Table Of ContentLlewellyn'sGolden Dawn Series
SELF-INITIATION
into the Golden Dawn Tradition
ACompleteCurriculumofStudy
for Both the SolitaryMagician
and the WorkingMagicalGroup
Chic Cicero
Sandra Tabatha Cicero
1998
LlewellynPublications
St.Paul,Minnesota55164-0383,U.S.A.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION xiii
CHAPTERONE: THE NEOPHYTEGRADE 1
TheGodformsofthe VisibleStations.PrimaryOfficersoftheOuter
Grades. The Initiation Ceremony. The First Knowledge Lecture.
Section 1:TheElements.Section2:TheZodiac. TheTriplicities.The
Quadruplicities. The Signs. Section3:The SevenAncientPlanets.
TheNewPlanets.Section4:TheQabalah.Section5:TheSephiroth.
Section 6:The HebrewAlphabet.An AditionalSide Lecture-The
Pillars. RitualWorkfor the Neophyte. The OuterWand ofDouble
Power. The Qabalistic Cross. The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the
Pentagram. Uses of the Pentagram Ritual. The Adoration to the
Lord ofthe Universe.Meditationfor the 0= 0GradeofNeophyte.
Daily Adorations. The Berakah. The Rite of Elemental
Equilibration. BodyAwarenessExercise.Extra SensoryAwareness
Exercise.SuggestedReading. Examinations.
CHAPTERTWO: THE ZELATOR GRADE 97
Godforms of the Outer Order Grades. Archangelic Forms of the
Zelator Grade. The Initiation Ceremony. The Second Knowledge
Lecture. Section 1: Basic Astrology. The Houses. The Meridians.
Section 2:BasicAlchemy. AlchemicalTermsandSymbols. Section
3: The Elementals. Section 4:Tetragrammaton and the Kerubim.
Section 5:Qabalah. The HebrewLetters. The FourWorlds andthe
TenHeavens. The DivineNames Attributed to the Sephiroth.The
Zodiacal Hierarchies. Section 6: Correspondences of Earth.
PreciousStones and Minerals. EarthDeities. Section 7:Divination
andGeomancy. Section 8:CorrespondencesofMalkuth. Section 9:
Ritual Images and Diagrams. An Additional Side Lecture-The
TribesofIsraelandthe ZodiacalSigns.RitualWorkforthe Zelator.
Meditationfor the 1=10GradeofZelator. RelaxationExercise.A
Meditation on the Four Qabalistic Worlds. An Invocation of the
Element of Earth. Suggested Reading. Some Final Suggestions.
Examinations.
CHAPTERTHREE:THE THEORICUSGRADE 223
The Kerubic Forms of the Theoricus Grade. The Initiation
Ceremony. The Third Knowledge Lecture. Section 1: Basic
Astrology. The Aspects. Erecting a Natal Chart. Interpreting a
Horoscope. Aspecting. Section 2: Basic Alchemy-Alchemical
Operations. Section3:Spiritual Entities. Section 4:Qabalah-The
Parts of the Soul. Section5:CorrespondencesofYesod.Section6:
CorrespondencesofAir.PerfumesandIncenses. BeingsandDeities
ofAirandSky.Section7:CorrespondencesofLuna. LunarDeities.
ComplementaryPlanet-Saturn.Section8:PlantsandHerbs.Plant
and Nature Spirits. Section 9: Admission Badges and Diagrams.
Additional Side Lecture-The Moon and the Tree of Life. Ritual
Work for the Theoricus. Meditation for the 2 = 9 Grade of
Theoricus. Rhythmic Breathing. The Purifying Breath. Mind
Awareness.SpeechAwareness.ASimpleCardDivinationExercise.
AMeditation on the Parts of the Soul. The 32nd Path of Tau. A
Journeyon the32ndPathofTau.An InvocationoftheElementof
Air.SuggestedReading.SomeFinal Suggestions.Examinations.
CHAPTERFOUR: THE PRACTICUSGRADE 325
The Samothracian Mysteries. Godforms of the Kabiri. The
Chaldean Oracles. The Initiation Ceremony. The Fourth
Knowledge Lecture. Section 1:Admission Badges and Diagrams.
Section 2: Lineal Figures and Magical Squares. Polygons and
Polygrams. Magic Squares. Section 3:Literal Qabalah. Gematria.
