Salt Lake Golden Dawn Discussion

Moving Right Along

2009-10-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

At this point, it seems to me that the idea of having a Salt Lake City based discussion group for the Golden Dawn is pretty much defunct. I've gotten some recognition from online personalities in remote areas (i.e. they read the blogs but don't comment or discuss) but none from anyone located in SLC. This miscarriage is upsetting, but I feel believe that when something is dead, one should let it really die.

That being said, there's no reason why this whole blog should go to waste entirely. Although I may not have any opporitunity for Face-to-Face interaction like I wanted, at least perhapse my little voice can be heard amongst the din of GD bloggers.

Break from Posting

2009-08-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have been following may have noticed that I haven't posted in a long time. This is because my personal life has gotten very busy. I am getting married in September of this year and the planning of the wedding has taken up a great deal of my time. No worries as soon as I have time and a little inspiration I will be posting again.

Dream Theater and Rosicrucian Songs

2009-07-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

Did anyone notice that Dream Theater's new album has a couple of songs in them that seem to be inspired by Rosicrucianism? You know, I always sort of suspected that they may be involved, but I had really nothing concrete to go on. Lo and behold, I saw the video for "A Rite of Passage" and I said to myself, "Self, this looks like an initiation ceremony!" The title seemed to suggest the same thing. Then I read the lyrics, and they pretty much confirmed where their inspiration came from (although there's not enough for me to point out a specific order).

See the following lines:

Bound by oath and honor
Like the rose and cross
An enigmatic union
Of esoteric thought

Beneath an ever watchful eye
The angels of the temple fly

Another song, The Count of Tuscany, seems to vaguely suggest a similar thing, although it appears to be more from an outsider's perspective, and I am not familiar with the legend that the narrator is being told. Anyone care to take a look at the lyrics and fill me in on what this second song is about?

Qabalah Part Four: Shekhinah

2009-04-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for quite some time because I've been in the middle of a move and haven't had much time, but I have also been trying to consider the best way to approach the subject of Malkuth. My reason for this is because to me, Malkuth essentially encompasses the essence of Qabalah more than any other Sephirah (closely rivaled by Binah). And therefore to explain Malkuth in a way that does it justice is a very tall order indeed.

Malkuth means "Kingdom". In a very limited sense, it is the physical universe in total. This includes matter, energy, protons, neutrons, electrons, photons, stars, galaxies, black holes, and literally everything that proceeded from the singularity of the Big Bang. Even time belongs to Malkuth, for time is governed by the laws of physics as Einstein demonstrated.

But there is more then that to Malkuth, surely. "The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East, and placed there the man whom He had formed. And from the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the Tree of Life in the middle of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of good and bad."

God walked in the Garden with man. In Qabalah, there is a term for the Divine Presence of God. It is called Shekhinah, which is another term for Malkuth.

The Yetziratic Text for Malkuth reads as follows:

"The Tenth Path is called the Resplendent Intelligence because it is exalted above every head and sits upon the Throne of Binah. It illuminates the splendours of all the Lights, and causes an influence to emanate from the Prince of Countenances, the Angel of Kether."

All Sephiroth from Binah to Yesod are given a planetary correspondent, while the others have similar correspondents although not planetary. To Binah is given the correspondent of Saturn. My reason for bringing this up is to demonstrate the relationship between Malkuth and Binah. Saturn was a Roman god, the Greek equivalent of which was Chronos. Chronos was the God of Time, Father Time, as it were.

Time, like all other things in physical manifestation, is just a system of landmarks. It's like reading a book. All the words are there when you begin to read, but you experience it in intervals of letters, words, paragraphs, and chapters. Because of our limited consciousness we cannot experience the whole at once.

The same applies to time and space. In truth, the All and the One are mutually inclusive of each other. (The All that I am referring to here is Malkuth, while the One is obviously Kether.) But because of our human condition we can only experience it in limited degrees. This is in truth where the concept of evil comes from, because all is simply truth (and therefore a part of God). But in our limited perspective, we can only see facts "out of context". From a cosmic perspective, there is no evil, no death, no pain. The fall of man is not being cast out of the Garden of Eden because we are still there. It is simply experiencing a part of the Garden without awareness of the whole.

There's a Buddhist saying, I don't know by whom, that expresses this well. "It is not after we understand the truth that we attain enlightenment. To realize the truth is to live - to exist here and now. So it is not a matter of understanding or of practice. It is an ultimate fact."

One of the steps up the ladder of attainment is to realize ones place in the Universe is that of the Creator because "As above, so below". The truth is that the whole Universe is contained within our minds, it is only a matter of realizing this fact, that we are in truth Eth ha-Adam, the Spirit of Man, giving manifestation to all things in existence just as the biblical Adam gave names to all the creatures in the Garden of Eden. Malkuth is the Garden of Eden, and we have never actually left it.

In order for this to take place we must begin to see purpose in all things, whether pleasant or not. "These 'tendencies' must be combated: distasteful facts should be insisted upon until the Ego is perfectly indifferent to the nature of its food." (Crowley, Book 4, p.102). For how can we be masters of nature if natural cause and effect, or Karma, cause us to whimper like a child. For more on this matter, see my previous post "Curious Element, Earth". Even more can be gained from meditation and contemplation on some of the paragraphs presented in this post.

Eucharist Ceremony

2009-03-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

In order to give an example of the kind of magick that may be performed by a Golden Dawn group, I am posting a ritual that I wrote to be used as a religious observance but can also be used as a preparation for Evocation. The structure is a Golden Dawn structure as given in "The Essential Golden Dawn" by Chic and Sandra Tabitha Cicero and the "Invocation to the Highest" is taken from "The One Year Manual" by Israel Regardie. The main working was my own creation. Enjoy!

Eucharist Ceremony

Dress - Hierophant’s Regalia
Temple set up - Neophyte Hall
On the alter - Cup of the Stolistes; Censer of the Dadauchos; Paten with “Blank” cakes of life; Chalice of wine; Cross and Triangle; White candle

“Hekas, hekas, este bibeloi!”
Perform the LBRP
Purify the hall by water, “So therefore , first, the priest who governeth the works of fire, must sprinkle with the lustral water of the loud resounding sea!”
Consecrate the hall by fire, “And when after all the phantoms are banished, thou shalt see that holy and formless fire, that fire which darts and flashes through the depths of the universe. Hear thou the voice of fire!”

Perform the Bringing down the Light and the Circumambulation.
Perform the Adoration to the Lord of the Universe.
Perform the SIRP, LIRP, or IRT.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whosoever believeth in me, through he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever believeth in me and liveth, the same shall never die. I am the first and the last. I am He that liveth and was dead - and behold! I am alive forevermore, and hold the keys of hell and of death.

“For I know that my Redeemer liveth and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the father save by me.

“I am the purified. I have passed through the gates of darkness and into the Light. I have fought upon the earth for good. I have finished my work and entered into the invisible.

“I am the preparer of the pathway, the rescuer unto the light. I am the Reconciler with the Ineffable. The dweller of the Invisible. Let the white brilliance of the Divine Spirit descend.”

“I, (State Magical Motto), open this temple to perform a working in the magic of light. I seek to bless and receive the Holy Eucharist and in so doing assist all beings in obtaining salvation and union with the light. Look with favor upon this ceremony. Grant me what I seek, so that through this rite I may obtain greater understanding and thereby advance in the great work.”

Make a cross over the cakes, then hold your hand over them. Visualize a shaft of white, golden, or white flecked gold light descending from above onto the cakes.

“By the Power of Adonai Ha-Aretz and in the name of Yahovah Aloah ve-Daath, I, (Magical Motto), do bless and consecrate these cakes of life, that they may truly become talismans of purity and potency and will show the way to Eternal Life to all those who partake of it. Moreover, I pray that all invisible beings unable to partake of this, Thy Flesh Divine, by bodily means, may receive the same blessings if they will keep safe this, Thy grateful servant, and obey my every righteous command that is in accordance with Thy Divine Will. I ask in the name of Yehesuah Yahovashah. Amen.”

Eat one of the cakes of life and contemplate the meaning of Eternal Life. If there are more people participating, they should partake at this time in the same order as in the Elements of Mystic Repast. At this time you should call upon all spirits to partake if they wish. Hold the paten on high, and say, “I invite all beings present to partake with me this cake of life.” Eat another cake. As you do so, remember that this second cake is in truth not partaken by youself, but by the spirits present. Perform the Qabalistic Cross.

Make a cross with the Chalice of wine, and set back down on the alter. Hold your hand over it. Visualize a shaft of light as before descending unto the wine.
“By the power of Elohim Tzabaoth and in the name of Eheyeh, I, (Magical Motto), do bless and purify this wine, that it may truly become a talisman of perfection and power and will become a rushing current drawing to union with Thee, Sole Wise and Eternal One, all those who partake of it. Moreover, I pray that all invisible beings unable to partake of this, Thy Holy Blood, by bodily means, may receive the same blessings if they will keep a peaceful temperament, and answer readily and plainly all questions that this, Your devoted prophet, ask of them that is in accordance with Thy Divine Will. I pray in the name of YHVH. Amen.”

Partake of the wine. Again, if in a group, the others should partake in the same order given in the Mystic Repast. Then hold the chalice on high. Say, “I invite all beings present to partake with me this wine of light.” Drain the wine. As before, remember that it is the spirits who are partaking this second drought. Say, “It is done!” and place the empty chalice between the cross and triangle. Perform the Qabalistic Cross.

