Historical Revisionism in the Golden Dawn - Part 2 of a critical review of 'Mathers' Last Secret'

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This is a direct follow-up to the first part in my critical scholarly analysis of Nick Farrell’s personal commentaries on the rituals of the Alpha et Omega. I recomend the reader to read the first part before proceeding with the following text.


Analysis of the Elemental Grades

Now we have come to Mr. Farrell’s critique of Mathers’ “version” of the “Elemental” grade rituals, i.e. that of 1°=10° (Zelator), 2°=9° (Theoricus), 3°=8° (Practicus) and 4°=7° (Philosophus), in his book Mathers’ Last Secret. Even though Mathers did very few actual changes to these rituals, compared to the 0°=0°, Mr. Farrell is still finding a lot to question in his relentless quest to disqualify Mathers as an magical authority. Lots of Mr. Farrell’s critique thus also applies to the G∴D∴, as well as the S.M. who also didn’t tamper much with these rituals, with the only major exception being made to the Hermes Temple of the S.M. in Bristol which for a while in the 1930s severed / cut out important instructional segments and their accompagning diagrams from the 2°=9°, 3°=8° and 4°=7° rituals.

But before we enter into the discussion of the Elemental Grades we have to fist analyze the difference of approach as to the function and placement of the Elemental Grades between the G∴D∴ and S.M., the A∴O∴ being a faithful continuation of the G∴D∴ in this respect. The major philosophical changes between the latter S.M. and the G∴D∴ / A∴O∴ is seen when analyzing the Ritual of the Portals of the S.M., which had substantial changes made to it compared to the G∴D∴ and in it presented the grand scheme of the initiatory system for the initiate for the first time, which was a major philosophical and thus magical deviation from the original intention.

The arrangement of the grades
according to the Stella Matutina

In the S.M. the Elemental Grades never quitted Malkuth, meaning that they all became parts of the sub-elements of Malkuth in Assiah. This means that the Neophyte Hall of the 0°=0° resumed all of the Elemental Grades, meaning that the four lowest Sephiroth before the Veil of Paroketh in the Hall of Maat corresponded with each of the Elemental Grades. In the G∴D∴ and A∴O∴ version of the Portal grade ritual it is clear that the 0°=0° takes part of the 1°=10°, but on a lower and incomplete scale (see part one of this series where I discuss this further). This implies not in a subtle manner that each Elemental Grade is one of the four lowest Sephiroth in Assiah, contrary to the S.M. who places each of them in the subsidiary Sephiroth of Malkuth in Assiah.

The arrangement of the grades
according to the G∴D∴ and A∴O∴

This is a major deviation magically between the S.M. on one hand and the G∴D∴ and A∴O∴ on the other; I strongly oppose this deviation made by S.M. While the initiate in the former Orders gained access immediately to each of these Sephiroth in Assiah, in the S.M. he was still contained in Malkuth until he reached the Portal of the Vault of the Adepti, when he suddenly were “propelled away” magically, or rather “catapulted”, from Malkuth into Yesod of Assiah. This obviously creates an entire different initiatic process which in my opinion is highly questionable. On the other hand the Outer Order initiatic process of the S.M. never leaves the Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life, for better and for worse. Still this is questionable as the way of the magician and initiate is to experience all the aspects (Sephiroth) of the Assiatic Tree of Life to gain full self-knowledge; in the S.M. version the initiate neither experiences Hod nor Netzach in Assiah, i.e. of his own being, only their subsidiary lesser reflections in Malkuth.

This difference of perspective must be kept in mind when analyzing Mr. Farrell’s opinions about Mathers take on the rituals. That is also the reason why he, and most Golden Dawn students who has been raised by Israel Regardie’s books (who was of the S.M.), lays so much emphasis on the 0°=0° when he dismisses the A∴O∴ and also the G∴D∴ to a certain extent. In the S.M. perspective the 0°=0° becomes central and essential, comparable to the 5°=6° in importance; in the G∴D∴ and A∴O∴ it is but a preparatory ritual, a first stumbling step upon the Path of Return. The real initiatic journey only starts with the 1°=10°, when the Neophyte experiences Malkuth in its full glory and fully crosses the Threshold.

