Grades and spiritual attainment

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There exists two extremes today in the view regarding the Grades of the Golden Dawn and spiritual attainment. One such extreme position, in the past held by the Stella Matutina and today continued through the heirs to the Whare Ra tradition, hold that the Grades simply are symbolical or conferred as honorary titles, without any real substance regarding internal attainment and spiritual maturity. The other extreme end on this axis is the more commonly held notion today that the Grades beyond the Abyss (i.e. that of Binah, Chokmah and Kether), and in some cases even the Adeptus Exemptus Grade pertaining to Chesed, isn’t attainable for incarnate beings and more properly belongs to discarnate ascended masters. This last opinion was most popularly held by Dion Fortune and her particular tradition as continued by the Fraternity (or Society) of the Inner Light and derivatives. Most people in the Golden Dawn today adhere to Dion Fortune’s sentiments concerning the matter of Grades and attainment.

I believe that much of the confusion regarding this lies in the fact that in the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn there only existed operative levels in the Second or Inner Order which worked on the quite low level of Adeptus Minor, pertaining to Tiphareth halfway through the Tree of Life. And even on that level the system was only worked halfway through, i.e. even the Adeptus Minor Grade wasn’t developed fully as its so called “subgrades” only was worked up to the Theoricus Adeptus Minor level, or perhaps a tentative Practicus Adeptus Minor level (se below in my explanation of the Grade system). Higher Grades beyond that was only given to the Chiefs of the Order as honorary titles. So when the Order split up in the wake of the great schism in 1900 and later in 1903, the three main branches of the Golden Dawn who continued the work developed their own peculiar views regarding the higher Grades.

The Grades upon the Tree of Life

But before we enter into the discussion about these particular developments let me first give a brief summary of the Grades of the Golden Dawn and how they are applied to the 10 Sephiroth of Tree of Life, the planes of existence and Qabalistic Souls of man:

1. Not considering the preparatory Grade of Neophyte 0°=0°, the actual first Grade is the one called Zelator 1°=10°, which is attributed to the Element of Earth, the Sephirah of Malkuth, the Planet Earth or the physical word, the human physical body, or Qabalistically speaking the Guph (the reflexes and instincts), being part or lower aspect of Nefesh or animal Soul.
2. The second Grade is referred to as the Theoricus 2°=9°, which is attributed to the Element of Air, the Sephirah of Yesod, the Planet of Luna or the astral word, the human astral body, or higher aspect of the Qabalistic Soul of Nefesh (vital or animal Soul of drives, also referred to the automatic consciousness or the subconscious mind), which overlaps with the lowest part of Ruah or the rational conscious mind.
3. The third Grade is referred to as the Practicus 3°=8°, which is attributed to the Element of Water, the Sephirah of Hod, the Planet of Mercury, being part of the mental word and the human mental body, or Qabalistic Soul of Ruah (that part of the rational soul pertaining to Reason).
4. The forth Grade is referred to as the Philosophus 4°=7°, which is attributed to the Element of Fire, the Sephirah of Netzach, the Planet of Venus, being part of the mental word and the human mental body, or Qabalistic Soul of Ruah (that part of the rational soul pertaining to Desire).
5. The fifth Grade is referred to as the Portal and Adeptus Minor 5°=6°, which is attributed to the Element of Spirit, the Sephirah of Tiphareth, the Planet of Sol, being part of the mental word and the human mental body, or Qabalistic Soul of Ruah (that part of the rational soul pertaining to Imagination). This Grade is further subdivided into the sub-grades of Neophyte Adeptus Minor (N.A.M.), Zelator Ad. Min. (Z.A.M.), Theoricus Ad. Min. (Th.A.M.), Practicus Ad. Min. (P.A.M.), Philosophus Ad. Min. (Ph.A.M.) and Adept Adeptus Minor (A.A.M.).
6. The sixth Grade is referred to as the Adeptus Major 6°=5°, which is attributed to the Sephirah of Geburah, the Planet of Mars, being part of the mental word and the human mental body, or Qabalistic Soul of Ruah (that part of the rational soul pertaining to Will or Volition). It is subdivided into sub-grades in the same manner as in the Adeptus Minor Grade.
7. The seventh Grade is referred to as the Adeptus Exemptus 7°=4°, which is attributed to the Sephirah of Chesed, the Planet of Jupiter, being part of the mental word and the human mental body, or Qabalistic Soul of Ruah (that part of the rational soul pertaining to Memory). Beyond this Grade lies the Great Abyss between the Divine and the mundane.
   
8. The eight Grade is referred to as the Babe of the Abyss and Magister Templi 8°=3°, which is attributed to the Sephirah of Binah, the Planet of Saturn, being part of the casual word beyond the Abyss and the human casual body, or Qabalistic Soul of Neshamah (that part of the divine soul pertaining to Intuition).
9. The ninth Grade is referred to as the Magus 9°=2°, which is attributed to the Sephirah of Chokmah, the Sphere of Fixed Stars or the Zodiac, being part of the casual word and the human casual body, or Qabalistic Soul of Chiah (that part of the divine soul pertaining to the Life Force).
10. The tenth Grade is referred to as Ipsissimus 10°=1°, which is attributed to the Sephirah of Kether, the Sphere of the Primum Mobile, being part of the casual word and the human casual body, or Qabalistic Soul of Yechidah (that part of the divine soul pertaining to the Higher Self or Divine Spark).

Grades from 1 to 4 are part of the Outer or First Order, or Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn proper. Grades from 5 to 7 are part of the Inner or Second, or Ordo Rosæ Rubeæ et Aureæ Crucis (R.R. et A.C.). Grades from 8 to 10 comprises the Three Magisteria of The Third Order, the innermost Order of the entire Golden Dawn or Rosicrucian System of Initiation.

This alignment of the Rosicrucian Grades of the Golden Dawn to the Tree of Life gives a wonderful and unique opportunity to us in our understanding of the relationship between each Grade and the supposed attainment level attached to it, using traditional correspondences of the Sephiroth, such as Elements, Planets and Qabalistic Souls assigned, etc. There is also the Paths ascending towards each of the Sephiroth to consider, which sheds further light on our understanding of the Grades and the initiatory processes ascribed to them. But in this essay I will only limit myself to the 10 Sephiroth, which gives us ample information to draw our conclusions.

According to the former Golden Dawn Adept Aleister Crowley, the personal student of Golden Dawn Adepts George Cecil Jones and Allan Bennet, and the close confidante of S.L. MacGregor Mathers, one of the founders of the Golden Dawn, all of these Grades were attainable by humans and also conferred certain states of consciousness or spiritual attainment. I will return to these notions held by Crowley below, but must now limit myself to the so called “Magical Powers” described in his book Liber 777. This book was basically a tabulation of correspondences of the Golden Dawn, which Crowley more or less had stolen from S.L. MacGregor Mathers without giving him credit. Dion Fortune heavily based this information from Crowley in her teachings in her seminal work The Mystical Qabalah, also the Magical Powers which she referred to as “Spiritual Experiences”, which are attributed to the Sephiroth thus:

1. Kether – Union with God
2. Chokmah – The Vision of God face to face
3. Binah – The Vision of Sorrow
4. Chesed – The Vision of Love
5. Geburah – The Vision of Power
6. Tiphareth – The Vision of the Harmony of Things (also the Mysteries of the Crucifixion)
7. Netzach – The Vision of Beauty Triumphant
8. Hod – The Vision of Splendour [Ezekiel]
9. Yesod – The Vision of the Machinery of the Universe
10. Malkuth – The Vision of the Holy Guardian Angel or of Adonai

I don’t regard these powers or experiences as without significance regarding the sign of attainment of a certain Grade. For example, what is the equivalent of the Yesodic vision of the Machinery of the Universe within man? The Machinery of the Mind? Why then is Yesod attributed to the Automatic Consciousness, which refers to mechanical thought patterns of the subconscious? Letting these questions hanging there for a while, let’s us now turn our attention toward the different original branches of the Golden Dawn and their view of Grades and attainment.

Regarding the teachings and traditions of A.E. Waite and the Holy Order of the Golden Dawn, later reformed into the Fraternity of the Rosy Cross, I cannot tell much as I havn’t done that much research into it yet. But it seems obvious that Waite did develop rituals beyond the Adeptus Minor Grade in the early or middle 1910’s (which were published by Israel Regardie in his The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic), and later on even beyond the Abyss, at least up to the level of Magister Templi 8°=3°. It also seems that Waite held quite interesting views on sexual polarity which was implemented into these highest Grades developed by him. So it is obvious that Waite held the view that Grades beyond the Abyss were attainable for incarnate humans.

I have previously given lots of information about the peculiar development made by Robert Felkin and his Stella Matutina, which received heavy influences from unexpected quarters, i.e. from the German “Misraim Service” led by Rudolf Steiner. So I would like to direct the reader to that particual essay if he or she want to have a thorough understanding. As will be evident from this reading Felkin developed rituals for the higher Grades, i.e. that of Adeptus Major, Adeptus Exemptus and Magister Templi, after the template as given forth by Rudolf Steiner, or rather whatever Felkin could gather from the interaction between the S.M. and the Misraim Service. This was done almost simultaniously with with A.E. Waite’s developments, probably in a spirit of competition as they both were aware of what the other was doing. It seems Felkin later also developed initiation rituals for the Magus and and perhaps even the Ipsissimus Grades. These Grades beyond the Abyss were delivered to the most loyal and hardworking Adepts of the Whare Ra Temple as honorary titles, however the initiates receiving these Grades were scarce. The teachings to fill up the Grades beyond the Adeptus Minor seems to have mainly been extracted from the previous sub-grades of the Adeptus Minor which was discarded with, together with whatever teachings Felkin could have received from Ruldolf Steiner and concocted up on his own. It seems that the higher Adepti Grades were operative to a certain extent, but that the opinion held regarding that level of teachings was that it was much up to the individual student to make out of it whatever he or she could and do personal research.

However it seems like many high Grade members of the Whare Ra was somewhat displeased by that approach and the material that was handed out, as many would later turn their attention to B.O.T.A., the organization created by Paul Foster Case (see my further discussion below), and the teachings regarding Qabalah and Tarot as taught there. It seems there even were negotiations with Ann Davies, the chief of the B.O.T.A. during the 60’s, to merge the Whare Ra with the B.O.T.A., but luckily enough that didn’t manifest.

