that this is information not usually given to Ceremony Girls, but in fact a unique cover-story to let what she saw and heard look non-threatening and misinterpreted, and to give a reasonable explanation why Bree hasn't been seen since her Ceremony.
The staged ceremony and the pictures secretly taken of [[Daniel]] were the last straw in getting [[Bree]] and her [[Bree's parents|parents]] to question the motives and morals of [[the Order]].  [[Bree's parents]] asked the [[Deacons]] to excuse her from participating, but they were unsuccessful.  The [[Deacons]] insisted that they would not have sufficient time to prepare another person, as the date of the ceremony was approaching, although much later [[Alex]] told us that they ''had'' selected a new girl in [[The Perfect Beach]].
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A few days later, Bree saw her [[Bree's parents|parents]] get taken away by [[Lucy]] and one of the [[Deacon|Deacons]]. After this, she ran away with Daniel and was on the run for months. It is unclear whether the ceremony has was held with a different girl in her stead.
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==Death==
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In the 2007 Season Finale, the TAAG were able to find the location of the ceremony, but were unable to rescue Bree before its completion and Bree's apparent death. From [http://www.lg15.com/lgpedia/index.php?title=Lonelygirl15_Season_Finale_10_of_12_%E2%80%93_5_pm hour ten], it appears that the ceremony is nothing more than a method of extracting trait-positive blood from young women. It is unclear if this was in fact the ceremony, or if there is a separate ceremony that was not witnessed.
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==Other notable details==
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===The Order===
*In the video [[Bree The Cookie Monster]], as they are rating cookie recipes, [[Purple Monkey|P. Monkey]] holds up the scores "10," "12," and "06." This fueled speculation that Oct. 12th, 2006 would be the date of the ceremony, as it is also the date of [[Aleister Crowley]]'s birthday, known as Crowleymas.
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For the true purpose of the Ceremony, the blood transfusion, most probably only the injections and pills were important, to further boost her ribozyme levels. This view is supported by the rogue Elder in [[What Happened?]], when, replying to Claire's fear Emma isn't ready yet, he says: "Her ribozymes are up at trait positive levels. Of course, she's ''ready''." - clearly implying that nothing but the ribozyme-levels matter.
*In her video [[The Ceremony Is Tomorrow :)]], [[Bree]] revealed that it would indeed take place on October 12, however this turned out to be the fake ceremony.
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*In the video [[I Completed The Ceremony]],  [[Bree]] told us a little about the "ceremony", however she had a [[bandage]] on her shoulder again, which in prior videos signaled that she had received an [[Bree's injections|injection]].  This seemed suspicious to many viewers and to [[Daniel]], since she should have no longer needed shots if the ceremony had indeed been completedTheir suspicions proved to be on the mark, as Bree eventually confessed in [[I Lied To Daniel]].
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==Ritual==
 +
===Hymn of One===
 +
Judging from [[Bree|Bree's]] accounts of the Ceremony, it is held rarelyShe and her [[Bree's parents|parents]] considered it a great honor that she was selected to participate in it. Her [[Bree's parents|parents]] themselves were not invited to attend, although they did greatly encourage her participation. Not even [[Bree]] knew exactly what the Ceremony would be like. She imagined that she would have to do the walking steps and use her knowledge of [[Enochian]], but other than that she did not know what to expect.  
 +
 
 +
====The Staged Ceremony====
 +
On October 12th, 2006 a fake Ceremony was held and [[Bree]] posted a video soon thereafter happily stating that it had been a success.  [[Daniel]] had followed her to the site of the Ceremony and filmed what he could see of [[The Ceremony (video)|The Ceremony]].  It was held outdoors at night in a wooded area and little could be seen clearly except some dimly lit hooded figures, among them was Bree.  A few days later Daniel sensed that something was amiss, and eventually Bree confessed that the Ceremony was not the real one, and that she had been persuaded to lie to him about it. [[The Order]] had taken the opportunity to photograph Daniel spying on them, and Bree was remorseful when she found out.
 +
 
 +
===The Order===
 +
From [[Lonelygirl15 Season Finale 10 of 12 - 5 pm|hour ten of the season 1 finale]], it appears that the true Ceremony is nothing more than a method of extracting trait-positive blood from young women, a normal patient-to-patient blood transfusion. It was "held" with no special celebration in an underground medical complex owned by the Order, however, in the season 2 episode [[Spreading the Song]], [[Sonia]] asks [[Carl]] "Have you even seen Bree since the Ceremony?" - which ''can'' be understood in a way that implies that there was indeed a religious event held for the occasion, and that the TAAG just missed it.
 +
===The Extremist Ritual===
 +
In [[KateModern]] it is revealed that there is a more archaic ceremony done by slaughtering the trait positive girl and drinking her blood.  The rituals involved are vaguely mentioned.  [[Kate]] was captured by [[Terrence]] and in the struggle he killed her, to prevent her death from going to waste he performed the extremist ceremony.  But shortly learned thereafter that it had no actual effect.
  
