Magical Golden Dawn |
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0 = 0 The Seeker Lecture THE SEEKER LECTURE First Lecturer: "I will now instruct you in the secret step, signs, grip and password of the rank of Seeker. "Two signs are used in most Golden Dawn traditions. The first sign is given by taking a half-step forward with your left foot while leaning forward and stretching your arms forward and parallel to the ground with the palms of your hands facing down. [ Demonstrates the sign ] This is called the Saluting Sign or the Sign of Horus. It alludes to your condition groping for the light in a state of darkness. With this sign you are to use to salute the Master of the Temple and the station of the Master of the Temple in the East.
"The second sign is given by placing your left for-finger on your lip while your left forefinger and hand are straight out in front of your face. This is called the Sign of Silence or the Sign of Harpocrates. [ Demonstrates the second sign. ]This second sign is only given in answer to the first sign. [ Demonstrates the first and second sign ]
"The token or grip of the Seeker is given thus: Advance your left foot touching the advanced left foot of the person requesting the token. Lean forward and place your left hand on that person's left shoulder. [ Demonstrates ] This is the grip of a Seeker and it is given only when challenged by a person whom you know to be a member of The Magical Golden Dawn. You are never to give the grip to any person whom you do not know to be a member of The Magical Golden Dawn. "The password of a Seeker is [ whispers in a soft voice ] Wandering and it alludes to your condition as you wandered about in ignorance before you found The Magical Golden Dawn. This word you will use to gain admission to a Temple of Seekers. In the Magical Golden Dawn we use one sign, the sign of silence. The name of this sign is Groping and this is the password used to enter all Temples of Seekers within the Magical Golden Dawn. We do not use a secret grip in the Magical Golden Dawn. "I will now instruct you in the esoteric meanings of implements used in your initiation ceremony which are the blindfold, double cubical altar, white triangle with a red equal-armed cross at it's center, four burning tapers, Book of Knowledge, Cup of Unlimited Compassion, censor of Fire, and the pentacle. "The blindfold was to remind you of the state of dark ignorance in which you suffered when you found The Magical Golden Dawn. May it ever be a reminder to you of the first time you quit the darkness and saw the light. "The double cubical altarlocated in the center of the Outer Court of the Temple is an emblem of the physical world in which we are presently incarnated. To all outward appearances it is merely an empty box but within that altar are concealed the greatest mysteries of the universe. To this extent it is a symbol of all containers of the life force such as your own body. To all outward appearances you are an average human being but within you is concealed the greatest mysteries of the universe. "The double cubical altar is painted black to remind us that while we aspire to become a being of light we are a Child of the Void, a Child of the Abyss; and that darkness is a symbol of our ignorance. "On the altar is a white triangle which is a symbol of the Divine light we seek. It is a symbol of that knowledge we are yet to obtain, that spirituality which has so far eluded us. This triangle represents the three faces of Deity as Creator, Father and Mother of all of creation. It represents the Spirit Element in its three manifestations of Spirit Above, Spirit Below and Spirit Within. "In the center of this white triangle is an equal-armed red cross which is a symbol of the four mundane Elements and of the sacrifices we are called to make in order to attain our goal of spiritual union with the Divine. The arm of the cross toward the apex of the triangle represents the first Element of Air. The arm of the cross on the right represents the Element of Fire, the one on the left the Element of Water. The arm at the base of the triangle represents the Element of Earth. "The four burning tapers on the altar are representatives of the four mundane elements with the colors of the taper identifying the elements as yellow is Air, blue is Water, red is Fire and green is Earth. These tapers burn on the altar during all Seeker ceremonies to remind us that we are still children of the darkness though we seek to attain our birthright of being Children of the Light. "The Book of Knowledge is the highest expression of the Element of Air for it contains a living record of our spiritual work as we become the person we are destined to become, as we quit the darkness and seek the light. If you gain nothing else from your Seeker initiation, then let it be the wisdom to daily write your own Book of Knowledge. "The