SELF-INITIATION CEREMONY OF THE ENTERER OF THE THRESHOLD Issued by the FOR THE NEOPHYTE
Thelemic Order
of the Golden Dawn
GRADE OF THE
THELEMIC ORDER
OF THE GOLDEN DAWN
REQUIRED
For the Candidate: Black Tau Robe. Red Shoes or Socks. (Note: Black pertains to the Outer Order, referring to the darkness of Matter, which conceals the Light. Red pertains to Mars and to the God Horus. Mars is the Planet of the Warrior and Horus is the Warrior God. Thus wearing Red shoes or socks indicates that you are on the Path of the Warrior-Magician.)
For the Temple: Altar. Black and White Pillars. Thelemic Golden Dawn Banners. Stele of Revealing. Cup of Lustral Water for Purification. Censer of Incense for Consecration.
For the Altar: Rose in the East. Red Lamp in the South. Cup of Wine (or Water) in the West. Paten of Bread and Salt (or Cake of Light) in the North. Copy of Liber Legis (The Book of the Law) in the Center.
(Important Note: If you do not have any of the Temple requirements listed above, you may substitute them with other similar objects. These objects, however, should be magically consecrated before you apply them in the ceremony. In other words, the objects should be dedicated to the ceremony through Prayer and with Fire [Abramelin Oil], making them fit instruments of your Will.)
THE OPENING
Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram or Liber XXV, the Ritual of the Star Ruby. Go to the Center of the Temple, knock 3-5-3 on the Altar, and say: Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Take up the Cup of Purification, hold it up toward the East, and say: So therefore first the initiate who governeth the works of Fire must sprinkle with the Lustral Waters of the resounding Sea. Make a Cross in the Air with the Cup, and sprinkle a few drops of Water three times toward the East. Pass to the South, West and North, repeating the purification in each quarter, then return to the East, and say: I purify the Temple with Water. Take up the Censer of Consecration, hold it up toward the East, and say: And when all the phantoms have vanished, thou shalt see that Holy and Formless Fire, that Fire which darts and flashes through the hidden depths of the Universe. Make a Cross in the Air with the Censer, and swing it thrice toward the East. Pass to the South, West and North, repeating the censing at each quarter, then return to the East, and say: I consecrate the Temple with Fire. Circumambulate three times, clockwise, giving the Sign of Horus when passing the East so as to project the force that radiates therefrom, and say: The Mystick Circumambulation symbolical of the Rise of Light is accomplished! Go to the Center of the Temple, face East, give the Sign of Horus, and say: Unity uttermost showed! Appear on the Throne of Ra! Return in the Sign of Silence, and then say:
I adore the might of Thy breath,
Supreme and Terrible God,
Who makest the gods and death
To tremble before Thee: --
I, I adore Thee!
Open the ways of the Khu!
Lighten the ways of the Ka!
The ways of the Khabs run through
To stir me or still me!
Aum! let it fill me!
In the Name of the Supreme and Terrible Lord of the Universe, Crowned and Conquering, I declare that the Sun of Light has arisen and the Shadows of Darkness flee away!
Knock and say: KHABS. Knock and say: KONX. Knock and say: LIGHT. Knock 3-5-3 on the Altar, and say: Love is the Law, Love under Will.
Knock and say: AM.
Knock and say: PEKHT.
Knock and say: OM.
Knock and say: PAX.
Knock and say: IN.
Knock and say: EXTENSION.
Make the Signs of the Neophyte and depart from the Temple in the Sign of Silence.
THE INITIATION
I have gladly received dispensation from Frater A\ A\, the Founder of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn, to initiate myself into the Grade of the Neophyte and to be initiated as a Warrior-Magician of Thelema.
I shall now lose my public name and will henceforth be known as Frater/Soror [Neophyte Motto]. I am the Inheritor of a Dying World. I shall now rise and enter the Darkness!
The Mother of Darkness hath blinded me with Her Hair!
The Father of Darkness hath hidden me under His Wings! My limbs are still weary from the wars that were in Heaven.
Unpurified and Unconsecrated, I cannot enter the Temple.
Dip your thumb in the Lustral Water, make with it a Cross on your Brow, sprinkle yourself three times, and say:
I purify myself with Water.
Make a Cross with the Censer, and waving it toward yourself three times, say:
I consecrate myself with Fire.
