Vault of the Adepti

I think that one of the coolest things that the author of the second order of the Golden Dawn ever came up with was the vault of the adepti, which was a fabricated container of sorts filled with symbolic colors, designs, characters, sigils and furniture. This was obviously something that had the imprint of both Mathers and his wife, Moina, since it was a synthesis of art and occult symbology. If ever there was a potent justification for believing Mathers to be something of a creative genius, the vault of the adepti is one of many. Just the mere idea of sitting or standing in a large container set up within sacred space full of activated symbols and vibrating colors was quite a fabulous notion, perhaps one of the most influential in all of the second order GD lore.

Still, this was one of those fanciful devices that I never got to either see or touch, build in some manner or fully experience; but it was something that powerfully influenced my imagination even today. Even the name “vault of the adepti” sounded exotic and thrilling to me. One of my friends, who was also one of the co-founders of the Order of the Gnostic Star, used to talk about it as one of the highest attributes of the inner order of the Golden Dawn, and his spirited talk helped fuel my imagination. Yet because I never was able to find a Golden Dawn temple to join and thereby learn about this awesome and mysterious vault, it remains something of a side issue that I never really studied or mastered. To this day I am somewhat ignorant of the details of the vault regarding to how it’s supposed to be fabricated, consecrated and utilized in initiations and even in magick. It is also quite beyond my ability to even consider building such an elaborate work or magical edifice today.

A vault of the adepti is simplistically defined as a large septagonal prism shaped container ensconced within a temple room. It has seven walls (shaped into a septagon), and a floor and ceiling both with the contrasting design of a triangle within a septagram, where the ceiling is white and the floor is black. Each wall is approximately 8 feet high by 5 feet wide, and they are divided into 40 squares each, consisting of a colored symbol and a colored background set to a specific symbolic attribute and painted with flashing colors. Each of these 40 squares are associated with the symbols of the ten Sephiroth, twenty-two Pathways (12 zodiacal signs, 7 planets and 3 elements), the four Kerubim, the three Alchemical Principles and the One Eternal Spirit. All of these 40 squares are attributed to the specific planet associated with the wall, and this indicated through the incorporation of different hues of flashing colors, which produces a powerful rainbow effect as each wall contrasts with another. The door to the vault is located on the Venus wall, and once closed, the container presents a seamless depiction of the full range of planetary symbology arrayed in brilliant color.

Within the vault is a circular altar stand situated over a rectangular coffin shaped structure called the Pastos, which is large enough to allow a person to lie down comfortably within it. The Pastos has a white head and a black foot, painted with contrasting Rose/Calvary cross designs, and the center is painted with the colors of the rainbow, depicting (again) the seven planets. Outside of the vault and situated on either side of its door are the black and white temple pillars. The door opens to the western side of the outer temple and against the wall in that outer temple is the cross of obligation. A doorway that leads into the outer temple is situated between the western and northern walls (i.e., northwest corner).  

There are a lot of pictures and images of this spectacular ritual container, but it could ideally be a full sized room secretly annexed off of the main GD ceremonial temple, if one had unlimited resources. I won’t get into the specifics of this marvelous device, since anyone who is that curious can consult the volumes of the Golden Dawn lore that are published. (The specifics of the vault are supposed to be oath-bound, but that hasn’t stopped some from publishing information about it.)  

Even so, the idea of crafting a vault was really beyond my abilities, and so it remained nothing more than a fanciful notion to me. I went on with the magical work, study and practices that I had started back in the early 80's, and what I was doing, however advanced, had little in common with the notions of a concentrated magical environment like a vault. Little did I realize that there is more than one way of either constructing or generating this kind of environment, and that the more elaborate ritual structures that I had developed would in fact simulate, in another manner, the power and majesty of a vault of the adepti.

When we consider that the prismatic energy structures established in an extended version of the energy model of magick can produce simple or complex geometric structures, then when those structures become complex and highly geometric, they can have a similar magical affect as a vault of the adepti. The key, of course, is being able to derive enough of an elaborate geometric construction using prismatic energy structures to simulate the basic elements of a classical Golden Dawn vault. The whole key, of course, are the seven planetary walls each with 40 symbols arrayed on them. How would an elaborate ritual structure incorporating a prismatic energy geometry replicate the array of symbolic structures found in a vault?

I have already discussed the more advanced sacred geometry regarding prismatic energy structures incorporated in ritual magick, and it might be useful for you to re-read what I posted many months ago. You can find that article here. The kind of ritual structure that I would incorporate to establish the outer perimeter of such a magical environment would be the twelve pointed magick circle, which produces an in-circle dodecagon, and this would function as the mystikon or chamber of the mysteries. I have taken a couple of paragraphs from that article to describe in greater detail what that structure would look like and how it would function.

“The twelve pointed magick circle can be used to establish an in-circle dodecagon, and the sixteen pointed magick circle could be used to establish an in-circle double octagon. To produce these structures, each of the points would have to be deliberately drawn together along the periphery of the magick circle. The only actual variances would be the vector used in joining the points together, whether clockwise or counter clockwise. In addition, whatever ritual structures were employed in the center of either a duodecagon or a double octagon would add to the over-all prismatic field, producing very elaborate structures.

A dodecagon with an internal combined structure of a pyramid, a tetrahedral gateway and a mid-point would produce a dodecahedron prismatic structure. That prismatic shape would emerge because the initial energy structure of a sphere would imprint and carry the design to both hemispheres of the magickal circle structure, even though, technically, only half of it would be visual. Such a prismatic energy shape, besides being one of the Platonic solids, would represent an elaborate and fully empowered mystikon or telesterion (chamber of the mysteries).”

An in-circle dodecagon would represent the twelve signs of the zodiac as well as establish the containment field for the chamber of mysteries, yet the overall structure would include other additional elements so that the key number of 40 would be satisfied. The twelve points would be determined by the four Watchtowers and the two in-between points on either side of the four Angles, thus leaving out the four Angles for other structures. 

The other ritual structures would be established within the dodecagon (to fill out and produce the dodecahedron prismatic structure) would incorporate the following additional ritual structures.

