How did the Chief expect a student to spend their Tuesday morning? One of Dr Felkin’s quiet contributions to the Order was to develop something that had remained largely unrealised within the curriculum inherited from the Isis-Urania Temple: how the Candidate was to continue the Work after the Ceremony had ended. While Initiation could impressContinue reading “After the Ceremony”
Category Archives: (a) Candidate
The “Hermetic” in the Hermetic Order
Renaissance Hermeticism (more precisely Hermetic Platonism) as advanced by Marsilio Ficino (1433–1499), provides an interpretive key through which the Order’s methods of Initiation, practice of meditation, and discipline of silence can be understood. This framework is not an adjunct to our practice; it is one of the fundamental philosophical and ethical keys through which theContinue reading “The “Hermetic” in the Hermetic Order”
Counterfeiting the Mysteries
On the 18th of January 1902, readers in distant New Zealand opened their morning paper to a London report headlined, “The Sentence in the Horos Case.” The article detailed the conviction of Theodore and Laura Jackson—self-styled initiates who had masqueraded as members of the Golden Dawn, defrauded their followers, and brought public disgrace upon theContinue reading “Counterfeiting the Mysteries”
Legitimacy and Lineage in the Golden Dawn
Much has been written and argued about the “legitimacy” or “lineage” of modern Golden Dawn temples. The subject is often presented as if there were a single, unbroken line back to 1888, which one can simply trace and thereby claim authority. The reality is far more nuanced. The Golden Dawn fractured in 1900, just 12Continue reading “Legitimacy and Lineage in the Golden Dawn”
The Magic of the Order
The need to join a healthy, functioning Temple, so that you are exposed to the transformative magic of the Order, is the most important thing to take away from this discourse. The Order has always used group ceremonial for a reason. It might take many years to find such a Temple, for all sorts ofContinue reading “The Magic of the Order”
The Candidate’s Regalia
Prior to their Initiation, each Candidate for the Grade of Neophyte 0=0 is required to procure a pair of red footwear and a black robe, to be worn over street clothes during their ceremony. Of these, the red footwear is usually the harder to obtain, for men particularly. At a pinch, a pair of redContinue reading “The Candidate’s Regalia”
What’s in a Name?
Traditionally, when a Candidate applies for membership of the O., they fill in a Pledge Form a few weeks before their Initiation, which includes their proposed Motto, or magical name as some like to call it. This Motto is then reviewed by one or all of the Chiefs, who give their consent for the CandidateContinue reading “What’s in a Name?”
The Magic of Havelock North
In 1916 a new constitution was issued to the Stella Matutina, and the Order’s Chiefs immigrated to New Zealand, settling in the pastoral village of Havelock North, in the Provincial District of Hawke’s Bay on the central East Coast of the North Island. The village lay on the gentle west facing foothills below the locallyContinue reading “The Magic of Havelock North”
Whare Ra Closure Letter to Members
I rembember Fiat Lux telling me how shocked he was to receive this letter, even though it had been a handful of years since he last attended any Ceremonies – he withdrew earlier when it became obvious (to him) that the the ship was adrift. There seemed to have been several reasons that finally ledContinue reading “Whare Ra Closure Letter to Members”
Seven Virtues of the Ideal Candidate
1. WELL GROUNDED – the Candidate is in a lasting relationship, has a grown family, has a stable career, owns their own property, actively engages in “normal” society, is free of excesses. 2. SPIRITUALLY INQUISITIVE – the Candidate is seeking for something beyond the material, is looking for a spiritual path, has an inner urge,Continue reading “Seven Virtues of the Ideal Candidate”
