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...

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...

As initiates progress through the Outer Order a number of obstacles can get in their way, which can distract them from the Work and slow or stall their progress. Just as some people try to rush through the grades, others might become stuck in their current grade and end up with too much of that element. The problem is particularly apparent in the grades of Practicus and Philosophus, which relate to the elements of Water and Fire respectively. These two elements are the extremes and these grades are not on the Middle Pillar, like Zelator and Theoricus, so they are intrinsically more imbalanced. Dwelling too long in these grades, in particular, but also in any of the other grades, can create an extreme over-abundance and imbalance of that element in a person, to the point of it being potentially dangerous. The paths leading to these Sephiroth, and certain other parts of the Golden Dawn system, attempt to mitigate the intense imbalance of these grades, but ultimately ...

The symbol of the Golden Dawn is a red calvary cross above a white triangle, often, but not always, shown upon a black background. This is a very evocative image, which means different things to different people, but what does it mean for the Golden Dawn as a whole? The Neophyte Ceremony tells us the following about it: "The Red Cross above the White Triangle is an Image of Him Who was unfolded in the Light." Another section states: "Two contending Forces and one which unites them eternally. Two basal angles of the triangle and one which forms the apex. Such is the origin of Creation - it is the Triad of Life." Z3 refers to "the White Triangle of the Three Supernals formulating in Darkness" and states that the Candidate "may bear that potent and sublime symbol as a link with his Higher Self and as an aid in searching out the forces of the Divine Light" Z1 states: "The Symbols upon the Altar represent the Forces and Manifestation of the Divin...

"Wearing red socks or shoes helps remind us to ground our bodies. Because red is a grounding color, seeing red on your feet throughout the day will serve as a reminder to bring your attention back to the physical body. This is especially helpful if you tend to ignore your lower extremities. By consciously focusing on the color red at your feet you will be energetically distributing your energies downwards, anchoring your energies to the earth, thus creating a better balance within yourself. Isn't it interesting that the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz story was wearing ruby red slippers? She got grounded when a house fell upon her while she was flying through the air. It was also the magical tapping of the red slippers together that brought Dorothy back home to Kansas." The above passage, from About.com is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly it highlights the link with the energies of the earth, which is a focus of the Outer Order, being centred in...