One of the things that every student of Golden Dawn needs to be aware of is the assumptions that themselves and other students (especially lodge and Order officers) have about the Golden Dawn system. These assumptions are constantly in the background, and they color the opinions of those who hold them.
What are some of the assumptions that I hold?
Grades represent a level of learning in the system. And while they are associated with a sephirah and certain spiritual states, they are NOT the sephirah and states of consciousness themselves. The Grade is a Gateway to those states, but just because someone has the Grade does not mean that they permanmently dwell in that mental state.
The baseline of Golden Dawn is the Outer Order material, that the entire system is built from the bottom up. There are some that say that the further development of the Golden Dawn system depends upon knowing what the Third Order teachings are--I disagree. It would be an awful poor mystery tradition if all you had to do to kill it was kill off the superior Grades in the chain.
I believe that the history of Golden Dawn is both simplier and more complicated than people can imagine. My basic view of Golden Dawn history is that Kenneth MacKenzie cobbled together the Cipher Manuscript for a group that never used it, and that Westcott and company created a myth to match it after it came into their possession.
Therefore actual contact with Third Order is impossible. Third Order, if it arises, will come from a further development of the Golden Dawn system. Any group that claims to be Third Order is involved in a plot to control Golden Dawn.
As one can guess these assumptions color my opinions about Golden Dawn. To convince me otherwise, one has to cough up actual evidence.
One of the most important assumptions that one can make about Golden Dawn is about the nature of initiation. Considering initiation is the backbone of the system, having a clear idea of what initiation is and is not is important. What is it supposed to accomplish? To put it simply, initiation's purpose is to bring you in contact with certain energetic sources that are tapped though symbols; the energy flow that results is used to develop spiritually and magically.
Personally, I believe that Temple Initiation is best. I firmly believe that one should belong to a community of scholars and mages. Failing the option, second choice is Self-Initiation. I consider Astral Initiation to be a compromise between the first two options.
My beliefs about the hierarchy annoy many people. I believe in electing officers. Many believe that one must have a place in the hierarchy to hold an office, and that it is true to a certain extent. But a member of the hierarchy does NOT have to hold an office to influence the system and the world.
I believe that Golden Dawn is NOT a religion. I believe that members of any religion can join the system, though I will admit that certain religions have a harder time in the esoteric Orders than others.
And most impotantly, I believe that I am allowed to change my mind about the assumptions that I have today. I am allowed to learn. Others are allowed to convince me that their assumptions are more correct. So if you think that I am in error, you might be right and I might agree with you tommorrow.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Generic system of magic--part two
Another problem with generic magic in a Golden Dawn context is quite often the core of the system ends up being something that is not actually Golden Dawn.
The purpose of Golden Dawn is varied; but the working techniques are pretty much the same from Order to Order. In groups that take the generic approach this is not always true.
For instance, I know of one Order that basic working technique is "spirit guides." Golden Dawn traditionally has nothing against spirit guides (ignoring the political and PR statements concerning Theosophy), but it is not something that Neophytes are encouraged to dabble in.
In this spirit guide system, contact with the spirit guides is considered the crux of the system, with all the other techniques being optional. It should be the other way around in my opinion.
To understand the problem with the idea of making contact with one's spirit guide and ignoring the rest of the system, just think about this: How do you know that it is actually your spirit guide and not a demon (qlippoth)?
There is nothing wrong with making contact with your spirit guide; there is a problem if you have no way of testing and defending yourself against possible hostile entities.
The purpose of Golden Dawn is varied; but the working techniques are pretty much the same from Order to Order. In groups that take the generic approach this is not always true.
For instance, I know of one Order that basic working technique is "spirit guides." Golden Dawn traditionally has nothing against spirit guides (ignoring the political and PR statements concerning Theosophy), but it is not something that Neophytes are encouraged to dabble in.
In this spirit guide system, contact with the spirit guides is considered the crux of the system, with all the other techniques being optional. It should be the other way around in my opinion.
To understand the problem with the idea of making contact with one's spirit guide and ignoring the rest of the system, just think about this: How do you know that it is actually your spirit guide and not a demon (qlippoth)?
