Treasury Policy

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Local Dues

Local dues for Chariot of Eternity are $44 per month, and are to be paid by all initiates of I° or higher who are local to Chariot of Eternity.  For those not local to Chariot of Eternity (defined as residing 100+ miles from Cleveland) who wish to affiliate with Chariot of Eternity, and for locals who are of the Minerval degree, dues are $11 per month.  The payment of local dues will begin with the calendar month immediately following the initiation (e.g. if you are initiated on June 10, you will begin paying local dues for the month of July).

Please note that “local dues”, which are assessed by the local body, are different from US Grand Lodge (“national”) dues.  Chariot of Eternity does not accept payment for USGL dues, except as part of an initiation fee; USGL dues must be paid directly to USGL (see “USGL Dues” below).

Local dues are paid directly to Chariot of Eternity, and are used to pay for rent, utilities, insurance, special events, and other costs.

Payment of Local Dues

Dues are to be paid each month, either during the month or in advance.  It is not required to pay a given month’s dues in advance; that is, dues for April do not need to be paid in March.  Payments received up to the last day of the month will not be considered late.  Dues may be paid using any accepted method (see “Methods of Payment” below).  If dues are not paid for a given month, any dues received in the following month will be first applied to the previous month’s dues.  Partial payments are accepted, so long as the full amount is paid by the end of the month.

Hardship, and In-Kind Dues

If you are financially unable to pay your local dues to Chariot of Eternity, but wish to maintain active membership, please contact the Treasurer or Body Master to discuss possible arrangements.  Considerations for hardship include, but are not limited to, student status, loss of job, or other temporary conditions.  Each case will be considered on an individual basis.

One possible hardship arrangement for payment of dues is “labor in kind”, that is, payment for work performed or services rendered on behalf of Chariot of Eternity.  In-kind payment with goods or services for local dues will be accepted only by prior arrangement with the Treasurer or Body Master.

“Dues Current” Status

Dues-paying or “dues current” members are allowed various privileges, such as:

• Participation in degree-specific events (with exception of attendance of initiations)

• Participation in “members only” events

• Open Temple Night

• Borrowing privileges from the Library

• Consideration for being an Officer in Masses

• Input into Chariot of Eternity planning and business meetings

Note that to be considered dues current, one must also be current with USGL dues.

If dues are not paid for a given month, there is a one-month grace period for getting caught back up.  If a person does not pay dues for two consecutive months, that person is no longer considered dues current (“lapsed”), and is no longer afforded the privileges listed above. In order for a person to become dues current after lapsing, the person must pay three months of dues at one time, which covers two months of back dues, plus the current month’s dues.  This requirement applies to members who have recently lapsed, and members who have been lapsed for many months or years.  Newcomers to Chariot of Eternity do not need to pay back dues.

Initiation at Chariot of Eternity

Chariot of Eternity, as a chartered Oasis, performs initiations in the Man of Earth degrees from Minerval through Perfect Initiate.  Individual candidates are responsible for securing sponsors and submitting paperwork for the initiation application along with payment for the initiation.  The fees for initiation at Chariot of Eternity are as follows:

• Minerval (0°) initiation – $93

• I° initiation – $111

• II° initiation – $156

• III° initiation – $310

• IVº & PI initiation – $418

Any member seeking to initiate at Chariot of Eternity, or any other body, must be dues current with USGL; if they are not dues current with USGL, they must become dues current prior to initiation (see “USGL Dues” below).

In addition, members of I° and above who are either affiliated with Chariot of Eternity, or currently unaffiliated and local to Chariot of Eternity, must be local dues current with Chariot of Eternity in order to take initiation with Chariot of Eternity.  Members affiliated with other local bodies may initiate at Chariot of Eternity if they are dues current with USGL.  These same requirements also apply for those wishing to perform as Initiators or Officers at initiations conducted at Chariot of Eternity.

Payment for initiation must be completed prior to the initiation taking place, or the initiation will not be performed; there are no exceptions to this rule.  Payment for initiation can be made up to and including the date of initiation, though additional time is required for payment by check (see “Payment Methods” below). Initiation fees must be paid in US monetary funds; donations or work in kind cannot be accepted for initiation fees.

Donations of Cash and Goods

Chariot of Eternity is a 501(c)3 non-profit religious organization, and all donations made to Chariot of Eternity may be claimed as a tax deduction at the end of the year.  Direct monetary donations can be made using any accepted payment method.  Donations of retail goods may be accompanied with a retail receipt, which Chariot of Eternity will retain.  Donations of other material goods may be accompanied with a hand-written receipt for their fair and reasonable value, which Chariot of Eternity will retain.  Per guidance from USGL leadership, local dues and USGL dues can be treated as tax-deductible donations to a religious non-profit organization.

At the conclusion of the fiscal year (which runs January through December), each individual who has donated to Chariot of Eternity will receive a letter acknowledging their donations, which can be submitted as part of the individual’s tax return.  They will also receive a separate note providing the total amount of their donations for the year.

Foundational Members

Those wishing to pay over and above their local dues each month to support Chariot of Eternity are encouraged to do so, as the additional support enables Chariot of Eternity to provide better activities and facilities for its members.  All “extra” dues paid to Chariot of Eternity are tax-deductible as a donation, as they are an entirely voluntary contribution to the local body.

