UNVEILED: Aleister Crowley Raped Israel Regardie!

by David Griffin

The meltdown of Hollywood and the fall of Harvey Weinstein has led to an amazing amount of truth about sexual and emotional abuse coming out.

For two decades, I have been privilege to a dark secret about the underbelly of modern Magick. I was trained in Magick by Cris Monnastre, Isreal Regardie's only long term disciple.

Israel Regardie once admitted to Chris Monnastre that he had been abused by Aleister Crowley. Apparently, there was both emotional and sexual abuse involved, during the period that Regardie was working as Crowley's secretary. In fact, Regardie stated to Monnastre in no uncertain terms that he had been raped by Crowley.

Regardie was so harmed by his relationship with Crowley, that it took him years to recover, led him to psychotherapy, and ultimately to become a Reichian therapist himself.

On the one hand, we have Regardie's bringing the importance of modern psychology to Magick as a consequence of the abuse. On the other hand, we have a continuing glorification of Aleister Crowley the abuser.

People have known for years that I detest and hate Crowley. Until now, I have always said it is because Crowley was betrayed the Golden Dawn, nearly destroying it.

Well, there is more to my hatred of Crowley than just that, but I could never say anything about it before now. Regardie asked Chris never to reveal this in public, as Regardie was deeply ashamed. In my opinion, Regardie had Stockhom syndrome as he admired Crowley until the day he died.

When Cris Monnastre shared this with me, she asked me to swear never to reveal this as she wanted to respect Regardie's wishes.

Last year Cris passed away, however, so now I feel I am no longer bound by that promise to her. In fact, the subject has become so actual now, I can no longer hold my silence.

I am very glad to finally get this off my chest. I have no doubt that this is real, Cris Monnastre had no reason to lie. I have reason to believe that others know about this as well. For example, CM told me her friend Poke Runyon once reported to her that Regardie once said to him:

"If you had known Crowley, Poke, he would have buggered you too. Crowley buggered everyone."

Poke Runyon and I are not friends. We have not spoken in 20 years. He probably would not say anything even if he knows, as hel leads  Thelemic order based on Crowley. I have no idea how much Poke Runyon knows, but I would not be surprised to discover there are others besides me, if not Poke, who have been privy to the secret of Regardie's rape and abuse. I encourage others to come forward and finally speak out about what you may know.

With all persons involved having finally passed away, there is no reason this should not come out fully now.

It is high time we clean out the Stygian stables of occultism. There is no reason to continue to protect the reputation of a rapist.

BOOK REVIEW: Regardie's "The Golden Dawn" New Hardcover Edition by Llewellyn Publishing (Ed. John Michael Greer)

by Golden Dawn Imperator

David Griffin

Llewellyn's long awaited new edition of Regardie's "The Golden Dawn" is out, edited by John Michael Greer. There have been high hopes for this new edition all across the Golden Dawn community. It is therefore unsurprising that the reaction from the community has been swift. Golden Dawn scholar, Dr. Tony Fuller, today set the tone for what I believe will be a coming avalanche of well deserved condemnation of this "new" edition.

Dr. Fuller writes:

"A BRIEF PRELIMINARY NOTE ON THE NEW EDITION
REGARDIE'S "GOLDEN DAWN" 

"I have just received my copy and spent 30 minutes comparing it with the old version - and with original Hermes Temple/SM manuscripts. Some good points: It is attractively produced and importantly there is an index. The coloured diagrams section contains new versions of diagrams and additional ones. While these are not entirely to my liking in terms of style nevertheless they are a welcome addition. There are some additional diagrams and papers lacking from the previous edition and this too is a valuable change. Unfortunately, in my review, it is all down hill from there - every error- I repeat, every error and omission of words and paragraphs which appeared in previous editions also occur here. Not a single one has been corrected.To pick a few (from scores of errors) at random: on page 369 (Hexagram Ritual), line 6/7, after the word "Saturn" there should appear the sentence, "Similarly the Invoking Hexagram of Mercury is traced first from the lower left hand angle and the complimentary triangle from the angle of Jupiter." In the context of both the Pentagram and Hexagram rituals neither of the vital diagrams, coloured on a black background, are produced - just as they were omitted from Regardie. At the conclusion of the 3=8 ceremony both the old and new versions omit the final speech from the Hierophant: "In the name of Elohim Tzabaoth I declare this Temple closed in the 3=8 Grade of Practicus." All the same errors in the rituals are repeated here - knocks missing, words omitted or incorrect words used and so forth. For example, on page 334 it says, "....all the phantoms are banished." It should read, "have vanished": page 360, "great light in affirmation..." should be, "...light, in allusion to the affirmation." More importantly, on p.368, line 17/18 the word is not "Talisman" but "Telesma". Superficially the Grade Temple diagrams are a slight improvement but are still almost useless as working guides for ceremony for, apart from actual errors in a few cases, they completely lack any mention of the specific Grade diagrams and where these are placed in the Temple. I have yet to look closely at the treatment of the Z documents but suspect they are left in the same unsatisfactory state as in the previous editions: viz. errors, sentences and paragraphs missing, paraphrasing by Regardie etc.So is this edition an improvement on what went before? Yes - it has more diagrams - from the many previously lacking - it has a few additional papers (but with new errors I note); it has an index (very important) and it is easier to use. I like the continuous pagination and the page headings. So it is worth purchasing just for these improvements. But equally it is a huge disappointment that no effort - I repeat, no effort - was made to correct the numerous errors and significant omissions which appeared earlier. Access to original manuscripts, or copies, would have been relatively easy. Indeed I (and no doubt others) could have sent the editor a complete list of the necessary changes in a matter of minutes. So a great opportunity lost."