There is nothing wrong with making contact with your spirit guide; there is a problem if you have no way of testing and defending yourself against possible hostile entities.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Oath of secrecy
(Readers may want to note that this is in response to a yahoo group posting about an unfavorable Enochian Chess book review I did a couple of months ago. Those who are interested in my reaction as a book reviewer can read the entry on my writing blog. Under normal conditions, I wouldn't care to give this more time, but there was a point about secrecy that I think needs addressing.)
Today, the notorous Steve Nichols posted a comment on a couple of Yahoo groups about a recent unfavorable book review of his first Enochian Chess book. I am fairly sure that it was written by me; if not, I still feel some guilt about the one that I wrote. Nevertheless, he made one comment that I want to address.
(Actually two comments, but the response to the one {about his attempt to divorce Enochian Chess from Golden Dawn} can be summed up as "Prove that Enochian Chess was not a Golden Dawn invention.")
(Anyways...) Nichols said that "Polytheists such as myself, or Wiccans, or even atheists, cannot in all seriousness take any GD vows and oaths that are required. Personally, I think Oaths to be a bad thing on the whole, as they restrict freedom of the ba, and may not be appropriate to you at a later time when conditions in your life (or beliefs) might have changed from the time you made the Oath. Also the internecine politics of belonging to one or other of the modern GD factions can often make practitioners lose sight of the Work."
Say what?
Outside of the atheists (who I can not imagine being in Golden Dawn considering that they believe in no higher power, souls, or magic), the others can take the oath. Wiccans and polytheists have taken the oath to the Order, or tradition; I know because I have administered it to several. In fact, I am a polytheist and a Wiccan and I have taken the oath of obligation (I was already one when I swore my oath in Hathoor Temple, and they had no problem with administering the Neophyte, Portal, and Adept Minor oaths to me).
Those who view the oath of obligation as too restricting are the same people who view Satan in Paradise Lost (John Milton) as a hero, rather than the nasty envious toad that he is. (Not that I believe in Satan, but after spending half a semester reading it in literature class, I am going to get at least one reference out of it.)
The oath does not restrict you to remain in Golden Dawn for the rest of your life; if you want to leave, just quit paying your dues and quit practicing.
(As for the internecine politics, I agree with Nichols that it is terribly distracting. But you can study and practice the system without getting involved in that nonsense, so it is not proof enourgh to abolish the entire system.)
Today, the notorous Steve Nichols posted a comment on a couple of Yahoo groups about a recent unfavorable book review of his first Enochian Chess book. I am fairly sure that it was written by me; if not, I still feel some guilt about the one that I wrote. Nevertheless, he made one comment that I want to address.
(Actually two comments, but the response to the one {about his attempt to divorce Enochian Chess from Golden Dawn} can be summed up as "Prove that Enochian Chess was not a Golden Dawn invention.")
(Anyways...) Nichols said that "Polytheists such as myself, or Wiccans, or even atheists, cannot in all seriousness take any GD vows and oaths that are required. Personally, I think Oaths to be a bad thing on the whole, as they restrict freedom of the ba, and may not be appropriate to you at a later time when conditions in your life (or beliefs) might have changed from the time you made the Oath. Also the internecine politics of belonging to one or other of the modern GD factions can often make practitioners lose sight of the Work."
Say what?
Outside of the atheists (who I can not imagine being in Golden Dawn considering that they believe in no higher power, souls, or magic), the others can take the oath. Wiccans and polytheists have taken the oath to the Order, or tradition; I know because I have administered it to several. In fact, I am a polytheist and a Wiccan and I have taken the oath of obligation (I was already one when I swore my oath in Hathoor Temple, and they had no problem with administering the Neophyte, Portal, and Adept Minor oaths to me).
Those who view the oath of obligation as too restricting are the same people who view Satan in Paradise Lost (John Milton) as a hero, rather than the nasty envious toad that he is. (Not that I believe in Satan, but after spending half a semester reading it in literature class, I am going to get at least one reference out of it.)
The oath does not restrict you to remain in Golden Dawn for the rest of your life; if you want to leave, just quit paying your dues and quit practicing.
(As for the internecine politics, I agree with Nichols that it is terribly distracting. But you can study and practice the system without getting involved in that nonsense, so it is not proof enourgh to abolish the entire system.)
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Happy Birthday Golden Dawn!
One hundred and twenty years ago on March 1st, the Order of the Golden Dawn was formed. So happy birthday Golden Dawn!