• Power Pyramid - set to the four Angles and the Ultra-point, with all five points drawn together. (Set with the four Cherubim and the Eternal Spirit.)
• Octagon - incorporating the four Watchtowers and four Angles and drawing them together to form an elemental vortex. The octagon would be anchored to the infra-point in the center of the circle. (Set with the eight Qabalistic Sephiroth - Yesod through Chokmah.)
• Inner circle and Septagram trigon - the septagram can be set to any of the seven planets, or all seven of them simultaneously. (Set with the seven Planetary intelligences.)
• Double Tetrahedral Gateway - an obverse gateway aligned to the East, and an inverted gateway aligned to the West, representing the double gateway of the mysteries. (Set with the Three Elements, the Three Alchemical Principles, and the Sephiroth of Kether and Malkuth.)
• Meso-point - mid point in the center of the circle, representing the magician within the guise of the Godhead intermediary. (The magician holds the key, which consists of all of the seven Enochian planetary ensigns arrayed in an internal septagram on a central altar.)

Excluding the meso-point (the place of mystery and union for all of the previous elements), the above five integrated structures have the following numeric elements - 12, 5, 8, 7, and 8 equals 40. Each of these forty elements would be associated with an overall planetary configuration, thus making the number of elements of this ritual structure equivalent with that of the vault of the adepti. I would also assume that the effect of erecting these ritual structures would produce a field that would be analogous to that of the vault. An enterprising magician could add to the ritual structures all of the verbalized myths associated with the burial vault of Christian Rosenkruetz (or something that would be spiritually analogous), and the simulacrum of the great vault would be symbolically represented.

As you can see, there are a number of ways of doing something, and magicians don’t have to be stuck on just one way. While it is wonderful to be able to build and craft something that is based on the exact parameters of a tradition, it should not be a sticking point. As always, there are many ways to accomplish the same analogous thing using different magical models or theories. I hope that I have presented one of many variations for producing the wondrous vault of the adepti.

Frater Barrabbas

Advanced Alexandrian Witchcraft - A Wiccan Golden Dawn

I have recently wrote an article stating my opinion that Alex Sanders was a modern day Pagan Magus. I demonstrated, by carefully examining an old documentary, that he was clearly engaged in an experimental approach to witchcraft and magick. He was employing both modern and traditional elements in the crafting his variation of Wicca, but the traditional elements were not part of an ancient pagan tradition. That tradition was taken from a Gardnerian Book of Shadows, but also included the Key of Solomon and the Lemegeton, and it has been shown that most of the Book of Shadows was derived from other various sources (almost all of them modern and accessible to Gerald B. Gardner).

In many ways, Alex was following the footsteps of Old Gerald himself, by incorporating the whole corpus of western occultism into forging a new tradition. What many may not realize is that Alex Sanders did have a goal and a vision for his work, and that he was deliberately attempting to forge a new tradition of pagan religion and magick. He was only partially successful, since he lacked the ability to write and communicate his ideas to a larger audience. Still, as an initiate of the Alexandrian tradition of witchcraft, I was made aware of certain rumors and ideas that had supposedly filtered down from Alex himself, although I have never been able to verify or prove that to be true.

I would like to use this forum to discuss some of those things that I heard, and I believe that I can do this without breaking any of my initiatic oaths, since what was communicated to me was not part of the actual corpus of traditional rites or specific identifying myths and Godnames. I feel that I can discuss something that I had found momentous, even if it didn’t really amount to much more than innuendo and speculation. Still. I found all of that speculation to be quite fascinating and inspiring.

Alexandrians are actually Gardnerians with an additional emphasis on ritual and ceremonial magick, which I believe is what Gardner would have called “High Magic.” Most of the Book of Shadows, its liturgies and other materials, are nearly identical for both Gardnerians and Alexandrians. Some poetic versions of specific liturgical rites are missing, and so is the “Ardanes”, or the Laws of Witchcraft. Both traditions practice their rites skyclad, perform the Great Rite and the Draw, and celebrate a communion rite of cakes and wine. Aradia, the Gospel of the Witches is considered one of a few important sacred books, and the outer court Godhead names of Diana and Aradia are considered important.

It would also appear, if one were to really examine the works of Gerald B. Gardner, that the proclivity for high magic was actually established first by him, even though many Gardnerians in the present time don’t consider it to be important. In many ways the curious tradition of witchcraft as set down by Gardner seems to be more a variant of Italian Stregharia than a proper form of British Witchcraft. Sacral nudity and an emphasis on the Great Rite would seem to be particular to Gardnerian and Alexandrian witchcraft, but they don’t seem to be as important to other British based traditions of Witchcraft which don’t follow Gardner’s foundational praxis. I have often wondered about this stark difference, and I suspect that there might be more to the coincidental similarities between Strega and Gardnerian Witchcraft than one might think.

Even so, where Alexandrian and Gardnerian traditions depart from each other is the obvious incorporation of the Golden Dawn corpus of the Adeptus Minor. It would seem that some of the Alexandrians were required to learn and master the Golden Dawn magical rituals, although this is no longer emphasized. I know that this was required of me in order to receive my second degree initiation, and it may have an important part of the tradition back in the 1970's. I had to take and either perfectly memorize or rewrite variations of the six most basic rituals taught in the four elemental degrees of the Golden Dawn, and particularly, the rituals taught in the beginning Adept grade. I have discussed these six rituals previously, but let me list them here again so that my readers will fully understand what I am talking about.

1. Lesser Banishing and Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram

2. Qabalistic Cross

3. Middle Pillar

4. Superior Pentagram Ritual

5. Lesser and Superior Hexagram Ritual

6. Rose Cross Ritual

What we were taught is how these rituals were to be deployed, but they were often practiced as a distinct corpus from the battery of rituals found in the Book of Shadows. In other words, in order to employ the above rituals in the work of elemental and planetary magic, an Alexandrian witch would have to either omit the basic circle consecration rite, or employ a variation of the Opening and Closing of the Watchtower ritual. It would seem in retrospect that the Golden Dawn ritual of the Watchtower was used by Gerald Gardner to formulate the circle consecration rite, although that rite, as found in the Book of Shadows, is a poor facsimile of the more rigorous and in-depth Golden Dawn Watchtower ritual.

In the recent past, I have had a few experts in the Golden Dawn tradition note the imperfections and erroneous assumptions to be found in the Wiccan circle consecration rite. Despite these imperfections, the ritual appears to work as it was originally conceived. Instead of being used to fashion a domain of warding and protection, it seems to operate as a way of establishing a circle boundary between the sacred inner world of the Gods and the profane outer world of humanity. This is quite a different purpose than what is promoted in the Golden Dawn Watchtower rite, and for some odd reason it seems more in accordance with the ancient pagan practices of establishing and keeping a marked boundary between the sacred ground of the temple precincts and the rest of country.

