Personal Temples: A Personal Temple from Salt Lake City, UT

by Golden Dawn Imperator

David Griffin

Most readers are already aware the Alpha Omega has for nearly a year led the way yet once again, by providing guidance for Individual Practitioners of the Magic of Light.

In the first phase of this initiative, the A.O. began fostering the creation of Personal Magical Temples across the world, with the goal of lighting "1,000 Points of the Magic of Light." This initiative was met with kind words and warm appreciation from across the entire Golden Dawn  community.

Here is what two of our readers are saying:

"I am just loving this project. Thank you Mr. Griffin for the resources that you are unveiling to us all :). Maybe I can feel little bit more comfortable about what I'm doing knowing that there are many others out there doing the same thing. Many times I forget that and kind of give up." - Brian Jones II 

"Good news for solitary practitioners! We are just waiting for more. Thank you!" - Frater C.F.

The"1,000 Points of Light" initiative has exceeded all expectations. We are continue to be inundated with photographs of Personal Temples from around the world. Rest assured that over time, each and every one of them will eventually be published.

This time, Soror S.A., from Salt Lake City, would like to share her Personal Temple with readers of The Golden Dawn Blog. Soror S.A. writes:

"Thank you for the opportunity to share photos of my personal temple with the Alpha Omega, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. And thank you Imperator L.e.S. for the work you have done and for the Order website, including the Contemporary Golden Dawn Articles/Hermetic and Rosicrucian Timeline.  

My temple (the first of which was in Kelly, WY) is located in Salt Lake City, UT. It is the result of regular and disciplined work with Donald Michael Kraig's, "Eleven Lessons in the High Magickal Arts" beginning some thirteen years ago -a book which changed my life, my purpose and my understanding of all things in the most absolute way. Expressed briefly, the results were so effective that I deemed it prudent to put my work "on hold" for a period of time by limiting the nature and frequency of certain rituals... 

Once again, I send my deep appreciation for the opportunity to bring my own little temple into the light of the greater Golden Dawn community, and that of the Alpha Omega, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn." 

Sorer SA
Salt Lake City

Keep up the good work, Sister!

We invite you to share your personal temple with our readers as well. You can send us a photo of your personal temple here.

(Please try to keep the file size somewhat small. Also, please let us know if you would like your name or motto to appear. Otherwise, we will include only the city. 

We further invite you to post your feedback and personal magical experiences in the comment's section below. Many of these will be featured prominently in future blog posts, as was the feedback from magicians above.)

The 1,000 Points of Light initiative is just one small way the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha Omega and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn are serving the needs of the greater esoteric community. If you can think of others, please do let us know! The idea for this marvelous 1,000 Points of Light initiative came from one of our readers from California!

We are here to help you meet the needs of your magical practice.

Remember, in the ...

Alpha Omega

We make Magicians!

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

Don't miss:

The Golden Dawn Website

The Journal of the Golden Dawn Research Center

The Golden Dawn FAQ

The Golden Dawn YouTube Channel

The Golden Dawn Channel on Blog Talk Radio

1,000 Points of Light: A Personal Temple in West Virgin

As more and more aspiring Magicians around the world  share their Personal Temples and Altars with others, the A.O. has now helped put 144 Personal Temples on the map!

A word of thanks goes out to those who have put their Temples and Altars on the map, and especially to those who keep sharing photographs of their work with our readers as well. May 1,000 Points of Light burn ever brighter, as the Magic of Light illuminates more and more people around the globe!

Help us ...
... light Temple Fires of ...

... the Magic of Light ...
... all across the globe!

Today we share a photograph with you of a Personal Temple in Clarksburg, West Virginia, from Frater L.I.S., who writes:

Fratres and Sorores, 

I would like to add my personal temple to your online blog.  It is located in Clarksburg, WV USA.  Please find a picture of the altar for your review and posting. Thank you again for all of your hard work bringing the Golden Dawn tradition to the public.

Why are we sharing Personal Altars and Temples?

In in the Alpha Omega, our primary mission is to provide Western individuals with the tools they need for their spiritual and energetic evolution. As a part of this continuing mission, we are  beginning to unveil several valuable new resources for Independent Practitioners of the Magic of Light.

There are Self-Initiates. There are Solitary Ritual Magic practitioners. There are Golden Dawn initiates in orders that will not teach them Ritual Magic in the outer order. There are Thelemites who would like to practice the Ritual Magic of "Liber O." There are Pagans who would like to properly invoke the forces of the Elements, Planets and Zodiac.

What do all of these people have in common? Except for my Ritual Magic Manual, all of these Independent Practitioners have been pretty much left to their own resources when it comes to their practice of the the Golden Dawn's system of spiritual evolution through the Magic of Light.

Well, that has changed, as of now. The Alpha Omega is leading the way for the Golden Dawn yet  once again, this time providing one valuable resource after the other regarding to the Independent Practice of the Magic of Light.