I concur with most of what Dr. Fuller writes above, although I disagree with his conclusion. A great opportunity has not been "lost" by Llewellyn. Llewellyn took the opportunity. They just used it for an agenda other than correcting the deficiencies of previous editions.

Having reviewed this so-called "new" hardcover edition myself now, the entire project appears to be little more than yet another scheme by Llewellyn to keep milking the Golden Dawn as a cash cow as Llewellyn has done for decades. This 'new" edition fully lives up to Llewellyn's reputation for publishing cheaply produced "Pulp Magick" books that rehash the same, identical material over and over, "ad nauseum."

There is precious little new, if anything, of Magickal value in this so-called "new" edition. In fact, there is precious little "new" at all, with the noteworthy exceptions of an index and, as expected, an attempt by Llewellyn at modern historical revisionism. With this "new" edition, Llewellyn attempts to rewrite modern Golden Dawn history, writing Cris Monnastre and her importance to the modern Golden Dawn revival completely out of it. In fact, the only major change I see in this work from previous editions is the deliberate omission of Cris Monnastre's fine introduction.

For those unfamiliar with Israel Regardie's life or his relationship with Cris Monnastre, she was Dr. Regardie's primary disciple towards the end of his life. It's important to note that Dr. Regardie so loved and believed in the Golden Dawn system of Magick that he and Cris Monnastre performed a 9 month series of rituals in the late 70's to call forth a Golden Dawn resurgence in America.

This 9 month working by Regardie and Monnastre, in my opinion, was directly responsible for the Golden Dawn revival of the last 30 years. In a very real sense, Dr. Regardie and Ms. Monnastre were the Magickal parents and progenitors of this revival, much as Moina and S.L. MacGregor Mathers and their Magickal operations were in large part responsible for the modern occult revival of the 20th Century. Any reference to all of this is carefully and completely omitted from the new Llewellyn edition.  Instead, Ms. Monnastre's introduction is merely eliminated without so much as a whisper of explanation. This is a "not so subtle" attempt by Llewellyn to manipulate the contemproary Golden Dawn community to favor Llewellyn's preferred factions.

Add to the attempted historical revisionism and the glaring failure to correct errors from previous editions, a whopping price tag of $65 for yet another Llewellyn "Pulp Magick" rehash, and you have an almost completely worthless "new" edition.

DAVID GRIFFIN PREDICTS THE FUTURE AGAIN:

Knowing Llewellyn's usual marketing, we can soon expect a whole series of fawning reviews of this edition, written by various presstitutes from Llewellyn's own stable of authors.

My advice?

Don't waste your hard earned cash on yet another Llewellyn scheme trying to make a buck on the back of the Golden Dawn.  Save your money and spend it instead on something that at least contains some legitimately NEW material of authentic Magickal value. In this "new" edition, you will find nothing of the sort.

If you don't have Regardie's Golden Dawn book yet, you can all find ALL material available FREE on-line HERE. Or if you are into collecting printed books, you can always pick up a used copy of a previous edition for peanuts on Amazon.com - or you can wait to pick up this "new" edition from the remainder table of Barnes and Noble, where it rightly belongs.

I am certainly not trying to coerce you, and I am not telling you what to do, but here is an idea:

If you are unhappy about Llewellyn continuing to meddle in the affairs of the Golden Dawn community by trying to rewrite contemporary Golden Dawn history, there IS something you COULD do about it.

You might, for example, want to review the book, then take the time to drop by Amazon.com to give this "new" edition a review as the error-ridden rehash it actually is!

As an alternative, you might want to check out Pat Zalewski's "Golden Dawn Rituals and Commentaries," which actually contains additional material beyond what Regardie published already in 1937 and Llewellyn has uncritically repackaged "ad nauseum" for almost a Century. Here is the Zalewksi book cover.

