General Advice for the Newcomer

I subscribe to an online webring discussing the G.:D.: and occasionally I will contribute. There was a post by a beginner in the path that I responded to. My advise to this newcomer was praised by others to be very good advise. For this reason, I have decided to provide whatever few readers I have (if any) with the same advise. Some of it is a direct answer to her questions, and may sound out of context. However, I do not want to publish her post, and I'm not inclined to start editing my response, because that is too time consuming for the moment. It's late and I am tired. So enjoy it for what it's worth:

I think that the negativity you're seeing is from the flame wars and legal wars that seem to be going on between the three major groups. Basically, when you encounter any initiatic order, there comes a question of lineage which is supposed to be the factor that determines its legitimacy as an order. There have also been some other more personal disputes between the leaders of the order (it's been kinda nasty).

Anyway, EOGD seems to have gotten the worst of the flames and from what I can tell has simply done its best to defend itself. HOGD (Cicero) has kept it more private than the others. There was a big legal battle, but their statements on their website are non-specific and simply call for an end to the fighting.

Regarding the elitist attitude, I want to call your attention to a statement made by Christopher Hyatt about Israel Regardie. If you haven't heard of Regardie, do yourself a favor and get as many books as you can by Regardie (get a few by Chic and Sandra Tabitha Cicero, too. They use Regardie as a source very liberally.) My personal favorite is "The Tree of Life".

Anyway, Regardie was possibly the most influential Adept of the GD tradition since Mathers himself. Here is what Hyatt had to say, "Dr. Regardie also had standards and they were not those of the "crucified one." He was an elitist and, though he sometimes failed both in judgment and results, he held to his standards nonetheless. He was kind to people, polite and concerned. However, he chose his company as carefully as he could...

"Elitism in this context is to support and admire the best, not the worst. This doesn't mean harming others who do not meet these standards; it simply means withholding value from them.

"Dr. Regardie never attempted to reduce the best to the worst for the sake of pity. In this sense neither of us supported the politically correct notion of equality. Our attitude has led to both of us being ostracized by many occult groups-which includes most Crowley organizations. Let me make this point very clear.. . . . . Dr. Regardie was a Thelemite, something of a Jeffersonian Democrat, or a Libertarian.. . . . . However, he realized that Thelema and most political groups behaved in the exact opposite of the values and theories espoused by their founders. Although offered a high-ranking position in a number of organizations-including the OTO-he politely refused. Keep in mind that, though Dr. Regardie was a gentleman publicly, privately he could be quite vicious concerning the weak and lame who headed and populated most Occult groups."

I highly agree with this attitude because too many of us suffer from a mind too open. An open mind is a good thing in many areas of life, but when it comes to Magic, a mind too open can water down the forces you are trying to wield until it is little more than a hobby used to kill boredom. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! Enlightenment is available to all, but only if they will put in the work and make the sacrifices demanded by the current.

Enough of that. I wanted to quickly give you some advice on how to proceed. You have a number of options. First, you may petition for Initiation into one of the various orders. The two you mentioned are both good. EOGD does astral initiations which makes them accessible if you don't live near a temple, but I personally do not go for it. HOGD (Cicero) has temples all over, but not exactly everywhere. I would suggest writing them a letter explaining why you want to be initiated. Take your time with this. Make it long enough that they have plenty to go on when making their decision. They will let you know if there is a temple near you.

If this is not an option, or if you do not want to commit yourself to a lodge, there are plenty of courses on Self-Initiation (which I favor over Astral Initiation. Be warned that it is in no ways easy. In fact it's a harder path than any other, but it can be the most rewarding I think.) One of the best and most thourough courses is found in "Self-Initiation Into the Golden Dawn Tradition of Magic" by Chic and Sandra Cicero. However, it is probibly the most difficult.

A third option may be right for you if you want to experience Golden Dawn Magic before committing yourself via Initiation or Self-Initiation. There is a book called "Modern Magick" which is absolutly excellent. It gives you an introduction to all the forces that a GD student experiences in their gradework, but in a much less complicated form. You may even go through the lessons in Modern Magick as preparation for beginning the Self-Initiation process. One word of caution, however. There are some scattered mistakes in that book, so I would recommend getting the Cicero book I mentioned as well as "Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple" by the Ciceros as a cross referrence.

One final word in your ear. There are two books that I would recommend that you read before starting any ritual work. "The Mystical Qabalah" by Dion Fortune will give you the best information on the theory behind the Magic. Another is "The Middle Pillar" by Israel Regardie. This one is recommended for your own safety in your path. There are those who have not understood the true nature of the forces they are attempting to wield and have ended up in mental institutions or even comitted suicide as a result. If you have a good foundation by taking the advice given in The Middle Pillar, this is not likely to happen.