Subject: Golden Dawn FAQ, part 1 of 4
Date: 12 Feb 1996 12:25:09 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.24


Avete, Fratres et Sorores!

Here is version 4.0 of the Golden Dawn FAQ, in four parts.  I have many
changes and updates to add, but haven't had time yet to do so.  If you've 
emailed me with comments/corrections/etc., I still have them on file, and
will be making them ASAP...!  :)

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       THE GOLDEN DAWN:  FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS AND RESOURCE LISTS

                        Version 4.0, December 1995
   Copyright Steven R. Cranmer, 1993, 1994, 1995 (cranmer@bartol.udel.edu)
        WWW: http://www.bartol.udel.edu/~cranmer/cranmer_gdfaq.html

  The author grants the right to copy and distribute this file, provided
  it remains unmodified and original authorship and copyright is retained.
  "Modification" here includes the reformatting of the file into other
  types, such as HTML.  The author retains both the right and intention
  to modify and extend this document.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

[PART 1/4]

  I.  Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ)

   1. What is the Golden Dawn?
   2. Is the Golden Dawn a religion?
   3. Is the hierarchy of grades merely a ruse to empower the 
        "enlightened?"
   4. Are Golden Dawn Temples still active?  How can I become a member?
   5. How is the Golden Dawn connected with the Rosicrucians?
   6. How is the Golden Dawn connected with Freemasonry?

[PART 2/4]

   7. Who was Israel Regardie?
   8. What connection did Aleister Crowley have with the Golden Dawn?
   9. How do I get started?

[PART 3/4]

   9. How do I get started?  (continued)

 II.  A Brief History of the Golden Dawn

III.  List of Active Golden Dawn Temples and Related Organizations

      Alphabetical listing: (A-G)

[PART 4/4]

      Alphabetical listing: (H-Z)

 IV.  Useful References

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I.   Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ)
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1.   What is the Golden Dawn?

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn is an initiatory society devoted to
spiritual, philosophical, and magical development.  To quote its "history
lecture," (from I. Regardie's book, _The_Golden_Dawn_),

         "The Order of the G.D. [Golden Dawn] is an Hermetic 
          Society whose members are taught the principles of 
          Occult Science and the Magic of Hermes."

Started in London in 1887 by three British Freemasons, Dr. William Robert
Woodman, Dr. William Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers,
the first Temple of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, with the title
"Isis-Urania," began to admit Fratres and Sorores in 1888.  For the
next two decades, they generated a body of esoteric knowledge unparalleled
to this day.  Traditions as seemingly different as Chaos Magick and Gard-
nerian Wicca have roots in the Golden Dawn, and it has influenced scholars
(e.g., A. E. Waite) and poets (e.g., W. B. Yeats) alike.

The Golden Dawn "system of magic" is a tool designed to educate the student
of the esoteric in both practical matters of ritual and divination, and in
abstract metaphysical ideas.  The focus of the Golden Dawn material is 
primarily Western -- i.e. Judeo-Christian, Greek, and Egyptian -- but some
Eastern ideas have crept in over the years.  It is a "hierarchical" or
"matricular" system, in that certain information is reserved for students
who have passed beyond a certain point in their occult education.  The
system of grades is as follows (along with their correspondences with the
classical elements, the seven ancient planets, and the ten sephiroth of
the Jewish Kabbalah), with the student beginning at the top:

               NAME        ELEMENT    PLANET        SEPHIRA

     0=0   Neophyte          ---       ---            ---
     1=10  Zelator          Earth      ---      Malkuth, Kingdom
     2=9   Theoricus        Air      Moon       Yesod, Foundation
     3=8   Practicus        Water    Mercury    Hod, Splendour
     4=7   Philosophus      Fire     Venus      Netzach, Victory
     5=6   Adeptus Minor    Spirit   Sun        Tiphareth, Beauty
     6=5   Adeptus Major     ---     Mars       Gevurah, Might
     7=4   Adeptus Exemptus  ---     Jupiter    Chesed, Mercy
     8=3   Magister Templi   ---     Saturn     Binah, Understanding
     9=2   Magus             ---       ---      Chokmah, Wisdom
     10=1  Ipsissimus        ---       ---      Kether, Crown

The grades of Neophyte through Philosophus comprise the First, or Outer
Order.  A grade called the "Portal" comes between 4=7 and 5=6, and this
contains some very powerful symbolism on the transition between the
Outer and Inner "Mysteries."  The three Adept grades comprise the Second,
or Inner Order (Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis), and are normally only
open to those who pass rigorous examinations and are chosen on other 
qualifications.  The final three grades (which refer to the "Supernal"
sephiroth) comprise the Third, or Hidden Order of Masters.  There is
considerable disagreement among Order sources as to whether living human
beings can attain these final mystical grades (not unlike the Bodhisattvas
of Buddhism, it seems).

