Golden Dawn Blog by Frater Yechidah

I have discovered an interesting point in a letter by Annie Horniman from 1902, which states: "S.R.M.D. [Mathers] made a great point to me about putting the 5=6 Obligation at the end of the book instead of in its place in the First Point. He gave me to understand that he had good reasons for this, something as to having received the Ceremony & Obligation from different sources or occasions." By coincidence (or perhaps not), I was inclined to do the same in The Complete Initiation Rituals of the Golden Dawn , where the 5=6 Obligation (as Ritual J) is given in the Appendices at the end of the book and not as part of the main 5=6 Ritual (some original copies of the Ritual were done this way, while others had the Obligation, also termed the Book of the Oath, given within the body of the Ritual). When it comes time for a new edition of The Complete Initiation Rituals of the Golden Dawn , I will add the above information in a footnote. However, as this will not be for many year...

After the schism of 1900, Edward William Berridge (Resurgam) took over the London branch of the Order loyal to Mathers. This has been documented previously in some history books and online timelines as the "Isis Temple", and many have assumed that this was a new Temple, particularly with information suggesting it was "No. 11". The problem with this assumption is that there is contradicting evidence, which suggests it was actually still called "Isis-Urania", and thus was likely seen as a continuation of the Temple No. 3 founded in 1888 (Temples No. 1 and 2 being fictional). Consider, for example, the reverse of a surviving Admission Badge from this Temple, dated Sep 1910: Another example from the same collection (currently held in The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall, England):   Both clearly show "Isis-Urania-Temple". There are numerous other examples of this.   Further, on 18 January and 22 February 1902, letters by Resurgam (Berridge)...

Each Equinox a new Pass Word is chosen, acting as a means to distinguish members from those who have demitted, resigned, or been expelled. It also acts as a link with the Solar Light, as per Mathers' explanation in Ritual Z3.  More than this, however, I would argue it is, as it were, a form of motto for the Order for the half-year period in question, and since the motto is intended to represent one's "higher occult aim or aspirations," the Pass Word can thus be seen to represent the highest occult aim or aspirations of the Order for that Equinoctial period. Its use, then, in addition to bringing into action the link with the Solar Light, is a form of invocation of the forces cognizant with the word chosen. A simple, yet powerful, formula. Groups bearing the GD moniker today likely use all manner of Pass Words, depending on what is important to them and their leaders, either chosen directly (with intent) or through some mystical means (such as the Ring and Disk of ThAM...

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...

It may seem strange at first when some people encounter the diagram of the Kerubim and the Flaming Sword in the 1=10 Grade, which shows on either side of the Flaming Sword the heads (and only the heads) of the two Great Angels Metatron and Sandalphon, both of whom have horns. These same angels are also drawn with horns on the Great Seal that is found on the Obligation and Membership Scroll of the Second Order. Generally when we think of horned entities we think of devils and demons, not angels, so this can be quite a surprise to many, and may even lead some to question the nature of these depictions. This view of horned beings was not always the case, however. For example, Moses was often depicted with horns, based on a translation of Exodus 34:29 in the Vulgate, where the Hebrew קרן ( qaran ) became the Latin cornuta (meaning "horned"). The Hebrew word can also be translated as "to display horns" (or, more simply, "horned"), based on its root...

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...

Every so often I encounter some "rules" regarding how old one should be before embracing the occult, or comments that dismiss the role and contribution younger people have made. While some of these have some logic behind them, many of them are based on the presumption that older equals wiser (which, unfortunately, is not always the case). It is well known that some Rabbis, such as Shabbatai HaKohen, suggested that a man should not study the Qabalah until he is at least 40, and that this gives him time to live life, have and raise a family, and thoroughly learn Jewish tradition and law. Yet, according to Professor Elliot Wolfson, the Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at NYU, this rule was not widely followed, with many Qabalists starting out before 40, and some not even living to 40 years of age. “For the most part, I do not see that this was ever taken too seriously until recent times,” Wolfson said, according to MyJewishLearning . “As inte...

When many in the modern Golden Dawn community first encountered the 5=6 sash worn by W.B. Yeats, which is on display at the National Library of Ireland, it presented what appeared like a very unusual design, with some suggesting that Yeats added symbols of his own. Even today it is often called the "Yeats sash," as if it was entirely unique to him. Yeats' 5=6 sash (Image  © National Library of Ireland) The reality, however, is that this sash design is actually the official one, and was what all original Order members used, not the typical version we see all over the internet today. For example, here is Aleister Crowley's one: Aleister Crowley's 5=6 sash In case one might think this is a fluke, there are several other surviving sashes from original Order members, including ones attributed to A.E. Waite and W.A. Ayton, dated to c. 1892, the year when the Inner Order was formally established. There is even one from around 1920. All of these bear ...

Obsession is something that occurs in all walks of like, but doubly so within the occult world, where there are many things to fixate upon, and many ways for the magician to lose control and end up being controlled by outside forces. Mathers and Westcott frequently issued warnings about this. A student might, for example, feel a special affinity with a number. Let us say 10, since it is the number of Sephiroth. Then they might start to obsess about it, seeing it everywhere, and thinking there is some greater significance than that which they are affording to it from their own behaviour. They suddenly note that they stopped reading a book on page 10 (despite ignoring that they stopped on page 6 the night before), keep noticing the number 10 bus (despite ignoring all the hundreds of other numbered buses they encounter perhaps more frequently), and start to let the number rule their life. Then the occult meaning is irrelevant, as the true value of the relevant teachings of that numbe...

