"There can be only ONE True Golden Dawn!"
According to Wikipedia:
"Fundamentalism is the demand for a strict adherence to specific theological doctrines...
... The term usually has a religious connotation indicating unwavering attachment to a set of irreducible beliefs ...
... [Fundamentalism may also] refer to any philosophy which is literal-minded or carries a pretense of being the sole source of objective truth regardless of whether it is usually called a religion."
"As you said, that is ZAM material (Z Docs) - and I dare say any Order that moves those teachings to the Outer is no longer truly Golden Dawn...
"I know of a few GD orders out there that unfortunately teach inner order ritual techniques in the Outer Order."
Scholars have painstakingly researched perished ancient Pagan traditions and successfully reconstructed them into revived Neo-Pagan traditions.
Does this mean Neo-Pagans are not "True Pagans?"
There is no "One True Paganism."
Using archival and published materials, scholars like Pat Zalewski, Aaron Leitch, and others have attempted to reconstruct Neo-Golden Dawn Orders from what they argue was a perished Golden Dawn tradition.
Does this mean Neo-Golden Dawn initiates are not
"True Golden Dawn?"
There is no "One True Golden Dawn!"
"True Golden Dawn?"
There is no "One True Golden Dawn!"
Orders like A.O.'s Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn remain recruitment vehicles for Internal Rosicrucian and Hermetic Orders with roots in the distant past.
Does this mean H.O.G.D. initiates are the
"True Golden Dawn?"
There is no "One True Golden Dawn!"
"True Golden Dawn?"
There is no "One True Golden Dawn!"
The Alpha Omega provides Magical guidance and support for Outer Order Golden Dawn Magicians, since they are practicing published Golden Dawn Magic anyway.
Does this mean Alpha Omega initiates are not
"True Golden Dawn?"
There is no "One True Golden Dawn!"
"True Golden Dawn?"
There is no "One True Golden Dawn!"
In the Alpha Omega, we provide Magical guidance and support even for Self-Initiates and Solitary Golden Dawn Magicians.
Does this mean Self-Initiates and Solitaries are not
"True Golden Dawn?"
There is no "One True Golden Dawn!"
"True Golden Dawn?"
There is no "One True Golden Dawn!"
In today's Golden Dawn community, it is precisely our rich diversity that is our greatest strength.
I find Fundamentalist-like demands for adherence to ideological doctrines defining what is "True Golden Dawn" rather alarming.
"Not one Jot or Tittle can be changed!"
Demands to define "True Golden Dawn" curricula or materials strictly as they were in 1888 are particularly disturbing.
Are we as a community to ignore the Magical needs of Self-Initiates, Solitary Practitioners, and Outer Order Golden Dawn Magicians - merely to adhere to ideological doctrine defining what is "True Golden Dawn?"
The Golden Dawn is not a fixed set of dogmas. Golden Dawn leaders do a huge disservice to the community by encouraging people to treat existing texts as infallible documents. They are so accustomed to the Bible they assume all spiritually-oriented texts are flawless.
Israel Regardie's book is NOT a Golden Dawn Bible.
It is high time students of the Golden Dawn wake up and realize there are a lot of errors in the books they have been using.
One striking example is the Qabalistic arch-demon "Samael" incorrectly listed since 1888 as the Planetary "Angel" of Mars (See documentation HERE).
In fact, most of the printed material the Self-Initiate follows is riddled with errors. What concerns me most is that aspiring Magicians are not being taught to critically reflect on the sources they use.
In the A.O., we teach aspiring Magicians to think differently.
In the A.O., we teach self-discipline, critical thinking, and energetic cultivation of the Soul (astral body).
In the A.O., we have made minor updates to our initiation rituals so current versions can remain secret, according to Golden Dawn tradition.
In the A.O., we have updated our teaching methods to include those of modern, on-line Universities.
In the A.O., we have updated and completed our First, Second, and Third Order Golden Dawn curricula with traditional Magic and Alchemy, drawn from our roots in the LIVING Hermetic and Rosicrucian traditions.
It is high time students of the Golden Dawn wake up and realize there are a lot of errors in the books they have been using.
One striking example is the Qabalistic arch-demon "Samael" incorrectly listed since 1888 as the Planetary "Angel" of Mars (See documentation HERE).
In fact, most of the printed material the Self-Initiate follows is riddled with errors. What concerns me most is that aspiring Magicians are not being taught to critically reflect on the sources they use.
In the A.O., we teach aspiring Magicians to think differently.
In the A.O., we teach self-discipline, critical thinking, and energetic cultivation of the Soul (astral body).
In the A.O., we have made minor updates to our initiation rituals so current versions can remain secret, according to Golden Dawn tradition.
In the A.O., we have updated our teaching methods to include those of modern, on-line Universities.
In the A.O., we have updated and completed our First, Second, and Third Order Golden Dawn curricula with traditional Magic and Alchemy, drawn from our roots in the LIVING Hermetic and Rosicrucian traditions.
Does this mean the Alpha Omega is the
"True Golden Dawn?"
There is no "One True Golden Dawn!"
I am not even saying the A.O. is the "best" order.
Only we DO things differently.
Only we DO things differently.
Click HERE to explore our Outer Order, undergraduate level Magical training program, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn!"
