Jack Parsons on the cover of his book "Freedom is a two-edged sword

John "Jack" Whiteside Parsons (October 2, 1914 – June 17, 1952), (born Marvel Whiteside Parsons), was an American rocket propulsion researcher at the California Institute of Technology and co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Aerojet Corporation. He was also an enthusiastic occultist. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 386 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (500 × 776 pixel, file size: 68 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Cover of the book Freedom is a two edged sword by Jack Parsons This image is of a book cover, and the copyright for it... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 386 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (500 × 776 pixel, file size: 68 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Cover of the book Freedom is a two edged sword by Jack Parsons This image is of a book cover, and the copyright for it... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Soyuz rocket, at Baikonur launch pad. ... The California Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Caltech)[1] is a private, coeducational research university located in Pasadena, California, in the United States. ... For the singer/songwriter, see Jon Peter Lewis. ... Aerojet is a major rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Sacramento, California with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange, VA, Gainesville, VA, and Camden, AK. Their products include a wide range of propulsion, from main engines used on a number of NASA vehicles and ballistic missiles, down to stationkeeping... For other uses of this term, see occult (disambiguation). ...

Parsons' rocket research was central to the United States rocket program in the 1930s and 1940s, notably in the development of solid space-capable rocket fuels and the invention of JATO units for aircraft. Rocket fuel is a propellant that reacts with an oxidizing agent to produce thrust in a rocket. ... Take-off of Americas first rocket-assisted fixed-wing aircraft, an Ercoupe fitted with a GALCIT developed solid propellant JATO booster with a thrust of 28 pounds force (125 N). ...

He is less well known than Wernher von Braun or Theodore von Kármán in the rocket program and the origins of JPL. Nonetheless, von Braun remarked that Parsons, and not he, should be regarded as the father of the American space program.^{[1][unreliable source?]}. For other uses of von Braun, see von Braun (disambiguation). ... Theodore von Kármán (SzÅ‘llÅ‘skislaki Kármán Tódor) (May 11, 1881 – May 6, 1963) was an engineer and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronautics during the seminal era in the 1940s and 1950s. ...

Parsons and the Occult

Parsons was also an avid practitioner of the occult arts, and a follower of Thelema. He saw no contradiction between his scientific and magical pursuits: before each rocket test launch, Parsons would invoke the god Pan. The word occult comes from the Latin occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to knowledge of the hidden.[1] In the medical sense it is used commonly to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e. ... Thelema is the English transliteration of the Ancient Greek noun : will, from the verb θέλω: to will, wish, purpose. ... Pan (Greek , genitive ) is the Greek god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music: paein means to pasture. ...

He was chosen by Aleister Crowley to lead Agape Lodge, the Thelemic Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) in California in 1942 after Crowley expelled Wilfred Smith from the position. Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley, (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947; the surname is pronounced // i. ... Lamen of the Ordo Templi Orientis Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) (Order of the Temple of the East, or the Order of Oriental Templars) is an international fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Sarah Elizabeth Northrup (aka 'Betty'), began living with Parsons after his wife, Sarah's half-sister Helen Northrup, left with Wilfred Smith. Sarah Elizabeth Northrup later married L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology and sometime magickal partner of Parsons. Parsons and Hubbard participated in a ritual known as the Babalon Working which is famous in occult circles — loosely, it was an attempt to summon a living goddess and change the course of history. They were aided in this work by Sampson Bennetts of the Rosicrucian Order and his wife Sara Melian Gabriel, a well known spiritualist from India. Doctrine Practices Concepts People Public groups Organization Controversy Sara Northrup was the second wife of L. Ron Hubbard, from 1946-1951. ... Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was an American science fiction writer,[2][3][4] creator of Dianetics, and founder of the Church of Scientology. ... Doctrine Practices Concepts People Public outreach Organization Controversy Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by American pulp fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics. ... This article refers to the magical system of Aleister Crowley and Thelema. ... The Babalon Working was a series of magickal ceremonies or rituals commenced on March 2, 1946 by Jack Parsons, essentially designed to manifest an individual incarnation of the archetypal divine feminine called Babalon , as well as to catalyze the reification of that force as it exists latently in every man... Statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture For the 1934 film, see, see The Goddess (1934 film). ... The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618 The Rosicrucians are a legendary and secretive order dating from the 15th or 17th century, generally associated with the symbol of the Rose Cross, which is also used in certain rituals of the Freemasons. ...