Now, Mathers actually managed to produce a document on the 1°=10°, which is supposed to be the equivalent of the Z.1 and Z.3 on the 0°=0°. Mr. Farrell however almost entirely dismisses off that later 1°=10° paper as lacking the genius and subtlety of the Ritual Z. I do agree that the 1°=10° analysis made by Mathers doesn’t reach all the way to the high quality of the one made on the 0°=0°; in my opinion it still presents profound teachings of a level that I haven’t found anywhere else, not even in recent and modern works. It is true that it is somewhat lacking in its inner plane descriptions of what occurs subtly in the 1°=10° ritual, but the analysis of all the symbols contained in there cannot find any match outside of that document.

Still there are some extremely important suggestions made in Mathers’ paper that have a profound magical significance that have helped me in my Temple work. One such example is the use of god-forms in the 1°=10°, which presents a scheme that is unprecedented and mind-blowing at the same time. In my opinion there is lots to be extracted from the description of the 1°=10° Hall and its god-forms, that can be taken further to expand also on the latter Elemental grades of 2°=9°, 3°=8° and 4°=7°. I believe that Mr. Farrell is in error when he supposes that Mathers didn’t use a similar arrangement of the subsequent Elemental grade Halls, and “only” used the god-forms mentioned in the ritual texts.

Adonai ha-Aretz – the primary god-form of the 1°=10°

Mr. Farrell questions the combined use of Sandalphon, Samael and Metatron together with the invisible Elemental Earth god-forms described by Mathers in the East (ADNI H-ARTz), North (ICZHIHAL) and South (KLH), who could be assumed by the Theoricus Adepti Minori when taking office as the Hieophant, Hiereus and Hegemon, respectively, who had received this paper (which was handed out to the most promising Adepts in contrast to the Ritual Z). But Mr. Farrell fails to realize that the Arch-Angels described in the ritual aren’t visible but instead invisible god-forms together with the Elemental Earth god-forms. In fact all of the new god-forms as described by Mathers in the 1°=10°, both in the ritual text and commentary, are invisible. This principle also applies to the 2°=9°, 3°=8° and 4°=7° Grades, which all contains descriptions of gods and goddesses, both Egyptian (2°=9° & 4°=7°) and that of the Kabiri (3°=8°).

Thus Mr. Farrell is wrong in his assumptions that Mathers did away with all the previous god-forms, as described in Z.1 and Z.3, in the Elemental Grades to only use them mentioned in the ritual texts themselves; he in fact used the visible god-forms taken from the Hall of Neophytes, attached to their respective Officers, but added some new invisible god-forms to enhance the particular drama of each Grade and create a needed change of flavor from the 0°=0° Hall, with emphasis on the Elemental Forces and the particular characters which acts in respective drama.

Thus, to take the 1°=10° as an general example, both the Elemental Earth god-forms and the Arch-Angels interact with their officers, but are not normally assumed in the same way as the visible Egyptian god-forms in the 0°=0°, which also are in use in the 1°=10° by their corresponding Officers, especially not the Arch-Angels. Only the Elemental Earth god-forms may be substituted as visible god-forms in practice, as described above, but are normally not so. When the Officer reaches the Altar, where the Arch-Angels are situated, he does enter it and communicates with it astrally and energetically at the critical point when the Neophyte is barred entering the three paths. But this is not the same thing as they are assumed fully as in the 0°=0°; they give extra force and flavor to the Officer in that critical moment of the ritual.