Aiq Beker. Notariqon. Temurah. Section 4: Correspondences of
Hod. Section5:Correspondences of Water. Beings and Deities of
Water.Section6:Correspondences of Mercury. MercurialDeities.
ComplementaryPlanet-Jupiter.Section 7:TheOlympicPlanetary
Spirits. Section 8: The Tarot-An Introduction. Qabalistic
AssociationsoftheTarot.The Twenty-twoTrumps.ADescription
of the Tarot Trumps. Notes on the Tarot. The Minor Arcana. The
CourtCards.AdditionalSideLecture-OntheGeneralPurification
oftheSoul. RitualWork for the Practicus.Meditationfor the 3= 8
Grade of Practicus. Concentration and Mantra. Psychic Develop
ment.The31stPathofShin.AJourneyon the31stPathofShin.The
30th Path of Resh. A Journey on the 30th Path of Resh. An
Invocationofthe ElementofWater.SuggestedReading.SomeFinal
Suggestions.Examinations.
CHAPTERFIVE:THE PHILOSOPHUSGRADE 471
TheBiblicalPassages.TheGodforms.TheInitiationCeremony. The
Fifth Knowledge Lecture. Section 1:Qabalah-The "Body" of the
Divine. Qabalistic Correspondences. Section 2: The Shem Ha
Mephoresh. Section 3: Correspondences of Netzach. Section 4:
Correspondences of Fire. Beings and Deities of Fire. Section 5:
Correspondences of Venus. Venusian Deities. Complementary
Planet-Mars. Section 6: Qabalah-The Qlippoth on the Tree of
Life. Section 7: Alchemy. The Tools of Practical Alchemy.
AlchemicalPrinciplesontheTree.TheAstrologicalandAlchemical
Symbols of the Planets. Section 8: Admission Badges and
Diagrams. Section 9: The Greek Alphabet. Section 10: Tarot
Divination. The Celtic Cross Spread. The Ten Card Spread. The
Fifteen Card Spread. Additional Reading-The Tattwas of the
Eastern School. Ritual Work for the Philosophus. Meditation for
the 4=7GradeofPhilosophus.Devotion.Sacred Ground.The29th
PathofQoph.AJourneyon the29th PathofQoph. The 28th Path
ofTzaddi.AJourneyon the 28th PathofTzaddi.The 27th Pathof
Peh. A Journey on the 27th Path of Peh. An Invocation of the
Element of Fire. Suggested Reading. Some Final Suggestions.
Examinations.
CHAPTERSIX:THE PORTAL 603
The Godforms of the PortalGrade. The InitiationCeremony. The
SixthKnowledgeLecture. Section1:OntheWorktobeUndertaken
in the Portal. The Thesis. The Crosses. ADrawing of the Tree of
Life.ControloftheAura.TheTreeofLifeintheAura. TheExercise
of the MiddlePillar.TattwasandTriangles. Astrology. Divination.
Self-Exploration.RegressionExercise.Section2:Correspondesnces
ofSpirit. Section3:Wands, LamensandAdmissionBadges.Section
4:Ritual Diagrams. RitualWork for the PortalGrade. Meditation
for the PortalGrade. Developmentofthe Will.The Practiceofthe
Divine Essence. A Guided Visualization for the Portal Grade.
AdditionalWork for the Portal Grade. Suggested Reading. Work
for the Advanced Magician. The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the
Hexagram. The Opening by Watchtower. The Ritual of the Rose
Cross. InvokeOften.
AFTERWORDbyMitch Henson 701
APPENDIX1:ExaminationAnswers 705
APPENDIX2:TziruphTables 735
BIBLIOGRAPHY 739
Introduction
nitiationmeanslitobegin"orembarkuponsomethingnew.Itisthe
beginningofanewphaseor outlookon life;the passageinto adis
tinctly new type of existence. The characteristics of this event are
marked by an expansion of the mind to include an awareness of
i:!1iliilS6 higher levels of consciousness. Initiation represents spiritual
growth;thecommencementofanew lifecommittedtoanentirelynew setofprin
ciples from those of mundane society.Initiationis the precursor ofimmortality.