Please note that the above is just a brief summary, and that many details
have been omitted for the sake of clarity.  For more information, see
just about any of the books listed in the Reference section (IV), or
email me at the address listed at the beginning of this FAQ.

Some may wonder why people would want to pursue their spiritual goals via
the antiquated, or even superstitious, means of ceremonial magic.  Mary
K. Greer, in _Women_of_the_Golden_Dawn_, notes that there are several
different definitions of magic that have different connotations:

         "While some writers have regarded magic as psycho-
          therapeutic work (Francis King and Israel Regardie,
          for example), others have characterized it as the
          discovery of the unity within all duality, the truth
          behind all illusions.  W. B. Yeats sought knowledge
          of what he called 'the single energetic Mind,' and
          its pole, 'the single Memory of nature,' both of
          which he believed could be evoked by symbols.  But
          I like Florence Farr's definition of magic best:
          'Magic is unlimiting experience.'  That is, magic
          consists of removing the limitations from what we
          *think* are the earthly and spiritual laws that bind
          or compel us.  We can be anything because we are All."

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2.   Is the Golden Dawn a religion?

Definitely not.  Although religious and metaphysical concepts are the focus
of much Order work, "there is nothing contrary to your civil, moral, or
religious duties" (to quote the Neophyte initiation ceremony) in any oaths
or Order matters.  This is a landmark that seems to have been passed down
from Freemasonry, one of the primary sources of Golden Dawn material.
However, an overall notion of religious tolerance pervades the Golden
Dawn, for one is also reminded (in the same ceremony), to "Remember that
you hold all Religions in reverence, for there is none but contains a Ray
from the Ineffable Light that you are seeking."

(Note:  My source for the text of the above oaths/obligations comes from
Regardie's published account of Stella Matutina ceremonies, _The_Golden_
_Dawn_.  Some modern groups most probably have changed some parts of these
obligations -- especially the parts that deal with keeping the rituals,
membership, and even the existence of the Order completely secret.  It
is always a good idea, of course, to inquire about these things before
pursuing membership in any organization.  See Question 3, below.)

For those who would decry all things "occult" as Satanic and/or pagan, know
that the higher degrees of the Golden Dawn seem to grow more and more
Christian in character as one climbs the hierarchy of grades.  The influence
of the Rosicrucians, a mystical/mythical Christian organization dating from
the 17th Century, is strong indeed (see Question 5).  For those who shy 
away from the often-overbearing aegis of Christendom, don't despair, as there
is enough symbolism present in Order rituals and teachings to satisfy nearly
any taste.  Jewish Kabbalah, Islam, the Egyptian and Greek Mysteries, and
even the Celtic mythos, have all been integrated into Golden Dawn work at
one time or another.

One final disclaimer:  While this author heartily believes that religious
partisanship has no place in the Golden Dawn, this is by no means the
only opinion.  Some Golden Dawn groups, for example, are said to explicitly
bar Thelemites from membership in the Second Order.  If anyone can verify
this position, or give any other similar ones, I would like to know, and
would make such implicit requirements known in Part III, below.

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3.  Is the hierarchy of grades merely a ruse to empower the "enlightened?"

Well, even Magical Orders are made up of human beings, and some inevitably
take advantage of the "faithful."  This can come in many guises:  expensive
dues for a trickle of information, out-and-out lies about magical powers or
ancient sources, forced therapy before advancement, uncomfortable initiations,
or expulsion if one holds a differing viewpoint.  As always, place your
_caveat_ firmly in your _emptor_ before taking any action.

However, the concept of the hierarchy of grades has its definite merits.
First of all, consider the parallels with education in general.  One must
first learn ones' alphabet before learning to read; and learn to read before
understanding _Tom_Sawyer_, let alone _Finnegan's_Wake_.  Also, training in
magic necessarily involves an exploration of different modes and areas of 
ones' own consciousness, the experiencing of which can very well be
jolting, frightening, or life-threatening.  Some aspects of the psyche
are best left unexplored until one develops the tools and stamina necessary
for the journey.

The issue of secrecy is an F.A.I. (Frequently Argued Issue) on the Usenet
news group alt.magick, and for the most part, most of the original Golden 
Dawn "secrets" have already been (or are in the process of being) published.
However, it still comes up often enough to address a few points.  Why keep
certain things secret, you may ask?  Well...

