Golden Dawn Blog by Frater Yechidah

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...

Issue 2 of The Ruby Tablet, compiled and edited by Darcy Kuntz, has been released. Check it out and donate if you like the material. Contents The Secret or Mystery of the Rose Notes: Sephiroth and Hermetic Brothers of Egypt Skylight Press Notes on the Astral Light by B.N. Acle Golden Dawn Research Trust Ritual of the Fratres Lucis (concluded) Rosicrucian Order of the Golden Dawn Allocution for the 2=9 Grade of Theoricus Ouroboros Press Alchemy by Parabolanus Forge Press The Tarot: An Antique Method of Divination Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Books Magical Aphorisms of Eugenius Philalethes

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 ...

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...

In my previous post I commented on the Battery for Theoricus (!!! !!! !!!) as being partly a reference to Saturn. Here's some extra material to support that assertion. The Grade of Theoricus includes the Advancement in the 32nd Path of Tav, to which the planet Saturn is attributed. This is mentioned as a reflection of the Sphere of Saturn, which would lie in Binah, but I also pointed out how Saturn lies on the opposite end of the Hexagram to Luna, the planet of this grade, and thus this is how it is found reflected in Theoricus. Some of the Opening of the 2=9 Grade: "Hierophant: Honoured Hegemon, what path is attached to this Grade? Hegemon: The 32nd Path of Tav. Hierophant: Honoured Hiereus, to what does it allude? Hiereus: To the Universe as composed ofthe Four Elements - to the KERUBIM, the QLIPPOTH and the Astral Plane, and the reflection of the sphere of SATURN."

Traditionally the Officers in a GD ceremony were required to be of at least a certain grade, and thus these Officers would be dropped from subsequent initiations (such as the Sentinel, being a Neophyte, being dropped from Zelator onwards) to ensure that such an Officer would not be employed in an initiation above their own grade. The traditional grade requirements for holding office are: Sentinel - Neophyte Stolistes and Dadouchos - Zelator Keryx - Theoricus Hegemon - Practicus Hiereus - Philosophus Hierophant - Adeptus Minor (usually ZAM) For some interesting alternative perspectives on the suggested or required grade of the Officers in an initiation, check out this post by Morgan Drake Eckstein .