Independent practitioners have had my Ritual Magic Manual to assist them in their practice for over a decade already. Most independents, for whatever the reason, prefer not to work in a traditional order structure. Even among Golden Dawn orders, only the Alpha Omega makes magicians already from day one, even to all Outer Order initiates.

Thus there is a huge body of people out there who have been left with zero guidance from Golden Dawn Adepts in their independent practice of Ritual Magic. The Alpha Omega is now stepping forward, as a community service, to better meet the needs of Independent Practitioners of the Magic of Light.

As the first step in our "1,000 Points of Light" initiative, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and our parent order, the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega is helping to ignite "1,000 Points of Light" around the globe, with the goal of fostering the creation of 1,000 new Personal Altars and Temples.

Creating a Personal Temple will give your magic great power, because you build energy through constant magical practice in the same consecrated space. There are plenty of good resources available on how to create your own personal temple as well as how to craft magical tools. We encourage you to use these resources, together with your own personal creativity, to create your own, unique personal temple.

A Personal Temple does not need to be complicated. Your tools can be Golden Dawn style, Wiccan style, or whatever style suits you. What is important is that you dedicate a sacred space where you can practice Ritual Magic on a regular basis. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you like.

As I mention in the Ritual Magic Manual, if need be, you can practice Golden Dawn magic with nothing other than your index finger! On the other hand, you could craft all of the wands, swords, banners, robes, etc. that make up a full Golden Dawn temple. The choice is yours - and yours alone.

If you would like to do something in between, for Golden Dawn magic, what is most essential is to create an altar space and to place something to represent each of the four elements on it.

Some people use nothing more than a fan for air, dirt for earth, a cup of water, and a candle for fire. Others like to craft and consecrate classic Golden Dawn magical implements; an air dagger, a fire wand, a water cup, and an earth pantacle, each with the correct sigils and names of power.

Certain Wiccan practitioners prefer to work with a wand for air, an athame for fire, a cup for water, and a pentacle for earth. Other Pagan practitioners reverse the wand and athame, more closely resembling the Golden Dawn arrangement.

Personally, I recommend to begin with the basic components used in the Golden Dawn's magical Eucharist; a red rose for air, a cup of wine, a candle for fire, and bread and salt for Earth.

See ...

"you can set up a Golden Dawn style altar with nothing more than a few things available in most kitchens." - David Griffin - Ritual Magic Manual

What really matters is that you practice magic, then practice, practice, and practice even more. Try to set aside an hour a day for your magical practice if you can.

You will quickly see for yourself how much it helps to have a dedicated space for your magical practice. You do not need an entire room for this, although that would be ideal. When an entire room is not possible, you can always store your altar in a corner of a room, then bring it out when you are ready to practice. With time you will begin to feel a sense of awe, a sense of the sacred, merely by entering into your personal temple space.

Our first goal with this 1,000 Points of Light initiative, is to motivate you to create your own personal temple, and to help individual practitioners to create 1,000 new personal temples around the world. Can you imagine the power for spiritual growth that will be generated by 1,000 new personal temples all around the world?

... And there is no better way to motivate ourselves to create a beautiful personal temple than to share the fruit of our work with others. The Alpha Omega therefore invites you to send us a photograph of your personal temple once it is set up, and we will publish it for you here on the Golden Dawn Blog!

What better way to learn and to gain inspiration from one another?

We invite you to share your Personal Altar or Personal Temple here as well. Just tell us what city you are in, and we will put you on the map!

You can also email us a photo of your personal temple HERE and we will publish it to share it with readers here on The Golden Dawn Blog. (Please try to keep the file size somewhat small. Please also let us know if you would also like your name or motto to appear. Otherwise, we will include only the city).

Imperator David Griffin
HOGD, AO,  33, 95

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!

Don't miss:

The Golden Dawn website

The Journal of the Golden Dawn Research Center

The Golden Dawn FAQ

The Golden Dawn YouTube Channel

The Golden Dawn Channel on Blog Talk Radio

A Personal Temple from Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Today marks a milestone in the  A.O.'s 1,000 Points of  Light initiative. As more and more aspiring Magicians around the world  share their Personal Temples and Altars with others, the A.O. has now put 100 Personal Temples on the map!

A word of thanks goes out to those who have put their Temples and Altars on the map, and especially to those who keep sharing photographs of their work with our readers as well. May 1,000 Points of Light burn ever brighter, as the Magic of Light illuminates more and more people around the globe!

Help us ...
... light Temple Fires of ...

... the Magic of Light ...
... across the globe!

Alpha Omega ...
... since 1888 ...

We Make Magicians!

Today we have a photograph to share with you from a Personal Temple from Frater SIL and Soror LLV from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, who write:

We (Frater SIL and Soror LLV from Cluj-Napoca, Romania) would like to thank you for sharing a small fraction of your knowledge with us at the webinar. It has been wonderful to chat with you and we really felt like it has broadened our horizons. It was like it took us one step closer to the Order. 

We initially had two altars in our home city, but because we had to move to Cluj-Napoca for our studies, we combined them and created this new altar. It was made in the light of your initiative of “1000 Points of Light” and now it has become the heart of our home. 