According to current adherents and possible heirs of the Whare Ra tradition Grades are not emblematic of actual spiritual attainment, and hence no certain level of spirituality must be attained prior to advancement into a higher Grade. Although initiation is held to infuse current into the Candidate, which will trigger changes and create life lessons (i.e. synchronicity), and that the individual work done (both theoretical and practical) will provide tools to enhance this initiatory process, these achievements may only be judged within the limited framework of the Order and not in the wider sense of the word or spiritually attained in common or everyday life. Initiation within the Golden Dawn framework of the Tree of Life only occurs in Assiah (the last of the four worlds of Qabalah attributed to action and matter), and therefore are attainable while incarnated. To be an Ipsissimus is to be one holding all the tools and experience required to be able to manifest the Higher Self of the Magician, but doesn require it. Hence the Grades beyond the Abyss are not regarded as overly “exalted” but that they simply present deeper frameworks to explore the self and the Universe. According to this source the process of initiation must be permitted to proceed until death; no one is to be barred from advancement because of lack of certain spiritual qualities, as the whole Tree of Life must be able for anyone dedicated to be explored without any Chief denying them this right. Grades in the Golden Dawn do not represent high spiritual exaltations, only symbols that helps the initiate on his or her way; they are processes which may lead to higher levels by giving the initiate necessary keys to produce end results.

Even though I partly agree with these notions, I also to a large extent don’t. I do agree with the notion that initiation in the Golden Dawn paradigm is well within the last Tree of Life in Assiah, and hence attainable in the flesh. Therefore each and everyone of the Grades should be attainable in one’s initiatory path and administred by the Order. But we have to remember that within each of the Four Worlds of the Qabalah, there is also to be found a subdivision into Four Lesser Worlds. This means that Malkuth of Assiah corresponds to Assiah of Assiah, and that Yetzirah of Assiah comprises Chesed to Yesod on the Assiatic Tree. Furthermore, Briah of Assiah must be attributed to Binah and Chokmah, and finally Atziluth of Assiah to Kether. In the microcosm, which includes all of Assiah in man, this relates to the Qabalistic Souls thus: Guph and lower aspect of Nefesh to Assiah of Assiah, higher aspect of Nefesh and Ruah to Yetzirah of Assiah, Neshemah and Chiah to Briah of Assiah, and lastly Yechidah to Atziluth of Assiah. This means that initiation into the Golden Dawn involves all of the bodies of the microcosm, subtle as well as the physical; initiation is supposed to realign (to separate and reunite) the different aspects and levels of man into a new and harmonious whole.

Therefore I don’t regard Grades as mere symbols of attainment. Therefore there doesn’t exist any “human rights” to attain any Grades, especially not beyond the Outer Order. For me to be able to ascend into a higher degree one has to had aquired certain signs of spiritual maturity. For example, being an Adeptus Major should be the mark of someone succeeding in the goal of the Adeptus Minor, i.e. that of the attainment of Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. However being a Adeptus Major does not automatically prove that one has been able to root out the unresolved complexes of the unconscious, the work required for the Adeptus Major, as that is the sign of the Adeptus Exemptus. We all start as Neophytes in a particular Grade and advance into full blown Adepts of that Grade in time, if we perservere and if we have the talent. If not, we cannot be expected to advance into the next level. I will return to my own views soon, but I felt I had to make a statement right away before I proceed with the view held in the original Rosicrucian Order of the Alpha et Omega.

In the Alpha et Omega S.L. MacGregor Mathers soon developed the system further and introduced rituals for the Adeptus Major and Adeptus Exemptus Grades as early as in 1907, perhaps even earlier then that. Thus he was the first to develop the initiatory system further. He also developed teachings corresponding to these Grades, which for example developed the teaching regarding sexual polarity, etc. After the death of MacGregor Mathers his sucessors continued this work to create teachings for higher Grades, such as J.W. Broadie-Innes and E.J. Langford Garstin. Regarding the Third Order and its three Grades it is held in certain quarters, i.e. in that of the current inauguration of the Alpha et Omega, that Mathers received further material regarding Inner Alchemy, or western tantra, which was supposed to be used on that level, but that he didn’t finish this project before his sudden death in 1918. Later in the A.O. lots of the materials originally reserved for the sub-grades of the Adeptus Minor were moved to higher Grades, in the same manner as in the Stella Matutina. I believe this was because of the later interrelationships between the S.M. and the A.O. during the 50’s. It also seems as the Sun Order may have been serving as a fertile ground for higher Grade work both in the A.O. and the British section of the S.M. and perhaps also in the Whare Ra. May I please refer you to this essay regarding this later cooperation between the Stella Matutina and the Alpha et Omega, and that of the higher and sexual teachings of the Sun Order.

What can be gathered and said about the view regarding higher Grades beyond the Adeptus Minor in the Alpha et Omega is that they were indeed operative, i.e. not honorary as in the early days of the Golden Dawn, and that written material were handed out and substantial oral traditions transmitted to prepare the student for the higher mysteries. However all this remains a mystery for the outside word who has to rely on the words of modern students and initiates of the Alpha et Omega. Thus I cannot say anything more regarding this subject. However it is also, in my opinion, interesting to examine somewhat the particular views held by Paul Foster Case who was a former Adeptus Minor and acting Chief Adept of the American branch of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega, who broke off (or was expelled) from the A.O. to form the School of Ageless Wisdom in 1922, which later became known as the “Builders of the Adytum” or B.O.T.A.

First of all Case held the opinion that there were no initation rituals that could be performed or administered beyond the Adeptus Minor, not that they wasn’t attainable by humans but that that workings beyond the level of the Minor Adept was purely of a self-initiatic nature. This is similar to Aleister Crowley’s sentiments, although the latter placed the Adeptus Minor initiation at the level of the Theoricus 2°=9° Grade in his A∴A∴. P.F. Case also held the strong opinion that each Grade of the Rosicrucian system according to the Tree of Life were associated to specific spiritual attainments, i.e. that they weren’t honorary but actual. The attainment levels of the Grades beyond the Abyss would be regarded as “superhuman” by ordinary standards, but not unattainable by incarnate humans, although they constituted Masters of both the discarnate and incarnate type. He also held the view that initiation wasn’t suppose to gain any power in the initiate but to make him or her conscious of powers already available within man.

Mountain of the Philosophers

Paul F. Case lays all this bare in his seminal work The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order. Briefly this can be said of the particular Grades of the Golden Dawn according to the views held in the B.O.T.A. Initiation proper begins at the level of Zelator or 1°=10°. As relating to Malkuth and the Element of Earth, Case states that this Grade properly deals with the physical body and sensation. The Zelator must consider his or her body and the physical surroundings. The first step made by the initiate is to make a complete change in his or her interpretation of the sense information, i.e. not to take anything (or appearances) for granted. The Zelator must also study the laws of nature, both in the macrocosm and the microcosm.

According to P.F. Case the work of the Theoricus or 2°=9° concerns study of theory. As Yesod, the Sephirah of that Grade, also relates to the automatic consciousness, the initiate must now also become aware of his or her subconscious mind. This Grade is also about shifting one’s consciousness from the material to the spiritual, and from the outer to the inner. He or she also becomes aware of the fact that spirit always if superior to matter, and that it is spiritual forces on the level of subconsciousness that operates the physical appearances. This knowledge is the first step of controlling these forces by applying constructive thinking (i.e. positive thinking); mental hygiene. The Theoricus also nurtures the opinion that the normal reasoning faculties of man is greatly transcended by the superconscious resoning on the level of True Self. He or she becomes aware of that there is a power that is overshadowing the ordinary and human self.

On the level of Practicus or 3°=8° the student is concerned with putting his or her theoretical knowledge into practice, using the faculties corresponding to Mercury or The Magician (Key No. 1 of the Tarot). Here we are concerned with intellectual or cognitive training of the mind, in application of inductive reasoning, as contrasted to deductive reasoning properly belonging to the Grade of Theoricus and the subconscious. The Practicus cultivates his or her self-conscious faculties, through attentive awareness such as the practice of meditaiton. As is shown in the image of the Magician of the Tarot the Practicus works with the Elemental Weapons, on a symbolical level, i.e. with the cultivation of the Wand of Will, the Cup of Imagination, the Sword of Action and the Pentacle of Physical Manifestation. The Practicus applies this knowledge of the automatic consciousness to nurture constructive though and imagination to change his or her subconscious patterns of thinking, which will manifest as life events in accordance. According to P.F. Case the Practicus must also become consciously aware of the subtler bodies beyond the physical, which he calls “four dimensional consciousness”. This also involves a change or transmutation of the physical body, which becomes the result of clear cut and focused vision.

©Tomas Stacewicz

The Grade of Philosophus or 4°=7° mainly concerns with the desire nature of man. The Philosophus aligns his or her desire nature to that of the cosmic forces and processes. This implies the notion that one doesn’t do anything of one’s own effort and that there is no separate existence; personality is just the outer vehicle of the True Self. This also concerns a purification of the desire nature. Through meditation the Philosophus becomes aware of the core or source residing within each of his or her desires. Through this process he or she “washes” the desire until it becomes the true and pure desire of cosmic law.

The Grade of (Portal and that of) Adeptus Minor or 5°=6° involves the faculties of imagination, and to further cultivate that into seeing the beauty of the divine expression in all life and outward appearances. According to Case the Lesser Adept strives towards strength, adaptation, balancing and equilibration, etc. It also concerns the meeting of the Dweller on the Threshold, more properly to the level of Aspirant or that of the Grade of Portal. This basically involves rooting out of misconceptions in the subconscious mind, through the faculties already taught in the Practicus Grade, i.e. that of focused vision. It also involves the process of death. It is the death to old notions of individual existence and that his or her thoughts, words, and actions are merely personal. It is the sacrifice of the ego. The Adept must go through a symbolical and mental death to be able to truly acknowledge the true “I AM” (or Yechidah) in the core of his or her existence, i.e. an awareness of that which is symbolized by the Holy Guardian Angel. Being a Lesser Adept the work is mainly concerned with gaining high skill in controlling one's mental imagery to that end.

The Grade of Adeptus Major or 6°=5° involves the submission of human will, the total sacrifice or death of the ego, to become a channel for the operation of the greater cosmic laws and currents. The Major Adept must know that his or her personal will is but an expression of the greater and True Will; corresponding to Geburah he or she incarnates Willpower. Case compares this to the eastern conception of Samadhi. It is the freeing from bondage of the lie that man has a personal will. The Greater Adept is thus the administrator of cosmic law. According to Case he or she is also the teacher, or the one who is the mouthpiece for the One Teacher within.