Furthermore Mr. Farrell questions the appropriateness of associating Samael with the Elemental King ICZHIHAL, as that renders North and Earth a quality of darkness and evil, which it shouldn’t according to Mr. Farrell. But Mathers clearly in his 1°=10° ritual analysis confirms that North is the place of the Qlippoth in the 1°=10°, not the West, using comparative religious studies to prove his case, such as when the Norse religion places Nifelheim, the place of icy Hell, at that quarter. That’s the reason why the Hiereus has his seat near the North, to guard the Temple against the Qlippotic forces entering the Hall through the Northern Watchtower. One has to remember that in the Elemental grades the Elemental quarters have a major significance, in contrast to the 0°=0°, as they are fully activated in succession. In the Elemental Grades each Watchtower activated is the main portal to the forces or energies which enters the Hall, together with the Paths (leading to the other Sephiroth) who has a somewhat minor inlet of forces compared to the Elemental Tablets.

The Elemental Watch-Tower of the North

This of course also means that the unbalanced forces enters the Hall through the Tablets, which has to be accounted for also in the 2°=9°, 3°=8° and 4°=7° Grade Ceremonies. In the original scheme of Angelic Magic, as proposed by Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelly, the Watch-Towers together create a fortified wall against the chaotic (Qlippotic) forces, creating space where the ordered cosmos may manifest, like a fortress in the midst of the barbarous wilderness guarding and upholding order and civilization; this is the actual origin for the term “Watch-Tower”. This is more so a fact in the 1°=10° Grade as it corresponds to Malkuth in Assiah, which in the Qabalistic scheme borders to the realm of the Qlippoth.

The Enochian Watch-Towers and Fortress

Nick Farrell furthermore considers Metatron being the opposite of MLK, again failing to read Mathers ritual commentary where he clearly states that MLK in the 1°=10° Hall receives the forces coming from the Fire Tablet (although it is invisible in that Hall) and from the Fire King EDLPRNAA. This fiery quality clearly suits Metatron.

Then we arrive at Mr. Farrell’s contention against the particular use of the Banner of the West in the Rituals of the A∴O∴ starting with the 1°=10°. He doesn’t understand why Mathers places the Banner of the West in the East, on the right side of the Hierophant, as the proper place should be in the West to guard the Hall against the Kingdom of the Shells (as it is in the 0°=0°). But this statement really perplexes me. Hasn’t Mr. Farrell studied the 1°=10° and the placements of the Banners at all in his magical career? The Banners of West and East were placed in the East, flanking the Hierophant in this manner, in all known versions of this ritual; in the G∴D∴, A∴O∴, as well as in the S.M.! So if anything, Mr. Farrell’s critique in this instance applies to the S.M. as well. Or did the O.T.R. do it differently? Or does his own Order, The Magical Order of Aurora Aurea, do it differently? I’m at a loss here. Besides, the Banner of the West comes quite near the Hiereus, standing in the place of the Evil Persona close to the Northern part of the Hall against the Qlippoth who – remember – comes from the North in this ritual. Thus the Banner of the West performs its function best where it is supposed to be, that is in the North-East.

The Banner of the West

Furthermore, Mr. Farrell fails to see that the placement of the Banners of the East and West in this way, in the 1°=10°, enchances the symbology of the Hall already expressed with the Pillars and the dual function of the Hiereus and Hegemon; that of sexual polarity as resumed in the Diagram of the Kerubim and the Flaming Sword. The whole Hall vibrates with this symbology of opposites, united in the third principle, which again expands upon the triangle symbology in the 0°=0° and the Alchemy of the “Antiphony”. All of this must and in fact has a profound magical, as well as energetic, significance, which seems to fail to caught Mr. Farrell’s third eye / eyes.

The Banner of the East

Again, Mr. Farrell makes a difference and unreconciling opposition between magical function and symbolical function. But what is symbology other than an aid in magic in the Golden Dawn context? What is the Banner of the West in the first place? Does Mr. Farrell believe that a piece of cloth in certain colours and arrangements by itself automatically creates a powerhouse for energetic force? Doesn’t the symbols upon the Banner, being meaningful to the Officer who wields it and the other Officers who sees it, make it powerful in actual practice? Doesn’t its symbolical function over time render it truly magical and alive, because of continuous and regular use by the Officers of a Golden Dawn Temple?