 
==Influences==
 
==Influences==
Given the religious undertones of the series, it is not unlikely that the idea for the ceremony was in part inspired by real-life religious rituals.  Some rituals and beliefs that might have influenced the ideas for the ceremony are
+
Given the religious undertones of the series, it is not unlikely that the idea for the Ceremony was in part inspired by real-life religious rituals.  Some rituals and beliefs that might have influenced the ideas for the Ceremony are
  
 
===Body of Light===
 
===Body of Light===
Line 39: Line 48:
  
 
===Gnostic Mass===
 
===Gnostic Mass===
[[Aleister Crowley]] wrote The Gnostic Mass—technically called Liber XV or "Book 15"—in 1913 while travelling in Moscow. In many ways it is similar in structure to the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church. However, the comparison ends there, as the Gnostic Mass is a celebration of the principles of [[Thelema]]. The ceremony calls for five officers: a priest, a priestess, a deacon, and two acolytes, called “children”. The end of the ritual culminates in the consummation of the Eucharist, which is a glass of wine and the host, called a [[Cakes of Light|Cake of Light]], after which the congregate proclaims “There is no part of me that is not of the gods!”
+
[[Aleister Crowley]] wrote The Gnostic Mass—technically called Liber XV or "Book 15"—in 1913 while traveling in Moscow. In many ways it is similar in structure to the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church. However, the comparison ends there, as the Gnostic Mass is a celebration of the principles of [[Thelema]]. The Ceremony calls for five officers: a priest, a priestess, a deacon, and two acolytes, called “children”. The end of the ritual culminates in the consummation of the Eucharist, which is a glass of wine and the host, called a [[Cakes of Light|Cake of Light]], after which the congregate proclaims “There is no part of me that is not of the gods!”
  
 
It is the central rite of [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] and its ecclesiastical arm, Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica.
 
It is the central rite of [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] and its ecclesiastical arm, Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica.
Line 48: Line 57:
 
*Hermetic.com article on [http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/gnostic_mass.htm The Gnostic Mass]
 
*Hermetic.com article on [http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/gnostic_mass.htm The Gnostic Mass]
  
{{Bree's religion}}
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{{The Order}}
  
[[Category:Theories and speculation]]
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[[Category:The Order]]

Latest revision as of 02:39, 25 March 2009

The Ceremony is a religious ritual performed by the Hymn of One and the Order with a Trait Positive girl. The Hymn of One's ritual acts as a diguise for the true ritual, performed by the Order.

The Selection Process

Hymn of One

Bree is honored from the start that she was chosen for the Ceremony, but never explains how this happened. She eventually learns from her father that the Order selects a pool of young girls who show "potential" at birth. These children are placed in what they call "protected homes" with adoptive parents from within the Order. When they reach puberty, they single out one to participate.

The Order

The true criterion on which girls are selected is whether they are "Trait Positive", meaning their counts of a special ribozyme are exceptionally high. If that is the case, the girl is abducted as a baby, and placed with parents from the Hymn of One (under the above-mentioned disguise).

Purpose

Hymn of One

The religious disguise for the Ceremony, the supposed purpose, was never revealed in the series - mostly because Bree didn't know it herself.

The Order

The true purpose of the Ceremony is to transfuse the blood of a Trait Positive girl into an Elder, to prolong his life for an additional 40 - 50 years. The rogue Elder claimed in What Happened? that, while he looked "alright" on the outside, his liver and kidneys were ninety years old.

Preparations

Hymn of One

For the religious disguise, Bree had to undergo rigorous preparation for the Ceremony. She had a special diet, took iron supplements, received injections of a then-undisclosed substance, learned the rare language of Enochian and practiced exercises and walking steps with her new helper Lucy. The reasons for many aspects of her preparation remain unclear. Her injections and pills in particular had sparked curiosity in many viewers. However, it should be known that the injections were actually used to make Bree trait negative. The iron pills, however, are still a mystery.

In season 2, Emma tells us she is preparing by learning a dance that "some people do find weird", as well as "a chant that needs to be recited". Emma, contrary to Bree, talks about being "special" because of her blood, and does know about the blood transfusion procedure - she claims it is called "chelation" and supposed to "build up the health of my blood and strengthen my spirit". She also claims that, after the Ceremony, the Ceremony Girl is taken to a "special place in the mountains, near Sedona" where she "learns all the hidden secrets of the universe".

