Golden Dawn Lineage, Nick Farrell & Historical Revisionism

by David Griffin
Imperator Ordinis, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
outer order of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega®

Nick Farrell, head of the AA magical order, has recently been pursuing an agenda of drastic historical revisionism of Golden Dawn history. VH Frater SR, the Scandinavian Imperator of the HOGD/AO, recently took Mr. Farrell to task for recent revisionist remarks concerning the Secret Chiefs of the Golden Dawn. Morevoer, SR is presently working on an article refuting Mr. Farrell's historical revisionist book that unfairly attacks Golden Dawn founder, S.L. MacGregor Mathers.

GD Historical Revisionist Nick Farrell

I am dismayed that, despite the recent removal of Robert Zink from the Golden Dawn scene, I nonetheless remain obliged to continue to refute blatant misrepresentations about the Golden Dawn tradition being made by leaders of other Golden Dawn orders. I am writing this article in response to misrepresentations recently made on Nick Farrell's blog. These misrepresentations are so serious as to either betray a blatant agenda of rampant historical revisionism, or as an alternative, at the very least, as to betray a deep ignorance by Mr. Farrell of some of the most fundamental elements of Golden Dawn tradition.

Nick Farrell wrote:

The myth: That it is incredibly important to have a connection with the original Golden Dawn. It is vital that your group claims some lineage.

The reality: If Lineage had any magical use the GD would be dead in the water as there would not be a Golden Dawn order in existence that could claim it. For Lineage to take place you would require written permission from the Chiefs of the last surviving Orders given to a fully initiated person of at least Tham.

Magically there is no advantage in having your chief received a piece of paper signed by another chief. What matters is the ability of your temple and its officers to initiate.

To begin with, Mr. Farrell's assertion is completely inaccurate that lineage in the Golden Dawn has traditionally been conveyed from Temple Chiefs to Adepts of the Theoricas Adeptus Minor grade. This appears to be historical revisionism pure and simple. It certainly has no historical precedent whatsoever in the original Golden Dawn or in any of its offshoots. In reality, the various Hermetic and Rosicrucian lineages that have traditionally been transmitted through the Golden Dawn and its offshoots, have throughout history been vested in the 7=4 Grade of Adeptus Exemptus. All other assertions, such as that claimed by certain BOTA offshoots that lineage is conveyed from Chief Adept to Chief Adept, as well as Mr. Farrell's latest fabrication above, are patently false.

Secondly, when Mr. Farrell argues that "magically there is no advantage in having your chief received a piece of paper signed by another chief," he betrays a fundamental ignorance of the true importance of lineage and the actual role it plays in not only the Western esoteric tradition, but in all of the great spiritual traditions of the world as well.

Mr. Farrell erroneously suggests that lineage amounts to nothing more than a piece of paper used to fabricate some false sort of "credential." It must be granted that lineage, like trademarks, is indeed is supposed to provide a basic form of protection for the public - that what members find is actually what they associate with the name of the spiritual tradition. In the case of the Golden Dawn, one important aspect of lineage in this sense means that you will find, for example, classical, traditional, physical initiation in real Golden Dawn temples rather than recent, New Age inventions like "Astral Initiation" or "Self Initiation."

Let us give Mr. Farrell the benefit of the doubt and assume that he is not deliberately attempting to deceive his readers with historical revisionism when touting his newly fabricated definition of what "lineage" means in the Golden Dawn. Even when given every benefit of the doubt, however, it nonetheless remains clear that Nick Farrell has utterly failed to even to grasp the true relevance and function of lineage in legitimate esoteric traditions.

Granted, In certain traditions, lineage may indeed merely be a formal means of mutual recognition, as it is in the case of Freemasonry, which uses charters and systems of mutual recognition between Grand lodges to establish 'regularity.' Mr. Farrell is dead wrong, however, in conflating this sort of formalistic lineage, granted by a mere succession of formal charters, with the sort of spiritual lineages transmitted through the great spritual traditions of the world, including those of esoteric orders like Martinism and the Golden Dawn here in the West.

This type of spiritual lineage is found not only in Western esoteric orders, but also in various spiritual traditions of the East. Lineage, much like trademarks, may indeed serve to prevent public confusion about a given spiritual tradition, but in the case of the Hermetic and Rosicrucian traditions, these lineages carry with them sets of spiritual transmissions or realizations, precisely as in the case of Dharma transmission in Zen Buddhism.

