Golden Dawn Blog by Frater Yechidah

The history of the Order of the Golden Dawn (in all its guises, both old and modern, orthodox and heterodox) is an intriguing affair for both the magician and the scholar. Like the history of many occult groups it is filled with scandal, secrecy, and sometimes a bit of sex to boot. It is also filled with magic, mystery, and the transmutation of gross matter into spiritual splendour, but that looks less appealing on the headlines and is often ignored in sensationalist accounts. It has come to my attention that my blog lacks resources for those new to the Order in finding some of the basic elements of that history, a history which should be studied (regardless of depth) by every student of the system, given it provides some of the foundations upon which we work. Therefore, without further adieu, here are a few links that detail some of the Order's history. For more detailed information the books of R.A. Gilbert, Francis King, Ellic Howe, Ithell Colquhoun, Israel Regardie, and Mary K....

A question that crops up every so often from people interested in garnering a stronger understanding of what the Golden Dawn is all about, and why certain beliefs or practices are utilised, is the Egyptian focus of the Outer Order. At one stage I was asked "is there an explanation or group of explanations even as to why the Egyptian pantheon is utilised versus any other?" While there are a myriad of reasons, some esoteric (and often highly convoluted), I have opted to give the more pragmatic of reasons below: 1) It was claimed by Westcott, in his History Lecture, that the Jewish people were taught by the Egyptians. It was common (and still is) to ascribe ancient wisdom to the Egyptians. Alchemy , for one, is a word that comes from "Al-Khem", or "from Egypt". Here is a little of what Westcott wrote: "Through the Hebrew Kabbalah, we have indeed become possessed of more of the ancient wisdom than from any other source, for it must be born in mind that th...

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't been updating as often lately. At present I do not have the time to keep daily updates, but I intend to post a few times a week, so keep checking back. Also, if you'd like me to tackle a certain subject in a blog post, add a comment here and I'll get on it as soon as possible. In the mean time, here's another round-up: Sincerus Renatus made an interesting post on the Divine Names in the LRP . For my own musings on these Divine Names, check here . Morgan Drake Eckstein posted the third part of his Roots of the Golden Dawn series , which looks at the different types of lineage. He makes an important distinction between administrative and initiatory lineage which is worth highlighting. Yours Truly posted an important quotation from Dion Fortune on Henosis Decanus . It is vital that we recognise the Divine Feminine in some form, and I agree wholeheartedly with Fortune's sentiments on the subject.

A somewhat belated Autumnal Equinoctial greeting to you all, and a few words of prayer from the Occult Ireland Autumnal Equinox Ceremony, which was performed on Sunday gone: At this Autumnal Equinox, when there again arises a moment of balance, when night and day are equal, when there is no dominance of darkness or light, let us turn inward and focus upon the Osirian energies that are now in motion. Let us turn inward and meditate on the properties of Libra, the sign of the Scales, most symbolic of balance, and most pertinent to us now. Let us turn inward and think upon the contraction of energies, to the inward-turning spiral of spiritual growth. Let us turn inward and muse upon the catabolic process, the breaking down of things in order to expose the primal matter hidden within. Instil within us the qualities of balance, of temperance, of the reconciliation of opposites, and be to us a fervent reminder of the straight and narrow path between the Pillars of Mercy and Severity, the two...

The Autumnal Equinox edition of Hermetic Virtues magazine is now out, and includes work by Lyam Thomas Christopher and Lon Milo Duquette, along with many other excellent articles (and a new Horus Hathor tarot card, as well as a Malkuth ritual), including one of my own, entitled Reconciling An Elemental Inconsistency , which deals with the frequently-asked question of why Air is attributed to Theoricus and Yesod (a watery Lunar sphere) and Water is attributed to Practicus and Hod (the sphere of Mercury and the intellect, etc.). Reasons for why this seems inconsistent are first explored, before addressing some of the reasons for why it actually makes a lot of sense. If you don't already have a subscription to HV, get one now, and feel free to comment on the article itself (or other matters in the new issue) here. Hermetic Virtues, Volume 2 Issue 2

The new Autumnal Equinox edition of the Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition is nearly here, and it deals with magical languages, which is very applicable to us Golden Dawn magicians, what with our interest in Hebrew and Enochian. On the topic of the former, which is called the Leshon ha-Qodesh , or the Holy Tongue, I wrote the following poem: Leshon ha-Qodesh by Dean F. Wilson

