In my recent video, I shared the 2019 incident where Sabazius, the U.S. National Grand Master of OTO, pressured Joseph Thibes to remove IAO131 as a moderator of the Facebook Thelema group—and what happened when I spoke out.
This wasn’t just drama. It was textbook BITE model behavior—a framework used to identify high-control groups:
Behavior Control
• Pressuring someone to cut ties with a critic
• Expelling a longtime dissenter under false pretenses
• Using “friendly” threats to silence criticism
Information Control
• Targeting dissent in a public Thelema group
• Monitoring social media posts
• Pretending implied orders aren’t real
Thought Control
• Gaslighting: “He didn’t order—he just expressed a preference”
• Repeating scripted talking points to shut down doubt
• Framing criticism as betrayal
Emotional Control
• Creating fear of consequences
• Isolating critics
• Shaming defenders
This wasn’t about protecting anyone. It was about controlling the narrative and punishing dissent.
If you’ve seen stuff like this in OTO and thought, “This feels culty”—you’re not crazy. You’re paying attention.