Golden Dawn Blog by Frater Yechidah

  The long-awaited and much-requested standard paperback edition of Frater Yechidah's behemoth tome The Complete Knowledge Lectures & Side Lectures of the Golden Dawn (~700 pages, ~5k footnotes, and 21 Appendices) is now available on Amazon. Buy it here

A widely-shared view of the goal and method of the Golden Dawn's Outer Order, in particular, but also the system as a whole — which I have also shared at one point — is to improve the self, to go through an alchemical process of change (often seen today in psychological terms), which typically involves breaking down one's life, one's fears, one's desires, one's weaknesses, and one's strengths, into Elemental aspects, which are then explored, strengthened, addressed, or balanced in each of the Elemental Grades (at least from the modern perspective). While entirely admirable, and not without a measure of success — as experienced by many who have followed this approach — this conflicts with some of the official instructions given on how the Order (at least in its original incarnation, and subsequent form in the A.O.) approached things. Consider, for example, this extract from Flying Roll XX ("The Constitution of Man", a lecture delivered on 23 September 1...

The Sigils of the Scales form an integral part of the symbol set employed by the Golden Dawn, combining with the Colours of the Scales to help pinpoint specific worlds, powers, and energies. Yet public knowledge of them has been limited, thanks to them being omitted from Regardie's tome, resulting in a major piece of the Order's corpus being left out of many people's work. So, what are the Sigils of the Scales? Here is an example of them below, from at the back of the Tarot papers of G.D. member M.W. Blackden (dated 7 June, 1899): (An aside: the Scales of Prince and Princess are sometimes referred to as Emperor and Empress respectively, while the list here names them in relation to the traditional Court Cards. The Prince Scale is also sometimes referred to as the Child Scale, or Scale of the Children of the Forces.) Like many parts of the G.D. corpus, we do not know their exact origin (indeed, Florence Farr seems to have looked for this elsewhere, at least in relation to th...

  DUBLIN, IRELAND – Kerubim Press, independent publisher of occult books, is proud to announce our latest publication, The Complete Knowledge Lectures & Side Papers of the Golden Dawn , the most thorough and authoritative version of the Outer Order curriculum of the original Order of the Golden Dawn to date, encompassing the grades from 0=0 through 4=7, marking the first time this material is fully and accurately available in print. If you think you’ve already read these papers, think again! Current published versions, in both print and online, are either the later Stella Matutina versions or are riddled with errors, missing entire sections and numerous diagrams, while some papers are rare or have never been published before (including the full instructions for the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, which are not found in Regardie’s book). All of this is corrected in this new, comprehensive edition. Additionally, Frater Yechidah has painstakingly compared numerou...

Volume 4 of the Golden Dawn journal series  The Light Extended  is out now, published by Kerubim Press.  Get your copy on Amazon CONTENTS - Artists of the Golden Dawn by Sandra Tabatha Cicero - A Morgenrothe Manuscript with an Introduction by Tony Fuller - The Z.2 Formula of the Magic of the Light—A Ritual of Spiritual Development by Jayne Gibson - Apologia—On the Middle Pillar Exercise: Both Original and New by Samuel Scarborough - Planets, Stars & Tarot Cards: Astro-Tarotic Transposition in the Golden Dawn Tradition by Jaime Paul Lamb - The Seven Degrees of Adam by J.P.F. - Ritual for the Formation, Building and Consecration of a Body Wherein to Travel, Manifest and Act in Freedom from the Bounds and Limitations of Matter Edited, transcribed, & introduced by Alex Sumner - Zelator Astrology: The Aspects by Frater Manu Forti - The Symbolism of the Lamen of the Rose Cross by Frater Goya - Thaumaturgy: The Use of Low Magic in the Golden Dawn Initiation Process by Fr...

Volume 3 of the Golden Dawn journal series The Light Extended is out now, published by Kerubim Press.  Get your copy on Amazon CONTENTS - Preface by Tony Fuller - On Tracing Signs in the Golden Dawn Tradition by Samuel Scarborough - Self Isolation in the Golden Dawn Tradition by Alex Sumner - Nephthys: A Suggested Patron Goddess for the 6=5 Grade by Jayne Gibson - Commentaries on the Stella Matutina Grade Meditations by Jaime Paul Lamb - Practicus Astrology: The Meaning of the Hylech and Anareta by Frater Manu Forti - The 76 Names of Metatron by J.P.F. - Protheus: On the Assumption of the Forms of the Eternal Gods by Adam P. Forrest - How the Golden Dawn Hath Travelled and the Gods Within by Soror DPF - S.L. Mathers and the Rosicrucian Order of the Alpha et Omega by Darcy Küntz - Tarot Workings in the Golden Dawn: Some Practical Notes on the Opening of the Key by Frater Yechidah - The Gnome: A Retelling of the Popular German Story by the Brothers Grimm Retold by Frater YShY PRAIS...

