Golden Dawn Blog by Frater Yechidah

Recently I was asked about the colours of Malkuth by a member of my Temple and it brought to mind the multiple arguments that are possible over the shades, tones, and vibrancy of the colours we use within the Golden Dawn system, and how often different Temples and magicians disagree, or, in some cases, contest each others' use of those colours in important pieces of ritual furnishings, such as the Vault of the Adepti. While the Vault itself requires a detailed study and is a Great Work unto its own, I will address how I view the colour schemes for something a little more basic, and that is the four-fold scheme for Malkuth. The four colours traditionally used for Malkuth in the Golden Dawn system are citrine, olive, russet, and black, representing the four-fold division of the Elements, the Four Worlds, and the other four-fold schemata that are intrinsic to the Qabalistic teachings. In many instances we encounter pictures of a disc, such as the Earth Pentacle, or the Seal of the ...

There is a continuing lack of understanding regarding the placement of the grades upon the Tree of Life, particularly in terms of their elemental associations. I addressed some of the Golden Dawn reasoning behind the seemingly inconsistent placement of the Air grade of Theoricus in the watery Sephirah of Yesod (Luna) and the Water grade of Practicus in the airy grade of Hod (Mercury) in my article Reconciling An Elemental Inconsistency in Issue 6 of Hemetic Virtues. Here, however, I will highlight another aspect, which sheds light on the placement of the elements with the Sephiroth, or, conversely, sheds light on the choice of colours employed. Let us skip Zelator for now, which is Earth and Malkuth, and focus on the three primary elements of Air, Water, and Fire (Yesod/ Theoricus, Hod/Practicus, and Netzach/Philosophus respectively). The Sephirah of Yesod is coloured violet (or purple) in the Queen Scale (the most commonly employed of the four Colour Scales). The colour of Air is yel...

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 ...