Here in the West, the sort of spiritual lineage transmitted through esoteric orders is not unique to the Golden Dawn. In Western esotericism, numerous orders use lineage as a means of ensuring a direct transmission of spiritual principles and energies. Martinist orders, for example, all claim lineage deriving from Louis-Claude de St. Martin.

Louis-Claude de St. Martin

L'Ordre Martiniste (the Martinist Order) came about in 1884 when Gerard Encausse (Papus) met August Chaboseau. They discovered that they had both apparently received Martinist initiation through two different chains of succession, which linked back to Saint-Martin and his original disciples.

Dr. Gerard Encausse - "Papus"

Papus claimed to have come into the possession of the original papers of de Pasqually and to have been given authority in the Rite of Saint-Martin by his friend Henri Viscount Delaage. However, Encausse realized that there was a "missing link" in his own chain of succession: he and Chaboseau therefore "swapped initiations" in order to consolidate their lineages.

There are many examples of precisely this same sort of spiritual lineage in the East. Zen Buddhism, for example, maintains records of their historical teachers who, according to the traditional history of that school, have passed the Dharma from generation to generation in an unbroken line since the time of the Buddha. Dharma transmission is the formal confirmation by a master of Zen or Chan Buddhism of a student's awakening.

This one-to-one transmission is said to trace back over 2,500 years to Gautama Buddha when he gave dharma transmission to his disciple Mahakasyapa, who is regarded as the first patriarch of Zen in India. Each of the initiations of the lineages of Zen or Tibetan Buddhism carry with them certain sets of spiritual exercises that are practiced in order to achieve very specific spiritual realizations.

Indeed, it is precicely such sets of spiritual exercises, practiced in order to achieve very specific spiritual realizations, that typify all of the great spiritual lineages of the world, both East and West. Here in the West, this is precisely the case with initiation into the higher transmissions of the legitimate Hermetic and Rosicrucian lineages.

One case in point is Hermetic and Rosicrucian Internal Alchemy, which uses the subtle fires of the body, including love and sexuality, to cook the "prima materia" of the body itself, to produce rapid growth of the energetic bodies of the initiate. The goal of this true "Opus Magnum" is the cultivation of a Solar Body of Light, with the objective of achieving conscious immortality in the the Solar dimension during the lifetime of the Adept, thus eliminating the need for further incarnations on a planet at the material level.

Hermetic-Rosicrucian Internal Alchemy

In answer to the questions raised by Nick Farrell, if all one is interested in is merely studying or practicing the basic Golden Dawn techniques published by Israel Regardie, then Mr. Farrell may be correct that lineage is relatively unimportant. After all, can one not equally study this material on one's own with a used $5 Regardie book? If one follows Mr. Farrell's argument to its logical conclusion, moreover, the inevitable consequence is that the vast majority of Golden Dawn orders are equally as superfluous as Golden Dawn lineage - including Mr. Farrell's own order.

If, however, one is interested in the significant potential for accelerated spiritual development that the living Hermetic and Rosicrucian lineages still today have to offer - in orders and schools that are not mere study groups for published information - but instead remain legitimate outer vehicles for higher Hermetic and Rosicrucian spiritual practices - then actual initiation in these living lineages is, in fact, extremely important.

Finally, Nick Farrell once again raises the other red herring that has so often been raised by solitary practitioners of published Golden dawn material, namely that:

"Lineage does not matter. All that matters is to do the work."

Well ... this depends on how you define the "work" of the Golden Dawn. If all you are interested in is to practice the relatively elementary Hermetic and Rosicrucian magical techniques published by Israel Regardie, then why do you even need a Golden Dawn order? Can you not get by nicely merely by purchasing Regardie's Golden Dawn book together with my Ritual Magic Manual?

On the other hand - if you are interested in the true "Opus Magnum" - following a uniquely Western path with advanced spiritual techniques from ancient Hermetic and Rosicrucian lineages that go far beyond what either Regardie or I ever published - then both Golden Dawn initiation and lineage do matter - a LOT.

For nearly a decade, leaders of other Golden Dawn orders, like Nick Farrell, have tried to say that our order, the HOGD/AO, has provided "no proof" that there even exist any Hermetic or Rosicrucian spiritual practices beyond that which was published by Israel Regardie or in my Ritual Magic Manual.

Well, they can't say that any longer.

