Magical Golden Dawn |
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MAKING THE IMPLEMENTS Third Lecturer: "As a Seeker you are requested to make a symbol for the Element of Earth suitable for use as a magical implement. This magical implement is to be in the form of a pentacle. It is intended to become your representative for the Element of Earth on your spiritual altar. You will later be requested to make a symbol for the Elements of Water, Air, Fire and Spirit. "The Pentacle of Earth may be made from any substance including wood, ceramic, stone, reinforced fabric, leather, hide, glass and some plastics which can be painted. It should be circular in form and anywhere from four to eight inches in diameter. Smaller or larger circles can be used though some effort should be given to making all of the elemental implements of approximately the same size. "The five-sided star or pentacle can be drawn on this surface with paint, indelible pen, India ink or any permanent marker. Lines should be drawn across the base of the five arms to make a pentagram in the center and five triangles for the five arms. The center area of the pentagram is to be colored black emblematic of the darkness which all Seekers desire to quit. The area surrounding the pentacle is to be colored gray as a symbol of your status as a Seeker no longer swallowed up by darkness but not yet fully established in the Divine Light. The top arm of the pentacle is to be white, the top right arm blue, the top left yellow, the bottom right red and the bottom left green. These colors are given as though you are looking at the pentacle in front of you. "You may adorn the Pentacle of Earth in any manner you desire and give it a protective coating. This is your pentacle to be used for your rituals. If you don't know what symbols you wish to place on your pentacle, or any other magical implement, I suggest you wait and add these symbols later if that's what you decide to do. "The Cup of Unlimited Compassion may be made from any substance including glass, ceramic, metal, stoneware or plastic. It should be blue in color whether naturally or by paint, stain or other means. It need not be water-tight as the Water of Compassion is not physical water. But you will need a cup that can hold physical water to be used for purification, blessing and consecrating objects and yourself during your rituals. The Cup of Unlimited Compassion can be used for both purposes or two separate cups or containers can be used. "The Book of Knowledge can be loose-leaf pages held within a yellow binder or any binder which can be painted or otherwise colored yellow. This book you are requested to make as your first magical project so you may keep a full and complete record of all your magical and spiritual practices. "You will never be required to create a two-edged sword, dagger or knife as a symbol of Air for your altar as the Book of Knowledge is used for that purpose. However, should you decide to purchase or make your own double-edged implement you may want to place appropriate symbols on it and consecrate it for the specific purposes you have in mind. "Your Wand of Mercy is best made from a piece of wood though rock, crystal, metal or plastic may also be used. It is recommended this wand be painted or otherwise colored red to differentiate it from any other wands you may create for other purposes. Your wand should probably not be longer than twice the diameter of your pentacle. Something in the area of eight to twelve inches seems to work best for most Seekers. "An equal-sided white triangle about the size of your pentacle can be used for the center of your altar as a symbol for the Spirit Element. Paint or otherwise color an equal-armed cross in the middle of your triangle and color it red. "The Columns of Compassion (white) and Power (black) can be made from one foot long two-inch diameter dowels or any other substance of your choice. A small three-inch square base can be screwed to the base of each column. One should be colored black and the other white. Adorn both of them according to your desires. "The emblems of the officers can be made from stiffened fabric, wood, metal, plastic or any other suitable substance. They can be suspended around the neck with white cord so the emblem reaches into the area of the officer's heart The circles should be about two inches in diameter for both Air and Earth with a shaft as long as the diameter of the circle. The shaft for Air goes at the top and the shaft for Earth goes on the bottom. The emblem for Air is colored yellow and the emblem for Earth is green. "The three sides of the triangles for Water and Fire should be about as long as the diameter of the circles for the other two emblems. The triangle for Water points downward and is colored blue. The triangle for Fire points upward and is red. "The emblems for the four Past Masters are white circles which are half-again as large as the circles for Air and Earth. They should be about three inches in diameter if the others are two inches in diameter. The Master of the Temple emblem is the same size with a black dot painted in the middle and a black rim around the outer 1/3 of the emblem. "The emblem for the Inner Guard is the Staff of Light. This can be a walking