While there are some who claim that the system is older, my opinion is that the Isis-Urania lodge was actually the first lodge. Perhaps someday, I will change my mind about that, but it would take some really good evidence to convince me otherwise.
What impresses me is that the Golden Dawn is still around. In the last century, countless number of Orders have faded away, dying off, and disappeared. Yet Golden Dawn may even survive for another hundred years unlike some of our fellow esoteric and fraternal Orders.
For instance, depending upon who you ask, Freemasonry is expected to become extinct within the next fifty years, or twenty-five, or ten (as I said it depends on who you ask).
Given the fact that Golden Dawn started out small (the original group only had three hundred members) and other Orders have disappeared, why is Golden Dawn still around?
I think it has to do with the fact that first Israel Regardie, then later writers like Pat Zalewski, wrote about the system. Even writers like Steve Nichols and myself have helped keep the system in the public's eye. And if the Order does disappear, which did happen once already, there is enough material to reconstruct the system.
Anyway, happy birthday Golden Dawn! And many happy returns.
While there are some who claim that the system is older, my opinion is that the Isis-Urania lodge was actually the first lodge. Perhaps someday, I will change my mind about that, but it would take some really good evidence to convince me otherwise.
What impresses me is that the Golden Dawn is still around. In the last century, countless number of Orders have faded away, dying off, and disappeared. Yet Golden Dawn may even survive for another hundred years unlike some of our fellow esoteric and fraternal Orders.
For instance, depending upon who you ask, Freemasonry is expected to become extinct within the next fifty years, or twenty-five, or ten (as I said it depends on who you ask).
Given the fact that Golden Dawn started out small (the original group only had three hundred members) and other Orders have disappeared, why is Golden Dawn still around?
I think it has to do with the fact that first Israel Regardie, then later writers like Pat Zalewski, wrote about the system. Even writers like Steve Nichols and myself have helped keep the system in the public's eye. And if the Order does disappear, which did happen once already, there is enough material to reconstruct the system.
Anyway, happy birthday Golden Dawn! And many happy returns.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Generic system of magic--part one
One of the recent trends in the ceremonial magic is the removal of all specific names (God names, Angels, etc.), so that the tradition is opened up to a wider audience. Two examples of this on the internet are Magical Order of Golden Dawn and the newest material to come out of the Thelemic Golden Dawn.
While I agree that we need to attract more people (especially struggling lodges with low membership numbers like the one that I belong to), I am not sure if producing generic “Oh, put any god name you feel like here” systems are the way to go. For one thing, most people who start out have not a clue what god name fits where in the system; if they did know, they would not be looking for a system to learn.
And those who are comfortable with the “Fill in the blank” style in my experience do not need any encouragement--they will soon be messing up people and doing their best to be a petty god without any encouragement from the rest of us. This type of person is knee-deep on the internet.
Furthermore, this type of work results in those who are engaged in it being in danger of being permanently isolated from other workers of the mysteries.
Last year, I did my first Open Full Moon. It was mainly improv, with just a few sentences printed out for those who ended up calling the quarters. The person who did the Fire and Water purification did it from memory; the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram was done from memory. And the lecture was a variation of one that I have given before.
Basically, it was done on the wing. And the reason it could be done that way was that we had some standardization. We didn’t have to debate what god names were used. (Ok, I did explain that I probably used a different set of fine-tuning names for “the lords of the watchtowers.”)
I have been present at gatherings where everyone was operating from a “fill in the blank” perspective. No work was actually accomplished. Why? Because the group spent longer arguing about what names to use than anything else.
One of the reasons that Golden Dawn became one of the most influential systems is that students of Golden Dawn did not have to spend hours discussing what names to use when they get together to work--they can just get down to doing the rituals.
This “fill in the blank” style may serve a purpose, but it might end up creating an even weaker community than we had before.
While I agree that we need to attract more people (especially struggling lodges with low membership numbers like the one that I belong to), I am not sure if producing generic “Oh, put any god name you feel like here” systems are the way to go. For one thing, most people who start out have not a clue what god name fits where in the system; if they did know, they would not be looking for a system to learn.
And those who are comfortable with the “Fill in the blank” style in my experience do not need any encouragement--they will soon be messing up people and doing their best to be a petty god without any encouragement from the rest of us. This type of person is knee-deep on the internet.
Furthermore, this type of work results in those who are engaged in it being in danger of being permanently isolated from other workers of the mysteries.
