ORDER OF HERMES: HOUSE IGNACIO

By Brian Connors (connorbd@bc.edu)

Author's note

A friend of mine developed the idea as part of a Mage campaign. I am sharing notes with him on an upcoming vampire campaign, but so far I haven't been privy to his view of House Ignacio. The following, therefore, is based on what I imagine a Hermetic house among Catholic priests to be like.

To those who feel that Christianity has no place for sorcerors, I understand that you may be offended by this. To those of you who may have a far more personal stake in the Jesuits than I do and feel I am doing a disservice to the Society of Jesus, I apologize. FWIW, I do go to a Jesuit university (Boston College) and I have the utmost respect for them. I have attempted to carry that over into my interpretation of the

Description

Though there is a prohibition against witches and mediums in the Bible, the best Jesuit tradition has found no problem with sanctifying what they feel to be the power of God, given to the Awakened with the understanding that the would-be mage takes on a massive responsibility. Thus, in the early 1800's at Georgetown University, a group of Jesuits and a lay professor of the Order of Hermes adopted the code of the Jesuits as a rulebook and founded the House Ignacio.

The House Ignacio seems more appropriate to the Celestial Chorus than the Hermetics; it is very much steeped in the traditions of the Society of Jesus, with strict discipline and a strong focus on God as the giver of all power. Currently six Chantries exist, three in the United States: Georgetown, Boston College, and Loyola-Marymount in California. (There are also chantries in France, Japan, and Spain, and one in the process of building in Peru.)

House Ignacio is very tightly knit and very secretive. It is said to encompass approximately 60 mages, mostly ordained Jesuits at the universities that harbor its chantries. Their magic follows the formulaic Hermetic model, but it is said that they actually harbor closer ties to the Virtual Adepts (certainly the case at the current Home Chantry in Boston) and the Akashic Brotherhood than they do to the rest of the Order of Hermes.

Membership in the House is not restricted to Jesuits, but it requires that initiates follow the practices of the Society of Jesus: unquestioning obedience of your mentor, daily meditation, and a love of education. The secrecy (odd for such a group, and probably the reason that Jesuits are so popular with conspiracy nuts) stems from this discipline: the Awakening is a powerful event with powerful consequences, and Quintessence is not something that the undisciplined can control. Applicants are welcomed always, but only the truly serious get into the training. The rest find their avatars quietly suppressed (but by no means destroyed) and are sent on their way with a vow of secrecy. Only one apprentice has ever broken that vow, and he has spread so much untruth about the order that he is taken seriously only by the most extreme of axe-grinders and nutcases.

Philosophy

God gives us the power to change reality. With that power must always be discipline. This is why we hold so much back, and this is why we are so strict about our magick and its formulae. Do not feel left out because we tell you nothing; it takes a long time to learn what we teach and not all are ready for it.

Background

Most are priests of the Society of Jesus; a few are laypeople. There are currently no women in the order, though there is no prohibition as there is in the Catholic priesthood. Virtually all are Catholic (there are a couple of Lutherans in the Japan chantry and a Jew in the Boston chantry). Most are between 40 and 80 years old. By convention, the presidents of the six Jesuit universities have always been members of the House; this precedent was almost broken in the early 70's when the rector of the Jesuit community of one of the universities (the man who traditionally had the presidency) was not a member. The current incoming president of that college is an apprentice to the house.

Foci

Their books are all they need. Even a holy symbol smacks of idolatry, something the House Ignacio condemns just as vehemently any other Christian body.

Spheres

Same as the Order of Hermes, though they do take an extra interest in Mind. Most eschew Entropy as tainted.

Quote

"The Lord bless you. Now to the task at hand. Do you understand why you must always do as I tell you?"

Stereotypes

Council of Nine: An acceptable compromise among magi, but amalgamation of philosophies with no thought for need or effects is potentially dangerous.

Order of Hermes: We accept their forms, but too many of them do not realize what they are really doing.

Akashic Brotherhood: They were among our first contacts in Asia. Though we can never see eye-to-eye on religious issues, we still have much to learn from them.

Celestial Chorus: They understand the forms, but are perhaps a bit lost on the function. Still, I feel that they are on the true path, however erratically they may navigate it.

Cult of Ecstasy: Hedonism is not a philosophy. It may get them somewhere in the short run, but it will get them nowhere in the long run.

Dreamspeakers: I claim to be an agnostic as to the efficacy of what they do. Certainly they are not abiding by the letter of God's rules.

Euthanatos: There is no reincarnation. Some Akashics may accept that (there are some Christians among them), but the whole of the Euthanatos philosophy is a violation of everything that is basic about life.

Hollow Ones: Deluded and depressing. They are to be ministered to before they are to be learned from, as too much of their knowledge is tainted.

Sons of Ether: They court backlash daily. Their learning is admirable, but their tolerance (or lack thereof) is a relic of an earlier age that must be left behind.

Verbena: We live with them in the spirit of ecumenicalism, but they are the very witches the Bible condemns. Their influence is dangerous.

Virtual Adepts: They value learning as much as we do, but they need to focus more on reality and get the neurojack ideas out of their heads before they have the actual jacks.

Technocracy: They have lost sight of their ideals. They need to be returned to what they once were before they destroy themselves.

Iteration X: They don't really know what they're after, and they keep creating more and more to cover it up.

Progenitors: Like the Euthanatos, they misunderstand the nature of life.

New World Order: It's occasionally funny how we and they are tied together, but most of the time it's just insulting.

The Syndicate: Capitalism is perhaps a necessary evil, but an evil nonetheless.

Void Engineers: Their explorations since the renaming have served no purpose. The Sleepers have much more to find.

Nephandi: Corruption incarnate. They are the agents of the Devil.

Marauders: Even the mad are sacred to God. Talk them down before you try to destroy them; no one has yet been saved, but it is always worth the effort.

Werewolves: If they would be treated as equals, they must learn to share the earth. I know what they are after and support it, but they're doing it wrong.

Vampires: A soul is a soul, no matter how damned it thinks it is. No matter how dead their bodies, their soul has not yet been released.

Tremere: A prime example of those who want too much. The curse of Cain has removed their humanity and they shall pay for that mistake until the last of them are gone.

Wraiths: If only they could be reached. But it's too late for them and they are all too aware of that.

Fae: They live among us as mortals; give them every respect, but check your pockets later.