Golden Dawn Blog by Frater Yechidah

Hebrew is a difficult language for English speakers to grasp initially, as it works very differently, particularly with its lack of vowels. However, there are a number of 'rules of thumb' that can help people considerably with it. The Holy Tongue The first thing to note is that Hebrew ( Ibrith or Ivrith -  ע ב ר י ת ) was intended as a holy language from the start, called by many the Leshon ha-Qodesh ( ל ש ו ן  ה ק ו ד ש ) , the Tongue of Holiness. It was a language studied by Rabbis and held in great reverence, so much so that it became part of the philosophical and religious teachings of the Jews. It's very different to other languages that we might use in magic, such as Latin and Greek, as it was never intended to be spoken in everyday life. Some people objected to the idea of the language being used in mainstream society in Israel towards the end of the 19th Century, but it is now a spoken language in addition to being used for religious purposes. Vowels Hebrew h...

Hebrew is one of the first things people learn when they initiate into the Golden Dawn, and it crops up consistently throughout all the grades. The problem is many people never look beyond a cursory knowledge of it and take the Knowledge Lectures at face value, but there are many errors in them and various other books that continue to this day. Sandra Tabatha Cicero covered some of these in an  excellent blog post last week, but another one I came across recently was the spelling of Haniel with an extra Aleph. Regardie's book shows the spelling as HANIAL ( ה א נ י א ל ), but in the Tanakh, where the name originates, it is spelled HNIAL ( ה נ י א ל ). Generally speaking Alephs are not needed to mark a vowel in the middle of a word, but many people have a habit of putting an Aleph anywhere they see an 'a'. Aleph is not a vowel, it's a silent consonant that acts as a place-holder for a vowel (for example, at the beginning of a word) or as a glottal stop.  A particul...

As initiates progress through the Outer Order a number of obstacles can get in their way, which can distract them from the Work and slow or stall their progress. Just as some people try to rush through the grades, others might become stuck in their current grade and end up with too much of that element. The problem is particularly apparent in the grades of Practicus and Philosophus, which relate to the elements of Water and Fire respectively. These two elements are the extremes and these grades are not on the Middle Pillar, like Zelator and Theoricus, so they are intrinsically more imbalanced. Dwelling too long in these grades, in particular, but also in any of the other grades, can create an extreme over-abundance and imbalance of that element in a person, to the point of it being potentially dangerous. The paths leading to these Sephiroth, and certain other parts of the Golden Dawn system, attempt to mitigate the intense imbalance of these grades, but ultimately ...

One of the things I encounter frequently on forums and through emails are requests for information about local temples which prospective candidates can approach. Often these requests are coupled with complaints about there being no Golden Dawn presence in their area. So, start your own temple. If you think about it, all of the existing temples today were started when someone took some initiative. They got a few people together and made their own temple. Some even formed their own order, others joined an existing order, and others yet decided to remain independent. It's easier than you'd think. Simply get a few like-minded people together in your area or country, start a study group, and let it develop from there. Some people might not want it to become more formal, in which case you could employ a study group as a kind of outer court to the temple, but ultimately if you want to get things going you have to take some risks. You cannot wait for the Golden Dawn, or any traditio...

My Ritual of Tiqqun is in the latest issue of Hermetic Virtues , but the Introduction was left out, so here it is in full for those who might find it useful explaining a bit about what the ritual is all about: Tiqqun (or Tikkun ) is one of the pivotal teachings of the Qabalah, receiving a lot of attention in the original Jewish writings, but it has often been forgotten or barely explored in the Hermetic tradition, despite it being a vital aspect of theory and practice. Tiqqun means “Restoration” or “Repairing” and is often coupled with the word Olam , referring to the Restoration of the World. This has a particular importance in the Lurianic tradition, where the teaching on the Breaking of the Vessels includes directions on employing prayer and ritual to restore the Tree to its former glory. A particular focus is the state of Malkuth as a “pendulum” Sephirah, having fallen from its previous position much higher in the Tree. Now it borders on the Qlippoth, in some ways being the c...

A special Ritual Edition of Hermetic Virtues is out and it includes quite a few interesting rituals (and some other articles), including a little something from yours truly. My introduction was left out, so you can check that out here instead. The contents for the latest issue are: + Outer Order Ritual of the Seven-Branched Candlestick by Sandra Tabatha Cicero + The Magician by Harry Wendrich + Lycanthropy in the Golden Dawn Tradition by John Michael Greer + The Golden Dawn Bornless Invocation by Aaron Leitch + Opening the Temple in Malkuth First Part - Opening Malkuth by Jayne Gibson + Practice Ritual for opening the Elemental Grades in the Outer by Frater A.M. + The unpublished original GD method of consecrating a sword by Nick Farrell + Scrying Mirror Consecration Ritual by Samuel Scarborough + The Three Courts of the Seven Sisters; into the Vault of Enoch by Frater L + Ritual of Tiqqun by Dean Wilson Check it out at the Hermetic Vir...