One should keep in mind, though, that Emma had seen the video of Bree's demise (including the transfusion), and learned about blood traits, ribozymes etc. from Jonas and Daniel. It is thus likely that this is information not usually given to Ceremony Girls, but in fact a unique cover-story to let what she saw and heard look non-threatening and misinterpreted, and to give a reasonable explanation why Bree hasn't been seen since her Ceremony.

The Order

For the true purpose of the Ceremony, the blood transfusion, most probably only the injections and pills were important, to further boost her ribozyme levels. This view is supported by the rogue Elder in What Happened?, when, replying to Claire's fear Emma isn't ready yet, he says: "Her ribozymes are up at trait positive levels. Of course, she's ready." - clearly implying that nothing but the ribozyme-levels matter.

Ritual

Hymn of One

Judging from Bree's accounts of the Ceremony, it is held rarely. She and her parents considered it a great honor that she was selected to participate in it. Her parents themselves were not invited to attend, although they did greatly encourage her participation. Not even Bree knew exactly what the Ceremony would be like. She imagined that she would have to do the walking steps and use her knowledge of Enochian, but other than that she did not know what to expect.

The Staged Ceremony

On October 12th, 2006 a fake Ceremony was held and Bree posted a video soon thereafter happily stating that it had been a success. Daniel had followed her to the site of the Ceremony and filmed what he could see of The Ceremony. It was held outdoors at night in a wooded area and little could be seen clearly except some dimly lit hooded figures, among them was Bree. A few days later Daniel sensed that something was amiss, and eventually Bree confessed that the Ceremony was not the real one, and that she had been persuaded to lie to him about it. The Order had taken the opportunity to photograph Daniel spying on them, and Bree was remorseful when she found out.

The Order

From hour ten of the season 1 finale, it appears that the true Ceremony is nothing more than a method of extracting trait-positive blood from young women, a normal patient-to-patient blood transfusion. It was "held" with no special celebration in an underground medical complex owned by the Order, however, in the season 2 episode Spreading the Song, Sonia asks Carl "Have you even seen Bree since the Ceremony?" - which can be understood in a way that implies that there was indeed a religious event held for the occasion, and that the TAAG just missed it.

The Extremist Ritual

In KateModern it is revealed that there is a more archaic ceremony done by slaughtering the trait positive girl and drinking her blood. The rituals involved are vaguely mentioned. Kate was captured by Terrence and in the struggle he killed her, to prevent her death from going to waste he performed the extremist ceremony. But shortly learned thereafter that it had no actual effect.

Influences

Given the religious undertones of the series, it is not unlikely that the idea for the Ceremony was in part inspired by real-life religious rituals. Some rituals and beliefs that might have influenced the ideas for the Ceremony are

Body of Light

According to Crowley, the Body of Light is not only used for astral travel--but in fact is the storehouse of all experiences. (From Magick Without Tears, Ch. 81):

In Magick, on the contrary, one passes through the veil of the exterior world (which, as in Yoga, but in another sense, becomes "unreal" by comparison as one passes beyond) one creates a subtle body (instrument is a better term) called the body of Light; this one develops and controls; It gains new powers as one progresses, usually by means of what is called "initiation:" finally, one carries on almost one's whole life in this Body of Light, and achieves in its own way the mastery of the Universe.

Gnostic Mass

Aleister Crowley wrote The Gnostic Mass—technically called Liber XV or "Book 15"—in 1913 while traveling in Moscow. In many ways it is similar in structure to the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church. However, the comparison ends there, as the Gnostic Mass is a celebration of the principles of Thelema. The Ceremony calls for five officers: a priest, a priestess, a deacon, and two acolytes, called “children”. The end of the ritual culminates in the consummation of the Eucharist, which is a glass of wine and the host, called a Cake of Light, after which the congregate proclaims “There is no part of me that is not of the gods!”

It is the central rite of Ordo Templi Orientis and its ecclesiastical arm, Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica.

External links

The Order of Denderah
Branches Hymn of One · Operation APHID · SHENtek
Covers Lullaby Project · Wyman Foundation · Verdus Pharmaceuticals · Hart Study · Bio-Therapy Report LLC · Sacred Spirit · St. Grinstead
People Aleister Crowley · Elders · Shadows · Deacons · Seekers · Helpers · Watchers · Thugs · Assassins
Locations Adak Island · An Order boat · An Order hospital · Alcombe Antiques · The Cowboy's Ranch · The Human Ransom Location · La Crete · Lucy's vacant building · The Lullaby Project · The Lullaby Project Center · The Order Facility · Order HQ · Pleasant Manor · Porter's hospital · Precious Blood bunker · Recruitment Centers · Sacred Spirit · Salinas Campaign Headquarters · S.S. Hathor's Song · St. Grinstead · Topanga Canyon · Verdus Pharmaceuticals · Wickenburg · Zavalla
The Ceremony Trait positive · Free will · Injections · Enochian · Iron pills