Perform the purification by water and consecration by fire. Perform the reverse circumambulation and the Fading of the Light, then the Adoration to the Lord of the Universe. Then say, “I now release any spirits that may have been imprisoned by this ceremony. Depart in peace to your abodes and habitations. Go with the blessings of Yeheshuah Yahovashah.”

Now perform the LBRP, then say, “I now declare this temple duly closed.”

Qabalah Part Three: The Astral Triad

2009-02-21T23:10:00.001-08:00

We now come to the third triad of the Tree of Life, called the Astral Triad. The Sephiroth of the Astral Triad are Netzach (meaning "Victory"), Hod (meaning "Splendor") and Yesod (meaning "Foundation").

Netzach is the first we will consider, but as with Chesed and Geburah in the Ethical Triad, Netzach and Hod are only understood in relation to each other.

Netzach is best expressed as energy. This is not the same kind of energy as was described in Chokmah. The energy of Chokmah is movement, or rather the concept of movement. Chokmah is an archetype. Netzach is more of a manifested energy.

At the same time, Netzach is not the same kind of energy that is described in physics. The school of physics applies entirely to the Tenth Sephirah, Malkuth. Therefore, we are not talking about photons, electrons, heat, or any thing like that. These things would be better classified as the expression of Netzach in Malkuth. One of the methods of studying Qabalah is to view each Sephirah of the Tree of Life containing within itself an entire Tree of its own. Therefore, the energy that is described by science would be expressed as Netzach of Malkuth.

One of the most effective ways of describing Netzach is by looking at its choir of angels. Every Sephirah has assigned to it a hierarchy of entities. It has firstly a divine name, the expression of the Sephirah in Atziluth or the World of Archetypes; secondly, it has an archangel, the expression in Briah or the Creative World; thirdly it has a choir of angels, corresponding to Yetzirah or the Formative World; and lastly a "mundane chakra" which is a physical representative of the Sephirah in Assiah or the World of Action. Usually this mundane chakra is one of the seven planets of ancient astrology. I have avoided going into this hierarchy in earlier posts because they are confusing and may easily give you the wrong idea about the system. Once these false connections are made, it is extremely difficult to get them out of your train of logic. I will address this issue in a later post.

Back to the subject at hand, the angelic choir of Netzach is the Elohim, meaning "Gods". This angelic choir represents the forces of nature that are given expression in the pantheon of pagan gods of mythology.

STOP!

Do not think about what I just said until reading this next quote from Dion Fortune's The Mystical Qabalah or you will be lost in superstition. "This brings us to the great question, which might almost be called the Dweller on the Threshold of occult science, the horror which confronts every adventurer into the Unseen; which unites in itself the functions of the Sphinx, and asks a question of the soul upon the answer to which hangs his fate. Shall he be condemned to wander in the realms of illusion? Shall he be turned back on to the planes of form, or shall he be permitted to pass on into the Light? This question is, Do you believe in the gods? If he answers Yes, he will be a wanderer in the planes of illusion, for the gods are not real persons as we understand personality. If he answers No, he will be turned back at the gate, for the gods are not illusions. What then shall he answer?" (Fortune, p. 203)

If you read her book, she gives an explanation of the question immediately after asking the question, but at the moment, I feel it best to allow the Astral Triad to better frame the question to allow the reader to answer the question for themselves armed with the wisdom of Qabalah. Keep this question in mind as we progress.

If Netzach is representative of the gods themselves, then Hod is representative of the names and images of the gods. Remembering the themes of force and form explained by Chokmah and Binah, we can use this model for Netzach and Hod as well. Netzach represents therefore the forces of nature, while Hod represents the forms of nature. If applied to psychology, Netzach would represent the right side of the brain governed by intuition and emotions, while Hod would represent the left side governing analysis and intellect.

Take some thought or another, and you will see that it usually has two sides to it. There will be an emotion behind that thought that cannot be expressed fully on its own because it is rather abstract. So this thought will find its expression in an image or statement representing that thought. Bonding between two individuals, for example, is not based upon the actions of these two individuals, but finds their expression in action. Love is much larger than the actions based on it. Superficially, a kiss is simple friction and anatomy devoid of emotion, and yet this expresses emotions that cannot be otherwise realized.

Any other idea also follows the same structure. Language by itself is only a pattern of simple sounds and symbols and falls into the territory of Hod. Netzach therefore embodies the actual meaning behind the words we use. Each taken individually is meaningless. Netzach without Hod is void of communication, chaos. Hod without Netzach is void of spirit, sterile. Together, these two meaningless ingredients combine to give expression to all things.

These two Sephiroth are usually best understood in psychological terms as intellect and emotion, yet every Sephiroth exists in the Macrocosm as well as the Microcosm. To give an example, if protons, neutrons, and electrons come together to form an atom, the structure of the atom (number of electrons in each shell) falls into the category of Hod. If this is true, then the laws which govern its construction such as electromagnetism would fall into the category of Netzach. Hod is specific and Netzach is general. Hod is natural forms and Netzach is natural forces. I may remind the reader that in this example, we are talking about the expression of the Sephiroth in the World of Action that is Malkuth.

And so Netzach would represent the principles attributed to the gods such as war, love, wisdom, communication, time, death, fertility, etc. Therefore, Hod would represent the names and images given to the gods.

Yesod then follows. Yesod basically represents the ether, and the ether is essentially a scaffold upon which all things physical are built. The English translation of Yesod, "foundation", as well as the name of its choir of angels, Kerubim meaning "the strong", gives us a general idea of the function of this Sephirah. All practical magic and psychic activity has important ties to Yesod. This is because for anything to manifest in the actual, it must first manifest in the ether. It is similar to a cast or mould which is then filled with the actual material. This applies not only to objects in the physical realm, but to occurrences as well. It is a bit like the plan of action before the action takes place. This is how the psychic can not only see images in the ether, but can also see the course that events will follow in the future.

At times I find it useful to think of Yesod as having its expression in Einstein’s Space-Time Continuum. This continuum is not exactly physical reality as usually understood. One cannot take a sample of it and study it for analysis. It can only really be studied in lieu of its effects on physical reality. It is commonly known that the Space-Time Continuum is responsible for the phenomenon of gravity. Science has recently been searching for what they call the “graviton”, or a particle of gravity. This has not been found. Yet we can study gravity through the behavior of planets, stars, and black holes. We know that gravity exists, and therefore we know that the Space-Time Continuum must exist in one form or another.

And so it is useful to me to think of this as Yesod at work. This Sephirah is very important for all practical occult work. The clairvoyant observes the ether and therefore can make determinations and predictions on what is, has, or will happen in the manifest universe. The magician takes a more active approach by making changes directly upon the ether which will then later come into manifestation on the plane of matter.

Yesod corresponds to the element of air, yet its mundane chakra is the Moon, and its psychological correspondent is the unconscious. This is often times the first thing that confuses new students to Qabalah because they have always associated the Moon with water. This seems to be self-evident. What is even more confusing is that Hod has Mercury as its mundane chakra, whose psychological correspondent is the intellect, and whose element is water. One becomes convinced that this reversal of elements must be a mistake.

Once again, I will remind the reader that the mundane chakras of the Sephiroth are not the Sephiroth themselves. The elements given to the Sephiroth have very specific reasons for being the way they are, but the reasons for assigning the mundane chakras are different and also very specific. In the diagram below there are three pillars superimposed on the Tree of Life. On the left is the Pillar of Severity, on the right is the Pillar of Mercy, and in the center is the Pillar of Mildness.

Now each Sephirah is assigned an element. The element of Earth is only assigned to Malkuth. The other Sephiroth on the Middle Pillar, the Pillar of Mildness, are given the element of Air. Now the two side pillars are given Sephiroth with Fire and Water alternating. In the Pillar of Mercy, Chokmah is given Fire, Chesed is given Water, and Netzach is again given Fire. On the Pillar of Severity, Binah is given Water, Geburah is given Fire, and Hod is given Water.

As regards why the question about why water and fire alternate, I think Dion Fortune explains in "The Mystical Qabalah" the reason. Fire in this case is a symbol of force while water is a symbol of form. The Pillar of Severity is negative while the Pillar of Mercy is positive. Now the elements of the Sephiroth alternate because force and form both occur in positive and negative ways. So Chokmah is positive force, Chesed is positive form, and Netzach is positive force again although to a lesser degree. Binah is negative form, Geburah is negative force, and Hod is negative form again, also to a lesser degree. Now air is considered a reconciler between water and fire, which is why the Pillar of Mildness is attributed to air. Then Malkuth, which holds a sort of special status on the tree as being the receptacle of all the energies of those that came before is attributed to earth, and earth is also the receptacle of the three other elements. This is why Malkuth, and by association earth, have the three tertiary colors of citrine, olive, and russet followed by a fourth color black. These colors are all a mixture of the three primary colors at differing ratios.

Now, in regard to the original question on this as to why Yesod is assigned both the Moon and the element of air, the answer I settled on is that Qabalah is very elastic and flexible. So for Yesod there is definitely a watery aspect as it corresponds with the moon and the subconscious mind, however this really applies to Yesod in Assiah and the microcosm. There are airy qualities in all four worlds including Assiah. Again remember that the lower parts of the tree are not so pure in one element or another, especially in Assiah which often times is assigned only to Malkuth.

Hod and Netzach share pretty much the same qualities as they have influence from all three elements as well. A good way to see this is in their colors on the “Minutum Mundum”. Netzach is green because that is the flashing color of red which is fire. But green is a mixture of blue and yellow, water and air. Hod is orange which is the flashing color of blue which is water, but is a mixture of red and yellow, fire and air. See the image of the caduceus to the left.