Thus I personally don’t make any major difference between the use of symbol and magical practice; as the former is an aid to or leads to the latter. The entire Halls of the Outer Order are saturated with symbology relating both to the Sephirah of which they partake and the drama of the ritual. Again, I don’t do any major distinction between ritual drama and magic, as ritual drama is a form of magical symbology acted out.

Besides, Mr. Farrell’s conclusions are wrong as he looks in the wrong direction in the first place. This proves that the 1°=10° ritual analysis wasn’t in use in the Whare Ra as he states. The truth in this matter is that the version that Mr. Zalewski published in his Inner Order Teachings of the Golden Dawn originally was a A∴O∴ document, which is proven by the fact that it contains commentaries signed by F.F.J. (Fortes Fortuna Juvat), that is W.E. Carnegie-Dickson, who was the Chief of the A∴O∴ in the 1930’s. The Whare Ra assumed that the Qlippoth still would enter through the West as they do in the Hall of Maat, forgetting that the presence of the Terrestrial Watchtower of the North changes things dramatically, as they in the original Enochian system of John Dee actually protects the Word or Cosmos from the Realm of primordial Chaos outside the ring pass not, as I said previously, marked by the four Watchtowers who creates a fortification for the created world. This mythology in fact interconnects well with the “General Exordium” of the Z.1.

This critique of the magical use of the Banners lead us naturally to the next grade, that of Theoricus or 2°=9°, and also to that of 3°=8° and 4°=7°, and to the final parts in each of these only, in which we find both Banners being used to hold or frame certain significant diagrams in a magical manner. Now, Mr. Farrell is severely criticizing Mathers of placing the 2°=9° Diagram of the Garden of Eden and the Holy of Holies (The Tree of Life with the Serpent of Wisdom), and that of the 3°=8° and 4°=7° diagrams of the Garden of Eden before and after the Fall respectively, upon the Banner of the West. Mr. Farrell holds that the Banner of the West has a direct hindering effect upon the spiritual development as expressed by that Banner. Mr. Farrell speculates that the real motive behind this is that Mathers was so afraid and paranoid, in the wake of the schism in 1900, that he wanted to prevent any further rebellion from his students and thus preventing them to ascend spiritually and magically further.

The Garden of Eden and the Holy of Holies

Beg my pardon for being so straight forward; to be blunt, this is utter nonsense on Mr. Farrell’s behalf. On one hand he’s stating over and over again that everything that Mathers did was to take away the magic from the rituals, but on this particular point he speculates that Mathers actually had a magical intent for once, but an evil or black magical one because of some paranoid delusions on Mathers part! Who is actually delusional here?

The Banner of the West has the function to barr, threaten and demanding fresh sacrifice from the Candidate, as well as protecting the Hall (and the Candidate) from the Qlippotic forces, according to the Z.1. So, in one way, the Banner of the West represents both that which creates tests and trials – the hardships of the initiatic process – and also that which protects the Candidate from being inflated or assaulted by the disruptive Qlippotic forces. Thus, the Banner of the West is actually the force which creates the necessary opposition for us to evolve. It is the Banner of the West which is the “path”, and the Banner of the East which is the “goal” which we strive for. The Banner of the West symbolizes the Outer Order and its preparatory initiatory process, while the Banner of the East symbolizes the Inner Order and its exalted processes; the latter being aimed at by the former.

So, basically, the Banner of the West is the initiatic and “elemental” process resumed in one symbol. When taken to the extreme, it becomes the “counter initiatic force” as represented by the Guardian at the Threshold, and also the principle that obviously grants us our Dark Night of the Soul, while the Banner of the East symbolizes the Golden Dawn or Morgenröthe which awaits after that pitch black darkness. But these hardships, including the Dark Night, are good signs of progression. We cannot evolve without them; we need the Dark Night of the Soul (Banner of the West) to experience the Golden Sun finally rising in the East (Banner of the East). So the statement that Mathers tried to prevent spiritual progress is just utter nonsense and clearly shows that Mr. Farrell haven’t understood the very basics of initiation, and neither the nature of initiatory nor spiritual processes.