Cup of Unlimited Compassion is the highest expression of the Element of Water and it alludes to the Unconditional Love of the Divine. Spiritual seekers refer to this cup as the Holy Grail because it contains the Unconditional Love of the Divine. To drink of this Cup is to feast on the Divine. May it ever serve you as a constant reminder of your intention as a Seeker to quit the darkness and seek the light. "The censor of Fire is an expression of the purification possible using the Element of Fire, for by its power we are able to remove from ourselves all harmful intentions false desires, and thoughtless passions; and imbue ourselves with rightful intentions, true desires and thoughtful passions. Thus it is a constant reminder of our determination as a Seeker to quit the darkness and seek the light. "The pentacle is a magical expression of the Element of Earth designed to draw the powers of all the Elements into this physical reality in order to diminish the effects of disease and poverty by using the Unlimited Compassion of the Divine to increase public awareness to seek and maintain good health and abundance. May it serve as a constant reminder of your commitment to help yourself and serve others by quitting the darkness and seeking the light. "This concludes the Seeker Lecture. It will serve you well to study these things until you understand them with every fiber of your being. Then proceed with the teaching materials of a Seeker. These teachings will be made more clear to you by a further understanding of the Temple in which you were initiated. THE TEMPLE LECTURE Second Lecturer: "I will now instruct you in the stations, invisible stations, places and the furniture situated in the Temple. The stations are reserved for the principle officers, the invisible stations for the astral powers used in our ceremonies, the wandering stations for your Spirit Guide and Guardian Angel, places for the other members of the Temple and the furniture of the Temple. "The furniture of the Temple are those objects within the Temple which are not considered to be implements of your initiation. These are the emblems of office worn by the officers, the two columns, the Banner of the East and the Banner of the West. "The emblems of office worn by the elected officers are worn about their necks suspended from a cord. The emblem for the Master of the Temple is a black dot in the middle of a white circle within a black circle. The emblem of the Master of Air is a yellow circle suspended from a yellow shaft or tail. The emblem of the Master of Water is an inverted triangle colored blue. The emblem of the Master of Fire is a red-colored triangle. The emblem for the Master of Earth is a green circle with a downward-pointing shaft or tail of green. "The emblem for the appointed officers is a symbol of their respective office. The emblem for the four Past Masters of the Temple seated on the dais is a white triangle with an equal-armed red cross in the center. The emblem for the Inner Guard is the Staff of Light and the emblem for the Outer Guard is a two-edged sword. "The Staff of Light provides an external source of light for Seekers as they quit the darkness and seek the light. In the Temple, the Staff of Light is an emblem of the office of the Inner Guard and the Inner Guard carries it during all rituals and ceremonies. "The two-edged sword is an emblem of the office of the Outer Guard and a symbol of the Element of Air to remind us to keep all communications within the Temple, here within the Temple; and all communications outside the Temple, there without the Temple. "The two columns on the altar represent the right and left-hand pillars of the Tree of Life. The black column standing on the upper left-hand corner of the altar represents the Pillar of Power, the left-hand pillar on the Tree of Life. This pillar is also called the Pillar of Severity, Pillar of Water or the Pillar of Cloud. The white column standing on the upper right-hand corner of the altar represents the Pillar of Compassion. It is also called the Pillar of Mercy or the Pillar of Fire. "The Banner of the East is a representation of the Tree of Life. The Banner of the East stands in the masculine corner of the Temple, the Southeast, between the Elements of Air and Fire. The gold six-pointed star at the top of the banner represents the six higher spheres on the Tree of Life and is a symbol of the Divine. The equal-armed red cross below is a symbol of the four mundane Elements of Air, Water, Fire and Earth. It represents the four lower spheres on the Tree of Life. The white background of this banner is a symbol of the light we seek when we quit the darkness. "The Banner in the West is a symbol of the five initiations given by The Magical Golden Dawn. The Banner of the West stands in the feminine corner of the Temple, the Northwest, between the Elements of Water and