There is another very good answer given by Dean F. Wilson in his article, “Reconciling an Elemental Inconsistency” in Volume 2, Issue 2 of Hermetic Virtues Magazine. “The order of the elements matches that of the order found in the Tetragrammaton and the student could be seen as creating the name of Tetragrammaton in themselves, working backwards from Earth and the final Heh.” (Wilson, 2008)

Two things need be mentioned here. The student of the Golden Dawn does not work from Kether down to Malkuth, but rather works in the reverse order, or the Path of Return. The Path of Manifestation has already taken place. The goal is to return to the divine.

The Tetragrammaton by itself could take up chapters, if not books, to explain, so I will only give the amount necessary. “Tetragrammaton” is Latin for “four lettered name”. This is YHVH, or Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh. This is the name of God from which we get Jehovah or Yahweh. This is the name of God that the Hebrews were not allowed to speak as per the Ten Commandments, which is why it is almost always either spelled out or referred to as Tetragrammaton.

Each letter is given an element, a Sephiroth, and a Qabalistic World. Yod is given the element of Fire, and corresponds to Atziluth and Chokmah. Heh is given the element of Water, and corresponds to Briah and Binah. Vav is given the element of Air, and corresponds to Yetzirah and Tiphareth. Heh (sometimes called Heh Sophith or Heh Final to distinguish it from the first Heh) is given the element of Earth and corresponds to Assiah and Malkuth. These also refer to the court cards and the four suits in the Tarot Deck, Yod for wands and Knights (Kings), Heh for cups and Queens, Vav for swords and Kings (Princes), and Heh Final for disks and Princesses (Pages). I will not go into the variations on the male figures in this post. That can come much later.

In application to the question at hand, however, we have Yod corresponding to Netzach and giving it the element of Fire, Heh corresponding to Hod and giving it the element of Water, Vav corresponding to Yesod and giving it the element of Air, and Heh Final corresponding to Malkuth and giving it the element of Earth.

Now, usually an analysis of the Astral Triad will conclude with a summary of Malkuth, but because I have an awfully big crush on Malkuth, I will wait until the fourth installment of this primer to sing her praises.

Qabalah Part Two: The Ethical Triad

2009-02-15T17:52:00.000-08:00

The second triad on the Tree of Life is termed the Ethical Triad. Between the Supernal Triad and the Ethical Triad is a gulf that is termed "The Abyss". That is the separation of the ideal and the actual. In Plato's philosophy, there are forms (archetypes) and shadows (actual). See the image where the puppeteers hold up shapes which cast their shadows on the wall of the cave. In this analogy, the Abyss and the quasi-Sephirah placed in it's center called Da'ath (Knowledge) would be the cave itself, or in other words the empty space of the cave.

Let me clarify something about Da'ath. It behaves similarly to an actual Sephirah, but it is not a Sephirah in it's own right. It is considered the conjunction between Chokmah and Binah, or alternatively the embodiment of the Abyss. It is also not too far from truth to say that it may be an expression of the Thirteenth Path of Gimel leading from Kether to Tiphareth, which it stratles.

The Sephiroth in the Ethical Triad are Chesed (Hebrew for "mercy"; also sometimes called Gedulah, which means "greatness, magnificence, glory"), Geburah (which means "power"; sometimes also called Pachad, which means "fear"), and Tiphareth (which means "beauty"). All these definitions are taken from the glossary found in The Tree of Life by Israel Regardie.

Beginning with Chesed, this is a collecting or organizing principal. It is assigned the planet of Jupiter which is the planet of expansion. One of it's symbols is the tetrahetron because it's number is four (points or sides of a tetrahedron). This would imply a solid in its first manifestation. The two dimentional shape of Binah (that is the triangle) receives another dimention and becomes something tangable with three dimentions. "In Binah is the idea of form, and in Daath the process of transmutation into form, but these forces actually cohere into forms in Chesed." (Gareth Knight, A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism, p. 114) However, Chesed is not without its own sinister aspect. It may be best to explain this side of the Sephirah after giving a description of Geburah.

The converse of Chesed is Geburah which is a much misunderstood principal in the same way that Binah is misunderstood. Geburah on the one hand is a destructive force which breaks down the forms created in Chesed. Why is this? Because all forms are mortal and must necessarily disintegrate. Its assigned planet in astrology is the firey, energetic, sometimes destructive planet of Mars. Of course anyone familiar with mythology will recognise Mars and his Greek persona Eros as the God of War, and of course war, especially in spiritual or New-Age circles, is thought of to be a four letter word!

Although Chesed has a better reputation, without the balance of Geburah, it is every bit as foul as Geburah without the counterbalance of Chesed. "Too much charity is the handiwork of a fool; too much patience is the hallmark of a coward." (Dion Fortune, The Mystical Qabalah, p. 163)

I am reminded of the Neville Chamberlain's speech, "My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time... Go home and get a nice quiet sleep." This was just after returning from the Munich Conferance of 1938 which gave the Sudetenland of Czechslovakia to Nazi Germany. March of the next year, Hitler took the rest by force. He could not have done so without first obtaining the Sudetenland! This was Chesed at the helm when the better pilot would have been Geburah.

So important is this that it is informed to the candidate at the Neophyte Initiation ceremony by the Hierophant and by the Hiereus at one of the more dramatic moments of the ceremony. The Hiereus demands that the aspirant give his name. The Hegemone, who speaks for the aspirant, says, "Darkness is thy name, thou Great One of the Paths of the Shades." The Hiereus replies, "Thou hast known me now, so pass thou on. Fear is failure, so be thou without fear. For he who trembles at the Flame and at the Flood and at the Shadows of the Air, hath no part in God."

A similar exchange takes place at the station of the Hierophant. He demands the aspirant give his name. Again, the Hegemone speaks for the candidate, "Light dawning in darkness is thy name, the Light of a Golden Day!" The Hierophant then informes the aspirant, "Unbalanced Power is the ebbing away of Life. Unbalanced Mercy is weakness and the fading out of the Will. Unbalanced Severity is cruelty and the barrenness of Mind." (Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn, pp. 124-125)

There is another aspect of Geburah that should be addressed. That is the aspect of Karma. Usually when one thinks of Karma, ideas of punishment or reward come to mind. This is really a somewhat unenlightened perception of Karma. Karma is simply Reality. Karma is Truth stripped of illusion. "Here the soul stands stripped naked of every shred of excuse or possibility of evasion while the piercing shadowless light penetrates to every part of its being... The soul is in such and such a state and is revealed to be so. In this revelation everything is taken into account, automatically, inevitably, pitilessly." (Knight, p. 127)

I am reminded once again of episode 20 of Neon Genesis Evangelion (this series is saturated in Qabalistic philosophy and is highly recommended) where the main character swore that he would never Pilot his Eva again. Yet in a time of great danger, he did pilot his Eva again and became swallowed up into it in the process. The following is an excerpt of the psychological experience he had while his mind was lost inside Eva. "Shinji-kun, you are here because you got into Eva. Because you got into Eva, you became what you are. You can't deny that, the fact that you got into Eva, nor what you were, in your past life." Shinji is tortured by this fact that such and such happens, in this case that he did in fact pilot Eva. Yet this fact is layed out mercilessly before him. He cannot close his eyes from it, he cannot avoid it or ignor it. His entire consciousness is focused on this cold torturous fact that he did pilot his Eva. This entire episode, along with episode 25 and 26 I believe are an adiquate description of what may happen when a soul enters into Geburah consciousness.

Karma is Truth. Geburah is Truth. "You may say 'these things are deplorable, is there anything that can be done?' But you cannot say they are not so, and that is why we train you; because the tendency of the spiritually-minded is to be nice-minded; we want you to be true-minded. There is a disctinction." (Master of Compassion, quoted by Gareth Knight, Dion Fortune and the Three Fold Way, p. 51)

The next Sephirah in the Ethical Triad is Tiphareth, meaning "beauty". You will notice when you look at the entire diagram of the Tree of Life that Tiphareth occupies the central position on the diagram. This is important because it not only reconciles the conflict between Chesed and Geburah, between the Pillar of Mercy and the Pillar of Severity, but it also mediates between the upper realms and the lower realms, between Kether and Malkuth. This can be seen by meditation on the number six, because it is the sixth Sephirah on the Tree. It may be represented by the cube which is composed of six squares forming its faces. Analysis on this leads to some Christian Mysic symbolism, as the cube may be unfolded to form a Calvary Cross of six squares.

To further illuminate this, I quote from my own article, "The Arius Controversy" from Hermetic Virtues Online Magazine. "The God of the Jews, Yahweh, to whom the Christians attribute the Father aspect of the Trinity, is well known for his wrath and seemingly irrational behavior. He is so far removed from humanity as result of his omnipotence and power that the fates of these
creations of him seem of little worth unless they cease to worship. The story of Job illustrates
this phenomenon. Job, the faithful servant of Yahweh, finds himself the object of a divine bet made between God and the Devil. His possessions, friends, and even family are taken away from him through all manner of calamities inflicted to demonstrate Job’s faithfulness to Yahweh. When Job comes to God to beg for justice, rather than having mercy on his prophet, he comes down in a whirlwind to demonstrate his greatness and demands, “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up
now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.” (Job 38:1-4). A Christ of the same nature and substance as Yahweh would only compound this issue.