Aaron Leitch made a great virtual tour of the Vault of the Adepti last year, which I believe is worth sharing here:

"From one point of view the officers employed in these Rituals represent just such psychic projections. They represent, even as figures in dreams do, different aspects of man himself - personifications of abstract psychological principles inhering within the human spirit. Through the admittedly artificial or conventional means of a dramatic projection of these personified principles in a well-ordered ceremony a reaction is induced in consciousness. This reaction is calculated to arouse from their dormant condition those hitherto latent faculties represented objectively in the Temple of Initiation by the officers. Without the least conscious effort on the part of the aspirant, an involuntary current of sympathy is produced by this external delineation of spiritual paths which may be sufficient to accomplish the purpose of the initiation ceremony. The aesthetic appeal to the imagination - quite apart from what could be called the intrinsic magical virtue with which the G.D. document...

One of the key passages of the Neophyte ceremony is that said by the Hiereus: "Fear is failure [and the forerunner of failure]" (the bracketed part is only employed by certain groups). "Therefore, be without fear", we are told. I would like to explore some of these elements of fear that a Neophyte might face. Firstly there is the fear of magic, spirits, and the "occult" in general. To fear such is to cause the journey to cease before it is begun. Fear is a natural human emotion, true enough, but we are to become "more than human", and to do so we must not fear the tools of our growth, which are the occult. To do so would mean that we leave the path, having failed our mission, giving in to the wiles of the ego, and never progressing within the Order. Secondly there is the fear of change. Magic is, as Crowley put it, change in conformity with Will. Initiation, if successful, causes the beginnings of change. This can be hectic and seemingly catastro...

One of my personal magical "pet peeves" is the reversal of the old G.'.D.'. attributions of Air to the Dagger (cutting through the illusions of the mind, etc.) and Fire to the Wand (indicative of the fiery Will, etc.) to Fire for the Dagger and Air for the Wand. This latter approach has been taken up by many Wiccan groups and has been the cause of quite some muddying of attributions, and a lot of confusion therefrom. In a discussion on this topic a while back, Morgan Drake Eckstein mentioned that Francis King and Stephen Skinner, in their Techniques of High Magic , proposed the notion that the traditional attributions, as per Regardie and other earlier sources, were "blinds", and that they should be reversed. He gave the following quote from Skinner's Complete Magician's Tables : "The only notable exception to Golden Dawn practice is the reversal of the ascription of two magical weapons back to the traditional grimoire ascription of the Sword t...

Morgan Drake Eckstein at Gleamings from the Dawn posted the second part of his Roots of the Golden Dawn series, which explores the precise use of language used by certain adepts. Sincerus Renatus at Gyllene Gryningen posted on the recent topic of the Secret Chiefs (which I have shared my views on here , as well as Mathers views here ). It's a rather lengthy entry, but worth exploring for the facts and the support he lends to the "in the flesh" side of the Secret Chiefs debate, whether you agree with it or not. [Edit: This was an automatic post, and, since I was away for the weekend, I was unable to edit and expand it with the "more" that was indicated by the title. Apologies for such. Hopefully my next round-up will be somewhat lengthier]

"It is possible for you to be word perfect in all the knowledge of the Zelator Adeptus Minor Grade, and to know all its ceremonies by rote, and yet unless you can really and profoundly grasp their inner meaning, an uninitiated person who has a strong will, faith, reverence, self-sacrifice and perseverence, may be more truly a Magician than you." - S. L. MacGregor Mathers, Manifesto (1896)

The history of Rosicrucianism is a bit of a muddled affair, not least of all due to the fact that we don't really know who wrote the two manifestos (barring the likely candidate of Andreae, who wrote the Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz ), nor why they were written, nor, indeed, if it was intended as a joke or a subtle social experiment designed to bring about change, propelled by the powerful forces of mystery, secrecy, and intrigue. It is difficult, even in modern times, to separate the myths from the facts, to discern which was the first actual Rosicrucian group from the many that claim its ancient heritage. The Rosicrucians: The History, Mythology, and Rituals of an Esoteric Order , by Christopher McIntosh (author of The Rose Cross and the Age of Reason ) is an excellent attempt at this discernment. The book spans just under 150 pages, which is relatively slim for a scholarly work, but then this is mainly intended as an overview, and is certainly not lacking in depth i...