stick of any height with a rubber tip at the base to protect the floor of the Temple. The Staff may be of any color or left in its natural state according to the wishes of the individual. It may be adorned with symbols or not at the option of the owner. "The Banner of the East is made from a square piece of white fabric of any size suspended from a length of half-inch to one-inch wood, metal or plastic dowel. The usual size is two to four feet square depending upon the size of the Temple. The design is made from cut fabric and is a gold-colored six-pointed star above with a red equal-armed cross below. The Banner of the West is made in like manner using black cloth with a white triangle in the middle and an equal-armed red cross in the middle of that. "Your magical altar may be made of any substance and size to suit your purposes. It should be small enough to not be a burden upon you or visitors to your Temple. It should also be large enough to serve the useful purpose of supporting your magical implements. By using a little ingenuity you will find exactly the right size for you and adorn it in a pleasing manner for your purposes. "This completes the description of making the implements and concludes the lectures of this degree. I now direct your attention to the Fourth Lecturer" THE INVISIBLE STATION OF AWARENESS Fourth Lecturer: "At your initiation as a Seeker you were taught 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. "I direct your attention now to the first of the five wandering invisible stations. This is the Station of Awareness, which is located throughout the Temple and encompasses everything and everyone within the Temple. It emanates from the first sphere on the Tree of Life and encompasses all the other spheres in its circle of influence. It resides in the spiritual plane of existence. Consequently, Awareness encompasses the physical, emotional, mental and intuitive planes of existence. This is the initial creative aspect of the Divine incarnate in the flesh. "The Tree of Life teaches us many things but the first lesson we must learn is that everything is created first by awareness; and nothing can be created without it. For if there is no awareness, there is no possibility or probability of creating anything. With awareness there is both the probability and the possibility something can be created. "Thus it is with our lives. We can accomplish only those things that we are aware can be accomplished. We cannot accomplish anything of which we are not aware. The key to creating anything is awareness. The key to changing anything is awareness. The key to being anything is awareness. "The concept of Awareness is assigned to the Creator. While conducting a ceremony, the Inner Guard is responsible for creating and maintaining the astral God-form of the Creator of all that is. I charge you now to practice creating a God-form for the Creator and thus form the wandering invisible station of Awareness. "Creating a God-form is the same process you have been using to create an astral form for your Guardian Angel, which practice you are to continue as well. You may find the God-form to be more abstract than the form you create for your Guardian Angel. This is of no concern at this time. With practice your skill will improve. "This concludes the Invisible Station of Awareness 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 Sojourner. These teachings will be made more clear to you by a further understanding of the Temple in which you were initiated. I direct your attention now to the Master of the Temple. THE SEEKER IS A FOOL Master of the Temple: + [ One knock is designated by the + sign. ] "Officers, [ all the officers stand ] prepare the Temple for the final lecture. Inner and Outer Guards, prepare the Seeker for the final lecture." The Inner Guard: "Please accompany me to the Preparation Room." [ The Inner Guard exits the Temple, you follow and the Outer Guard follows behind you to the Preparation Room. The Outer Guard closes the door and remains outside. The Inner Guard asks you if you have any questions about any part of the ceremony or lectures. The Inner Guard answers your questions and prompts you concerning the ceremony and various lectures. Your discussions are interrupted by a knock on the door followed by the opening of the door and an announcement from the Outer Guard that the Temple is prepared for the final lecture. The Outer Guard closes the door. The Inner Guard acknowledges this announcement and continues to answer all your questions. The Inner Guard stands when all your questions have been answered and says: Come with me." The Inner Guard leads you to the open door to the Temple. You notice the hallway is dimly lit and the doorway opens to a landing with a painting on the floor of steps descending to your left. ] Inner Guard: "You will now be asked to descend into the Lower Chamber of the Temple by walking over this representation of seven steps. [ The Inner Guard takes you by the arm and walks you over the seven steps one step at a time.] "These first seven steps allude to the seven initiations and seven degrees conferred by this Temple. They are the Seeker or 0 = 0 degree which you have now received, the Elemental Grades of 1 = 10, 2 = 9, 3 = 