Magical Golden Dawn |
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Welcome Candidate! Welcome as a Candidate for Initiation into The Magical Golden Dawn. As a Candidate for Initiation there are several things you need to do to get prepared for your initiation. These don't need to be done in any particular order nor is there any time limit on when they need to be done. Candidates are encouraged to follow their own spiritual path as part of their rituals and meditation. The Magical Golden Dawn is neither a religion nor a spiritual path. It is a method of enhancing your chosen spiritual path and not a substitute for it. Whatever your current spiritual practices may be, they both define your spiritual path and your spiritual practices. We encourage you to continue following your chosen spiritual path and change anything in our teaching materials or rituals to bring them into compliance with your current spiritual path. We also encourage you to change these things if you change either your spiritual practices or your spiritual path or both. As a general rule, if you already have an intimate knowledge of the materials we present here for the Candidate, it will take you a few days to properly prepare for your initiation. If all of this material is new to you, it may take you two to three months to properly prepare for your initiation. If you're in-between these two extremes, intuitively decide where you are and plan accordingly. Historically, all initiations into the Golden Dawn traditions from whom we're descended were done only on the Equinoxes and Solstices. The reason for this is because the Solar and Lunar energies are both very magical at these times. Choosing to take your grade initiations, those initiations which follow the first initiation you are preparing to take, on a Solstice or Equinox is recommended. But it's only a recommendation and not a requirement. Another good time for initiations is at the time of new Moon. The time of the New Moon is defined as being the exact day of the New Moon and the day before and the day after the New Moon. Any one of these three days is a good day for starting anything new. An initiation is the start of something new. You set the date for your initiation. Set the date. Mark it on your calendar and start preparations. Figure out how you'll be free from intrusions from your telephones, friends, neighbors and pets during the ritual. Sometimes friends and pets are not intrusions but welcome guests in your ceremony. You decide. Start making plans now. Decide where you want to hold your initiation. You'll need a quiet space where you won't be interrupted for about two hours. The initiation itself takes about an hour. Preparation before and reflection after the ritual take another hour. The ritual can be done in one place and the rest in another. Living rooms and secluded back yards make good places for rituals. Kitchen and dining room tables are good places to prepare and reflect. Decide where you want to hold your initiation. Decide what representatives for the Elements you want to use on your altar. The Magical Golden Dawn asks you to have representatives for each of the five Elements on your altar. These representatives are placed in the proper direction on your altar according to your wishes. The usual arrangement is Incense for Air in the East, Candle for Fire in the South, Cup of Water for Water in the West, a Platter of Salt for Earth in the North and a Spiritual Book in the Center for the Element of Spirit. But what representatives and directions you choose is entirely up to you. Decide what you're going to use for an altar. The usual choice is a low table though the floor or any other platform which can hold and support your representatives for the Elements is acceptable. Decide what coverings and other spiritual objects, if any, you're going to place on your altar. If you want classical or spiritual music playing softly during your ceremony, decide where you want the music player and exactly what music you want playing. Incorporate this into your altar if you want. Decide what you're going to wear. If you're serious about your magical studies you may want to purchase a long white robe. White is a color of purity and is most often used. However, any color of your choice may be used. Some magicians use a cloak or sash instead of a robe. Some magicians wear no jewelry of any kind while others wear what they want to wear. You decide what garment and adornments you want to use. During the ceremony you'll be addressing Deity in a number of different ways. You'll need to decide what Name you wish to use for each of the following:
While some Golden Dawn traditions believe there is one and only one name for each aspect of deity, experience teaches us that any name you choose will work just as effectively as any other name. Your intention is far more important that the name you assign to the Divine. But you may certainly memorize the Aramaic, Buddhist, Christian, Druidic, Egyptian, Greek, Hebrew, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Norse, Pagan, Wicca or any other Divine names of your choice. In the Gnostic tradition of the Holy Order of the Golden Dawn which gave birth to The Magical Golden Dawn, the following "God Names" and attributions were used:
In the Gnostic tradition of the Qabalah which also gave birth to The Magical Golden Dawn, the following "God Names" and attributions were used:
Using this information as a "template," you need to decide what name you will use for Deity for each of these Five or Seven Elements which are also seven directions and seven aspects of Deity representing the seven bodies which each of us inhabits. Keep in mind the Element of Spirit is Three-in-One, namely Spirit Above, Spirit Below and Spirit Within. These represent the Spirit Above that leads us toward our goal, Spirit Below that supports us in all our endeavors, and the Spirit Within that is our own True Self. You may use the same name for more than one aspect of the Divine or all of the aspects. The name or names you choose is your decision and your decision alone. This completes the first of three tasks to prepare yourself for initiation. When you've completed the first task, you're ready to start the second task. The materials you will need to complete the second task include both rituals and lessons to be learned. [ Candidate Rituals and Lessons ] When you've completed the second task, you'll be given the opportunity to prepare for your first initiation and take that initiation to test whether or not this system of magic will work for you. Then you'll be asked to make a decision about joining our Order for a lifetime membership fee of US $85.00 US with no annual dues thereafter. We believe you should make this decision only after you've experienced our methods. Try our rituals and lessons first. If you're ready to join now and pay your US $85.00 lifetime membership fee, please complete the attached petition. Please consider joining our discussion group. Please contact us with any questions you may have by writing MagicalGD @ gmail.com |
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Please contact MagicalGD @
gmail.com with any questions or comments. |