"In many cases, Jesus as the Christ is also called the Mediator (Greek: Lεσίτης mĕsitēs). This suggests the idea of a go-between representing Divinity to man and man to Divinity. This idea is also demonstrated in Qabalistic philosophy. “In Tiphareth God is made manifest in form and dwells among us; i.e. comes within range of human consciousness. Tiphareth, the Son, ‘shows us Kether’ the Father… The Redeemer, then, manifests in Tiphareth and is forever striving to redeem His Kingdom by re-uniting it to the Supernals across the gulf made by the Fall, which separated the lower Sephiroth from the higher…” (Fortune, 1935). Also, “The Spiritual Experiences of [Tiphareth] are two in number instead of the usual one. This signifies that there are two sides to Tiphareth and indeed it is par excellence a linking Sephirah, reconciling the upper part of the Tree to the lower.” (Knight, 1965).

"In other words, because of the separation of consciousness between Yahweh and mortal men, a reconciling principal needed to be created. In Arius’ Christianity, Jesus embodies this principal when he says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). In Qabalistic tradition, the Spiritual experience of Kether, the Father Principle, is called the “Vision of Annihilation” because, “It is said that never while in incarnation can we rise to the consciousness of Kether in Atziluth and retain the physical vehicle intact against our return. Even as Enoch walked with God and was not, so the man that has the vision of Kether is disrupted
so far as the vehicle of incarnation is concerned… If therefore we reproduce in ourselves the mode of being of that which has neither form nor activities, it follows that we must free ourselves from form and activity.” (Fortune, 1935)." (Moore, 2008)

It would do well to review my earlier post on the Seven Bodies of Man. Notice the particular significance of the Fifth Body or Spiritual Body. This actually encompases the entire Ethical Triad but in particular, Tiphareth defines it. This is the seat of incarnation, self-awareness, free will, and purpose. The divine name of Tiphareth is YHVH Aloah va-Da'ath which loosely translates to "God Made Manivest in the Sphere of the Mind". When a prophet or mystic believes that they have come into contact with God, they have actually rather come into contact with their own Tiphareth centers. Of course, this is as good as contacting God for all intents and purposes. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

Some more symbols which will illuminate Tiphareth are the Hexagram and the Cadeuceus, as seen here on the Magician Tarot card.

Light

2009-02-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

On a whim I decided to try my hand at poetry, and what I came up with , I feel may better describe the heart of the Golden Dawn tradition and the Holy Guardian Angel than anything I could write in an intellectual capacity. Although it has some strong Thelemic tendencies, I think it is still inherently rooted in the Golden Dawn. It is tentatively called "Light".

It was perhaps to be expected
When I crossed into that something,
That something which is nothing,
But moved as something moves
And breathed as something breaths,
Finding within that nothing - everything!
Whose heart is everywhere,
Whose skin is nowhere,
Whose blood drips down to bespeckle
Dust but does not die,
But instead survives to witness
The pale stars grow cold and fade
And crusted dust and stones
Groan their heavy groans
And groan, "I die,"
Always behind me, but never far,
Always promising but never there,
Echoing questions but never a reply,
That he whom I called "I" would cease.
Never regret this ceasing
For undoubted, unquestioned, evident,
I, a new "I", is born to take the place
Of this old dying ox,
A young calf, born of lead,
A Golden Calf burning red on the horizon
Under the mantle of Nuit!
Never regret as the apes chasing snakes
To bruise their heads regret when I go,
For I go not to hide away in shame,
(Shame, surely there is no better word for death),
But rather I go to greet forever
The yellow face of the East,
Wet with morning tears brought forth from joy.
Those regretting apes, shivering,
Trembling at the shadows of the air
Let hands fall from bloody faces.
The Dance, Oh yes! They dance
Upon seeing the rays of my face.
"He has returned to us again
Pray never to leave!" But no...
Much as I may long to loiter
And embrace my love forever,
She could not bare it!
Her soft skin may parch and crack
Even as it basks in my own love
Much as she begs, I know,
The East is found in the West.
And perhaps she will one day learn
That in leaving her I have returned.

Qabalah Part One: The Supernals

2009-01-25T22:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm going to attempt to explain Qabalah as best that I can. The best advise that I can give you at the outset is to take nothing literally and question everything. It is only though personal innovation that progress can be made. However, let any opposition to the ideas presented here be judged with careful scrutiny, lest the thought process become nothing more then an exercise in mental acrobatics.

I will be using a few terms that you may be unfamiliar with. I will try to define each as I go, but let me first define a term so frequently used that I must define it off the bat. Sephiroth is a plural term that means "numbers, spheres, emanations" according to Israel Regardie's book, The Tree of Life. The singular form of the word is Sephirah. The Sephiroth in this context refers to the spheres or stations on the Tree of Life diagram.

The easiest form of Qabalah to understand, in my opinion, is what has been termed the Unwritten Qabalah, which is the study of the diagram of the Tree of Life. This is because it is somewhat open to interpretation to the individual, albeit very carefully. We must not let our imaginations run away with us in our interpretations because then it ceases to be a philosophy. However, the information that we have is vague enough to allow for variations of meaning, even in the individual. An example would be the four worlds of the Qabalah. One system would have the first Sephirah alone assigned to the first world which is called Atziluth or the Archetypal World, the next two Sephiroth assigned to the second world called Briah, the Creative World. The next six Sephiroth would compose the third world called Yetzirah, the World of Formation, and the last Sephirah make up the last world of Assiah, the World of Action. On the other hand, another system would have the last two Sephiroth composing the world of Assiah. Another system has an entire Tree existing in each world.

So what's the difference? The difference is basically the context in which we are operating, and each system may be used by the same person at different times. If we are talking about the Soul of Man, we would use the first system that I described, but if we are talking about the Tarot, we would use the last.

Let us begin with the very beginning. Actually, lets go back a back a little further then that. In the Bible, we read, "In the beginning, God created..." This of course is the familiar translation. However, the Zohar calls attention to the fact that the translation is only approximate because the true translation is confusing beyond understanding to the pious. "Bereshit bara Elohim..." is the Hebrew, which translates directly to, "With beginning, _____ created God." There is a word missing here, but it is intentionally so. For what in Heaven or Earth could create God?! Nothing!

But what is my meaning here? When I say, "Nothing can create God," I do not mean that God cannot be created. I mean that Nothing did create God, a Nothingness that is something... a substantial nothingness, for all things must have a cause. So what could be at the root of this cause? A sea of Nothingness.

This Nothingness has been named, hesitantly, by the Qabalists as Ain Soph, that is Without Limit. It has been described, I do not remember where or by whom, as "A circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere." Dion Fortune described it in The Cosmic Doctrine. "The Unmanifest is pure existence. We cannot say of it that it is Not. Although it is not manifest, it IS. IT is the source from which all arises." Not much more can be said of Ain Soph, because the more that is said of it, the further we will be from the truth.

Therefore we will continue with the Beginning. The first manifestation, or Sephirah, is called Kether, which means the Crown. The best way to describe Kether is pure being, pure existence. Like the Ain Soph, it has no shape and no motion, yet unlike the Ain Soph, it is manifest. In Geometry, it can be described as a point. In Physics, it is termed a Singularity. The Divine Name of God given to describe Kether is Eheieh which means, "I Am" or "I Will Become". This is suggestive of its state of pure being, having no other qualities other than existence.

Imagine for a moment a vast sea of Ain Soph. Now for the sake of not giving you a stroke, we will visualize it as light. Now imagine that this light beginning to gather together and concentrate itself to form a vortex. This vortex, like a whirlpool, forms a point of emptiness at it's center. Now if we remember that Ain Soph is Nothing, then we know that the empty point at its center is the absence of Nothing, which is something. And we further know that this something is formed from Nothing and defined by Nothing. Therefore, this something is very highly connected with Nothing.

This illuminates the Magickal Image given to Kether. It is a mighty patriarch seen in profile. Dion Fortune says in The Mystical Qabalah, "... we do not see the magical image of Kether full-face, that is to say complete, but only partially. There is an aspect which must ever be hidden from us, like the hidden side of the moon. This side of Kether is the side that is towards the Unmanifest, which the nature of our manifested consciousness prevents us from comprehending..."

Now this something, coming from Nothing, but now manifest, has a quality to it, the fact that it is manifest. Therefore, it can be defined, albeit not in the language of man, or at least not accurately in the language of man. However, this definition of the first manifestation by necessity gives rise to a second manifestation, the definition itself. It is therefore said that the second Sephirah, Chokmah which means Wisdom, is the reflection of Kether. Returning to Geometry, we see the point in relation to a second point, and this relationship composes a line between these two points, implying motion, which in turn implies energy. This is archetypal male or positive in the language of polarity. Its correspondent in the physical world is the sphere of the Zodiac which is perpetually in motion, never ceasing its whirling nor slowing or reversing. Steady is its course, and mysterious is its nature. Therefore, it is Chokmah Nisitarah, that is Secret Wisdom, because it conceals within itself the mysteries of Kether.

The next Sephirah is called Binah, Understanding. This is archetypal female, and as the third manifestation, it suggests a shape, because of the triangle. Whereas Chokmah was energy and motion, Binah is shape and form. Whereas Chokmah was absolute freedom, Binah is imprisonment; the bringer of death. For all forms are temporary and must eventually crumble. As the archetypal mother, it delivers all things into life and in so doing condemns them to death. From The Mystical Qabalah, "It is a straitening and a limiting; a binding and a constricting. Form checks life, thwarts it, and yet enables it to organize. Seen from the point of view of free-moving force, incarceration in a form is extinction." Yet this is misleading.

