Historical Revisionism in the Golden Dawn

Historical Revisionism in the Golden Dawn Part 1 of a critical review of Mathers’ Last Secret

By Tomas Stacewicz

Copyright © 2011 & 2013 Tomas Stacewicz. All rights reserved.

Introduction

In a projected series of three essays, this is the first attempt of an critical scholarly analysis of

Nick Farrell’s personal commentaries appended to the Rituals and some other papers

belonging to the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega (henceforth abbreviated as “A∴ ∴O ”),

founded and headed by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (henceforth referred to simply as

“Mathers”). The commentaries made by Mr. Farrell that I am

addressing have been attached to his new book Mathers’ Last

Secret, recently published revealing the hereunto secret rituals

of the A∴ ∴O . But many of these points that he is addressing

has been published by him before, on a Golden Dawn forum,

and on his personal blog and Web page. Thus, on the onset it

must be stated that what follows is not a traditional review per

se of Mr. Farrell’s book; it is a critical analysis of the theories

and speculations originating in the mind of Mr. Farrell, which

he has disseminated on many occasions and through different

venues, both in book format and otherwise. Before I proceed I

would also like to send my gratitude to Darcy Küntz for being

such a sport in providing me with grammatical corrections of

the following text.

The very first thing I would like to bring up is Mr. Farrell’s view or definition of a “Magical

Order” (i.e. the good) vs. “Masonic Order” (the bad). The idea here is that the original (pre

schism) Order of the Golden Dawn (henceforth abbreviated as “G∴ ∴D ”) was working under

a “masonic phase”, lacking any true magical current. That current only became manifest after

the schism, first when the Stella Matutina (henceforth abbreviated as “S.M.”) was created by

R.W. Felkin in 1903 and then later with the creation of the Fraternity of the Inner Light in the

1920’s by Dion Fortune. The A∴ ∴O , according to Mr. Farrell, continued with the “masonic

phase” and only later, after the death of Mathers, became truly “magical”. This Mr. Farrell

explains with the supposed fact that neither W.W. Westcott (the co-founder of the G∴ ∴D )

nor Mathers were properly initiated into the Golden Dawn; to fully understand the system one

must be initiated through its Grades properly and in full ritual. But contrary to Mathers his

wife Moina was initiated, as well as John William Brodie-Innes, who jointly took over the

helm of the A∴ ∴O and thus made it “magical” for the first time in its history. As Felkin had

been initiated into the Golden Dawn his organization, the S.M.,

immediately became “magical” in a “true” sense.

According to Mr. Farrell Magical orders are created with the

continuous use of God-Forms, not merely ritual. Take away the God-

Forms from a rite and it becomes “Freemasonic”; an empty shell or

vessel. On this last point, I actually agree with Mr. Farrell, but

regarding Mathers and Westcott not being initiates of the Golden

Dawn, that does not hold water when it comes to creating a magical

egregore or current. It was Mathers himself who brought the God-

Forms into the Golden Dawn, already in 1892, which Mr. Farrell also

acknowledges. Therefore, it seems strange that Mr. Farrell does not consider neither the

original G∴ ∴ ∴ ∴D nor the A O as “magical” orders, which they truly were as they performed

God-Form magic as did the S.M. Besides, Mr. Farrell has no clue of what Hermetic and

Rosicrucian initiations Mathers or Westcott took in addition to and outside of the strictly

Golden Dawn current and excluding the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (S.R.I.A.).

The Golden Dawn is a Rosicrucian current and a Hermetic one; magical use of rituals did not

originate with the Golden Dawn. Both Mathers and Westcott were Adepts of the Hermetic

and Rosicrucian traditions long before the creation of the Golden Dawn in 1888, and

participated in other rites after that. They would not have received the mission and mandate to

create the Golden Dawn without it. Both Mathers and Westcott were

members of Mackenzie’s group “The Society of Eight” or Fratres Lucis.

The Cypher Mss. derived (most likely) from that group. We do not know

if these rituals (as contained in the Cypher Mss.) or early versions of

them were not practiced before 1888 and if Westcott and Mathers had

not experienced them before the creation of the Golden Dawn. I have

heard the story told by Tony Fuller that W.E. Carnegie-Dickson (the

successor of Brodie-Innes as Chief of the A∴ ∴O in the 1930’s) was told

orally that the Golden Dawn rituals had been written up before the

creation of the Cypher Mss. If this last information is true, this will bring

the Golden Dawn system and its rituals under a different perspective and

put the entire matter into a another context.

So in the final analysis we should be careful with a premature statement

that Mathers and Westcott were not initiates of the Golden Dawn, even

if it is likely that they actually did not received their particular G∴ ∴D

Grades formally in ritual, judging the accessible historical data; the most

scholarly approach here is to suspend all judgment as we don’t have

sufficient data. But does this possible fact (i.e. “not” being initiates)

make an Order “non-magical”? Not by traditional Golden Dawn

standards, in my opinion.

Mathers was the creator of the particular form of Golden Dawn rituals

that we know of today, faithfully using the Cypher Mss. provided by

Westcott as a base; I believe there is a magical rapport between the “creator” and the

“created” also on a microcosmic scale. Thus, I believe that Mathers had an intuitive

understanding of Golden Dawn ritual that nobody had during his lifetime, because of this

rapport. Mr. Farrell, and others agreeing with him, consider that Mathers was guided by some

unconscious genius (greater than himself) when he wrote up the rituals and materials, which

“explains” why he later “couldn’t” understand them; why shouldn’t he had access to this

genius consciously if that actually was the case? Why could not he have been governed

intuitively by it also during performance of the same rituals, and thus gaining understanding

as the practical work progressed? Add also to this compound three

decades of regular performance and attendance of these rituals and you

have a solid ground for understanding the underlying magical

mechanics of ritual.