REVEALED: Israel Regardie's Rose+Cross Lamen

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by Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn®

Imperator David Griffin

Israel Regardie

In the late 1970's Israel Regardie, together with Cris Monnastre (his primary disciple) performed a long series of magickal rituals with the intention of causing a Golden Dawn resurgence. Considering the flourishing Golden Dawn today, this was clearly one of the most influential, successful magickal workings in modern history. Cris Monnastre, one of only two individuals ever initiated by Israel Regardie into the Golden Dawn's Inner Order, was my first initiator as well. When she decided to retire from the Golden Dawn in 1994, Cris Monnastre gifted all of Regardie's magickal tools to me personally, to empower me in leading the Golden Dawn into the 21st Century.

As important as Israel Regardie's personal magickal weapons are in and of themselves, the crown jewel of the Regardie collection is today not a magickal tool created by Regardie himself, but rather a Rose+Cross lamen gifted to Regardie by Alpha Omega Adept, Elsa Barker (1869–1954), a direct magical link to Golden Dawn founder, S.L. MacGregor Mathers.

Israel Regardie's Rose Cross Lamen
(Gifted to Regardie by MacGregor Mathers Envoy, Elsa Barker)

Elsa Barker

Elsa Barker was instrumental in bringing the Golden Dawn to America, as she frequently carried documents and messages back and forth between S.L. MacGregor Mathers in Paris and the Alpha Omega temples flourishing in America. 

Barker was born in Leicester, Vermont and became an American novelist and poet. Barker lived most of her adult life in New York City. From 1910 to 1914, she lived in Paris, where she was initiated in S.L. MacGregor Mathers’ Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega. As Barker frequently traveled between Paris and the USA, Elsa Barker became MacGregor Mathers’ emissary to the American temples of the A.O. 

S.L. Macgregor Mathers

The minute book of Mathers' Ahathoor temple mentions that, on July 3, 1911, just prior to Elsa Barker’s return to the USA, Mathers had received applications from 9 members to form yet another new temple, Neith Temple No. 10 in America.

Barker produced through automatic writing the scripts for Letters from a Living Dead Man (1914), War Letters from the Living Dead Man (1915), and Last Letters from a Living Dead Man (1919). These remarkable communications attracted much attention in England, where they were first published. At the time the scripts were produced, Elsa Barker was new to automatic writing, and was also unaware that the communicator (subsequently identified as David P. Hatch, a Los Angeles lawyer), who signed the communications "X," had passed away. These letters record the impressions of an intelligent traveler in a strange country, his mistakes, prejudices, ideals, and new insights.

Elsa Barker's other publications include The Son of Mary Bethel (1909), The Frozen Grail & Other Poems (1910), Stories from the New Testament for Children (1911), The Body of Love (1912), Fielding Sargent (1922), The Cobra Candlestick (1928), The C.I.D. of Dexter Drake (1929), and The Redman Cave Murder (1930). Barker died August 31, 1954. 

Her rose-cross remains today a crown jewel in Mather's Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega, and our outer order, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. At all official Inner Order functions, it is with great pride that I wear at all Golden Dawn Inner Order functions.

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Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn®

Imperator David Griffin

Wearing Israel Regardie's Rose Cross Lamen

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Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn®

Making Magicians - Since 1888

Click HERE to explore our Outer Order, undergraduate level Magical training program.

Golden Dawn Leaders Speak Out (Part 2): Astral Initiation & Self Initiation

In Part 1 of this article (here), we have seen how proponents of Astral-only Initiation claim that a group or people (or a Temple) can initiate a person by perfoming a ritual somewhere else for a person separated by geographical distance, allegedly initiating the candidate by reading off their name in Temple during the ritual and that other claims made by proponents of Astral-only initiation include:

1. Astral Initiation accomplishes everything that traditional Golden Dawn initiation does
2. The original (pre 1903) Golden Dawn practiced Astral Initiation.
3. Critics of Astral-only Initiation do not understand that all magick takes place on the Astral Plane.
4. Astral Initiation helps those who would otherwise not have access to Golden Dawn initiation.

My primary objection to Astral-only initiation has been the less than honest manner that it has been protrayed. For example I wrote here, that my objection arises...:

"...when modern innovations like Astral Initiation get misrepresented to the public as traditional or classical Golden Dawn practices. It is the dishonesty that is most destructive."

In regard to confusion caused by proponents of Astral-only initiation, Donald Michael Kraig wrote here:

"The thing I don’t like is when people pay dues, read some papers, do no work, pay for various “astral initiations,” and then claim to be experts with high levels of initiation. They make real occultists and initiates look foolish and bad." 

There is one aspect of the traditional Golden Dawn Neophyte initiation for which I have been repeatedly criticized by proponents of Astral-only initiation. Nonetheless, I remain convinced that not to continue to point this out in this article would be grossly irresponsible.