The Gold- und Rosenkreuz Order, one of the first Rosicrucian orders in existence, seems to have had a major effect on the formation of the SRIA and Golden Dawn, as evidenced in Rosenkreuzery by I.A. Fessler, which gives the breakdown of grades as: 1 9 Junior 2 8 Theoreticus 3 7 Practicus 4 6 Philosophus 5 5 Minor 6 4 Major 7 3 Adeptus Exemptus 8 2 Magister 9 1 Magus In the SRIA, the Junior became a Zelator, and the names of Theoreticus or Theoricus, and Philosophicus or Philosophus, can be used. The Adeptus tag was also added for the Minor and Major degrees, which seem unusual in the above layout, as if they are, indeed, missing part of their name. Templi was then added to the Magister grade, completing the layout. It's interesting to note the numbers given to the grades. Since there is no tenth grade, the Adeptus Major one is "5=5", for example, and that does not fit nicely with the Tree of Lif...

It's been a slow few weeks in the blogging world, particularly with those on my blogroll, and this may be related to the proximity of the Autumnal Equinox, where our attention is turned inward to focus on our personal spiritual growth. Thus, this round-up is somewhat short: Morgan Drake Eckstein at Gleamings from the Dawn has started to explore the Roots of the Golden Dawn , with more posts to come, no doubt, given the very tangled and ambiguous state those roots are in. This first part explores the unfinished state of some GD teachings, and There are two very interesting diagrams from Ithell Colquhoun's The Sword of Wisdom (which I have, but have yet to read and review here) available online, charting the regular and dissident Orders stemming from the Isis-Urania Temple No. 3. How truthful they are is another story, and so I would welcome any of the historically-inclined readers of this blog to verify some of the details (such as the "Egyptian Lodge" led by E.A. ...

"Concerning the Secret Chiefs of the Order, to whom I make reference and from whom I have received the Wisdom of the Second Order which I have communicated to you, I can tell you nothing . I do not even know their earthly names. I know them only by certain mottoes. I have but very rarely seen them in the physical body; and on such rare occasions the rendezvous was made astrally by them at the time and place which had been astrally appointed beforehand. For my part I believe them to be human and living upon the earth but possessing terrible superhuman powers. When such rendezvous has been in a much frequented place, there has been nothing in their personal appearance or dress to mark them out as differing in any way from ordinary people except the appearance and sensation of transcendental health and physical vigour (whether they seemed persons in youth or in age) which was their invariable accompaniment. In other words, the physical appearance which the possession of the Elixir...

"Surgeons who practice medicine without a license often end up in jail. Superficial occultists who occasionally manage to open psychic doors without knowing what to do next sometimes end up in mental hospitals." - Chic & Sandra Tabatha Cicero, Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition

Every so often the topic of asceticism is brought up, and some wonder how it applies to the Golden Dawn, and if there is any official policy on it. Some wonder whether or not they may have to give up the recreational use of illegal drugs, or perhaps even alcohol or caffeine, or abstinence from sex and other worldy pleasures. For the latter topic of sex, the relationship of MacGregor and Moina Mathers is an interesting topic of debate, but it seems clear that Mathers, while perhaps choosing a life of sexual abstinence with Moina, did not encourage others to do likewise, and seemed to defend Crowley when others were judging his worthiness on the basis of his sexual promiscuity (among other things). While there was no official policy on one's private sex life (after all, it was supposed to be private, and Mathers was a staunch defender of such), we may potentially gleam some insight to what might have been considered an "unofficial policy", stemming from the Cromlech Temple,...

The Secret Chiefs are one of the most controversial topics within Golden Dawn circles today, and were the focus of much debate and furore in the original Order and its offshoots some 100 years ago. Mathers brought the term into the Golden Dawn when he established the Inner Order, claiming to have contacted the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order (thus giving him primary authority). However, it wasn't readily apparent whether these were actual people (whether incarnate "Masters" or not) or discarnate entities, although some of the language used to describe them (including their questionable ages) seems to intimate that they were allegorical constructs, like much of Rosicrucian teaching (and very similar to the fanciful tales of Christian Rosenkreutz himself). However, this did not stop many Golden Dawn members from looking for the Secret Chiefs in the flesh, most notable of which was Felkin, who, like the others, came back unsuccessful. It must be noted that Felkin also beli...

