Golden Dawn Blog by Frater Yechidah

The Unicursal Hexagram is widely believed to have been created by Aleister Crowley, but the reality is that it is a form introduced in a paper called Polygons and Polygrams , one of seven papers given out in the 4=7 grade of the Golden Dawn. Regardie did not publish this in its entirety, so it is not surprising there is some confusion, but the nature of this symbol according to the Golden Dawn is a bit different to what many Thelemites turned it into. As the image shows, this is not just another way to draw a standard hexagram, allowing for a single united line, but rather a symbol that denotes something entirely different. It is arguably more alchemical than planetary. It is classified as the third form of the hexangle and is called the "pseudo-hexagram" or "irregular third form." Its description is: "Denotes the presidency of the Sun and Moon over the Four Elements, united in, and proceeding from, the Spirit." It is not, therefore, a goo...

While going through some of my Golden Dawn papers I came across a diagram of two interlaced hexagrams, which show how the colours of the Zodiac signs are obtained. I have reproduced this here so that others wondering why, for example, Scorpio is "green-blue" can see the pattern. This diagram needs some explanation. The colours of the planets do not entirely match the Golden Dawn's system, either for the King or Queen Scales of either the planets themselves or the Sephiroth to which they are attributed. The problematic ones are Saturn (typically indigo, or if we take the colour of its Sephirah, black), Jupiter (typically violet, though blue is applicable to its Sephirah), Mercury (typically yellow, though orange is applicable to its Sephirah), and Sol (typically orange, though yellow is applicable to its Sephirah). These planetary colours appear largely drawn from the Greater Key of Solomon. Once we appoint six signs to the planets (Mercury to Gemini, for exam...

The word Adept brings a lot to mind, so much so that I believe it necessary to clarify some things regarding Adepts in the Golden Dawn system. Firstly, using the word Adept on its own is a bit of a misnomer, for the Golden Dawn classified Adepts based on just how much they knew and could do (within the context of the system). Those who are advanced to 5=6 were Adepti Minores, which shows that they are Lesser Adepts, in much the same way there is a Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram before the Supreme Ritual is taught. Only at 6=5 is an initiate an Adeptus Major and only at 7=4 is he or she an Adeptus Exemptus. Yet within these lofty grades are a set of sub-grades, which specify even further the level of the initiate. For example, in 5=6 we have the Neophyte Adeptus Minor, Zelator Adeptus Minor, Theoricus Adeptus Minor, Practicus Adeptus Minor, Philosophus Adeptus Minor, and finally Adept Adeptus Minor. All of that is before 6=5 is even approached. Of course, historically t...

Last year I explored the official view of the Order , spanning several decades, on the topic of mediums, one of the few areas of spiritual practice that was overtly prohibited by the founders of the Golden Dawn. In fact, while Mathers and Westcott disliked certain other groups (the Lake Harris school, the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor and the Rose Croix of Sir Peladan, for example), the Order took a stauncher view on mediumship and related practises, so much so that it became part of the Oath every initiate had to take. Here I will share some more examples of the Order's views on mediums, which might help clarify the matter and show that it was not a view taken lightly, nor was it only held for a certain period of time or by just one or two people in the Order. The first example is from Dr. William Berridge, who shows the Order's dislike of mediumship in one of his illustrations of experiences he had: "A lady, hoping to develop herself spiritually had all...

(An excerpt from the book S.R.I.A. Manual by Dr. George Winslow Plummer, published in 1923.) 1. Love God above all. To "love God" means to love wisdom and truth. We can love God in no other way than in being obedient to Divine law; and to enable us to exercise that obedience conscientiously requires knowledge of the law, which can only be gained by practice.  2. Devote your time to your spiritual advancement. As the sun without leaving his place in the sky sends his rays upon the earth to shine upon the pure and the impure, and to illuminate even the most minute material objects with his light; likewise the spirit of man may send his mental rays into matter to obtain knowledge of all terrestrial things; but there is no need that the spirit should thereby lose its own divine self-consciousness, and be itself absorbed by the objects of its perception. 3. Be entirely unselfish. Spiritual knowledge begins only where all sense of self ceases. Where the delusion wh...