The Rosicrucian Grade of Adeptus Exemptus or 7°=4° expresses the exempt i.e. free Adept. Adeptship on this level is more than being an open channel and teacher of the Law. The Exempt Adept is a channel for the exhaustless Mercy of the Life-Power, according to Case. As the Major Adept expresses Justice the Exempt Adept expresses Mercy, which is a nobler approach towards life, and more impersonal according to Case. Only the merciful can truly understand the state of separatelessness. Thus the Exempt Adept no longer has any consciousness of separation and no longer is driven by any ego in his or her actions. The Exempt Adept also never forgets anything as he or she embodies memory, which is attributed to Chesed. This of course involves a greatly enhanced state of consciousness and full awareness. The Exempt Adept is also one who has full control over his or her desire nature. He or she thus also has power over karma; the freedom or exemption from karma.

The Grade of Magister Templi or 8°=3° involves the cultivation of speech (or both thought and sound vibration) which is then, through manipulation of the subtle forces, used to build the Magister a body which resist the laws of physics. A Master of the Temple always follows the Great Plan, step by step as it unfolds to him or her. Therefore the Master is without any anxiety nor curiosity regarding the future. The title “Master of the Temple” is a reference to the physical body, hence it means “Master of the Body”. It is the mark of someone who has overcome the forces of physical death, which is brought about through the perfect union of the conscious, subconscious and superconscious levels of the Life-power. But it is not mere control over the physical body; it concerns the control of all subtle bodies as well (remember my sentiments about initiation as a way to realign the subtler bodies into an new whole). It is the mark of someone in conscious union with the Qabalistic Soul called Neshemah, which is at the level of the casual plane according to the Theosophists. Hence the Master of the Temple is a pure or clear channel for these casual forces, and the True Self, which incorporates all forces known to science. He or she is able to perfectly direct the Prana, or Life-breath. But it is still on the level of limitation, concentration and form.

The Grade of Magus or 9°=2° concerns the administration of the Life Force or Prana itself, a reference to the Qabalistic Soul called Chiah (which is translated to “life”); and he or she does this without any limits and beyond any form. The Magus thus embodies the Life Force. He or she is one that has overcome all pairs of opposites and who rests in perfect equilibrium. A Magus is someone who is Wisdom incarnate, someone who truly has become more than human. All generative and regenerative powers are under the control of the Magus; when he or she formulates an image it immediately manifests as a physical form. Thus he or she is a God-Man, according to Eliphas Levi. Or perhaps the Son of Man, being able to exhibit “miracles”, as did the Master Jesus. As Ab, or “Father”, is one of the titles of Chokmah the Master Jesus can truly be considered to be of equal stature as the Magus, being one with the Father; Jesus is the archtype of a Magus working the Magic of Light.

And finally the Grade of Ipsissimus or 10°=1° may be translated as “one who is most himself” and relates to the highest of the Qabalistic Souls, that of Yechidah the “indivisible”, corresponding to the Hindu “Atman”. The Ipsissimus is therefore the head of the Rosicrucian Order. P.F. Case considers him to be the Christos, or Christ, the universal Logos. He is one who expresses the Primal or True Will in the truest sense attainable in Assiah. This is of course the mark of someone who truly has completed the Great Work.

Now, reading these explanations (or rather my personal interpretation of the teachings of Paul Foster Case) regarding the Grades beyond Adeptus Minor one isn’t at all surprised that Case didn’t administer any Grades beyond that. I wonder if there ever were any Grades given beyond the Adeptus Minor in the B.O.T.A. considering the superhuman qualities attached to them. Still Case believed that they were attainable while incarnated. But Grades beyond that of Adeptus Minor didn’t necessitate any honoraries or titles, or regalia for that matter. Greater Adepts and especially Exempt ones dosen’t need anything of that, if we are to trust Case in his analysis. But as Grades are and always has been administered in formal form both in the Alpha et Omega and the Stella Matutina, and Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, one cannot follow Case’s criteria to the letter. They must be considered to be idealisations of these Grades, unattainable in practice if one is to follow them to the letter, but indeed something to strive for. In my more pragmatic and humble opinion it suffices to be a good enough Adept. But in my more idealizing and grandiose opinion they do convey spiritual truths and give some good hints of what is to be expected from professed high Grade holders. Case do present a truly profound understanding of the Rosicrucian or Golden Dawn System of Initiation; it is not merely about being given Grades honorary but one also have to show the mark of true Adeptship.

I once had a discussion with an Adept who I considered as highly proficient in his magical ability but obviously suffered from personal issues and unresolved unconscious conflicts towards the Order that initiated him. He told me that initiation in the Golden Dawn system didn’t had anything at all to do with spiritual evolvement. This for me was shocking to hear, something that still affects me. I just cannot accept that idea. What is it all about if it is not about spiritual unfoldment? Ego-mastrubation? Remember the adage contained in the Stella Matutina version of the Neophyte Ceremony:

Although the Magical virtues can indeed awaken into momentarily life in the wicked and foolish hearts, they cannot reign in any heart that has not the natural virtues to be their throne.

People today sometimes regard requirement for admittance of higher Grade as just passing through examinations, both theoretical and practical. In the old R.R. et A.C. people had to perform rituals in front of other Adepts. This is still a practice in the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega, in the Outer Order even. But passing just by outer performance of ritual cannot be sufficient when it comes to work done by Adepts. I can accept that if it comes to Outer Order members, as that is much about learning the trade. But even when it comes to admittance into higher Outer Order Grades I judge by the force or current felt invoked, not that much about outer performance as compared to a Zelator level of working. But at the level of the Adepti work, something else must come into the criteria of judgement. Magical rituals done must have specific results in the mental sphere and the soul of the Adept. It must have direct psychological results, or the ritual has been poorly performed. Hence the ritual and magical ability isn’t sufficient. Hence the Adept cannot pass the test.

Furthermore, with a successful initiation ceremony or advancement into a Grade it should follow a certain level or state of consciousness. If not, at least seeds are supposed to be planted into the subconscious level of the initiate which will unfold if properly cultivated by him or her. It is in my own experience a common thing that the mind will experience a recession of consciousness after a while as a post-initiatory effect, i.e. that it returns to the normal state as prior to the initiation ceremony, because of the forces inherent in the plane of action and matter. I believe this to be a normal phenomenon. However, now that the mind of the initiate has experienced the glory of that Grade, he and she are able to find their way back to that initial state, even if it requires lots of hard work. This, in my opinion also constitutes signposts in judging the spiritual development of the initiate, i.e. the unfoldment of his or her consciousness.

When it comes to admittance into a higher Grade I fully understand the delicacy of this matter. I agree with the view that it ultimately is a personal matter between the initiate and his or her own God regarding the spiritual attainment acquired. But this delicacy and difficulty shouldn’t let us turn into the opposite position and nurture a “anything goes” mentality. Adeptship, even of the lesser category, in my opinion does require certain mental and spiritual qualities prior to advancement into the Second or Inner Order. The Second Order has always been based on invitation in its recruitment; such an invitation should be regarded as a true privilige by the Aspirant. The Outer Order serves as a training ground where the few selected are spotted and the mentally or spiritually unprepared or unfitted are “weeded out”. This may seem as a very cynical view on humanity, but unfortunately this is a fact. People are not equal – at least in the sense of un-equality in spiritual maturity; that is not to say they are not of equal worth. But some individuals have advanced further on their evolutionary path of return compared to others. Adeptship in particular is only for the selected few. And it must be the prerogative of the already admitted and senior Adepts to decide who is or is not suited for the work, as the Temple in the Outer also has the right to bar the entrance for individuals that doesn’t meet the requirements for initiation into the Grade of Neophyte.

As an example, I wouldn’t let in anyone into my Temple who were engaged in criminal activities, child molesting, or were actively drug addicts, or were on heavy medication against mental disorders, etc. These, I know, are very extreme examples. What I am trying to convey with these is that an Order, and its Adepts who are in a position to decide who to admit and who to bar, must use common sense in these matters. Personally I am very selective when it comes to admitting aspirants for Adeptship. I would say that out of 10 admitted Neophytes one or even fewer are suited for the work. When it comes to candidates seeking admission into the Grade of Neophyte I would say one has to multiply that figure with a factor of 10. That is the statistics that I am acquainted to, unfortunately. Luckily enough, the Golden Dawn System of Initiation does this selection process automatically; that is one of its great strengths. This has especially become the fact after the General Reformation of 1999, where people are expected to work hard to receive dispensation for advancement. Hence, the majority of these 9 individuals leave the Order and abandon the Initiatory process by their own accord or decision. It is very seldom that one has to take an active action against someone seeking admission into the Second Order.

And as has already been stated elsewhere by others it doesn’t take a superhuman to become an Adept – i.e. Lesser Adept. It however takes a strong dedication and will, perserverance, and these are the spiritual qualities that are required of an Aspirant of Adeptship, together also with humility and service. Service not only towards the Order and the lesser fortunate students of the Outer Order, but also towards one’s neighbour. In this respect I believe it is well to quote the full text of the obligation taken in admittance into the Grade of Practical Member in Sigismund Bacstroms Sociatas Rosae Crucis, a Rosicrucian fraternal order operative in England in the early and middle 19th Century, which admitted both women and men on equal basis. Bacstroms Rosicrucian Society made a huge impact upon the formation of Golden Dawn’s Inner or Second Order, the Ordo Rosæ Rubeæ et Aureæ Crucis or R.R. et A.C. The obligation goes as this:

I do hereby promise, in the most sincere and solemn manner, faithfully to observe the following articles, during the whole course of my natural life, to the best of my knowledge and ability; which articles I hereby confirm by oath and by my proper signature hereunto annexed.

1. That I will always, to the utmost of my power, conduct myself, as becomes a worthy member, with sobriety and piety, and endeavour to Prove myself grateful to the Society for so distinguished a favour as I now receive, during the whole course of my natural life.

2. I will never openly publish that I am a member of this august Society, nor reveal the name or Persons of such members as I know at present or may know hereafter, to avoid derision, insult or persecution.

3. I solemnly promise that I will never during my whole life prostitute, that is publicly reveal, the secret knowledge I receive at present or may receive at a future Period from the Society or from one of its members, nor even privately, but will keep our secrets sacred.

4. I do hereby promise that I will instruct, for the benefit of good men, before I depart this life, one person, or two persons at most, in our secret knowledge, and initiate and receive such person (or persons) as a Member Apprentice into our Society, in the same manner as I have been initiated and received (in quality of a Practical member and brother); but such a person only as I believe to be truly worthy and of an upright well meaning mind, blameless conduct, sober life and desirous of knowledge.

