Subject: Golden Dawn FAQ, part 3 of 4
Date: 12 Feb 1996 12:26:04 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.24


THIS IS PART 3/4 OF THE GOLDEN DAWN FAQ

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  2.    Facing the rising sun, I inhale and look for the word that
        brought about the creation.  I gaze through the letters that 
        symbolize the ne-plus-ultra and try to find the sound that
        they represent.  This is the word I need to trigger my own 
        creation today.  When the Yod becomes clear, I am the Heh 
        that receives it, and the Vau they become wells within me,
        giving rise to the Heh that I return to the cosmos, and
        in so doing, animate the first sigil.

        I pause, as the light kindles, to experience the resonance
        between the ultimate power of creation, and the power of
        creation within myself.

  3.    Turning from sunrise to the sun at full Zenith, I reflect on 
        the awesome majesty of creation, and the power that permeates it.  
        As I contemplate the inconceivable wonder of the universe 
        (with all of its myriad worlds and souls), I search for the 
        name of its Lord ... so that I may trace my next sigil in 
        celebration of Hir glory.

        Once again, I pause to wait for the channel to come to
        life and savor my small glimpse of the almighty.

  4.    Turning towards the setting sun, I reflect on the glory
        I have been privileged to behold.  I note my breathing,
        and the implicit continuous prayer it offers in praise to
        the spirit of life.  "Ruach" means both "breath" and "spirit",
        and in our breathing we speak the holy name more perfectly 
        than words ever could.

        I seek to make each breath a more ardent and perfect prayer, 
        and an act of communion.  When my breath has become the
        name of life, I carve a sigil into which that principle can 
        be enshrined, and welcome the spirit of life into my circle.

  5.    Turning to the north, I see nothing, and so confront myself - 
        body and spirit, ego and instrument of divine will, animal 
        and god.  What am I and what am I to become?  How am I to 
        resolve a myriad of aspirations and urges?  The answer is not 
        in allowing myself to become a battleground for a thousand
        balkanized aspects of my own nature.  The answer lies in 
        finding purpose and becoming an instrument of that purpose.

        And so I acknowledge my need, and my inescapable obligation
        to understand and serve the divine will.  As I speak the oath
        that binds me to that will, I carve the sigil that must be
        simultaneously the instrument of my destruction and the key to 
        my salvation.

  6.    Turning again to the rising sun, and standing in the 
        center of these channels, I look forward to find the
        spirit of guidance.  My needs and aspirations have
        been anticipated, and provided for.  I need not want
        for guide or teacher.  I have but to open my eyes and
        see them.

  7.    The power of life swells behind me and within me, 
        compelling me to action and empowering me to achieve.  
        Life is that which does, and that which becomes.  
        I am life, and the power is within me ... or perhaps 
        more properly, I am a manifestation of that power.

  8.    On my right, I reach out to the light that vanquishes all 
        darkness.  I find therein perfection, protection and a power 
        beyond that of life.  I recognize it for what it is.  I 
        recognize that it is always there, and that I can always draw 
        upon it (if I have but eyes to see it).  I open myself to the light.

  9.    On my left, I reach out to a world bathed in divine
        light and see its richness, beauty, and perfection.
        It shames me to recognize how seldom I see the world
        so illuminated, and I am grateful to be reminded again
        of its true nature.

  10.   I stand surrounded by, and attuned to, four open 
        channels for divine energy.  Standing naked in the
        focal point, I reach out, simultaneously, to each.
        As the four streams of light converge in me, each
        carrying its own energy into me, I feel the parts
        of myself that are being brought into resonance.
.
        Finally, like a laser, pumped at the right frequency, 
        I burst forth with a nova-like brilliance, now a source
        of light myself ... and unlike the sigils through which
        this energy was channeled, I am wholely of this world.  
        I am the connection point between heaven and earth.  I am
        the vehicle through which the divine Will achieves worldly
        manifestation.

