Alpha et Omega - 100 Year Jubileum - 1909-2009

Easter Sunday, 4/12/2009
Happy Easter Brothers and Sisters of the Golden Dawn of all Orders and Temples!

May the light of the Rose+Cross shine brightly today upon all of us. I am sorry it took me so long to follow up since my return from the Ahathoor Temple No. 7 in Paris last Monday. This week has been a wirlwind since my return and I wanted to have everything ready to share with you on Easter Sunday. Well, here it is.
In reality, I did not go to Paris merely for the Equinox Ritual at the Ahathoor Grand Temple of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Actually the Ahathoor Mother Temple was host to the 100 Year Centennial Jubileum Celebration of S.L. MacGregor Mathers' founding the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega in 1909.
This year's International Conclave was for the Second Order and above, so we convoked the International College of the Adepti of the Alpha et Omega as well. The festivities lasted several days as we initiated in all grades of the Second Order and there were marvelous lectures from four separate A.O. Imperators!
The good news for you is that this time we filmed everything - so now you can also be a part of this exiting event - even if you were unable to be there with us in Paris! I opened the conference by greeting our Brothers and Sisters of the Golden Dawn around the world. Here is the video of the opening festivities (note that the speeches always follow bits of ritual):

Here you will enjoy more ritual, and information about the Hermetic and Rosicrucian Roots of the Golden Dawn.

Many of you read the recent weblog I wrote upon my return from Paris. Unsurprisingly, I was once again attacked on an anonymous blog, this time criticized by a post alleging that the Ahathoor Temple in Paris today is not the temple that S.L. MacGregor Mathers founded in 1892.
Well, the truth is usually far more interesting than anonymous, strife stirring rumor, and the modern history of the Ahathoor temple certtainly fits this criteria! In fact, Jean-Pascal Ruggiu, G.H. Frater Lux Aurorae, gave a fascinating lecture about how his research into the history of the Ahathoor Temple led him to Marquis Tereschenko, who eventually reconsecrated Ahathoor Temple in 1992.
I don't want to ruin this fascinating story for you, as here is G.H. Frater Lux Aurorae to tell you the whole story himself:

Next, we were all treated to a wonderful lecture on the Gold und Rosenkreutz order and the Rosicrucian roots of the Golden Dawn in Germany by V.H. Frater D.L.M., the Imperator of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn® for German speaking countries:

Few people realize that the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's Imperator for Scandinavia, V.H. Frater Sincerus Renatus, actually was born in Poland. Ever true to these roots, V.H. Frater Sincerus Renatus, has a particular love for the Qabalah of the Shabbathaian movement in messianic Judaism, particualrly as it filtered down with the followers of Jaqob Frank. The story of the Qabalistic Roots of the Golden Dawn is a particularly fascinating one, involving many of the leading figures from this movement who found their way into the Order of the Asiatic Brethren, then later into the Jewish Lodge at Frankfurt, the famous, Zur Goldenen Morgonroethe Lodge. VH Frater Sincerus Renatus' lecture on the Qabalistic roots of the Golden Dawn is bound to become a classic, and adds many pieces to the jigsaw puzzle of the Continental European origins of the Golden Dawn.



Finally, the International Conclave of the Adepti and the 100 Year Jubileum concluded with my keynote address on the Emerald Tablet of Hermes, the Hermetic Tradition, and the Golden Dawn. Since there has been so much controversy surrounding the Emerald Teblet of Hermes since the recent translation by Nineveh Shadrach of the Magic Society of the White Flame, I thus attempted to shed new light on the Emerald Tablet, as revealed by Apollonius of Tyana's Book of Causes, in which the earliest extant version of the Emerald Tablet was originally published, together valuable commentaries essential to its proper understanding.

So Brothers and Sisters, there you have it.
It is my sincere hope that some of the factionalism between Golden Dawn orders and temples will now die down, so that at our next International Golden Dawn Conclave ALL brothers and sisters of the Golden Dawn may attend, regardless of what order or temple you belong to. This was the dream of our cherished, late Praemonstrator, Marquis Nicholas Tereschenko, and perhaps we will yet see his dream realized in our lifetime.
Until then, we are this year at least able to share these precious videos with you!

Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum, Yeheshua
David Griffin
G.H. Frater Lux Ex Septentrionis
Imperator Ordinis, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
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"