As a traditionalist myself, I have sometimes been accused of "fundamentalism" or similar hyperbolic slurs, but this stems from a massive misunderstanding of what it means to be a traditionalist in the GD sense. It does not mean living in the past or merely re-enacting history, but actually working first and foremost with the historical material, as is (unaltered and corrected from the mountain of errors, including errors of omission, that have accrued over the years), and then using that material as the foundation to expand upon and develop, while being mindful that "innovations" should not contradict the essence (or even, at times, the rule) of the material that has come before, knowing that all aspects are deeply interwoven, and alterations to one will have consequences for the whole. In this sense, then, traditionalism is about being open enough, diligent enough, and humble enough, to learn what is actually there, before assuming one's personal ideas or revel...

Kerubim Press is publishing a new journal on the teachings of the Order of the Golden Dawn, with contributions from many big names in the esoteric community.   CONTENTS How the Mighty Have Fallen: A Golden Dawn Perspective on the Fallen Angels, Goetic Spirits, and the Qlippoth by Chic Cicero and S. Tabatha Cicero The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram: The Foundational Ritual of the Golden Dawn Tradition by Samuel Scarborough The Lord of the Universe by Frater YShY Private Ritual for Influencing a Person for Good: or to Correct Evil Habits (Stella Matutina) with an Introduction by Tony Fuller Theurgy and the Body of Light by Jayne Gibson On the 42 Assessors of the Hall of the Two Truths: A Supplemental Z Libellus on the Enterer of the Threshold for the Study and Practice of the Adepta Major by Adam P. Forrest Ἑκάς ἑκάς ἐστε βέβηλοι (Hekas Hekas Este Bebeloi) by Soror DPF Skrying in Theory & Practice by Alex Sumner Thelema and the Golden Dawn: Spattin...

A common query among those working the Golden Dawn system is why the Sephirah Yesod (and Theoricus) is attributed to Air instead of Water (after all, it is linked with the Moon, which affects the tides), and why the Sephirah Hod (and Practicus) is attributed to Water (when it is also assigned to the more intellectual, or airy, planet of Mercury). It almost seems like it's reversed, an apparent elemental inconsistency. There are several reasons for why the Elements are assigned to their particular Sephiroth and Grades . A few of the factors are as follows: 1. There is a Qabalistic principle (see the Sepher Yetzirah ) that Air is the reconciler between Fire and Water, and so neither Water nor Fire can be attributed to any Sephirah on the central pillar. They alternate sides, while Air takes the central balancing point between them. 2. The Elements of the Grades are assigned based on the Tetragrammaton: Yod (Fire), Heh (Water), Vav (Air), Heh Final (Earth). Since we work ou...

“Picking up where Enochian Magic in Theory left off, this new volume explores the practical aspects of the Enochian tradition, such as prayer and devotion, skrying and astral vision, communicating with angels, interpretation of visions and symbols, the importance of the Enochian ritual tools, the making of Enochian talismans, angelic evocation, and more. Frater Yechidah also provides us with some example rituals—such as openings for both the Sigillum Dei Aemeth and the Great Table, the invocation of Heptarchic and Watchtower angels, skrying the Aethyrs/Parts of the Earth, and several sample records of astral visionary experiences. The author even explores the rarely-mentioned Gebofal operation—the opening of the 48 Gates of Heaven. “As he did in the first volume, Frater Yechidah has overcome the decades of contention between Dee-purist and post-Golden Dawn Enochian tradition, choosing instead to draw from both sides of the fence. He covers material found only in Dee's ori...

"In recent years it has become fashionable for those who follow the 'Dee Purist' Tradition to dismiss the Golden Dawn's contribution to the Enochian System of Magic. However, as Frater Yechidah reminds us, 'the changes or innovations the Golden Dawn made were clearly made with intent, and were largely based on precedences within the Dee diaries themselves.' Enochian Magic in Practice clearly explodes the myth that Golden Dawn Enochian Magic begins and ends with the Elemental Watchtowers. In this sequel to Enochian Magic in Theory , the author examines portions of Dee's diaries with the eyes of an experienced practitioner and decodes their sometimes cryptic meanings. This book builds upon the previous work and provides readers with an effective system for practical Enochian ritual magic that yields results. Highly recommended for anyone who seeks an in-depth, working knowledge of the Angelic System." — Charles "Chic" Cicero and San...