As I have also stated previously, because of the way that the Wiccan circle consecration rite was written (as opposed to the Golden Dawn Watchtower rite), the focus of the magick performed within the charged circle produced by that rite is one of immersion. Unlike the pristine environment of the Golden Dawn Watchtower rite, the Wiccan circle consecration rite has no boundaries or protections against anything that is invoked or evoked within that magick circle complex. The only thing protecting the erstwhile Witch is the obligatory godhead assumption that he or she performs before engaging in the practical work as a part of the individual repertoire of pagan ritual magick.

Because the foundation of Witchcraft magick is so different than what is practiced in western ceremonial magick, I was forced into radically rewriting the above Golden Dawn rituals so that they formed a completely seamless and related system of magick. I have known other practitioners who have either adjusted or differentiated their Wiccan magical foundation in order to practice Golden Dawn magick. Yet for whatever reason, I didn’t ever go through that process, so I never really mastered the Golden Dawn system of magick as it is presented in books and practiced in various Golden Dawn groups. For this reason, I went in a completely different direction, and chose to mutate the basic Golden Dawn rites into a formulation that was amendable to a corpus of Witchcraft magick.

However, the most important device that I incorporated into my newly devised system of magick was the Rose Ankh. If the Rose Cross is the preeminent symbol of the Golden Dawn, then the Rose Ankh would be its polarized opposite. Since I was in the habit of working with polarities as the essential foundation of my magick, then each ritual structure and device would have its equal opposite. Thus, to the Cone of Power (reconfigured into the Pyramid of Power) would be the Spiral Vortex; the Western Gateway of the Underworld would be polarized by the Eastern Gateway of Ascension; the Pentagram would have as its opposite, the Septagram; and the Rose Cross would have the Rose Ankh as its opposite. In each of these situations, a device or a ritual structure could use an obverse and inverted version of itself, such as an inverted pentagram or an inverted Rose Ankh (defined as a special symbol analogous to the regal orb surmounted by a cross). All of these opposites and inversions represent a magical toolkit that uses polarity as its greatest expression of power, and of course, ecstasy is the achievement when polarities are joined together (in emulation of the One).

My first exposure to the Rose Ankh was while I was going through the grades of Alexandrian witchcraft. What I was told by my teachers (and thereby taken with a grain of salt) was that Alex Sanders had as his ultimate goal to produce a system of magick that was analogous to the Golden Dawn. In fact it would have been a Wiccan Golden Dawn whose emphasis would have been on the feminine archetype and the Great Goddess. I was even given a copy of a special Rose Ankh device, which was a close analogue to the Golden Dawn Rose Cross device, when I achieved the third degree. While I am unable to share any of the specifics of that Rose Ankh device, the creative impetus for this new formulation obviously went along with Alex Sander’s vision of a re-established Pagan and Wiccan Golden Dawn. Of course, I found that by drawing the device of the Rose Ankh in the air, it produced a powerful magnetic energy, which is the opposite of what the drawn Rose Cross would produce. Adding the ritual structure of the spiral vortex to the placement of five Rose Ankh devices produces what I have called an invoking vortex, which is a powerful magnetic energy container that can strongly attract and hold spirits within it.

Another interesting bit of speculation has to do with that mysterious initiation rite in Alexandrian Witchcraft known as the Fourth Degree. While most of the Gardnerian based traditions of Witchcraft have only three degrees (the first two were loosely modeled on the Masonic initiations for Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft, and the third was more an honorific), the Alexandrians promoted the possibility of a fourth degree. There is plenty of speculation about the nature of this initiation, and I have even found where a few individuals on the internet have said that the Garnderian tradition used the 4th degree initiation of the O.T.O. for expanding its degree system, and the Alexandrians used the Adeptus Minor initiation of the Golden Dawn. I have found no precedence for this speculation in any of my own personal Alexandrian lore, but I can at least say that there is a skeleton rite for this initiation in the Alexandrian Book of Shadows, which might also be found in some versions of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows. That skeleton rite has only a basic structure and the mysteries that might have been presented within it are completely omitted, as if to say that they were too sacred to even put in a secret book of spells and liturgy.

Since the Gardnerian system of initiation has only two ordeals and the Great Rite is an honorific, then it would seem that the systems of initiation as found in Masonry, the Golden Dawn and the O.T.O., which have at least three ordeals, are neither contiguous nor comparable to the initiation of Traditional Witchcraft. Yet the outdoor initiation ordeal of the Four Elements which seems to be a specialized trope used by Alex Sanders and his group might be a clue to an ordeal that incorporated the four elemental degrees into the tradition of Witchcraft. This might have been used to prepare an initiate (and not a novice) for the vaunted higher degrees believed to be practiced or conceptualized in the Alexandrian tradition of Witchcraft. As you can see, there are some compelling clues that point to a ceremonial magickal initiatory system in the Alexandrian tradition, but there appears to be little in the way of any hard evidence or actual rites being passed down the various lines (as far as I know).       

In many ways these clues represent a potential system and methodology, but in the end, the Alexandrian tradition over time dropped the emphasis on high magick and became fairly analogous to the Gardnerian tradition. There was even a certain amount of sharing and reconstituting of the traditional lore between both traditions, and many of the new holders of the Alexandrian traditional lines of initiation began to act as conservative preservers of their tradition, and that means that they had become inimical to any kind of change in their lore, supposedly just like their Gardnerian sisters and brothers.

During the last decade there has been a powerful movement of establishing the legitimacy of the various initiatory lineages, and that each and every third degree initiate had to have a proper vouch of some kind in order to be considered a legitimate witch. This obsession with legitimacy is actually quite new to the Alexandrian tradition, and in fact it has completely replaced the fascination and zeal that the tradition once had for experimentation and the discovering of new occult frontiers. I have found this change to be quite disappointing, since unlike some of my fellow practitioners who survived into the 21st century, I took the hints of a merged system of Witchcraft and Pagan Ritual Magick quite seriously. In fact, where Alex Sanders appears to have never realized his ideal of a Wiccan Golden Dawn, and he went on to explore other areas altogether different, I continued to pursue this ideal and I have realized it in the system and methodology of ritual magick that I employ today.