And, as there is no distinction of sexes in the spiritual world, neither amongst the blessed Angels nor among the rational immortal spirits of the Human race; and as we have had a Semiramis, Queen of Egypt, a Myriam, the prophetess, a Peronella, the wife of Flamel, and lately a Leona Constantia, Abbess of Clermont, who was actually received as a practical Member and Master into our Society in the year 1796, which women are believed to have been all possessors of the Great Work, consequently Sorores Roseae Crucis and members of our Society by possession, as the possession of this our art is the key to the most hidden knowledge. And moreover as redemption was manifested to mankind by means of a woman (the Blessed Virgin), and as salvation, which is of infinitely more value than our whole Art, is granted to the female sex as well as to the male, our Society does not exclude a worthy woman from being initiated, God himself not having excluded women from partaking of every spiritual felicity in the next life. We will not hesitate to receive a worthy woman into our Society as a member apprentice, (and even as a practical member or master if she does possess our work practically and has herself accomplished it), provided she is found, like Peronella, Flamel's wife, to be sober, pious, discreet, prudent, not loquacious, but reserved, of an upright mind and blameless conduct, and withall desirous of knowledge.

5. I do hereby declare that I intend with the permission of God to recommence our Great Work with my own hands, as soon as circumstances, health, opportunity and time will permit, that I

first - I may do good therewith as a faithful steward

second - that I may merit the continued confidence which the Society has placed in me in quality of a practical member.

6. I do further most solemnly promise that (should I accomplish the Great Work) I will not abuse the great power entrusted to me by appearing great and exalted, or seeking to appear in a Public character in the world, by hunting after vain titles of Nobility and vain glory, which are all fleeting and vain; but will endeavour to live a sober and orderly life as becomes every Christian, though not possessed of so great a temporal blessing.

I will devote a considerable part of my abundance and superfluity (Multipliable infinitely) to works of private charity, to aged and deeply distressed people, to poor children, and above all to such as love God and act uprightly, and will avoid encouraging laziness and the profession of public beggars.

7. I will communicate every new or useful discovery relating to our Work to the nearest member of our Society and hide nothing from him, seeing he cannot, as a worthy member, possibly abuse it or prejudice me thereby. On the other hand, I will hide these secret discoveries from the world.

8. I do moreover solemnly promise (should I become a Master and possessor) that I will not, on the one hand, assist, aid, or support with Gold or Silver, any Government, King, or Sovereign whatever, except by paying of taxes, nor, on the other, any populace, or particular set of men, to enable them to revolt against their Government. I will leave public affairs and arrangements to the Government of God, who will bring about the events foretold in the Revelations of St. John, which are fast accomplishing. I will not interfere with affairs of Government.

9. I will neither build churches, chapels, nor hospitals and such public charities, as there are already a sufficient number of such public buildings and institutions, if they were only properly applied and regulated. I will not give a Salary to a Priest or Churchman as such to make him more proud and indolent than he is already. If I relieve a distressed worthy clergyman, I will consider him in the light of a Private distressed individual only. I Will give no charity with the view of making my name known in the world, but Will give my alias privately

10. I hereby promise that I will never be ungrateful to the worthy friend and brother who initiated and received me, but respect and Oblige him as far as lies in my power, in the same manner as he has been obliged to promise to his friend who received him.

11. Should I travel either by sea or by land and meet with any person that may call himself a Brother of the Rosy Cross, I will try him whether he can give me a proper explanation of the universal fire of Nature and of our Magnet for attracting and manifesting the same under the form of a salt, whether he is well acquainted with our work, and whether he knows the universal dissolvent and its use. If I find him able to give satisfactory answers, I will acknowledge him as a member and a brother of our Society. Should I find him superior in knowledge and experience to myself, I Will honour and respect him as a Master above me.

12. If it should please God to Permit me to accomplish our Great Work With my own hands, I will Give praise and thanks to God in humble prays: and devote my time to the doing and promoting all the good that lies in my power and to the pursuit of true and useful knowledge.

13. I do hereby Solemnly promise that I will not encourage wickedness and debauchery, thereby offending God, administer the Medicine for the human body, nor the Aurum Potabile to a patient or patients infected with the venereal disease.

14. I do promise that I Will never give the fermented metallic medicine for transmutation, to any Person living, no not a single grain, unless the person is an initiated and received Member and Brother of the Society of the Rosy Cross.

To keep faithfully the above articles as I now receive them from a worthy member of our Society, as he received them himself in the Mauritius, I willingly agree and sign the above with my name and affix my seal to the same, so help me God. Amen.

As the rites in the Golden Dawn System of Initiation has a strong potential to create spiritual unfoldment within the psyche of the initiate, he or she has to show himself worthy of such a spiritual gift. Therefore in my opinion these articles (or at least the majority of them) still is applicable in the selection process of the initiate before the admittance into the Inner Order. In my opinion each Aspirant should read these or similar modernized clauses before admission into Adeptus Minor. Then he and she are able to judge for themselves, with the guidance of their own conscience, if they are up for the work that lies ahead of them.

The seal of Sociatas Rosae Crucis

Now regarding the requirements of admission into higher Adepthood, I also agree with Aleister Crowley (which is also implied by Paul Foster Case) that the mark of successful accomplishment of the Adeptus Minor level is the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, i.e. a conscious communication or open channel with, or awareness of the Higer Self or Divine Genius. If that is not aquired during the Adeptus Minor Ritual, which often is the case, that constitutes the hard work of the Lesser Adept. Then, and not before, is he or she ready for advancement into the Adeptus Major Grade, where the Adept is expected to work with the darkest recesses of mind through the aid of Magical Evocation of Demonic entities. As is foretold in the noble grimoare of The Book of Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, this Knowledge and Conversation of the Divine Genius must be accomplished prior to summoning of Demons or Qlippoth, as that work would easily become debased and regress the soul if not under strict guidance of the Divine. And it is only when these irrational and unconscious impulses and behaviours have been rooted out and their innate psychic power been placed under Divine Will, when the Adept is freed from the bonds of his or her Animal Soul, he or she deserves to be called a free or Exempt Adept.

Then there is also the question of the “Mystery of Cruxifiction” to consider, the spiritual experience affixed to the sixth Sephirah of Tipharet, attributed to the Adeptus Minor 5°=6° Grade. This is because of the traditional assignment of the Messiah or Christ Force to this Sephirah. In my opinion the Passion of Christ, his ressurection and ascension may be attributed to the Grades of the Adepti to further shed light into that process of high initiation. I have written more fully about this symbolical journey of death and ressurection, a central theme of high importance in most initiatory systems, in a previous essay.

Of course how all of this is accomplished in the final analysis is very individual. Again common sense must be the guiding light in selecting candidates for further instruction; in the work accomplished one only has to become “good enough” in attainment, not perfect. There are no perfect humans, hence no perfect Adepts. It’s impossible while incarnated in the flesh. But some hallmarks of attainment must have been conquered by the Adept. Detachment or non-attachement towards the material, as an example, is the true mark of the Adeptus Exemptus. He or she must become almost like an innocent child to be able to unite with his or her God, with the Neshemah. Again, Aleister Crowley obviously knew something of this level of attainment; one has to become a “Babe of the Abyss” to be able to cross it. In this we have to loose our preconceived opinions about anything, especially when it comes to traditional notions about sin, especially of the carnal kind. When one transcends the Abyss, one also transcends the concept of morality in the eyes of society. This attitude, or perhaps lack of attitude, is a necessary prerequisite for admittance into the Third Order.

Regarding the work done in the Third Order I cannot divulge any substantial, simply of the fact that I’m not an initiate of that level of attainment, not by far. But I know enough to say that when it comes to works of Inner Alchemy definite states and results, both spiritual and physical, are expected from definitive operations or experiments. So it is very easy to know and observe, on that exalted level of working, when one is ready to begin with the next level of attainment and progression into next Grade. The work of Alchemical Masters (which is the right term which one should assign the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order) concerns the transmutation of the Saturnian or physical body, first into a Lunar, then Mercurial and lastly into the Solar Body of Light, with which the Master acquires conscious immortality at the moment of death when he or she projects his or her consciousness into the prepared Solar Body, or Diamond Body which it sometimes is called. This marks the completion of the Great Work, or Royal Art. According to the Masters this is no mere fancy but actual states of being. As all this is beyond my understanding and certainly my level of attainment, I can only describe what have been told to me.

When it comes to the Outer Order I to a large extent agree with the sentiments of Paul Foster Case, but I would like to stress certain points. As a Zelator the initiate must become aware of his or her body and its functions, as well as reassess his or her attitudes towards incarnated existence, the material world. Depending on the initial attitude towards his or her body and carnal pleasure, he or she either must start to passionately give attention to his or her body and nurture it properly with loving care, or nurture the attitude of non attachment towards it. The initiate must properly understand his or her physical body as a vehicle of the Self, and sustain it accordingly without any excess. Basically being a Zelator means creating a heightened awareness or consciousness of the physical body and matter in general.

The Theoricus on the other hand must now turn his or her attention towards that spiritual plane which precedes the physical, i.e. the astral. This is done in several ways, but one such thing is paying attention to ones dreams, or spontaneous thinking. Another way is through different visionary and astral techniques. This leads to a heightened awareness of the automatic consciousness, which basically is constituted by structures of thoughts implanted by parents and society, and of early experiences of life as interpreted by the infant mind. Hence the Theoricus must become aware of his or her spontaneous thinking and patterns of behaviour. This is a clear increase of awareness as the initiate must transcend the ordinary self or ego. It is also the time to make the first observation of the Evil Persona, or shadow of the self, and acknowledge all undesirous personality traits. The Theoricus must also become aware of his or her breathing in more detail, and the currents of Prana which flows through his or her body and the universe.

The Practicus, in my opinion, must now cultivate his or her Magical Will and faculties of concentration. This is mainly done through magical meditation, i.e. the focused mind. This also involves a heightened awareness of the subtle and hidden patterns behind everyday life. The Practicus must thus cultivate his or her communion with the divine, through the seemingly senseless and random patterns of daily events; i.e. “the oracle of life”. He or she must also further cultivate these faculties through divination. Suddenly the initiate will find the true meaning of his or her life or destiny, the sacred mission of the individual. This is the first step towards the future Knowledge and Conversations with the Holy Guardian Angel.

Being a Philosophus concerns using these developed faculties of concentration and Willpower, to now through devotion direct the passionate nature of Netzach, originally directed towards the material, towards the spiritual. This process is further enhanced with the aesthetics and spontaneous artistic creativity of Venus, in contrast to the Mercurial scientific mind of the Practicus. At a later stage, as a Aspirant for Adepthood, the Senior Philosophus must be prepared to face the darkest parts of his or her subconsious mind, which eventually will assult him or her and scare the Aspirant away from the path; the Dweller on the Threshold. This experience of the Dark Night of the Soul is the necessary preliminary stage before the Golden Dawn of the Glory of Tiphareth.