  ...   Having obtained what I came for, I again affirm/acknowledge
        my relationship to the source.  (I occasionally feel like 
        offering thanks ... but that would be missing the point :-)

  ----------------------------END--QUOTATION-------------------------------

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II.  A Brief History of the Golden Dawn
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The history of the Golden Dawn seemingly begins in 1881, when S. L. M.
Mathers met Dr.'s W. Westcott and W. Woodman, and entered the _Societas_
_Rosicruciana_in_Anglia_, a scholarly group devoted to studying Rosicrucian
and Hermetic topics, open to Master Masons only.  Westcott took young Mathers
under his wing, and Mathers quickly advanced to the top of that organization.

The "magical mottoes" of these three men may provide insight into their
characters.  Mathers took the mottoes "'S Rioghail Mo Dhream," or "Royal
is my tribe" in Gaelic, and "Deo Duce Comite Ferro," or "With God as my
leader and the sword as my companion."  Westcott was known as "Sapere
Aude," or "Dare to be wise," and Woodman was known as "Magna Est Veritas
Et Praevalehit," or "Great is the truth and it shall prevail."

The next key development was in 1887 with the "discovery" of the famous
Cipher Manuscripts.  Whether found in a Masonic library, bought from a used
bookshop, or fabricated whole-cloth by Westcott, these documents contained
summaries of the first five G.D. initiation rituals (0=0 to 4=7).  They were
written in a simple, well-known alphabetic code based on the _Polygraphiae_
of Johann Trithemius, and partial transcriptions have been published in Zal-
ewski's _Secret_Inner_Order_Rituals_of_the_G.D._.  Mathers took to them with
a passion, and fleshed them out into full-blown rituals of ceremonial magic.
Written on the manuscripts was the address of a certain Fraulein Anna 
Sprengel ("Sapiens Dominabitur Astris," or "The wise one will be ruled
by the stars") in Germany, but many believe that Fraulein Sprengel was
invented by Westcott to provide a sense of continental authority and
legitimacy to this material.

Even if not directly German in origin, many of the magical concepts inherent
in the Golden Dawn system were strongly influenced by continental European
sources.  Without a doubt, the works of the esteemed French occultist Eliphas
Levi (1810-1875) were known to the originators of the Golden Dawn system.
Levi's students, such as Stanislas de Guaita, Josephin Peledan, and Gerard
Encausse ("Papus") gathered in societies such as the "Kabalistic Rose+Croix"
and the "Catholic Rose+Croix of the Temple and the Grail."  From the 1880's
to the 1910's, these groups, or Salons, gathered to study ancient texts,
practice magic and meditative techniques, and spread their occult knowledge
to the public.

It was a year later, in 1888, that Mathers, Westcott, and Woodman inaugurated 
the first British Temple, Isis-Urania, and began to admit men and women as
Neophytes.  In 1890, Mathers married Mina ("Moina") Bergson, sister of philo-
sopher and writer Henri Bergson, and in 1892 they moved to Paris. The Ahathoor
Temple was established, and it was not too long after that they clairvoyantly
"brought forth" the Second Order (5=6 to 7=4) rituals and teachings.  Some of
the 5=6 ritual material, however, came from the Cipher Manuscripts (not in-
cluded in Zalewski's transcription).  The first Vault of the Adepti, a
required piece of "scenery" for Second Order rituals, was built in London,
in Thavies Inn off Holborn Circus.

The following list of original G.D. Temples comes mainly from Ithell 
Colquhoun's biography of Mathers, _Sword_of_Wisdom_, and seems to be rel-
atively complete.  Any additional information, of course, would be greatly
appreciated:

                        ORIGINAL GOLDEN DAWN TEMPLES

1.  Licht, Liebe, und Leben, c1870 (Nuremburg: Fraulein Sprengel) [FICTIONAL?]
2.  Hermanoubis, 1889 . . . . . . . . . . . (Liege: Dr. Thyssen?) [FICTIONAL?]
3.  Isis-Urania, Mar. 20, 1888  . . . . . (London: Westcott, Woodman, Mathers)
4.  Osiris, Oct. 8, 1888. . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Weston-super-Mare: B. Cox)
5.  Horus, Oct. 10, 1888. . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Bradford: T.H. Pattinson)
6.  Amen-Ra, Apr. 14, 1893. . . . . . . . . . . (Edinburgh: J.W. Brodie-Innes)
7.  Ahathoor, Dec. 3, 1893. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Paris: S.L.M. Mathers)
8.  Thoth-Hermes, c1895 . . . . . . . . .(New York or Chicago?: Mrs. Lockwood)
9.  Themis/Thme, c1895 .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Philadelphia or Boston?)
10. Isis [Alpha et Omega 1], 1900 . . . . . . . . . (W. London: E.W. Berridge)

In 1900, a schism rocked the Order.  Ms. Annie Hornimann, a member of the
Isis-Urania Second Order, led a "revolt" against Mathers, and there was a
bit of litigation concerning the ownership of the temple furniture and other
magical trappings.  Also, many remaining G.D. members were duped by a Mr.
and Mrs. "Theo Horos," American confidence tricksters, and lost a great
deal of money and property.  The Horos couple were convicted of fraud and the
rape of minors in 1901, but the G.D. was dragged through the mud of ignorant
publicity, and was never again the same.  Finally, in 1903, Aleister Crowley,
who previously seemed the "magical heir apparent" to Mathers, defected to
form his own organizations.  In 1909, Crowley published G.D. rituals and
doctrine in his _Equinox_, but its limited readership precluded the kind
of impact that Regardie's subsequent publishing efforts produced.

With the "golden age" of the G.D. over, its members went their myriad ways.
The Golden Dawn work, however, has been continued by many groups.  Most
noticeably, there was the _Stella_Matutina_, and its varied offshoots,
inaugurated by Dr. Robert William Felkin ("Finem Respisce," or "Have re-
gard to the end"), and continued in an unbroken line until as late as
the 1970's.  Also noteworthy is the contribution of Violet Mary Firth
(Dion Fortune; from "Deo Non Fortuna," or "God, not chance"), who formed
the Fraternity (later, Society) of the Inner Light, which functioned for
many decades as an alternative, but closely-related, group.  

What follows is a far-from-complete listing of these succeeding organiz-
ations, mostly culled from Colquhoun's _Sword_of_Wisdom_.  Note that the 
list ends near the beginning of the 1970's.  Most likely, any more recent
groups are listed in Part III, the list of active G.D. groups, below.

         SELECTED OFFSHOOTS, VARIANTS, AND CO-INFLUENCED GROUPS

 The Sphere, c1897. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(London: Florence Farr)
 Herm. Soc. of the Morgenrothe, 1902. .(London: Felkin, Brodie-Innes, Bullock)
 Order of Light, 1902 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Bradford: T.H. Pattinson)
 Stella Matutina (S.M.) [Amoun], 1903 . . . . . . . . . .(London: R.W. Felkin)
 Holy Order of the G.D., 1903 . . . . . .(London: A.E. Waite, Blackden, Ayton)
 A.'.A.'. (Astron Argon), c1907 . . . . . . . (London: A. Crowley, G.C. Jones)
 Zos Kia Cultus, c1910. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (London: A.O. Spare)
 Smaragdum Thalasses/Whare Ra (S.M.), 1912. . . . . (New Zealand: R.W. Felkin)
 Ordo Templi Orientis [orig. c1895], 1912 . . . . . . . . (London: A. Crowley)
 Alpha et Omega 2 (Northern), 1913. . .(Edinburgh & London: J.W. Brodie-Innes)
 Cromlech [Solar Order], 1913 . . . . .(Edinburgh & London: J.W. Brodie-Innes)
 Hermes (S.M.), 1916. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Bristol: R.W. Felkin)
 Merlin (S.M.), 1916. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(London: R.W. Felkin)
 Secret College in London (S.M.?), 1916 . . . . . . . . .(London: R.W. Felkin)
 Guild of St. Raphael, 1916 . . . . . . . . . . . (London: Felkin & Roseveare)
 Fellowship of the True Rosy Cross [Salvator Mundi], 1916 (London: A.E. Waite)
 Shrine of Wisdom, c1916. . . . . . . . .(Hermon Hill, N. London: A.E. Waite?)
 Nuada (Druid Order), c1916 . . . . . . . . . . (Clapham, London: G.W.M. Reid)
 Alpha et Omega 3 (Southern), 1919. . . . . . . . . . . (London: M.M. Mathers)
 School of Ageless Wisdom, c1920. . . . . . . . . . . .(Chicago: Paul F. Case)
 Fraternity/Society of Inner Light, 1922. . . . . . . . (London: Dion Fortune)
 Guild of the Master Jesus, c1925 . . . . . . . . . . . (London: Dion Fortune)
 Hermanoubis, c1930 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Bristol: ?)
 Universal Order, c1935 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(London & Brook, Surrey: ?)
 Builders of the Adytum, [orig. c1920], c1937 . . .(Los Angeles: Paul F. Case)
 Order of the Morning Star, c1945 . . . . . . . . . . . (London: M. Montalban)
 Gardnerian Wicca, c1952. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (London: G.B. Gardner)
 Order of the Cubic Stone, 1965 . . . . . . . . . (Wolverhampton: H.T. Howard)
 Order of the Sacred Word, c1967. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(London: R. Hunt)