Humankindhas the potentialfor immortality, butonly obtainsitwhenmenand
womenalign themselves with that immortal spiritualessence that underlies all
aspects of the manifest universe; that same spiritual essence whichis too often
ignored by the great majority of humanity. Obtaining that rare and splendid
essence is the supreme objective of that part of the Western Esoteric Tradition
knownasmagic.Thegoalofallmagicalprocessesisthepurificationofthenatural
humanbeing-thatis,theextractionofthepuregoldofspiritualSelfhoodfromthe
huskofthe outerpersonality.
Magic is aspiritualscience.Itisaspecializedsystemofdisciplinewhich
has a spiritualrather than materialgoal. Thisisa personal science thatis based
uponthe fundamentalknowledgeofthe truehumanbeingwhichliesbeneaththe
illusionofthe outer, secularhuman.Ceremonialmagic incorporatesaprocessof
memorizationandritualwhichresultsinthe directstimulationofthe Willandthe
exaltationofthe Imagination.Thefinalobjectiveofallthisisthepurificationofthe
lower personality and the realization of an elevated state of consciousness,
whereinthe magician'segoentersinto aunionwithhis/herownHigherSelfand
ultimatelywith the Divine. Every action, idea and utterancein any ceremonyis
designed tobringaboutthis finalconclusion. Eachandeverydetailoftheritual
itself, including banishings, circumambulations, evocations and invocations,
servesto remind the operatorofthis single goal. "For theassaultontheHolyCity,
everysenseandeveryfacultyisdeliberatelymobilized,andthewholeindividualsoulofthe
operatormustenterintotheact. Every impression,bymeans ofa Hermeticand
"1
Qabalistic system of associated ideas, is made the beginning of a sequence of
related thoughts which culminate in the ultimate aim of the ceremony. When
emblemafter emblemhas infiltratedthe mindofthe magician, andthe ritualact
has stimulated his/her emotions to a fever pitch, then the absolute moment of
1IsraelRegardie,TheTreeofLife,pg.107.
xv
xvi SELF-INITIATIONINTOTHEGoLDENDAWNTRADITION
spiritualecstasyisattained.Aclearandopenchanneliscreatedbetweenthemind
andthe soul,concludinginanincreasedconcentrationofmagical abilitiesandthe
exaltationofthe trueanddivinenatureofthe magician.
Toaccomplishthese loftygoalsinthe traditionofthe Golden Dawn,mem
orizationofcertainmaterialsknowncollectivelyas "KnowledgeLectures" isvery
important.TheHermeticArt isatrue scienceandwould-bemagicians mustcom
mittherudimentaryknowledgeofthesystemtomemory,justasifs/hewereastu
dent entering a school of medicine or engineering. Physicians and engineers
require years of training to achieve their career goals. This training naturally
includesmuchmemorizationofmaterialsthatareimportanttothe specifictrade.
Training andstudyare no lessimperativefor the magicianwhoseeks tojourney
between the astral realms and explore the inner workings of the human mind.
Magic is real. Itis not something that should be toyed with by "dabblers" who
knownext tonothingaboutthe subject,butassumethatitwouldbe fun to "make
somethinghappen."Surgeonswhopractice medicine withoutalicenseoftenend
up in jail.Superficial occultists who occasionally manage to open psychic doors
withoutknowingwhattodonextsometimesendupinmentalhospitals.
This iswhatmakes the GoldenDawn'scurriculumofstudysoimportant
toanystudentofthe WesternMagicalTradition. Memorizationofalarge amount
ofinformationisrequired. Thismaterialisfundamental tobuildingasolid foun
dation of knowledge that will steadily become second-nature to the magician,
enablinghim/hertoperceive more clearlythe astralinfluences thatpermeatethe
physicalworld-influenceswhichthe averagepersoncannotperceive.The con
sciouscommitmentto learnthe symbolic (magical) alphabetofthe unconscious
mind results in the cultivation of psychic reflexes which aid the magician and
makeall ceremonialworkflow more smoothly. Butmore importantlythanthis,
thememorizationofmagical datachangestheverystructureofthepsyche,which
isgraduallyinfiltratedby holy symbols thatspeakon asubconsciouslevel tothe
DivineBeingin each ofus. The mindofthe magicianissteadilypurifiedby this
processasanincreasingpercentageofmundanethoughtsaresupplantedortrans
formedby spiritualthoughts.
