On Blogtalk Radio: The History of Qabalah in the Golden Dawn

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Yesterday evening I did my third 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. In this last podcast of a series of three we briefly mentioned the two pillars of the Golden Dawn Tradition, Hermeticism (and Alchemy) on one hand and the Qabalah (and Theurgy or Magic) on the other and the common origin of them both. After a general definition of the Qabalah we then entered into detail to analyse both the “Christian Kabbalah” (which later became the Hermetic Qabalah) and the “Orthodox Jewish” Sabbateian Kabbalah. Regarding the former we mentioned Pico della Mirandola, Cornelius Agrippa, Athanasius Kircher, and Christian Knorr von Rosenroth as important personalities which constituted the Christian lineage into the Golden Dawn, and the latter regarding Isaac Luria, Sabbathai Zevi, Nathan of Gaza and Jacob Frank. Regarding the Frankist tradition (the successor to the Sabbateian Kabbalah) we also described how that lineage was transmitted into the Golden Dawn through the Rosicrucian organization known as the Asiatic Brethren and the important Masonic Lodge L'Aurore Naissante.

After that introductory presentation of the history of the Qabalah of the Golden Dawn we went on to talk about how Qabalah is used in the teaching system and inititiatory system of the Golden Dawn. A presentation of the Grades as relating to the Qabalistic Tree of Life was made in quite some detail. We also briefly touched upon the subject of Grimoires and especially the most noble of them all, i.e. The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage as translated by S.L. MacGregor Mathers. In this context of the initiatic Grade system of the Golden Dawn the Abramelin operation was aligned to the initiatory process. Here an explanation was made regarding the peculiar assignment of numbers of the Grades. The analysis went into some detail about the three Grades of Adeptus Minor, Adeptus Major and Adeptus Exemptus, corresponding to the middle triad on the Tree of Life, and especially the important place that Demonic Evocation has in this level of the work. To better be able to follow this discussion of the Grades and the 10 Sephiroth of the Tree of Life I recommend making constant cross-references to the diagram of the Tree of Life, appended below.

The Grades upon the Tree of Life

Together we also talked somewhat about the Tarot and how this symbol system was developed in the Qabalistic context, and how it is used in the Golden Dawn and especially how it fits into the glyph of the Tree of Life. An analysis was made about the different divisions of the Tarot, the Greater and Lesser Arcanas, the Four Suits, the four Honours of each suit, and of the 22 Keys or Trumphs of the Greater Arcana that corresponds to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. We also briefly covered the four Colour Scales of the Golden Dawn, corresponding to the four Suits, Elements and Honours, and how the so called King and Queen, or masculine and feminine Scales are especially used in Ceremonial Magic and implemented in the design of the Vault of the Adepti. We also spoke about the last two implements of the Adept which wasn’t covered in the previous podcasts, the Magical Sword and the Rose Cross Lamen. A comparison was made between the Air Dagger and the Magical Sword, and the use thereof, and also how the beautiful Rose Cross Lamen can be seen as a synthesis of the entire Hermetic and Qabalistic system of the Golden Dawn.

The complete symbol of the Rose Cross

Even though I had the hardest time with my English in this podcast I was quite satisfied with it, which has to be viewed as the last of a series of three that revolves around the Golden Dawn and its Hermetic-Qabalistic system of Therugy. Between these three shows, Ceremonial Magic and the Golden Dawn Part 1 and Part 2, and this last one on the History of Qabalah in the Golden Dawn, I believe we have covered everything that I originally wanted to convey regarding the Golden Dawn System of Magic. Therefore I recommend listening to them all and in succession, starting with the podcast called Ceremonial Magic and the Golden Dawn Part 1.

However, unfortunately some things have to be clarified further about what was said in the last podcast. When I talk about the “mythical” history of the Qabalah I don’t mean that it is not real. All I'm saying is that it is based on tradition, such as written and oral, and not on historical scientific evidence. Perhaps it would have been better to use the world “traditional history” instead of “mythical”.

Later when I mention that there exists not only one but several Trees (of Life) in the Qabalistic system, I mistakenly say “10” Trees. It is not wrong to say that there exists 10 Trees per se, but in that context I was meant to say FOUR, one each for the Four Elements, Suits of the Tarot and the Four Qabalistic Worlds (that of Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah and Assiah). Then in each of these Worlds one can further divide each Sephiroth into yet another Tree of Life, making a sum total of 400 Trees.