Enter the Temple, go to the foot of the Altar, face East, and say:
I, [Neophyte Motto], proclaim that it is my Will to be initiated as a Neophyte of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn.
The One Law of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn is the Law of Thelema: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the Law, Love under Will." In freedom I have entered this Temple to initiate myself as a Neophyte, and only in freedom must I obligate myself to anyone or anything. The Sun of Light came not to bind, but to free humanity. In freedom I must do my Will. I have no right but to do my Will. I will do that, and no other shall say nay.
I will now place my hands on the Book of the Law to signify my Will to exercise the Law of Liberty, and I will take the Oath of the Neophyte.
THE OATH OF THE NEOPHYTE I, [Neophyte Motto], in the Presence of the Supreme and Terrible Lord of the Universe, Crowned and Conquering, and in this Temple of the Neophyte of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn, do, of my own free Will, hereby and hereon, most solemnly promise and swear to keep sacred and inviolate all real secrets and true mysteries of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn, to regard myself as owing to mankind the preservation of those most Holy Secrets, and to neither abuse nor debase them for my own selfish or ill intent. I submit myself, by my own consent, to the Spiritual Current of this Order of Thelema, that I may learn its Holy Secrets, and acquire its Hidden Knowledge, for the attainment of the Great Work, and not for the abuse or betrayal of the Wisdom of its Holy Sanctuary. I solemnly promise and swear not to suffer myself to be placed in such a state of passivity, that any uninitiated person or profane power may cause me to lose control of my words or actions, lest I reveal what must never be known to the profane. I solemnly promise and swear to obtain knowledge and control of the nature and powers of my own being, to discover my own True Will, and to allow for the free fulfillment of my magical development in the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn. I solemnly promise and swear to persevere with courage and determination in the labors of the Magick Art, even as I shall persevere with courage and determination through this Magical Ceremony of Initiation. I solemnly promise and swear that I will not debase my magical knowledge and powers to harm another at any time tried or under any temptation. I will only use my magical knowledge and powers to accomplish the Great Work of Thelema. I solemnly promise and swear that I will endure every experience necessary to the growth and expansion of my freedom; and that I will persist in all Sacred Labors and endure all Magical Ceremonies of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn. I solemnly promise and swear to undertake to maintain a Fraternal/Sororal relation with all the Fratres and Sorores of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn. I will honor every member of the Order as a Star, and I will assist them by whatever means are necessary to accomplish their True Will, if so called upon; and I will respect them by doing my own True Will in freedom, without interference or conflict of any kind. I solemnly promise and swear to assist in the creation and development of a New Race of free men and women who are governed by the Law of Thelema, and to always uphold that Law in adoration of the Spirit of Liberty, and to exercise that Law in all of my actions that I may be free to know and do my own True Will. I solemnly promise and swear upon the Book of the Law to freely observe all these things without evasion, equivocation or mental reservation. Furthermore, if I break this, my Magical Obligation, I will nevertheless continue to submit myself, by my own consent, to the Spiritual Current of this Order of Thelema, that I may one day again be called and prepared for the Great Initiation, in this life or in another to come. May the Secret Chiefs of the Order crown this Work, lend me of their Wisdom in this Work, and enable me to Understand this Work of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn. I will now seal this solemn Oath of Obligation three times with my lips on the Book of the Law. Kiss the Book of the Law three times and then put it back on the Altar. I will now place myself in the Northern part of the Temple -- the place of Forgetfulness, Weakness and Necessity, and of the greatest symbolical Darkness. Go to the Northern part of the Temple, and say: The Voice of my Undying and Secret Soul said unto me, "Let me enter the Path of Darkness and, peradventure, there shall I find the Light. I am the only Being in an Abyss of Darkness; from an Abyss of Darkness came I forth ere my birth, from the Silence of a Primal Sleep." And the Voice of Ages answered to my Soul, "I am He who formulates in Darkness -- the Light that shineth in Darkness, yet the Darkness comprehendeth it not." I will now perform the Mystick Circumambulation in the Path of Knowledge that leadeth unto Light! Circumambulate clockwise, but without Signs. Stop in the South after the second passing of the East, and say: Unpurified and Unconsecrated, I cannot enter the Path of the West. Dip your thumb in the Lustral Water, make with it a Cross on your Brow, sprinkle yourself three times, and say: I purify myself with Water. Make a Cross with the Censer, and waving it toward yourself three times, say: I consecrate myself with Fire. Twice purified and twice consecrated, I may approach the Gateway of the West. Continue to Circumambulate, but halt in the West, imagine a Threatening Force emanating from the West, and say: Darkness is the Name of the Guardian of the West, O Thou Great One of the Paths of the Shades. Fear is failure and the forerunner of failure. Therefore I shall fear neither men not Fates, nor gods, nor anything. For Nu is my refuge, as Hadit my Light; and Ra-Hoor-Khuit is the strength, force, and vigor of my arms. Continue to Circumambulate, but halt in the North after passing the West, and say: Unpurified and Unconsecrated, I cannot enter the Path of the East. Dip your thumb in the Lustral Water, make with it a Cross on your Brow, sprinkle yourself three times, and say: I purify myself with Water. Make a Cross with the Censer, and waving it toward yourself three times, say: I consecrate myself with Fire. Thrice purified and thrice consecrated, I may approach the Gateway of the East. Continue to Circumambulate, but halt in the East, imagine an Illuminating Force emanating from the East, and say: Light Dawning in Darkness is the Name of the Guardian of the East, O Thou Light of a Golden Day! Unbalanced Power is the ebbing away of Life.