Even though we are almost 20 years old, we have had the wish of becoming HOGD + AO initiates for several years now. We started practicing from your Ritual Magic Manual for more than a year, but we feel like we are missing something and that we cannot comprehend the rituals fully without proper initiation.  Even if there are many books on the internet about Golden Dawn, the Rosicrucian tradition and magic in general, in our country they are very hard to find and we feel like they are not a reliable source. It is hard to advance on our path and there are many questions without an answer. 

Thank you for listening to us. Have a safe journey and best wishes.

In LVX,

SIL and LLV.

Care Frater SIL and Soror LLV,

Thank you for sharing! It is inspiring to see fine young men and women igniting Temple fires of the Magic of Light in Eastern Europe! 

I would suggest you begin by organizing an informal Golden Dawn study group together with the others in your city.

I will coming to Europe to formally consecrate the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn® Temple in Dublin, Ireland and visiting our H.O.G.D.® temple in Berlin, Germany in coming months. Perhaps you could come to Berlin? I have been in Romania before, spending time in Timisoara and Resita. I am certainly not against coming to Cluj-Napoca if it might be helpful to cultivate the practice of the Magic of Light in Eastern Europe.

You are welcome to write me using the "Contact Us" link on the Golden Dawn Website if you like.

It is for people like you that the A.O. created our 1,000 Points of Light Initiative. It is also for people like you that I am traveling so extensively to provide coaching and training to Independent Practitioners of Golden Dawn magic.

Sincerely,

Imperator David Griffin
HOGD, AO,  33, 95

Why are we doing this?

In in the Alpha Omega, our primary mission is to provide Western individuals with the tools they need for their spiritual and energetic evolution. As a part of this continuing mission, we are  beginning to unveil several valuable new resources for Independent Practitioners of the Magic of Light.

There are Self-Initiates. There are Solitary Ritual Magic practitioners. There are Golden Dawn initiates in orders that will not teach them Ritual Magic in the outer order. There are Thelemites who would like to practice the Ritual Magic of "Liber O." There are Pagans who would like to properly invoke the forces of the Elements, Planets and Zodiac.

What do all of these people have in common? Except for my Ritual Magic Manual, all of these Independent Practitioners have been pretty much left to their own resources when it comes to their practice of the the Golden Dawn's system of spiritual evolution through the Magic of Light.

Well, that has changed, as of now. The Alpha Omega is leading the way for the Golden Dawn yet  once again, this time providing one valuable resource after the other regarding to the Independent Practice of the Magic of Light.

Independent practitioners have had my Ritual Magic Manual to assist them in their practice for over a decade already. Most independents, for whatever the reason, prefer not to work in a traditional order structure. Even among Golden Dawn orders, only the Alpha Omega makes magicians already from day one, even to all Outer Order initiates.

Thus there is a huge body of people out there who have been left with zero guidance from Golden Dawn Adepts in their independent practice of Ritual Magic. The Alpha Omega is now stepping forward, as a community service, to better meet the needs of Independent Practitioners of the Magic of Light.

As the first step in our "1,000 Points of Light" initiative, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and our parent order, the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega is helping to ignite "1,000 Points of Light" around the globe, with the goal of fostering the creation of 1,000 new Personal Altars and Temples.

Creating a Personal Temple will give your magic great power, because you build energy through constant magical practice in the same consecrated space. There are plenty of good resources available on how to create your own personal temple as well as how to craft magical tools. We encourage you to use these resources, together with your own personal creativity, to create your own, unique personal temple.

A Personal Temple does not need to be complicated. Your tools can be Golden Dawn style, Wiccan style, or whatever style suits you. What is important is that you dedicate a sacred space where you can practice Ritual Magic on a regular basis. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you like.

As I mention in the Ritual Magic Manual, if need be, you can practice Golden Dawn magic with nothing other than your index finger! On the other hand, you could craft all of the wands, swords, banners, robes, etc. that make up a full Golden Dawn temple. The choice is yours - and yours alone.

If you would like to do something in between, for Golden Dawn magic, what is most essential is to create an altar space and to place something to represent each of the four elements on it.

Some people use nothing more than a fan for air, dirt for earth, a cup of water, and a candle for fire. Others like to craft and consecrate classic Golden Dawn magical implements; an air dagger, a fire wand, a water cup, and an earth pantacle, each with the correct sigils and names of power.

Certain Wiccan practitioners prefer to work with a wand for air, an athame for fire, a cup for water, and a pentacle for earth. Other Pagan practitioners reverse the wand and athame, more closely resembling the Golden Dawn arrangement.

Personally, I recommend to begin with the basic components used in the Golden Dawn's magical Eucharist; a red rose for air, a cup of wine, a candle for fire, and bread and salt for Earth.

See ...

"you can set up a Golden Dawn style altar with nothing more than a few things available in most kitchens." - David Griffin, Ritual Magic Manual

What really matters is that you practice magic, then practice, practice, and practice even more. Try to set aside an hour a day for your magical practice if you can.

