Brother XII: The Strange Odyssey of a 20th-Century Prophet

by John Oliphant

“As Mercury dwelleth near the Sun, so I abide in the heart of my Lord. My feet run upon His errands and by my mouth are His words spoken.” Thus wrote Brother XII in the preface to The Three Truths, describing his role as the divinely-ordained agent of an ancient mystical Brotherhood known as the Great White Lodge. As the agent of this mysterious fraternity, Edward Arthur Wilson, aka Brother XII, a slight, soft-spoken former English sea-captain, embarked on a dramatic and sensational career that established him as one of the most fascinating figures in the history of modern religion.

Brother XII: The Strange Odyssey of a 20th-century Prophet chronicles the life and exploits of the enigmatic figure who established a utopian community in southern British Columbia in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The tales of gold, sex and black magic associated with Brother XII and his flamboyant mistress, a whip-wielding devotee of ritual magic with the pulp-fiction name of Madame Z, have gripped people’s imaginations for years, and the story has been described as a Gone with The Wind of the occult, an evocative mixture of the sacred and profane. Though other religious figures may be better known, for pure drama, nothing rivals the story of Brother XII.

Though Brother XII largely fell through the cracks of history, his amazing chronicle is being rediscovered, for it rings with contemporary relevance; not only was he a prototypical cult leader, he was a genuine mystic and seer, while also writing on political issues in a way that eerily foreshadows the world today. Brother XII was both a forerunner of the New Age and one of the few spiritual teachers of his time to give expression to the geopolitical and conspiratorial concerns that dominate the cultural debate today. Both mystic and mountebank, seer and charlatan, he was a complex, contradictory individual, the ultimate “man of mystery.”

The story of Brother XII features an intriguing cast of characters who find themselves irresistibly drawn to the power of this classic rogue messiah, a spiritual anti-hero possessed of a Nietzschean will to power. After the destruction of his colony, Brother XII and Madame Z fled with nearly half-a-million dollars in gold, outwitting the authorities and escaping justice. Brother XII’s fate is uncertain, for his death in Switzerland remains a matter of speculation. For all that is known about him, he's still an elusive figure, leaving his metaphysical teachings and the provocative legend that has grown up around him as his legacy.

Praise for Brother XII: The Strange Odyssey of a 20th-century Prophet

“I found myself totally absorbed…a book that will become a classic of its kind. I know of no more fascinating or better researched study of a ‘false messiah.’” From the Foreword by Colin Wilson

“Sex, sadism, black magic and mystery upon mystery. It sounds like the recipe for a Stephen King potboiler, and author John Oliphant has made the most of it. The difference is that Oliphant’s Brother XII is a true story…a marvelous web of suspense and intrigue…riveting stuff.” The Vancouver Sun

“Brother XII is a fascinating read!” William Gibson

“A tremendously exciting story of the religious mania in extreme form. Brother XII is a type who recurs throughout human history, and Oliphant provides not only a great horror tale, but a warning as to how we can recognize such types and be armed against them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Cult Classics, Cults, History

482 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 28, 1991

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I happened across an Expedition Unknown episode that took them to a community ~2 hours north of my home town. It was about Brother Twelve, of whom I had never heard of. John Oliphant was on the episode so I decided to read his book and learn more about this character and his community.

The first part of the book was a bit over my head as it discussed how the Aquarian Foundation came to be. Obviously Brother 12 convince a lot of people to follow him but my reaction to his writings was "huh?"

The rest of the book showed me how a false prophet keeps his followers - how there are inner circles and to gain entry a follower essentially proves he/she does not question the prophet. And, how a false prophet imposes rules on his followers which he does not himself follow.

He did have some doubters and in time the cult was dissolved.

[Renate Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story of the cult that operated on Decourcy Island in the 20's and 30's

[Marie Geisel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely well written and thoroughly researched book. Brother XII's story was less lurid than I expected, but was still a fascinating cautionary tale about involvement in the occult.

[Madelyn Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Weird, cultish history that happened practically in my backyard. The local flavour made it of greater interest to me.

[Regan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Librarian Recommends...

The story of E.A. Wilson, AKA "Brother XII," is a very interesting one. The man was a cult leader in times before we (or at least I) think of cults existing in their current form.

I got onto this story by watching an episode of Expedition Unknown. But the information in that episode quite often conflicts with the information in this book. The episode is more interested in the gold that a paranoid and malevolent Wilson had around his cult's compound than the story of Wilson and the Aquarian Foundation.

Despite being set up as an exposé, at various points the author's perspective drifts into belief in supernatural occurrences without further explanation, as if it's a viable point of view in light of how the story was initially set up. Then it drifts back.

I have to say, the book is not very interesting; quite a slog. It should have been riveting. It took me a year and a half to read it.

The Grammar Snob...

Is beside herself with the amount of long, overused quotations from primary source documents (with no end notes!), poor formatting, and general poor sentence structure.

Final Judgment?

Neither this book nor the Expedition Unknown episode do justice to what is a tale of greed, fallen heroes, and people who put their faith in other people without it having been earned. It is, unfortunately, one of the only sources out there.

Unless you're very interested in Brother XII's story specifically, give this a pass.

[Clark Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Great Man Gone Awry

Before seeing a television segment on Brother XII in 2024, I had not heard of Edward A. Wilson. His cult is not as well-known as Scientology, the Branch Davidians, or Jonestown, but it preceded them all.

For those who think religious cults are a recent phenomenon, I encourage you to read this book. Brother XII’s cult existed almost 100 years ago, yet it is largely forgotten today.

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating case study in the abuse of occult power

[JM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly expected more of a lurid tale given all that I'd heard of Brother XII over the years. However the book ended up being a very straightforward account of XII's life and the Aquarian Foundation from its beginning to end, and how theosophy had such a huge following in the pre-war era. My only qualms are that for a history book, the author made no attempt to cite any sources, and it is written like any other pop history text where there isn't any historiography accompanying the letters, accounts, and other sources he includes.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about a late 1920's early 1930's mystic who led a small cult in the Gulf Islands off Vancouver. He saw himself and was seen by his followers as a messiah, but became very cruel and materialistic as his power grew. Remarkable how gullible his followers were.