Golden Dawn style God-Form magic was practiced regularly in the

Golden Dawn from 1892 and onwards, and later in both the A∴ ∴O

and Stella Matutina. This makes the rituals magical. Then one may

argue that there exists different forms of God-Form magic, and that

one method may be considered being more effective than another. Mr.

Farrell uses the practices made in Dion Fortune’s Fraternity of the

Inner Light as a fine example of “magical” ritual. This practice was

inherited by the Servants of the Light (S.O.L.) and in which latter context Mr. Farrell was

taught them.

Now, I have personally been fortunate enough to know a high initiate

and personal friend of Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki who taught me the

techniques of creating an “Inner Temple”. So I know what Mr. Farrell

is referring to and I also have studied Ashcroft-Nowicki’s book The

Shining Paths which teaches the particular astral working known as

“Path-Working”. I personally like Fortune’s approach to astral work,

but still this is not an actual part of the Golden Dawn Tradition; it’s a

part of the Dion Fortune tradition, not the Golden Dawn. Although it

may be used splendidly by the latter, it still cannot be used as a

measuring stick for judging the efficiency of Golden Dawn “magical”

ritual.

Looking at Pat Zalewski’s ritual commentaries it clearly makes a great emphasis on God-

Form magic, but not at all of the Dion Fortune kind. One does not visualize a lofty space

wherein the Hall of Maat and its attending God-Forms are supposed to be created. What Mr.

Zalewski teaches is a more energetic approach creating astral shells in the physical space

which brings the Hall of Maat down to the physical.

Now, Mr. Farrell holds that the S.M. developed and perfected the

“magical” approach to Golden Dawn ritual. But we must keep in

mind that he doesn’t come to this conclusion based on purely study

of S.M. ritual papers, as he does with the A∴ ∴O . Surely enough he

bases his opinion of the S.M. from experience of the Order of the

Table Round (O.T.R.), a side order of the New Zeeland version of

the Stella Matutina (Whare Ra), in the late 1980’s. But Mr. Farrell is

quick on judging the A∴ ∴O solely based on what he may have read

out from ritual documents written in the early 20th Century. This is

an highly unfair and unscholarly approach in my opinion.

I have no personal experience of the Whare Ra so I can only judge

its magical ritual efficiency from reading its published and

unpublished rituals, as does Mr. Farrell vis-à-vis the Alpha et Omega. And honestly, how

could anyone have dreamt that the Whare Ra practiced that form of advanced magic as

described by Mr. Zalewski, reading the original S.M. rituals? Not me anyway. So I ask, how

can Mr. Farrell form his severe judgment of the “magical” ritual efficiency of the A∴ ∴O

based solely upon documents?

Besides, we do not know that the Whare Ra actually practiced what

Mr. Zalewski has tried to make us believe all these years. Other

sources informs us that whatever he has described in his ritual

commentaries is only representative of the O.T.R., with personal

additions of Mr. Zalewski himself. Even Mr. Zalewski says that the

Whare Ra used an entirely different and dull set of God-Forms in the

Elemental Grades compared to the ones that he has suggested as

being derived from Moina Mathers and the A∴ ∴O . So, rather than

saying that Mr. Farrell bases his experience from the actual Whare

Ra, he actually bases his experience from the Order of the Table

Round, which, I suspect, in turn relies heavily on the developments made by Jack Taylor who

was its Chief during the early 80’s.

I suspect that the actual “magical” ritual practice did not differ substantially between the

Stella Matutina and the A∴ ∴O , at least not during the life times of Felkin and Mathers. I hold

that nothing proves, whatever Mr. Farrell is stating, that the A∴ ∴O ever

discontinued the regular use of God-Forms in ritual. What can be proved,

judging from a read of the A∴ ∴O 0°=0° ritual, is that certain parts of the ritual

could be circumscribed or by-passed during special circumstances. We will not

find anything like that when comparing the Stella Matutina 0°=0.° However,

both Orders practiced or at least (according to document papers) approved the

use of “Opening by Sceptre”, which is the most magically inhibiting practice of

all, which was already approved in the original Order of the Golden Dawn. But

irregularly performed “Openings by sceptre” or other and lighter by-passes of

ritual parts, does not render an entire Order “un-magical”. It may inhibit the

magical efficiency of that particularly performed ritual but not an entire Order

egregore if “full” performances are regularly performed, which they were

judging from the minutes of the Ahathoor Temple.

Thus the “short cuts” made by Mathers are no proof, in my opinion, that Mathers went into a

generally more “masonic oriented” direction, i.e. that he left magic behind. To be able to

prove anything of this magnitude you have had to be an initiate of a Alpha et Omega Temple

yourself during the times of Mathers.

Then there is a last thought or question I would like to share with you before we enter into a

in depth analysis of Mr. Farrell’s theories and speculations. Can a proficient Magician or

Hierophant magically open a ritual space and Grade, just by sheer will power? Can a

proficient and highly experienced Hierophant, such as Mathers, fully open the Magical

currents just by one single knock? Is this possible? If you believe

in magic, I would say you have to believe that it is. W.E. Butler

(the pupil of Dion Fortune and founder of the S.O.L.) believed it

was possible.

A ritual serves as an aid for the human consciousness to transmit

forces, power or energy from the higher planes (spirit) into the

ritual chamber (matter). I believe, at least potentially, that it is

possible to do that as well as during full ritual, just by using a

gesture, knock or a single word, if you have performed the ritual

sufficiently enough and developed your magical ability to a high

level. Magic may become one’s second nature and transferred

from a conscious imaginative into an instinctual nature. Who am

I, or anyone else for that matter, to judge that Mathers was not

able to perform such a feat? The fact is that he was chosen by the

Third Order to manifest the Second Order or R.R. et A.C. Would

he had received such an honour and duty had he not been a

highly skilled magician?