Initiationisthe preliminarystep in the realmofmagic.Atrueinitiationis
theinnerandhiddenessencewhichpushesthestudenttoseekthePathofKnowl
edgewithatenacitythatcannotbe denied. Thisinitial stepistheenfoldingofthe
Divine Light;the gentle nurturingofthe sparkofconsciousnesswithinthe Inner
Self.Attaining this point of growth requires peace ofmind, awareness of one's
subconsciousimpulses,persistenthardworkandacertaindegreeofself-sacrifice.
Whenthe secretrecessesofthe InnerSelfhavebeenreached, communicationwith
the universalPoweristhenpossible.Andbythe singleactofonestudenttapping
intothisDivine Power, thewholeofhumanityisenriched.
Theword "mystery" plays an importantrolein the dramaofinitiation.It
isderivedfrom the Greekwordmysteria,meaning"thatwhichisreservedforini
tiates only."Severalmagical groupsandsecretsocietieshaveatraditionoftracing
theirancestralroots back to the mysterycults and religions thatflourished in the
ancientworld.Manypeoplewere drawntothese mysteryreligionsbecauseofthe
Introduction xvii
senseof spiritualvitalityandrapture theyprovidedthroughelaborateinduction
ceremonies.Tobe aninitiatemeansthatoneisacceptedintoaninnercirclewhose
teachings and rituals are meaningful only to other members of the group who
sharethiscommonexperience.Itconfersasenseofstatusandbelonging,and of
having been uplifted through the disclosure of divinely inspired wisdom. The
candidateseekingadmittancemustfirst provehim/herself worthyofinclusion
intothe groupor magicaltradition.The ritualofinitiationis meantto purifyand
preparethecandidateto receivethesecretsand teachingsofthattraditionor cur
rent.Anewinitiatedoesnotreceivethe totalvolumeofknowledgeimmediately,
butin gradualstages.This processofspiritualevolutionbeginsat thebottomofa
hierarchicalladder,eachstepofwhichisaccompaniedby anadditionalinitiation
ceremonyandfurther study.
Initiationis also awonderfullyfulfilling experience.Acandidateentering
the temple for the first time is in a heightened state of awareness; adrenalineis
pumpingthroughthe body, thesensesare amplified-thewholebeingofthecan
didate is poised and ready to receive an influx of energy. All of this is brought
about by the conscious decision to be initiated. We have seen some candidates
movedtotearsor faintingwithjoyfrom theenergyofan initiationceremony. This
is thepowerofthedecisiontobeginaspiritualPath.s
"LonghastthoudweltinDarkness,QuittheNightandSeektheDay."This one
sentencefrom theNeophyteRitualofthe GoldenDawnencompassestheprimary
goalandaspirationofthestudentoftheMysteries;toexchangethemundanefor
the Divine. That goal is based upon a journey of self-discovery and spiritual
attainment.ItisnotjusttheawarenessoftheDivine,butalso thebringingforthof
divinityintodailylife.TheverynameoftheOrder-TheGoldenDawn-alludesto
theshiningbrillianceofthe Eternaland DivineLight, breakingthroughthecon
fines ofDarknessto heraldthebirthofanewdayin theevolutionofhumankind.
Theaimofalltheritualsandpracticalmagicalworkofthe GoldenDawnistocre
ate aspiritualbondbetweenthemagicianandthe ImmortalSelf.
ThepurposesforwhichtheG.'.D.'. wasformedweretwofold;first,through
study,teaching,andorganization,toserveasguardianofthe WesternEsoteric Tra
dition,andsecond,toinitiate,educate,andnurturethoseindividualscalledtocarry
ontheGreatWork (thatis,tobecomemorethanhuman,andto achieveunionwith
the Divine). Forthoseindividualswhoarecalled tothe WesternEsotericMysteries,
the GoldenDawnsystempresentsitselfasavital,consistent,andsecuremethodfor
spiritualenhancement.