In January of 1946, Parsons, Betty, and Hubbard started a boat dealing company named Allied Enterprises. Parsons put in a large sum of approximately $21,000—Hubbard put in $1,200, and Betty nothing. Hubbard eventually abandoned Parsons and their business plans, leaving a port in Florida with the boat and Betty. It is said Parsons retreated to his hotel room and summoned a typhoon in retribution (i.e. evocation of Bartzabel ^[2] - intelligence presiding Mars). Legend or not, Hubbard and the ship were washed ashore in a freak storm the same day. A Florida court later dissolved the poorly contracted business, ordered repayment of debts to Parsons and awarded ownership of the boat to Hubbard.

Parsons set out to find another partner, his so called "scarlet woman", a magickal partner with whom he could sire a "Moonchild." The Moonchild is traditionally the incarnation of a God, as prophesied in Crowley's channeled script 'The Book of the Law' (The creation of this Moonchild was covered in Crowley's novel of the same name). Whore redirects here. ... Moonchild, the 1929 edition. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... There are two types of Crowleys: English Crowleys and Irish Crowleys. ... According to Websters Dictionary: the practice of professedly entering a meditative or trancelike state in order to convey messages from a spiritual guide. ... Cover of The Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley (Weiser 2004 Centennial Edition) The Book of the Law is the central sacred text of Thelema, written (or received) by Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt in the year 1904. ...

When Parsons met artist and poet Marjorie Cameron, he regarded her as the fulfilment of his magical rituals. This same year he resigned his leadership of the O.T.O. Marjorie Elizabeth Cameron (b. ...

The Hubbard/Allied relationship lasted until 1947, when Hubbard defrauded Parsons of a sum of money and ran off with Sarah Northrup. Hubbard used much of this money from Allied Enterprises to promulgate and publish his book Dianetics, which later evolved into and was superseded by Scientology. This article is about the theory and practice termed Dianetics. ...

Death

Jack Parsons died on June 17, 1952 in an explosion of fulminate of mercury at his home laboratory which is generally regarded as accidental — he stored many volatile chemicals and compounds in the lab. Though gravely injured, he survived the explosion, only to die of his wounds hours later. Considering Parsons' scientific expertise, it's considered suspicious ^{[citation needed]} that he would make such a careless mistake of mixing mercury with another compound known to be explosive. Distraught, Parsons's mother killed herself just hours after he died.^[3] is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mercury fulminate (Hg(ONC)2) is a primary explosive. ...

Parsons in popular culture

Jack Parsons has an appearance in Anthony Boucher's murder mystery Rocket to the Morgue (1942) as the character Hugo Chantrelle. The book also includes L. Ron Hubbard as D. Vance Wimpole. His relationship with Hubbard also appears in Paradox's Big Book of Conspiracies and Alan Moore's Cobweb story in Top Shelf asks the big questions. Anthony Boucher (August 21, 1911 - April 29, 1968) [1] was an American science fiction editor and writer of mystery novels and short stories. ...

Honors

The Parsons crater on the far side of the Moon has been named after him.^[4] Parsons is a lunar impact crater on the battered far side of the Moon. ... Far side of the Moon. ...

Bibliography

• Freedom is a two-edged Sword; by John Whiteside Parsons, Edited by Hymenaeus Beta, ISBN: 0972658327
• "The Collected Writings of Jack Parsons: The Book of Babalon, The Book of Antichrist, and other writings" including:
  • The Book of Babalon
  • The Book of Antichrist
  • The Birth of Babalon (poem)
  • We are the Witchcraft
  • The Woman Girt with a Sword
  • Letters to Cameron

The Books on Jack Parsons:

• Testa, Anthony; The Key of the Abyss, Lulu.com, 2006, ISBN: 1430301600
• Carter, Jack; Sex and Rockets, Feral House, 1999
• Pendle, George; Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons, Harcourt, 2005

References

1. ^ Richard Metzger. john whiteside parsons: anti-christ superstar. The Disinformation Company Ltd..
2. ^ Alexander Mitchell, SCIENTOLOGY: Revealed for the first time... The Sunday Times, October 5, 1969
3. ^ Pendle, George (2005). Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons. Harcourt. ISBN 0-297-84853-4. 
4. ^ Carter, John (2000). Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons. Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-56-3. 

• Rowlett, Curt (2006). Labyrinth13: True Tales of the Occult, Crime & Conspiracy, Chapter 2, The Strange Case of John Whiteside Parsons. Lulu Press. ISBN 1-4116-6083-8.

The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International which is in turn owned by News Corporation. ... is the 278th day of the year (279th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• The Magical Father of American Rocketry, Reason Online
• Rotten.com bio
• Feral House's Sex and Rockets mini-site.
• The Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Aerojet corporation
• Thelemapedia entry on Jack Parsons