©Tomas Stacewicz

As it happens, Israel Regardie wrote a little gem of a booklet called The One Year Manual or Twelve Steps to Spiritual Enlightment. In this book he presents meditative exercises which perfectly aligns with the Outer Order initiatory process from Zelator to Philosophus. The first step involves body awareness, wich basically is an exercise to pay attention to bodily sensations, and the second step involves a relaxation exercise, both exercises corresponding to the work of the Zelator. The third step involves rytmic breathing and the fourth step a mind awareness exercise, both aligned to the Grade of Theoricus. This last one is similar to the first step although it now concerns the observation of spontaneous thoughts which arises from the deepest recesses of mind, which is very suitable for the Theoricus to become aware of his or her habitual thinking. Step five concerns meditation through the use of mantrams and the sixth step the development of will, both corresponding to the work of the Practicus who has to train his or her ability of concentration. The last step of cultivation of will very much resembles Aleister Crowley’s exercises as contained in Liber III vel JUGORUM.

The seventh and eight steps of The One Year Manual concerns with the Rose Cross and Middle Pillar Rituals, while the following and last four steps concerns with the work of the Philosophus. The ninth step concerns practical advices of devotion, the tenth the practice of the presence of God, the eleventh the unity and awareness that all is God, while the last step admonishes the Philosophus to: “Invoke often! Inflame thyself in prayer!” These exercises fitly prepares the initiate for the greater initiation of Adeptus Minor and makes him or her a true Aspirant of the higher mysteries. Thus I warmly recommend this book, a favorite of mine amongst the works of Israel Regardie.

S∴R∴

On Blogtalk Radio: Ceremonial Magic and the Golden Dawn with Special Guest Tomas Stacewicz

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Yesterday evening I did my first guest appearance on Blogtalk Radio and the show called Hermetics and the Golden Dawn with David Griffin and Golden Dawn Adepts, hosted by Julia Sherred. The subject for the evening was Ceremonial Magic and the Golden Dawn. We covered lots of topics, such as the definition of Magic, the importance of Will and Imagination in magic in general, and ritual as an aid of the former to focus one’s mind, and the purpose of Magic in the context of the Golden Dawn. Together we also covered diverse topics as the comparison between Ceremonial Magic and other forms of Ritual Magic, between High Magic (or Theurgy) and Low Magic, the confusing definitions circling around regarding the Left and Right Hand Paths, the tools of the trade, banishings and invocations, and also somewhat about demonic evocation and integration of the darker sides of the Magician, and so forth.

I personally was satisfied with the result, considering the time limit of one hour, and the fact that there were some people asking some adequate questions which I gladly answered. Hopefully some of the misconceptions about the particular style of Ceremonial Magic in the Golden Dawn context were cleared up.

However I felt that one hour was way to short of time properly dealing with this huge topic. I would liked to have talked more about such topics as the “Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel”, i.e. The Higher Self or True Will, the relation between the Microcosm & the Macrocosm, The Emerald Tablet in relation to Magic, the Law of Correspondences, Astrology and ritual timing, something more about Ritual props and symbols used in Magic (as that wasn't covered adequately or only on a basic level), also some more about the nature of the Hierarchies (i.e. the 5 Elements, 7 Planets & 12 Signs of Zodiac) and its use and purpose in spiritual evolution with the aid of Ceremonial Magic, something more about the method of Invocation (of angels & spiritual entities) & evocation (summoning of demons), and difference between these two methods, perhaps something more about Consecreation of physical objects (implements & talismans), but also the important subject of Energetic manipulation of the aura, Skrying and travelling in the Spirit Vision (i.e. astral projection) and perhaps the subject of Divination. But hopefully we will cover some of these topics in the upcoming program about Qabalah and the Golden Dawn.

Until then, I hope you will enjoy the contents and what was covered in the present show. Here's the link. For me it was great fun, and I believe also for Julia. I definitely will do more shows together with her, so please stay tuned!

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Lord of the Fire of the World

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©Tomas Stacewicz

As I have already tried to explain in a previous essay the Tarot presents a wonderful opportunity of meditation and magic. As each of the 10 smaller cards in each of the Four Suits of the Arcana Minor represents one of the Sephiroth on the Tree of Life (in descending order from the Aces – Kether to the Tens – Malkuth), in each of the Four Worlds of the Qabalah, they can be used as Keys to understanding of that particular Force through meditation. Adepts also frequently use Tarot images as symbols for Skrying in the Spirit Vision to enter a particular Sephirah of a particular World, i.e. either the World of pure archetypes and primordial ideas at the level of Atziluth, or the World of mental creation at the level of Briah, or the World of astral formation at the level of Yetzirah, or the World of action and manifestation at the level of Assiah.

In the same manner each if the four Honours of the Four Suits may be used as either meditation tools or objects of Skrying in each of the Sub-Elements, in the same manner as Tattwas Cards, as each of the Honours (Knight, Queen, King and Knave) are divided into each of the Sub-Elemental realms, as each Suit is correspondent to one of the Four Elements.

Furthermore, each of the 22 Keys or Trumps of the Arcana Major are used in the same manner as objects of Skrying or symbols for meditation with each of the 22 Paths connecting the 10 Sephiroth, as explained in the previous essay. The 22 Keys are used as prime symbols for this kind of working, as they contain the three main hierarchies used in Ceremonial Magic or Theurgy; the Elements, Planets and Signs of the Zodiac. They are traditionally attributed thus according to one of the Knowledge Lectures of the Golden Dawn:

Attribution of the Tarot Trumps

Note that the last Path, that of Tau and The Universe, also traditionally is attributed to the Element of Earth, as well as the Hebrew letter Shin and The Last Judgement is to the Element of Spirit. Thus the Magician is able to use the entire series of the 22 Keys in any of the workings with the 5 Elements, 7 Planets and 12 Zodiacal Signs.

These esoteric attributions and correlations between the Hebrew Alphabeth, the 32 Paths of Wisdom, Thrumps and Forces (i.e. Elements, Planets and Signs) is in my opinion one of the most important revelations as put forth by the Golden Dawn. This tabellation was already contained in the famous and mysterious Cypher Mss. of the Golden Dawn, and hence wasn't the invention of either S.L. MacGregor Mathers nor W.W. Westcott. It is part of the very core of the Golden Dawn system, and therefore it was no strange matter when the original Order laid stronger emphasis on preserving it from profanation, as can be gathered from this part of the Practicus Ceremony dealing with these attributions:

...which has long been a secret among the Initiates and which should be carefully concealed from the outer world.

This secret was also firmly upholded by the initiates until Aleister Crowley decided to breach his sacred oath and reveal it through publication when his Liber 777 came out in 1909, and later in The Equinox. Hence it was the first secret of the Golden Dawn to be profaned. Since then these “estoteric” attributions has been one of the most videly spread and dissaminated teachings of the Golden Dawn.

As I already have explained in the previous essay on the Tarot Key of the Universe, the Outer Order initiate experiences the last half of the Major Arcana in reverse order. In the Grade of Theoricus 2°=9° (corresponding to Yesod) the candidate experiences the 21st Key of the Universe, as a symbolic representation of the 32nd Path of Tau. In the similar manner the candidate going through the Ceremony of Advancement into the Grade of Practicus 3°=8° (corresponding to Hod) experiences the 20th Key of Last Judgement pertaining to the 31st Path of Shin and the 19th Key of The Sun attributed to the 30th Path of Resh. The reader may now be able to figure out for him- or herself which Tarot Trumps are shown to the candidate in the Grade of Philosophus 4°=7° corresponding to Netzach and attributed to the 29th, 28th, and 27th Paths of Qoph, Tzaddi and Peh respectively, using the tabellation above. While going through the Ritual of the Portal of the Vault of the Adepti the Senior Philosophus is shown the Tarot Cards corresponding the the 26th, 25th, and 24th Paths of Ayin, Samekh, and Nun respectively. The rest of the 13 Keys are experienced in yet higher Grades beyond the Outer.

I would also like to point out that the mere painting of such a symbol as that of a Tarot Key is an exercise of meditation in its own right. At least that is my own experience in painting the Tarot images, which I accordingly did going through my own initiatory process.

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The particular Tarot Key in question that I want to share with you now is a version of the Tarot Key commonly referred to as The Sun, visible at the top. When I painted it back in 1997 I did it to the fullest of my capacity and understanding of the Tarot. I was heavily inspired by Paul Foster Case's rendition of that Key, which is easily discernable in comparing it with the image below, which I coloured while a member of the B.O.T.A. previous to my attempt in painting a Golden Dawn version of that card. In retrospect I find it seriously flawed and hence I am able to publish it here on my blog as it doesn’t reveal anything substantial regarding the true designs of the Esoteric Tarot. However I have followed the traditional Colour Scales of the Golden Dawn in painting it, representing all four of them, i.e. the King, Queen, Prince and Princess Scales.

©Tomas Stacewicz

This particular Key is numbered as XIX (19), and is the third encountered by the initiate in the Ritual of the 30th Path of the Practicus 3°=8° Ceremony. Its esoteric title is “Lord of the Fire of the World”, and it corresponds to the Hebrew letter Resh, and as such is an expression of the 30th Path of Wisdom according to Sepher Yetzirah, which reads:

[It] is called the Collecting Intelligence, and it is so called because from it astrologers deduce the judgement of the stars, and of the celestial signs, and the perfections of their science according to the rules of their revolutions.

This path, connecting the Sephiroth Yesod and Hod at the lowermost triad of the Tree of Life, is attributed to the Planet of Sol (the Sun), which is quite obvious just by looking at the card. The rest is self-explanatory by further attentive observation of the Key, but to aid the reader in his or her meditation I will quote the passage regarding this Key extracted from the Practicus Ceremony:

The Sun has 12 principal rays which represent the 12 signs of the Zodiac, they are alternatively waved and salient, as symbolizing the alternation of the masculine and feminine natures. These are again subdivided into 36 rays representing the 36 Decanates or sets of 10 degrees in the Zodiac, and these again into 72 typifying the 72 Quinaries or sets of 5 degrees and the 72 fold name SHEM HA-MEPHORASCH. Thus the Sun itself embraces the whole Creation in its rays. The 7 Hebrew Yods on each side falling through the air, refer to the Solar influence descending. The wall is the circle of the Zodiac and the stones are its various degrees and divisions. The two children standing respectively on Water and Earth, represent the generating influence of both brought into action by the rays of the Sun. They are the two Inferior or passive Elements, as the Sun and the Air above them are the Superior and Active Elements, of Fire and Air. Furthermore, these two children resemble the sign Gemini, which unites the Earthly sign of Taurus with the Watery sign of Cancer and this sign was by the Greeks and Romans referred to Apollo or the Sun.