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...

Peregrin Wildoak (author of By Names & Images: Bringing the Golden Dawn to Life ) posted a very interesting interview with Nick Farrell , head of the Magical Order of Aurora Aurea , about his latest book on Samuel Mathers and the Golden Dawn, King Over the Water . Check it out here.

In February of this year Nick Farrell, the head of the Magical Order of Aurora Aurea , released Mathers' Last Secret: The Rituals & Teachings of the Alpha et Omega . The book caused a stir among many people and groups. Some were pleased to see more unpublished documents shared with the wider public, while others saw it as a further profanation of the Golden Dawn system. It's technically the second book in a three part series, with the first originally intended to be published by Thoth Publications a few years ago. It's almost guaranteed that the other two books will cause further controversy within Golden Dawn circles, but they provide some valuable information about the Alpha et Omega, the order that Mathers established when the original GD split.

The topic of fraternity has recently come up, and it is such an important issue that it deserves some special attention. Fraternity is the cornerstone of all organisations, especially those which deal with the occult. It is one of the primary reasons any of us join an Order (or any community) in the first place. To be fraternal is to treat others as a Brother or Sister, and, while this means to do so in the spiritual sense, we need to examine the biological aspect to understand exactly how it works. A physical brother or sister may, for example, be annoying, insulting, or any other denigratory term one wishes to apply; however, they are still one's flesh and blood and a certain platonic love is extended (or should be) even at the worst of times, while the closeness that can occur between biological siblings is a testament to the fraternal bonds that can be formed in the best of times. So should it be for us spiritual siblings. Thus a basic civility and compassion is required, often...

"It is possible for you to be word perfect in all the knowledge of the Zelator Adeptus Minor Grade, and to know all its ceremonies by rote, and yet unless you can really and profoundly grasp their inner meaning, an uninitiated person who has a strong will, faith, reverence, self-sacrifice and perseverence, may be more truly a Magician than you." - S. L. MacGregor Mathers, Manifesto (1896)

"Concerning the Secret Chiefs of the Order, to whom I make reference and from whom I have received the Wisdom of the Second Order which I have communicated to you, I can tell you nothing . I do not even know their earthly names. I know them only by certain mottoes. I have but very rarely seen them in the physical body; and on such rare occasions the rendezvous was made astrally by them at the time and place which had been astrally appointed beforehand. For my part I believe them to be human and living upon the earth but possessing terrible superhuman powers. When such rendezvous has been in a much frequented place, there has been nothing in their personal appearance or dress to mark them out as differing in any way from ordinary people except the appearance and sensation of transcendental health and physical vigour (whether they seemed persons in youth or in age) which was their invariable accompaniment. In other words, the physical appearance which the possession of the Elixir...

Every so often the topic of asceticism is brought up, and some wonder how it applies to the Golden Dawn, and if there is any official policy on it. Some wonder whether or not they may have to give up the recreational use of illegal drugs, or perhaps even alcohol or caffeine, or abstinence from sex and other worldy pleasures. For the latter topic of sex, the relationship of MacGregor and Moina Mathers is an interesting topic of debate, but it seems clear that Mathers, while perhaps choosing a life of sexual abstinence with Moina, did not encourage others to do likewise, and seemed to defend Crowley when others were judging his worthiness on the basis of his sexual promiscuity (among other things). While there was no official policy on one's private sex life (after all, it was supposed to be private, and Mathers was a staunch defender of such), we may potentially gleam some insight to what might have been considered an "unofficial policy", stemming from the Cromlech Temple,...

Sex is a controversial subject no matter where it arises, but doubly so when it is relation to a secret society. It is well known, for example, that some of the higher grades of the OTO give teachings on sexual magic, but it is a cause of some debate about how sex is dealt with, if at all, in the Golden Dawn. There has been much misinformation and confusion, partly due, in my opinion, to one modern Golden Dawn order which has included Third Order grades and filled them with sex magic teachings. Some of the confusion may have arisen before this, however, from certain statements and actions taken by some Order members. But first, let us look at MacGregor and Moina Mathers, the two leading forces in the Order once Westcott had resigned. While they were married, they never consummated the marriage, and never engaged in sexual activity whatsoever (or, at least, so it is claimed). In 1895 Moina wrote to Annie Horniman about her views on sex, the sexual abstinence she and her husband undertoo...

Photo copyright by R.A. Gilbert Sincerus Renatus at his blog Gyllene Gryningen (which I believe is Swedish for Golden Dawn ) posted a very interesting defence of Mathers yesterday, including a response to one of my recent posts on the speculation that Mathers was behind the events leading to Westcott's resignation (see here ). He raises some important points, and, while I do not agree with them all, I believe it is important to share the link, since it is a topical debate. Below you can find my response to his findings: An Apology of Mathers by S.R. Firstly, there is the matter of Westcott denying being the author of the R.R. et A.C. material, but fervently defending his assertion that the origin of the Outer Order material is his, and that Mathers was little more than a paid scribe for those materials (all of which had their origins in the Cipher Manuscripts anyhow, which neither Westcott or Mathers wrote). These words from Westcott are so important that I feel the need to share ...