(a) It is worth it *not* to have everything handed to you all at once.
    Whether it is working out physics problems, or reading an Agatha
    Christie mystery novel, skipping to the end for the "answers" can
    take something away from the experience.

(b) Many posit the existence of a "Group Mind" which can develop in some
    seriously-minded associations of individuals.  "Secrecy" here (which
    is sometimes termed "Silence" to differentiate it from a more widely-
    spread hoarding of knowledge) is just an outgrowth of simple privacy,
    committment, and integrity among a closely-knit group of people,
    who don't want their business known by the entire world.  Of course,
    when their "business" begins to entail the propagation of a tradition
    purported to be of benefit to all humankind, it becomes harder to
    justify secrecy as a simple privacy issue.

(c) One must differentiate between information and knowledge.  There is
    a huge difference between the basic facts of a craft (which can be and
    are set down in books) and the actual skills that people develop from
    accumulated experience (which usually cannot even be expressed in
    concise words, let alone written down).  I think many would agree,
    to use Colin Low's analogy, that a "Do It Yourself Brain Surgery" book
    would be a bad idea.  The knowledge isn't really a *secret*, but it's
    certainly not available for everyone's immediate use, either.

All things considered, however, secrecy is something which should certainly
be left up to each individual.  To quote alt.magick's resident terminator,
Tyagi Nagasiva (Tyagi@HouseOfKaos.Abyss.com), "There are very many good
reasons for secrecy, and very few for requiring it."

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4.  Are Golden Dawn Temples still active?  How can I become a member?

Yes, there are Temples still thriving, from the U.S.A. to New Zealand.
See Part III, List of Active Golden Dawn Temples and Related Organizations,
below.

Becoming a member of a magical order, however, is something that should not
be taken lightly.  I wish I could reprint Donald Michael Kraig's article
"So you want to join a Magical Order..." from _The_Llewellyn_New_Times_ 
(May-June 1992, no. 923), which lays out many of the pros and cons.  A few
things to note, however:

(a) Don't count on having "secrets" revealed to you.  Ninety-nine percent
    of them are already published, in some form, somewhere.

(b) The symbols and metaphors used by a particular group or tradition may
    not "work" for you.  Even different "Golden Dawn" groups vary in their
    focus or underlying worldview, and many have altered or expanded upon
    the original (19th century) G.D. material.  Don't confuse the map --
    the association of individuals -- with the territory -- the system of
    symbol and ritual.

(c) Listen to your common sense!  If something doesn't feel right to you,
    by all means don't do it.  Not everyone seems meant to work within
    an Order -- possibly you can do better, and create something new!

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5.  How is the Golden Dawn connected with the Rosicrucians?

The Order itself claims a descent (in spirit if not a direct lineage)
with the Rosicrucians, a mystic Christian organization that may, or may
not have "existed" in the strictest sense of the word.  A short history
of Rosicrucianism in in order.

In about the year 1610, an anonymous document entitled "Fama Fraternitatis
of the Meritorious Order of the Rosy Cross" was distributed among German
occultists, and was printed at Cassel in 1614.  It describes the founding
of a secret order of enlightened learning in the Hermetic and Christian
mysteries.  The (mythical) life story of the founder, C.R.C. (Christian
Rosenkreutz) is related, as well as the discovery of his wondrous tomb
centuries later.  A second manifesto, "Confessio Fraternitatis" (1615),
describes the Rosicrucian Order in more detail, and firmly takes sides
against the Papacy.  A third document, "The Chymical Wedding of Christian
Rosenkreutz," is an interesting alchemical fantasy, probably written by
Lutheran pastor Johann Valentine Andreae in his impetuous youth, but
with little to do with the previous documents.

The publication of these documents met an eager public, and many pub-
lished their scholarly and religious "credentials" hoping to get noticed
and chosen for membership.  After about twenty years, however, this
fervor seemingly died down.  It wasn't until the late 1600's and early
1700's that hints of Rosicrucianism began to reappear, and the Rosicru-
cian egregore seemed to find a home in Freemasonry.  From England to
Russia, Masonic/Rosicrucian groups flourished in the late 1700's, and
the most well-known were the Gold- und Rosen-kreutzers in Germany.
Again, however, this activity seemed to fade into the background until
the late 1800's, with the popular revival of esotericism and the occult
in England.  The Masonic _Societas_Rosicruciana_ described below (Part
II) was the immediate precursor of the Golden Dawn, but no known direct
connection is known with the original 17th Century Rosicrucians.