The image above represents my third attempt into painting my own Tarot deck, not counting the colouring of the B.O.T.A. deck as part of my studies in that particular organization. According to my magical diary I started to do my preparations for the drawing of the Key on July 15, 1997, and finished painting it on August 23. It was painted on a panel of 24 x 33 cm in size, using Winsor & Newton acrylic colours as in the previously shown image.

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The Great One of the Night of Time

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©Tomas Stacewicz

Learning and living the Golden Dawn tradition is not just about intellectual studies and magical work. It is also about aesthetics and the art of magical images and symbols. The Golden Dawn tradition is brimmed with artistic images; it draws upon a wonderful array of symbolical images, geometric patterns, hermetic symbols, and colours and blends them into a coherent whole, which is utilized by the initiate in magic and meditation. This was one of the major reasons I chosed to work with the Golden Dawn tradition before all others; I was attracted to the sheer beauty of it.

One such beatuiful imagery, the most noble of the Golden Dawn system of Magic, is the series of pictures known as Tarot or The Book of Tokens. In the Rosicrucian Inner Order, the Ordo Rosæ Rubeæ et Aureæ Crucis or R.R. et A.C., these 78 cards are referred to as the Book T, alluding to the sentence in the Fama Fraternitatis of 1614 and the description of the opening of the Tomb of Christian Rosenkreutz:

Now as yet we had not seen the dead body of our careful and wise father, we therfore removed the Altar aside, there we lifted up a strong plate of brass, and found a fair and worthy body, whole and unconsumed, as the same is here lively counterfeited, with all the Ornaments and Attires; in his hand he held a parchment book, called T. the which next to the Bible, is our greatest treasure, which ought to be delivered to the censure of the world.

In the past, initiates of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn wasn’t given the full occult significance of the Minor and Major Arcanas of the Tarot until entering the Adeptus Minor 5°=6° Grade. But they were presented with some basic correspondences of the 22 Keys of the Major Arcana and also learned basic knowledge about the composition of the Minor Arcana, such as the existence of the Court Cards and Four Suits, and their relative correspondences to the Elements and the Four Worlds of the Qabalah, etc. However they were not presented to the images of the card themselves, with the exception of the Keys corresponding to the Paths leading to the Elemental Grades.

Each of the Elemental Grades corresponds with the four lowest Sephiroth on the Tree of Life, viz. Earth and 1°=10° to Malkuth, Air and 2°=9° to Yesod, Water and 3°=8° to Hod, and Fire and 4°=7° to Netzach. Now, according to the elaborate system of the Qabalah and the Tarot of the Golden Dawn, each of the 10 Sephiroth are interconnected together with 22 Paths, in all making the 32 Paths of Wisdom. While the Sephiroth themselves correspond with the Minor Arcana of the Four Suits, the 22 Paths connecting them are comprised of the 22 Keys. Thus each Ceremony of the Elemental Grades in the Outer Order contains distinct rituals corresponding to the Sephirah itself and to each of the Paths leading thereto. During each of these Rituals of the Paths the candidate is presented to the picture of the Tarot Key corresponding to that Path, and a brief explanation of the imagery is given.

The Tree of Life with 10 Sephiroth and 22 Paths
together comprising the 32 Paths of Wisdom

When I went throught the Outer Order Elemental Grades, between 1995 and 1998, to better incorporate the imagery and symbols of the Golden Dawn I set out to construct and paint the most essential of them, such as the Tarot Keys. Now, over the years I have not only broadened and deepened my understanding of these Keys but also gained access to original documentation of how to paint them correctly.

The Tarot has for a long time been one of the most guarded secrets of the Golden Dawn. Compared to the situation as it stands today, with publications such as that of the Whare Ra Tarot deck, called The Classical Golden Dawn Tarot painted by Richard Dudschus, I only had very scarce information about how to design and paint them correctly. Basically I drew my inspiration from The Golden Dawn Tarot Deck by Robert Wang, The Book of Thoth Deck by Aleister Crowley, and whatever I had learned through my studies of the B.O.T.A. (i.e. Builders of the Adytum) system of Paul Foster Case, a former Adept of the Golden Dawn. To this I blended my own interpretation of how to implement the colour schemes according to the traditional Four Scales of the Golden Dawn, inspired by the small but important text by Soror Q.L. called The Tarot Trumphs (as published by Israel Regardie in his The Golden Dawn).

So in retrospect I wouldn’t had designed and painted some of the cards, especially the earliest of them, in the same manner today as I did originally more than a decade ago, and hence I don’t use some of them anymore in my personal work. For this reason alone I have decided to publish these wanting versions here on my blog as a gift in the hope that they somehow will inspire other students of the Golden Dawn to do the artwork themselves. I strongly recommend Outer Order initiates to go about this the way that I did it, i.e. to paint the Tarot Keys when they encounter them during the initiatory process and to use them as meditation tools. My other intention to provide these images here is also to have readers understand some of the richness of the artstic and aesthetic aspect of the Golden Dawn tradition, and to emphasize the importance of utilizing the inherent pontecy of these images in one’s personal work.

I will only publish two of these Keys here on my blog, as they don’t reveal much at all of the secret designs of the Keys according to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Regarding the use and application of colours, this is the fruits of my own personal research. It is however, in my opinion, soundly based on traditional Golden Dawn correspondences and its philosophy of the Tarot.

The Key in question which I will present here is the one commonly known as The Universe, which is the last of the series of the 22 Keys, numbered as XXI (21), and the very first encountered by the initiate in the Ritual of the 32st Path of the Theoricus 2°=9° Ceremony. Its esoteric title is “The Great One of the Night of Time”, and it corresponds to the Hebrew letter Tav, and as such it is an expression of the 32nd Path of Wisdom according to Sepher Yetzirah, which reads:

[It] is called the Administrative Intelligence and it is so called because it directeth and associateth in all their operations the Seven Planets, even all of them in their own due courses.

This path, connecting the Sephiroth Malkuth and Yesod at the base of the Tree of Life, is attributed to the Planet of Saturn and to the Element of Earth. The rest is self-explanatory by watching the Key itself, but to aid the reader in his or her meditation I will quote the passage regarding this Key extracted from the Theoricus Ceremony:

Within the oval formed of the 72 circles is a female figure, nude save for a scarf which floats around her. She is crowned with the lunar crescent of Isis, and holds in each hand a wand, her legs form a cross. She is the Bride of the Apocalypse, the Qabalistic Queen of the Canticles, the Egyptian Isis of Nature now shown partly unveiled, the Great Feminine Kerubic Angel Sandalphon on the left hand of the Mercy Seat of the Ark. The two wands are the directing forces of the Positive and Negative currents. The Seven pointed Star or Heptagram alludes to the Seven Palaces of Assiah, the crossed legs to the Symbol of the Four Letters of the Name. The surmounting Crescent receives the Influences alike of Geburah and of Gedulah. She is the synthesis of the 32nd Path uniting Malkuth with Yesod. The oval of 72 small circles is the Schem-hamphorasch, or the 72 fold Name of the Deity. The 12 larger circles form the Zodiac. At the angles are the four Kerubim, which are the vivified Powers of the Letters of the Name Tetragramaton operating in the elements.

The image above represents my very first venture into painting my own Tarot deck, not counting the colouring of the B.O.T.A. deck as part of my studies in that particular organization. According to my magical diary I started to do my initial sketch on August 1, 1996, and finished painting the Key on November 22, almost three months later. It was painted on a panel of 24 x 33 cm in size, using acrylic colours.

S∴R∴

On the Elemental nature of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram

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Lately yours truly have been involved in a discussion about whether the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram may be regarded as Elemental or not. The proponents of the “non-elemental theory” often hold that there are no direct references in the G∴D∴ Order documentation which points to any Elemental nature. I will now present my position in this matter, referring to Order documentation, which is furthermore corroborated by my own and other’s experience with these rituals. We thus have to take into account 120 years of experience working with these rituals.

But before I present my arguments I will start off with some background information regarding the Pentagram Ritual. Most of the information about this ritual is contained in the so called Ritual B – The Ritual of the Pentagram. This is a paper which contains both a detailed description of the Pentagram symbol, as well as all practical applications used in invoking and banishing of the 5 Elements (Fire, Water, Spirit, Air and Earth) as well as the 12 Signs of the Zodiac. Ritual C – The Ritual of the Hexagram consists of a similar document dealing with the symbology and application of the Hexagram in invoking and banishing of the 7 Planets (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury and Moon) as well as the 10 Sephiroth of the Tree of Life. Together these two documents presents a complete system of Ceremonial Magic using these hierarchies of Therugy.

Ritual B mostly describes the “Supreme” forms of the Pentagrams, i.e. Spirit Pentagrams and those belonging to the other Four Elements, but also the “Lesser” form of the Pentagram. Although presenting very scarce information about the utility and nature of the latter, Ritual B also describes the full form of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram (LRP), from which the Neophyte 0°=0° may apply the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP) and the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram (LIRP) in daily use. Ritual B also gives detailed instruction of how to perform the Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram (SRP), from which the Neophyte Adeptus Minor 5°=6° may implement the two forms of the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram (SIRP) and the Supreme Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (SBRP). In the same manner Ritual C teaches the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram (LRH), from which the Adept may utilize the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram (LBRH) and Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Hexagram (LIRH). It is needless to say that these two documents comprise the foundation texts upon which the whole of the Inner Order of the Golden Dawn or the Ordo Rosæ Rubeæ et Aureæ Crucis rests.

Studying Golden Dawn texts as these ones one soon discovers that there are layers upon layers within all G∴D∴ symbolism, especially such fundamental symbols as the Pentagram and Hexagram. For example the geometrical shape or polygram of the Pentagram generally relates to Geburah. A Pentagram being of the martial Geburah, it is well suited for banishing and controlling of averse forces. But I also strongly believe that the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is Elemental, even if this isn't explicitly expressed in Ritual B. Why? I believe it is implicitly expressed. Let me try to explain in order of priority and significance:

1. In Ritual B both the Supreme and Lesser Rituals of the Pentagram are categorized under the heading “Ritual of the Pentagram”. Thus, the Ritual of the Pentagram can broadly be divided into a Lesser and Supreme category. Ritual B is clear about the fact that the Pentagram represents the Elements, as the Hexagram in Ritual C is representing the Planets. Quoting Ritual B:

The Pentagram is a powerful symbol representing the operation of the Eternal Spirit and the Four Elements...

So in using Pentagrams in ritual you inherently use Elemental forces, by the very symbol and geometrical shape of the Pentagram.