You will quickly see for yourself how much it helps to have a dedicated space for your magical practice. You do not need an entire room for this, although that would be ideal. When an entire room is not possible, you can always store your altar in a corner of a room, then bring it out when you are ready to practice. With time you will begin to feel a sense of awe, a sense of the sacred, merely by entering into your personal temple space.

Our first goal with this 1,000 Points of Light initiative, is to motivate you to create your own personal temple, and to help individual practitioners to create 1,000 new personal temples around the world. Can you imagine the power for spiritual growth that will be generated by 1,000 new personal temples all around the world?

... And there is no better way to motivate ourselves to create a beautiful personal temple than to share the fruit of our work with others. The Alpha Omega therefore invites you to send us a photograph of your personal temple once it is set up, and we will publish it for you here on the Golden Dawn Blog!

What better way to learn and to gain inspiration from one another?

We invite you to share your Personal Altar or Personal Temple here as well. Just tell us what city you are in, and we will put you on the map!

You can also send us a photo of your personal temple and we will publish it to share it with readers here on The Golden Dawn Blog. (Please try to keep the file size somewhat small. Please also let us know if you would also like your name or motto to appear. Otherwise, we will include only the city).

A UK Personal Temple in Kingston Upon Hull

A special word of thanks to all of you who have shared your Personal Altars and Personal Temples with others, by adding them to the map here on the Golden Dawn Blog and to those of you who have shared pictures with others as well. You are a source of inspiration and additional motivation for countless Self-Initiates and Solitary Practitioners out there.

Today we have a photo to share with you from a Personal Temple from the UK -  from Kingston Upon Hull to be precise, submitted by "J", who writes:

"I am 19 years old and have been a solitary practitioner of the G:D system of magic for around 1 year now. Unfortunately in my city there is not an official Golden Dawn temple but I am however lucky enough to know other G:D practitioners in my city, so establishing a fully fledged temple may indeed be one thing on the horizon in the future. For the time being however this is my personal temple space where I am currently studying the 0:0 grade material."

Personal Temple in Kingston Upon Hull, UK 

Dear "J",

Thank you for sharing photos of your Personal Temple with our readers. Your Temple is very beautiful. Regarding seeding a future Golden Dawn temple, I would suggest you begin by organizing an informal Golden Dawn study group together with the others in your city.

I will visiting our Temple in Dublin, Ireland in coming months. It would be easy to arrange a stop in the UK to provide your group with some formal training and coaching in your magical practice, thus seeding a future Golden Dawn temple in your city.

You are welcome to write me using the "Contact Us" link on the Golden Dawn Website if you like. It makes me very happy to see a young man like you so motivated by the Golden Dawn System of Magic.

It is for people like you that the A.O. created our 1,000 Points of Light Initiative. It is also for people like you that I am traveling so extensively to provide coaching and training to Independent Practitioners of Golden Dawn magic.

Sincerely,

Imperator David Griffin
HOGD, AO,  33, 90, 96

Alpha Omega

We Make Magicians!

In in the Alpha Omega, our primary mission is to provide Western individuals with the tools they need for their spiritual and energetic evolution. As a part of this continuing mission, we are  beginning to unveil several valuable new resources for Independent Practitioners of the Magic of Light.

There are Self-Initiates. There are Solitary Ritual Magic practitioners. There are Golden Dawn initiates in orders that will not teach them Ritual Magic in the outer order. There are Thelemites who would like to practice the Ritual Magic of "Liber O." There are Pagans who would like to properly invoke the forces of the Elements, Planets and Zodiac.

What do all of these people have in common? Except for my Ritual Magic Manual, all of these Independent Practitioners have been pretty much left to their own resources when it comes to their practice of the the Golden Dawn's system of spiritual evolution through the Magic of Light.

Well, that has changed, as of now. Over the next few weeks, the Alpha Omega is taking the lead once again, this time in providing you with one valuable resource after the other in regards to the Independent Practice of the Magic of Light.

Independent practitioners have had my Ritual Magic Manual to assist them in their practice for over a decade already. Most independents, for whatever the reason, prefer not to work in a traditional order structure. Then there is the problem that most Golden Dawn orders other than the Alpha Omega do not provide any magical training at all to Outer Order initiates.

Thus there is a huge body of people out there who have been left until now with little guidance from Golden Dawn Adepts in their independent practice of Ritual Magic. The Alpha Omega is now stepping forward, as a community service, to better meet the needs of Independent Practitioners of the Magic of Light.

As the first step in our "1,000 Points of Light" initiative, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and our parent order, the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega would like to help ignite "1,000 Points of Light" around the world, with the goal of fostering the creation of 1,000 new Personal Altars and Personal Temples.

Creating a Personal Temple will give your magic great power, because you build energy through constant magical practice in the same consecrated space. There are plenty of good resources available on how to create your own personal temple as well as how to craft magical tools. We encourage you to use these resources, together with your own personal creativity, to create your own, unique personal temple.