When I talk about the origins of the Tarot I mention that there are two mains views, one of them as proposed by Paul Foster Case that it was invented by Hermetic Qabalists and the other (as proposed by people like S.L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley) that it has an Egyptian origin, referred to as “The Book of Thoth”. Here I mistakenly say “Qabalah” instead of “Tarot”. I of course am referring to the Tarot and nothing else.

Unfortunately I make some other blunders in the podcast, such as corresponding the Sephirah of Geburah with the Adeptus Minor Grade instead of that of the Adeptus Major, and Chokmah instead of Binah with the 3rd Sephira, but I spot my mistakes after a while and correct them in the podcast. I suppose these obvious errors, which should easily have been spotted even by a Neophyte of the Golden Dawn, may be attributed to the fact that I don’t speak English and therefore have to focus much on expressing myself intelligible. Hopefully I haven’t created to much of a mess of this quite complex topic and that some of you have been benefited from the podcast. Please accept my apologies if my mission has failed.

For what it's worth, here is the link.

Even though I regard this podcast as the last of a series, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the last one that I will make together with Julia Sherred. I have really enjoyed working with her and she has made my task very easy with her adequate and intelligent questions, and also in the way that she has helped me (and the listeners) to make my points more lucid despite of my badly spoken English. So, hopefully there will be more podcasts in the future. I have to consult with Julia about future topics as I have ran out of suggestions myself. Or even better, if you have any suggestions about future topics which you want me to elucidate, please write here on this blog or to me personally on the e-mail link on the sidebar, alternatively to Julia Sherred directly.

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On Blogtalk Radio: Ceremonial Magic and the Golden Dawn Part 2 with Special Guest Tomas Stacewicz

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Yesterday evening I did my second 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. We did a follow-up on the previous podcast on Ceremonial Magic and the Golden Dawn. In this present podcast we managed to cover most of the topics that was left out in the previous, such as some more information about the three Wands used in the Golden Dawn, the Elemental Winged Globe Wand, the Planetary Phoenix Wand and the Zodiacal Lotus Wand, the method of consecrating one’s tools and of talismans, and how all of that relates to the training of the Magician in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

We also discussed the three major hierarchies of Ceremonial Magic, the Five Elements, the Seven Planets and the 12 Signs of the Zodiac, and how all of that is integrated in the curriculum of the Outer Order of the Golden Dawn, and also how the three hierarchies effects the initiate. Together we also covered energetic manipulation of the aura, i.e. how ritual invocation activates different forces and symbols into the aura. We also had an discussion about the initiatic process through the Elemental Grades of the Outer Order, and the necessary painstaking tests and tribulations the initiate has to face and learn to deal with, and how students are supervised and protected when being members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, to be able to persevere through the dark and daunting phases of the initiatory process.

Some other topics being discussed were the importance of the relationship between the student and the teacher (tutor), and the analogy between psychotherapy and initiation. Moreover, we also covered the topic of divination, such as geomancy, astrology and the Tarot, and also the significance of ritual timing using horoscopes. We also made comparisons between Theurgy and the work of consecration in relation to synchronization.

The definitions and differences between invocation and evocation were also discussed in more detail compared to the previous show, and hopefully were more fully clarified. Hopefully we also clarified the subject of the Holy Guardian Angel and the Knowledge and Conversation thereof, and how the initiatory process of the Outer Order is a preparation for this primary spiritual goal. We also covered the Emerald Tablet in relation to Ceremonial Magic and its significance of the Hermetic view upon the relation between the macrocosm and the microcosm, and again how this relates to the aura, or energetic body. The subject of “Skrying and Travelling in the Spirit Vision”, of astral projection were also covered, and how that particular technique is used in Ceremonial Magic.

I personally was quite satisfied with the result and believe we covered most of the subjects I wanted to bring in to the discussion, and whatever were left out I believe we will be able to cover in the upcoming program about Qabalah and the Golden Dawn scheduled for next week.

Here is the link. Hope you enjoy it and will benefit from it.

Errors: Listening to the podcast again I noticed that I mistakenly attributed sickness to the Element of Earth . It should of course be the Element of Air and nothing else.

I also for some mysterious reason attributed the four lowest Sephiroth of the Tree of Life only to the Earth Element, when they are supposed to be attributed to the Four Elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, corresponding to the Elemental Grades from Juniorus (or Zelator) to Philosophus respectively.

Perhaps all these Freudian slips into the Earth Element had someting to do with the fact that I did an Earth Invocation the same day, just some hours previous to the show.

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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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