Golden Dawn Blog by Frater Yechidah

In the modern Golden Dawn community, it is commonly believed that the Sentinel is not present after the 0=0 (or, in some cases, after the 1=10), but there is a significant body of evidence that shows that this was not the case in the original Order, that, in fact, the Sentinel stood outside the door of the Hall for all grades of the Outer Order. Before we explore this evidence, let us consider some of the reasons why the Sentinel "dropping out" has become the status quo: 1. The vast majority of ritual scripts, including the redacted Stella Matutina texts printed in Regardie's book, do not mention the Sentinel in 1=10 and above. In most cases, when the Kerux or Hegemon is asked to check if the Hall is properly guarded, the rubrics simply say "Done," "Does so," "This is done," "Having done so," or something equally vague. In some cases, no rubric is given at all. 2. There is an established pattern of officers dropping out...

For many, making magical tools is a significant challenge, and for some it is even an obstacle. After all, not everyone has woodworking or metalworking skills, so the Elemental Implements can seem quite daunting. Something that I found interesting when going through Ritual G was the wording for creating each of the implements. There is a subtle distinction between making/forming  two of them (the Wand and the Pentacle) and adapting the remaining two from existing objects (the Dagger and the Cup). For the Fire Wand, we are told that it is "convenient to make the wand of wood," though cane (or bamboo) with an existing hollow and notches presents an easy alternative. Yet either method requires some amount of assembly. For the Air Dagger, we are told that "any convenient dagger, or knife, or sword may be adapted for this purpose; the shorter the better." For the Water Cup, we are told that "any convenient clear glass cup may be adapted..." ...