"This book is one of the most concise and detailed books on the practical application of Dr. John Dee’s magical system. Frater Yechidah skillfully combines many of Dee’s original practices with the techniques from the original manuscripts of the Order of the Golden Dawn to produce a truly practical manual. Any Adept studying Enochian Magic should have this book as a guide through which this complex world of Enochian Magic is fully explained." — Darcy Küntz,  editor of The Enochian Experiments of the Golden Dawn

It is perhaps well-known today that much of the published corpus of Golden Dawn material contains errors and altered text, some minor, some much more significant. It is likely less well-known that there are some issues with the attribution of documents. I outline two examples from the Flying Rolls below. Flying Roll XI, on Clairvoyance , is rightly attributed to Mathers, but the actual wording of it comes from Westcott, as we can see in this full title and attribution: Flying Roll XI "Clairvoyance" A MS in the words and language of G.H. Fra. N.O.M. written out from his Notes of a lecture delivered extempore By the G.H. Frater D.D.C.F. 7=4 Chief Adept of England [added in pencil: by NOM. March 1893] We see from the above that Mathers gave his lecture "extempore," which means without preparation, and Westcott took notes of this, before assembling them into this Flying Roll. This is important, because the content is from Mathers, but the...

As a follow-up to my previous blog post , questioning the supposed rule that a Rosicrucian cannot claim to be a Rosicrucian, I have discovered some additional references that really do make it clear that the Golden Dawn founders, at least, did not accept this view (and, indeed, violated it, if there ever was such a rule then to violate), and it was also not (and still is not) held by many others within the wider Rosicrucian community. 1. Mathers wrote an open letter that was published in the public occult journal Lucifer (run by the Theosophical Society) in 1889 (just one year after the founding of the GD), challenging a group called the Order of the Dew and the Light, which claimed to be the true and only descendants of the "Fraternitas Rosae Crucis." He explicitly stated that he was writing "on behalf of the Metropolitan College of the Rosicrucian Society of England," openly named Woodman as head of that same order, and stated that Westcott was Secre...

A common view espoused today is that a Rosicrucian may not claim to be a Rosicrucian, that doing so essentially shows that he or she is not actually a member of that Fraternity. Peregrin Wildoak raised this topic in his recent blog post with a number of sources for this rule, and though the sources may appear initially compelling, there are a number of issues which make me question just how authentic this prohibition really is, and how valid it is in the context of the Golden Dawn. 1. The primary sources for Rosicrucianism are, of course, the Fama and Confessio , and it is the Fama that gives us six articles that the ancient brethren bound each other to keep. The first two of these concern us, given that they are cited as evidence for the aforementioned rule. "1. First, That none of them should profess any other thing than to cure the sick, and that gratis.   2. None of the Posterity should be constrained to wear one certain kind of habit, but therein to foll...

For decades, the designs on the Lamens worn by the Officers in Golden Dawn ceremonies has largely been taken for granted, with the vast majority of people relying on or replicating the forms given in Israel Regardie's The Golden Dawn , or other books. The original source material shows some subtle, and not so subtle, differences, which I will highlight in this series of articles. To begin, let us look at the Lamens as given in Regardie's book: Next, let us look at the original designs drawn by Mathers, with his accompanying description beneath them (click the image for a larger version): There are numerous points of interest here, but for now I will focus on one that I think has been consistently overlooked: the fact that the Lamens of the Inferior Officers (Kerux, Stolistes, and Dadouchos) do not have a white circle (or border) around them. Of course, it is always possible that Mathers made a mistake, forgetting to add the circles, but the descript...

For some years there has been some debate on what the "true" name of the Golden Dawn was, whether it was Hermetic, Esoteric, Rosicrucian, or something else entirely. Some suggest it was one or the other, and that all other descriptors are wrong, but history says otherwise. Firstly, if we look at the rituals themselves, the terminology used is "Order of the Golden Dawn in the Outer." This is, to the best of my knowledge, universal in all surviving copies of the original Order rituals. The Ordinances give: "The First Order of the G.D. in the Outer." The Bye-laws of Isis-Urania give: "Order of the G.D. in the Outer." Circulars issued to members announcing meeting times also use this form. Likewise, the temple warrants use the same. However, all labels on Order documents contained the title "Hermetic Order of the G.D." To muddy the waters a little more, the title page of some documents gives: "Hermetic Students...

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...