Golden Dawn Blog by Frater Yechidah

"It has been suggested more than once by magical writers that the initiation of a candidate is like the consecration of a talisman: something passive and unfocused is given shape, direction, and energy." John Michael Greer, Inside A Magical Lodge

One of my magical "pet peeves" is the replacement in some traditions of YHVH Eloah va-Da'ath with IAO for the Tiphareth sphere of the Middle Pillar Ritual. There are multiple reasons for this: 1) Laziness. People seem to think that the Hebrew form is too long, and thus vibrating it is more difficult. I've used it for years without any difficulty. Just spend slightly less time with each syllable and you'll be fine. 2) Many people seem to dislike that the Hebrew name is similar to that used for the Da'ath sphere: YHVH ELOHIM , and some others actually think that, because the word Da'ath is mentioned here, it should instead be used for Da'ath. This comes from a complete lack of understanding of the Tree of Life and the God-Names attributed to the Sephiroth. YHVH Eloah va-Da'ath is the God-Name of Tiphareth. Full stop. 3) IAO is Gnostic, and is more Greek than Hebrew (although it isn't really any language at all). Using four Hebrew name...

In keeping with the nature of my previous posts on the Hebrew alphabet, I'd like to offer a link to a poem of mine I wrote around a year ago on the letter Aleph. It was originally published in Issue 2 of Hidden Spirit , a small esoteric magazine here in Ireland, and then republished online in the Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition (recommended). You can check it out here: Aleph by Dean F. Wilson For those who've read my previous post, the poem should make a lot more sense. I also have another poem on the letter Teth, but I'll save that for when we get to that letter. It's my intent to ultimately write a poem for each letter - much easier said than done!

Aleph (pronounced Ah-lef ) is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It, therefore, has a gematria value of 1, and often you will see an Aleph used as this number in various texts. Its Hebrew spelling is Aleph Lamed Peh sophith (Peh Final), as displayed in the image above. This word, when spelled out, means "Ox", and comes from the Pheonician pictograph for the letter A, which is almost like an inverted Roman A, with both the lower lines representing the horns of the Ox. The gematria of this full word is 831 when counting the value of the Peh Final (Aleph=1, Lamed=30, Peh Final=800) or 111 when counting the value of the last letter as a regular Peh (Peh=80). To draw the letter, draw the diagonal line first, then the uppermost leg (which looks like a Yod) and then the bottom leg (which also looks like a Yod). Note that the lines connecting these Yods to the central diagonal line should not meet, but rather the left one should be higher than the right (consult the image abov...

The Hebrew alphabet (or Aleph-Beth ) is one of the first things a member of the Golden Dawn was taught, and for good reason. The use of Hebrew in Golden Dawn work, from the LBRP to the Shem ha-Mephoresh , warrants that all students have at least a basic understanding of the alphabet. Indeed, the further you explore the Qabalah, the more you will begin to realise just how vital a knowledge of Hebrew actually is. The ancient Qabalists use it abundantly, not merely as the language they wrote in, but as a language of allegory, pun, and the deep and complex workings of gematria. Its prominence in the Sepher Yetzirah alone is clearly indicative of this. I am strong advocate for having a deep knowledge and understanding of the mysteries of the Hebrew language, and, in particular, its alphabet. Given this, I will be offering some insights into the mysteries of each letter over a multitude of posts to come, starting with Aleph . They will not include all the mysteries, for that would, if possi...

There is a recent debate in Golden Dawn circles on Case, the BOTA, and Enochian, so I decided I'd post what I wrote on the matter for my old Order around a year ago (which can also be found at EvocationMagic.com): Many of you know that Paul Foster Case had a certain dislike and suspicion of Enochian Magick, ultimately omitting every case of it from the G.'.D.'. rituals and ceremonies that were adopted into his own Order. He raises some valuable points, which I'd like to discuss with you here, but first I'll share a copy of two letters he sent to Israel Regardie regarding Enochian (and other aspects of the G.'.D.'. system). Letter 1 Letter 2 Now, let's address the main issues that Paul Foster Case raised against Enochian in his letters: 1. That it emanated so largely from Kelly This is an awful reason to doubt the authenticity and efficacy of a magickal system. Firstly, much of the dark things we know of Kelley are rumours. There is no real evidence or ac...