Analysis of the Neophyte Grade

Before I will continue with my critical review of Nick Farrell’s talking points against Mathers

and his Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega I feel that there is need for me to add to what I

have already said regarding what constitutes a “magical” Temple in Lodge work. I have

already stated in my introduction that I agree with the view that the applied techniques and

work with God-Forms constitutes an important part of this “magical” practice. Let me

develop this a little bit further and put it into its proper context.

We have been taught (at least since the days of Eliphas Levi’s books)

that the combination of Imagination and Will constitutes the two great

pillars of magical work. But this is not the whole truth of the matter, or

else all we had to do was sitting in silent meditation and only perform

dramatized mystery plays and “path workings” in our imaginations.

That particular application alone may work well for certain purposes,

but does not go all the way necessary for successful initiatory work.

Hermeticism, as well as its Eastern alchemical counterparts in

Tantrism and Daoism, places much emphasis also upon ritual and

bodily activity. Thus, magic is not only performed using the

imagination; physical action, as an expression of mystical drama,

constitutes perhaps an even more important component. Thus, words

of power or vibration, prayers, movements and gestures constitute fundamental parts of

magical technique as well. The subtle planes (and bodies) have no function for us mortals if

they are not able to manifest in the physical Temple (and body). Hermetic Magic is about the

union of “heaven” and “earth”. Thus, each ritual drama constitutes an attempt at a species of

“Alchemical Wedding”.

I have myself, in my personal ritual work, found out that I actually don’t always need

imagination to arouse “etheric energy” of the subtle body to be felt in my physical vehicle;

posture, breathing and words of power (mantras) triggers it as well as (or perhaps even better

than) imagination and astral creations of the mind.

In my ritual work I alternate between doing – on one hand – full ritual invocations using

maximum props, paraphernalia, regalia, robes, incenses, colours, god-forms, inner temples,

enochian calls, adorations, payers, and whatever is typically associated with full blown

Golden Dawn style rituals. On the other hand I may also perform just a simple Supreme

Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram in my ordinary living room without

any props, in my casual cloths, just moving around my own axis,

without any implements, minimum of prayers and no god-forms or inner

temple; simply tracing the Pentagrams in their proper visualized colours

and vibrating their corresponding words of power. And to be honest, I

get the work done just as well or even better with the latter as with the

former form of ritual; I can feel as much energetically charged in my

physical body with this simple form of ritual.

So, no-one can convince me in believing that magic may only be

performed if you visualize God-Forms in astral temples, that the work of

God-Forms is the key to all ceremonial work. No, it is not. It is but a

part of a wide array of tools where ritual movement, gestures, basic

visualizations and vibration of words of power constitutes important aids; physical ritual in

itself is the actual key to ceremonial magic. The fact is that most Golden Dawn style magical

ritual is done without consciously using God-Forms, not counting the Arch-Angels at the

Quarters, such as regular performance of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, but it constitutes

true and serious magic nevertheless.

Thus, I do not agree with this dichotomy made between imaginative

magic (creative visualization) and physical ritual magic. The thing is

that you use your eyesight as well in physical ritual, which makes

imprints on your imaginative faculties and thus creates a “ghost”

image or copy on the inner planes; both visualization and physical

eyesight affects the same centres of the brain. This visual aspect

makes it important to perform outer and physical ritual as efficiently

as an well-orchestrated or staged theatrical play, using as much props

as possible, and acting skills, as this will make an even better imprint

on the imaginative faculties and send that image as a strong

suggestion to make changes in the astral light. Initiation is a ritual

drama which aims at sowing seeds within the candidate.

So, I do not agree with Mr. Farrell’s strongest point in his contention, that there is a necessary

opposition or exclusion between a well-made Masonic style ceremony and “magical” ritual.

On the contrary, I have perhaps been the most moved and psychologically affected when

being subjected to traditional Masonic initiations in the Swedish Freemasonic Order, who lays

great emphasis on perfectly performed ritual drama. This aspect of ritual is totally ignored in

Mr. Farrell’s critique against Mathers and his A∴ ∴O .

However, as I hinted above, not even props and drama is the most important or essential to

raise energy; today I may (after long training) effectively do that using a bare minimum of

ritual. And I am convinced that the most important initiatic component – without negating the

importance of ritual drama and psychological impression made – is the manipulation of

“energy” or “L.V.X. current” within the energetic body or Sphere of Sensation of the

candidate, and thus also the physical body. This is the traditional Hermetic perspective which

we must not forget and is often neglected in discussions; magic is real and constitutes actual

energy, not some imagined concept of pure psychology and emotionalism.

Thus, if we take away all the components not essential to raise energy in the physical body,

we will find ourselves with the one and solely most important magical component of all,

which we may never neglect if we want to perform successful magic and initiation – the

Conscious Will. This of course implies a focused

consciousness as well. This also brings me back to my last

question in the Introduction; yes, it is possible to

successfully open the Hall of Neophytes with one single

knock if by this act the Magical Will of the Hierophant is

sufficiently strong to affect the needed changes in the room

for it to be fully transformed into the Hall of Maat.

However this being said, the most optimal form of Golden

Dawn ritual is to make use of a combination of both physical

and outer performance – the full ritual drama – as well as the

inner plane work of creating a “Temple not made with

hands” and attending God-Forms, as an optimal aid for the Hierophant and his assisting

Officers in providing the necessary and crucial energetic component and presence in the Hall.

And also, a ritual is as effective as its weakest link, being the less experienced Officer. In a

good Temple, being part of an Officer staff constitutes an important part in the training of a

magician, from becoming a Neophyte and onwards. As experience often is extremely varied

between the Hierophant and the Sentinel, the former being an Adept and the latter often but a

Neophyte, the preferred way to perform ritual is using full “Masonic style” props and

paraphernalia, scrutiny in ritual performance, as well as a well performed “preparation” part

which involves the merging of the Officer staff into a working unit – connecting it to the

egregore – as well as activating the subtle or astral aspects of the Hall.