On rereading Flying Roll No. V recently I found myself rewording it and elaborating on certain points within my mind. Since the original paper is quite old and somewhat archaic, I thought I should share my rewording of it here: Imagination, as any magician will know, is not a matter of fantasy and the idle creations of the mind. Despite its denigration as "childish", as the wilful enactment of fallacy in the playground of the mind, Imagination is one of the key weapons in the magician's arsenal, and without it there would be no vessel in which to pour the power of the magician's Will. Imagination puts us in touch with a more primal element of our being, one that is exemplified in the child, unconditioned by the social limitations imposed upon it by adults who have been drained of this essential ability. It is Imagination that is tapped into by artists and writers, and so too does the magician partake of this art, to result in the creative process that is magic. But t...

"The central principle of all the Magic of power is that everything we formulate in the imagination, if we formulate it strongly enough, realises itself in the circumstances of life, acting either through our own souls, or through the spirits of nature." - W.B. Yeats

Another round-up of links to interesting pieces, old and new, that I recommend my readers check out. Jeremy Puma at Gnostica posted a very thought-provoking piece, entitled " The Politics Of Knowing: A Challenge To Gnostics ". Many of these thoughts can be carried over to non-Gnostics too, and are worthy of consideration when it comes to the formal involvement of occult orders in the political machine (a matter which I strongly object to, at least when it comes to the Golden Dawn). Morgan Drake Eckstein posted a short but interesting piece on his blog Gleamings from the Dawn entitled " Lineage: What we can be sure about it ". The main point of interest is the quoted text (in red) at the bottom of the post, which makes a very important point that must be considered in the lineage debate. The Galloway Chronicles posted an amusing video of probably the best part of Richard Dawkin's day, where he reads all the nutty emails he gets. If you haven't already, ch...

One of key factors to Adepthood, as far as I'm concerned, is the magical maturity that should be present, or, at least, a magical puberty that will culminate in magical maturity when the Lesser Adept progresses towards Greater Adept. The point of this is that the entry into Adeptus Minor does not, for one, automatically equate with the entry into Tiphareth, and certainly does not equate with communion with the Higher Self, which may not come until much of the work of that grade is complete. I expressed this point somewhat in a previous post , but I would like to comment more now on exactly how I view this magical maturity and the preceding stages of magical growth. Neophyte can be seen as the symbolic or magical birth of the initiate, from the darkness of the Womb of Matter into the Light of the Spiritual World. Even the thrice-bound cord around the candidate's waist can be seen as the symbolic umbilical cord, which is removed as the initiate enters the Light of Day, and is, as...

" This , I believe, explains why Rosicrucianism has continued to exert its grip on the Western mind. It is not because we are hopelessly gullible, or because we would like to believe in absurd fantasies. In a legend like that of Christian Rosenkreuz, we seem to catch a glimpse of what we ought to be, and what we could be . If we set about it with sufficient determination, the grip of 'the world' can be broken - or at least, weakened until it ceases to induce a constant feeling of alienation. We are a planet of a double star, torn between two powerful gravitational forces. We have to learn to move inward without losing control over the external world and, like Rimbaud, simply surrendering ourselves to an 'ordered derangement of the senses.'" - Colin Wilson, Introduction to Christopher McIntosh's The Rosicrucians

One of the common topics of debate that frequently pops up (even in my own post on the validity of self-initiation ) is the question of whether or not it is possible to self-initiate into Adeptus Minor. Of course, first we have to assume that it is possible to self-initiate into the Outer Order grades or the entire topic goes out the window. However, once we have assumed that the latter is possible, exactly how far does it go? The Ciceros comment in their Self-Initiation Into The Golden Dawn Tradition (the primary Golden Dawn text on self-initiation) that "although Israel Regardie suggested that the Outer Order ceremonies could be converted over into self-initiation rituals, he was convinced that to do so with the Adeptus Minor Ceremony was impossible. ... Initiation into the Second Order grades (starting with Adeptus Minor) still requires an authentic initiator and a physical Vault of the Adepti. However we agree with Regardie in his belief that continued and persistent repetiti...

A Conscious, Active Cause in all we see, And number proves the living unity. No bound hath He who doth the whole contain, But, all preceding, fills life's vast domain. Sole worthy worship, He, the only Lord, Doth His true doctrine to clean hearts accord. But since faith's work a single pontiff need, One law have we, and at one altar plead; Eternal God for aye their base upholds. Heaven and man's day alike His rule enfolds. In mercy rich, in retribution strong, His people's King He will upraise ere long. The tomb gives entrance to the promised land, Death only ends; life's vistas still expand. These doctrines sacred, pure and steadfast shine; And thus we close our number's scale divine. Good angels all things temper and assuage, While evil spirits burst with wrath and rage. God doth the lightning rule, the flame subdue. His word controls both Vesper and her dew. He makes the moon our watchman through the night, And by His sun renews the world in light. When dust ...