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III. List of Active Golden Dawn Temples and Related Organizations
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Notes:

(a) I am not in any way affiliated with any of these organizations.  This
    information comes from advertisements in various esoteric publications
    and personal correspondence.  Many of these organizations charge a 
    great deal of money for their teachings, and I am in no way condoning
    that practice.  I'm just providing the information.

(b) I am greatly indebted to the following individuals for providing a
    great deal of useful information about many of the Orders listed
    below.  Much of the detail in the listings (and elsewhere in this FAQ)
    is attributable to their diligent detective work.

    Christopher Ward (cward@think.com), Al Billings (mimir@io.com),
    Baird Stafford (bstafford@bstafford.ess.harris.com), Harvey
    Newstrom (hnewstrom@hnewstrom.ess.harris.com), Richard Leo
    Stokes  (rs8256@ehsn10.cen.uiuc.edu), Luke Roberts (lr@coventry.
    ac.uk), Naia Kirkpatrick (naia@lerc.nasa.gov), Vere C. Chappell
    (lvx@netcom.com), Gregory Peters (suti@crl.com), Bill Heidrick
    (heidrick@well.sf.ca.us), Alexander Walker (walkea@rpi.edu),
    Christeos Pir (Christeos.Pir@f235.n109.z1.fidonet.org), Lainie
    Petersen (epe084@lulu.acns.nwu.edu), Vivienne O'Regan (cor@cix.
    compulink.co.uk), Dora Gyn/QBL (mitchell@seas.smu.edu), James A. 
    Eshelman, Ace Blackstone (shlar@agt.net), Laura Jennings-Yorke
    (aio@halcyon.com), Pat Zalewski (zirdo@central.co.nz), "Wizard" 
    (wizard@primenet.com), Art de Hoyos (ArtdeHoyos@aol.com).

(c) If anyone has any additional information, or spots any errors in the
    following, please let me know, so we can make this list as complete
    as possible.

I will start this list with a classified advertisement from the Winter
1991 issue of _Gnosis_ magazine, which parallels my own opinions:

   "The Golden Dawn is not a commercial enterprise.  Initiation is not
    for sale.  There are Temples that hold valid initiatory succession
    from the original Mother Temple in London which are quietly doing
    the Great Work.  The Order exists.  When the student is ready, the
    teacher will appear."

Anyway, the following list attempts to be in alphabetic order:

* August Order of Light
  Various Locations, England
 
  [Descended from the original Horus Temple of the G.D. in Bradford,
  England, this group was originally comprised only of members of the 
  Masonic _Societas_Rosicruciana_in_Anglia_, but they currently number
  about 87 men and women.  One of the Temples has a correspondence course,
  but they seem very selective in who participates.  Unlike some other
  G.D. Orders, their "Inner Order" seems to encompass the grades of 8=3
  and above.]