We have used the Banner of the West and its accompanying banner stand in this way (to hold diagrams) in my own Temple since the late 1990’s, and I can vouch for that this definitely doesn’t impede the spiritual progress in any way. I would say on the contrary! Perhaps this may be a reason why the process of initiation in the H.O.G.D./A+O is perhaps more testing and hard compared to others? Be there as it may, but there is also an opposite or complementary view in all of this when regarding the Banner of the West as a protector as well. This is the actual reason for the Banner of the West serving as the base for the diagrams.

The Garden of Eden before the Fall

The diagram of the Holy of Holies (from the 2°=9°), is related to and develops into the Garden of Eden diagrams (from the 3°=8° and 4°=7°), which are also placed upon the Banner of the West. Now, what is the common theme between these diagrams? The Tree of Life and the Serpent / Dragon symbolism. Rest assured that whenever we see any serpent or dragon (as well as lion) symbolism in the Golden Dawn it has something to do with the Serpent Force or Kundalini. The Diagram of the Garden of Eden and Holy of Holies represents the perfected or original state, with the serpent activating all the paths and leading to the fully integrated Adept; immortality or completion of the Great Work.

The Garden of Eden after the Fall

Think also for a moment where the Zelator is standing when the Hierophant is delivering the explanation on the diagram of the Garden of Eden and the Holy of Holies; just West of the Altar. If we are to believe Mr. Zalewski this place in the Hall corresponds exactly to Yesod on the Caduceus Wand when placed upon the floor (that is the Admission Badge of this part of the 2°=9° ritual). This place corresponds to Yesod upon the Tree of Life of Yesod in Assiah. Still looking at the Caduceus placed upon the floor this is also the place of juncture between the two opposite serpents upon the Wand, a place which activates this Serpent Force in the Sphere of Sensation of the Zelator. I happen to agree with Mr. Zalewski on this point.

The Caduceus of Hermes and the Tree of Life

Furthermore, Yesod is also the place of the Evil Persona and this whole grade of 2°=9° makes the initiate aware of his Evil Persona, being fueled by the Serpent Force as symbolized by the Red Dragon. The Garden of Eden Diagrams in the 3°=8° and 4°=7° has this symbol of the serpent-dragon either passive at the base or fully activated but in an unbalanced form. Thus, in my opinion, the Banner of the West here serves to temper and hold the Serpent Power in check for it not to erupt prematurely and to violent; the optimal situation is for the Fiery Serpent to be fully awakened in a balanced form but not until the 5°=6° Grade of Adeptus Minor, as is showed in the dragon symbolism of that latter grade.

The Dragon harnessed by the Adept

Thus the use of the Banner of the West in this manner is strictly a safety measure. I would dare to say that it is plain stupid and irresponsible not to place the Diagram of the Garden of Eden after the Fall upon the Banner of the West. The Banner of the West is the same force as that represented by Mars and Geburah, that or the Hebrew letter Peh. It is a banishing and protective and exorcising power. No strange thing then that the Hiereus (Horus - Mars) has it as a primary weapon together with the Sword, the latter insignia partaking in the symbolism of the Banner of the West, being sacred to Mars.

Mr. Farrell also criticizes the placement of the Planetary Kameoth upon the Banner of the East which symbolizes the source of Light; the argument is that the Planetary force would bind that Light somehow. But what is the primary symbol upon the Banner of the East? The Hexagram. What does it allude to or symbolize? The Planets and their powers of course! Why then is the Kamea (of Planets) placed upon it? Because it is an invocatory symbol (and not exorcising or banishing as the Banner of the West) which enhances the Planetary energy in the Hall, and gives it proper balanced direction. At most, the Planetary Kamea doesn’t bind the light but filters it in a Planetary manner to enhance that presence in the Hall.