A Personal Temple does not need to be complicated. Your tools can be Golden Dawn style, Wiccan style, or whatever style suits you. What is important is that you dedicate a sacred space where you can practice Ritual Magic on a regular basis. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you like.

As I mention in the Ritual Magic Manual, if need be, you can practice Golden Dawn magic with nothing other than your index finger! On the other hand, you could craft all of the wands, swords, banners, robes, etc. that make up a full Golden Dawn temple. The choice is yours - and yours alone.

If you would like to do something in between, for Golden Dawn magic, what is most essential is to create an altar space and to place something to represent each of the four elements on it.

Some people use a fan for air, dirt for earth, a cup of water, and a candle for fire. Others like to craft and consecrate classic Golden Dawn magical implements; an air dagger, a fire wand, a water cup, and an earth pantacle, each with the correct sigils and names of power.

Certain Wiccan practitioners prefer to work with a wand for air, an athame for fire, a cup for water, and a pentacle for earth. Other Pagan practitioners reverse the wand and athame, more closely resembling the Golden Dawn arrangement.

Personally, I recommend to begin with the basic components used in the Golden Dawn's magical Eucharist; a red rose for air, a cup of wine, a candle for fire, and bread and salt for Earth.

See ...

"you can set up a Golden Dawn style altar with nothing more than a few things available in most kitchens." - David Griffin, Ritual Magic Manual

What really matters is that you practice magic, then practice, practice, and practice even more. Try to set aside an hour a day for your magical practice if you can.

You will quickly see for yourself how much it helps to have a dedicated space for your magical practice. You do not need an entire room for this, although that would be ideal. When an entire room is not possible, you can always store your altar in a corner of a room, then bring it out when you are ready to practice. With time you will begin to feel a sense of awe, a sense of the sacred, merely by entering into your personal temple space.

Our first goal with this 1,000 Points of Light initiative, is to motivate you to create your own personal temple, and to help individual practitioners to create 1,000 new personal temples around the world. Can you imagine the power for spiritual growth that will be generated by 1,000 new personal temples all around the world?

... And there is no better way to motivate ourselves to create a beautiful personal temple than to share the fruit of our work with others. The Alpha Omega therefore invites you to send us a photograph of your personal temple once it is set up, and we will publish it for you here on the Golden Dawn Blog!

What better way to learn and to gain inspiration from one another?

We invite you to share your Personal Altar or Personal Temple here as well. Just tell us what city you are in, and we will put you on the map!

You can also send us a photo of your personal temple and we will publish it to share it with readers here on The Golden Dawn Blog. (Please try to keep the file size somewhat small. Please also let us know if you would also like your name or motto to appear. Otherwise, we will include only the city).

"Enochian Magic:" (1,000 Points of Light Initiative)

by Golden Dawn Imperator

David Griffin

Golden Dawn Imperator
David Griffin

"An Alpha Omega Magician recently told me there is a lot of new information available on the Enochian Magic system, and that she had heard that the general consensus is that what the G.D. did with it is not 'traditional'.

What Golden Dawn founder, the great Mage, S.L. MacGregor Mathers, did was to take certain basics of the original Enochian system of John Dee, and integrate it into the Golden Dawn System of Ritual Magic, together with Qabalah, Egyptian God Forms, etc.

Golden Dawn Imperator
S.L MacGregor Mathers

Sadly, however, Mathers only managed to accomplish this integration for Golden Dawn Elemental Magic prior to his unexpected death in a flu epidemic.

The Ritual Magic Manual is an fundamental Golden Dawn breakthrough, since after consulting all of the original Dee manuscripts (which I obtained in photocopy from the British Museum), I managed to complete the same line of synthesis Mathers had begun, but for Planetary and Zodiacal magic.

Why practice Golden Dawn Ritual Magic?

"To become a Magician!"

The challenges I faced in this process as well as how I overcame them, is all carefully documented in Appendix 4 of The Ritual Magic Manual, beginning on page 621. This study is called "The Book of the Concourse of Planetary and Zodiacal Forces," which I first published in 1999. Due to its fundamental importance, I have since made this groundbreaking study available for free download here.

Without going into too much detail, the biggest problem with integrating Enochian Planetary magic into the Golden Dawn system was solved by my discovery of a hitherto unnoticed parallel between the planetary arrangement in John Dee's "De Heptarchia Mystica" and the planetary arrangement inside the Golden Dawn's Vault of the Adepti.

All of the correct colors of the Sigillum Dei Aemeth as a Golden Dawn Planetary Tablet of Union follow from this discovery, as illustrated below. Please note that other Golden Dawn authors have since copied my colored Sigillum Dei Aemeth, but without the proper colors and without crediting me for this discovery. Such errors can be highly dangerous if inadvertently used magically. Any coloring arrangement for the Sigillum other than the one below is arbitrary and should not be used as a Golden Dawn Planetary Tablet of Union.