A little understood part of the Neophyte ceremony involves the Invisible Stations of the 42 Assessors, who related to the 42 parts of the Negative Confession attributed to Ma'at in the 125th Chapter of the Egyptian Book of the Dead (used extensively for the Neophyte grade). There are many different versions of this Negative Confession, where the soul confesses what sins they have not committed, and their heart is then weighed against the feather of Ma'at, to be granted eternal life should they not be weighed down by sin, or be cast into the mouth of a waiting demon if they fail. Although it is nigh impossible for any of us to ever really be able to make such a Negative Confession with utmost honesty (for surely we err on one matter at the very least [for example, number 8]), it's an important principle to explore in terms of the 42 Assessors of the Neophyte Hall. The following translation is from E.A. Wallis Budge: The Negative Confession 1. Hail, Strider, coming forth fr...

A very simple exercise called the Darkness Technique is employed by many Golden Dawn groups nowadays as a preliminary visualisation and meditation process. In simple terms, it involves covering your eyes with your hands, allowing no light in, and looking into that darkness, employing a deep, calming breath (I usually employ the Four-fold Breath with this). However, let’s look at it on a deeper level. Apparent Meaning (Exoteric): This technique has multiple practical uses. For one, cutting out the visual foci allows the student to concentrate on a single thing: the darkness before them, as well as their breathing. Secondly it acts as a form of sense deprivation, akin to what might be experienced in the deep darkness of a cave. This aids visualisation as it can stimulate the visual faculties from the very absence of visual cues, thereby resulting in hallucination if overdone, or, when practiced correctly, a more developed skill of visualisation, essential to magickal practice. Spiritual ...

Another book review for you. This time it's What You Should Know About The Golden Dawn by Israel Regardie. You can read it here: "What You Should Know About The Golden Dawn" Book Review

One of the things that pops up in the account of the history of the Golden Dawn is when Mathers sent a manifesto to all the Adepti, demanding their obedience or face expulsion or demotion. It's interesting to read this document, not just for insight into Mathers' paranoia and autocratic mind, but for the following: "What I discountenance and will check and punish whenever I find it in the Order is the attempt to criticise and interfere with the private life of Members of the Order. Neither will I give the Wisdom of the Gods to those who endeavour to use it as a means of justifying intolerance, intermeddling, and malicious self-conceit. The private life of a person is a matter between himself and herself and his or her God; and no person who has taken the Obligation of 5 - 6, and studied the same can be ignorant of its causes and penalties." - Mathers' Manifesto There is more on this, but the above should be enough to get the point across. At the time, of course...

One of the most common questions (and, indeed, heated debates) in Golden Dawn communities nowadays is whether or not self-initiation is valid. The opinions on the matter are often so starkly contrasting that new students don't know what to believe. The intent of this post is to explore this matter from both sides, offering my own thoughts for good measure. Regardie believed that self-initiation was valid. He believed that the LBRP, MPR, and Opening by Watchtower in particular, if performed daily for a period of months and years, would change the energetic level of the candidate, and invoke transformative and initiatory powers, sufficiently enough that they could consider themselves to be initiated, even into the Adeptus Minor grade. He believed that the Order in the 1930s was suffering from spiritual erosion, which seems to be an apt assessment from what we see of the history of the time, with documents being omitted, and high-ranking officers claiming grades they did not understan...

Although the Golden Dawn did not celebrate the Solstices (choosing the Equinoxes for their more balanced energies and symbolism), these are still highpoints of the year that deserve some form of marking. I'd like to offer the following prayer in honour of Sol, our Star, our Sun. Today we celebrate the Summit of the Sun; Hail Sol, Lord of Light at his Zenith! The Long Dark of Winter has been defeated, And yet must we prepare for the plunge Back into that World of Darkness, For all must plummet after a peak. This is your Peak, Sol, Shemesh Au r! Should the Darkness cover us, As it does in the depths of Winter, Even the very Night shall be turned into Day unto you, Lord of Light, Sol Invictus , Sol Triumphant! In this passing moment of your sovereignty May we take the time to ponder on your rays, On the vitalising energies you offer unto us, A daily Eucharist, where Night turns to Day, And we eat of you in ways we do not know; Let us endeavour then to know, That we might come to respe...