Although what I have developed and produced is decidedly unlike the Golden Dawn in its various rituals, practices and beliefs, I have instead produced a specific system and tradition of magick that has taken many of these rites and practices and brought them into the context of the foundation of traditional Witchcraft. In the rites and ordeals of the Order of the Gnostic Star, you will find that the basic system of Witchcraft magic has been vastly extended and advanced into a system of high magick that has a seamless continuity from the most basic system of Witchcraft and Pagan magick. So it would seem that where Alex Sander’s dream was never realized by himself, in fact it was realized in the system of magick that I have given birth to over the many decades since. I could, therefore, claim to have developed and established a Wiccan Golden Dawn, but I think that I will instead call it by what it has actually become, which is a system of Wiccan and Pagan ritual magick as opposed to ceremonial magick.

Frater Barrabbas

Why I Venerate the Golden Dawn

I got my first copy of the Golden Dawn book edited by Israel Regardie when it became a single volume. I can remember for a few years prior coveting the two volume version with its own slip case, but it was beyond my ability to afford. It was the great prize for anyone who sought to learn ritual or ceremonial magick, and was carefully displayed behind glass so it wouldn’t get stolen. The new Llewellyn edition was a single hardcover volume with a splashy colorful cover, but the price was right, and the old two volume edition was no longer in print. I bought the new version, back in the early autumn of 1975, and eagerly took it home to extract all of its secrets. I found that task to be nearly impossible, since my nascent intellectual skills weren’t really up to the task. I might have been a twenty year old adult, but my ability to read through hundreds of pages of arcane lore was a bit too much for my reading skills at the time. It would seem that I needed some background in order to fully master this lore.

After I joined the Coven from Hell, I was taught most of the material from the Golden Dawn book, except perhaps the initiation rituals, and that included the Qabbalah, the Enochian material and the basic rituals. Once shown how these rituals worked, I immediately began to incorporate them into my own ritual work. In less than a year, I had my own versions of these rituals, but of them, only the Superior Pentagram, Superior Hexagram, the Middle Pillar, Qabalistic Cross and the Rose Cross rituals were used. The hexagram was soon replaced by the septagram, which I had always preferred, but those other four rituals were seamlessly incorporated into my magickal repertoire. I did fail to figure out how to use the lesser pentagram and hexagram rituals in conjunction with the superior rites, so I never mastered the Golden Dawn methodology for performing elemental, planetary and zodiacal magick. Instead, over time, I invented my own independent system of magick, but the rituals, structures and devices were expropriated from the Golden Dawn. This is because there wasn’t any Golden Dawn organization for me to join, and to this day I remained an outsider to that tradition. 

So it would seem that I used, in a rather cavalier manner, some of the magickal rituals of the Golden Dawn, some of the Enochian materials and pretty much ignored the rest. Since I had books from Aleister Crowley, I found that a combination of Crowley and the Golden Dawn seemed to help me fill in the void. Between these two authors, I was able to expand my knowledge and capability to craft and build my own personal system of magick. I was, in a word, an occult lore pirate, and both Israel Regardie and Aleister Crowley facilitated that plundering. I am sure that many others have found this published material both useful and practical, however, others within the Golden Dawn tradition have called both of them oath breakers. Had they not published the material from the Golden Dawn, I probably wouldn’t have been able to craft the magickal system that I did eventually derive. So I owe a debt of gratitude to these two individuals who are not honored in some of the more traditional Golden Dawn circles.

Since that time, I have moved on and now use my own tried and true ritual structures, devices and components, all of which are now far removed from the Golden Dawn tradition. I have also refrained from purchasing any materials that are supposedly culled from secret documents that are still in use by that order. I have done this out of respect for the active tradition of the Golden Dawn, and because this lore would obviously not be particularly relevant to me or my organization. Thus, I wouldn’t bother seeking to purchase any of the revelatory books published by either Farrell or Zelewski, since I feel that such published works are quite disrespectful to those who are working within a living tradition of the Golden Dawn.

I am also quite cold to anyone writing a history of the Golden Dawn where the founders, such as Westcott and Mathers, and others, are reviled as frauds or shown to be incompetent. Years ago I read Ellic Howe’s book “Magicians of the Golden Dawn” and considered it a harsh and even scurrilous biography of that organization. I have no illusions as to the follies, flaws and failings of individuals and humanity in general, but I think that I would rather focus on the accomplished work of such individuals instead of attempting to judge them many decades after their death. This is why I consider Aleister Crowley to be an important writer and contributor to western occultism regardless of how he behaved or what kind of man he was while alive. So, for me, these individuals are judged by their work and their legacy. If they left behind writings that I find important to my own occult work, then I will judge them as a valuable resource, and nothing more. I think that its pretty tough to judge someone without personally knowing them, and even harder to judge someone who has been dead for a long time.

Whatever I think of the original founders of the Golden Dawn must therefore be based entirely on their work. There is so little historical information about Mathers that his life story has become something of a cipher that holds nearly any opinion, from the gloriously good to the vilifyingly evil. Aleister Crowley painted a picture of Mathers that was very dark and disturbing in the so called fictional work “Moon Child,” and Dion Fortune supposedly accused Mina Mathers of having cursed her. I think that both of these opinions are likely fictional creations that do a great injustice to both of these individuals. If I were to judge the founders of the Golden Dawn, it would be to venerate them, since the Golden Dawn lore was so ahead of its time and such a radical departure from anything that had been practiced in the 19th century up to that time.  I would have to consider Mathers, Westcott and others to be creative geniuses, since the Golden Dawn lore was so advanced. The fact that the rituals and documents of the Golden Dawn are still relevant today, in the early 21st century, should demonstrate just how advanced the lore was back when it was first presented to members of that order. To members of the order back in the early 1890's, the lore must seemed like something totally radical!

Some have said that the founders of the Golden Dawn were frauds or incompetent, and that their vision of the world, populated with rare encounters with flesh and blood advanced high adepts is a myth or a delusion. I think that the Golden Dawn lore speaks for itself, since either the founders were incredible geniuses, or that they had help from other unnamed individuals. These mysterious personages would have been quite enlightened and likely members of an elite organization, which was called the Third Order. Either perspective shows that Mathers, for all his supposed flaws and social issues, was a true adept and facilitator for even higher adepts (visible or invisible), since he was, after all, a man, and the lore that he presented to his order was beyond anything previously seen in the western world. For this reason alone, I venerate Mather’s unwitting contribution to the occult world, which is his legacy, and I also venerate the Golden Dawn. I may not be a member, but as an outsider, I can easily see its long term value.