For years, leaders of other Golden Dawn orders have also tried to say that the HOGD/AO claims to be the only legitimate Golden Dawn order.

Well, they can't say that any longer either.

Long ago, our order fully embraced diversity in the Golden Dawn community. Why not Thelemic Golden Dawn orders like the OSOGD? Why not New Age Golden Dawn orders like the EOGD? Why not Historical Revisionist Golden Dawn orders like Nick Farrell's?

It is precisely this diversity that helps our Golden Dawn community to grow. If people are interested in Thelema, then they should join the OSOGD. If they are more interested New Age practices, then they should join the EOGD. If they are more interested in Nick Farrell's revision of the Golden Dawn, then they should join Nick Farrell's order.

Let us remember, however, that the Golden Dawn did not just fall out of the sky. The Golden Dawn has always been part of both the Hermetic and Rosicrucian traditions. And whether the leaders of all of the diverse Golden Dawn orders want to accept it or not, the Golden Dawn was created from the beginning to serve as a recruitment vehicle for higher Hermetic and Rosicrucian teachings and practices, intended for the higher grades of the order.

As important as it is to embrace diversity in our community, it is equally as important that at least one Golden Dawn order continue to serve this original mission. This is why the Hermetic and Rosicrucian lineages do, in fact, matter a lot to the HOGD/AO. Our order is today the only Golden Dawn order that continues to serve as an outer vehicle for higher Hermetic and Rosicrucian spiritual practices and lineages.

The HOGD/AO has, however, also said all along that, although we are presently the only "Golden Dawn" order that serves as an outer vehicle for higher Rosicrucian and Hermetic lineages, we are certainly not the only initiatic school that serve as such a vehicle.

In recent months, I have provided conclusive proof of all of this, by creating an entirely new outer vehicle for salient aspects of the higher Hermetic and Rosicrucian mysteries in America, that we call The Great Rite. If you have not yet checked out The Great Rite website, you should.

Because of The Great Rite workshops, the HOGD/AO is no longer the only school in America that teaches mysteries of Hermetic Internal Alchemy. These teachings are too important to be kept only in the highest grades of any Freemasonic-style order, including the Golden Dawn. If you are interested in learning Hermetic Internal Alchemy, you should certainly enroll in the workshops of The Great Rite. 

On the other hand, if you are interested in Ritual Magic or the Golden Dawn, you should absolutely join the HOGD/AO. In my honest opinion the HOGD/AO is the best and most thorough school of ritual magic that exists anywhere in the world today. Moreover, the HOGD/AO still remains the only Golden Dawn order that serves as an outer vehicle for the higher Hermetic and Rosicrucian lineages and spiritual practices.

And before Nick Farrell or any other Golden Dawn leader comes up with the bright idea to try to misrepresent this - as has happened with our order so often in the past - let me clarify once and for all: The entire Second and Third Order curriculum of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega is unique unto our order. Even the teachings and practices of Hermetic Internal Alchemy taught in the AO are different than those taught in The Great Rite workshops.

This means that, in the HOGD/AO, beyond the published Regardie material, you will find advanced practices that come directly from ancient Hermetic and Rosicrucian lineages, and not from Thelema, the New Age movement, or that have been fabricated wholesale by Pat Zalewksi or Nick Farrell.

Again, the HOGD/AO has nothing against any of these other Golden Dawn orders. We fully accept their right to exist and appreciate the function that they actually fulfill. We do not, however, want to be confused with them either.

In our diverse Golden Dawn community, our order, the HOGD/AO, today still remains a Hermetic and Rosicrucian bastion, standing proud as a thoroughly traditionalist alternative to the plethora of New Age, Thelemic, and Revisionist Golden Dawn orders that make up much of our diverse Golden Dawn community today.

Where No Man Has Gone Before ...

Silence, Secrecy & the Initiatic Mysteries

In recent weeks, a passionate debate has erupted regarding the role of silence and secrecy in initiatic traditions. Nick Farrell wrote a fascinating article with an insightful critique of the original Golden Dawn oath. Sincerus Renatus wrote a lengthy reply, setting forth a more traditional Golden Dawn perspective. Morgan Eckstein published his views. The debate has even rippled through the wider esoteric community with a reply from respected Pagan author, Barabbas Tiresius, an Elder of Alexandrian Wicca.