"For Magic does not countenance a retreat from life, an escape from the turmoils of the world; it seeks only to transmute what was dross into gold, and transform the base and low into the pure and splendid." - Israel Regardie, What You Should Know About The Golden Dawn

I recently wrote a book review of The Essential Golden Dawn by Chic & Sandra Tabatha Cicero. You can check it out here: "The Essential Golden Dawn" Book Review I will be posting more book reviews over time. If there are any books you would like me to tackle, feel free to leave a comment. If you are an author or publisher and would like me to review your book or a book by one of your authors, also leave a comment to get in contact with me.

It is the duty of all who climb the ladder to help those one rung down.

For any of you familiar with this basic rite in the Golden Dawn system, you might have wondered exactly why we draw the point of Malkuth at the heart centre, which is actually Tiphareth. This is usually explained away with an exoteric reasoning, which is perfectly valid (and I agree with it), but I recently came to a new realisation about this, an esoteric understanding of what it is and does on another level. I think this is an important point, and I'd like to share it here: Apparent Meaning (Exoteric): The proper place of Malkuth is at the feet, but to reach there we must stoop and bend down. This disturbs our grace and may cancel the affirmative divine energies imparted through the rite by making the student self-conscious. To those with physical difficulties it may also be impossible to reach the feet, or dangerous to bend in such a manner. On a final note, pointing to the heart puts us in communion with our Christian fellows, who utilise an alternate form of this rite (th...

I wrote a new poem today on the topic of demons (some of you might find the terminology used in the poem interesting and familiar). You can check it out here: Demons by Dean F. Wilson We all have to face our demons some day. Indeed, the very phrase "face your demons" is ingrained in our modern psyche, but what exactly does it mean? In Jungian terms it is the Shadow, all the parts of ourselves we do not like, the parts we ignore and repress; and one day it rebels against us, like a child locked away in his bedroom. In the end we find we neglect our Shadow. But is it the same as our demons? Is our Shadow made up from our demons? It is the Nephesh of the Qabalah, our animal nature, and it does us the good service of taking all our unwanted junk. Its reward: we shun and ignore it. We must, of course, sacrifice our demons, our Lower Self, before the altar of the Higher. But we also need to open the locked door; we need to make amends for our neglect, for ultimately we find that...

If you are familiar with Pat Zalewski’s work, you’ve probably seen his Z-5 books for the Neophyte and Zelator grades. However, it was originally intended to span the entire Outer Order grades. So, whatever happened to it? Where’s the rest of it? I asked these questions recently and found some interesting answers. It seems that Pat originally intended this to be all one book, but Llewellyn, being a publisher interested in making money, wanted to split them up into individual books, forcing people to buy seven books as opposed to a single one. Pat was against the idea, as he felt that sales would suffer, which, given the limited audience of the topics the book dealt with, was exactly what occurred. And so it was cancelled. To say that it was a big shame would be quite an understatement. This is valuable material from the Whare Ra lodge that all serious Golden Dawn students should have access to. Knowing this, Pat decided to self-publish it as a single volume, which was called Golden Dawn...

For any of you interested in alchemy, you may like this poem of mine, published a few months ago in Haruah magazine: Morimur by Dean F. Wilson Feel free to add comments or recommend subjects or topics to be tackled poetically.

Some of you may be curious about the title of this blog. Apart from the "Quit the Night & Seek the Day!" part, it doesn't sound very Golden Dawn, does it? In a sense, you're right, it doesn't, and it's not supposed to, even though this is "advertised" as a Golden Dawn blog. Hebrew ( Leshon ha-Qodesh , the Holy Tongue) is a language that absolutely fascinates me, and I have to thank the Golden Dawn for introducing me to it and it to me. English is my mother tongue, and yet I feel at home with Hebrew in a way that I cannot really say of any other language. Perhaps it is the spiritual nature, not to mention the depth, that reverberates with me, but whatever it is, as a Qabalist (who has no problem describing himself as either a Gnostic, Jew, or Christian), this language sings to my heart and opens the doors to Gnosis. Daleth ha-Da'ath. My sermon and praise aside, the title of this blog is Mishkan ha-Echad . Any of you familiar with Fr. Achad wi...