* August Order of the Mystic Rose
  P.O. Box 71, Mt. View, CA  94042

  [Described briefly by Mary K. Greer in _Women_of_the_Golden_Dawn_,
  this group is affiliated with Robert Word, a scholar of Golden Dawn 
  history.  When requesting information, please send a donation of $2
  to help cover mailing costs.]

* Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.)
  5101-05 North Figueroa St.,  Los Angeles, CA  90042  TEL (800)-255-0041

  [Established by Paul Foster Case and/or Ann Davies as an "outer vehicle 
  of the inner school," this group is most probably descended from the
  original (Chicago?) Thoth-Hermes Temple, and was originally called "The
  School of Ageless Wisdom."  See Case's _True_and_Invisible_Rosicrucian_
  _Order_, and his other books, for more information.  Free brochure
  available.  Correspondence course.  For the first year or so, one pays
  $10/month, and obtains a self-initiation ritual, seven weeks of instruction
  on "Practical Occultism," then about a year of Tarot instruction.  The
  Tarot material is highly recommended.  If one is near a BOTA Temple or
  Proanos, members can participate in rituals, Temple services, and init-
  iations.  Local study groups are also in many cities.  There is an
  anonymous FTP site for some introductory BOTA materials: ftp.netcom.com,
  in directory: /pub/bo/bota, and a listserv study-group mailing list at:
  bota-l@netcom.com.]

* Church/Brotherhood of Light
  Dept. G - 2341 Coral St.,  Los Angeles, CA  90031-2916  TEL (213)-226-0453

  [Correspondence study available since 1932.  Not really part of the
  G.D. tradition, but related in spirit.  Originated as The Hermetic
  Brotherhood of Light in Scotland in the late 1870's, members such as
  Peter Davidson and "Max Theon" circulated lessons on magic (sexual
  magic in higher degrees) mainly through the mail.  In the 1890's, a
  lodge formed in France which contained many prominent French occult-
  ists.  Also, Davidson moved to Georgia and founded a Christian myst-
  ical community.  In 1915, Elbert Benjamine ("C. C. Zain") came from
  Georgia to California, and assimilated Davidson's material into 210 
  lessons in 22 books, and began the Church of Light in 1932.  Its focus
  is mainly on astrology (the "Religion of the Stars"), but there are
  fifty initiatory degrees as well.  For more details, see an article
  by Joscelyn Godwin in the quarterly journal _Theosophical_History_,
  and his new book _The_Hermetic_Brotherhood_of_Luxor_ (York Beach,
  Maine: S. Weiser), 1995.]

* Companions of the Stone
  P. O. Box 95536,  Seattle, WA  98145,  USA

  [A "Golden Dawn-derived Hermetic magical order" which also partakes
  of the Renaissance magical tradition of Fludd, Bruno, and earlier
  Neo-Platonic sources.  A simple three-degree system of initiation is
  offered to local (Pacific Northwest) members, and an introductory nine
  month correspondence course is required for membership.]

* Fraternity of the Hidden Light / Fraternitas LVX Occultas (F.L.O.)
  P.O. Box 5094, Dept. S,  Covina, CA  91723,  USA

  [Founded in the mid-1980's by Paul A. Clark and others, this "modern
  day repository of the Hermetic Arts" offers a quality correspondence
  course, as well as teaching and ceremonial work in Lodges and Temples
  in the USA and Canada.  A "direct lineal descendant" of the Golden
  Dawn via a reconstituted "Rosicrucian Order of the Alpha et Omega
  in America," F.L.O. also assimilates traditions from B.O.T.A., as well
  as "new revelations from continual research."  Color and sound based
  healing techniques are an important part of the curriculum.  Fees and 
  suggested donations are said said to be very reasonable.  Lodges in Los
  Angeles, Dallas, and Toronto.  Christopher Ward (cward@think.com) lists
  himself as a contact for anyone who wants more information.]

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CONTINUED IN PART 4/4

