Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Today, Christopher and I received the following message from Ben Hance:
“93, Marlene passed early this morning, peacefully, while joking with and surrounded by family and friends. 93 93/93”
To many people, she was a good friend. To some, a teacher. To Faustus, she was a mom. And, although we were not close to Marlene, she was—at least from our angle—family. When Jerry died a few years ago, she went out of her way to video chat and make sure we were ok.
Stepping back, if wasn’t for Marlene, we wouldn’t be where we are in our Work today. Acting as Jerry’s Scarlet Woman, she helped him manifest most of the 13-volume Red Flame series, some of which she republished in various forms through her own company, Conjoined Creation.
Under the same company, she, along with David R. Jones and Carl Brickner, republished The Holy Books of Thelema in 2015.
We wish you the very best on your journey, Marlene.
Love is the law, love under will.
Christopher and Erica Johnson
More about Marlene from The Fringe Datebook by J. Edward Cornelius:
November 11, 1960 – Marlene Elizabeth Smith was born on this date in Texarkana, Texas. She began her O.T.O. career at Kilili Camp in New Orleans on March 31st, 1986 by taking Minerval 0° and stayed with that body through its elevation to Kali Lodge. In the summer of 1988 she moved to Berkeley, California and became an active member of Thelema Lodge. She rose up, one degree after another, and took KEW in December 1989. Marlene joined Grady Louis McMurtry’s A.’.A.’. lineage on September 23rd, 1991 as a Probationer. On October 10th, 1993 she married J. Edward Cornelius 9°=2*, the present head of Grady’s A.’.A.’. and past VIII° O.T.O. initiate under Grady, becoming known as Marlene Cornelius. She assisted her husband in establishing his dream of putting out a lengthy research journal of his writings and others’. He named his periodical Red Flame, a Thelemic Research Journal, and with Marlene’s help the first issue appeared in 1993. In 1994 Marlene was chartered to begin Pangenetor Lodge O.T.O., which produced numerous pamphlets under the name of Pangenetor Publications. After the closure of this lodge, Marlene remained active in O.T.O. within 418 Lodge through her close friendship with Phyllis Seckler. Other milestones include being chartered as an Initiator of the O.T.O. in 1990, ordained as a Priestess of the E.G.C. in June of 1994, and elevated to the Senate of the O.T.O. in 1995. Marlene and J. Edward have only one child, a boy named Faustus, born in January of 1996. They divorced in February of 2003.