Unbalanced Mercy is weakness and the fading out of the Will.
Unbalanced Severity is cruelty and the barrenness of Mind.
Go to the West of the Altar, face East, and say the Invocation to Horus.
THE INVOCATION O Thou Supreme and Terrible Lord of the Universe, Who art the Crowned One: the Hawk-Headed Lord of the Sun: Conquering Child of the New Aeon: Lord of the Force and the Fire of the World: Thee, Thee, I invoke! Hear me, Thou Supreme and Terrible One, and grant that my Will be done: that I be initiated and instructed in thy Wisdom and thy Power: that I be granted the strength and courage to uphold and exercise thy Way of Liberty, as a God who is free to do my True Will among the legions of the living; and grant unto me the comprehension of all that will bring me nearer unto Thee! Teach me, Lord Horus, more of thy Mystery and thy Mastery; let each day and night bring me nearer unto Thee! Let me aid Thee in thy Great Work upon the earth, so that I may one day become truly united unto Thee in all Thy Infinite Glory of Light, Life, Love and Liberty. I invoke Thee, Lord Horus, to guard and guide me through the many Paths of Life, that I may at length become one with thy Supreme and Terrible Essence! O Lord of the Universe, grant Thou that upon me may shine forth the Light of my True Soul; and let me be guided by the help of my Holy Guardian Angel unto the attainment of Thy Infinite Light. And from hereon, teach me this one thing: how I may learn from Thee the Mysteries of thy Sacred Magick of Thelema: that I may obtain the Knowledge and Power of my True Will, and thus attain to the Knowledge and Conversation of my Holy Guardian Angel; and how best I may use that Knowledge and Power to assist my fellow men and women to accomplish the Great Work on earth. And finally, I implore Thee, to let there be a link of unity between us; that I may ever seek, and seeking, obtain Freedom and Knowledge in Thee who art my very Selfhood, that I may duly partake of thy Supreme Spirit of Power to attain the Philosopher's Stone, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom, and Perfect Happiness.
TO HORUS
AUMGN. AUMGN. AUMGN.
Make the Signs of the Neophyte, and say:
I am the inheritor of a Dying World, but I am now called to the Living Beauty. I am a wanderer in the Wild Darkness, but I am now called to the Living Light. Long have I dwelt in Darkness -- but I will now quit the night and seek the Day! For I am now a Neophyte of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn! May the Light of the Dawning Sun extend upon me!
KHABS AM PEKHT.
KONX OM PAX.
LIGHT IN EXTENSION.