Think Different.
Alpha Omega
We make Magicians!
- Since 1888
Power and control is at the root of fundamentalism.
ReplyDeleteDo not Leitch and Zalewski know that change and growth is a sign of life, and that static, crystalized dogma is inimical to that?
It seems perfectly reasonable to me that material that was at one time restricted to the few would eventually be available for the many, as life ripens more and more of those ready to receive it.
Keep up the good work.
Coming from someone who studied the Golden Dawn as a solitary for a few years and pain-stakingly read every ounce of material I could hope to understand in Regardie's and other books, as well as being a member of a previous Golden Dawn Order before joining the HOGD/A+O, I can say this...
ReplyDeleteI have found greater substance in the neophyte grade of the HOGD than I did in any other order or book. One thing I feel isn't hardly touched upon in MANY orders and books, but has given me HUGE insight when I discovered this, is how truly important the Neophyte grade is! I mean, it is THE foundation upon which all else is built.
I sat down with my girlfriend yesterday and we discussed the Golden Dawn. I told her to take the Neophyte grade slowly and seriously. I cannot stress how important this grade is. Adding in the Z documents may seem like too much for a student. I will admit, it can be overwhelming at first. Yet, I think David Griffin said it best. This is college level work! The outer order is a BA degree and you need to tackle it as such. Doing so will exponentially raise your understanding and spiritual vibration.
I myself was weary at first but have come to fully embrace this way to teaching as it only further allows the student to truly understand the importance of the neophyte grade, a grade many feel is piddly and/or simply a probationary grade to be blown through as quickly as possible to get to the "real stuff".
That being said, how does this make the order not truly "Golden Dawn"? When the Catholic Church held Vatican I and Vatican II, did that make it no longer the Catholic Church? When any other religious organization updates their doctrines and beliefs to comform to modern times, does that make them any less? I do not believe the HOGD is any more "Golden Dawn" than any other order, and vice versa.
This idea of being "more Golden Dawn than you!" equates to fundementalism and it is a rabbit hole where no one wins and takes attention away from the true meaning of the Golden Dawn! Fundementalism has been shown to hurt others, and the organization itself. If an organization can't grow and mature, than it will faulter. Plain and simple.
I can respect someone who doesn't agree with how the HOGD is structured, that is their right and an open discussion on such topics benefits all as it helps the growth of the community. Yet, to call an Order not "true" because of a small difference is rather silly and stagnates the community only further than it already is.
Frater LUA
It is the sign of spiritual calcification and ultimate death of the spirit of a movement. Thankfully, there are very many in the wider Golden Dawn Community, in ALL the many facets of that fabulous collection of individuals and groups, large and small... who are radically NON-Fundamentalist in their approach. Our great diversity is our biggest strength, and HOGD is right to rejoice in that!
ReplyDeleteIf we really want to come back in 1888 times of the beginning of the Golden Dawn, we should only limit ourselves to the knowledge lectures and do no practices like pentagrams or middle pillar and wait to be an adeptus to discovers such a thing. Who in our moddern world should be able to follow this way?.LBRP is a second order material and middle pillars is born since Regardie. So how much amount of "second order material" put into the first one make an order no more Golden Dawn?
ReplyDeleteThough it makes them sound like dogmatic fundamentalists, I think some of the members of the greater GD community outside the borders of HOGD are harboring legitimate concerns.
ReplyDeleteThey will surely do a better job of expressing these moving forwards. I may be wrong, but I think that they fear the damage that immature Magical experimentation might do to the progress of an Outer Order member.
However, refusing to teach the subject is not the answer. Time has moved forwards since 1888 and like it or not, the experimentation is ongoing - and saying "Don't Do That!" is not going to work.
HOGD is taking the responsibility seriously and attempting to give the guidance needed to help beginners avoid the risks that are making the hair of some GD Adepti stand on end.
Telling teenagers that sexual experimentation might expose them to risks will not stop them experimenting, but access to education, birth control etc. will help them to avoid some of those risks.
Have a long look at our modern culture, and compare it to what was known in 1888 - there is no putting this Geni back in the bottle! Magic is EVERYWHERE now. There are schools based on Hogwarts teaching it to teenagers too... so Golden Dawn needs to get used to the realities of the present world, and offer Magical guidance.
The would-be Magi of the world need that guidance very much, and IMO Golden Dawn has a karmic duty to provide it!
LVX
@ Aleithia
ReplyDeleteYou raise a good point. Perhaps now that our community is developing a more scientific approach to dialogue, some of these fears can be more properly addressed.
Would it be ideal if the original Second Order material had not been published by both Crowley and Regardie?
There is no doubt of that. However, there is no putting that genie back into the bottle.
Shall we then pretend that Solitaries, Self-Initiates, and Outer Order members are not practicing this magic, and offer them no real coaching or assistance for 4-5 years until they reach the Second Order, or even never in the case of Solitaries or Self-Initiates?
This is where so-far the Alpha Omega differs from the other orders in our community. Although this has been the case for a full decade now, I believe that the improvement of the quality of dialogue in out community will lead to other G.D. orders begin to shoulder more of the burden of helping these people as well. The need is great and it is time that the other Adepts step up to the plate as well.