A week or two ago I was looking through the Ciceros's Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition when I noticed the Coptic and Hebrew spelling of the name THMÊ (A Coptic form of Greek Themis and Egyptian Ma'at) on page 22. The thing that I noticed is that, in the Hebrew, the spelling is ThMA, and there is another word of the same gematric value, but not only that - the same exact letters. This is AMTh, Emeth , which means Truth. THMÊ is the Coptic form of Ma'at, the Goddess of Truth.

The history of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn has been dealt with in a number of books, not least of all Ellic Howe’s Magicians of the Golden Dawn . However, as each new scholar approaches the subject or old scholars publish a new book more and more papers, photographs, documents, and letters are published. Revelations of the Golden Dawn , by R. A. Gilbert (a republication of The Golden Dawn Scrapbook ) is just one of these examples, giving a brief look at the history of the Order, replete with some interesting source material. The book itself is 200 pages, with seven chapters, an introduction, and a small index and bibliography. The history itself is not extensive, and only deals with some of the more pivotal moments, but Gilbert himself admits this, stating "it is not intended to be a documentary history of the Order … This book is intended simply to provide an overview of the Order, and to tell its story through the lives and actions (or inactions) of its membe...

I decided to "borrow" Psyche's idea at Plutonica.net in regard to her Saturday Signal, which is a weekly roundup of links to interesting occult material. I can't think of quite as clever a title, so "Weekly Roundup" will have to suffice. Peregrin at Magic of the Ordinary posted some excellent insights regarding potential risks in the Golden Dawn System (and magic in general), in his post "Nine Dangers of the Golden Dawn" . This includes ego inflation (understandably high on the list, and probably the most common danger), astral corruption, and incorrect magic, among others. I do not agree with all of Peregrin's points, or indeed that we should be quite as wary, but it's good to exercise caution and realise the very real risks that come with magic. Sincerus Renatus at Gyllene Gryningen posted a response to my Sex & The Golden Dawn post, entitled "The sexual teachings of the Alpha et Omega and its supposed relation to the Cromlec...

For the first two parts of my LRP analysis, see here and here . The closing lines of the LRP, before the final QC, have been the cause of much debate and are the only part of the ritual that seems to have changed in the hands of different magicians over the years. Thus, today there are multiple variations of these lines, from the original "Before me flames the pentagram and behind me shines the six-rayed star" to the Crowley version of "For about me flames the pentagram and in the column shines the six-rayed star", and some slight variations of the two. All of them are perfectly valid, and there are justifications, usually in the form of gematria, for them all. This post will explore some of the variations and the reasoning behind them. First there is the original format employed in both the GD and SM and printed in Regardie's The Golden Dawn : "Before me flames the pentagram, and behind me shines the six-rayed star". On the surface this does not make...

"I believe in the practice and philosophy of what we have agreed to call magic, in what I must call the evocation of spirits, though I do not know what they are, in the power of creating magical illusions, in the visions of truth in the depths of the mind when the eyes are closed; and I believe in three doctrines, which have, as I think, been handed down from early times, and been the foundations of nearly all magical practices. These doctrines are:- (1) That the borders of our mind are ever shifting, and that many minds can flow into one another, as it were, and create or reveal a single mind, a single energy. (2) That the borders of our memories are as shifting, and that our memories are a part of one great memory, the memory of Nature herself. (3) That this great mind and great memory can be evoked by symbols." - W.B. Yeats, Magic (1901)

Continuing the Yeats theme of the previous post , here's the passage I mentioned earlier about Yeats and his attitude towards sex: W.B. Yeats described the summer of 1897, when he was 32, as "the most miserable time of my life". He went on to say, "I was tortured by sexual desire and disappointed love... When desire became an unendurable torture, I would masturbate, and that, no matter how moderate I was, would make me ill." Now, admittedly he was taking hashish pills at the time, which may or may not have influenced his feelings of illness, but it seems hard to deny that his reaction to masturbation was extreme, although probably not uncommon for the Victorian era. I have to admit that, as a young Irish man myself, I find these kinds of accounts quite surprising, even to one already aware of the Victorian attitude towards sex. I wonder if Yeats' extreme view, and that of Moina described in a previous post, was shared by other Golden Dawn members of the tim...