THE SECRETS
OF THE GRADE
Go to the East of the Altar. Face East. I will now proclaim the Signs and Word of the Neophyte. The Signs are two. The First or Saluting Sign is given thus: This is the Sign of Ra-Hoor-Khuit, the Conquering Child of Force and Fire, the Supreme and Terrible Lord of our Order of Thelema. It has also these names: "The Sign of the Enterer of the Threshold", "The Sign of Consecration" and "The Sign of Attacking". It represents the involution and bringing forward of the Light into the material to aid the Will of the Neophyte in his/her search for and aspiration toward his/her True Self. It is a Sign of tremendous Attacking Force and of projection of Will Power. It may be used in the Magical Acts of consecrating and charging Talismans or other objects of the Great Work. The second Sign is the Sign of Silence, and is given thus: This is the Sign of Hoor-Paar-Kraat, the Concealed Child of the New Aeon. This Sign has a double meaning. Firstly, it is the Sign of Defense. It is a Protection against all attack and danger of obsession. Secondly, it alludes to your obligation to keep sacred and inviolate all real secrets and true mysteries of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn, to keep silence regarding those most holy secrets and mysteries in the presence of the profane, to never reveal what must not be told. The first sign is always answered by the second. The Word of the Neophyte Grade is HOOR-PA-KRAAT. It is the Egyptian Name for the God of Silence, also called Harpocrates in the Greek tongue. Hoor-Pa-Kraat is the Concealed Child of the New Aeon and represents the Current of Forces ruling the earth at present. He is a Universal Symbol of the Silent Self or Holy Guardian Angel within. His Name, or the Word of this Grade, can be used as an Invocation of the Spirit of the Grade. When properly vibrated in the Sign of Silence, it becomes a Magical Word of Spiritual Power and Protection for the Neophyte of Magick. Advance forward and place yourself between the two Pillars of the Temple, and say: I will now perform the final Purification and Consecration. Dip your thumb in the Lustral Water, make with it a Cross on your Brow, sprinkle yourself three times, and say: I purify myself with Water. Make a Cross with the Censer, and waving it toward yourself three times, say: I consecrate myself with Fire. I will now perform the Mystick Circumambulation in the Path-way of Light.
Circumambulate clockwise, three times, giving the Sign of Horus on passing the East.
THE LECTURE Now position yourself between the Two Pillars of the Temple, assume the Stance of Equilibrium (Sign of the Cross), and say: I will now read and impress upon myself the Lecture of Balance, so that I may understand the importance of the Path of Equilibrium as essential to magical progress. Learn first -- Oh thou who aspirest unto our New Order of Thelema! -- that Equilibrium is the basis of the Great Work. If thou thy self hast not a sure foundation, whereon wilt thou stand to direct the forces of Nature? Know then, that as man is born into this world amidst the Darkness of Matter, and the strife of contending forces; so must his first endeavor be to seek the Light through their reconciliation. Thou then, who hast trials and troubles, rejoice because of them, for in them is Strength, and by their means is a pathway opened unto that Light. How should it be otherwise, O man, whose life is but a day in Eternity, a drop in the Ocean of Time; how, were thy trials not many, couldest thou purge thy soul from the dross of the earth? Rejoice therefore, O Initiate, for the greater thy trial the greater thy Triumph! Yet, oh aspirant, let thy victories bring thee not vanity, for with increase of Knowledge should come increase of Wisdom. He who knoweth little, thinketh he knoweth much; but he who knoweth much hath learned his own ignorance. Thou therefore who desirest Magical Gifts, be sure that thy soul is firm and steadfast; for it is by flattering thy weaknesses that the Weak Ones will gain power over thee. Humble thyself before thy Self, yet fear neither man nor spirit. Fear is failure, and the forerunner of failure: and courage is the beginning of virtue. Therefore fear not the Spirits, but be firm and courteous with them; for thou hast no right to despise or revile them; and this too may lead thee astray. Command and banish them, curse them by the Great Names if need be; but neither mock nor revile them, for so assuredly wilt thou be led into error. A man is what he maketh himself within the limits fixed by his inherited destiny; he is a part of mankind; his actions affect not only what he calleth himself, but also the whole Universe. Worship, and neglect not, the physical body, which is thy temporary connection with the outer and material world. Therefore let thy mental Equilibrium be above disturbance by material events; strengthen and control the animal passions, discipline the emotions and the reason, nourish the Higher Aspirations. Remember that unbalanced force is but folly and stupidity; that unbalanced severity is but cruelty and oppression; but that also unbalanced mercy is but weakness that would allow and abet ignorance. Act passionately; think rationally; be Thyself. True Ritual is as much action as word; it is Will. Remember that this earth is but an atom in the Universe, and that thou thyself art but an atom thereon, and that even couldest thou become the God of this earth whereon thou crawlest and grovellest, that thou wouldest, even then, be but an atom, and one amongst many. Nevertheless have the greatest self-respect, and to that end sin not against thyself. The sin which is unpardonable is knowingly and willfully to deny truth, to fear knowledge lest that knowledge pander not to thy prejudices. To obtain Magical Power, learn to control thought; admit only those ideas that are in harmony with the end desired, and not every stray and contradictory idea that presents itself. Fixed thought is a means to an end. Therefore pay attention to the power of silent thought and meditation. The material act is but the outward expression of thy thought. Thought is the commencement of action, and if a chance thought could produce much effect, what cannot fixed thought do?
