Jane Wolfe
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Sarah Jane Wolfe (March 21, 1875 – March 29, 1958) was an American
silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
character actress A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...
who is considered an important female figure in magick. She was a friend and a colleague of
Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pro ...
and a founding member of
Agape Lodge The Agape Lodge was a California-based chapter of the Ordo Templi Orientis founded in 1935 by Wilfred Talbot Smith. Following World War II, it was the sole surviving O.T.O. organization. In 1942, jet fuel engineer Jack Parsons was appointed head ...
of the
Ordo Templi Orientis Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.; ) is an occult Initiation, initiatory organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century. The origins of the O.T.O. can be traced back to the German-speaking occultists Carl Kellner (mystic), Carl Kellner, He ...
in Southern California.


Early life

Wolfe was born in the tiny
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
borough of
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in
Clarion County Clarion County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,241. Its county seat is Clarion. The county was formed on March 11, 1839, from parts of Venango and Armstrong counties. Clarion Cou ...
. She came from
Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spe ...
stock. Her name at birth was Sarah Jane Wolfe but when she later went on the stage, she adopted the single name of Jane. She was the middle child, her older brother John was born in the previous year and her sister, Mary K., was born a year and a day later, the same year that their father died. John spent many years in Montana but Wolfe and Mary K. were closely associated through much of their lives. Wolfe loved her grandfather Bill and snuggled him whenever she could. He was a very busy man as he raised nearly all the family. Her grandmother worked hard in the kitchen and turned out delicious Pennsylvania Dutch treats for the family. When Wolfe was eight years old the family lived at McKnightstown, only four miles from their grandfather's farm which Wolfe used to visit to spend time with grandfather Bill, cuddling him, as he grew weaker in old age. At age of 19, Wolfe attended
Eastman Business College The Eastman Business College was a business school located in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It operated from 1859 until it closed in 1931. At the height of its success, the school was one of the largest commercial colleges in the United St ...
in Poughkeepsie to prepare for stenographic work and met her first flame, a Spaniard from Puerto Rico.


Acting

As a young girl, Wolfe went to New York City to pursue a career in the theatre but soon became involved with acting in the fledgling motion picture industry. She made her film debut in 1910 at the age of 35 with
Kalem Studios The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to V ...
in ''
A Lad from Old Ireland ''The Lad from Old Ireland'', also called ''A Lad from Old Ireland'', is a one-reel 1910 American motion picture directed by and starring Sidney Olcott and written by and co-starring Gene Gauntier. It was the first film appearance of prolific ac ...
'' under the direction of
Sidney Olcott Sidney Olcott (born John Sidney Allcott, September 20, 1872 – December 16, 1949) was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. Biography Born John Sidney Allcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great direc ...
. In 1911, Wolfe was part of the Kalem Company's crew in New York City who relocated to the company's new production facilities in Hollywood. She was active in early silent movies, as she had distinctive features. She was an excellent actress and rarely lacked work. Wolfe went on to become one of the leading character actors of the decade, appearing in more than one hundred films including an important secondary role in the 1917 film ''
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' is a classic American 1903 children's novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin that tells the story of Rebecca Rowena Randall and her aunts, one stern and one kind, in the fictional village of Riverboro, Maine. Rebecca's joy ...
''.


Hollywood and magick

In the Fall 1913, when Wolfe worked in Hollywood, the book ''Magic, Black and White'' was given to her to read and after this she dipped into various magazines and books of an occult nature.


Ouija

Wolfe used the
Ouija The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...
board beginning in 1917, when it first came to her attention. She credited some of her greatest spiritual communications to the use of this implement. In August 1917, when using the ouija board, Wolfe established contact with a spirit who called himself "Bab", and another called "Gan", a Chinese, who gave her definite messages and then departed. After this, spirits who represented themselves as the first two came and gave messages, calling her "the chosen".