Traditional Golden Dawn initiations are even more powerful than many people yet seem to realize and there are very real spiritual dangers involved.

To my knowledge, other scholars in our community still have not yet written on this aspect of Golden Dawn initiation. The G.D. Neophyte initiation is based on the Egyptian Book of the Dead. When properly performed this Initiation actually separates and reintegrates the constituent spiritual parts of the candidate.

This is no light undertaking. The spiritual importance of this, and the spiritual danger involved has not yet received due attention by scholars in our community. The spiritual danger is made clear by the rising of the "evil persona" of the candidate at the foot of the altar, threatening to devour the candidate at his or her most vulnerable point in the initiation.

In the figure above, from the chapter of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, this is symbolized by Ammit the devourer, the combined animal figure at the far right of the illustration. Ammit is there to devour the heart if it is weighed heavier than the weight of a feather. The threatening "evil persona" of the candidate is magically subdued for him or her by the skilled Hierophant, when the Hierophant advances and proclaims:

"I come in the Power of the Light.

I come in the Light of Wisdom.

I come in the Mercy of the Light.

The Light hath Healing in its Wings."

I have written about this many times, for example, here:

"There are no short cuts and True Golden Dawn Initiation should not be undertaken lightly, as True Initiation involves the ritual separation and reintegration of a candidate's physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects to give birth to a higher and more balanced spiritual form and awareness.

This process is fraught with danger even under the best of circumstances. With candidates physically present and protected within the safety of a legitimate Golden Dawn temple, however, these dangers can be overcome by a highly trained and skilled Hierophant. 

To deceive oneself that the same result can be achieved alone or with a candidate sitting in another city or on the other end of the world, however, is [in light of my many years of initiatic experience] inviting spiritual disaster."

Proponents of Astral-only Initiation additionally claim that Astral-only Initiation meets the needs those who would otherwise not be able to contact the spirit of the order. To this Nick Farrell replies:

"So ... we come to (the) point ... that (Astral initiation allegedly) provides a person with a connection to a working group that they would not otherwise had. This is clearly true, but in my opinion any link would appear to be administrative rather than spiritual. A real initiation takes place when the person is ready."

This supports my own conclusion, based on my independent research, that Astral-only initiation does not satisfactorily meet the needs of those who would otherwise not be able to contact the spirit of the order.

When it comes to Astral Initiation there is another essential point that has been made by advanced Magicians, like Donald Michael Kraig and Nick Farrell, based on their many years of experience. I have until now specifically avoided making any public statement on this subject at all.

Donald Michael Kraig writes:

"But are they valid within the Western Mystery Tradition?
If you take someone with little or no training and tell them to visualize walking around a triangle (as I was for an Order a long time ago), the answer is decidedly NO!
If you take someone with a great deal of training, knowledge, and experience, the answer might be yes."

Nick Farrell writes:

“The Theosophists believed in astral (or mental) initiations, but the candidate was supposed to be able to consciously “travel? in his astral or mental body to a temple were Masters would initiate him.”
Which goes to show that even by the rules of “astral initiation” the way it is being done in most groups is completely wrong as it requires a high level of experience before the candidate can do it."

I have avoided commenting on this until present because my words have so frequently been misinterpreted or misrepresented by proponents of Astral-only Initiation. I therefore refrained from  elaborating on this subject at all.

In reality, however, the conclusions that both Donald Michael Kraig and Nick Farrell state above fully concur with my own conclusions, based on two decades of independent research and on Alpha Omega teachings.

There do indeed exist such advanced methods, not only in the East, but also in the Hermetic and Rosicrucian traditions here in the West, of which the Alpha Omega is one important emanation. As this spiritual practice remains oath-bound, I can not comment on the actual methodology.

This much I can say, however. In the Alpha Omega, an Adept can and does eventually receive higher initiatic teachings on the Upper Astral, in other words, in the realm of dreams. To be able to do this correctly, however, the advanced Adept must have first:

1. have fully cultivated their Lunar Body,
2. have achieved the Albedo state of awakening in the world of dreams,
3. have achieved the first alchemical separation, which permits the projection of the Lunar body in the Upper Astral (the Inner Plane where dreams occur).

To avoid a host of odd new claims that could otherwise arise from this statement, I must also clarify that, just as in the published Golden Dawn material there are means of testing visions obtained by Skrying in the Spirit Vision into the Lower Astral, in the Alpha Omega there exist yet more certain tests to measure the veracity of teachings received while Lunar projecting into the Upper Astral.

The specific techniques to cultivate the Lunar body, to separate it, to project it into the Upper Astral, and how to test these visions are all taught in the higher grades of the Alpha Omega beyond the well known material published by Israel Regardie.