The original Golden Dawn Planetary Tablet of Union, which is illustrated below, is entirely based on the Golden Dawn's Vault of the Adepti, as is thoroughly explained in my "Book of the Concourse of Planetary and Zodiacal Forces" (1999). That the Golden Dawn's Planetary Tablet of Union (shown below) can be used safely and effectively in Planetary Magic, has been verified by countless Magicians in practice over the past 12 years.

Sigillum Dei Aemeth- The Golden Dawn's Planetary Tablet of Union

(Colored According to the Vault of the Adepti)

The Good news is you don't need to master all of the material in my "Book of the Concourse of the Planetary and Zodiacal Forces" to practice Golden Dawn Planetary and Zodiacal Enochian Magic!

The Golden Dawn's Enochian Venus Tablet

You will find all of the Golden Dawn's correct Enochian Planetary Tablets, as well as the Enochian Zodiacal Tablet, in color illustrations in The Ritual Magic Manual. You will also find complete Enochian Planetary and Zodiacal magic integrated into all of the Planetary and Zodiacal rituals - in a user-friendly, step-by-step format - integrated using S.L. MacGregor Mathers precise ,original lines of synthesis, as is traditional in the Golden Dawn.

Dr. John Dee

Returning to the initial question, which prompted this discussion, the answer is that John Dee also wrote plenty of details regarding how to practice the Enochian system in a manner completely different than what Mathers did with the Dee material. This is largely presented in a usable format by Geoffrey James in "The Enochian Magick of Dr. John Dee: The Most Powerful System of Magick in its Original, Unexpurgated Form"

For those wishing to practice pre-Golden Dawn Enochian Magic, this book may be used as a grimoire in its own right. I have worked this system with great success for many years.

Remember, there are plenty of knock offs and Golden Dawn rehashes out there, but there is still only one Ritual Magic Manual! ...

... The only place you will find complete Golden Dawn Planetary and Zodiacal magic fully unveiled.

The Ritual Magic Manual

If you would like personal coaching in your Ritual Magic practice, you will not want to miss the FREE Webinar I will be teaching on Saturday, October 27, at 12:00 PM PDT in the Blogchat here on The Golden Dawn Blog.

In order to better help Self Initiates and Solitary Practitioners, I will also be giving away a free electronic copy of the Ritual Magic Manual to all sincere, aspiring Magicians who participate in this groundbreaking Webinar.

Sincerely,

Golden Dawn Imperator
David Griffin

Alpha Omega

We Make Magicians!

A Santeria Personal Temple (1,000 Points of Light Personal Temples Initiative)

An Individual Practitioner of Ritual Magic and reader recently of this blog, "si" wrote:

Dear David Griffin, 

I've just an the email with a picture. In the picture, I'm not sure if you can see it that well because the light from the window came in a bit on the photo. I did edit it to try and enhance it.  

She is a Deity that originated in Mexico; La Santa Muerte. There is a lot of speculation about her because she has gained a lot of fame through the Drug Cartels and she is not recognized in the Catholic Church. As a follower I can say she is not bad. Although, you risk consequences if you do not carry out your part in petitions.

She is a protector. 

A lot of times she is seen with an Owl, Libra Scales and a Scythe. She usually comes with prepared goodies on the bottom of her statue and there are lots of oils and herbal baths that you can do with her. There are cleansings you can do. Each ritual is different. In the photo of my altar, there is some herbs, a mineral and granulated incense sprinkled at the bottom of her along with a neat little picture I've drawn for her.  

To the right is a clear resin pyramid with her in it, it also has some goodies sprinkled in there. She accepts her followers as they are. She only ask that you remain faithful to her. I'm not sure if you've heard of her, but if you have any questions about her feel free to ask me. I do some meditation, I've learned how to astral project and I have "popped" my pineal gland. 

I have questions about that. Maybe you have answers? I feel great though, I've noticed changes with my vision and hearing and I'm drawn closer to nature. I don't really consider myself a certain type. If I need to do something, I try and research as much as I can and do whatever I need to do to get whatever it is I'm wanting done, done. And Thank You for answering my question. 

si

The same Individual Practitioner then wrote a few days later:

Dear David Griffin. 

I hope the picture did not startle any emotions towards me. I am not a bad person, neither is the deity.

Dear "si",

Thank you for sending in a photo of your personal temple. Your desire to become a Magician shines through in your letters to me. Our 1,000 Points of Light Initiative is not at all limited to Golden Dawn style Personal Temples or to would be Golden Dawn Magicians. Our 1,000 Points of Light initiative is our way of reaching our to ALL Magicians of ALL traditions, trying to help you grow in your magical practice.

Why is the Alpha Omega reaching out to practitioners of all Magical traditions?

"Because in the Alpha Omega...

... We Make Magicians!"

No your picture did not startle me, nor do I have any negative judgement about it either. I must admit straight away though, that I know almost nothing about Santeria. I am, however, quite familiar with Golden Dawn Ritual Magic, which you indicated to me in a private letter that you would also like to learn. Let me first give you a bit of advice about the Golden Dawn system, and how to practice it safely and effectively, without the need to abandon the magical practice you already have.