Earth. The white triangle represents the first initiation to the rank of Seeker or 0 = 0. Within the white triangle is the equal-armed red cross a symbol of the four Elements and the four Elemental initiations to follow. The black background of this banner is a symbol of the darkness we must quit to seek the light. "The stations in the Temple are five in number. The first station is raised upon the dais in the East and it is occupied by the Master of the Temple. This station represents the Element of Spirit. On the Tree of Life it is the sixth sphere, the sphere of harmony, balance, and beauty. As this sphere is above the astral and mundane worlds of the mundane Elements, so is the Master of the Temple above the Masters of the mundane Elements. "The second station is located in front of the dais in the East of the Temple and it represents the Element of Air. This is the station of the Master of Air whose primary duty is to care for the present and future needs of the members of this Temple which is a reminder to all of us to first take care of our present obligations and prepare for the future. On the Tree of Life this is the eighth sphere, the sphere of the mind and our mental world. "The third station is located in the West of the Temple and it represents the Element of Water. This is the station of the Master of Water whose primary duty is to care for the relationships and morale of the members of this Temple which is a reminder to all of us to first take care of our own relationships and our own positive outlook on life. On the Tree of Life this is the ninth sphere, the sphere of the emotions and our astral world. "The fourth station is located in the South of the Temple and it represents the Element of Fire. This is the station of the Master of Fire whose primary duty is to mediate the passionate concerns of the members of this Temple which is a reminder to all of us to find that point of balance between all passions which is acceptable to others. On the Tree of Life this is the seventh sphere, the sphere of desire and our intuitive world. "The fifth station is located in the North of the Temple and it represents the Element of Earth. This is the station of the Master of Earth whose primary duty is to care for the needs of this Temple and everything within it, which is to remind us to first take care of our own Temple and then we may apply ourselves to our other duties. On the Tree of Life this is the tenth and final sphere, the sphere of manifestation. "The invisible stations of this Temple are five in number. They are the stations of the Angels of the Elements, the Angels of the Four Corners of the World, the Angel Above, the Angel Below, and the station of the five Wandering Angels. The first four stations are fixed in the Temple at specific places. The fifth is not. "The Angels of the Elements are four in number and they reside in the center of the four directions: 1) the Angel of Air in the East, 2) the Anger of Water in the West, 3) the Angel of Fire in the South, and 4) the Angel of Earth in the North. The Master of each of these Elements is responsible for creating and maintaining the astral form of the Angels of their Element within the Temple. When necessary, each of these officers will also assist the Outer Guard in maintaining the two Angels of the Four Corners of the World adjacent to their Element. "The Angels of the Four Corners of the World are four in number and they reside in the four corners of the Temple where they mediate between the Elements on their right and left. The Angels of Above and Below reside above and below where they mediate between the non-contingent Elements of Air and Water, Fire and Earth. The Outer Guard is responsible for creating and maintaining these six astral forms during the initiation ceremony. "The wandering stations are reserved for your Spirit Guide and Guardian Angel. Your Guardian Angel plays a very important part in your initiations by protecting you during the ceremonies from all forms of psychic, astral, mental, emotional, psychological or spiritual attacks. Your Spirit Guide is there to assist you with the spiritual aspects of your initiation. "The place of the Inner Guard is within the Temple near the door. The duty of the Inner Guard is to conduct Candidates through the initiations and act as a messenger for the elected officers of the Temple.The Inner Guard is the only officer that carries a staff within the Temple and that staff is used for protection only. "The place of the Outer Guard is outside the door to the Temple. The duty of the Outer Guard is to alert the Inner Guard to the presence of members, candidates, and welcome or unwelcome visitors. "This concludes the teaching of the Temple for the rank of Seeker. You will now be taught how to make the various implements used in your ceremony." |
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