Let me here state that Binah is my favorite Sephirah. Most people who understand Qabalah will wonder first of all why I have a favorite Sephirah at all, because all are equally Holy, and then they will be even more confused as to why in the world I would chose Binah as my favorite. Binah is depressing, the bringer of death, the stern correcter. It is called the Vision of Sorrow. Why would I be so drawn to it?

I will give you a section of the script from the last episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion which explains what I am talking about very well.

Misato: Everything is vague. That's freedom.
Ryouji: The world where you can do anything you like.
Misato: Yet, you are uneasy.
Fuyutsuki: Don't you know what you should do?
Shinji: What should I do?
Gendou: I give you a constraint.
Asuka: Now you have a top and a bottom.
Rei: Now you have lost one degree of freedom.
Misato: Now you have to stand on the ground.
Ryouji: But you obtain a comfort.
Makoto: Your mind becomes slightly easier.
Shigeru: And you walk.
Maya: That is your will.
Shinji: Is this my will?
Ritsuko: The world with a floor is the world surrounding you.
Touji: Yet, you can move freely.
Kensuke: If you wish, you can change the position of the world.
Hikari: The position of the world does not stay the same.
Ryouji: It changes through the flow of time.
Fuyutsuki: You can also change.

It is commonly known by even the beginning student of the Tarot that the Death Card usually indicates change. Death allows for change. It allows for growth. That which is eternal cannot change. It is freedom absolute, yet it is imprisoned in its own freedom. It cannot do anything because it can do everything. Therefore, you cut the line short to make shape, giving it a beginning and an end. For nothing can be without a beginning, and everything that has a beginning has an end.

Imagine yourself as a free floating entity in and endless expanse. You may move, but where to move to? You race forward seeking something, anything, but there is nothing. In fact, who's to say you are moving forward, for you see in all directions at once because you have no limitations at all. So what is the difference in which direction you move, and what will you do when you get there. Time means nothing, space means nothing. You are alone.

Now imagine that you see in the vast expanse a glimmer of light. What is it? There has never been anything other than you. What is this other? You focus your attention in its direction, forgetting about what is in the other direction because you know that there is nothing. You have lost a degree of awareness because now there is a forward which you can see and a behind which you cannot see, but you care not. This Other comforts you. You move toward it, and just as there is now a "forward", there is for the first time a "toward" or in other words, something else to relate to even if it means nothing but relation in terms of distance. You move toward it and get close to it. This "other" is one like you, yet has its own will, so while you may move, it may remain where it is, and vica versa. You may move past it at an angle or away from it altogether, or you may get closer. And it may do the same, or not, according to its will.

This other is comforting because you are no longer alone, and you become attached to it. But you are terribly aware that by becoming attached to it, you have just lost something. You have lost your freedom. And even if you move away from it, or it away from you, as far away as the two of you are, you will always exist in relation to the other. Because of its very existence, it defines your own, and you define it. You may now be close or far, or you may be towards or away, but in all cases this depends on the actions of the other.

Yet would you desire to return to being entirely alone, where nothing means anything and because you can do anything, you can do nothing? You have lost so much and gained so little, but now you can change. What's more, with this other, you can create a third and fourth and infinity. You can create a circle by revolving around each other, and you can move within the boundaries of this circle or outside. And the more others you create, the greater the things you can create because you now have parts that you can make to relate to each other, just as you have related to this first other.

I could go on for hours, but I will not. It would do you well to meditate on this idea, but if you do, be careful to set a timer. Such meditations on archetypes such as these have a tendency to make you lose track of time and become lost in them. In fact, just writing the above caused me to lose track of myself for a time. Do not worry about completing the meditation because you cannot complete a meditation like this. There is always a story of what comes after that never ends.

So now you have a basic image of the Supernal Triad on the Tree of Life. In my next post, I will give a primer in the next set of Sephiroth, the Ethical Triad.

Grade Structure

2009-01-23T22:50:00.000-08:00

Very briefly, and just for reference, I would like to provide the basic grade structure of the G.:D.: system as I may be referring to various grades from time to time. The first column is the corresponding Sephirah on the Tree of Life. The second column is the title of the grade. The third column is the degree. The first number is the number of grades that have been attained thus far, and the second number is the number of the Sephirah on the Tree of Life.

Invisible Order
Kether Ipsissimus 10 = 1
Chokmah Magus 9 = 2
Binah Magister Templi 8 = 3

Inner Order
Chesed Adeptus Exemptus 7 = 4
Geburah Adeptus Major 6 = 5
Tiphareth Adeptus Minor 5 = 6

Outer Order
Netzach Philosophus 4 = 7
Hod Practicus 3 = 8
Yesod Theoricus 2 = 9
Malkuth Zelator 1 = 10
- Neophyte 0 = 0

I have also provided a diagram of the Tree of Life to refer to visually.

Holy Guardian Angel

2009-01-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting around to the long promised essay on the Holy Guardian Angel. I guess that up until now I've been avoiding it because it's such a strange and vague subject and means something different to everyone it seems. So I've got my books stacked around my computer, Rockstar on my desk, and some nice mindless music to help me focus.

Let me state here that I am in no ways an expert in this subject, even less so than in Qabalah and the G.:D.: in general. However, in my defense, there are no experts, or else those that do exist are silent.

The term "Holy Guardian Angel" comes from The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. This is a medieval text which describes a six month long ritual whose purpose is to bring about "Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel". It was originally meant to mean a separate entity assigned to the individual as the link to the divine. However, S. L. Mathers, who translated the manuscript into English, interpreted it to be the so called Higher Self of the individual. It is the part of us still connected to the divine. In an earlier post, I described the Seven Bodies of Man. In this system, the Fifth Body or the Spiritual Body is the equivelant to the HGA.

Now of course, there will be those who will read this and think, "Well, I know all about this Higher Self that he's talking about. I go to angel classes and vision quests and had great spiritual experiences. I must have already activated this in me." I want to make something clear. Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel is THE GREATEST SPIRITUAL ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU CAN EVER HOPE FOR. Therefore, don't cheapen it by reducing it to something that you can get from a weekend workshop. If you read the Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage from cover to cover, you will just begin to understand the demands required for such a feat. There are very few who have the means or the willpower to go through with this ritual, and many have lost their minds in the trying.

This somewhat corresponds to Enlightenment or Nirvana in the Eastern systems. Now I have never met anyone who I have judged to be enlightened in my lifetime, particularly those who claimed to be. Likewise, anyone running around claiming to have achieved Knowledge and Conversation with their Holy Guardian Angel is simply making a fool of themselves.

So, what do the so called experts have to say about the HGA? Crowley was particularly obsessed with KCHGA (I'm getting tired of spelling it out). To him, there was nothing more important. He is often quoted on this matter from Magick Without Tears. "It should never be forgotten for a single moment that the central and essential work of the Magician is the attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Once he has achieved this he must of course be left entirely in the hands of that Angel, who can be invariably and inevitably relied upon to lead him to the further great step—crossing of the Abyss and the attainment of the grade of Master of the Temple."

This means little to those who have never heard the terminology used here, so let us look at what Dion Fortune has to say. She is somewhat vague in her work, but equates this process to Initiation proper. In The Training and Work of the Initiate, she states, "The word Initiate... means one in whom the Higher Self, the Individuality, has coalesced with the personality and actually entered into incarnation in the physical body."

Consider this. If the HGA is the Immortal self, the aspect of yourself which continues from life to life in the eternal cycle of reincarnation, the thing which determines before birth what the purpose of the coming life will be, and then carefully selects the environment, upbringing, and astrological influences that will allow for this purpose to be realized, the part of yourself that is released from the Wheel of Karma after many lifetimes of Karmic adjustment and readjustment, and when this is accomplished, this Individuality ascends to the Inner Planes to continue its aspiration to reunite with the Divine; if all these things describe the HGA, then consider what would happen if this part of yourself united with the part of yourself that goes to work every day, pays your bills, and wonders about your place in the world. Such people who reach this level of development are truly Titans, on par with the Saints and Masters who inspire us to persevere.

So now my brain is tired from trying to explain something that I don't really understand myself. I only hope that I haven't confused you on the issue. So I'm going to wrap this up briefly. The purpose of the G.:D.: Tradition is to equip the student with the knowledge and experience necessary to facilitate this accomplishment. Theoretically this is supposed to correspond with the grade of Adeptus Minor. This grade is really just symbolic of this attainment. The rest is up to the individual. However, perhaps for the first time in the Initiates lifetime, they have been shown the door and given the keys to unlock the gate to the secrets of the Eternal Soul.

General Advice for the Newcomer

2009-01-21T22:23:00.000-08:00

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.

Curious Element, Earth

2009-01-02T21:26:00.000-08:00

I know that I've been promising an article on the HGA in the past posts, and I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with this, but I haven't been getting much of an audience up till now. Please, if you have any interest in getting a group started, let me know, because it's hard to go it alone.

Anyway, I've been thinking about something else for a while now. Look at the image here. This is the back of the Classic Golden Dawn Tarot Deck that I've been painting. Here you see a combination of the Rose Cross and an Ankh. There are three arms here which are painted in the colors of the elements with the traditional implement of the element and the kerubric astrological sign of the element in the flashing (complimentary) color.

But what of Earth, the fourth element? Of course it is represented by the disk surmounted on top of the others. But why is it so? What is with the color wheel and the cross in the center? Why is it not just painted black or even citrine, olive, russet, and black?