In parts one and two of this article, we have heard positions on Astral-only initiation from a plethora of voices from all across the Golden Dawn community. In every instance, they have concurred with the results of my own independent research over the past two decades.

So what is my present position on Astral-only initiation, after 20 years in the Golden Dawn?

The old adage states that “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Perhaps this is true for Astral-only Initiation. If there is a way to perform initiations in this way, however, it is one by which few aspirants would be either willing or capable of performing.

The method itself cannot be disclosed; even the mention of its existence may be stretching what is permissible. What can be said is there are things in the Golden Dawn System of Magic that simply are not available in print, should not be, and hopefully never will be. 

This is why the Outer Order is a place to discover trustworthy Adepts to whom advanced Magic can eventually be entrusted. This fight over the possibility of Astral-only Initiation has always made me uncomfortable because it places me in a conflict between either lying or revealing too much.

It is enough to state that all things are possible but not using any of the information freely available thus far in time. Having revealed enough, I return to my steadfast position that Astral-only Initiation is not a part of the Golden Dawn in the Outer.

But what about all the Golden Dawn "Astral Initiates" already out there needing guidance today? Astral Initiates will be happy to know that the new programs we have created for Self-Initiates and Solitary  aspiring Magicians will better meet YOUR needs as well.

Speaking of which, what about Self-Initiation?

To begin with, Golden Dawn scholar, Sam Scarborough, has some interesting things to say about this. Sam Scarborough writes:

I’ve had the pleasure of being initiated physically, long-distance (astral), and through Self-Initiation. I can say of the three that the least that affect me on any level was the long-distance initiation. 

With both my physical and self-initiation I had a much more profound emotional affect.

... and ...

The bottom line, is that self-initiation works on all levels of initiation. It provides a phyical place and energy, it works on the astral, as the initiate through working the material builds up the astral component, and finally it works on an etheric level by implanting the symbols of the current within the sphere of sensation of the person undergoing the SI. This is especially true of those that have made all of the needed tools and temple furniture for their SI, as making those is a meditation into the symbolism and function of the tool in question, which helps the SI person to better link to the energies of the GD current.

To clarify my position, I must state agsin that I concur with Sam Scarborough and other Golden Dawn community leaders that just about ANYTHING is better than Astral-only Initiation the way it has been  sold and misrepresented on the Internet.

Even Self-Initiation, with all of its drawbacks, is certainly a better option!

If you would have asked me about Self-Initiation eighteen years ago, when Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Praemonstratrix, Cris Monnastre, first appointed me HOGD Imperator, I would have told you: "Self-Initiation is as impossible as self-psychotherapy."

My position has evolved since then though. You can read more about this here, here, and here.

It is not like I just woke up one morning and suddenly decided that Self-initiation is a great thing though. I still do not believe that. It is more like accepting that people have been receiving so much bad information for so long that I can’t put that genie back in the bottle. 

Self-initiation is such an inefficient approach to becoming a Magician that I wanted to do all in my power to convince people to avoid it. Working from my previous metaphor, if I had a son that was considering hitchhiking across country, I would do everything in my power to dissuade him. Why? Because it is inefficient, unnecessarily time-consuming, and dangerous! 

Self-initiation is similar. But, if my son said he was doing it and nothing I say will stop him, I will then try to give him as much information as possible to do it safely. It will still take him way too long. It is still a poor method of long-distance transportation. It is still dangerous.

I read once that ‘experience is a harsh task-master, but some people will learn in no other way.’ Thanks to irresponsible Magicians, many beginners today think Self-Initiation is best approach for them. I can’t undo the damage so I am instead committed to reducing the risk.

This is why the Alpha Omega has launched a host of new programs for Solitary Practitioners, Self-Initiates, and Astral Initiates:

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn - the outer order of the Alpha Omega gives you complete training in Ritual Magic with good coaching, as well as a structured program to master all of the published Golden Dawn material using the latest methods of modern on-line Universities. HOGD also gives you access to physical initiation in our fully chartered and licensed Golden Dawn temples.  

Personal Temples: The Alpha Omega encourages Self-Initiates and Solitary Practiioners to create Personal Altars and Temples. We are putting them on the map for you here on the Golden Dawn blog and publishing photos of independent Altars and Temples around the world. 

Self-Initiation: The A.O. teaches how the goal of Golden Dawn Initiation and Magic is to strengthen the energetic body and to awaken the Elemental, Planetary, Zodiacal, and Sephirothic Magical Forces in the "Sphere of Sensation" of the aspiring Magician, and are providing the techniques necessary to attempt this on one's own.

Magical Tools: The A.O. teaches how traditional Golden Dawn Magical Tools are created by publishing photographs of Israel Regardie's tools from the A.O.'s Golden Dawn Museum. 