Automatic writing

In 1917, Wolfe met a person named L. V. Jefferson, who did a lot of automatic writing and was a psychic. A disembodied spirit named Fee Wah used his hand. Jefferson told Wolfe he would be glad to take her as a student. Early in 1918, she tried her own automatic writing.


Thelema

In October 1918, Wolfe ordered ''
The Equinox ''The Equinox'' (subtitle: ''The Review of Scientific Illuminism'') was a periodical that served as the official organ of the A∴A∴, a magical order founded by Aleister Crowley (although material is often of import to its sister organization, O ...
'', Vol. I, No. 1 and ''
Book 4 ''Magick, Liber ABA, Book 4'' is widely considered to be the ''magnum opus'' of 20th-century occultist Aleister Crowley, the founder of Thelema. It is a lengthy treatise on magick, his system of Western occult practice, synthesised from many ...
''. She then tried
Pranayama Pranayama is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In Sanskrit, '' prana'' means "vital life force", and ''yama'' means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with ''prana'', thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the '' prana'' ''sha ...
for some time, and had a yoga teacher for about three weeks but found this unsatisfactory. In early 1919, Wolfe began writing to
Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pro ...
. Until about 1920, Wolfe co-starred in more than 90 films, after which her acting career ended following her move to Cefalù where she resided with Crowley, studying
Thelema Thelema () is a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician. The word '' ...
and magick. Wolfe often expressed her wish to direct a film about magic and Thelema in subsequent years.


A∴A∴


Cefalu

In 1918, at the age of 43, Jane Wolfe began corresponding with Aleister Crowley, and two years later she gave up her career in Hollywood to join Crowley at his Abbey of Thelema at Cefalù, Sicily, living there from 1920 until it closed in 1923. In Cefalu Wolfe was admitted to the
A∴A∴ The A∴A∴ ( ) is a magical organization described in 1907 by occultist Aleister Crowley. Its members are dedicated to the advancement of humanity by perfection of the individual on every plane through a graded series of universal initiation ...
by Crowley, taking the magickal name Soror Estai. She undertook various practises including
yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
, dharana, and
pranayama Pranayama is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In Sanskrit, '' prana'' means "vital life force", and ''yama'' means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with ''prana'', thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the '' prana'' ''sha ...
of which she kept a detailed record which was later published by the College of Thelema of Northern California as ''The Cefalu Diaries''. It was the custom at the Abbey of Thelema in Cefalu, where Wolfe came to stay, to allow Aspirants three days as a guest as an aid in general orientation. After that, they were required to work on their attainment or leave. Wolfe had come there to receive some training in yoga and in magick and to discover her True Will. This purpose pulled her through all of the shattering happenings. Wolfe discovered the little town of Cefalu which was only about half a mile from the "Villa Santa Barbara" which had become The Abbey of Thelema. It was on a slope of the mountains lying South of Cefalu and was situated in an olive grove. The path to the town offered endless variety as it wound down among rocks and trees. The Abbey residents spent many hours climbing it for exercise and meditation, observing its overall shape, lofty peak high in the sky and its large base. Crowley was especially fond of the South face of this outcropping and liked its steep and gently sloping sides. During her stay at Cefalu, Wolfe often went mountain climbing with Crowley who taught it. On December 4, 1921, Crowley gave Wolfe a certain talisman which had a seal of spirit
Marbas In demonology, Marbas or Barbas is a demon described in the Ars Goetia. He is described as the Great President of Hell governing thirty-six legions of demons. He answers truly on hidden or secret things, causes and heals diseases, gives wisdom ...
engraved on it. Wolfe's task was to meditate upon it. In her diaries of that period, she records that after a few attempts she made a contact with the spirit of the talisman and spoke to him often. Her daily routine consisted of performance of Liber Resh which was said four times a day, with all occupants of the Abbey participating unless they were ill. The Abbey occupants were aroused at 6 am every morning by the beating of the tom-tom. For a while, Wolfe found this very difficult as it seemed a shock to the system. The work she had been assigned usually took until after 10 pm, so she had only 6 hours of sleep. Her body demanded more than this, and many times she had to succumb or have a nap during the day. After waking up, Wolfe spent 20 minutes or so in her Asana and after that, she imagined the yellow square of the tattwas for another 20 minutes, with varying results. Following that came visualisation exercises and then breakfast. This same regimen was repeated after dinner about 7.30 pm, starting around 10 pm of the evening. The after-dinner discussions with Crowley sometimes aided Wolfe in understanding of the tasks of her degree. During her magical retirement on the beach near Cefalu which lasted for a month, Wolfe started Asana-meditation at 30 minutes each, the first week, increasing it to two hours during the last week. During the last week of her retreat, Wolfe added a number of new asanas to her yoga practise which she performed daily in the nude on the beach. Her other exercises consisted of going from the tent into the ocean for swims in order to relax. Wolfe worked with Crowley's Thelemic system of training in Cefalu for three years, and emerged from those years with a degree of attainment, having survived Crowley's ordeals. She later worked as Crowley's personal representative in London and Paris.


