The Order of the Solar Temple, founded in 1984, the cult continues to exist today and boasts thousands of active members worldwide! obscure cult is still extremely fascinating to learn about. With their origins steeped in the mysterious past of the Knight Templar, they exist today and boast thousands of active members worldwide! Buckle in and get ready for a wild ride as you learn 5 mind-blowing facts you have to know about Solar Temple!
Entered Heaven Via Fire
As everyone interested in cults knows, a stable of every cult is to exit this world with an impressive final. The Order of the Solar Temple is no different. On October 5th, 1994, 53 members of the Order of the Solar Temple were found dead, including the founders. What made them stand out amongst other cults is that they committed mass suicide via fire, which inevitably led the authorities to the burnt-down buildings containing the bodies.
Officials believe the inner circle used poison to commit suicide, while the others appear to have had plastic bags placed over their heads before being shot. They were then arranged in a circle with their feet facing a temple and wore white ceremony robes, which is why we can classify the mass suicide of Solar Temple as mass murder. We have no way of fully knowing whether the members were willingly shot; thus, Because of this, one could easily classify the mass suicide of Solar Temple as mass murder. we must assume this was an act of murder instead of suicide.
A Final Supper for the Leaders
Before the mass suicide, Di Mambro, one of the cult’s founders, invited 12 of his highest-ranked followers to join him for a Last Supper. This Last Supper was designed to replicate their version of Christ’s Last Supper, in which Di Mambro took on the role of Christ and his followers as Apostles. Remember that these 12 followers knew the plans to murder the cult members before committing suicide.
Demigods?
Joseph Di Mambro, a founder of The Order of the Solar Temple was in charge of all the rituals and ceremonies performed by the cult over the years. As he led the members in meditations and prayers, he decided the best way to improve his standing amongst the cult was to claim his children were demigods. He claimed his son was born through theogamy, or “marriage with the gods.” Not only that, but he claimed his daughter was born instantly, no long-drawn pregnancy. She just poofed into existence.
Brutal Murders in a Coverup
No cult based on the Knight Templar would be complete without at least one brutal murder related to hiding its secrets, and Solar Temple does not fail to provide. However, Solar Temple has not only one murder but three murders related to a single incident. On September 20th, 1995, Antonio and Nicky Dutoit, along with their child, were stabbed in Montreal, Quebec. They had been stabbed by two other cult members after Di Mambro declared their baby was the antichrist.
However, that is not the only reason Di Mambro had them killed. He declared their child the antichrist after they named it Emmanuelle, the same name as one of his god-children. The ego of a single deranged man led to the brutal murder of a child, not counting the children murdered as part of the group’s mass suicide in 1994 only a month later.
Welcome to High School Cliques… Again
To finish off our 5 mind-blowing facts about Solar Temple, we have their inner circle! As you probably guessed, Solar Temple had a very active and secretive inner circle. The Synarchy of the Temple consisted of the cult’s largest donors and its leaders. And just like every pompous inner circle, they came up with a fancy name and referred to themselves as the Elder Brothers of the Rosy Cross. And how could a secret order be complete without Lodges, aka churches, scattered around where the members lived.
These “churches” came equipped with everything a cult leader needs to indoctrinate their followers. Each church had robes, altars, ceremonial tools, and just enough charismatic effect to make the followers believe the lies they were being fed. These lies included the theft of members’ money in so-called “fees” and “holy tithes.” This money was then hidden away in many of these churches in vast hoards, much like a dragon or Mr. Scrouge would do.
There you have it, 5 mind-blowing facts about Solar Temple. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive our articles straight to your inbox whenever we publish them! Keep your eye out for future great articles, including more facts about cults such as The Order of the Solar Temple! If you liked this article, check out our one on Heaven’s Gate here!
Sources
Myrtil, Bianca. “’The Order of the Solar Temple’ Is One of the Creepiest Cults Ever.” Film Daily, 17 Aug. 2021, https://filmdaily.co/news/order-of-the-solar-temple/.
“Order of the Solar Temple.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Order-of-the-Solar-Temple.
Sedlak-Hevener, Amanda. “Disturbing Secrets of the Order of the Solar Temple Cult.” Ranker, Ranker, 22 July 2022, https://www.ranker.com/list/order-of-the-solar-temple-cult/amandasedlakhevener.