The Mysteria Mystica Maxima used by USGL are not the only system for MOE that has existed or exists. The masonic-like story of an MOE degree system “can be said to act as a training program for the development” (
Bowie) of potential candidates for invitation to upper degrees.
Originally, OTO was designed for people who were already initiates in Freemasonry, so there would have been no need to reduplicate or retell the masonic story.
Reuss wrote a replacement for the masonic experience for use by OTO, and then Crowley revised those scripts several times and eventually developed into MMM as it is these days. Since then, there’s been some revisions and rediscoveries that have made changes, but that’s the “peg” that fits the “hole”.
At least, that’s what the “British Section” ended up doing, and by extension and expansion what became all of OTO as Crowley’s system took over.
But, there were other groups working other national systems for the lower degrees. For example, Mysteria Mystica Veritas in Switzerland and, perhaps, Mysteria Mystica Aeterna linked to Steiner, although Steiner may have only had a Memphis-Misraïm warrant from Reuss.
Furthermore, I was also told that, at the time and it may still be true, that the degree scripts used by OTO International were different, though I do not know for sure in what ways, than those in use by USGL.
As an aside, whilst I’ve been known to say that you can only ever experience an initiation once without spoilers, it turns out that I personally may be one of the few that have had the experience of being initiated twice to the same MOE degree. I experienced a regular initiation at my local lodge using the current USGL script. But, I also experienced, as a candidate, the ritual presentation of the “
Original Crowley 1st Degree O.T.O. Intitiation” which was “adapted from materials provided by USGL and presents a quasi-Masonic style ritual, that is entirely different from the ritual now in use by O.T.O.”. So, in a way, I got to experience that degree twice, as I made a point not to read ahead before participating in the presentation!