Those wishing to pay $144 or more per month in support of Chariot of Eternity are considered “foundational members”, and are afforded additional benefits, including:

• A set of keys to the Temple space

• Waiving of certain event fees (see “Event Fees” below)

If a member wishes to become a foundational member, they may notify the Treasurer of their intent to begin paying foundational dues.  The Treasurer will then expect payment of $144 per month for foundational dues.  A foundational member may at any time revert to payment of standard dues for the following month, after returning the Temple keys to any officer.

Foundational members may access the Temple's space at any time not designated as "closed" on our public calendar.  They are reminded to treat the Temple with respect as they would any other time; if damage occurs, the Temple keys may be revoked by the Body Master.  All members are also reminded that illegal drugs are never to be brought into the Temple.

Keyholding Officers & Foundational Members

Oasis Master permission must be obtained in advance any time keyholders would like to meet with non-keyholders on Temple premises. For personal access to the Temple during unscheduled hours, keyholders are asked to drop a note in the relevant Discord channel so that others needing access to the space will know either when the Temple is vacant or whom to contact to release the front door bolt.

USGL Dues 

In addition to payment of local dues, it is also required for members of OTO to pay dues directly to the US Grand Lodge to remain in good standing.  Initiation fees for Man of Earth degrees (Minerval through IV° and P.I.) include one year of USGL dues; if a member remains in a degree for longer than one year without taking another initiation, it is necessary to pay dues directly to USGL according to the degree they are presently in.

Annual dues for Man of Earth degrees are listed at http://oto-usa.org/oto/dues-fees/.  Presently, USGL annual dues are $42 for Minerval and I°, $84 for II°, $126 for III°, and $168 for IV° and P.I.  Members may inquire about their present USGL dues status and make payments at http://treasury.oto-usa.org/inquiry.html.

If a member is not dues current with US Grand Lodge, they may not participate in any members-only events, including initiations.  If a member has become inactive with USGL and wishes to become current again, they must pay one year of back dues at their current degree, and one year of dues for either their current degree, or the degree to which they are being initiated, in which instance the current year’s dues would be part of the initiation fee.  “Demitted” (inactive) Minervals may become current again only by taking I° initiation; no back dues are required of demitted Minervals.  Further explanation can be found here: http://treasury.oto-usa.org/status.html

Event Fees

Events hosted by Chariot of Eternity may have associated costs (e.g. food and drink, study materials, instructor fees) or may serve as a fundraising event for Chariot of Eternity.  Thus, Chariot of Eternity may charge an attendance fee for certain events to defray costs and/or raise funds for Chariot of Eternity.

Event fees are to be paid in advance of the event, or soon after the start of the event.  If a member attends an event and does not pay for an event, that member may not attend any future events until outstanding fees have been paid.

Foundational members are exempt from payment of certain event fees.  The description for each event will specify the price for the event, and whether the event is “free for foundational members”.  If no special mention is made, then all members are expected to pay the attendance fee.

Temple Rental

If any member or guest would like to rent the Temple space for a private meeting or event, please submit details of the event to the Oasis Master for approval. The Oasis Master will contact the member or guest regarding the rental fee, and will arrange for an Oasis Officer to remain on premises for the duration of the event. Payment can be submitted via Zelle, PayPal, Square invoice, or cash prior to the start of the event.

Payment Methods

Chariot of Eternity accepts the following methods of payment for donations, dues, fees, services, merchandise, and events:

• Cash

• PayPal (online transfer from checking account or credit card)

• PayPal Here (physical credit or debit card swiped on premises)

• Square (physical credit or debit card swiped on premises)

• Venmo (online transfer from checking account or credit card)

• Zelle (online bank to bank transfer)

Checks and money orders are accepted for payment of donations, monthly local dues, and initiation fees only.  For initiations, checks and money orders must be submitted no later than two weeks prior to the date of initiation, to permit adequate time to deposit and clear the check.

Cash, check, and Zelle are preferred methods of payment, as there are no transaction fees.  For payment in person at Chariot of Eternity, all officers have Square credit card readers to accept payment for any goods or services, including dues and initiation.  The Treasurer also has a PayPal Here reader to accept credit card payments.

PayPal payments should be submitted to chariotofeternity.treasurer@oto-usa.org.  When submitting payment, please add a brief description in the Message field to indicate what the payment is for (e.g. “Local dues”, “Dues, T-shirt, and beanie”, “Tarot Night + hoodie”).

In-person payment for goods and services can be submitted directly to the Treasurer if present, or to any other officer of Chariot of Eternity.  Please do not leave payments with anyone other than a current officer of Chariot of Eternity.

If a check or money order is returned for non-payment, the member or guest will be expected to reimburse Chariot of Eternity for all fees associated with the non-payment, and will not be permitted to submit payment by check or money order in the future.  A non-payment event will also reflect poorly upon the member, and could result in further discipline.

Questions and Disputes

If a member has any questions about their current dues status or other Chariot of Eternity-related financial matters, they should contact the Treasurer via email (chariotofeternity.treasurer@oto-usa.org) to request information or ask a specific question.  The Treasurer can provide a complete statement of the member’s financial activity within 1 working day of the request, often sooner.

If a member has a concern or dispute regarding a financial matter, the member may contact the Treasurer to discuss or resolve the matter.  If the Treasurer is unable to resolve the issue adequately, the member may contact the Body Master to discuss the matter further.  In cases of dispute, the Body Master shall make the final determination regarding resolution of the issue.

Remember… a dollar a day keeps Osiris away.  Pay your dues… or Osiris wins.

Love is the law, love under will.

Justin Quigley
Treasurer, Chariot of Eternity Oasis OTO
Valley of Cleveland, Ohio