First off, it is important, once you begin to practice Golden Dawn magic, that you set up a separate altar for G.D. magic. Set it up somewhere else in the house than where your present altar is housed. 

I suggest this not because I have any negative opinion of Santeria, but because the Golden Dawn has its own unique magical "egregore." An "egregore" is an occult concept representing a "thought form" or "collective group mind", an autonomous psychic entity made up of, and influencing, the thoughts of a group of people. Each magical egregore has its own set of God Forms as well as rites, practices, etc.

Thus, if you wish to practice the Ritual Magic of both Santeria and the Golden Dawn, it is important that you keep them strictly separate. Setting up separate altars in separate places is one way to do this. Another way is to always practice the rites of of each system separately, and not to  ever mix them.

Although I do not practice Santeria, I do practice two separate magical systems regularly myself. In addition to the Golden Dawn, I am also an initiate of "del Bosco Sacro" Italian Pagan clan and therefore practice also the Shamanic Magic of the tradition of the Sacred Forest of Nemi.

I find no difficulty in my practice of these two distinct magical traditions, but I always keep them strictly separate from one another in my practice.

Why practice the Golden Dawn's Magic of Light?

"To become a Golden Dawn Magician!"

On the Golden Dawn side, I would strongly suggest that you come to the Ritual Magic Webinar I will be teaching on October 27 at 12:00 PDT. I can answer other questions for you there. I would also recommend you to keep a close eye on The Golden Dawn Blog between now and the Webinar as I have yet another announcement to make for the "1,000 Points of Light" that will be quite useful for Independent Golden Dawn practitioners like yourself.

On the Santeria side, I can not really advise you as I am not an initiate or practitioner of that magical system. I would strongly recommend, however, that if you want to continue to practice that system, that you find a qualified teacher and do not just grope along in the dark on your own. I am not sure where you live, but many cities in the USA have "botanicas" for practitioners of Santeria. I have little doubt that you can learn a great deal about that tradition by visiting "botanicas" and getting guidance as well as ritual supplies.

Sincerely,

Imperator David Griffin
HOGD, AO, 33, 90, 96

ALPHA OMEGA ...

... Making Magicians - Since 1888!

"Self Initiation," 1,000 Points of Light Initiative: Good News for Self Initiates and Solitary Practitioners!

by Golden Dawn Imperator

David Griffin

"Initiation” simply means “to begin.” Can someone “begin” the magical life through self-initiation?

"Absolutely!"

Like learning any new hobby, learning ritual magic is something anyone can begin at home with a good book, perseverance, and practice. But, like learning a sport, to get good requires an effective coach. Some people may want to hire a good coach from day one to avoid developing bad habits and a steep learning curve. In contrast, some are not sure if they are ready for that level of commitment and are willing to tackle the challenge alone until they are convinced it’s right for them.

Either way, you will have to find a few good resources to start you out. You may be asking yourself a few questions. Have I made the right choice in choosing Ritual Magic? Did I pick the “best” book to guide me through the process? Will I end up creating bad habits that set me back later? Who can I trust with questions as I progress? How will I know if I am really doing it right? Most importantly, you might be asking if self-initiation is really possible.

"Let me share with you my own story in facing this problem over the last two decades ..."

"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 understanding of the Golden Dawn has evolved a great deal over the past two decades,  however, especially after establishing contact with the Secret Chiefs of the Golden Dawn's Third Order in 2002.

Back in my early years as Golden Dawn Imperator, my opinion of Self-Initiation was greatly colored by what was then touted as Self-Initiation, yet whose methods more closely resembled New Age guided fantasy than any Golden Dawn spiritual practice.

There is, of course, nothing "wrong" with New Age guided fantasy - as far as it goes. Let us remain mindful, however, that the Golden Dawn tradition is MAGICAL rather than New Age.

After 18 years as Golden Dawn Imperator, I remain convinced the absolute best way to create a magician is with traditional Golden Dawn initiation - with the Initiate physically present together with a fully trained Hierophant in a physical Golden Dawn temple.

This is because ...

"A good Hierophant can awaken the magical Forces in your energetic body FOR you ...  

... since these Forces are fully active in the Hierophant's own energetic body already."

Self Initiation books - with working methods more closely resembling New Age guided fantasy than Golden Dawn spritual practice - have contributed to a popular misunderstanding of the true nature of Golden Dawn spritual work. Golden Dawn spiritual practice traditionally uses Ritual Magic and Alchemy rather than New Age methods.

Why go beyond New Age guided fantasy and channelling? 

"To become a Magician!"

Traditional Golden Dawn initiation is about the magical awakening of the LVX current in one's energetic body as well as the awakening and balancing of the Magical Forces of the Elements, Planets, and Zodiac.

What is the significance of awakening Magical Forces? 

"It is what a Magician does!"

