Road work Construction complete on Quarterway bridge replacement. PAGE 14 Food Matters Local residents must be included in major land deals. PAGE 20 Coastal Living Tack store gets energy-efficient upgrades from program. PAGE 3
Raiders’ game day PAGE 15
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VOL. 24, NO. 78
Brother
NANAIMO
Only a few grainy photographs remain of Edward Arthur Wilson, who fashioned himself Brother XII.
XII
A sailor, seducer and a swindler – stories of the strange life of the shadowy figure are whispered to this day. Why does the man who founded a spiritual cult near Nanaimo still hold such a grip on the city’s imagination? BY TOBY GORMAN I THE NEWS BULLETIN
T
he name Brother XII doesn’t pass easily across the lips of people who know his story. More than 80 years after the English sailor, mystic and cult leader reportedly tortured some of his followers, took all of their possessions and, in some cases, their wives, Brother XII is spoken of in hushed tones around Nanaimo even today. Born Edward Arthur Wilson on July 25, 1878 in Birmingham, England in an atmosphere of strict religious devotion, according to John
Oliphant, author of Brother XII: The Strange Odyssey of a 20th Century Prophet and His Quest for a New World, Brother XII claimed to be in touch with supernatural beings from an early age. Following an Egyptian epiphany in the south of France, said Oliphant, Wilson “began to communicate with a disembodied entity that identified itself as one of the 12 masters in the Great White Lodge. As the disciple of this 12th master, he took the name Brother XII.” ◆ See ‘STORIES’ /7
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