The Kamea of Luna with numbers

We mustn’t forget that the Halls of the “Elemental” Grades, especially in the last points where the Candidate is finally introduced to the Sephirah corresponding to the Grade, isn’t simply Elementary but rather an amalgam of Elemental, Zodiacal (i.e. the Signs corresponding to that Element) and Planetary forces corresponding to that particular Sephirah. Already in the Opening the Hierophant invokes Enochian Names corresponding to both the Element and its corresponding Zodiacal Signs through the Secret and Holy Names of God, and finally the Planetary Force through the Elemental King (who is of a Planetary nature). This Planetary Force is then fully manifested and sealed in the Hall through the placement of the Planetary Kamea (here serving as a species of Planetary Tablet) upon the Banner of the East.

The Kamea of Luna with Hebrew letters

Thus the Banners of the East and West are power conduits in the ritual, attached symbolically to the Black and White Pillars, and generally to the offices of Hierophant and Hiereus – symbolizing the eternal opposites echoing the “Antiphony”. Using them in this way, putting the essential symbols upon them from the 2°=9°, 3°=8° and 4°=7° grades, enhances the magical effect and currents coming from them and affecting the Sphere of Sensation of the candidate in an optimal, safe and proper manner.

The biggest mistake that Mr. Farrell is doing is that he locks himself up to much in one narrow interpretation or layer of symbolism. I don’t disagree with his claims that the Banner of the West possibly may be used to shut down the Internal Planets (Chakras), something the old Whare Ra Adepts supposedly taught Mr. Farrell in the O.T.R., but I hold that this only may happen if the Hiereus or Hierophant has that magical intention. The function of protecting the candidate from a premature raising of the Serpent Force / Kundalini resembles this a little bit as it calms down the forces, letting them awaken a little in sequence but in a balanced form, thus keeping the doors to the Chakras partly closed / opened ajar and preventing them from being fully opened. But the reason for this is not to prevent spiritual progress, on the contrary; it is for the benefit of opening up the forces piecemeal to prevent a “burnout” of the energetic centers and the Sphere of Sensation, which definitely would end the spiritual progress in disaster and probably for good.

My own experience as a Hierophant has taught me the lesson on many accounts that the Outer Order rituals of the Golden Dawn are very efficient in awakening and raising the internal fires of the body, both physical and energetic; they truly facilitate the process of Internal Alchemy. Thus it becomes imperative for me as an Hierophant and Tutor to implement safety measures to prevent the premature rising of the Serpent Fires of my students. The rituals present these adequately in the way they were originally designed, as through the use of the Banner of the West to take one example, the stomping against the floor in the place of the Evil Triad, in the 0°=0°, to take another.

The Evil Triad in the Hall of Neophytes

The Banners, in particular the one of the West, have many layers and ritual uses. I have always thought of it primarily as a protective symbol, a species of magical shield, which astrally may be used in Scrying, as an example, against hostile forces. So its primary function is protection, and that is its main purpose when placing the three different Eden diagrams upon it. At this juncture one most remember what is already said in the 1°=10° grade of Zalator, i.e. that “Tetragramaton placed Kerubim at the East of the Garden of Eden and a Flaming Sword which turned every way to keep the Path of the Tree of Life”; since the Fall of Man the Garden of Eden has ever been associated with armed angelic guardians protecting it against the unprepared.

Also, one has to remember that it actually is the Hierophant who uses it for this purpose as it is he who delivers the mysteries of that particular diagram in the 2°=9°, 3°=8° and 4°=7°. Thus he renders it both the protective and sacrificial quality, giving impetus for further spiritual progress; he is the symbol of Light and Beneficence making sure that the forces of the Banner of the West in fact doesn’t fully bar the spiritual progress of the initiate, i.e. tempering the martial force.

When it comes to Mr. Farrell’s analysis of the Elemental Grades there actually isn’t any significant parts that should come to the surprised attention of scholarly study of them, as they are almost verbatim versions of the original G∴D∴ rituals; thus anything said against Mathers must also apply to the original Golden Dawn Tradition. Still we will find Mr. Farrell nitpicking on them regardless. It is obvious that Mr. Farrell is doing his best to see faults in the A∴O∴ copies, but any serious attempts on scrutinizing Mr. Farrell’s conclusions will take them apart and reduce them no nothing.