Furthermore, as I interpret our tradition, Golden Dawn magic primarily works with four “hierarchies”, i.e. the 5 Elements, the 7 Planets, the 12 Signs of the Zodiac (including the Shem ha-Mephoresh) and the 10 Sephiroth. These four major hierarchies used in Ceremonial Magic are resumed in each of the Walls of the Tomb of Fra. C.R.C. There are also the three Primary Elements (or Air, Water and Fire), and the associated symbols of Mercury, Salt and Sulphur, which also are resumed in each of the Walls. But in practical Theurgy (i.e. Ceremonial Magic) you primarily work with 5 Elements, 12 Signs, 7 Planets and 10 Sephiroth. These four hierarchies may be divided into two, according to the Pentagram and the Hexagram. The Hexagram governs the Planets and the Sephiroth. The Pentagram governs the Elements and the Zodiac.

Granted, the Zodiac may also be invoked by the Hexagram through the Ruling Planet of the Sign, but in my opinion the Elemental quality of each Zodical Sign is more stressed, and in Ritual B Pentagrams are also recommended for use together with the Zodiac.

The relation between the Lesser and Supreme forms of the Pentagram is further stressed by the fact that the particular paper appended to the First Knowledge Lecture, which was given to Neophytes in the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, was an extract from Ritual B. I recall reading somewhere regarding this years ago. So it has for a long time been assumed in certain quarters that the paper on the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram was a part of that Adeptus Minor paper originally as an appendix (in the same manner as the description of the Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram). This assumption has lately been corroborated by the publication of the Whare Ra copy of Ritual B, which evidently contains that paper (or a version of it) as given to the Neophytes.

Whare Ra Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram

2. Furthermore Ritual B, as published in Regardie’s books, continues:

In the invoking Pentagram of Earth the current descendeth from the Spirit to the Earth. In the Banishing Pentagram, the current is reversed. The Sigil of the Ox should be traced in the centre. These two Pentagrams are in general use for invocation or banishing, and their use is given to the Neophyte of the Order of the Golden Dawn under the title of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram.

This Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is only of use in general and less important invocations. Its use is permitted to the Outer that Neophytes may have protection against opposing forces, and also that they may form some idea of how to attract and to come into communication with spiritual and invisible things. The Banishing Pentagram of Earth will also serve thee for any opposing Astral force.

So, as can be read from the “canonic” text of Ritual B the Lesser Pentagram is the Earth Pentagram. Granted the Lesser Pentagram is not exactly as the Supreme Earth Pentagram, the latter being of more complex symbology with colour (black) and symbols (ox), but the difference is but between “Lesser” and “Supreme” forms; they are still both Earth Pentagrams. So the document clearly states that it is a Earth Pentagram, but of a different kind as compared to the Supreme form of the Earth Pentagram, meaning that it may also be used to banish any astral force. This means that if you cannot identify the force by hierarchy (see above) you should definitely use the LBRP, not the Earth SBRP. But still the text clearly states that the LBRP is of a fundamentally Elemental nature. So in conclusion, the Supreme Banishing Earth Pentagram is not exactly the same as the Lesser Pentagram, but obviously related.

Now it has been pointed out that the versions as published in Israel Regardie’s The Golden Dawn (Llewellyn) and The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic (New Falcon) are the result of poor editing on Regardie’s part and that the linking of the Lesser Pentagram and the Supreme Earth Pentagram in the quotations above wasn’t part of the “original” document. It is true that the latter of these paragraphs in the published machine typed Whare Ra copy of Ritual B is somewhat rephrased and doesn’t corroborate Regardie’s transcriptions, as can be seen here:

Excerp from Whare Ra “Ritual B”

However, in all published versions of this Whare Ra document page 4 is missing, the page containg the first paragraph in the quotation above. One also has to remember that Regardie mainly draws upon much earlier documentation when he wrote The Complete Golden Dawn, taken from the Car Collins collection that contains documents hand copied by Leigh F. Gardner between 1894 and 1896. It wasn’t uncommon in the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn that several different versions of documents were circulated amongst the initiated.

Now, how does it all fit into this scheme? To understand this we have to look into the instructions as given in the Theoricus 2°=9° and Philosophus 4°=7° Rituals. In the 2°=9°, during the circumambulations in the first part (Ritual of the 32nd Path), the candidate meets Air, Fire and Water, by the power of the Mother Letters (i.e. Aleph, Shin and Mem) in this order. But when he meets Earth in the North he does that by the virtue of “the Letters Aleph, Mem and Shin”, i.e. with Air, Fire and Water conjoined. Furthermore, looking at the diagram of the 4°=7° called “Tablet Of Trinity Operating Through The Sephiroth”, the Ritual text says:

Notice that Air is reflected from Kether through Tiphareth to Yesod. Water is reflected from Binah through Chesed to Hod; and Fire is reflected from Chokmah through Geburah to Netzach. While Malkuth is Earth, the receptacle of the other three. (My emphasis).

So from all this we can gather that Earth actually is the synthesis of the other three Primary Elements; Air, Fire and Water (See also image to the right spoken of in the quotation). So, looking from this perspective, working with the Earth Pentagram in a general way, you also affect the other three Elements. That’s why the Earth Pentagram is so well suited for “general and less important” Elemental work.

So it must be stressed that the Lesser Pentagram is not a symbol which should be used to banish the Earth Element specifically. It is supposed to be used in a general way and is especially well suited for banishing of unspecified Elemental forces. It is also well suited against any astral forces, i.e. “spirits”. Spirits are often of a “Terrestrial” nature, being nature’s “blind forces”, i.e. they are related to the physical/etheric world. That’s also why the Earth Pentagram is so well suited.

3. The Supreme and Lesser Rituals of the Pentagram are structured in the same manner, i.e. with the Qabalistic Cross, tracing of Pentagrams in the Four Quarters, invocation of the Elemental Arch Angels, etc. This clearly confirms that they both belong to the Elemental realm and that they are two forms of the same Ritual (se first point). Notice especially the use of Elemental Angels in both. This is significative.

But the Lesser and Supreme Rituals of the Pentagram are also substantially different. One is a “Supreme” version, the other a “Lesser”, hence a stripped down version. But still they are related, which is the main idea I want to point out.

4. I believe that one should compare the two Lesser Rituals (i.e. that of the Pentagram and the Hexagram) with each other, to gain understanding of them both. The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram cannot be regarded as independent from the other G.D. corpus of Theurgy. They all interact and complement each other’s functions. Knowing this Ritual B again alludes to the Elemental character of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram with these indirect hints:

Whenever thou shalt prepare to commence any magical work or operation, it will be advisable for thee to clear and consecrate the place of work by performing the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. In certain cases, especially when working by or with the forces of the Planets, it may be wise also to use the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram.

So, logically, as the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram is used “when working with the forces of the Planets”, so it follows that the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is used “when working with the forces of the Elements”.

This is of course conjecture. But may I ask the reader this: Would you be comfortable in using the LBRP only to clear the place of a Planetary working? No? Now then, would you be comfortable with clearing a place of Elementary working just using the LBRH?

However, I agree that the LBRP and LIRP is of a more general nature or quality as compared to the Hexagram ditto. But still I hold that it properly belongs to the Elemental hierarchy more then anything else and that the LBRP is better suited for banishing of Elements compared to the LBRH. But it is of course not limited for Elemental use. It is wider in operation. But the Elemental quality shouldn't be overlooked or underestimated.

So, again, if not Elements or Zodiac are affected by the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, what are? Remember that Ritual B clearly states that the LBRP is not as optimally suited for banishing of Planets as is the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram.

5. It is interesting to note that the students of Dr. Israel Regardie nurtures the view that the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram has a Elemental Nature. This is also my personal experience, being taught by a student of Regardie’s closest student in Ceremonial Magic. It is clear that Regardie himself held this view, or at least that’s what he taught his closest circle of students. And I believe this “oral” tradition to be important, Regardie being a member of a branch of the Original inauguration of the Golden Dawn.

But it is also my personal opinion that the teachings of Paul Foster Case are very significant, him being a former Adept and Chief Adept of the American branch of the Rosicrucian Order of A∴O∴. In P. F. Case’s later rendition of the Golden Dawn (i.e. the B.O.T.A.) he taught the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram in the Zelator Grade (i.e. not 0°=0°). Interestingly enough Case also, in a unpublished instructional paper on the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, says to his Zelatores that the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram only deals with the spirits of Earth and that in all Elemental ceremonies the Lesser Banishing Pentagram serves to avert any danger of obsession. Furthermore he admonishes his Zelatores to visualize the pentagrams as bluish white. Interesting instructions coming from a man of whom I really admire and regard as being the greatest American spiritual teacher.

6. Granted, the Divine Words of Power doesn't make sense if you are to attribute them to specific or individual Elements. But here we are not talking about specific words of power attributed to specific Elements, but instead more of a continuing prayer of a general nature. I have written about this on my blog before. Let me therefore quote here out of convenience :

IHVH (Tetragrammaton) is one of the most recurrent and important names for God in the Old Testament. Adonai is used as a substitute for it - remember Jews were forbidden to pronounce the name Tetragrammaton - designating him (i.e. IHVH) as “Lord”. Even the dagesh points (i.e. vocal punctuations) were taken from the name Adonai and applied to IHVH, resulting in the vulgar pronunciation of “Yehowah” or “Yahweh”. Eheieh is God as the burning bush – “I am who I am” - as He appeared for Moses. AGLA is once again a reference to Adonai – “Lord” - as it is a acronym for “Atah Gibor LeOlam, Adonai” which can be translated as “Thou art powerful for ever, Oh Lord”. So all this points to the One God, not the many; i.e. unity.

Thus, read as one sentence one gets “IHVH, Adonai, Eheieh, Atah Gibor LeOlam, Adonai” which may be translated as “Yehovah, my Lord, who are who You are, Thou art powerful, Oh Lord, through the ages”. So what we basically have here is a prayer that invokes the power and grace of God Almighty.

The particular names for God in the ritual also alludes to the four Elements - the elemental world of matter - as the Tetragrammaton (IHVH) [of with each letter is correspondent to one of the four Elements] works as the primary name, being spelled first, and the general use of Adonai as a substitute for IHVH. But curiosly enough, all the names used in the Ritual are Tetragrammata, i.e. they each consists of four letters; IHVH (Jehovah), ADNI (Adonai), AHIH (Eheieh) and AGLA (Agela). All this points towards the overall and general Elemental (material) attribution of the ritual.

In this quotation I stress the material aspect of the Elements. But the Elements are so much more than just the physical representations of the Hermetic notion of Elements; in rituals such as that of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, the operator invokes the Spiritual Forces behind the physical Elements. This is done through these Words of Power, mentioned in the above quotation, who are Tetragrammata which, I hold, alludes to the Elemental nature of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram. There are of course other quaternary associations which alludes to a fundamentally Elemental nature of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, such as the four directions or Quarters of the compass, the Four Winds, the Four Pillars, the Four Worlds, the four Archangels, which all are corresponding with the Elements. All these associations are substantiated in the original version of the “Fifth” or Azoth Knowledge Lecture.