Frater Barrabbas    

A Question of Maps

A goose amongst the ducks.

"Let me therefore form a vortex in this chamber that the invisible Sun of the Spirit may shine therein from above." - from the GD ritual, Opening by Watchtower.

Recently, I wrote about the controversy involving the lesser banishing and invoking rituals of the hexagram. I had reported what Scott Stenwick (Frater Ananel Qaa) had said in his excellent workshop on Planetary Magick. I also did some research on the difference between what Scott says he does to perform planetary magick, and what classical Golden Dawn magicians do when they perform the same kind of magick. I also mentioned what Donald Michael Kraig had written in his book Modern Magick, that the lesser banishing rituals of the pentagram and hexagram should be done as part of the basic working structure that he teaches. Scott and a couple of members of the Golden Dawn (HOGD) have discussed this controversy in the comments section of my blog article - you can find them all here.

However, Donald Michael Kraig has also responded to this thread in his latest blog article, and you can find it here. I liked what Mr. Kraig said and his point is obvious. Since I don’t use the Golden Dawn methodology to work planetary magick (in fact, I don’t use very much of it at all in my practice), all of these points over the “correctness,” “efficiency” or “effectiveness” of the magick is a moot point. I use an entirely different system for working planetary magick, and what I do works quite well. I would suppose that Scott’s methods, the current Golden Dawn methods, and Donald’s methods all work as well. They all work because the model or map that they use is consistent, logical and complete. When a ritual working is incomplete, inconsistent or the model is poorly understood, then the magick can fail. Although the threshold for failure is rather high, since I have seen very poorly contrived and performed rituals actually manage to work. There is a lot of room for perfecting one’s work, but the most basic frame of reference is the model or map that one uses. This is the point that Donald Michael Kraig made in his article, and he is completely correct. The model or map is not the actual territory that it is symbolically describing, but it is a useful and important tool, without which such magickal work would be fruitless.

One other interesting point that Donald made in his article is that the lessons in Modern Magick are accumulative, and that a later lesson introduces the student to the Golden Dawn ritual “Opening by Watchtower,” first presented in Israel Regardie’s monumental book “Golden Dawn,” volume 8, p. 14 - 16. Regardie further elaborates on this rite in his book “Ceremonial Magic,” but this rite can be used as a framework or outer wrapper for various inner workings or rites. This is exactly how Mr. Kraig has presented this ritual in his book.

The interesting thing about it is that a distorted variation of this rite found it’s way into the rites and practices of Gardnerian withcraft, and from there, to its various derivatives; thereby becoming the ubiquitous circle consecration ritual. I would assume that the function of the Opening by Watchtower rite is analogous to the circle consecration rite, but the former is far more rigorous, exacting and powerful than the latter. In fact one could state that the wiccan version of this rite demonstrates how little Gardner and his subsequent followers understood the rituals of the Golden Dawn that they readily purloined. However, the circle consecration rite, as it is practiced in many various pagan and wiccan groups, is only the most basic step in establishing sacred space, while the Opening by Watchtower is a preliminary step to an invocation. The wiccan and pagan variation also uses a magick circle, which is omitted in the Golden Dawn rite.

All of this could cause anyone some degree of confusion, since these variations are used in a different context and are not quite the same thing. Unfortunately, keeping that context in mind can be a difficult task, and one can easily jump to conclusions while leaping from one system to another. My mistake is that I sought to judge someone else’s system of magick using my own map or frame of reference, and unfortunately, that is where mistakes can be easily made. While I was scratching my head about this whole conundrum, it was due to the fact that I don’t use the Golden Dawn methodology for the kind of ritual magick that I perform.

I am, admittedly, unfamiliar with this system of magick, because I had learned it (probably incorrectly) many years ago and then abandoned it for a system that seemed more direct and simplistic, at least to me. I had to check up on what Scott said about the Golden Dawn and planetary magick, and found that it wasn’t exactly correct. There are multiple ways of doing the same kind of operation, and each of those methodologies has a different kind of map or frame of reference. So it was never my intention to either question the efficacy of the system of magick outlined in Donald Michael Kraig’s book. Somehow, Donald thought that I had agreed with Scott, but actually I was questioning what he said and attempting to figure out if it was true. It would seem that the comments section of the blog article had some really interesting quotes coming from different perspectives, which I think that Donald may have missed when he read over my article. I would like to present them here. 

I think that what we have here is a variation of technique and intention. The intention of the Golden Dawn system of magick is keep the sphere of the magician completely sanitized from all possible contagion, hence the requirement for using both the LBRP and the LBRH before performing any operation. The use of the Opening by Watchtower causes a gateway into the world of the Spirit to be established after the foundational environment has been made completely pristine and purified. This is a different approach than what Scott is proposing, and within it’s referential frame, it is logical and makes sense. However, a different ritual pattern is used for planetary and zodiacal magick in the Golden Dawn, and I believe that the Opening of the Watchtower rite is not used in this context. Sincerus Renatus, in his comment to my article, made the following point, which I think encapsulates the Golden Dawn perspective.

“In Hermetic and Qabalistic Magic, according to the Golden Dawn Tradition, the Sphere of Sensation is [infused] and activated with the forces invoked during a short and set time frame. Even if you ‘shut down’ the forces, this will still leave you with a charged and activated Sphere of Sensation; only the free flow from the realms of the invoked forces are hindered. The logic behind this is that a system will always be changed, even after the force that did the changing has been removed.”

According to the methodology that Scott uses, the gateway into the domain of Spirit is opened via the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Hexagram, to be followed with the use of the Greater, so there isn’t a brief banishing (of the microcosm) following by a brief invocation (of the macrocosm), as Donald stated in his article. The LIRH sets the stage in the working, to be followed by the actual planetary invocation. That methodology also makes sense to me and appears to be logical. The intention of this combination of operations doesn’t assume that the forces employed in magick require a sanitized “clean room” approach in order to ensure the safety and stability of the magickal environment, allowing for a “free flow” from the realms of the invoked forces. This is just a different perspective that employs a different methodology, but within their framework, both make sense and are logical. Could it be that one method is more effective than the other? I think because the two methods are so different in their basic intention (planetary talismanic magick vs. planetary invocation magick) that they can’t be compared. Of course if one were to get the two methodologies confused, then the end result might be affected or even fail.