8, and 4 = 7 which you may attain in the future, the Chartering should you decide to start your own Temple at some future date, and the Master degree which will make you the Master of your own or another Temple. [ You reach a platform at the bottom of the seventh step and see seven more steps descending to your right. ] "These second seven steps allude to the seven arts and sciences we teach in the Temple. They are the arts and sciences of Astrology, Geomancy, Numerology, The Oracle, Palm reading, Runes and Tarot. You are to learn three of these arts and sciences as you work your way through the Elemental Grades. [ You reach a second platform and see seven more steps descending to your right. ] "These third seven steps allude to the seven principle officers of the Temple and the seven principle rituals of Magical Golden Dawn. They are the Master of the Temple and the Sphere of Protection, The Master of Air and the Air purification ritual, The Master of Water and the Water purification ritual, the Master of Fire and the Fire purification ritual, the Master of Earth and the Earth purification ritual, the Inner Guard and the Ritual of the Pentagram, and the Outer Guard and the Ritual of the Hexagram. "Having descended these twenty-one steps leading to the Lower Chamber of the Temple, we now stand on a platform outside the door to the lower chamber. You will need to knock on the door one time to gain admission." [ You knock. The door opens and the Outer Guard stands in the doorway. The room is dark. ] Outer Guard: "Step down onto the floor of the Lower Chamber and enter. You will need to use the Sign of a Seeker to find your way through the darkness." [ The Inner Guard assists you in doing this and entering the room. ] Inner Guardian: "Look, there is a light to guide us on our journey." [ You look up and see what appears to be a candle flame. You continue walking toward the light and three more lights appear. The Inner Guard continues to lead you around the room to the altar. Your route has been counter clockwise about the Lower Chamber of the Temple to the altar.] Fourth Lecturer: "You now stand for the second time before the altar of the Temple of Seekers. Before you are the four tapers representing the Elements of Air, Water, Fire and Earth which lighted your way to the place where you now stand. The white triangle and red cross symbol of this Temple has been replaced by a placard representing the Seeker.
"The main figure of this placard is a Seeker high up in the mountains. The Seeker carries a sack of garbage tied to a wand. The Seeker stands on a precipice with one foot raised as if to step off into the abyss below. A small dog jumps beside the Seeker. The Seeker is a Child of the Divine. "The Seeker represents you before you decided to incarnate in this world of ignorance, before you manifested in this world of darkness. It represents all of us as we make the decision to enter this world of suffering and pain to learn what we will learn. The Seeker represents all of us as we prepare to jump off the cliff in the rarified World of Air at the top of the Tree of Life, through the Veil of Truth into the World of Water, through the Veil of Illusion into the World of Fire, and through the Veil of Ignorance into the World of Earth. The Seeker jumps and in an instantaneous flash of light the Seeker becomes a Child of the Earth. "The Seeker is born in this physical universe and spends a lifetime traveling back up the Tree of Life from the World of Earth through the Veil of Ignorance to the World of Fire, from the World of Fire up through the Veil of Illusion to the World of Water, and from the World of Water through the Veil of Truth and back into the World of Air. There the Seeker will once again decide to incarnate on the Tree of Life again or not. The decision is always ours. "To the ignorant, it appears foolish to work one's way up the Tree of Life, to sacrifice time and energy to do internal work, to build better relationships and seek a closer communion with the Divine. To the ignorant it appears foolish to value love more than money, the Divine more than things and true friendship more than accomplishments. To the ignorant it appears foolish to travel a path of acceptance, forgiveness and love rather than join in the greed, envy, and avarice of the world. It appears foolish to value truth over salesmanship, happiness over income at any price, and peace of mind over winning at all costs. "In the tarot, the Seeker is called the Fool. The Seeker and the Fool are the same person seen from different perspectives. Here in The Magical Golden Dawn we value truth, happiness, peace of mind, acceptance, forgiveness, love and communion with the Divine above all the glitter, fame and fortune of the World of Ignorance. While the world may see us as foolish we see ourselves as seekers of acceptance, forgiveness and love. While the world may call us Fools, we call ourselves Seekers and we seek the truth of the creation, the truth of the Divine and the truth about ourselves. As you study the tarot, remember that the Seeker is the Fool. "This completes The Seeker is a Fool Lecture. I now direct your attention to the Master of the Temple in the East." |
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