Regarding the four Pillars, which in Egyptian mythology have been associated with the Cardinal Points and the Elements since antiquity, they obviously have their equivalent in the Microcosm or the Sphere of Sensation. I believe that the LBRP and LIRP especially affects the four Pillars in the Tree of Life as projected in a solid sphere. I highly suspect that these duplicated sets of Pillars in the Sphere of Sensation have a general Elemental Nature; active and passive Pillars are opposing, as are active and passive Elements according to the four Winds; Air as opposed to Water (but both being humid), and Fire as opposed to Earth (both being dry).

Furthermore all these correspondences attributed to the four Cardinal Points makes the symbol of the Cross, which in it self is related to the Elements as can be seen in this image on the right; red being associated with Fire, blue with Water, white (close to the center) with Spirit, yellow with Air, and black with Earth. So there is lots of symbolism in the Lesser Pentagram Ritual that relates it to the Elemental realm.

I however concur with the view that being in correspondence doesn’t necessarily mean that everything quaternary is of an Elemental nature. Thus it is likewise absurd to assume an Earthy Elementary nature to Gnomes, and an airy to Sylphs, etc. But we still make these associations. Why? Ceremonial magic is primarily about affecting consciousness with symbols and associations. When you associate different and separate, i.e. causally non-related, objects together you enhance the impact of the ritual.

The Neophyte of course wasn’t aware of all this symbology and system of attribution, but just because information wasn’t given until later doesn’t take away the original intention or effect of the Ritual. One of the main points forwarded by the “non-elemental” camp is that Elemental Rituals couldn’t been handed out to Neophytes as initiates wasn’t yet prepared for these kind of energies until they had reached the Adeptus Minor Grade and been given information about the Elemental Pentagrams.

It has however wrongly been assumed that members of the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn wasn’t aware of the Elemental nature of the Pentagram because they didn't read the Ritual B until they entered 5°=6°. This view is seriously flawed, as I know for a fact that they were handed copies of the initiation and advancement rituals to be transcribed by hand as a part of their Grade study. In each of these Ritual papers the individual Elemental Pentagrams were described and illustrated in detail, both Spirit (active & passive) and Elemental.

Also attributing an Elemental nature to the LIRP wouldn’t take away anything of the later Supreme Elemental workings, which has been suggested. As I have stated, the invocation with the LIRP activates the Elements in a more undifferentiated and general manner, but also in a gentle manner. I agree with the notion that it isn't necessary just Elemental, but disregarding its Elemental nature may be as reductionist as denying it's more lofty effects.

I therefore propose a middle position, where the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram has an Elemental foundation but invokes the Elements in synthesis in a way that reflects Spirit Pentagrams but of a lesser category. Remember that a full Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram, with passive and active Pentagrams and all four Elemental Pentagrams, creates an invocation of the Elements in synthesis and of the nature of the Spirit and Quintessence. I believe that the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram does something similar but of a lesser degree and in a more gentle manner. In this way it is a very good preparation of the later work of the Adept.

Thus I argue that Elements either can be invoked as specific “entities” or in a generic (i.e. synthesized) manner. I believe the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram does the latter. The Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram also invokes the Elements in synthesis, but it is more concerned with bringing them into the Temple (Sphere) as individual entities and uniting them there by the Power of the Tablet of Union in the center over the Double Cubical Altar. With the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram you invoke an already synthesized form of the Elements. At least that is the feeling I get from working with these Rituals myself.

In my opinion the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram invokes more “spiritual” energies and is of a more lofty nature compared to the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, invoking a higher hierarchy (i.e. the Planets) and pure undifferentiated L.V.X., in the latter case through the “Analysis of the I.N.R.I.” (which begins and ends the LBRH). I believe in order to understand the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram it is wise to compare it with the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram. They are quite similar in that the most “dense” force is placed to represent all forces, in the Lesser Hexagram Ritual - Saturn (which also is corresponding to Tau, a letter which also is corresponding with Earth).

I am thinking that alchemically speaking the Lesser Rituals of the Pentagram and Hexagram directly affects the Terrestrial and Saturnial nature of man, i.e. the physical body (including the etherical double or energetic body). So, these two Lesser rituals presents a wonderful Alchemical formula for transmutation of the physical body trough energy manipulation.

Thus today I believe that the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram primarily affects the physical and energetic bodies, like for example in Qi-Gong. This of course is nothing else but the L.V.X.-energy. Some people therefore assert that the LIRP does invoke and the LBRP banish L.V.X., which in my opinion isn’t a faulty conception at all. But in my experience the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram does this even better. However, one always invokes L.V.X. in all kinds of magic, but filtered through a lens (i.e. specific symbology). With the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram that “filter” consists of the Elements in synthesis.

Thus I agree with the notion that the Lesser Pentagrams more expresses a “Quintessence” or “Spirit” in relation to the Elements. But I want to stress that this Quintessence in the Elemental perspective represents the synthesis of the other Four Elements, as can for example be seen in the “Tablet of Union”, the primary symbol of Spirit in the Golden Dawn system of Magic. Then we may of course speculate about that this Quintessence in a Alchemical perspective is identical or correspondent to Alchemical “Mercury”. But one may argue that even Mercury represents some kind of synthesis, uniting all Planetary symbols in one. But let's leave Alchemical Mercury for now.

Here I must again bring our attention to the fact that Earth may be seen as the synthesis of the other three Primary Elements, viz. Air, Fire and Water (see second point). So in a way the Lesser “Earth” Pentagram is related to the Spirit Pentagrams, more than Earth per se. So in tracing the Lesser Pentagram you won’t necessarily invoke or banish “Air” in east, or “Fire” in south, etc. More probably we are talking here about the synthesis of all four Elements in each and every corner. That’s probably one of the reasons for the Divine names appearing so haphazardly.

To validate this assumption of the relationship between Earth as a symbol of synthesis and Sprit I must point out that it is also significant that the Lesser Pentagram is traced between the Earth and Spirit points on the Pentagram (see the bar between the points numbered 1 and 2 in the image below, which corresponds to Earth and Spirit respectively, the other points corresponding thus: No. 3 to Fire, No. 4 to Air, and finally No. 5 to Water). This, at least for me, corroborates the notion of Spirit being in Earth (or matter) and Earth being in Spirit; “as above so below”, etc. This relationship between the points of Spirit and Earth confirms the relationship between the Spirit Pentagrams and the Lesser Pentagram. Nevertheless, it places the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram in the Elemental realm per se, even if it represents the synthesis of the Elements.

Earth Banishing Pentagram

Lastly I would like to end this essay with a brief explanation of how I have come to consider Elemental workings as properly being part of the Outer Order. Regarding the use of Elemental energies by initiates of the Outer Order one has to make a clear distinction between the Lesser and Supreme forms of the Pentagram Ritual, even if they have a similar intention, i.e. the invocation of the Elements in union. The difference is that there is much more “oomph” in the SIRP as compared to the LIRP; the effect of the Lesser Pentagram Ritual is much more gentle in nature, which makes it more suitable for Outer Order workings in general. But in entering Zelator 1°=10° and the other three Elemental Grades, the initiate is also, in my opinion, prepared for a little bit more advanced but still elementary workings with the specific Elemental forces.

Since the General Reformation anno 1999, there has been added a third distinction into the family of Pentagram Rituals, namely the Greater Pentagram Rituals. These have been described in detail in David Griffin’s Ritual Magic Manual: A Complete Course in Practical Magic (1999, Golden Dawn Publishing, Beverly Hills). They are quite similar to the Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram, the main difference being that as the latter invokes all 5 Elements; the Greater Ritual of the Pentagram only invokes a single Element. This invocation of an Element is done repeatedly in all four quarters and ends with yet another invocation over the Altar in the direction of the Elemental Quarter.

All the necessary instructions for this were already given in the old Ritual B paper but mentioned in relation to the Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram, which in my opinion only creates confusion. Therefore, for pragmatical reasons, any specific Elemental Pentagram should be addressed as a “Greater Pentagram”. The Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram is “supreme” only in virtue of it invoking all Elements or Greater Pentagrams in union. Invocation of one single or specific Element in all four Quarters uses the same procedure as with invocation of all Elements, but cannot properly be called “Supreme” as it disregards the other Elements. Therefore it must be a “Greater” Ritual, to distinguish it from both the Lesser and Supreme formulas.

Now, in the reformed Outer Order the Zelator, after learning the primarily techniques of banishing with both Lesser Pentagrams and Hexagrams as a Neophyte, starts off with invocation of the Earth Element, following being introduced to that particular Element during his or her advancement into the Grade. In the same manner the Theoricus works with the Element of Air after being introduced to the Air Spirits in the Ceremony of advancement into the Grade of Theoricus, the Practicus to the Element of Water and the Philosophus to Fire. The Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram more properly belongs to the Portal level of working, being the synthezis of the Elemental Grades, which now makes the LIRP superflous as it is but a preparatory ritual. Thus, as the student of the Outer Order was previously introduced to the Elemental workings through the Hierophant and theoretical study of the Elemental Grade Advancement Ceremonies, nowadays he or she also applies this knowledge in practical work.

I regard invocation of Elements in this fashion, with the aid of the Greater Invokation Ritual of the Pentagram (GIRP), as being of a elementary level of working as it invokes Elements in a undifferentiated way, as compared to later more advanced workings with sub-elements on the level of Adeptus Minor. Thus working with single Elements is in my opinion not as advanced as often is asserted in the Golden Dawn community. The really advanced level begins with the breaking up or differentiation of the Elements themselves, which is the true level of working appropriate to Adepthood.

So as can be seen, I am not of the opinion that Outer Order members are not properly prepared to work with Elemental Forces by themselves. On the contrary, there is nothing in the original initiatory system of the Golden Dawn which is in opposition to this thought. As I already has pointed out, the theoretical knowledge has been handed out to the initiates of the Outer Order since the founding of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1888. Parts of the Neophyte Adeptus Minor curriculum was handed out to the Outer Order at least from 1892, if not earlier, when ritual instructions of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram was circulated amongst the Neophyte. There is absolutely nothing that prevents further practices being taught to Outer Order members, such as ritual instructions of the Greater Ritual of the Pentagram, etc. In fact this has been the practice of the Swedish Temples of the Rosicrucian Order of the Alpha et Omega since 1999, and is still continued to this day.

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