31 May 2013—Dublin, Ireland—KERUBIM PRESS has announced the imminent release of its latest esoteric title, Commentaries on the Golden Dawn Flying Rolls by the Golden Dawn Community (ISBN 978-1-908705-07-5), due to launch on 14 June 2013. The book weighs in at 440 pages, packed not only with all 36 Flying Rolls (including rare material), but with additional magical teachings, historical insights, and commentaries from members of a variety of modern Golden Dawn orders, including well-known authors like Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero, Aaron Leitch, Nick Farrell and Peregrin Wildoak. Anyone working with the Golden Dawn system of magic, and, indeed, anyone working in the Western Mystery Tradition as a whole, will find this an indispensible addition to their bookshelves. Check out the back cover description: This book contains the 36 pivotal papers given to Adepts in the original Golden Dawn order, providing key insights and instructions into the theory and...

It is five years to the day since I posted on my Gnostic blog Henosis Decanus  about the relation of the planets to the Archons of Gnostic mythology . I was recently asked what my thoughts on this are after all these years, so let us explore this idea a little deeper. In the esoteric world we are often seen as being tied to the forces of our birth charts. Our strengths and weaknesses, our high points and low points, our ideals and aims, what drives us and holds us back, are all mapped out before us like an oracle, like the foretelling of our doom.  Indeed, it is often the case that many occultists will blame their chart for their problems, admitting a kind of fatalist thinking, where who and what we are is already decided, and cannot be deviated from. This is, in my opinion, an unacceptable approach for a magician, and certainly for a Gnostic. An adept who blames exterior forces for his or her problems is an adept hoping to escape responsibility, and thus this sho...

"The angels aspire to become men, for the perfect man, the man-God, is above every angel." — Eliphas Levi

Issue 5  of The Ruby Tablet , compiled and edited by Golden Dawn scholar Darcy Kuntz, has been released. Check it out and donate if you like the material. Contents The Rosy Cross in Russia Part 1 by A Russian Abracadabra Golden Dawn Research Trust The Rosy Cross in Russia Part 2 by A Russian Kerubim Press The Conjuration of Kronos by Frater Achad The Twelve Angels of the Zodiac Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Books Laws of the Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians The Mystery of the Lords Prayer Rosicrucian Order of the Golden Dawn Pasquales and his Elus Cohen by Sendivogius Skylight Press Astral Origins of the Zodic Signs The Ineffable Name by A[lexander] W[ilder]

In an interesting blog post Nick Farrell asked a pivotal, and yet frequently ignored, question about why some magic fails. He cited a number of reasons people have given over time, including classic cop-outs like God or your Higher Self saying no, and the more acceptable notion of psychological blocks. On the first topic, I do not personally believe that God or the Higher Self would refuse a request. This might be an acceptable idea in a devotional school of thought, but magicians do not simply go with the flow—they create and direct the flow. A magician is an active player in the universe, one who takes responsibility for his or her life. If a ritual for a job is performed and it does not work, then the magician cannot simply blame God and accept this as "the way it is meant to be." Such fatalistic thinking has no place in magic. So if external forces are not stopping us, that leaves internal forces. In many ways we are our own worst enemies, and part of the proces...

Hermetic Virtues has entered its sixth year, publishing articles on the Golden Dawn and general esoteric ideas and teachings from well-known magicians in the field. Check out the contents of the latest issue: + The Alchemical Hexagram by Chic and Tabatha Cicero + The Emperor by Harry Wendrich + The Grimoire of Arthur Gauntlet - A book review by Aaron Leitch + Group Work - an unpublished Whare Ra document - Mrs. Felkin with a commentary by Nick Farrell + Hidden Treasures of the Golden Dawn - A book review by Samuel Scarborough + Invocation of the Powers of Aquarius by Jayne Gibson + Astrological Magic - A book review by Samuel Scarborough + Becoming the Star Child by Nick Farrell + An Invocation of Kether by Samuel Scarborough You can order a copy here .