There are some slight differences between the oath of obligations presented by Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero in their book Self-Initiation Into the Golden Dawn Tradition and those presented by other self-intiation systems.
For instance, Donald Michael Kraig (in the first edition of Modern Magick---Eleven Lessons in the High Magickal Arts) adds "[I promise] to keep secret all of my occult knowledge from any and all whom I deem unworthy due to their evil intents or lying ways. I undertake to prosecute with zeal the study of occult sciences for the betterment of myself and the betterment of all humanity."
Furthermore, Kraig changes the penalty for breaking the oath to "I realize that should I willfully break this, my magical oath, that I shall be known as a perjuring wretch, void of all moral worth and unfit for the society of all right and true persons. Furthermore, should I break this, my magicakal oath, may my weapons turn against me or turn to dust, and may all of my magick and rituals be for naught, so help me the Lord of the universe and my own higher soul."
Kraig pointed out that the preceeding ritual that this oath is from is actually a "self-dedication" and not a self-initiation.---MDE 4 Feb 2011
There are also some interesting things in the Adept Minor "self-obligation" oath that he provides. The most interesting is probably "I will not claim to be anything more than I am, a student of the magickal way of life, light, love and freedom. Not being an initiate of an Order, I will not initiate anyone."
Another oath that has some differences from the Cicero version is the one from the Thelemic Golden Dawn. The part that leaps out is the fact that one will keep "all real secrets and true mysteries" of the TGD safe.
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2 comments:
Morgan, in the first, second, and now 3rd edition of Modern Magick I have not published ANY "self-initiation oath." My book does not offer self-initiation into any group or tradition. What I present is a rite of "self-dedication, wherein you dedicate yourself to the Great Work..."
I would contend that there is a big difference between self-initiation and self-dedication. The former makes you a part of something while the latter merely affirms that you are going to follow a particular path.
Does it borrow concepts from other sources? Absolutely. It is different because it does not have the same purpose at all.
Considering my obsession on this particular day (as I talked about in the very next post) was about the oaths that one could reasonably encounter among those on the online communities, especially people not involved in any particular Orders, I am just going to make a small note pointing out what you said and leave the post stand as is otherwise.
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