Ritual Magic 101 Coaching Webinars: The A.O. brings solid Ritual Magic teaching and coaching to self-taught Magicians all around the world. 

2012 Golden Dawn World Tour: The Alpha Omega makes Ritual Magic instruction and coaching - as well as tradtional Golden Dawn initiation - available in at least 5 countries over the next year - up close and personal. 

Ritual Magic 101 Workshops: brings magical coaching up close and personal. 

Ritual Magic 101 Private Coaching: The Alpha Omega offers private Ritual Magic coaching with David Griffin both in-person and via Skype.

Ritual  Magic 101 Coaching Dojo: The Alpha Omega offers bi-weekly group Ritual Magic practice - dojo style  - with David Griffin - beginning January 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada at Well of the Moon Pagan Bookstore.

Ritual  Magic 101 Training Videos: The Alpha Omega offers free Ritual Magic training videos both on the Golden Dawn YouTube Channel and soon to be on the new GoldenDawn.TV website as well, along with soon to be released other new training aids.

Traditional Golden Dawn Initiation: The A.O. offers traditional G.D. initiation in our international network of traditional Golden Dawn temples - as well as part of the Golden Dawn World Tour.

Click HERE to explore our Outer Order, undergraduate level Magical training program, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn!"

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Happy 105th Birthday, Israel Regardie!

Born on November 17, 1907, today marks the 105th Birthday of Israel Regardie. 

As a Birthday gift to the Golden Dawn community, here is another photograph of Regardie's Air Dagger and sheath, taken from a different angle than has ever been shown before ...

NEW PHOTO: Israel Regardie's Air Dagger
Bequeathed by Regardie through Cris Monnastre to David Griffin

.
Israel Regardie (1907-1985) was born in England but emigrated with his parents to the United States in August 1921 and settled in Washington, DC. He studied art in Washington, DC and Philadelphia, PA. With a Hebrew tutor he gained a linguistic knowledge which would prove invaluable in his later studies of Hermetic Qabalah. With easy access to the Library of Congress, he read widely and became interested in Theosophy, Hindu philosophy and yoga.

After reading Part I of Magick (Book 4) by Aleister Crowley, Regardie initiated a correspondence which led to his return at 21 to the U.K. at Crowley's 1928 invitation. In England, Regardie became Aleister Crowley's secretary. When the two parted company four years later, in 1932, Regardie was devestated, and recuperated from the loss of his relationship with Crowley in the home of Dion Fortune.

Regardie distanced himself from Crowley personally, but still retained a great deal of respect for his writings. Shortly after this period he published The Tree of Life, a guide to magick, largely derived from Crowley's work, and A Garden of Pomegranates, a primer on Qabalah based on notes he had taken while working for Crowley. Regardie would later write a biography of Crowley, The Eye in the Triangle, and continue to edit and republish Crowley's works up until the 1970s.

In 1934 Regardie joined Stella Matutina, a schismatic offshoot of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. When the group disbanded, Regardie acquired the bulk of the Order's documents and compiled the book, The Golden Dawn, which earned him the enmity of many of the other former members and the reputation of being an oath-breaker because of the information it revealed. 

Despite Regardie's rationalizations, this act nearly destroyed both the Stella Matutina and the Alpha et Omega. In 1937, at the age of 30, Regardie returned to the U.S., entering Chiropractic College in New York. In addition, he studied psychoanalysis with Dr. E. Clegg and Dr. J. L. Bendit, and psychotherapy with Dr. Nandor Fodor. He opened a chiropractic office and taught Reichian body and breath work.

In the mid 1970's, Israel Regardie carried out a practical magical compaign together with his primary student and Soror Mystica, Cris Monnastre (Soror M.d.A. - Monocris de Astris). Unaware of the continuing existence of the Secret Chiefs and the Third Order, the Magical couple manifested their intention to resurrect the Golden Dawn, giving birth to today's Golden Dawn Rennaissance.

Once this protracted and momentous magical campaign reached its climax, Regardie gifted his Magical Tools to his Soror Mystica, Cris Monnastre, which she in turn in 1994 gifted to David Griffin, who she viewed as Regardie's rightful heir.

Another consequence of Regardie's and Monnastre's 1970's magical campaign, Israel Regardie consecrated a Vault of the Adepti in 1982, in order to initiate his Soror Mystica, Cris Monnastre, into the Adeptus Minor (5=6) grade.

Regardie died from a heart attack in the presence of close friends during a dinner at a restaurant in Sedona, Arizona on March 10, 1985 at the age of 77.

Today, despite his mistakes, Israel Regardie holds a place of honor in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and its parent order, the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha Omega, and his Magical Tools are today displayed prominently in the Golden Dawn Museum.