The fundamental practicesand techniquesof theGolden Dawn'ssystem
of psychicdevelopmentare threefold; thefirst is initiation (astralandphysical),
thesecondisassimilationofQabalisticandHermeticknowledge(thebasicalpha
betof the magical language), and the third ispersonalritualwork. All threeare
2Foroneofmyinitiationceremonies,Ihad undertakenathree-dayfastand frequentmeditations
beforehand.Duringtheritual, thesmelloftheincense,thesymbols, thesounds,thespeechesofthe
officers,andeverysingle aspectoftheceremonywas sopowerfuland overwhelmingtomethatat
amomentofsupremerealizationand influx ofenergy,myknees begantofailmeandIhadtobe
supportedbyoneoftheofficersastheritualcontinued.Itwaswithoutadoubtoneoftheturning
pointsinmylife.-STC
xviii SELF-INITIATIONINtOTHEGoLDENDAWN'fRAomoN
prerequisitesforadvancementinto theGoldenDawnTradition.Initiationbyitself
ispointlesswithouttherepeatedpracticeofritualtechniquesandindividualcer
emonialwork. Likewise, performanceofadvancedGoldenDawnrituals,suchas
theconsecrationofElementalweaponswithoutthe knowledgeofcertainfunda
mentalssuchas the HebrewAlphabet,issimilartoconstructingabuildingwith
outfirstpouringafoundation-theprojectislikelytocollapse.Allthree aspectsof
theG:.D:. systemmustbe undertakenequallyin orderfor the systemto work
thewaythatitwas intendedtowork.
Thereis no needfor us to presentahistoryofthe HermeticOrderof the
GoldenDawnhere, since thatsubjecthas alreadybeencoveredatlengthbyvari
ous authors. The Magicians oftheGolden Dawn by EllieHowe, The Golden Dawn:
TwilightoftheMagiciansbyR.A.Gilbert,SwordofWisdombyIthellColquhoun,and
RitualMagic inEnglandby Francis King shouldallbeconsultedfor the lightthat
theyshedonthehistoryoftheG:.D:. and itsvariousoffshoots.Thehistoryofthe
modem incarnation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn has been suc
cinctlycoveredin the EpilogueofourbookSecrets ofaGolden Dawn Temple. This
bookwillconcentrateinsteaduponthe techniques thatare essentialfor the soli
tarystudenttobe able toinitiatehim/herselfinto the GoldenDawn'scurrentof
magicfromNeophytethroughthe Portalgrade,providingacompletecurriculum
ofstudyfor the OuterOrdergrades.
Self-initiationinto the G:.D:. currentofmagichasbeenasubjectofmuch
speculationanddiscussion.Howeververylittlepracticalinformationhasbeenpre
senteduponthe subject. Israel Regardiewas avocal championofthe idea thata
studentcouldinitiatehim/herselfthroughthegradesoftheGolden Dawn. Heput
forththe opinionthatby repeatedperformanceofsuchritualsas the Openingby
WatchtowerandtheMiddlePillarExercise,theaspiringmagiciancouldeffectively
beconsideredaninitiateoftheG:.D:. current. (Note:Theseritualsareprovidedin
ChapterSixofthis book.) However,he alsostatedthatthishingedupon the stu
dent'sownpersistence,hardworkanddetermination.Theresponsibilityforspiri
tualprogressisplacedsquarelyon the shouldersofthe student.Thereisonly one
persontoblameifindolencekeeps spiritualgrowthfromoccurring.
TheneedforSelf-initiationisbornoutofthefactthatitisnot alwayspossi
bleforprospectivestudentstoliveinanareathatisclosetoanofficiallyrecognized
initiatorytemple. EspeciallyhereintheU.S.,studentshaveoftenhadtospendalot
of moneyon transportation to an officialtemplein orderto receive an initiation.
Sincethereisatotal ofnolessthanseveninitiationceremonies requiredtobecome
anAdeptusMinor,itiseasytoseehowexpensivetheprocessoftravelingtoatem
plecan become. This has led tovarious magical groupsoffering correspondence
coursesandastralinitiationbyproxy.However, these tooare often highlyexpen
sive undertakingswhichdo notaddressthe solitarystudent'sbasic needtomoni
tor his/herownpsychic growthinameaningfuland spirituallyfulfillingmanner.
(SomegroupsevenbestowinstantAdepthoodwithvirtuallynoOuterOrdertrain
ingwhatsoever;forafee,almostanyonecangetacertificateproclaimingone tobe
anAdeptusMinor[orevenanAdeptusExemptus!].Thespiritualvalueofgrades
obtainedin suchamanneris,ofcourse,highlyquestionable.)