Southern California

Upon her return to Los Angeles Wolfe helped to found the
Agape Lodge The Agape Lodge was a California-based chapter of the Ordo Templi Orientis founded in 1935 by Wilfred Talbot Smith. Following World War II, it was the sole surviving O.T.O. organization. In 1942, jet fuel engineer Jack Parsons was appointed head ...
in California. On June 6, 1940, Wolfe took
Phyllis Seckler Phyllis Evalina Seckler (18 June 1917 – 31 May 2004), also known as Soror Meral, was a ninth degree (IX°) member of the Sovereign Sanctuary of the Gnosis of Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), and a lineage holder in the A∴A∴ tradition. She wa ...
as her student, making her a Probationer of the A∴A∴, which later started up the Soror Estai A∴A∴ lineage/bloodline.


Ordo Templi Orientis

Wolfe is considered an important female figure in magick as, in addition to her friendship and work with Crowley, she took part in the founding of the Agape Lodge of the
Ordo Templi Orientis Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.; ) is an occult Initiation, initiatory organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century. The origins of the O.T.O. can be traced back to the German-speaking occultists Carl Kellner (mystic), Carl Kellner, He ...
in Southern California as well as being its lodge master.


Later years

After not appearing on screen for 17 years, in 1937 Jane Wolfe had a small role in a
B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...
titled ''Under Strange Flags''.
IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029710/
Starting in May 1937 Wolfe taught Dramatics and Speech Development on the evening theatrical course in Pasadena. From 1938 Wolfe served as a chairman of the Cultural Arts Program of Los Feliz Women's Club, chairman of the Drama Section of the same club, and a chairman of the Observers' Club.


Death

Wolfe died on March 29, 1958, in the
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
city of
Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...
eight days after her 83rd birthday.