I surprisingly find myself in agreement with much of Nick Farrell's argument. For example, I agree with Farrell that several parts of original Golden Dawn oaths need updating for modern orders. In the HOGD/AO, we already updated these oaths more than a decade ago, during the Reformatio Fraternitatis of 1999. I also agree with Farrell that - in light of recent trademark litigation - promising to keep the name of the order secret has become a historical anachronism.

Nick Farrell's writes:

"There is no point considering the Regardie material part of the oath because everyone can pick up a book and read it."

I agree about this. Prior to the 1999 AO reformation, the HOGD/AO found itself in the ludicrous position of asking initiates to swear secrecy to material available on Amazon marketplace for $5. We moved the entire published curriculum to the outer order, where in the Alpha et Omega it is no longer under seal of magical obligation. We did not stop there with the reformation, however.

With the kind assistance of the Hermetic Masters of the secret order that S. L. MacGregor Mathers met in Paris and called the "Secret Chiefs," the Alpha et Omega has developed an entirely new Second Order curriculum, completely based on unpublished, pre-Golden Dawn Hermetic and Rosicrucian esoteric transmissions.

This has been recently supplemented with highly magically significant, unpublished, replacement documents for the AO's Second Order curriculum, newly released from Third Order archives by the Secret Chiefs. 

In 2002, these Hermetic Masters additionally released to the Alpha et Omega the entire curriculum that had been intended all along for the Golden Dawn's Third Order together with the unpublished, Third Order initiation rituals for the 8=3, 9=2, and 10=1 grades of the original Golden Dawn.

The HOGD/AO has always recognized the importance of using unpublished versions of initiation rituals. This is why, since the reformation of 1999, our order has preferred to use the AO rituals Mathers revised in response to Crowley's publication of original Golden Dawn rituals.

The Hermetic Masters have long foretold, however, that one day even Mathers' revised AO initiation rituals would eventually be profaned. They have therefore assisted us to revise, yet once again, all of the rituals for the Alpha et Omega's First and Second orders (0=0 through 7=4). This revision is now complete. These rituals will be put into service immediately upon the Mathers' versions eventual profanation through publication.

There is little more I may say about these newly revised AO initiation 0=0 through 7=4 rituals, except that the original GD rituals have always been riddled through and through with alchemical symbolism - in the ritual structure, the symbolism of the officers, the diagrams, implements, admission badges, etc.

In the newly revised AO rituals, the secret meanings of all of these symbols are for the first time revealed to Golden Dawn initiates from the perspective of Hermetic Internal Alchemy. This makes these 21st Century, Alpha et Omega rituals the most complete and illuminating Golden Dawn rituals ever used in any First or Second Order Temple or Vault.

I therefore clearly agree with Nick Farrell that Golden Dawn orders today must not be mere "reenactment societies." There remains one thing, however, about the present secrecy debate that does concern me.

 

Nick Farrell also writes: 

"Any materials that exist in any library or collection are equally public domain." 

I am concerned that so few people in our esoteric community appear to understand the true value and importance of silence and secrecy in the initiatic mysteries. The fault for this perhaps lies with the Internet itself, which has created a strange expectation that all information must be open and freely available to everyone.

What then is the true value and importance of silence and secrecy in initiatic traditions?

There are two aspects of this question that must be addressed. 

1. What is the importance of secrecy for the initiatic mysteries themselves as well for the mystery schools and esoteric orders that make these mysteries available? 
2. What is the value and benefit of silence and secrecy for initiates themselves?

"From the darkness came I forth ere my birth, from the silence of a primal sleep, and the Voice of Ages answered unto my soul I am he that formulates in darkness." - Golden Dawn Neophyte Initiation

All living organisms depend for sustenance from darkness for their survival. Physical bodies of human beings grow first in the darkness of a Mother's womb. To remove a fetus prematurely from this protective darkness is to kill it, producing an abortion. Plants likewise can only survive with there roots buried within the nourishment of the dark soil. Pull a plant up, expose its roots to the light, and it will surely die.

Countries likewise depend on state secrets, protected behind a dark veil of silence for their survival. Companies as well depend on the same dark shroud of secrecy for their survival. The same holds true for esoteric orders, mystery schools, and initiatic traditions themselves. In fact, all organizations depend on a dark veil of secrecy, one way or another, for their survival.