In one such example Mr. Farrell sees Mathers instructing us to place a Red Lamp before the Tablet of Earth in the 2°=9° Ceremony, something which Mr. Farrell argues against as introducing Fire to Earth in an inappropriate manner. But I fail to see this myself; the only Red Lamp referred to in the ritual text is the one used upon the Altar on its South side, which is then taken to the Southern Quarter during the Ceremony of the 32nd Path. It seems that Mr. Farrell has read (or rather chosen to read) the instructions wrong on the arrangement of the Hall. Although to his defense in this instance there are actual instructions of a Red Lamp before the Northern Tablet in the higher grades beyond the 2°=9°; it seems as the colour red simply is a general colour used for lamps in the Outer Order.

One other such example, which is more obvious than the previous one, is that Mr. Farrell states that the “Universe” Tarot Card used in this same ritual is substituted for the Fan, and error which is based upon an copying error in the opening lines describing the arrangement of the Hall. He fails to inform us, clearly selecting information to make his point and uphold his pet theory of Mathers’ inaptitude, that in the ritual instruction there are clear references to the Fan being removed from the Altar and later used in the Ceremony of the 32nd Path at the Eastern Quarter, and later replaced to the Altar again. As Mr. Farrell bases the strongest case against Mathers’ “tinkering” on the 2°=9° Ritual of the 32nd Path (which, as I have stated, is non-existent) on this “use of the Universe Tarot Card as a symbol for Air in the East”, this is clear proof of Mr. Farrell actually using “planted” evidence to make his case against Mathers. I might be though on Mr. Farrell’s scholarly integrity in this instance, but I cannot see it in any different way I’m afraid; the evidence of Mr. Farrell’s highly biased approach and attempt at character assassination is all over his work.

The Tarot Key “The Universe” © Tomas Stacewicz

The fact is that the versions of the A∴O∴ rituals by N.I.S.I., which Mr. Farrell bases his study and analysis upon, contains may errors spread evenly throughout them. In them we find misreadings / misinterpretations or changed wordings (either based upon the unattentative copying of N.I.S.I. or upon faulty transcription on the part of Mr. Farrell), half or whole sentences missing, or even entire paragraphs omitted. Also the diagrams for each temple setting are in many cases lacking and misleading, doing the rituals injustice and giving Mr. Farrell incitement to base some more critique against Mathers without giving “him” any benefit of the doubt. In short, the rituals as presented in the N.I.S.I. collection seem to be quite bad, bordering to the worthless, to justly assess the rituals of the A∴O∴ as written by Mathers.

Besides this, there are also several propositions and changes made in the N.I.S.I. documents which aren’t at all present in the later V.Q.P. (George Slater) versions. This suggests creative deviances on the part of Dr. Berridge and his London based Isis Temple (Alpha et Omega Temple No. 1). Thus it seems to me that Mr. Farrell is wrong in his assumption that the A∴O∴ didn’t allow for differences, or that all of the changes made in the rituals as found by him must have originated in Mathers himself. In this the A∴O∴ didn’t differ much from the S.M., the latter obviously exhibiting quite substantial deviations between the Whare Ra in New Zeeland and Hermes in Bristol, England. I get the sense that Mathers’ own Ahathôôr Temple No. 7 was the most traditionalist of all the A∴O∴Temples, at least when comparing the latter document corpus with the set used in the Isis Temple.

Thus, it must be made clear for everyone, that as a scholar one cannot pass any general judgments against the entire Rosicrucian Order of A∴O∴ simply based upon these sloppy and in many instances erroneous copies made by N.I.S.I. I own photocopies on some of the N.I.S.I. documents so I know for a fact that he had an extremely sloppy style of writing and drawing. Reading and studying the handwritten copies made by V.Q.P. is a true pleasure and satisfaction in scrutiny, style and artwork, in contrast to N.I.S.I.; this is what makes the George Slater collection so superior over most collections. Reading Mr. Farrell’s transcriptions based upon the copies made by N.I.S.I. makes it clear that he lacked a basic understanding of what he was copying, otherwise some of the typos wouldn’t have manifested as they did.