Partial filmography

*''
A Lad from Old Ireland ''The Lad from Old Ireland'', also called ''A Lad from Old Ireland'', is a one-reel 1910 American motion picture directed by and starring Sidney Olcott and written by and co-starring Gene Gauntier. It was the first film appearance of prolific ac ...
'' (1910) *'' The Roses Of A Virgin'' (1910) *'' The Boer War'' (1914) *''
The Wild Goose Chase ''The Wild Goose Chase'' is a late Jacobean stage play, a comedy written by John Fletcher, first performed in 1621. It is often classed among Fletcher's most effective and best-constructed plays; Edmund Gosse called it "one of the brightest a ...
'' (1915) *''
The Majesty of the Law ''The Majesty of the Law'' is a 1915 American drama silent film written and directed by Julia Crawford Ivers. The film stars George Fawcett (in his film debut), Jane Wolfe, William Desmond, Myrtle Stedman, John Oaker, and Charlie Ruggles. The fi ...
'' (1915) *''
The Case of Becky ''The Case of Becky'' is a 1921 American silent drama film based on a successful 1912 play written by David Belasco and Edward J. Locke, ''The Case of Becky''. Belasco also produced the play, which starred his muse, Frances Starr. The film w ...
'' (1915) *'' Blackbirds'' (1915) *'' The Immigrant'' (1915) *''
Pudd'nhead Wilson ''Pudd'nhead Wilson'' (1894) is a novel by American writer Mark Twain. Its central intrigue revolves around two boys—one, born into slavery, with 1/32 Black American, black ancestry; the other, White American, white, born to be the master of the ...
'' (1916) *''
The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily sur ...
'' (1916) *'' The Thousand-Dollar Husband'' (1916) *''
The Selfish Woman ''The Selfish Woman'' is a lost 1916 American drama silent film directed by E. Mason Hopper and written by Hector Turnbull and Margaret Turnbull. The film stars Wallace Reid, Cleo Ridgely, Edythe Chapman, Charles Arling, Joe King and Jane Wo ...
'' (1916) *''
Each Pearl a Tear ''Each Pearl a Tear'' is a surviving 1916 American drama silent film directed by George Melford and written by Beatrice DeMille and Leighton Osmun. The film stars Fannie Ward, Charles Clary, Jack Dean, Paul Weigel, Jane Wolfe and Ben Alexander. ...
'' (1916) *'' The Lash'' (1916) *''
Unprotected ''Unprotected'' is a 1916 American drama silent film directed by James Young, written by James Hatton, and starring Blanche Sweet, Theodore Roberts, Ernest Joy, Tom Forman, Walter Long and Mrs. Lewis McCord. It was released on November 6, 1916 ...
'' (1916) *''
The Plow Girl ''The Plow Girl'' is a lost 1916 American drama silent film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and written by Edward Morris, Charles Sarver and Harvey F. Thew. The film stars Mae Murray, Elliott Dexter, Charles K. Gerrard, Edythe Chapman, Horace ...
'' (1916) *'' On Record'' (1917) *''
Castles for Two ''Castles for Two'' is an American 1917 silent drama film directed by Frank Reicher and starring Marie Doro and Elliott Dexter. It is based on an original story for the screen, ''Rich Girl - Poor Girl'', by Beatrice C. deMille and Leighton Osmun. ...
'' (1917) *'' Unconquered'' (1917) *''
The Crystal Gazer ''The Crystal Gazer'' is a lost 1917 American drama silent film directed by George Melford, and written by Eve Unsell, Edna G. Riley, and Marion Fairfax. The film stars Fannie Ward, Jack Dean, Winifred Greenwood, Harrison Ford, Raymond Hatton ...
'' (1917) *'' On the Level'' (1917) *''
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' is a classic American 1903 children's novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin that tells the story of Rebecca Rowena Randall and her aunts, one stern and one kind, in the fictional village of Riverboro, Maine. Rebecca's joy ...
'' (1917) *''
The Call of the East ''The Call of the East'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and written by Beulah Marie Dix. The film stars Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki, Jack Holt, Margaret Loomis, James Cruze, and Ernest Joy. The film was release ...
'' (1917) *''
The Fair Barbarian ''The Fair Barbarian'' is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Robert Thornby and written by Edith M. Kennedy, based on an 1881 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The film stars Vivian Martin, Clarence Geldart, Douglas MacLean, Jane Wol ...
'' (1917) *''
A Petticoat Pilot ''A Petticoat Pilot'' is a lost 1918 American comedy silent film directed by Rollin S. Sturgeon and written by Joseph C. Lincoln and Gardner Hunting. The film stars Vivian Martin, Theodore Roberts, James Neill, Harrison Ford, Bert Hadley and ...