Our order is well aware that any Golden Dawn lineage claims through Israel Regardie are highly questionable. Regardie stated this openly on numerous occasions, during his lifetime, including in a letter signed by Regardie you can read here.

This is why, although we hold Regardie in great esteem, the Alpha Omega has always made clear that our multiple Golden Dawn and derivitave esoteric lineages come entirely from other, more traditional sources of Golden Dawn lineage.

Even though Israel Regardie did make mistakes, and despite his all too human frailties, he will nonetheless always hold a special place in occult history and in the heart of the Golden Dawn.

Please join with the Alpha Omega today, in wishing across the veil:

"Happy Birthday, Israel Regardie!"

P.S. Here is another little present from Regardie, in celebration of his 105th Birthday.

The Golden Dawn Library: Israel Regardie Books: FREE Download!

by Golden Dawn Imperator

David Griffin

If you have not yet visited the Golden Dawn Library over on the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn website, you have really been missing something. You will find literally hundreds of ebooks available for free download there. You can access the main catalogue of the Golden Dawn Library here.

The Alpha Omega has struggled long and hard to provide traditional Golden Dawn alternatives for aspiring magicians. This is why the Alpha Omega's "Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn" has become the most thorough school of Ritual Magic that exists in the world today.

This is also why we launched our 1,000 Points of Light initiative, providing much needed correction and addition to the existing Golden Dawn literature, as well as coaching and guidance for Self-Initiates and Solitary Practitioners of Golden Dawn Ritual Magic.

This is also why we created the Golden Dawn Library.

Every time the copyright runs out on a book containing interesting magical material, the Alpha Omega as a public service makes the book available for FREE download from The Golden Dawn Library. 

Several years ago, the copyright protection on Israel Regardie's books ran out and they became public domain.

Why throw money away for heavily edited New Age reprints of Israel Regardie books - when  Regardie's original, unaltered writings are available for FREE! download from the Golden Dawn Library?

Francis "Israel" Regardie

The Alpha Omega invites you to check out the Israel Regardie Collection in The Golden Dawn Library, and to download original, unaltered Regardie books for FREE!. While you are at the Golden Dawn Library, you will find hundreds of other magical ebooks there as well.

Here is a complete list of original, unaltered Israel Regardie books presently available for FREE! download from the Golden Dawn Library, Golden Dawn Collection:

The Philosopher's Stone  (PDF 610 KB)

The Tree of Life Part 1 (PDF 89.3 MB )

The Tree of Life Part 2 (PDF 44.1 MB)

The Middle Pillar (PDF 52.3 MB)

A Garden of Pomegranates (PDF 61.2 MB)

The Art and Meaning of Magick (PDF 506 KB)

The Art of True Healing (PDF 160 KB)

My Rosicrucian Adventure  (PDF 780 KB)

This is just one more small way that the Alpha Omega is trying to help aspiring Magicians in their quest to complete the Great Work. Click here to learn more about our outer order, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

Alpha Omega ...

Making Magicians - Since 1888!

SECRETS REVEALED: Israel Regardie's Golden Dawn Air Dagger

by Golden Dawn Imperator

David Griffin

Israel Regardie  - Frater A.M.A.G. - Ad Majorem Adonai Gloriam

With our 1,000 Points of Light Initiative, the Alpha Omega has implemented a variety of new programs to help Self-Initiates and Solitary Practitioners of Ritual Magic.

In addition to Ritual Magic coaching (in both LIVE Webinars and in person), this initiative includes encouraging people to create their own Personal Altars and Temples.

So far, we have helped you put 102 Personal Temples on the map. We have also published a dozen or so photos of Personal Altars and Temples from around the world, to hopefully inspire you to create your own. 

If you would like to put your Personal Altar or Temple on the map, let us know where you are - either in the comments section below or by email here. If you would like, you can also email us a photo or your Personal Altar or Temple, and we will share it for you here on the Golden Dawn blog.

Today the Alpha Omega leads the way yet once again, by sharing secrets of traditional Golden Dawn magical tools with you.

I was recently asked by a solitary practitioner of Golden Dawn Magic:

"How can I make personal Magical tools - and what books should I should to use to craft them?"

The answer to this question is complicated by how current "how to" books on Golden Dawn tools contain certain inaccuracies, modern variations, omissions, and partial deviation from the rules of the traditional Golden Dawn. There thus exists an urgent need for important correction, modification, and addition to the existing literature.

As a traditionalist Golden Dawn leader, I believe aspiring Golden Dawn magicians should have the possibility to make their magical tools according to the rules of the traditional Golden Dawn. 