This is a function of the occult nature of the universe. As human beings have energetic bodies, so do nations, clubs, companies, and esoteric orders. An egregore is a sort of energetic group soul. Just like plants and fetuses, egregores require sustenance drawn from darkness through their energetic roots. In the egregores of esoteric orders and initiatic traditions, this dark sustenance is drawn through initiatic silence with the initiatic mysteries buried like roots within a dark veil of secrecy. 

Let us recall that the true purpose of the Great Work is actually ENERGETIC EVOLUTION.

In order to fully understand the importance of silence and secrecy for initiates themselves, we must consider the plasticity of the Astral body. The Astral bodies of human beings are extremely malleable. They are easily shaped, modeled, and formed. The Astral body is, in fact, shaped by every single sensory impression, by every action, every word, as well as by every thought and emotion.

In order to begin to evolve energetically, an initiate's Astral body must first be liberated from the dense impressions of the Earth as transmitted through the physical body. The Astral body is constantly bombarded by sensory impressions, actions, words, thoughts, emotions, etc. from the physical body and the Earth. This bombardment shapes, molds, and forms the Astral body into a great agitated turbulence, stunting its growth and evolution. Thus, even to begin to cultivate a Solar Body of Light, the Astral body must first be liberated from this turbulence arising from the Earth through the physical body.

This is another reason why, in addition to their own survival, all legitimate initiatic traditions have since time immemorial insisted on initiatic secrecy and silence. This is also why meditation is given such importance in the initiatic traditions of the East. Meditation, like initiatic silence and secrecy, helps to create requisite conditions wherein the Astral body can grow, evolve, progressively differentiate, and separate itself from the physical body and material reality.

On the other hand, the initiate who breaks silence or violates the sanctity of the mysteries instead creates even greater turbulence in their astral bodies.

In the absence of spiritual evolution through the liberation of the Astral body from  turbulence arising from the physical sensation, etc., the consciousness of profane individuals will likely remain imprisoned in a meat body for many incarnations, able only to perceive the densest, most material of Universal vibrations. Their consciousness remains like that of a maggot feeding on the rotting carcass of the Earth, dominated by the needs of the physical body to eat, sleep, deficate, urinate, etc.

Sadly, many profane individuals have not yet reached the level of energetic evolution where their consciousness will even be able to reincarnate, or to survive physical death with even a minimum of continuity of consciousness. Instead, following the disintegration of their physical bodies, their individual consciousness will perish altogether, their constituent forms broken down to be recycled by the Universe to create new forms.

The initiatic mysteries are nothing less than the science of immortality. 

And true initiates are those rare individuals that prove their value and their worthiness to continue to exist to the Universe, by making the most of every opportunity granted to them for their spiritual and energetic evolution. The purpose of the initiatic mysteries has always been to assist these rare - truly worthy - individuals with their spiritual and energetic evolution.

It is only in this light that one can properly consider the claim of any individual to be performing a "service to mankind" through the desecration of initiatic mysteries. On the one hand, such an individual will doubtlessly receive great praise and accolades from the profane, for their curiosity is perversely satisfied by being able to glimpse the dark roots of one of mankind's most precious flowers - while it slowly dies in agony, torn out by the roots in a senseless act of desecration.

So it is when the initiatic secrets of esoteric orders and of entire initiatic traditions are profaned. In fact, this is exactly Aleister Crowley did with Golden Dawn, which began a long, slow dying process of the Golden Dawn egregore that we are stull witnessing today.

All is not yet lost, however!

Sure, the vast majority of the nameless, faceless crowd will never use the initiatic secrets of the Golden Dawn for much more than to satisfy a vulgar sense of curiosity.

However, there will be a few - perhaps only a very few - who will actually use this technology for their spritual and energetic evolution - And with such faithful diligence that they  make progress enough to become worthy for more.

It is for YOU - the spiritual elite of this generation, that the ancient Adepts of all ages, through great sacrifice and at great personal risk, have preserved the highest and most profound initiatic mysteries.

However, these mysteries are not to be profaned. In fact, those who do profane them, despite the praise and accolades of the nameless, faceless masses, are - in reality - but committing initiatic suicide.

I write this letter not to condemn anyone who has set out on such a self-destructive course. Sadly and regrettably, such individuals have already condemned themselves. Tragically, they did not believe in the Solar guardians of the mysteries that they profaned. For individuals who have set out on such a self-destructive path, as much as I sincerely wish them well, there is nothing any of us can do to save from the karmic consequences of their actions.