Sample from a N.I.S.I. copy of the 5°=6°

This of course raises the question of checking and control from the Chiefs of a Temple, and in this instance from Berridge’s Isis Temple, regarding the copying quality of its initiates. But in all fairness it must be stated that the collection as published in Israel Regardie’s original tome The Golden Dawn, from 1937 – 1940, is even worse as a source work for a true estimation of the original Golden Dawn corpus and the quality of the Stella Matutina as an organization. During my many years of study, where I have made many comparisons between Regardie’s works and that of several unpublished document collections from both the G∴D∴, A∴O∴ and S.M., in the preparation of the curriculum in my own Temple, I have found a extreme high amount of errors in Regardie’s The Golden Dawn. Personally, I truly doubt that the Chiefs checked all transcriptions made by each initiate; I imagine that to be an extremely daunting and outright impossible project to carry out. Thus I believe, and these examples clearly prove this, that there wasn’t any control exerted at all. Perhaps it was in the extraordinary New Zealand Temple Whare Ra, but not in any other ordinary Temple.

But we cannot rule out the possibility of Mr. Farrell also being the actual source to these transcriptional errors, or at least to some of them; he and his publishers has admitted that there are several typing errors in his book, some of them of a serious kind, such as the accidental loss of the Mystic Words following the “Antiphony” in the Reception to the Light. But with the exception of this last example, this is quite irrelevant in this present discussion as Mr. Farrell’s most outrageous claims and wild hypotheses are based independently from any transcriptional errors, such as the recurring claims of Mathers’ megalomaniac and evil nature, trying to use the ritual changes regarding the Banners to affect the Sphere of Sensations of the Candidates to prevent them from rebelling against him, placing himself as God in the center of All, etc. in ad nauseam.

For me at least it is clear that Mr. Farrell has no scholarly ambitions at all in presenting his analysis, but instead a political one of character assassination, biased because of his misplaced and zealous opinions against the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega as an student of the Whare Ra tradition, failing to see that the animosity between the A∴O∴ and the S.M. had been dead and buried since the early 1950’s. This becomes the more obvious in his relatively short analyses made to the Elemental Grades, where he becomes the most antagonistic against Mathers and his A∴O∴.

Unfortunately I cannot perceive this in any other manner. Mr. Farrell, being a journalist by profession, writes not as a scholar in his analysis of the A∴O∴ but as a sensationalist yellow page journalist. But this isn’t uncommon at all in regards to history and journalism; being a history private student I have read several works meeting the criteria of academic scrutiny and also works written by journalists. I often find the most outrageous and sensationalist speculations in the latter category of writers. Mr. Farrell’s work on analyzing the N.I.S.I. collection clearly belongs to the latter. This I truly lament as the Golden Dawn Tradition of both the A∴O∴ and S.M. really deserves something better; Mr. Farrell fails to see that writing about Mathers in this manner, as he is presenting him in Mathers’ Last Secret, damages the entire Golden Dawn, Mr. Farrell’s precious Whare Ra as well as the A∴O∴.

To be quite honest I truly cannot fully understand Mr. Farrell’s reasoning behind this character sniping of Mathers that is permeated throughout his book. A well respected scholar raised the legitimate objection towards Mr. Farrell’s analysis of Mathers’ character and intentions, pointing out the problems and dangers in portraiting a original founder of the very same Tradition that one follows and represent, in this demeaning way; isn’t a Tradition seriously flawed if its creator is attributed with all of these major human and petty failings? This is a very good question indeed. The only way that I can follow with Mr. Farrells thinking is if I assume the role of an extreme and militant reconstructionalist; not only does Mr. Farrell want to revive an old corpse from the dead, but in spotting a living body of tradition he tries to kill it in order to reinvent / revive it according to his own image and ambitions.


S∴R∴