So my main point is that this dichotomy made by Mr. Farrell

between “Freemasonic” style performance of ritual and “magical”

ritual is misleading; the one does not at all exclude the other. I get

the feeling reading Mr. Farrell’s words that physically well

performed (i.e. focused towards outer) ritual is the total opposite of

a “magical” ritual which is well performed simply on the inner

planes but not necessarily impressive in its outer performance. No

it is not; “as above so below, as below so above” remember?

Reading Mr. Zalewski’s works and comments, this seems to

contradict what Mr. Farrell is stating as the image I get from the

O.T.R. (and perhaps also the Whare Ra) way of performing ritual

is that it was extremely “anal” and put tremendous focus and

tedious emphasis on minute detail how people should stand and walk and perform during

ritual, down to the point of holding their implements in a correct and special way. This Mr.

Zalewski asserts affects the energetic component in ritual. In this I agree with Mr. Zalewski,

even though I get the feeling that it was almost overdone at the O.T.R., at least how it has

been presented in the works and written words of Mr. Zalewski.

Mr. Farrell is also mistaken that all Freemasons are by their inherent

nature “non-magic folks”, as some “muggles” to use a popular term in

fantasy literature. Well, perhaps if we only limited our perspective to

Blue Lodge or Craft Masonry I would agree. But Mr. Farrell seems to

have forgotten that there has, at least since the middle 18th Century,

existed an “esoteric” form of Masonry as well, parallel to the Blue

Lodge system. That esoteric strain started to develop in the high

degree systems of Freemasonry with the creation of Scottish or

French Jacobite Masonry and in German Templarism, such as the

Strict Observance. From the former French current emerged

Martinism in the form of Elus Cohens of Martinez de Pasqually,

which later merged with German templarism to create the Chevaliers

Beneficent de la Cité-Sainte (C.B.C.S.) under the auspices of Jean-

Baptiste Willermoz. What was developed in these French and highly

secretive and esoteric lodges cannot fairly be compared to Blue Lodge and modern American

style Scottish and York Masonry.

However, the most interesting of the esoteric currents of Freemasonry is without a doubt the

so-called “Egyptian Freemasonry,” created in the latter part of 18th Century by the illustrious

and notorious Count Alessandro Cagliostro. He initially developed a 9 degrees system which

in its lowest three degrees used the equivalent of Craft Masonry and in its highest three

degrees taught the highest forms of Hermetic mysteries that was then (as it is now) known to

the majority of initiates, the Arcanum Arcanorum, which uses a basic form of Internal

Alchemy, also referred to as the “Alchemy of Love” which aims at the creation of an

immortal alchemical body of light.

This form of Internal Alchemy was given to Cagliostro by some very

secretive initiates, which later also instigated the Golden Dawn tradition

and developed it further using Mathers as their vehicle. During the early

19th Century Egyptian Freemasonry developed into the Misarïm Rite,

which later had some sort of off-shot in the Memphis Rite, both

constituting a myriad of higher degrees. In the late 19th Century the rites

of Misraïm and Memphis merged together into one, still administering

the Arcanum Arcanorum in its highest (87-90th) degrees.

That the rites of the Misraïm affected energetic changes in the candidate

is quite proven by the supposed awakening of Rudolf Steiner’s “third

eye” chakra when he was received as an Apprentice and the following

ability to probe the inner planes to create his special form of spiritual

teachings, known as Anthroposophy. Steiner took his Apprentice degree

in 1905 and one year later received a Charter from Theodor Reuss to form his own Lodge in

Berlin, known as the Mystica Aeterna. It later developed into the Misraim Dienst (“Misraim

Service”) and continued with its activities until 1914 (although I have been told that it

continued with its activities without Steiner, being a secretive and select nucleus within

Anthroposphy); Steiner referred to his form of Masonry as “Esoteric Masonry”, which it

really was, and reformed its 90 degrees back into 9.

This is furthermore interesting in a Golden Dawn context as Steiner

later became the “Secret Chief” of the Stella Matutina, the supposed

only “magical” Golden Dawn Order according to Mr. Farrell. Felkin

were also, together with his wife and Neville Meakin, initiated into

Steiner’s 4th and 5th degrees of the Misraim Dienst, which they

regarded to be the equivalents of the Golden Dawn 6°=5° and 7°=4°

Grades. The later energetic work, which were developed in the Whare

Ra and eventually in part found its way into Mr. Zalewski’s books,

supposedly originated from Steiner’s teachings and application of

Freemasonic ritual. Steiner’s thoughts on magical application of

Masonic ritual are accordingly summarized in his book entitled

Freemasonry and Ritual Work.

Thus, as it turns out, the peculiar “magical” approach of the S.M. in fact was an assimilation

of techniques originally taught in one of the “fringe” rites of Freemasonry! How very ironic!

Thus, what I have presented here clearly proves that Mr. Farrell’s thesis and points of

argument against Mathers amounts to nothing more or less than a species of history

revisionism. I might be severe in my judgment of Mr. Farrell’s conclusions, but I cannot

ignore the broader historical context in which we must regard this entire issue of Golden

Dawn and Freemasonry. And I have not even mentioned the very Masonic foundation upon

which the Golden Dawn Outer Order system is based, which is an amalgam of both Blue

Lodge and Royal Arch Freemasonry, as may be seen in one of my older essays on this

subject.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise then if we in the rituals of the

A∴ ∴O should find some practices and formalities which are also to be

found in regular Freemasonry; I hold that the Golden Dawn is a

species of “esoteric freemasonry” of the same dignity as Cagliostro’s

Egyptian Rite. Looking at the Neophyte 0°=0° Grade it literality

invokes the Hall of Maat, the Egyptian scene in which the soul of man

is weighted against the Feather of Truth of the Goddess Maat. So I

furthermore hold that the Golden Dawn is a species of “Egyptian

Freemasonry” as well.