'' (1918) *'' Mile-a-Minute Kendall'' (1918) *''
The Bravest Way ''The Bravest Way'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and written by Edith M. Kennedy. The film stars Sessue Hayakawa, Florence Vidor, Tsuru Aoki, Yukio Aoyama, Jane Wolfe, and Winter Hall. The film was released on ...
'' (1918) *''
The Firefly of France ''The Firefly of France'' is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by Donald Crisp and written by Margaret Turnbull based upon a novelette by Marion Polk Angelotti. The film stars Wallace Reid, Ann Little, Charles Ogle, Raymond Hatto ...
'' (1918) *''
Less Than Kin ''Less Than Kin'' is a lost 1918 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp and written by Marion Fairfax and Alice Duer Miller. The film stars Wallace Reid, Ann Little, Raymond Hatton, Noah Beery, Sr., James Neill and Charles Ogle. ...
'' (1918) *''
The Cruise of the Make-Believes ''The Cruise of the Make-Believes'' is a lost 1918 American silent dramatic feature film starring Lila Lee in her first motion picture. It was directed by George Melford and is based on a 1907 novel by Tom Gallon. Famous Players-Lasky produced a ...
'' (1918) *'' The Girl Who Came Back'' (1918) *''
Under the Top ''Under the Top'' is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp, written by John Emerson, Gardner Hunting, and Anita Loos, and starring Fred Stone, Ella Hall, Lester Le May, Sylvia Ashton, James Cruze, and Guy Oliver. It was r ...
'' (1919) *''
The Poor Boob ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1919) *'' The Woman Next Door'' (1919) *''
An Innocent Adventuress ''An Innocent Adventuress'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Robert G. Vignola and written by Clara Genevieve Kennedy. The film stars Vivian Martin, Lloyd Hughes, Edythe Chapman, Gertrude Norman, Jane Wolfe, and Tom Bates ...
'' (1919) *''
Men, Women, and Money ''Men, Women, and Money'' is a lost 1919 American drama silent film directed by George Melford and written by Beulah Marie Dix and Cosmo Hamilton. The film stars Ethel Clayton, James Neill, Jane Wolfe, Lew Cody, Sylvia Ashton, Irving Cummings, ...
'' (1919) *''
A Very Good Young Man ''A Very Good Young Man'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp, written by Martin Brown, Robert Housum, and Walter Woods, and starring Bryant Washburn, Helene Chadwick, Julia Faye, Sylvia Ashton, Jane Wolfe, He ...
'' (1919) *''
The Grim Game ''The Grim Game'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Irvin Willat and starring Harry Houdini and Ann Forrest.Farmer 1984, p. 312. The basic plotline serves as a showcase for Houdini's talent as an escapologist, stunt performer and a ...
'' (1919) *'' The Thirteenth Commandment'' (1920) *''
The Six Best Cellars ''The Six Best Cellars'' is a lost 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp and starring Bryant Washburn and Wanda Hawley. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was based on the 1 ...
'' (1920) *''
Why Change Your Wife? ''Why Change Your Wife?'' is a 1920 American Silent film, silent comedy film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gloria Swanson. Plot Frumpy wife Beth devotes herself to bettering her husband's mind and expanding his appreciation for the ...
'' (1920) *'' Thou Art the Man'' (1920) *'' The Round-Up'' (1920) *'' Behold My Wife!'' (1920) *''
Under Strange Flags ''Under Strange Flags'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by I. V. Willat and starring Tom Keene, Luana Walters, and Maurice Black. It was released on August 16, 1937. During production, it was also titled ''South of Sonora'' and ''Beyond ...
'' (1937)


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * *


External links

*
Jane Wolfe
at the
AFI Catalog of Feature Films The ''AFI Catalog of Feature Films'', also known as the ''AFI Catalog'', is an ongoing project by the American Film Institute (AFI) to catalog all commercially-made and theatrically exhibited American motion pictures from the birth of cinema in ...
* *
Book ''Jane Wolfe: Her Life with Aleister Crowley''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfe, Jane 1875 births 1958 deaths People from Clarion County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Dutch people American occultists American film actresses American silent film actresses American Thelemites Members of Ordo Templi Orientis Actresses from Pennsylvania 20th-century American actresses