Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Book Reviews and Flame War Propaganda

by GH Frater Sincerus Renatus
Morgan Drake Eckstein just published a "review" of 'Mathers’ Last Secret' yesterday. After his usual barrage of snide remarks against the HOGD/AO (the “trademarked AO”), he wrote the following:
Morgan Drake Eckstein
"One of the big conversations about this book, and the Neophyte ritual that Mathers created for his Golden Dawn offshoot, has been about the shortcuts that Mathers says are permissible "[if] time be of some importance." Most of the Opening becomes optional, large parts of the lecture for the Grade, and even the "Admission ceremony" is optional. Basically, the only thing you cannot skip is the Oath of Obligation."
"In other words, instead of not admitting an Neophyte until a full initiation ritual with a full Opening can be performed, a person could become a Neophtye [sic.] by just paying their dues and committing to keep the AO secret and remaining loyal to Mathers. This reminds me of some of the fringe Freemasonry rituals that I have seen, where a person takes an oath and gets another honorary title to add to their collection."
Again he uses that popular anti A.O. term "optional" the describe Mathers’ motives. What is even more astonishing with Morgan's comment that "even the 'Admission ceremony' is optional" is that he is taking an even further stretch in his smearing of Mathers' reputation than does his friend Farrell! 
Good work Morgan! Everyone who has read Farrell's book knows you are twisting the truth beyond recognition. If this isn’t proof of history revisionism, what is?
I didn't think I would ever have to say this but, I ALMOST wish that people would read 'Mathers’ Last Secret' so that they may found their own opinions about the A.O. 0=0, and see that most of the Mathers / A.O. bashers’ opinions about it is mostly sensationalist fantasies.
For you that haven't read it, let me tell you what is actually possible to abridge in the Admission ceremony:
  1. The passing of the Gates can be shortened to contain two or one circumambulations (which BTW is more in harmony with the Cypher Mss. than the original G.D. version)
  2. 2. The "Explanations of the Symbols of the Grade" by the Hierophant, which may instead be delivered in a later opened Temple or as a lecture.
  3. The "Address of the Hiereus" at the end, which also may be delivered later as in (2). 
  4. The "Subjects of study" delivered by the Hierophant, which may instead be delivered later as in (2).
  5. And "perhaps the effect of the fluid" at the end.
This leaves the majority of the Admission, including all of the purifications, obligation, passing of the gates, the restoration to Light, conference of signs, etc., i.e. the most fundamental magical points of the reception. What is left out is the lighter magical pars / intellectual information. 
This spreading of disinformation about a competing branch of the G.D. (i.e. a non-Stella Matutina lineage) is beyond comprehension, especially when spread by professed "initiates" and "scholars" of the Golden Dawn.
This speaks volumes about Mathers’ detractors, rather than about him.

It is highly interesting to see how the trolls behave when a truly independent book review comes along, like the review of Farrell's "King Over the Water, written by Wiccan elder and highly respected Pagan author, Frater Barrabbas, that you can read here:

Responding to this thoughtful and thorough review, Pat Zalewski wrote:


"It was interesting to read a review of King over the Water, which has recently popped up. The author cited Sword of Wisdom as a good Mathers biography and essentially admonished Nick for his analysis of Mathers. Now most of us know that Sword of Wisdom was an informative book, but was essentially a whitewash of Mathers and depicted him as a hero throughout. Now Nick does not need me to defend his work as he is quite capable of doing it himself. What I am commenting on here is how people (like the reviewer) have an idealized mental construct of Mathers and don't want that view shattered with some facts getting in the way, as did the author of Sword of Wisdom. The review was a defence of the mental image of Mathers and what he should have been like, not like he was. He apparently cannot differentiate the work Mathers did from the character. Howe lays it out table as to what Mathers was. Though Howe's work is dated, the new material on Mathers that has come to light since Howe, is more peripheral than core.
The reviewer was clearly out of his depth, going by some of the contrasts given. What Nick did in his book was to try and get rid of the fantasized Mathers and let the real one stand up. Now not everyone will agree with all of Nick's comments, but at least he tried to separate fact from fantasy which is a lot more than the reviewer did.
While I admire what Mathers did as far as the GD goes, because I follow his teachings, I do not enshrine them. I also do not confuse the teachings with the personality who brought them through. This is what the reviewer has done by not accepting what a flawed individual Mathers was, and how his teachings deteriorated in the AO when things were pruned out of the old GD rituals, like making the circumambulation optional."
This is the usual rethoric used by Zalewski, that any and all scholarlay critique of Zalewski's and Farrell's Mathers bashing is "putting Mathers on a pedistal". It is nothing of the kind. We fully know and acknowledge our founding fathers faults, and that he eventually fell out of grace of his Secret Chiefs, but that doesn't mean that we are trying our very best to drag his reputation into the mud, as Zalewski and Farrell is doing. That is what all true initiates react against, not paying a past Chief and Adept and Initiate due respect, regardless of his faults. They seem to have forgot the 3=8 lecture on the "General Guidance and Purification of the Soul", which says:
"Be not hasty to condemn other’s sin. How knowest thou that in their place thou couldst have resisted the temptation? And even were it so, why shouldst thou despise one who is weaker than thyself? Be thou well sure of this, that in slander and self-righteousness is sin."
One such example is twisting the fact and hold it against Mathers, such as "how his teachings deteriorated in the AO when things were pruned out of the old GD rituals, like making the circumambulation optional."
What Mathers says in the A.O. 0=0 is that during meetings where time is constricted, the circumambulation (and some other stuff) may be passed over in the Opening and during the initiation reduced to two or one round. To say that it is "pruned out" or “optional” is a streach, at least in my eyes. Mathers says “If time be of importance, some Abridgement of Ritual is permissible”. This doesn't imply a usual conduct but a species of exception from the normal protocol. What Zalewski and Farrell aren't aware of, or wilfully is witholding, is that the minutes of the Ahatoor Temple have a standardized phrase which reads "Opened in full", something that is said in the majority of the entries.
S:.R:.

20 comments:

  1. Maybe in SRIA McGD there is no experience of holding "marathon initiation ceremonies" over many hours, during which more than 8 Neophytes might be Initiated, just for starters.

    I have worked MANY such marathon events over the years, and going through as many as 12 of them in full form when there is a lot more still on the program is a big stretch!

    What Mathers was doing is what pretty much EVERY successful Mystery School has done... producing a special "shorter form" so that Initiation Teams might SURVIVE such sessions and still be in condition to continue through a CONCLAVE that would then just be beginning!

    The errant NONSENSE written against Mathers here has underlined just how utterly ignorant the SRIA McGD machine is of common operating procedures in very busy Lodges working this variety of long form ceremonial.

    More than any of the other vapid diatribes of SRIA Trolls this particular point, now pressed by McFarrell's puppy McMorgan, demonstrates that not one of the motley crew of Mathers haters and Wescott apologists has EVER been involved in a genuine, large Hermetic Lodge.

    Those who have the unique opportunity to be Initiated in such a full-on environment, with Ritual after Ritual being WORKED in the same space day after day - find themselves in a hyper-charged Temple and feel themselves at once a part of that vast Hermetic Current full of fraternity and community.

    Does this mean that they should then never have the opportunity to go hear the Lectures in full? Of course not! The expectation is rather that they will, over and over down the years. They have but begun on their Path, and in any such Lodge the opportunities for very regular attendance at many a Rite and teaching session are numerous.

    As is absolutely typical of SRIA McGD IGNORANCE, they have taken Mathers entirely out of context and twisted reality to suit their own bitter agenda against Alpha Omega.

    Mathers was not running a tiny operation - and took the usual steps to facilitate EXTRAORDINARY conditions where a shorter form made the occasional meeting possible.

    As for the idiot suggestion that this removed the Magic from the now "more Masonic" event - Mathers had more Force in his little finger than the entire SRIA McGD attack team could generate in 6 months of black-hearted effort.

    McFarrel and McMorgan together with their SRIA string pullers need to get into the real world where such extraordinary measures are often called for, and the mental abstraction of an idealized "Perfect Ritual" would be the death of the entire event.

