Golden Dawn Blog by Frater Yechidah

A commonly-asked question is if the Pentagram employed in the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram (LRP) is associated with the Element of Earth. There is much confusion about this, which is understandable, given the myriad sources on the matter, and often arguments emphatically for and against.  It may surprise some who have learned otherwise that the answer is actually yes (though with some nuances). While copies of the LRP given to Neophytes do not reference the Elements at all, calling these simply an "Invoking Pentagram" or "Banishing Pentagram" (which makes sense, given they have not yet experienced the Elemental Grades), Adept material does refer (either explicitly, or by intimation) to the LRP Pentagrams as being of Earth. For example, here is a description from Ritual B (Ritual of the Pentagram): "In the Invoking Pentagram of Earth the Current descendeth from the Spirit to the Earth. In the Banishing Pentagram the Current is reversed. The Sigil of [Taurus] s...

Geomancy is probably the least practiced system taught by the Golden Dawn, and I believe the reason for this is how it was and is continuing to be taught. It is made to seem overly complex, like an elaborate mathematical equation, but underneath it all lies a much simpler system, and Earth Divination, Earth Magic by John Michael Greer exposes this simplicity to great effect. This book has two sections, the first covering the divinatory aspects of geomancy, which includes a brief history, an overview of the geomantic figures, the method of casting a chart, and then several methods of reading it. What is noteworthy about this section is that it contains many elements of teaching that are absent from the original GD documents on the subject, particularly in terms of interpreting the figures that have been obtained. The shield chart is also an extremely useful method of obtaining the figures which works in a very common-sense way. The multiple examples given bring the theory a little cl...

Geomancy is unique in that there is no one definitive way of obtaining the geomantic figures that start the process of the divination. There are no runes to throw or Tarot cards to shuffle, and thus there are many potential ways we can approach the formation of the four Mother figures in our geomantic readings. In this post I will highlight a few possibilities: 1. Stick & Sand Poking holes in the sand or soil is probably the oldest and most traditional method, probably originally employed in Arabian deserts. A simple branch or stick and a patch of soil offers the easiest and most cost-effective approach for those who frequent the wilderness often. The connection with the earth that this affords makes this one of the more ideal options. For those who prefer something that can be employed at home then a Geomantic Box can be created to store some soil, and a Geomantic Wand (created from a thin wooden dowel) can be used to poke the holes. An example of this, with instructions to ...

Geomancy (from the Greek ge , meaning earth, and manteia , meaning divination or prophecy) is the practice of divination by reading the signs of the earth, or more properly by a method relating to sixteen figures made up of a number of points or dots, an example of which can be seen above (they number sixteen because that is the maximum possible permutations of the binary figures over four lines). These figures are given various meanings, good, bane, and neutral, and are associated with a number of other things, such as zodiacal signs, planets, elements, and so forth. It is through these meanings and associations that an interpretation of a reading can be garnered by the geomancer. A chart of these geomantic figures and some of their associations is given below. The method of practice for geomancy requires that the geomancer obtain fifteen geomantic figures for their reading, divided into four Mothers, four Daughters, four Resultants (or Nieces or Nephews), two Witnesses, and one Judge...