This is because Earth is not the same kind of element as the others. Earth represents the material universe and includes the elements of air, fire, and water, albeit in their physical manifestation only. This is why these elements are actually represented twice in this diagram. In the center disk (or more properly termed, rose) there are three rings surrounding a white center with a red cross. Each of these rings is divided into segments. The first into three, the second into seven, and the third into twelve. This is a manifestation of the physical world as well as the soul of man.

Let me first say that, the we do not live in the physical universe. We think we do, but that is simply an illusion. In truth, we are usually living in the mental world. The physical universe is a perfect world, flawless, a Garden of Eden. We live in paradise.

Wha!!!? What's that? What of all the pain and suffering of people and animals throughout the world. What of all the violence, death, pollution, destruction of natural resources, the decimation of the rainforest, the extinction of entire species. How can I call that paradise?

This is the problem we must face as we approch the truely divine path. Humans have a very bad habit of placing human values on the world around them. Let us instead look at this from a cosmic point of view. All those horrible things I just mentioned are simply the manifestations of chemical reactions and natural physics and biology. All things act in accordance with Natural Law. If you burn petrol, then CO2 is released into the atmosphere. If you strike a wedge shaped object into a tree trunk with enough velocity, then the wood will part. The human race is at the top of the food chain with no predators above it. The population must be fed, and the natural survival instinct that put us where we are dictates that we will find the path of least resistance that will produce the most yeald.

The physical universe, or Malkuth in Qabalistic terminology, is perfect. The Sepher Yetzirah says of it, "The Tenth Path is the Resplendent Intelligence, because it is exalted above every bead, and sits on the throne of Binah. It illuminates the splendor of all lights, and causes a supply of influence to emanate from the Prince of countenances." In a book that I read recently, Malkuth is referred to as a cosmic dingleberry. I don't understand this because from the Yetziratic Text, that seems like it couldn't be further from the truth. A cosmic dingleberry is not something I can imagine getting exalted above every head.

Let's look again at the diagram. In the center of the rose representing Earth there is a white circle with a red cross in the center. This is the pure divinity in the macrocosm and the soul of man in the microcosm. Surrounding this is a ring of three segments. These are air, fire, and water of Earth. These are the three principals that give rise to all else, the three primary colors combining in various ratios to form all else. They are Sulpher, Mercury, and Salt of Alchemy. This is the basis for all except the most spiritual and pure. In Qabalah, these correspond to the three mother letters of Aleph, Mem, and Shin. From the Sepher Yetzirah, "The three mother letters Aleph, Mem, Shin are the foundations of the whole; and resemble a Balance, the good in one scale, the evil in the other, and the oscillating tongue of the Balance between them."

Following this is another ring composed of seven segments. These are the Planets of ancient astrology named after the Gods of Mythology. This represents the various influences of the Divine upon the mundane. These are blind forces following their courses conjoining or opposing each other as they will. They are unpredictable and terrible to those who do not understand their nature nor can follow their movements. They are attributed to the seven double letters. "There were formed seven double letters, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, Kaph, Pe, Resh, Tau, each has two voices, either aspirated or softened. These are the foundations of Life, Peace, Riches, Beauty or Reputation, Wisdom, Fruitfulness, and Power. These are double, because their opposites take part in life, opposed to Life is Death; to Peace, War; to Riches, Poverty; to Beauty or Reputation, Deformity or Disrepute; to Wisdom, Ignorance; to Fruitfulness, Sterility; to Power, Slavery."

Last we have a ring of twelve segments. These are the twelve signs of the Zodiac, called the fixed stars. This is the creature receiving the influence of the creator; they playing field of the sport of the Gods which are seven in number. They are the terrains that must be traversed by those who seek the Gods, for here is where they are encountered in the guise that we can perceive. They are attributed to the twelve single letters.

Chapter Five of the Sepher Yetzirah:

1. The simple letters are twelve, namely: He, Vau, Zain, Heth, Teth, Yod, Lamed, Nun, Samech, Oin, Tzaddi, and Quoph; they represent the fundamental properties, eight, hearing, smell, speech, desire for food, the sexual appetite, movement, anger, mirth, thought, sleep, and work. These symbolize also twelve directions in space: northeast, southeast, the east above, the east below, the northwest, southwest, the west above, the west below, the upper south, the lower south, the upper north, the lower north. These diverge to all eternity, and an as the arms of the universe.

2. These twelve letters, he designed, formed, combined, weighed, and changed, and created with them the twelve divisions of the heavens (namely, the zodiacal constellations), the twelve months of the year, and the twelve important organs of the frame of man, namely the right and left hands, the right and left feet, two kidneys, the liver, the gall, the spleen, the intestines, the gullet, and the stomach.

3. Three mothers, seven double and twelve simple, these are the twenty-two letters with which YHVH Tetragrammaton, that is our Lord of Hosts, exalted, and existed in the ages, whose name is Holy, created three fathers, fire and spirit and water, progressing beyond them, seven heavens with their armies of angels; and twelve limits of the universe.

Arius Controversy

2008-11-25T21:19:00.000-08:00

In a previous post I mentioned a forthcoming post regarding the Holy Guardian Angel (HGA). This is still in the works, but the reader may benefit also from an article I wrote for Hermetic Virtues magazine. This isn't exactly referring to the HGA, but it talks about the role of Christ in the scheme of Qabalah. Now Jesus Christ actually represents for humanity what the HGA represents for the individual. It is the 5th body I mentioned in the post on the Seven Bodies. It is available to read on the Hermetic Virtues Website.

I would post the whole thing here, but I'm not clear if that is a copyright violation. I'm not sure if it is property of Hermetic Virtues or if it's my own property. However, since they make it free to read, why don't you check it out?

2008-11-25T18:45:00.000-08:00

I was considering today about how certain symbols used by various occult orders or traditions can become perverted by those who hold nothing sacred and commit heinous acts under the banner of those symbols. The one I had in mind initially was the Swastika or the Fylfot Cross. The Fylfot Cross (as it is more commonly referred to in the G.:D.: literature) is the officer lamen of the Dadouchos (da-DAH-hos) who consecrates the Temple with Fire. Additionally, it also has reference to the Rashith ha-Gilgalem which is the mundane chakra of Kether and means "First Whirlings". In other words, this is a sacred symbol of the highest order. Yet just looking at it puts a bad taste in any reasonable persons mouth. Certainly without an understanding of the difference between the Nazi Swastika and the Fylfot Cross depicted on the lamen of the Dadouchos, one would be extremely uncomfortable undergoing ritual initiation in which this symbol is seen.

It was pointed out by Donald Michael Kraig in his book Modern Magick that the two are depicted differently. "This holy and mystical symbol was always drawn in a horisontal-vertical pattern with the arms in such a way that the cross appeared to be moving with the Sun or clockwise. It is a shame thatthis symbol was peverted by the Black Magic Lodges of Germany of which Hitler was a member... You can see how the Nazi swastika goes against the Sun, giving the impression of spinning in a couter-clockwise direction. Note, too, that it is on a point rather than horisontal-verrtical. Although the Nazis did at times use the true mystical Swastika, their official symbol was the perverted version. Today, most people are disgusted with the symbol and do not separate the spiritual from the obsene." (Kraig, 1988, Modern Magick, Second Edition, p. 142)

Some may argue with some validity that the symbol has been so ingrossed into our collective consciousness as a symbol of hate that it does more harm than is worth and should be done away with. This may be the strongest arguement one can make as even armed with the information given above, most will still be uncomfortable with it. However, the Fylfot Cross makes appearance in another key place other than on the lamen of the Dadouchos to represent the element of fire. The Fylfot Cross is also used as the admission badge in the Zelator Ceremony shown here. This makes its removal or modification rather difficult. Many in the G.:D.: tradition have made various modifications to the original versions of the rituals and symbols used. I on the other hand believe that one should be extremely wary of making changes to an established tradition because too much freedom in this department can lead to the complete loss of the identity of the original system, such as what happened with Christianity. It is tragic that the true teachings of Christ have been lost forever because of popular opinion. "It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people." (Giordano Bruno)

Another symbol that has been perverted by Black Magicians is the Pentagram, or in particular the inverted Pentagram. This is most commonly associated with Satanism as shown here. What it really represents is matter triumphing over spirit. In fact, the G.:D.: has a particularly unmistakable warning against its use in ritual. "Traced as a symbolof good, it should be placed with the single point upward, representing the rule of the Divine Spirit. For if thou shouldst write it with the two points upward, it is an evil symbol, affirming the empire of matter over that Divine Spirit which should govern it. See that thou doest it not." (Regardie, 1971, The Golden Dawn, The Sixth Edition, p. 280)

Yet is this the end of the story? I've had some particular experience with the 24th Path of Ayin to which the Tarot Trump of The Devil and the sign of Capricorn are attributed. The following is a journal entry from I time in which I experienced the path of the Devil.

"I also dreamed of trying to save a captive of the Devil. Part of the dream was a narrative of the life of the Devil in his own words. It was a bitter tragety, and after a brief explanation of his childhood, he turned apathetic and wistful and regarded this as unimportant. A small part described his borther (???), barely noticing that he hadn't eaten for weeks, sniffing around the ruins of the family's former empire in search of food.

"I'm reminded of the climax of The Phantom of the Opera:

A face which earned a mother's fear and loathing
A mask my first unfeeling scrap of clothing
Pity comes too late
Turn around and face your fate
An eternity of this before your eyes"

The story of the Phantom of the Opera may easily be referred to the path of the Devil, the frustrated and wrathful persona of Pan, or it may be referred to the path of the Universe, the 32nd Path of Tau and Saturn. Similar stories are referred in which someone is taken from the surface world by some dark entity and spirited away to an underworld of death. Persephone and Hades is a good example.