I write this letter not to condemn. But rather to inspire! 

I write this for YOU - oh aspirant of the mysteries, that you might yet fully understand the true value and importance of initiatic secrecy and of preserving the sanctity of the mysteries for future generations!

The Golden Dawn today has become the most important visible initiatic tradition. Its influence has impacted nearly every aspect of the esoteric community.

This does not, however, mean that there does not as well exist yet more profound and secret Hermetic and Rosicrucian schools. On the contrary, these Internal Colleges do indeed exist - and offer spiritual technology far superior and beyond the teachings of the Golden Dawn.

The Hermetic Masters of these truly secret orders - have an enormous amount offer...

...but only to the best and the brightest among us - To those of us who can prove ourselves truly worthy of so great a privilege.

It is They - the Hermetic Masters - rather than misguided individuals who profane initiatic mysteries, who provide a true service to our community - by making these highest initiatic mysteries available - even if only to the best, brightest, and most trustworthy among us.

You will not easily find these these Masters or these Internal Colleges. They have no websites, no 1-800 numbers, and no contact email addresses.

In fact, these Hermetic Masters are more impossible to find today than ever before. Nonetheless, they have been watching all along - And sadly, they have become extremely cautious with our community. 

And why should they not be suspicious, with so many among us even praising senseless acts of profanation and desecration.!

After all, these Hermetic Masters have preserved the higher initiatic mysteries for future generations not for Centuries - but for Millennia - and the risk of profanation by publication of the mysteries is greater today than ever before, now that anyone can publish anything on the internet with but a click of a mouse.

I therefore urge you, oh aspirant of the Mysteries - to use every available bit of magical, alchemical, and spiritual technology at your disposal to make rapid progress with your energetic evolution...

...Make sufficient progress - and yet more advanced technology will be made available to you.

But energetic progress alone will not be enough to be worthy of initiation in the higher mysteries. You must also be worthy of so great a trust and never, ever profane these mysteries nor harm the mystery schools that have preserved them for you.

Be ever mindful that the Hermetic Masters are watching you from the shadows - observing you - measuring your suitability for initiation into mysteries higher and far superior than just the Golden Dawn.

The tragedy of Nick Farrell and others like him is that they have proven themselves untrustworthy regarding silence and the sanctity of the mysteries. Thus - sadly - their initiatic careers - as well as their energetic evolution - appear to have reached an impasse in their present incarnations.

Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum, Yeheshua
David Griffin
G.H. Frater Lux Ex Septentrionis
Imperator Ordinis, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
outer order of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega

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

Scholarly Debate vs. Golden Dawn Flame War

Almost everyone that is interested in the Golden Dawn and that reads the internet is aware of the "Golden Dawn Flame War" that accompanied recent litigation. Anonymously published attack blogs and websites, falsely alleged everything from Nazi Golden Dawn connections to Golden Dawn death cults led by Satanists. Typical of these "anonymous attack blogs" is "The Golden Dawn Insider" - with a clear ties with Robert Zink's, Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn.

In March, 2008, our order, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the outer order of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega, launched an initiative to end the flame war and to promote greater harmony in the Golden Dawn community. As part of this initiative, I publicly and repeatedly condemned anonymously published websites and blogs attacking ANY Golden Dawn order, and publicly appealed to those misguided individuals attacking the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn to stop. Thankfully, they did.

Robert Zink, however, refuses to do the same. Thus is is quite clear that anonymous attack blogs like "The Golden Dawn Insider," that this week resumed attacks on the HOGD/AO and its leaders, are published with the full knowledge and approval of EOGD leader, Robert Zink. This week the "Golden Dawn Insider" wrote:

"Does anyone find it odd that there has been a time of peace and quiet in the online Golden Dawn community recently, not in and of itself, but that it was broken simultaneously by David Griffin and his cohort "Frater Sincerus Renatus (S∴R∴)" AKA Tomas Stacewicz. This is just recent. Within a couple of days we have David Griffin blogging (scroll down below the video) about how Robert Zink's Golden Dawn order is nothing but new age garbage, and almost simultaneously we have Frater S.R. bashing Pat Zalewski's group. Are you guys just bored? Did you think nobody would notice?"