There were several Egyptian Freemasonic systems in the late 18th Century, one being the Rite

of Cagliostro, the other the German “African Architects” which were an offshoot of the

Templar Strict Observance. The Rite of the Golden Dawn is a later development of these

same Rosicrucian and Hermetic currents. There are direct similarities between the Misraïm

Rite and the Golden Dawn, such as the names of the Officers. This is no coincidence. They

both constitute members of the same Rosicrucian and esoteric family, having the same parent

in the Ancient Roman Hermetic School.

So after this lengthy introduction, wherein I have put the debate into its proper context, let us

now turn our attention to Mr. Farrell’s critique of Mathers’ A∴ ∴O Neophyte Ritual and

Ceremony of the Equinox, in which he finds the most obvious evidences of that Order moving

further toward the “Masonic” system of ritual, and away from “magic”. To underscore Mr.

Farrell’s main theme, he states the A∴ ∴ ∴ ∴O actually went further than the original G D in

their “Masonic” venture. He holds, as an example, that the sequence of speeches in the

opening of the A∴ ∴O 0°=0° more resembles Masonry and

that it is a reversal back to an earlier version of the G∴ ∴D

which used the same exchange between Hierophant and

Officers.

However, the truth is that the A∴ ∴O version is a direct

continuation of the one found in the G∴ ∴D , which is easily

verifiable as the ones in R.G. Torrens’ Secret Rituals of the

Golden Dawn are dated to 1899 and follow the A∴ ∴O

version in almost every respect, with the exception of the

added “Antiphony” used in the Opening and Admission, a wholly new obligation, and some

minor rewordings. This also includes the particular “Masonic” terms used. Thus the A∴ ∴O

0°=0° adds to the original G∴ ∴D instead of reducing. If anything, the S.M. version of the

0°=0,° as published in various books, is a redaction which simplifies the opening reducing the

amount of lines spoken by the Hierophant.

Mr. Farrell furthermore argues that Mathers reduced the original G∴ ∴D Ceremony of the

Equinox to only lay emphasis on the activation of the pass-word, which again is a sign of him

moving further towards “Masonry”. However, the A∴ ∴O ritual is almost a verbatim

continuation of the G∴ ∴D version of the Equinox Ceremony, as may be seen in Aleister

Crowley’s The Equinox of the Gods, which reproduces the entire Ceremony of the Equinox

from the original pre-schism G∴ ∴D . It is true that the S.M. and Whare Ra developed it

further too also include a Second Order part, a special ritual for the Adepti or the R.R. et A.C.,

which bridged the border between First and Second Orders.

While parts of the S.M. version have some innovative and

interesting aspects lacking in both the G∴ ∴ ∴ ∴D and A O ,

one may argue the magical need for an entire Second Order

meeting in the context of the 0°=0° Ceremony of the

Equinox.

As it is designed in the S.M., it presupposes an entire Collage

of the Adepti attached to one Temple, as was the actual case

in the Whare Ra of Havelock North and the Hermes Temple

in Bristol. But not all Temples have an independent Collage

of the Adepti with its own Chief Adept, etc. If used at all I suggest an entire separate ritual

performed at the Vault of the Adepti, in a 5°=6° context, where all the Hierophants from all

Temples are gathered together and installed, and granted formal authority prior to the

performance of the Equinox Ceremony of each individual Temple.

The original intent of the Ceremony of the Equinox is to tap into the innately Equilibrated

Solar current and fix it into the Temple egregore with the seal of the pass-word, within the

context of the Hall of Maat of the 0°=0°, and infusing the Sphere of Sensations of all

members of all grades. The A∴ ∴O has retained all of this, as originally laid out by the

G∴ ∴D , and thus represents the essence of what should be involved in a Golden Dawn style

Equinox celebration. Sometimes less is actually more!

Nick Farrell finds the protocol of minutes reading, consideration of resolutions and the

opportunity for members to speak open, as well as for guests being welcomed and sending

fraternal regards, to be a “Masonic anachronism” which has no place in a

“magical” lodge. But one must be aware that a Golden Dawn Temple is

an organization that has lots of formalities inherited with it, as does any

organization, which also implies administrative issues which has to be

resolved. It is a worldly organization, as well as a magical one, not only

composed of God-Forms but also of real people of flesh and blood. I

personally in particular like the welcoming of guests and fraternal

regards given, which creates a greater bond between sister Temples and

enhances the common unity, and surely has magical consequences for the

Order egregore. Thus the one (magic) does not necessarily exclude the

other (mundane). Furthermore, the protocol of making resolutions in

open Temple may have a direct magical consequence.

Being a magical order, why not tap into the powers of the God-Forms in decision-making? In

this way, a Temple may become truly guided by the guardians of the Order in a more direct

way. The keeping of minutes also constitutes an important aspect of Temple work, as work

needs to be documented, in a likewise manner as with the individual journal keeping of one’s

magical and alchemical work. It must also be noted that all of this formal “Masonic” protocol

follows in sequence after the “work of the grade”, meaning that magical work of the 0°=0°

has already been performed prior to the formalities; it is not a substitution of the magical

aspect of Temple work. But administrative matters must be resolved, regardless of meeting

form, and why not take advantage of the fact that one has all members assembled, especially

when being overseen by the gods and goddesses of the Hall of Maat?