Therefore, to provide a traditionalist alternative for aspiring Magicians - and to correct inaccuracies and fill omissions in the training of Golden Dawn Adepts - I am releasing photographs of a few traditionalist artifacts from the Alpha Omega's Golden Dawn Museum - beginning today with Israel Regardie's Air Dagger.

Israel Regardie

When Cris Monnastre first installed me as Imperator of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1994, she also gifted me Israel Regardie's magical tools to fully empower my mission.

In light of the 1994 schism, Cris Monnastre was convinced it would fall to me to lead the Golden Dawn into the New Millennium.

Perhaps Cris Monnastre intuitively foresaw that eight years later, in 2002, the Secret Chiefs would reestablish contact with the Golden Dawn community through the Alpha Omega, chosing me to help transmit their teachings and spiritual practices for the higher grades of the Golden Dawn.

Regardie had gifted his Magical tools to Cris Monnastre at the culmination of a protracted magical campaign they completed together. Unaware of the continuing existence of the Secret Chiefs and the Third Order, the Magical couple manifested their intention to resurrect the Golden Dawn in the U.S.A. 

Following the Golden Dawn schism of 1994, Cris Monnastre not only installed me as lawful Imperator of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. She also passed the torch of Israel Regardie's Magical tools to me as well.

Thanks to the kind gift of Cris Monnastre, Israel Regardie's magical implements today hold a place of honor in the Golden Dawn Museum of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha Omega. Thanks to Cris Monnastre's gift, I am also able to share the following essential information about traditional Golden Dawn tools with you.

To begin with - as you can see from the photographs - Israel Regardie's Air Dagger is completely hand crafted, according to rules of the traditional Golden Dawn.

In some cases, practitioners of Golden Dawn magic have only had access to modern variations of traditional Golden Dawn tools. If you are going to craft Golden Dawn Magical implements, however, why not use complete and accurate information to create them correctly according to traditional Golden Dawn rules?

To meet the urgent need for more accurate and compete information ,,,

I am letting the cat out of the bag about Magical tools in the traditional Golden Dawn ...

Israel Regardie's Air Dagger - Sheath On

First of all, please aremember:

The most important thing for aspiring Magicians is to actually practice Magic. As I wrote in the Ritual Magic Manual, if you need to, you can practice Magic using nothing more than your index finger - or just a few items from your kitchen. What matters most is that you practice.

Aspiring Golden Dawn Magicians will, however, eventually want to craft your own Golden Dawn Magical tools. 

Here are a couple of inside tips ...

There are good reasons why each Magician should make their own Magical tools from start to finish. One reason is that you fill them with your energy from inside out and top to bottom.

Every day in the Alpha Omega, practitioners of Ritual Magic come to us needing to spend months - if not years - correcting errors and bad habits they picked up in their Magical training along the way.

Sure there are on-line shops peddling Golden Dawn tools and trinkets. - But if you are going to bother to have Golden Dawn implements, why not craft according to traditional rules?

I recommend you create your Air Dagger yourself - from scratch - the way Israel Regardie did - and as have traditional Golden Dawn Adepts since the beginning.

So how do you create a TRADITIONAL Golden Dawn Air Dagger?

First and foremost - I suggest you craft it yourself - using Israel Regardie's Magical tool as a model.

Israel Regardie's Air Dagger - Unsheathed

Basic material for a traditional Golden Dawn Air Dagger

Here are more SECRETS of traditional Golden Dawn Tools REVEALED:

1. The blade is home-made from a metal file. It is hammered flat, then filed into the correct length and shape.
2. The tail of the file runs through the center of the entire length of the upper handle, which is made of two pieces of wood, carved out so that the rump of the blade fits snugly within.
3. The two pieces are glued together. 
4. The top cone is carved of wood with the tip of the blade rump crimped over at the top with pliers to hold the blade snugly inside in the upper handle.
5. The hand guard is made of four pieces of wood held together with glue and nails.
6. The center two pieces of the hand guard are cut out out so the upper handle fits snugly inside.
7. The scabbard is made of two pieces of wood hollowed out so that the blade is held snugly between.
8. The two scabbard pieces are held tightly together with braided brass wire.

Finally, below you will find the all the correct Qabalistic Names and their Rosicrucian Sigils you need to fully empower your traditional Golden Dawn Air Dagger.

Please note that the Hebrew name of the river of Eden, Chiddikel, has been misspelled over and over throughout modern Golden Dawn literature, including in books on crafting Magical tools. The correct, traditional Hebrew spelling of Chiddikel, together with its correct Rosicrucian Sigil, appears below.

The Names and Sigils are to be painted on the hilt and the guard of the dagger in the complementary color violet against a yellow background. 

If you are serious about becoming a Magician, you will find no better school of Ritual Magic than the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha Omega.

Click here to learn more about our outer order, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

Alpha Omega ...

Making Magicians - Since 1888!