Last year, I did my first Open Full Moon. It was mainly improv, with just a few sentences printed out for those who ended up calling the quarters. The person who did the Fire and Water purification did it from memory; the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram was done from memory. And the lecture was a variation of one that I have given before.
Basically, it was done on the wing. And the reason it could be done that way was that we had some standardization. We didn’t have to debate what god names were used. (Ok, I did explain that I probably used a different set of fine-tuning names for “the lords of the watchtowers.”)
I have been present at gatherings where everyone was operating from a “fill in the blank” perspective. No work was actually accomplished. Why? Because the group spent longer arguing about what names to use than anything else.
One of the reasons that Golden Dawn became one of the most influential systems is that students of Golden Dawn did not have to spend hours discussing what names to use when they get together to work--they can just get down to doing the rituals.
This “fill in the blank” style may serve a purpose, but it might end up creating an even weaker community than we had before.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Doomsday Cults
One of the things I roll my eyes at are those people who are worried about the end of the world--the soothsayers of doomsday. The current doom is the end of the Mayan cycle, which ends on 2012. The soothsayers, and their believers, say that the world is going to come to a sudden end in a couple of years.
This particular theory is tied to the shifting of the magnetic poles. The shifting of the poles is a real thing, but it is hardly doomsday. The geological history of the Earth indicates that it has happened before and will happen again. The shifting of the poles, reversing the magnetic field around the Earth, is a minor inconvience, but we do want it to happen.
The mathematic models show that the shifting of the poles will bring the magnetic field of the Earth back up to full strength. This is a desirable thing. Without an eventual shift in the poles, based on the mathematical models, the magnetic field will weaken and disappear completely. That would be bad--rent the movie "The Core" if you want to see how bad it would be.
Personally, I would be more worried about a global economic crisis than I would be about the magnetic shift, but each to their own.
Doomsday are always with us; Revelations is happening everyday. Each of us has our own personal doomsday happening in our lives if we just look hard enough. For me, my doom is typically the next test or term paper that I have to cope with. For me, doomsday is up close and personal.
For many, it is not. And there are groups and fads that cater to them.
Yes, doomsday is catered. I would avoid the deviled eggs. I don't think that the ham is kosher. And who invented the Freemasons to our doomsday. But I disgress.
Yes, there are groups whose purpose is to prepare its members for doomsday. And there is always a new doomsday if it turns out that the previous doomsday was a false alarm.
I have belonged to several border-line doomsday cults. The first coven I belonged to was big on being prepared for a nuclear doomsday. A box of MREs (meals ready to eat--sure to survive a nuclear disaster because no one wants to eat them) and a lot of water was highly suggested, along with knowing where all the fall-out shelters were. Ironically, being prepared for a nuclear disaster ensures that you are prepared for other acts of god.
And when I was in the EOEW, there was the one meeting that drifted into getting ready for Y2K. Do you remember Y2K--the year that the world was supposed to end as all the world's computers crashed. If you want to know what I think of your average doomsday prediction ask me how I coped with Y2K.
Yes, I had some canned food, a small camp stove, and some bottled water. Toni would not allow me to buy a crossbow; in fact, she (like so many others) was appalled to learn that I believe that defending myself with deadly force is a real option in an emergency. Question my ethics all you want; at least I know my stance on how important my life is in comparsion to other random looters. Do you know how much value you place on your skin?
Toni got interested in Y2k late. In my opinion, too late. For her, it was a last minute thing.
I have been interested in doomsday since I was a teenager. Blame it on too much science fiction. In my opinion, you should be prepared to be thrust into the Hall of Judgment at any time. Doomsday will not be announced ahead of time; either will your last trumpet. If you are really concerned about doomsday, live every minute like its your last.
So it was with some amusement that I watched her learn about Y2K. I wasn't worried about Y2k. I had my nuclear stockpile; all I needed to get was a crossbow. It was only due to a lack of money that she didn't help drive up the price of bottled water.
But Toni is also an airhead. One I know who she was listening to (a good fortune teller on a personal level, can't hit the broadside of a barn on the global level); and two, she made some last minute changes in my perfectly good plan. She decided that we were going to stay at her place, not mine. That made my preparations useless. And she still won't let me invest in a crossbow.