The two paths are strongly linked. In the card above, I used indigo for the background as that is the color of Ayin in Atziluth. The color of Tau in Atziluth is also indigo, and the Universe card that's referred to it also has an indigo background in my deck. This is to indicate that the whole path takes place in the underworld of the unconscious mind of repression, instincts, and unexpressed fears. The whole card is very sexually oriented. This is why I used very red flesh tones to indicate a flushed and excited appearance. The sexual symbolism can also be seen clearly in the Thoth deck which is just a picture of a giant phallus.

You can see, in my card, that the inverted pentagram is represented by the head of the figure. This is to represent the carnal self-serving desires of the flesh dominating the rest of the card. It might be a very evil card if it weren't for the upright pentagram above it. This upright pentagram represents self-sacrifice, the giving of ones self for the sake of higher ideals. In sexual symbolism, it represents the sperm, which redeems the sex act by becoming creative. Of course, only on the surface level would this act of creation be a human child. The sexual intercourse, if engaged in lovingly, is an act of creation and spiritual extacy regardless of whether or not a child results. It is only the crude, degrading, and self-serving sexual encounter that is represented by the triumph of matter over spirit symbolised by the inverted pentagram.

Furthermore, the card does not necessarily represent physical sex. In fact, when it comes to pathworking, the surface meaning is never the dominant meaning of the path. This card may symbolize any creative act from works of art to a scientific discovery. If these things are shared with ones fellow men and women for the benefit of all, then it is a positive creative act. If, however, greed and self-serving is the motivator here, it is the worst of evils, and matter tramples spirit in this case.

So why are both present in the card? It is a common saying that in order to love others you must first love yourself. In sex, the pleasure of the sensations carries you through the act. In art, you make the art for yourself and make it an expression of yourself. It is the result of this that must be shared. Just as in the parable of the talents. "Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury." (Matt 25:24-27)

Seven Bodies and a Particular Curiosity in the History of the G.:D.:

2008-11-24T20:18:00.000-08:00

The following article is from a journal entry I wrote some time ago after reading "The Esoteric Philosophy of Love and Marriage" by Dion Fortune. It is just musings over the information I had just absorbed from the book and how I interpreted it in my own mind. It is not necessarily established doctrine although it draws heavily from the works of experts. I believe it is a good introduction for explaining the purpose behind the G.:D.: initiatory system. That is why I have included it here.

It may be useful to note that the information contained in the book mentioned above has some relevance to the G.:D.: and its history. The author, Dion Fortune, was a member of the G.:D.: at the time this book was written. At that time, S. L. Mathers had died, and his group, the A.:O.: was headed by his wife, Moina Mathers.

Now this was the time in which Israel Regardie entered the G.:D.: scene. He had written A Garden of Pomegranates and The Tree of Life, both in 1932. Both are considered classics in Western Occultism. However, they were not received well by the G.:D.:. Regardie had been the secretary and student of Aleister Crowley, and the leaders of the various offshoot orders, although generally unable to agree on so much as the color of shit, were however unified in their resentment of Crowley's actions during the revolt of 1900. "One of the leaders of the Alpha et Omega, E. J. Langford-Garstin, went so far as to write Regardie in a letter condemning him in no uncertain terms and asking him to never again mention the name of the Golden Dawn in print." (Cicero, 1999, Introduction to the Third Edition of The Tree of Life) Dion Fortune instead defended him in her article in the Occult Review in January of 1933. This article, however, upset the leaders of the Stella Matutina, the other main offshoot order, because it inadvertently revealed more about what the G.:D.: really was to the public at large, and at the time, the order was still secret. The chiefs of the Stella Matutina instead wrote a letter to Fortune agreeing with her point of view while at the same time writing a letter to Langford-Garstin criticising her irresponsibility. The two letters ended up in opposite envelopes, the critical letter going to Fortune and the supportive letter going to Langford-Garstin.

At about the same time, Fortune was having her own troubles with the cheifs of the order, particularly Moina Mathers. There was of course the article in the Occult Review, but prior to that even, as early as 1923, which is when The Esoteric Philosophy of Love and Marriage was published. The information used to write this book was obtained via inner plane contacts using Fortune as a medium. The same contacts were later used to receive The Cosmic Doctrine. Moina Mathers disapproved of Fortune's activities as a medium. "She considered that the contacts responsible for The Cosmic Doctrine teaching, whatever tehir merits might be, were not those behind the Golden Dawn. As for the publication of The Esoteric Philosophy of Love and Marriage, she was highly distressed on the grounds that they betrayed high initiatory secrets to the world at large." (Knight, 2001, Introduction to What Is Occultism by Dion Fortune) It was later pointed out to Mrs. Mathers that Fortune had not advanced to the grade within the G.:D.: in which these teachings were given. Thus, Fortune was not bound by oaths of secrecy against revealing the teachings found in this book.

Yet, in spite of all that Fortune had gotten away with, she continued to cause problems within the order. She published Sane Occultism (which is now retitled What Is Occultism?) which is somewhat reminiscent of Regardie's My Rosicrucian Adventure (also retitled as What You Should Know About the Golden Dawn), in that it expresses the extreme frustration that was generally felt by many students of the order against how the order was being run at the time. Although there are no names mentioned, Fortune used a great number of pages attacking certain practices common in Occult Lodges. This ended up being the last straw for Mrs. Mathers who expelled her from the order. I am not aware of any evidence which suggests that Mrs. Mathers was party to these practices, but her actions would seem to indicate this.

There is also a particularly dramatic episode at the end of this story which particularly describes the abilities of both these women. Fortune describes it in Psychic Self-Defense. She does not give any names. However, it was later revealed that the woman in this story is Moina Mathers herself.

"The Vernal Equinox was now upon us. I must explain that this is the most important season of the year for occultists. Great power-tides are flowing on the Inner Planes, and these are very difficult to handle. If there is going to be astral trouble, it usually blows up for a storm at this season. There are also certain meetings which take place on the Astral Plane, and many occultists attend them out of the body...

"In the ordinary way, when an occult attack is afoot, one clings to waking consciousness at all costs, sleeping by day and keeping awake and meditating while the sun is below the horizon. As ill-luck would have it, however, I was obliged to make one of these astral journeys at this season. My attacker knew this as well as I did...

"These astral journeys are really lucid dreams in which one retains all one's faculties of choice, will-power and and judgment. Mine always begin with a curtain of the symbolic colour through whose folds I pass. No sooner was I through the curtain on this occasion than I saw my enemy waiting for me, or, if another terminology is preferred, I began to dream about her. She appeared to me in the full robes of her grade, which were very magnificent, and barred my entry, telling me that by virtue of her authority she forbade me to make use of these astral pathways. I replied that I did not admit her right to close the astral paths to me because she was personally offended, and that I appealed to the Inner Chiefs, to whom she and I were responsible. Then ensured a battle of wills in which I experienced the sensation of being whirled through the air and falling from a great height and found myself back in my body. But my body was not where I had left it, but in a heap in the far corner of the room, which looked as if it had been bombed. By means of the well-known phenomenon of repercussion the astral struggle had apparently communicated itself to the body, which had somersaulted round the room while an agitated group had rescued the furniture from its path.

"I was somewhat shaken by this experience, which had not been a pleasant one. I recognized that I had had the worst of it and had been effectually ejected from the astral paths; but I also realized that if I accepted this defeat my occult career was at an end... So I told my group to pull themselves together and re-form the circle because we must make another attempt; I invoked the Inner Chiefs, and went out once more. This time there was a short sharp struggle, and I was through. I had a Vision of the Inner Chiefs, and returned. The fight was over. I have never had any trouble since." (Fortune, 1930, Psychic Self-Defense, pp. 161-163)

This is one of my personal favorite stories simply because I am a history buff, and to know of a private account given in such vivid detail in which the drama of the past truly comes alive is but rare. Secondly, it gives us a sample of the true power of magic, although in this case it is being abused by one of the characters. The whole book is full of little bits of true magic that makes the modern understanding of the term seem like a game or a fantasy by comparison, and I would highly recommend it to the beginner in order to instill in their mind a standard by which to measure the explanations of all other authors and would-be magicians.

So I will close down this rant. The following is the promised journal entry mentioned at the beginning of this post.

7. Monad
6. Rays
5. Spiritual
4. Astral/Mental
3. Emotional
2. Etheric/Instinctual
1. Physical

The order in which the bodies manifest or come into existence flows down, or in other words begins with the 7th Body and ends with the 1st. Control of the bodies flows in the same direction. In other words, a complex or developed mind will control emotions, which acts on the instincts or passions, which acts on the physical body.

Once this process is complete, the bodies experience a path of return in which each body is fully developed. This flows in the opposite direction as the path above. This is usually the type of consciousness that is under immediate awareness. The human race is generally operating between the 3rd and 4th bodies.

When a body reaches development, it has greater control of the bodies "under" it. In other words, the 5th body may have a certain amount of control over the lower four bodies in their development, but development of these bodies usually removes most of the control unless the 5th body is sufficiently advanced enough to be equal to the other bodies in development.

It is important to note that this is directly related to reincarnation, and demonstrated why the normal person has no memory of their past lives. The lower four bodies are considered "mortal" while the upper three are considered "immortal", insofar as our concept of the flow of time is concerned.

Now, how this works is when a Monad breaks off from the Macrocosmic Monad (i.e. Kether), it develops cloaks or shells, like a grain of sand forming a pearl, until it reaches its greatest density as the physical body.