    They don't know this, because they have never lived this - they are evidently no better than armchair theorists on this point!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Professional student McMorgan certainly outdoes himself on this one. In his "review" of Farrell's book, McMorgan attempts to point out the purported purity of Farrell's purpose for writing the book. In gist, McMorgan quotes from Farrell's book that Farrell's purpose "is not to bury the AO," and that Farrell published the AOs rituals so that others could then RECREATE or RECONSTRUCT the AO.

    What McMorgan does not state, however, is that in claiming this "purpose" for writing the book, Farrell is also forcing an inference on the reader that the existing HOGD/AO is not legitimate and that claims to continutity from the Mathers AO are fraudulent.

    It is the foregoing forced inference that the McGd faction wants the world to believe is bolstered by "historical fact."

    How did you miss that Morgan? I don't think you did. I believe, instead, in your petulance that you have allowed your emotions surrounding David Griffin to compromise any sort of academic integrity you may have been able to utilize. This is very evident from reading your blog. You have lost any sort of detachment and ability to objectively analyze the facts, and instead ignore points you should concede while pressing points that are distorted and meant to deceive.

    It's is like Farrell is wearing the SRIA/McGd manufactured Emperor's Clothing, and McMorgan, McZalewski, McWildoak, et al are feeding the deception/delusion.

    Pitiable it is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SV has hit the nail squarely on the head.

      The books were written from a Recon perspective - to enable recreation and reconstruction of an Alpha Omega already declared dead and buried by the SRIA McGD clique.

      There is no need to "reconstruct" that which is not dead!!!

      That we should DARE to take umbrage with this premature autopsy when we are clearly very much alive and kicking, was then snorted at in tides of SRIA sponsored derision as an integral part of their ongoing plan of attack. OF COURSE WE WERE GOING TO MAKE A STRONG RESPONSE!

      To then continually claim that this was in no way an attack on HOGD/AO is truly beyond delusional. However, to admit that these polemics ARE an attack is unthinkable for them - they would have to also admit that there is an Alpha Omega worthy of attack!
      A Living Lineage...

      That is why there is no actual mention of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega in KOTW. The very EXISTENCE of the genuine Third Order behind the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn & Alpha Omega is a cataclysmic thorn in the side of SRIA. They are loathe to mention it.

      The books are written not only to actively destroy the memory of our Founder, but to push the notion that the Lineage itself is long dead.

      They want to form the impression that this is a fait accompli, after all, when the McZ Glee Club holds one of its "Peer Review Evenings" for SRIA propaganda trolls the case is automatically PROVEN (and no dissenters need apply!)

      SRIA Troll SEP admitted that these "researchers" were SRIA owned. They formulated the books to further drive home this agenda of deceit.

      The real scope of their abject failure is beginning to dawn now. Were Alpha Omega not the Living Lineage - these books would never have been written in the way that they were...

      The unraveling of the agenda, the unveiling of the dirty tactics, the lies, the Cult Slave-Control methods used to deny freedom of communication to their agents...

      All of these things are in fact proof that at the very least in the eyes of SRIA the Third Order is REAL, and the Lineage LIVES on in unbroken glory as a result of that Transmission...

      That is also why they have refused simply to leave us alone in peace.

      The logic is clear.

      Delete
  3. McFarrell recently published an "independent" review on his blog claiming that it came from the Cauldron. While attempting to verify this photo of the review, I discovered that it originated from a Kerubim Press (Dublin, Ireland) tweet. Interestingly, KP is the publisher of KOTW and one other book from McWilson. Who runs KP? Who is located in Dublin? KP claims to be an "independent" publisher of occult books? The only verifiable statement in their claim is the use of the word books. Perhaps after MLS by McFarrell, someone decided to capitalize off of the gullibility of others, while cutting out the middle man by publishing another similar novel by McFarrell using the same style as Dan Brown. "Independent" hardly describes this fledgling enterprise. There is also an option on KP's homepage to follow their blog roll. Surprise! McFarrell's followed by McWilson's. McWilson even tried to wet the appetite of the unwary seeker by claiming (prior to the publication of KOTW), "Included will be previously unpublished papers from Mathers' own version of the Golden Dawn, the Alpha et Omega....." The only thing that I have seen published is their willingness to deceive themselves, and others.