Mr. Farrell also argues that Mathers’ only interest was that he wanted a big membership. One

such “proof” is the arrangement and assignment of the various grades to

the different quarters of the Hall, which gives less room for Neophytes

and Zelatores, compared to Theorici, Practici and Philosophi. Using

these directions Mr. Farrell explains that members were hurried through

the grades. For me, on the contrary, this is an equal “proof” that Mathers

were selective of recruiting new members. If you have a sparse intake of

new members, your Temple soon will find itself with much more senior

members than Neophytes and Zelatores, the transition from 0°=0° to

1°=10° being fairly easy compared to the higher grades. The fact is that

Mathers own Temple, the Ahathoor No. 7, was a small one from its very

inception and until the death of Mathers. I also get the sense that the

A∴ ∴O was not as keen on a large membership as was the original Isis-

Urania Temple No. 3 of the G∴ ∴D . So Mr. Farrell’s reasoning does not hold water, if it was

not for the fact that the ritual is designed to initiate several candidates simultaneously.

Mr. Farrell holds that magically the 0°=0° ritual is designed for one individual in mind. This

is true when viewed from the most optimal circumstances. Also, the Ritual Z.1 and Z.3 only

addresses the admission from one-candidate perspective. But is it possible to initiate more

than one candidate during the same admission ceremony? Yes, I believe it is. With the

exception of the 0°=0°, I myself have been advanced through all my grades together with

fellow initiates. I can vouch for the fact that the initiatory process is not compromised at all,

or at least not seriously hampered. The only “side-effect” I have noticed, is that my brotherly

love and intimacy for my fellow initiates has been all the more enhanced and intensified. I

have not felt more love towards any of my fellow Fratres than with the ones that I have shared

my initiations.

Furthermore, just because I share the experience with others it does not mean that I do not

receive what I need. Besides, a skilled Hierophant knows what parts of the ritual are suited to

be experienced collectively and what parts requires single participation, which is then

repeated with each present candidate; one does not share everything. This is also my

experience of Freemasonry; even if several candidates are admitted during the same ritual,

this does not mean that they go through all the segments of the rite together. The instructional

parts are optimal for collective sharing. Other parts are less optimal and require single

participation.

So, again, truth and existence is not a black or white

matter, but rather has shades of gray in between. But

nonetheless, I still believe that it is the most optimal

situation to experience the initiations solo, as all

attention is then directed toward one’s own self. This of

course also means a focus that is more magical and

concentration of the force upon one “object” instead of

two, three or more “objects”, which should have

magical consequences. But the question is if initiations

are rendered ineffective with more than one candidate,

as Mr. Farrell holds. No, they are certainly not! There is enough power contained in the Hall

to satisfy the needs of all present.

Mr. Farrell also make some mistakes in interpreting the ritual text; at least I have interpreted it

differently, in particular when comparing it to my own A∴ ∴O copy of the 0°=0°, which also

shows that there are several transcriptional errors made by either Mr. Farrell or Frater N.I.S.I.

(the original writer of Mr. Farrell’s source documents), including entire portions missing.

One such mistake made by Mr. Farrell is that he wrongly supposes Mathers

having made the lifting of the hoodwink at the western and eastern “gates”

optional. He did not. He made it optional to lift it either during the first or

second line of each Officers speech. Another major mistake made by Mr.

Farrell is how he interprets the purification and consecration made by the

Stolistes and the Dadouchos, where he wrongly assumes that Mathers

directs them to stand together side by side towards each quarter. He does

not. It is made in the same manner as in the version written up by the S.M.,

and as it seems also in the original G∴ ∴D . Symptomatically Mr. Farrell

uses the words “indicates” or “suggests” all over his commentaries; they are

overly speculative. In some instances Mr. Farrell sees a problem where there

is non – other than in his own imagination.

When Mr. Farrell analyses the short-cuts made by Mathers to the Opening,

Admission and Closing, as well as Equinox Ceremony, he uses a blend of Whare Ra teachings

and the “Z” papers. But we must remember that with “Whare Ra” teachings we are actually

talking about the creative genius of Jack Taylor and his fellow ex-Ware Ra Adepts of the

O.T.R., as interpreted and extrapolated by Mr. Zalewski himself.

One such example is the opinion that the Officer speeches during the Opening, regarding their

stations and duties, link the Officers with their respective God-Forms. This is, I assume, based

on the initial speech made by the Hierophant – “Let the number of Officers… and the nature

of their offices be proclaimed once again… for by names and images are all powers awakened

and re-awakened.” This was a later addition made by the S.M. and clearly served to make the

speeches more “magical”. So in this context I understand Mr. Farrell’s sentiments, but we

must be aware that the awakening of God-Forms may be done in several ways; the fact is that

we don’t know exactly how Mathers envisioned how the God-Forms became linked to the

Officers. One such possible formula may be the finishing knocks and Mystic Words said by

the Chief-Officers. Looking at Mathers’ suggested optional short-cuts, it seems that he lays

great magical emphasis on this finishing part, something I will return to. The possibility of

circumventing these opening declarations of the offices does not, however, suggest that God-

Form magic was absent in the A∴ ∴O as has been suggested by Mr. Farrell.

Regarding the circumvention of the circumambulations in the

Opening, Closing and Equinox, I agree that the most optimal magical

alternative is to perform them. But the question is if they are the

most essential part of the Neophyte Formula? What is the most

essential magical act in all of this? Surely, the attraction of the

L.V.X. But is the circumambulation the most important part in all of

this? It surely has great importance, but is it the most important

aspect of the ritual? It seems that Mathers suggest that the knocks

made by the Chief-Officers and the already hinted at Mystic Words –

Khabs Am Pekht, Konx Om Pax, Light In Extension – are the most

essential to seal the L.V.X. force into the Hall.

The circumambulation serves to attract this L.V.X., which is plainly stated in the Z.1. But it

does not serve to “elevate” the Temple as suggested by Mr. Farrell; it is a species of

invocation of L.V.X. into the physical Hall, or spirit into

matter, for it to be able to manipulate the Sphere of

Sensation of the candidate. But according to the Z.1 the

Battery of knocks and proclaiming of Mystic Words serves

to seal this L.V.X. and establish the White Triangle upon

the Altar. Without it, the invoked L.V.X. would not be

fixed and workable. If anything, Mathers could not suggest

omitting this. I believe that the Battery and proclamation of

Mystic Words also attracts this Light Power further, which

makes it the minimal required magical formula of the

0°=0°.