In the Golden Dawn's outer order, Earth is awakened in the energetic body in the Zelator grade, Air in Theoricus, Water in Practicus, and Fire in Philosophus. The force of Spirit is then awakened in the Portal grade, before these 5 fully awakened magical elements are balanced and equilibrated in the energetic body of the initiate.

Is it possible to accomplish this on one's own with Ritual Magic? 

"Definitey! ..." 

But - it is also possible to ride a bicycle from San Francisco to New York! - Then again - Why ride a bike, when you can take an airplane and arrive at your destination in only a few hours instead of weeks?

Why initiate through a Hierophant rather than Self Initiation? 

"To become a Magician easier and faster!"

Why try to reinvent the wheel with Solitary Practice of Ritual Magic? The Alpha Omega is not just about "Beginning" ...

IN THE ALPHA OMEGA ...

"WE MAKE MAGICIANS!"

To "begin” is clearly possible on your own, but “to finish” requires help. No matter how talented, every professional has a coach or teacher. What resonates with me is that Ritual Magic can be mastered by any actor, but our goal is not to simply perform a ritual – it is to be a magician. Actors convincingly portray soldiers, surgeons, therapists, and great heroes of all kinds. However, they have not BECOME these people, they only portray them. 

All portrayal is not bad either - not by any means. This is the path of “fake it until you make it.” If I act like a surgeon while I learn to become a real surgeon, in the end I will BE a surgeon. In contrast, if I act like a surgeon but never learn medical science, I am just an actor. Now, as long as I know I am an actor there is no harm done.

The danger is when I start to believe I am one simply because I can portray one so well that people cannot tell the difference (until I am in the operating room, that is!). My fear of Self-Initiation is someone can portray a magician without ever really becoming one. If someone learns to portray a magician perfectly, they may trick themselves and waste a lifetime living a delusion. The real question is:

"What do YOU want? 

... To just do Ritual Magic ...

... or do you want to be a Magician?"

Sadly, at the beginning of the 21st Century, there are still not enough Golden Dawn temples to provide traditional initiation for all aspiring magicians who seek it. Moreover, as I mentioned earlier, there are people who are just not sure if they are ready for that level of commitment and are willing to tackle the challenge alone until they are convinced it’s right for them. 

This is why the Alpha Omega recently launched our 1,000 Points of Light Initiative, to make Magicians - by providing guidance, corrections, etc. for Ritual Magic practice in a series of live Webinars - and by encouraging people to create their own Personal Temple altars and spaces.

This is also why I wrote the Ritual Magic Manual ...

The Ritual Magic Manual fills an essential need for would be Golden Dawn magicians by providing everything you need for the magical component of Self-Initiation on your own, in a complete - step by step - user-friendly format.


In the Ritual Magic Manual, you will find all of the pentagrams, hexagrams, Egyptian God Forms, Enochian and Qabalistic names sigils and names of power, flashing colors, etc. - all in one place!

Why do Ritual Magic? 

"It is the method of the Magician!"

The Ritual Magic Manual contains not only the Elemental invocations necessary for the successful magical completion of the Golden Dawn's outer order. Additionally, ALL of the magical Forces of the Planets, the Zodiac, and the Qabalistic Sephiroth are included as well, each using a complete, traditional Golden Dawn Ritual invocation.

Here is what some Magicians who have worked with the Ritual Magic Manual are saying:

"The Ritual Magic Manual is packed with all the Rituals practiced by the Magical order. If you have this book along with Donald M. Kraig's - Modern Magick, then you are off in Self Initiation." 

- Ixus Radion 

"Self-Initiates will find the magical training you need here. Solitaries will find no more thorough a reference manual. Pagans will find the Golden Dawn's "Book of Shadows." Thelemites will find 'Liber O' on steroids." 

- Frater WA 

"Everything needed to complete GD basic magical training is between these covers - with some vital extensions of the Enochian Work too... pronunciation guides, 12 Zodiacal Kings, Colour and the Sigillum, etc."  

- Ad Astra 

"As to the overall accuracy of names and sigils in this book, Griffin notes the instances where he corrects (or deviates from) established sources: examples of this include (much-needed) revisions to the Hebrew spellings of the Qlipothic hierarchy given in Crowley's 777." 

- David L. Smith

Since the Alpha Omega is out to make magicians with our 1,000 Points of Light initiative - I will personally be providing Ritual Magic coaching - without charge - during our first scheduled Webinar in English, on Saturday, October 27, at 12:00 PM PDT, here in the chat room of The Golden Dawn Blog.

I am also concerned about how expensive the Ritual Magic Manual has become. With scalpers asking insane prices reaching $1,000 for a new hard bound copy, the Manual has moved beyond the financial reach of many aspiring magicians today.

In the Alpha Omega, we reward Magicians who demonstrate merit. Therefore, I will be giving a complementary electronic copy of The Ritual Magic Manual to all sincere, aspiring Magicians who attend the Ritual Magic Webinar on October 27.

"See you at the Webinar!"

Golden Dawn Imperator David Griffin

ALPHA OMEGA ...

"MAKING MAGICIANS - SINCE 1888!"