The Robert Zink sponsored "Insider" here conflates with "flame war" with legitimate and healthy debate in the Golden Dawn community. In truth, I do not personally even object to Robert Zink reforming his EOGD in the decidedly New Age direction he has taken it. Diversity in the Golden Dawn community is a good thing. I have come to understand that there is plenty of room in the Golden Dawn community for New Age Golden Dawn orders as well as for Thelemic Golden Dawn orders. Such diversity is how our tradition grows.

The EOGD is certainly not "garbage" either. I have met privately with a number of EOGD members. They are hard working individuals that are very dedicated to the Golden Dawn system. Moreover, I am also the first to applaud Robert Zink when he does something good. For example, Robert Zink's initiative to help Haiti deserved to transcend inter-order politics, so I jumped on his bandwagon.

All I truly DO object to about Robert Zink - is his dishonesty in marketing. There is nothing wrong with New Age innovation. It is, however, highly dishonest to present New Age innovation as "traditional Golden Dawn" practice.

"It is highly dishonest to present New Age
innovation as 'traditional Golden Dawn' practice."

In truth, there are significant and profound differences between various Golden Dawn orders - and the public has a right to know and understand these differences. For example, on his website, Robert Zink claims that his "Astral Initiation" can make you a "full Golden Dawn initiate" without ever leaving your own living room. All you have to do is send him $185 - and for your trouble - he will even throw in a free CD on how to "Unleash Your Inner Adept!"

The HOGD/AO, on the other hand, as a classical Golden Dawn order, insists on traditional Golden Dawn initiation while physically present in real Golden Dawn temples. We honestly and openly admit that the Golden Dawn is a spiritual path demanding an enormous amount of time, energy, discipline, and dedication.

In another essential difference, Robert Zink claims on his "The Golden Dawn Blog" that the Golden Dawn is really about "the coming New Age shift in 2012" and elsewhere that the Emerald Tablet of Hermes is really about "The Law of Attraction" as popularized in New Age film, The Secret. The HOGD/AO, on the other hand, understands that the classical Golden Dawn is rooted in the Hermetic and Rosicrucian traditions, teaching the ancient Egyptian Royal Art of Alchemy, Astrology, and Theurgy (Magic) with the ultimate aim of accelerating energetic evolution in order to attain Solar Ascension and Conscious Immortality. This is diametrically opposed from Robert Zink's "instant gratification" Golden Dawn promises.

Next the Robert Zink sanctioned, "Golden Dawn Insider" sock goes on to claim that HOGD/AO's Sincerus Renatus recently "attacked Pat Zalewksi's group."

In truth, Sincerus Renatus' article is not an "attack" at all, but rather a scholarly presentation of the very real differences between the HOGD/AO and Pat Zalewksi's "Order of the Golden Dawn." As Sincerus Renatus correctly points out, Pat Zalewksi (whose name is not even mentioned in the article!!!) believes that the Second Order of the Golden Dawn (the R.R. et A.C.) should be devoted to an intellectual study and analysis of the outer order rituals. This is extremely different from the HOGD/AO, where we teach a traditional Hermetic and Rosicrucian curriculum in advanced Hermetic and Rosicrucian magic and alchemy in our Second Order, remaining completely faithful to the classical Golden Dawn.

These clearly are essential differences between Golden Dawn orders and the public has a right to know. Such outlining of the actual differences between orders is certainly not "flame war" but rather scholarly debate.

There is one thing that I must agree with the "Insider" sock puppet on, however. He is absolutely correct that a great deal of rather unflattering and unfraternal material about the EOGD and the HOGD/AO still remain on one another's websites, fora, and blogs. There remain, for example, thousands of posts attacking our order in the archives of the EOGD forum. The EOGD websites and blogs are riddled with attacks on our order as well.

I completely agree with the "Insider" troll that it is high time to take this old "flame war" stuff down. For over two years now, I have offered to do so on a reciprocal basis with Robert Zink. The problem remains that Robert Zink completely and utterly refuses to take down any material attacking our order from the EOGD websites, blogs, etc.

Nonetheless, the HOGD/AO remains completely committed to harmony in the Golden Dawn community and against flame war.

The time is long overdue, however, for Robert Zink to renounce sock puppets, anonymous websites and blogs attacking other orders - and instead to make the same firm commitment to harmony in the Golden Dawn community that I have made - and that the HOGD/AO has championed for well over two years!

Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum, Yeheshua
David Griffin
G.H. Frater Lux Ex Septentrionis
Imperator Ordinis, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
outer order of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega

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