These two different approaches basically use the same Golden Dawn based rituals to accomplish a similar purpose, although the intentions are quite different. However, the way that I work these forms, accomplished through a witchcraft prism, is quite different. If anything, the differences between Scott and Donald (and other Golden Dawn practitioners) is more of a quibble and a difference of intention than compared to how I do the same operation. I guess you could say that I am the real oddball when it comes to performing planetary and other forms of advanced ritual magick.

As I stated in my previous article about planetary magick, I have chosen to use the Septagram instead of the Hexagram. I also use a Rose-Ankh vortex with an internal circle in the center. The methodologies that I employ make use of the magick circle to focus and collect the spiritual influences and powers that are generated or drawn down. Yet it would seem that the witch or pagan who is practicing ritual magick using these forms is subject to the worst possible contamination and subjective influence from all of the forces and spirits so employed. This might be true if weren’t for the fact that all magick performed by the witch or pagan within ritual magick is done through the guise of the assumed godhead. It is the personal godhead, whose cult and specific alignment is potently maintained by the ritual magician, that protects and empowers the operator. Yet because of this fact, the magician who works this kind of ritual magick can dispense with the lesser pentagram and the lesser hexagram rites, whether banishing or invoking. Also, because a vortex is employed, any form of banishing is completely ineffective anyway, so the banishing forms of any device are never used. Thus I would have to rate the manner that I perform these types of magick as the real “goose” compared to the ducks of Thelemic or Golden Dawn magick.

The bottom line to all of these variations is that they work, and they are logical, consistent and make sense within the context that they are used. However, to make them work, you have to employ the foundational framework and use it consistently and logically. (Unless, of course, you are a chaos magician, and then you will employ any system or part of a system, consistently, inconsistently, logically, or illogically, and still get good results.) The key is to experiment and discover what works the best for you. As Donald Michael Kraig said so adroitly in his article:  

“In Modern Magick I strongly urge people to study other books to get other opinions and ideas. For the truth (at least, the truth according to my map) is that magick is an experimental science. It doesn’t matter what any of us think or believe. What matters is what works.”

I hope that all of these variations have instructed you that there isn’t just one way of doing anything. Still, elegance, artistic excellence and the flawless, flowing performance of forms is still an important part of the work.

Frater Barrabbas

Importance of the LBRP to Ritual Magicians?

“One more...Its been suggested by Nick Farrel that the LBRP is overused and the LIRP is preferred. he says, essentially that the LBRP cleans too well and defeats the purpose of any personal work you do. I feel the LBRP seals in the work. Thoughts?” asked by DeusLux

I got this question just today. The questioner had sent an earlier question that was frankly out of my league, since it was a very technical question about Enochian Magick, which is not a subject that I consider myself an expert. I have sent off that first question to a couple of experts, so we’ll see if they respond, otherwise I will have to demure on that question.

Anyway, the question is about the use of the LBRP, or the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. First off, I don’t even use this ritual, or its companion, the LIRP (Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram), and haven’t for a few decades. Why is that? Because as a witch, I incorporate a magick circle into every magickal working that I do within a temple. If I consecrate, set and charge a magick circle with the four wards covering the four cardinal directions, that would seem to do pretty much the same thing that the combination of the LBRP and LIRP would do. Not only that, but in some of the circle consecration rites that I use, the circle also gets squared, and the wards are always set with invoking pentagrams of the four elements. Typically, when a ritual working is completed, then the results of the working are banished by doing what is basically a reverse circle setting, particularly drawing banishing element pentagrams to the four wards. So that pretty much covers why I don’t use the LBRP or LIRP. They are redundant and it might also undo what the circle consecration rite is supposed to do.

Then there is the matter of managing a vortex energy structure, which is used extensively and often in nearly all of my workings. A vortex can’t be banished, only overlaid, so the LBRP is essentially completely useless when a vortex is deployed. A vortex is erected or unsealed when it needs to be used, and then sealed when it is no longer needed - no banishing is ever performed.

Remember that a ritual magician performs magick using the methodology of immersion. A magick circle is integral to establishing an enclosed focus where the power is raised and spirits are invoked. There is no barrier between the ritual magician and whatever is generated or invoked in a ritual working. How the ritual magician insulates herself from any backlash, contagion or a bleeding link is that she has assumed her personal godhead as part of the preparation of the working. As a representative of the Godhead, she is completely protected, since the powers or linkages would have to travel far up the levels of conscious being to affect her. It is more likely that such energies or occurrences will just find a common ground and harmlessly dissipate rather than harm the magician. The godhead assumption also insulates the ritual magician from all spiritual invocations, whether theurgic or evocative. 

A Golden Dawn magician does not work within a magick circle unless a goetic evocation is going to be performed, otherwise, either a temple space or even one’s living space will suffice for the kind of work that such a magician would wrought. So the LBRP and the LIRP become quite important in such a working where there is no magick circle or any kind of circle consecration rite is performed. The LBRP is performed to clear the area of any unwanted energies or spirits, and the LIRP establishes a connection to the spiritual domain, allowing other magickal rites to be performed. You can find my articles on both the Golden Dawn and the techniques that I use in earlier articles on this blog. Just look at the index keywords to the left of the blog entry text.

David Griffin, in his wonderful book “The Ritual Magic Manual: A Complete Course in Practical Magic,” (1999 Golden Dawn Publishing) does indeed assume that the LBRP will erase everything, so he assiduously wraps up all his tools, sigils and talismans before performing it. He also does use the LIRP pretty much as I have described it. I would recommend his perspective if you choose to use the Golden Dawn system instead of a more Wiccan or Neopagan based system, such as what I use. David has shown himself to be a rigorous and consummate magickal practitioner.

Hope that answers your question?

Frater Barrabbas



Ask me about ritual magick

 

An Analysis of the Golden Dawn System of Magick

As I have stated previously, the Golden Dawn system of magic was basically incomplete, although it had a complete set of rituals and guidelines where one could essentially assemble a system of ritual magic that would allow one to perform ritual workings consisting of Element, Planetary Aspect, Zodiacal Sign, Sephirah and even a method for Goetic magic (using the demons of the Planetary Kamea). This was not accomplished in the traditional Golden Dawn literature, such as the books published by Israel Regardie, nor was it actually discussed in any book in print until recently.

