The Golden Dawn, Critical Thinking, and MagickAll 2014

The Order of the Alpha Omega has spent the past several months encouraging its students to learn to think critically. They are taught, from the second lesson of the Order, how to evaluate issues, how to reach conclusions, how evaluate evidence, and how to challenge their own assumptions. 

Our students are taught not to fear the unknown but to analyze it. Our goal is to learn that we may serve. Only the ignorant live in fear. Only love conquers fear. Part of that Love is the love of wisdom (Philo-Sophia) or better known as philosophy. To attack what we do not understand is not wisdom, it is foolishness. It is the fallacy of the orthodoxy.

The MagicALL is an invitation to ALL forms of magick to come and explain their position and demonstrate their methods. Our open invitation is true. It is OPEN. How can we invite ALL and then say “everyone is invited as long as they do everything we like and agree with us.” 

While we don’t begrudge those who wish to only meet with like-minded groups (we do it ourselves most of the time) we do believe that our community is bigger than ourselves and we can learn from ALL. Sometimes we learn what TO do and sometimes we learn what NOT to do.

We don’t fear other groups. We open our doors and are prepared to defend our methods. We are not afraid for our students to see other groups or traditions. We don’t fear they will abandon us for other traditions. If they do, we are happy we could help them find the path they need during this incarnation. We are not trying to capture or brainwash our members. We are trying to educate them. The best way to educate people on other traditions is to invite them to come out and present their arguments themselves.

The greatest enemy of knowing is assuming. Of course, we all make assumptions, and doing so is a requirement. However, assumptions are a starting point, not an ending point. We make assumptions and then we challenge them.

An assumption is something we accept as true without proof. Once we identify an assumption we hold it is our duty as students to find out if those assumptions are based in reality, to get proof. MagicAll is the opportunity to identify, clarify, and rectify our assumptions about other traditions. Don’t argue from a position of ignorance, do so from experience. You will get that experience at MagicAll.

Alpha Omega students can THINK. They know the method. We are very proud of their ability to think critically rather than be fooled by sophists. We feel comfortable exposing them to all traditions. Can every Golden Dawn order make this claim? Our members don’t memorize material, they master it. They don’t read our lessons, they analyze them. They don't do the exercises because it’s “tradition,” they do them because they work! This is why we have nothing to fear.

In the past two years our yearly Spring gathering has been for Golden Dawn Magicians ONLY. We invited people from all the different orders and they all declined. This year, we open it to ALL and these same other Golden Dawn leaders this time say they can’t show up because there are non-GD people doing Magick! 

I say “Make up your mind!” 

Even so, I wish they would come and see what it REALLY is that they demonize. I wish they would come and share their knowledge, their experience, and share their philosophies. We won’t try to “steal” their members and we don’t fear they will steal ours. Again, if our members hear their arguments and believe a different order is better suited for them at this time, we encourage them to go where they are spiritually comfortable. Nevertheless, to demonize us without knowing us from experience is poor taste when they have been invited to come and learn.

You can find more information on the MagickAll gathering here.