I recall many times when scholars of Yeats or school and college teachers (including some of my own) have glossed over his occult involvement, sometimes stating that it was little more than a "phase" or some other irrelevant trifle that just happened in his life. I believe the following quote from the man himself should dispel this common (and highly irritating) notion: "If I had not made magic my constant study I could not have written a single word of my Blake book, nor would The Countess Kathleen ever have come to exist. The mystical life is the center of all that I do and all that I think and all that I write." - W.B. Yeats

Sex is a controversial subject no matter where it arises, but doubly so when it is relation to a secret society. It is well known, for example, that some of the higher grades of the OTO give teachings on sexual magic, but it is a cause of some debate about how sex is dealt with, if at all, in the Golden Dawn. There has been much misinformation and confusion, partly due, in my opinion, to one modern Golden Dawn order which has included Third Order grades and filled them with sex magic teachings. Some of the confusion may have arisen before this, however, from certain statements and actions taken by some Order members. But first, let us look at MacGregor and Moina Mathers, the two leading forces in the Order once Westcott had resigned. While they were married, they never consummated the marriage, and never engaged in sexual activity whatsoever (or, at least, so it is claimed). In 1895 Moina wrote to Annie Horniman about her views on sex, the sexual abstinence she and her husband undertoo...

You doubters of divinity - You see devils in the hearts of all God's people, Who must, by your great will, come out in straw With pitchforks ready To clash, steel on wood, against the sceptres of sure Science, Held aloft upon the horses of your reign. If only it were simple, Adam cast across the rift from Atoms, An uncrossable Abyss, A mental chasm where only malice lies. But where is subtlety in these uncertain times, Where we, in our doubt, assume we know it all? There is only red and blue and yellow, Stark around their corners Where no meld of hue is seen, Nor permitted, nor encouraged, As was once the case When the brilliant light of art Merged with the evanescence of the angels And the candescence of great culture Saw no contradiction between the art of science, And the science of art. There was none of this vile blindedness, Where the books of chemistry and physics Cannot rest upon the shelf amidst the classics, Those epitomes of literature And the episodes of Man. Our books ...

Check out this excellent electronic magazine, Hermetic Virtues , which you can download in PDF format. There are four issues a year, relating to the Equinoxes and Solstices, and they usually number between 60-80 pages, with contributions from the Ciceros, Nick Farrell, Donald Michael Kraig, Aaron Leitch, Pat Zalewski, and a number of other well-known esoteric authors, as well as many who are lesser-known, but whose work is of excellent calibre. While not specifically a Golden Dawn magazine, it does tend to focus on G.'.D.'. subjects, and has many G.'.D.'. authors, but there are often essays on other subjects of esoteric note. Each issue costs $6, or you can get a year's subscription for $20. All proceeds go to the HOGD legal fund. This is essential reading for any student interested in the Golden Dawn and the occult in general.

"The 5=6 ritual appeared. Mathers seems to have taken elements given by this mysterious adept from Liege and fused it with rituals from SRIA. At the same time there came the fantastic Z documents, which superimposed a magical technique over the outer order and gave a formula that turned a somewhat dry masonic ritual into something that could be used to charge a talisman or get a spirit to physical manifestation. There is also the fairly cryptic Man, Macrocosm paper which gives a fairly powerful introduction to the Sphere of Sensation. We also see Book T, which was an inspired description of the Tarot. But we cannot be sure how much of this material or genius belonged to Mathers, or how much was a cut and paste from Lux E Tenebris. Certainly the 5=6 is nothing like what Mathers had written before, or would write again. Mathers or Tenebris? Or again was someone else involved? We know that other adepts were also inspired at this time. Take for example the design of the Vault. Mathers...

Daleth (pronounced Dah-leth ) is the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It, therefore, has the gematria value of 4. Its Hebrew spelling is Daleth Lamed Tav , which, in turn, has a gematria value of 434 (Daleth=4, Lamed=30, Tav=400). The fully spelled word means "Door". The letter is drawn by starting with the horizontal "roof", drawing from left to right, and then drawing the vertical line from top to bottom. It is important to ensure the horizontal line extends slightly further on the right, so as to distinguish it from the letter Resh. Just as Gimel is the charitable letter, Daleth is the poor letter which receives Gimel's charity. This aspect comes from the shape of the letter, which, because it is "bent over", resembles a beggar looking for charity. It is also because of the root word for this letter, which is dalah , to impoverish , which, in turn, gives rise to daluth , meaning poverty. Daleth is related to Chesed via the number four, and it...