All of the lore was there, and all that was required was to have some brilliant practitioner assemble all of the rituals together and build ritual patterns for the various workings. Such a practitioner does exist, and he wrote a book in which this entire system is arrayed for all to see. This book has the basic seal of approval by the various leaders of the Golden Dawn factions (springing from Israel Regardie), so we must also consider it representational of the Golden Dawn lore. That book was written by David Griffin, entitled “The Ritual Magic Manual: A Complete Course in Practical Magic,” (1999 Golden Dawn Publishing), and it does indeed have a complete system of practical magic using the Golden Dawn lore. The author has expressed his opinion that this lore represents the culmination of the work of the inner Order of the Golden Dawn (R.R. et A.C.), or the Rosicrucian Order of the G.D., and I find no reason to question his statement. In fact, I believe that we could label this lore the official extended lore of the Golden Dawn. This system, packaged into a fascinating and detailed methodology, represents the ideal of the Golden Dawn system of magic.

An essential and simplistic definition of Golden Dawn magic is that it uses the precise Qabbalistic spiritual hierarchy, as well as the assumption of Egyptian godforms, and the ritual devices of the pentagram and the hexagram as well as sigils, signatures and barbarous words of evocation (Enochian Keys) to manifest the powers of the elements, planets, zodiacal signs and the sephiroth of the Tree of Life. All accessible spirits and forces are incorporated into this multi tiered hierarchy, and so by the summoning of principals and the use of the pentagram and/or hexagram, the magician may perform practical as well as spiritual magic, effecting the material, emotional, mental and spiritual planes. The pentagrams and hexagrams used in these rituals are divided into the lesser and greater forms, but used in combination they are able to define the hierarchy in a precise and powerfully symbolic manner. No other system of ritual or ceremonial magic had before been packaged in such a meticulous and precise manner. The manipulation of these layered occult symbols and actions would, under the correct altered state of consciousness, produce potent magical effects. This is a model of how magic is organized and practiced in the post modern world - most other systems of magic have used it as a basis to define their methodology, whether tightly (as in Thelemic magic) or loosely (chaos magic, pagan and wiccan magic). This is also true of the magic that I practice, since my instruction and work was a synthesis of the Golden Dawn and Alexandrian Witchcraft magical systems.

The different kinds of practical magic available to the Golden Dawn magician were associated with the four different kinds of aspects of the spiritual and occult hierarchy. These are:

Elemental Magic - material matters and considerations - Greater Invoking Pentagram ritual using the pentagram of the Element and associated pentagram of the aspect of Spirit (passive or active)

Planetary magic - psychological drives, motives and insights - Greater Invoking Hexagram rite - incorporating both the lesser and greater hexagram forms.

Zodiacal magic - qualities of being, attitudes towards life - Greater Invoking Pentagram (could also include the Greater Hexagram as well for the ruling planet)

Sephirotic magic - spiritual development, personal transformation, higher level attainment and high mystical states of consciousness - Greater Invoking Hexagram

Golden Dawn magic is modern, even though the rituals were devised by Mathers in the late 19th century. This can be easily shown because the Golden Dawn system of magic addresses the situation of the modern middle class individual living in the post modern world. We, as a people, are without the credulous ability to see what we want to believe, since to easily do so is a sign of either fatuousness or madness. We are cynical, desensitized, sophisticated, incredulous, and we operate through the perceptual psychological mechanism of objectivity, rationality, which is basically what Piaget called the “formal operational level of development.”

We have the ability to engage in critical thought, and this becomes something of an obstacle to experiencing paranormal phenomena. One either has to develop greater sophistication and sensitivity or become regressive and psychotic in order to experience spiritual phenomena. Of course, those who are psychotic are not really experiencing spiritual phenomena, they just assume that they are doing so. And the rest of us can readily determine if someone is legitimate or if they are just indulging in regressive or psychotic behavior simply by whether or not their spiritual perceptions are validated by others. Techniques of mind control and the assumption of altered states of consciousness are the key to acquiring and maintaining higher states of consciousness.

Prior systems of magic were much less sophisticated and disciplined, and either used the systems of hierarchy and their symbols loosely or omitted them altogether. What was important was the magician’s faith and his intense engagement in its pious practice through a mainstream and orthodox religion. Altered states of consciousness and layered occult symbols were not important to determine or define the nature of the powers or intellegences that the magician summoned and manipulated. What was important was an individual’s faith and belief in the religious tenets and practices of his religion. He incorporated those tenets and practices for personal gain and he also assumed the powers and prerogatives of his God without the sanction and permission of orthodox authorities. He was, in a word, an apostate! However, he believed that by merit of intense piety, atonement and purification, he was worthy of such profound spiritual presumptuousness.

So the key to the magic of the earlier epoch was this intense degree of faith based belief and piety and it alone opened the door to the spirit world. Such a key no longer exists today, and we are required to enter into powerful altered states of consciousness and wield symbols that transform consciousness itself in order to open us up to the spirit world.

In addition, the Golden Dawn system of magic promoted the energy model of magic quite heavily, teaching that even charged tools and talismans had to be protected and put away when performing the banishing pentagram and hexagram rites. The tools used in these rites also had to be charged by the opposite device so as to nullify the effect of the banishment on the tool used to banish. The energy model of magic wasn’t new, but promoting the “energy” apart from the magic rituals and ceremonies that produced it, and also perceiving a kind of energy architecture in regards to the layered symbology was new. Previously, magicians had assumed the metaphor of magical power without having to define it as a quality analogous to electricity, and that “power” was synonymous to magical effect. Magicians of the previous epoch used the spirit model of magic, and it was through spirits, such as nature spirits, angels, demons, and demigods (pagan deities) that magic was accomplished. These spirits were ruled, of course, by God himself.

