Sex, Power, Lies.

False accusations of rape are the most damaging and reputationally destructive action that a woman can take against a man. False accusations of rape undermine the genuine victims of rape and sexual assault, making them less likely to pursue prosecution. It is a very serious issue, with devastating personal consequences.

At the height of #metoo, such a false claim was made in the UK occult community by Georgia van Raalte against Sef Salem, identified initially in an article posted on Thelemic Union as ‘Brother X,’ but whose identity soon became widely known. She pursued her grievance through social media and OTO, but never made a legal complaint. Sef Salem was ostracised by the community and labelled a rapist on the strength of her testimony.

She has now withdrawn her rape claim – some five years later – and made clear in a public statement that she made a false accusation. She lied. In reality she was in a polyamorous relationship with Sef Salem. She is an adult and solely responsible for her actions.

Georgia van Raalte used her status as a victim to bolster her reputation within the overlapping occult and academic worlds, the emic and the etic. Consequently, both occultists and academics who had been working to amplify women’s voices enthusiastically supported her. She wrote multiple essays on the theme, such as ‘The Rape of Babalon’, ‘I have been wronged: Sex and Power in the OTO’ and ‘Intimate Trauma and the Body of Babalon.’ These were widely circulated and even translated, gaining her status and renown whilst doing significant damage to the reputation of OTO, the occult community and making Sef Salem a pariah.

Georgia van Raalte went on to use her false rape claim to attack my work and reputation, weaponising the momentum of #metoo for her own benefit. She libelled me when she stated that my work, The Red Goddess, had ‘theologically justified’ her rape. A very serious accusation, given that she is an academic in the field of theology and is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Divinity School. No citations or quotes were provided, as I have done no such thing. And there was no rape. She lied, and lied again. The attempt to distort and discredit my work has been consistent in her writing, both personal and academic. She has demonstrated that she does not have the scholarly impartiality or integrity of character to hold a position in the academy in the fields of theology or esotericism.

I have never had so much as a conversation or email exchange with her.

Georgia van Raalte is a talented but troubled individual who has acted in a grossly unacceptable manner for her personal and professional gain. Now she needs to begin the process of reflection, not public occultism or academic advancement. Her confession is a start, but not the end of the matter.

Peter Grey