But personally I would be very hesitant to skip the circumambulation or only content myself

with the Battery and Mystic Words, but in very special circumstances. One such exception

that I can think of is when opening an Elemental Grade and raising the Hall through the Tree

of Life, starting with the 0°=0°. But otherwise no, especially not during initiations. However,

I hold that the ritual does not become magically void and simply a “Masonic” drama when

omitting the circumambulation, as suggested by Mr. Farrell.

Regarding the allowance made by Mathers of the possibility to circumvent

the explanation of the Mysteries of the 0°=0° grade, as well as the last

speech made by Hiereus and subjects of study, one must not forget that

Mathers suggests that these may be delivered to the candidate later in open

Temple, which may compensate for the initial omission. Thus this does not

necessarily mean that Mathers simply regarded them purely as of

“intellectual” value. What he says is that these parts are not the most vital

for the actual reception into the L.V.X., at least not so important that they

could not be delivered at a later stage.

The comparison that Mr. Farrell does in this context with the Bristol

Temple, and what they did during the 1930’s to the “Elemental” grades –

removing most of the diagrams and instructions from the rituals – is unfair

in my opinion, as Mathers never removed anything from the ritual; he

simply made certain parts optional during special circumstances. With all the scarce

information that we have, we must assume that the normal protocol was not to circumvent

anything during ordinary circumstances.

Regarding the possibility to reduce the number of circumambulations

on the Path of Darkness, or the Passing of the Gates of the candidate,

into one instead of three, this actually doesn’t go against the original

Cypher Mss. which only makes allowance for one single

circumambulation. So, in fact this would make the admission more

true to the original intent of the source texts of the entire Golden Dawn

tradition. A.E. Waite was aware of this when he reduced the number of

circumambulations in his own reformed version of the 0°=0° for the

Holy Order of the Golden Dawn. This protocol creates problems for

the S.M. version, if it would be implemented, as the latter deviates

from both the G∴ ∴ ∴ ∴D and A O version when having the Passing of

the Gates made during the last two circumambulations instead of the

third as in the former Orders. Thus the most magical

circumambulation is the last one as taught in the original form of the G∴ ∴D and later the

A∴ ∴O .

Mr. Farrell also criticizes the use of the “Antiphony” in the reception of the Candidate to the

Light, during the climax of the Admission Ceremony of the 0°=0°, in his book noting that in

the N.I.S.I. document the use of the Mystic Words Khabs am Pekht, etc. is “lacking” during

this point of the ritual. In his book Mr. Farrell attributes Mathers whith having hybris on

account of this, as Mr. Farrell believes that Mathers’ true motive is to link the Candidate to

the Order and to the Chief instead of to the Divine Light and God. But in a discussion on a

Internet Forum he takes it even further to also accuse Mathers’ decision as being “something

which was so completely evil to defy description”. However, it is clear for everyone that have

read the “Antiphony” that there aren’t any references to the Order per se in the wording, not

more than the Mystic Words. What is actually affirmed in the “Antiphony” is the two

contending forces throughout Nature, united by the third principle, which actually echoes the

Mystic Words which formulates the White Triangle upon the Altar and on the forehead of the

Candidate during the reception. Thus what we see here is an Alchemical Forumla that clearly

escapes Mr. Farrell biased eyes.

However, it has come to the attention of Mr. Farrell that it was he all along that had failed to

check his data, i.e. failed to spot the Mystic Words after the Manifestation of the A∴ ∴O

(Antiphony) during the Reception into the Light, in the N.I.S.I. copy. As I have already said:

Mathers didn’t omit anything that wasn’t already there in the original G∴ ∴D version. So it

was a bad transcription on behalf of Mr. Farrell himself that made his brain reel to the point of

it wildly attributing Mathers with evil, egoistic mischief making, etc. This is a very serious

flaw from a scholarly point of view considering the fact that Mr. Farrell made such far-

reaching conclusions based upon his own error. I believe this is quite symptomatic for the

overall quality of the work; I get the overall impression that Mr. Farrell’s book is a work

made in all haste.

But not surprisingly, Mr. Farrell still stubbornly stands firm by his

original analysis regarding the use of the “Antiphony” during the

reception into the Light, now amending his thesis accordingly for

Mathers to place the Order in between the Candidate and his Higher

Self, to magically secure his autocracy within the souls of his initiates,

like some priesthood in a Catholic Church. Thus Mr. Farrell is still

failing to see the deeper meaning of the “Antiphony” which has

nothing at all to do with the name of any Order; had he had the

opportunity to magically perform it regularily in this context for more

than a decade he perhaps would have gained another perspective. Paul

Foster Case at least continued to use the “Antiphony” after he had

founded his own order, following his break from the Rosicrucian

Order of A∴ ∴O , the B.O.T.A. Obviously he didn’t regard the words

“Alpha et Omega” to refer to any given Order. In the same manner the words “Golden Dawn”

dosen’t refer to any specific Order but to either the general reformation of all divine and

mundane things or to the spiritual awakening follwing the Dark Night of the Soul. Both the

initials G∴ ∴ ∴ ∴D and A O (being mystically interlinked) relate to spiritual states, not human

organizations. Again, Mr. Farrell's highly biased mind fails to see this.