Golden Dawn magic also used the assumption of godforms and practiced methodologies analogous to Yoga, to build up the initiate’s ability to visualize, absorb and project magical powers. Magical tools were standardized, and the four elemental weapons were developed in this system of magic (wand, cup, dagger and pentacle). The specific use of godform assumption allowed the magician to summon and call up the powers and intelligences associated with the spiritual hierarchy as a godhead. This is a very profound change from the way magic had been practiced previously, and it was quite new in the arena of ceremonial magic. It was a way to make up for the loss of belief and extreme piety in the mental makeup of the modern middle class individual. Also, within these empowered states of consciousness, the magician wielded an array of spiritual authorities in a descending hierarchy, to represent that from the highest and most abstract level of being came emanations of more precise and material phenomena - the symbolic metaphor for modern magic itself.

The basic Golden Dawn ritual working begins and ends with banishing rituals, commences with either the Superior Pentagram or Hexagram ritual to invoke the hierarchy associated with the targeted aspect (element, planet, zodiacal sign or sephirah) to empower a specific set of appropriate intentions or to engage the magician in a skrying session for visionary inspiration. Working this kind of magic is like opening and closing a door, so that the temple area is cleansed, built up to a climax and then cleansed at the end. The rituals that are used in these workings are:

• Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
• Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram
• Qabbalistic Cross and Middle Pillar Exercise
• Rose Cross Ritual and the Analysis of the Key Word
• Assumption and Divestment of Egyptian Godforms
• Invocation of the Highest Divine Force
• Rite of Purification with Water and Consecration with Fire
• Rite of Adoration of the Lord of the Universe
• Rite of the Magical Eucharist
• Greater Invoking and Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
• Greater Invoking and Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram

The rituals are combined to form workings (except for the Rose Cross rite), with some of them used for preparation, others are liturgical or related to invoking aspects of deity, and others produce a specific magical effect. The core rite is either the Greater Invoking Pentagram or Hexagram rituals, where devices and symbolic signatures are used together with visualized colored lines and geometric forms to express in a definitive manner one of the aspects of the spiritual hierarchy. Through the lens of the invoked aspect of the spiritual hierarchy is the specific and practical magic performed.

Golden Dawn magicians practice ritual magic to accomplish specific material and spiritual goals, and he or she also undergoes an intense period of psychological or psychiatric counseling as well - to ensure that objectivity and rational perspectives on life and spirituality are strictly maintained. These workings are performed with a greater goal in mind, and that goal is conversation with one’s Holy Guardian Angel, which was established as a common intention in all of the magical workings.

The basic ritual pattern of any of the four workings (element, planet, sign, sephirah) consisted of the following rituals performed in the exact order. (These steps are a synopsis of what is done, and are more fully developed in the book.)

1. Temple opening rites - banishing and purification - lesser banishing rituals of the pentagram and hexagram, and performing the rite of purification with water and consecration of fire - unwrap specific tool (element or specific invoking wand).

2. Qabbalistic cross, invocation of the Highest Divine Force

3. Core rite to invoke aspect of spiritual hierarchy - using the greater invoking ritual of the pentagram or the hexagram to each quarter beginning in the east and ending at the altar. Assume Egyptian godform, draw devices (invoking pentagram/hexagram with color and associated symbolic character), give secret name and grade signs. Trace appropriate sigils and Hebrew Godnames over altar, vibrating spirit names of the hierarchy in a descending order, and ending with the incantation of one of the Enochian calls.

4. Circumambulation of the circle specific number of times and perform the Rite of the Adoration of the Lord of the Universe. State magical intentions and then perform the middle pillar exercise. Skry into the corresponding plane of the spiritual hierarchy - one can also perform specific practical magical workings. (Circumambulation is 3 times for elements, 9 times for planets, 3 times for zodiacal signs, and 7 times for sephiroth.)

5. Rewrap tool(s) and any other charged devices. Reverse circumambulation of the circle the same number of times and then perform the godform divestment.

6. Perform Greater Banishing rite of the Pentagram or Hexagram. Perform lesser banishing rituals of the pentagram and hexagram. Declare temple to be closed.

There also was a pattern for a demonic evocation working, and this rite was patterned somewhat on the old five part structure of magical evocation in the old grimoires - consecration, invocation, binding, constraining and giving license to depart. It included a rite of magical confession and atonement, a special consecrated magic circle, and the magician performed the evocation through one of the invoked positive spiritual hierarchical aspects, such as a planetary sphere or one of the sephirah, and the demon of the kamea would be commanded through this aspect. This structure could also have been used to perhaps invoke the Goetic demons, but that would have been done through a zodiacal working, invoking first the zodiacal archangel, then the angelic ruler of the decan, and then the ha-Shem angel of the quinarian zodiacal division. However, there is nothing mentioned of this kind of magic in the book, so one can only assume that this is how it would have been done.

Although this system of magic is rigorous and apparently complete, it also does not address other hierarchies of spirits, such as the Enochian Elementals (element qualifying an element base), the Enochian Seniors and the 28 Lunar Mansions (element qualifying a planetary base) and the 49 Bonarum or Good Spirits (planet qualifying a planetary base). These three sets of spiritual hierarchies represent what is called a matrix, and in order to invoke spirits associated with a matrix one needs a more complex ritual structure. The specific invocation of an archangel or a specific angel, as well Goetic demons are also omitted. However, any of these different spiritual hierarchies could be accessed if the ritual structures were expanded and included other more sophisticated structures and methodologies. As a working system, the expanded Golden Dawn system of ritual magic is a useful starting point to build a more advanced magical system, and this what I and others have done.

Another problem with the Golden Dawn system of magic is the use of the double triangle for the greater invoking hexagram. In order to invoke the Sun, the magician has to invoke all six of the other planets. The unicursal hexagram is much more efficient because it can invoke the sun with one single movement, but since it came from Aleister Crowley and his following, it is not considered traditional in regards to Golden Dawn magic. One was also expected to draw the Hebrew names associated with a hierarchy aspect in the air with a wand, as well as the sigils that these letters created, which seems redundant to me. There is also the problem of the flexibility of these rituals, and the fact that Golden Dawn magic is always a single event kind of working - it’s begun with banishing rites and ends with banishing rites, to ensure that the magical operation is never contaminated with another previous operation. Of course, if one wanted to deliberately merge workings together for some purpose, this system would not easily allow it. It also works with a strict deosil circle architecture and there is no development of a vortex energy field (this is only done with the Rose Cross ritual).

So this system has some very large gaping holes in it and some extreme limitations - but it was the first modern system of ritual magic to be developed, and it therefore became the model for all other systems of ritual and ceremonial magic in our current age.

Frater Barrabbas Tireisus