In the 20th Century, there has been a virtual explosion of groups claiming
the Rosicrucian mantle, and it is quite wisely that the Adeptus Minor of
the G.D. is warned to be wary of "strangers" claiming to be members of
the Rosicrucian Order -- especially those that claim that their group
is the *only* Rosicrucian Order.  This author agrees with Paul Foster
Case's assessment that the "True and Invisible" Rosicrucian Order is a 
shared "state of mind," not an actual organized society.  Thus, any
historical links between Rosicrucianism and the Golden Dawn seem to be
much less important than the fact that many members of the G.D. have been
and are in touch with the "soul" or egregore of the Rosy Cross.

Ex Deo nascimur, in Jesu morimur, per Spiritum Sanctum reviviscimus.

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6.  How is the Golden Dawn connected with Freemasonry?

The Golden Dawn was founded by three Freemasons (Mathers, Woodman, and
Westcott) and contains a great deal of Masonically-derived symbolism,
but has no formal connection with Freemasonry or any of its appendant 
bodies.

Like in the case of many other "fringe" or "occult" societies founded in
the later years of the 19th century, the founders of the Golden Dawn
adapted the existing allegorical and dramatic framework of Masonic 
ceremonies when constructing the G.D.   In the Outer Order, both the
layout of the Temple and the functions of Officers seem to closely
mirror those of the Blue Lodge of Masonry.  The names of the grades,
as well as the titles bestowed upon initiates, were taken from old
sources from the German Masonic Gold- und Rosen-kreutzers, such as
Pianco's 1781 book, _Der_Rosenkreutzer_in_seiner_Blosse_.  In the
Inner Order, the Rosicrucian drama enacted in the initiation rituals
is reminiscent of that in the "Rose Croix" degree of the Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, and is certainly related to the
ceremonies of the _Societas_Rosicruciana_in_Anglia_, from which the
Golden Dawn was indirectly spawned.

Some scholars have suggested that there is a more direct connection 
between the Golden Dawn and Masonry:  a historical one, via a possible
source of the mysterious "Cipher Manuscripts" which Westcott and Mathers
used to construct the Outer Order rituals.  Several sources have alluded
to the existence of little-known Masonic groups in the early 19th century
which have an eerie similarity to the Golden Dawn.  Specifically, there
have been two (possibly related, possibly identical) possibilities:

(1) The "Loge zur aufgehenden Morgenrothe," a Masonic Lodge in Frankfort
    with a primarily Jewish membership.  Referred to in French as the
    "Aurore naissante," (both titles meaning "Rising Dawn"), this group
    was founded by three Masons connected with the Rite of Strict
    Observance of von Hund.  In 1817, a subsidiary Lodge was formed in
    London by the Duke of Sussex, the Grand Master of the United Grand
    Lodge of England.  In 1822, it was closed by an Anton Wolf, who
    might have been a representative from the Mother Lodge in Frankfort.

(2) A "Qabalistic College" in London, also known as the "Chabrath Zerek
    Aour Bokher" ("Society of theh Shining Light of the Dawn"), formed
    around 1810 by a Johannes Friedrich Falk, from Hamburg, Germany.
    Mentioned mainly by Kenneth Mackenzie's _Royal_Masonic_Cyclopaeida_,
    this organization might have been a long-propagating fraud.

Both of these supposed London-based Lodges have been argued to be the
infamous second "Hermanoubis" Temple of the Golden Dawn.  The Cipher
Manuscripts, which were probably written circa 1860-1870, are similarly
argued to have come indirectly from one of these groups, via such 
varied persons as Kenneth Mackenzie, Lord Bulwer-Lytton, or Frederick
Hockley.  Further research is definitely required to prove any of these
hypotheses.  For more information, see:

Gilbert, R. A., 1990, "Provenance Unknown: A Tentative Solution to the
  Riddle of the Cipher Manuscript of the Golden Dawn," in _Wege_und_
  _Abwege:_Beitraege_zur_europaeischen_Geistesgeschichte_der_Neuzeit_,
  ed. A. Goetz von Olenhusen (Freiburg: Hochschul Verlag), p. 79.

Heisler, R. 1989, "Precursors of the Golden Dawn," in _Cauda_Pavonis:_
  _Studies_in_Hermeticism_, v. 8, no. 1, 1-4.

Prinke, R. T. 1987, "The Deeper Roots of the Golden Dawn," in _The_
  _Hermetic_Journal_, 36, 16.

"The Truth About the Cipher Manuscripts," online summary by the Hermetic
  Order of the Golden Dawn International, on World Wide Web URL:
  http://cyberg8t.com/~hogd/cypher.html   

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CONTINUED IN PART 2/4