    Fraternally in L.V.X.,
    Frater N.T.I.K.T.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Farrell is on the record saying that he is part owner of Kerubim Press. In other words, his books are SELF PUBLISHED, since no reputable publisher would publish these pseudo-historical tracts.

      So, to add insult to injury, we now have Farrell publishing a review of his own book, claiming that it comes from an "independent" source, when in reality it emanates from his own self-publishing operation and is likely written by Farrell himself!

      Delete
    2. The ongoing revelation of the depth of Farrell's dishonesty is quite astonishing. I knew Farrell was dishonest, but this "independent" review takes the cake, written by Farrell, published by Farrell, then republished on Farrell's blog claiming fake independence.

      Since when does an author publish reviews of their own books, by the way. Apparently, Nick's tackiness outweighs even his dishonesty.

      The sad truth is that, despite all of this chicanery, Farrell's tracts are destined to end up on a remainder pile somewhere.

      Delete
  4. Maybe the source of their reviews are an initiatic secret?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just found this interesting article on another blog. Frater YshY, who recently wrote the glowing "independent" review of Farrell's books, also wrote a promotional article on his blog called "The SRIA and me." So much for any sort of objectivity or independence at all. These McGD and SRIA clowns are sooooo transparent!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am again and again amazed as these SRIA trolls sink lower and lower! What a saga of transparent mendacity!

    NTIKT has revealed Ronald McFarrell's character in a whole new light. The books already proved his dishonest intentions as an SRIA/OR+C operative hellbent on the destruction of Alpha Omega, but this is almost creepy...

    I hope for his sake that his action here is driven by simple desperation rather than the utter moral collapse that is indicated taking it on face value.

    This kind of behavior may shine a light on the typical cowardly tactics of SRIA McGD operations, but it also reflects badly on the whole community. He needs to get a grip.

    ReplyDelete
  7. SRIA OR+C and its McDonaldized GD puppets may be judged by simply reading the OR+C Manifesto and the RA Glibert diatribe linked earlier in many places on this blog.

    In the light of those words, still not disavowed by ANY of those puppets, what we are now learning of Kerubim Press being used to provide a pseudo-independent voice for these anti-Mathers and anti-Alpha Omega POLEMICS should not surprise anyone.

    There is NO level these Witch Hunters will not sink to, spinning madly all the way with denials and accusations...

    The only surprise for me is the brazen approach used here. Did he honestly expect to get away with this? What was he thinking?

    What was YShY of "ME and SRIA" fame thinking when writing another glowing pseudo-review of his SRIA master's propaganda sheets? Did he not consider that his self-professed SRIA affiliations might just mark him out as biased?

    This is dripping with bias. Drenched in it. YShY is drowning in SRIA bias in every word of that so-called review, and all anyone needs do to confirm that fact is read the rest of the YShY blog and place it in context.

    Maybe they genuinely think that the entire community really is that stupid? I can think of few other explanations.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Maybe the hubris is finally catching up with them? Groupthink is a dangerous process and clearly the SRIA hive mind is full of it.

    People who are not individually stupid can do incredibly stupid things when caught in the gridlock of such insane policies as spouted by OR+C.

    The SRIA/BORG Collective told them to jump, and so they jumped - right into a fire!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I searched the Cauldron website for perhaps an hour today to try to find a copy of the "review" that McFarrell said was recently posted there. I could not find it. In searches of the site, neither Farrell's name nor the title to his books appear.

    There is not even a reviewer's name in the AD COPY that Farrell posted on his site as an "independent" review of his book, purportedly published on the Cauldron website.

    I did notice, however, that the Cauldron's website has a notice that it does not take kindly to posts or materials attempting to engage in historical revisionism, which stance is directly contrary to the subject matter of Farrell's book and the post-hoc support he has received from other McGd historical revisionists.

    Nick Farrell, would you please provide a link to where the "review" you posted is also posted at the Cauldron's website? I would like to know who purportedly authored and posted this AD COPY to the Cauldron website, because I simply cannot find it there.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Maybe it just didn't get published onto the Cauldron Website yet? That is another possibility... in which case they need a "Historical Revisionism Warning Notice" before they make the mistake of publishing it at all!