To continue with the short-cuts, in my opinion it is quite irrelevant in this context to have it

against Mathers that he makes allowance for the use of “Opening by Sceptre”, as this

constitutes an old G∴ ∴D protocol which even was inherited to the S.M. The wordings in the

A∴ ∴O 0°=0° ritual regarding this use reflects the words in the Z.1 which states that “…The

Sceptre of Power… invests him [i.e. the Hierophant] with the power of declaring the Temple

Open or Closed in any Grade, if time be short…” but that this “…method of Opening and

Closing by Sceptre should only be used in great emergency where time presses” and “should

not be used in a Ceremony [where] Elemental Spirits have been invoked…”

In the A∴ ∴O Mathers in fact warns against to frequent uses of this method of Opening by

Sceptre, and especially in the higher grades of the Outer Order. I.e. he basically rewords what

has already been stated in the Z.1 ten years earlier. Instead Mathers presents the other “by-

passes” which does not impede the magical current as much as does the simple knock with

Opening by Sceptre; Mathers presents a wider array of variations in between the two extremes

of Opening by Sceptre and a full opening. Thus, the possibility to circumvent the entire

Opening was given magical allowance in the magical primer of primers, the “Z” papers. This

protocol does not make a Golden Dawn ritual simply “Masonic”, meaning void of power.

And in the final analysis, what the heck are we talking about here? The 0°=0° or Neophyte

Grade ritual, nothing more, nothing less. It is the first ritual of many in the Golden Dawn

tradition, and not at all the most important in the Outer Order as Mr. Farrell states. It may

seem to be the most important as most material on ritual were written about it, and how to

implement it in Ceremonial Magic, i.e. in the Rituals Z.1, Z.2 and Z.3. This does not mean

that the Neophyte ritual or its grade is the one with most magical potential. Let us put it in its

rightful context once and for all.

The 0°=0° Grade of Neophyte is the beginning of a long initiatory journey. Looking at the

0°=0° in the context of the overall initiatory system, not the least upon the scheme of the Tree

of Life, it is clear that it represents a preliminary stage in

one’s initiatory process. In fact the 0°=0° and 1°=10° are

interlinked as they both represent the lowest Sephirah of

the Tree of Life. The 0°=0° is simply a preview of what

magically is experienced in full bloom in the 1°=10°.

Each grade in the Golden Dawn system represents an

entire Tree of Life of its own upon its own plane, each

plane representing one of 10 Sephiroth on the Tree of

Life in Assiah. With the 1°=10°, to take one example, the

initiate experiences the entire Tree of Life, from Kether

to Malkuth inclusive, of Malkuth in Assiah. In the 2°=9°

the initiate in a similar manner experiences all the 10

Sephiroth attributed to Yesod, etc. But the only exception

to this rule are the 0°=0° and the Ritual of the Portals; the

latter represents one Path, the one between Yesod and

Tiphareth upon the entire initiatic Tree of Life in Assiah,

while the latter only represents the lowest four Sephiroth

of Malkuth in Assiah.

Thus entering as a Neophyte you experience the Assiatic Tree of Life in Malkuth up to the

Veil of Paroketh, and the Sephiroth Netzach down to Malkuth. But when you enter as a

Zelator you experience not only these four lowest Sephiroth but also all the rest beyond the

Veil of Paroketh in Malkuth in Assiah.

Thus the 0°=0° is actually the most “material” of all

the rituals of the Golden Dawn; it takes place on the

“earth plane”, meaning primarily affecting the

Candidate’s physical and energetic vehicles – the

Sphere of Sensation. Physical healing isn’t an

uncommon effect of the 0°=0° because of this, the

account by Dion Fortune taken from her Psychic Self-

Defense being the most obvious that springs to mind,

but I have personal experience to draw from as well.

That is why the L.V.X. may only be attracted down to

the Hall and the latter not suited to be elevated towards

the higher; the ritual drama takes place on the material

and etheric level. Later and more exalted grades make

themselves more suitable for elevation as they ascend

upon the Tree of Life. Thus there is no need to “earth”

the 0°=0° ritual back to Malkuth, as it has never left it

in the first place.

With this in mind, how can the 0°=0° then be the most

important Outer Order ritual of the Golden Dawn

system? Looking from an alchemical perspective, the

0°=0° is the preparation of the matter to render it “philosophical” before subjecting it to the

alchemical process proper, which starts with the 1°=10° and ends in the 5°=6° in a first cycle

of several processes. My own initiatic experience is that my magico-spiritual process really

gained momentum after the 1°=10° Grade of Zelator. I remember my own 0°=0° being quite

gentle in effect, giving me strong motivation to further my process, but not more.

So why all this fuss about making certain by-passes, in special circumstances, when it is only

a basic preparation of the candidate? As we will see in the second part of this series, Mathers

did not suggest any circumvents in the grade rituals following the 0°=0°. This is only natural

as the first magical invocations proper, made by the Hierophant, is started from the 1°=10°

and proceeds onwards from that. All that the 0°=0° invokes, with the aid of

circumambulations, mystical words and knocks, is the L.V.X. in

an undifferentiated form, to make the proper preparation of the

Sphere of Sensation.

The 0°=0° is a beautiful ritual, rich in symbolism and profoundly

deep in its layers of meaning. But honestly, it is quite “light” in

magical magnitude energy-wise compared to the “Elemental”

grade rituals, involving Elemental hierarchies, invocations using

the Pentagrams and the use of Enochian Tablets, etc. The

congruence of different forces and currents in the “Elemental”

grades are more complex compared to the 0°=0°, the latter being

more simplistic and cut down as it is.

And honestly, the most “Freemasonic” ritual of all in the Golden Dawn is the 0°=0°. In

particular compare it with the Apprentice degree of Craft Masonry and you will understand

what I mean. Not strange then that the most “Masonic” protocols are used together with it. It

is sad to see the overemphasis made to the 0°=0° on the expense of the higher Outer Order

grades, a fact that has infested the Golden Dawn tradition since the days of Aleister Crowley

and been further perpetuated by Israel Regardie. This legacy is still present today in the minds

of modern Golden Dawn practitioners and initiates. But I wonder if this was the attitude of the

old initiates, or of its original founding fathers? I doubt it.