The Real Truth About the Golden Dawn (An Open Letter to All Golden Dawn Members Everywhere)

For years now, Robert Zink, I, and other leaders of the Golden Dawn community have been attacked and defamed on anonymously published websites, blogs, usenet posts, etc.

False, libelous, and terrible accusations have been made: that one Golden Dawn order is a Mafia front, that another Golden Dawn order is a Nazi front, yet another Golden Dawn order is a dangerous cult, that the Chiefs of another order are a bunch of "expelled losers," etc.

Some of this terrible defamation has even been "archived" on the website of a member of one Golden Dawn order and "linked to" from the blogs or websites of others.

I think we can all agree that none of this is good for the reputation of the Golden Dawn as a whole and it harms the ENTIRE Golden Dawn community.

What Can We Do To Help the Golden Dawn?

Is the question we should be asking "Who is to blame" or is it rather "How can we work together to end this terrible tragedy?"

And are these horrific anonymous publications all that is harming the reputation of the Golden Dawn as a whole?

Have we not perhaps ALL made mistakes that have harmed the overall reputation of the Golden Dawn community?

And should we not seek to find ways we can work together to turn this around?

For example, does it not harm EVERYONE when one order's blog says another order's leader sees the Golden Dawn as a "cash cow"?

But does it not equally harm EVERYONE when another order's website falsely proclaims the "Shocking Truth" that the leader of another Golden Dawn order is a "dangerous megalomaniac ascribing to a hateful political philosophy similar to the Nazism of Adolph Hitler?"

How does all of this look to people considering joining ANY Golden Dawn order?

And what about when people come to the Yahoo Golden Dawn fora and read:

... how one Golden Dawn leader is called a "dangerous Highlander or a Prince of Darkness."

... or another Golden Dawn leader is called a "sexual predator."

If you were on the outside looking in on the Golden Dawn, what would YOU think about the Golden Dawn as a whole when you read these things?

Let's set aside the common problems we face for a moment and talk about the "Real Truth" about the Golden Dawn.

The Real Truth About the Golden Dawn

The Real Truth is that the Golden Dawn is a noble and astonishingly effective Western spiritual system with a HUGE amount to offer for spiritual growth.

The Real Truth is that EOGD members are to be commended as a large group of extremely dedicated people working very hard on their spiritual development.

And guess what?

The Real Truth is that HOGD/AO members are likewise to be commended as a large group of extremely dedicated people working very hard on their spiritual growth.

And the same, no doubt, can be said about members of all Golden Dawn orders and temples everywhere!

And what about people like Robert Zink, Pat Zalewski, Sam Webster, Joseph Max, other Golden Dawn leaders, and myself (David Griffin)?

The Real Truth is that ALL OF US, without exception, are people who have dedicated ourselves to helping others grow spiritually and improve their lives.

But sadly, the Real Truth is that members of all Golden Dawn orders everywhere have a serious common problem today as well.

Because all of the endless infighting, fear-based negative marketing, bickering, and name calling is hurting ALL of us - and giving ALL of us - the ENTIRE Golden Dawn community - a bad name.

Now should we merely go on asking 'Who is to blame' and pointing fingers at one another?

Or should we not instead begin to ask: "How can we find new ways to work 'together' to end what has become the bane of the ENTIRE Golden Dawn community?"

I'm not so naive to think we can solve our common problems overnight.

But I DO believe in the Golden Dawn!

I also believe in the underlying nobility of purpose of ALL Golden Dawn members from ALL Golden Dawn groups and factions everywhere.

I believe that, as Golden Dawn members, we can transform our lives in a positive way.

And together we can transform our Golden Dawn community!

Has the time not come for ALL of us - in ALL Golden Dawn orders, temples, and groups around the world - to roll up our sleeves and solve our common problems TOGETHER - in a spirit of true fraternity and brotherly love?

Isn't it time to end this senseless bickering, negative marketing, and infighting once and for all?

A very wise man once said: "Even the longest journey begins with a first step."

And so today on the Vernal Equinox - a sacred day for all Golden Dawn members everywhere - I reach out to all Brothers and Sisters of Golden Dawn groups everywhere and ask you to join me in this simple prayer:

May the Lord of the Universe look down with favor upon the Golden Dawn ...