OF BALANCE
Therefore, as hath already been said, Establish thyself firmly in the equilibrium of forces, in the center of the Cross of the Elements, that Cross from whose center the Creative Word issued in the birth of the Dawning Universe!
THE PROCLAMATION
OF THE NEOPHYTE
In the Name of the Supreme and Terrible Lord of the Universe, Crowned and Conquering, and by the magickal lineage of Frater A\ A\, the Founder of the Order, I now proclaim that I, [Public Name], who will henceforth be known by the Motto [Neophyte Motto], have initiated myself as a Neophyte in the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Make the Signs of the Neophyte.
THE CLOSING
Go to the Center of the Temple, knock 3-5-3 on the Altar, and say: Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Go to the East of the Temple. Take up the Cup of Purification, hold it up toward the East, and say: So therefore first the initiate who governeth the works of Fire must sprinkle with the Lustral Waters of the resounding Sea. Make a Cross in the Air with the Cup, and sprinkle a few drops of Water three times toward the East. Pass to the South, West and North, repeating the purification in each quarter, then return to the East, and say: I purify the Temple with Water. Take up the Censer of Consecration, hold it up toward the East, and say: And when all the phantoms have vanished, thou shalt see that Holy and Formless Fire, that Fire which darts and flashes through the hidden depths of the Universe. Make a Cross in the Air with the Censer, and swing it thrice toward the East. Pass to the South, West and North, repeating the censing at each quarter, then return to the East, and say: I consecrate the Temple with Fire. Circumambulate three times, counterclockwise, giving the Sign of Horus when passing the East, and then say: The Mystick Circumambulation is accomplished. It is the symbol of the Fading Light. Go to the Center of the Temple, face East, give the Sign of Horus, and say: Unity uttermost showed! Appear on the Throne of Ra!
I adore the might of Thy breath,
Supreme and Terrible God,
Who makest the gods and death
To tremble before Thee: --
I, I adore Thee!
Open the ways of the Khu!
Lighten the ways of the Ka!
The ways of the Khabs run through
To stir me or still me!
Aum! let it fill me!
Return in the Sign of Silence.
Nothing now remains but to partake of the Mystick Repast, composed of the symbols of the Four Elements, and to establish myself in the Center of the Holy Cross, in the Sanctuary of my Soul. Take up the Rose. I inhale the perfume of this Sacred Rose, as a symbol of the Element of Air and Liberty. Smell the Rose. I feel the warmth of this Sacred Flame, as a symbol of the Element of Fire and Light. Spread your hands over the Fire. I eat this Cake of Light (or Sacred Bread and Salt), as a symbol of the Element of Earth and Life. If you are not using a Cake of Light, then dip the Bread in the Salt and eat it. And finally, I drink this Sacred Wine (or Holy Water if under twenty-one years of age), as a symbol of the Element of Water and Love. Make a Cross with the Cup and drink from it. It is done! Replace the Cup. Knock and say: KHABS. Knock and say: KONX. Knock and say: LIGHT. Now say: In the Name of the Crowned and Conquering Lord of the Universe, I declare that the Temple of the Neophyte is duly closed. May what I have partaken maintain me in my search for the QUINTESSENCE, the Stone of the Philosophers, the SUMMUM BONUM, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness. Knock 3-5-3, and say: Love is the Law, Love under Will. ABRAHADABRA. Make the Signs of the Neophyte toward the East of the Temple, and depart from the Temple in the Sign of Silence, yea, depart from the Temple in the Sign of Silence. By David Cherubim (Frater Aurora Aureae) with
Knock and say: AM.
Knock and say: PEKHT.
Knock and say: OM.
Knock and say: PAX.
Knock and say: IN.
Knock and say: EXTENSION.
the assistance of Frater 5\5\ Copyright © 1992 e.v.
Revised version, Copyright © 2003 e.v. All rights reserved.