    ReplyDelete
  11. As a follower of the neoplatonic hermetic tradition and philosophy I just want to say that both sides of this little tiff are quickly becoming embarrassments to the hermetic arts. Particularly to those of us who follow a hermetic path but aren't a part of any Golden idiocy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @Anonymous

      Why is it that you are afraid to reveal your identity and are hiding behind anonymity?

      There is nothing at all "idiotic" about an order fighting to survive despite 20 years of non-stop defamation and hostile takeover atempt by the anti-Pagan and anti-Semitic, segregationist SRIA and its puppets in the GD comunity.

      If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem, and mischaractising our orders struggle for survival in the way you have, is certainly not contributing to the solution.

      Delete
    2. Methinks a doer would be less apt to experience such emotion based on judgement. Perhaps intellectual superiority comes with a price dear Anon. Nevertheless, thank you for your two sense.

      Delete
  12. @Anon is using SRIA Propaganda Trick 4: Claim to be representative of a larger community and label your opponent as a small but noisy embarrassment.

    It is in fact the size and strength of Alpha Omega that has drawn out the frenzied activity of SRIA Trolls for many months now.

    What embarrasses them is that they have been unable to infiltrate, unable to profane, unable to defame with impunity!

    Their polemics have been resisted and their multiple publications have fallen flat as the Knights of Alpha Omega have always been several steps ahead.

    They are bitterly depressed at their repeated failures and have been very badly embarrassed before their SRIA masters - who are not known for traits of largesse and forgiveness!

    For our part we are encouraged to have the continued support of so many in the Hermetic Tradition outside of GD, who are doing their part in Secret.

    ReplyDelete
  13. @Anon - when you make a statement like that one under the mask of anonymity, you just make an ass of yourself. Come back and try again, and it may be worth debating your point with you, whatever that point may really be.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What would Mr. & Mrs. Anonymous of Someplace St., Somewhere Ville, presumably on Planet Earth, have us do exactly?

    Are we:

    - to ignore defamation;
    - to let the lies go unchallenged;
    - to pretend that we are not attacked;
    - to welcome every profanation of material;
    - to acquiesce while our Lineage is denied;
    - to allow our Third Order to be mocked;
    - to turn the other cheek while SRIA takes control of the Egregorae of Western Esoteric
    life, putting our heads willingly on the executioner's block?

    Why would we invite a Trinitarian Christiain hegemony over the CORE of our Spiritual experience and evolution?

    Why would Hermeticism accept a RELIGIOUS (and often extremist) controller to re-write its history and become a quasi-Third Order of Third Orders?

    Why would YOU wish these things @Anon - are you just an SRIA Troll, or are you even worse? Maybe you are a TRAITOR who has been turned from a noble Faith, Pagan or otherwise, with the promise of musty old archives and temporal power.

    Do you turn a blind eye to the anti-Semitism in your midst, to the Pagan hating community elders? Does it really serve your Soul's Purpose that you have access to the ear's of powerful people now, of Judges and business leaders... or have you just been willingly fooled by the glamour of tainted success?

    Thinking minds do wonder at how SRIA Sith powers may have infested you with such lies...

    ReplyDelete
  15. @Anon,

    You apparently hold that to defend against an attack on one's person (the order being a person in this instance) is somehow wrong or misguided. What you have failed to do, apparently, is to discover what is actually happening here. That background has been spelled out very carefully over the past months on this blog.

    You are simply a bystander that has appeared and witnessed a struggle and then has made a superficial assessment based upon the appearance of the struggle that both sides to the struggle are at fault. It is apparent that your notion of hermeticism does not account for the allowance of any type of friction or opposition between opposing forces.

    Look about you, recall the maxim: as above, so below. Suns explode, black holes eat the spaces between "particles," and friction and opposition exist abundantly in the universe.

    Your comments about this War on the Rose by the SRIA/McGd Recons and our self-defense of our legitimacy in "this little tif," as somehow being indicative of a lack of authenticity in a hermetic philosophical sense, are derived from a serious misunderstanding about the priniciples you seem to espouse.

    ReplyDelete

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