And grant that our Bodies may be purified, our Souls nurtured, and our Spirits exalted ...

May the infighting, bickering, and negative marketing between the orders come to an end ...

And may this Vernal Equinox signal instead the beginning of a new era ...

Of true fraternity and brotherly love between ALL Brothers and Sisters of Golden Dawn orders, temples, and groups everywhere!

So mote it be.

Happy Equinox, Fratres et Sorores of the Golden Dawn - wherever you may be!

Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum, Yeheshua
David Griffin
G.H. Frater Lux Ex Septentrionis
Imperator Ordinis, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Chief Adept, R.R. et A.C.
Archon Basileus, Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega

"Ex Deo Nascimur.
In Yeheshua Morimur.
Per Sanctum Spiritum Reviviscimus"

The Emerald Tablet of Hermes, The Hermetic Tradition & The Golden Dawn

The Hermetic Tradition arises from the blend of Egyptian and Greek cultures in Ptolemaic Egypt - has its earliest roots in the astronomical, spiritual traditions of Sumeria - then from Chaldea and Egypt to Europe with the Greek and Roman empires.

Since 2,000 years ago, Hermetic Science has taught a triad of spiritual practices - called the Trivium Hermeticum - Astrology, Theurgy (Magick), and Alchemy - that together comprise a powerful system of energetic evolution known as the Royal Art of Solar Ascension.

The Hermetic Arts are still very much alive and well today.

The famous Freemason and scholar, Kenneth MacKenzie, was initiated into the Hermetic Arts by Hungarian Count Apponyi around 1850 in Austria.

MacKenzie later coded certain materials from Apponyi into the famous Cypher Manuscripts, which were later used by S.L. MacGregor Mathers, W.Wynn Wescott, and Robert Woodman to found the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

One essential document of the Hermetic Tradition is the Emerald Tablet of Hermes. Its importance dates back to the medieval and Renaissance period, when a translation was made into Latin from Arabic. Interpretations or renditions were made public by many notable figures such as Roger Bacon, Isaac Newton, Albertus Magnus, and Trimethius.

The Golden Dawn, of course, integrated the Emerald Tablet of Hermes into its core teachings. Due to its popularity, the Emerald Tablet of Hermes has been quoted by many modern authors in North America. They believed that it was so valuable because it contained the teachings for the achievement of the aims of the alchemists.

It didn’t take long for the Emerald Tablet of Hermes to enter the lexicon of the everyday New Age speakers. Parts of the the New Age community has come to believe that the Emerald Tablet of Hermes has to do with New Age notions like the Law of Attraction or Astral Initiation. This is unsupported by the facts.

There are those in the New Age community claim the Emerald Tablet is 10,000 years old. This is highly unlikely as that would be nearly 7,000 years before the pyramids were built - nearly 3,000 years before even the beginning of culture in Sumeria! The cryptic nature of the lines of the Emerald Tablet make it easy for fanciful theories to be spread as though they were facts.

This is why I was pleased to see that finally a valid translation of the original has surfaced with authentic keys to its cipher. The oldest known copy of the Emerald Tablet dates back to a manuscript attributed to Apolonius of Tyana that was translated into Arabic in the early 9th century. It was finalized by the Caliphate al-Ma’mun (813-33).

According to Apollonius of Tyana, he found the Emerald Tablets of Hermes in a catacomb in his city. You can read the full story here.

Scholars have seen parallel between this book and the Syriac Book of Treasures written by Job Odessa. Interestingly enough, Apollonius claimed the tablet was written in Syriac. He has also discussed in his book some of the mysteries of The Emerald Tablet of Hermes as it relates to Talismanic magic and spiritual transformation.

Every student of the Golden Dawn should invest some time studying this new information on the Emerald Tablet of Hermes if they are serious about initiation into the mysteries or practicing Hermetic Magic or Alchemy.

Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum, Yeheshua
David Griffin
G.H. Frater Lux Ex Septentrionis
Imperator Ordinis, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Chief Adept, R.R. et A.C.
Archon Basileus, Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega

"Ex Deo Nascimur.
In Yeheshua Morimur.
Per Sanctum Spiritum Reviviscimus"