For the record, I was not concerned with Y2K. The closer we got to the actual day, the less concerned I became. Why? I know something about programming computers. If Y2K was going to be a problem, we would have seen indications of it long before New Year's Day. I was not worried about the power plants shutting down, or planes falling out of the sky. I, much like my bosses, knew that the real problems of Y2K if any would be monetary.
How did my bosses plan on dealing with Y2K? Simple, they handed me a pencil and a pad of paper. It was a very business approach to doomsday. If doomsday happens, we will cater it.
This particular theory is tied to the shifting of the magnetic poles. The shifting of the poles is a real thing, but it is hardly doomsday. The geological history of the Earth indicates that it has happened before and will happen again. The shifting of the poles, reversing the magnetic field around the Earth, is a minor inconvience, but we do want it to happen.
The mathematic models show that the shifting of the poles will bring the magnetic field of the Earth back up to full strength. This is a desirable thing. Without an eventual shift in the poles, based on the mathematical models, the magnetic field will weaken and disappear completely. That would be bad--rent the movie "The Core" if you want to see how bad it would be.
Personally, I would be more worried about a global economic crisis than I would be about the magnetic shift, but each to their own.
Doomsday are always with us; Revelations is happening everyday. Each of us has our own personal doomsday happening in our lives if we just look hard enough. For me, my doom is typically the next test or term paper that I have to cope with. For me, doomsday is up close and personal.
For many, it is not. And there are groups and fads that cater to them.
Yes, doomsday is catered. I would avoid the deviled eggs. I don't think that the ham is kosher. And who invented the Freemasons to our doomsday. But I disgress.
Yes, there are groups whose purpose is to prepare its members for doomsday. And there is always a new doomsday if it turns out that the previous doomsday was a false alarm.
I have belonged to several border-line doomsday cults. The first coven I belonged to was big on being prepared for a nuclear doomsday. A box of MREs (meals ready to eat--sure to survive a nuclear disaster because no one wants to eat them) and a lot of water was highly suggested, along with knowing where all the fall-out shelters were. Ironically, being prepared for a nuclear disaster ensures that you are prepared for other acts of god.
And when I was in the EOEW, there was the one meeting that drifted into getting ready for Y2K. Do you remember Y2K--the year that the world was supposed to end as all the world's computers crashed. If you want to know what I think of your average doomsday prediction ask me how I coped with Y2K.
Yes, I had some canned food, a small camp stove, and some bottled water. Toni would not allow me to buy a crossbow; in fact, she (like so many others) was appalled to learn that I believe that defending myself with deadly force is a real option in an emergency. Question my ethics all you want; at least I know my stance on how important my life is in comparsion to other random looters. Do you know how much value you place on your skin?
Toni got interested in Y2k late. In my opinion, too late. For her, it was a last minute thing.
I have been interested in doomsday since I was a teenager. Blame it on too much science fiction. In my opinion, you should be prepared to be thrust into the Hall of Judgment at any time. Doomsday will not be announced ahead of time; either will your last trumpet. If you are really concerned about doomsday, live every minute like its your last.
So it was with some amusement that I watched her learn about Y2K. I wasn't worried about Y2k. I had my nuclear stockpile; all I needed to get was a crossbow. It was only due to a lack of money that she didn't help drive up the price of bottled water.
But Toni is also an airhead. One I know who she was listening to (a good fortune teller on a personal level, can't hit the broadside of a barn on the global level); and two, she made some last minute changes in my perfectly good plan. She decided that we were going to stay at her place, not mine. That made my preparations useless. And she still won't let me invest in a crossbow.
For the record, I was not concerned with Y2K. The closer we got to the actual day, the less concerned I became. Why? I know something about programming computers. If Y2K was going to be a problem, we would have seen indications of it long before New Year's Day. I was not worried about the power plants shutting down, or planes falling out of the sky. I, much like my bosses, knew that the real problems of Y2K if any would be monetary.
How did my bosses plan on dealing with Y2K? Simple, they handed me a pencil and a pad of paper. It was a very business approach to doomsday. If doomsday happens, we will cater it.
To email Bast Temple
Someone left a comment on one of the previous entries, but I have no way to get ahold of them in return. This got me thinking that maybe I should post a way for someone to get ahold of me though an actual email address, rather than just though the Bast Temple website. So here is an actual email address for me: Morgan Drake Eckstein.
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