Once this happens, it begins the reverse process in order for the Monad to achieve the complexity of the other bodies before returning o the Macrocosmic Monad.

The 1st and 2nd bodies are developed b the process of evolution, and are therefore the aspects that are passed on to the next generation via genetics.

Following this is the 3rd body which develops itself through non-physical interaction with others, and is therefore limited to a single lifetime. It is the duty of the older generation to impress onto the younger as much of its experience as possible in order for the younger generation to advance past the level of their parents and sustain further development.

The 4th body is very similar to the 3rd body in that it is limited to a single lifetime and must be actively impressed generation to generation, although it is more difficult than the 3rd body. The 4th body is developed through its relationship and interaction with non-sentient forms as well as through its relationship and interaction with itself. Therefore, the new generation must play a more active role in the the development of its own 4th body.

Up until this point, the 5th body acts mostly as a witness to these processes except for periods between incarnations when it is no longer weighed down by the denser bodies, figuratively speaking. During this time of free motion of the 5th body, it records the developments of the lower bodies of that incarnation, then makes arrangements for further development in the coming incarnation. This is analogous to our concept of predestination. However, this is never exact, and the spiritual body loses the majority of its control in the first few years. The amount of control it retains is directly related to its own level of development. Any intervention is usually very subtle, and more obvious exceptions, perceived as miracles or visions, require great exertion on the part of the 5th body and must have certain conditions conducive to such an event.

This provides insight into the Law of Karma, the idea that in each life we are met with the effects of the circumstances of past lives. Because the 3rd and4th bodies are particularly unique to an incarnation and require participation and engagement of that body, the 5th body must continually reciprocate the actions of these bodies in order to maintain equilibrium that is necessary for its own evolution.

At a certain point, however, the 5thbody develops to such a degree that its control of the lower bodies surpasses their weight. Karmic adjustment is better understood,and therefore more easily tolerated. The mind begins to have vague recollections of past lives that increase in clarity. Various skills learned in previous incarnations are remembered, and the individual sees to have superhuman powers. Very soon afterward, however, the 5th body no longer requires the lower four bodies fr development and Karmic adjustment, and it ceases to incarnate in order to function fully on the inner planes. That is not to say that they are dead and lost to the rest us, simply that this body is no longer bound to the physical microcosm. When necessary, certain of these ascended spirits will provide guidance to those who remain in the physical world by acting on their student's 3rd and 4th bodies, and occasionally on their 2nd or 5th.

The developments past the stage of the 5th body are of no concern to us at the present moment because they are worked solely on the inner planes and are beyond our understanding.

Short Reference List

2008-11-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

Here, I've included a short list for those who wish to learn more about the G.:D.: and general occultism on their own.

Websites:

Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn (Cicero)

Esoteric Order of The Golden Dawn (Zink)

Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn: Outer Order of the Rosicrucian Order of A.O. (Griffin)

The Golden Dawn Lectures

Sanctum Sanctorum: A Golden Dawn Resource

Azoth Art Inc. (Ritual Clothing and Materials)

Ritual-Magic.org (Ritual Tools)

Books:

The Essential Golden Dawn: An Introduction to High Magic - Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabitha Cicero
Self-Initiation Into the Golden Dawn Tradition: A Complete Curriculum of Study for Both the Solitary Magician and the Working Magical Group - Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero
The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites & Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order - Israel Regardie
What You Should Know About the Golden Dawn - Israel Regardie
The Tree of Life: An Illustrated Study in Magic - Israel Regardie
The Middle Pillar - Israel Regardie (VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
Book 4 - Aleister Crowley
The Mystical Qabalah - Dion Fortune
Psychic Self-Defense - Dion Fortune
The Training and Work of the Initiate - Dion Fortune
Esoteric Orders and Their Work - Dion Fortune
A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism - Garreth Knight
Modern Magick - Donald Michael Kraig
Kybalion - Three Initiates

For the beginner, I would also highly recommend that you read the first article in The Golden Dawn Legacy of MacGregor Mathers (Golden Dawn Studies No 23) by S. L. MacGregor Mathers, Moina Mathers, and Darcy Kuntz. The article is called "On the General Misconception of the One-ness of True Occultism However Varied ita Masks" by S. L. MacGregor Mathers. This may clear up some of the ideas that some "seekers" have about what magic is and what it most certainly is not!

What is the Golden Dawn?

2008-11-23T22:03:00.000-08:00

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a secret fraternal magical society founded in 1888 in England by William Winn Westcott, Samuel Liddle "Macgreggor" Mathers, and William Robert Woodman. All were Freemasons and prominent members of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (S.:R.:I.:A.:). The aim of this order was obscure at best to those who have not had a great deal of contact with it's literature. However, it's influence was (and still very much is) vast. Consider some of it's members.

S. L. Mathers was one of the founding members as well as the head of the order in its "Golden Age". On the other hand, he was also one of the orders most difficult members. His magical genius was only rivaled by his own vanity and eccentric behavior. He was responsible for translations of various magical texts such as The Kabbalah Unveiled, The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, and The Key of Solomon the King. All are major texts in the Ceremonial Magical community.

A. E. Waite was the designer of the Rider-Waite Tarot, the most well known tarot deck available. It is considered the standard for the modern tarot. Waite was a prominent member of the G.:D.: and even headed up one of its offshoot orders, The Holy Order of the Golden Dawn.

Israel Regardie, perhaps the most well known of the Golden Dawn magicians of the second half of the 20th Century, was the author of many modern classics such as The Tree of Life, A Garden of Pomegranates, and The Middle Pillar. Regardie is perhaps best known for his revelations of the teachings of the Golden Dawn in four volumes. Later, near the end of his life, he published a more organized and comprehensive volume titled The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic.

Regardie was also a student and secretary of another notorious one time member of the Golden Dawn; possibly the most notorious member in its history and of magic in general. Aleister Crowley, founder of the A.:A.:, leader of the O.:T.:O.:, and the self proclaimed Prophet of the New Aeon of Horus began his magical career in the G.:D.:. In fact, he was one of the major players in the downfall of the original order at the turn of the century. Later, after Mathers had reformed his order under the name of Alpha et Omega, only one of several splinter groups to come out of the rubble after the rebellion of the Adepts in 1900, Crowley had formed his own group, the A.:A.:. He claimed that the leadership of the physical Order was transferred from Mathers to Crowley by the mysterious "Secret Chiefs" of the order. He also began publishing mutilated versions of the Order's secret rituals and initiation ceremonies in his periodical, The Equinox, resulting in a legal battle between the two magicians.

All this, of course, means little to the beginner on the magical path or to the child of the wildly popular Neo-Pagan movement. I will not go too deeply into this subject simply because I do not know very much about Wiccans, who seem to dominate the Neo-Pagan demographic, and what they know about their roots. However, personal experience, however limited, has led me to believe that most do not know how their religion was started. The general attitude seems to be that it is older than Christianity although its current incarnation is less than a century old and bears but little resemblance to its supposed forbearers of the centuries past. As a matter of fact, the methods employed seem to have more in common with Thelema (the religion of Crowley's A.:A.:) and the G.:D.: than is usually understood to be the case. For example, the four elemental weapons used by most Wiccans (that is the Wand for Fire, Cup for Water, the Athame for Air, and the Pantacle for Earth) are obviously taken from the four elemental weapons of the G.:D.: (although, this may be more of a Thelemic influence than one from the G.:D.:). Also, the Wiccan Rede which states, "An it harm none, do what thou wilt!" is most certainly a modification of the Thelemic, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law!" taken from the Liber al vel Legis or The Book of the Law. There are others to be sure, but I believe my point is made.

The G.:D.: was so influential perhaps because of its vast curriculum. There was little that was invented by the G.:D.:, but before its formation, the magical arts were a mess of incomprehensible superstitions and contradictions. What made Mathers such a genius was his ability to untangle the mess and synthesize all the various disciplines into a single system which flowed unobstructed accross the spectrum of arts. The primary items included in the curriculum included Hermetic Qabalah, Astrology, Geomancy, Tarot, Alchemy, Skrying, Astral Projection, Talismanic Magic, Ceremonial, and the worlds first workable system of Enochian Magic. On top of this, the order included a sophisticated system of initiation that I believe is without rival. There are many other items included, certainly. In fact it is commonly said that advancement through the grades of the Outer Order is the equivalent of a university degree in magic.

Next week, I will be posting an article on the the Seven Bodies of man which I believe will be invaluable to understanding the more spiritual aims of the G.:D.:. The week following, I will be posting an article on the Holy Guardian Angel which will further illuminate it's aims. See you then.

A Golden Dawn Discussion Group in Salt Lake City

2008-11-23T21:58:00.000-08:00

I am a student of the Golden Dawn Tradition and have been studying for approximately one year. I have been studying Hermetic Qabalah and Occultism for longer then that. In my research I have found good reason to believe that there are no groups or organizations oriented towards the G.:D.: in the Salt Lake area. Therefore, I have decided to change that. I will be organizing in the near future a G.:D.: discussion group in Salt Lake City, UT with the aim of increasing awareness of the roots of modern Western Occultism. This is of course subject to participation among other things. We will probably be meeting bi-weekly or monthly depending on interest and how much time I have to come up with a discussion topic. It will focus on theory; no practical work will be performed in the group or taught with the exception of one or two basic rituals that all seekers should perform regularly. Let me know if you would like to attend, and once I have a reasonable number of responses I will schedule the first meeting and let you know when and where. See you there!