Starting and Maintaining a Working Golden Dawn Temple
GH Frater Sol Invictus
…”build our own temple, from bricks of lived experience…”
The Olympic Spirits
~Frater Acher~
While many people want to join a Golden Dawn group, they are often hamstrung by the lack of one nearby. This leads some to walk the much harder and lonely path of self-initiation. However, there is a third way: getting together with a group of friends to work the system without trying to get much in the way of an Order affiliation. This is exactly what the Hermanubis Temple of Texas in Lubbock tried, and this is what happened.
I guess you have to start at the beginning. Unfortunately, I will have to give a bit of personal background to lay the foundation of what comes after. I am 68. ‘Back in the day’, there wasn’t a great deal of published material on Magic(k). I remember my first couple of books-Crowley’s Magick, and of course Regardie’s Golden Dawn. There were the 60’s/70’s mass paperbacks on Witchcraft, Channelling and various other things like crystal skulls, Atlantis, Lemuria. (The Satanic Bible and the ‘dreaded’ Necromonicon-tongue-in-cheek) You get the picture, it was pretty rubbish and nothing with substance, or workable material. I read what I could, did what I did and knew in my heart that there was in all probability never going to be anything close to a Golden Dawn Temple in the remote, small west Texas town of Lubbock (Famous for Buddy Holly and Texas Tech Red Raiders).
At that time, mail order ‘Orders’ were the thing. Paul Foster Case’s Builders of the Adytum [B.O.T.A] and Montalban’s Order of the Morning Star [O.M.S.] were all a thing. I studied with O.M.S. for several months-then found that the teachings were available pretty much in the unauthorised The Sacred Magic of the Angels by David Goddard.
I collected ritual tools and items associated with the Golden Dawn over the years. I bought a nice set of East and West banners, which were well crafted and obviously used. I ordered a set of elemental tools crafted for me. (I didn’t even have to pay an arm and a leg at the time) I did the consecration rituals for them, to the best of my ability and experience from Regardie’s book.
I met up with some like-minded folks who were serious about Magick, and we did some work together, mostly from recently published grimoires (More magickal publications were popping up and Lewellyn might have been pushing things out around about this time).
On 23 October 2009, a gentleman I had met through a woman he was dating, who spent time with a local group, contacted me after seeing the banners hanging in my study. He asked me if I was interested in the Golden Dawn.
We decided to co-create a working Temple, using Cicero’s Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn as a basis for the curriculum.
The Temple was set up in his living room, and he and his now-wife did a wonderful job of creating it. His wife sewed curtains that hung from PVC pipe that was suspended from the corners of the room with a yellow drape for the East, actually curtains with a white drape behind it. Red drape in the South, a blue drape in the West and a black drape in the North. We built the pillars out of cardboard casing, according to the details as set for in the Cicero’s book Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple (Originally a single volume which is, now broken down into two).
We created all of the Temple tools ourselves-again from using the Cicero’s instructions. At the time, -I personally made the Keryx’s wand with wings, as set forth in following the Cicero’s instructions. This was to play an important role in the evolution of the Temple.
We named the Temple Hermanubis-Maat. I came up with the Hermanubis and Frater DATz came up with the Maat. Frater DATz had been a member of a GD Temple in Albuquerque New Mexico, and reached out to his mentor Soror Oz, for her blessing on the creation of the Temple. She gave us her blessing, although to my knowledge we never received an ‘official’ charter.
Our first Initiations took place on 30 January 2010. There were four members who were initiated into the 0=0 Neophyte degree. Frater DATz led the initiations. It was at this time-that we began a weekly study group on Sundays to study the degree material of the Neophyte so that we could be evaluated and move up to the next degree. We have maintained that weekly study group.
The Temple would meet once a month, and opened using the 0-0 ceremony for practice, business and to discuss things. It was around this time that we had our first disagreement. I had read various accounts of the ‘wings’ on the Wand of the Keryx and how ‘traditional’ GD temples did not have wings. I asked Frater DATz and he let me know in no uncertain terms that ‘his authority’ in this area was not to be questioned. Later-in “the Flight of Hermes: A Golden Dawn Blog’, by Soror F.S.O., an interview with Sandra Tabatha Cicero about this subject was published on the internet Friday, 25 February 2011. It was an insightful article and really cleared some things up. Some of the things that Tabatha stated in the article changed our perspectives about the Temple’s future.
“Chic and I try to indicate where we have used traditional Golden Dawn teachings and where we have adapted those teachings for a new approach…Is the modern Caduceus Wand of the Golden Dawn as described in Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple traditional? No. Is it better than a traditional painted staff said to “symbolise” a Caduceus Wand? We certainly think so…remember that it is absolutely fine to build upon and adapt the traditional teachings of the Golden Dawn to a more modern approach, and even a mixture of different spiritual traditions, so long as the various sources are made perfectly clear…So long as these different approaches work within the framework of their respective Orders, and spiritual growth is achieved by the Initiates, who is to say that one way is right and the others wrong? [There is] a responsibility to make sure that whatever materials they advocate are clearly identified as to their origins: original GD manuscripts, an spin-off Order, a specific temple within the greater Golden Dawn Tradition, a specific teacher’s oral tradition, or the author’s own thoughts and adaptations of GD material…living magical tradition takes its guidance from the past, but it must evolve to be relevant to lives of modern-day Initiates.”
Frater DATz and I discussed the article and on 6/16/11, we amicably decided to part ways. I will forever be thankful for the initial guidance and creative process that was experienced with Frater DATz and the work of his wife-in creating the Temple. It was wonderful.
One other member Soror A.K. and I decided to continue with the Hermanubis GD Temple. Previously, I did a search for Soror OZ in Alburquerque to ensure that our Temple did have her blessing via Frater DATz. After some serious efforts-contact was made-and it was validated (July 2010). Soror OZ was older, not in the best of health and no longer active. But she was gracious and kind in her words and communications. I thank her for that. Frater A.U.A. who was a member of B.O.T.A. joined us. The Temple of Hermanubis officially did its first with the 1=10 Zelator degree initiations on 8 August 2011. Frater A.U.A., Soror A.K. and I were initiated.
We had some tools and used folding wooden tables for the quarters with coloured scarfs to cover them. I had the banners of the east/west, and my Golden Dawn tools that we laid out on each altar. The central altar was another wooden folding table with a black scarf. We had made our cross and triangle before this initiation and they were used for the first time. Dimensions for all tools continued to be from the Cicero’s Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple. We made our robes and nemyss-ordering extra robes from a graduation outlet in the various colours needed.
We continued with the Temple and its work. We were supported by various members of the greater Golden Dawn community, for which we are eternally grateful and would not be where we are without their support, guidance, and no spoon-feeding attitude. The reoccurring message was to JUST DO THE WORK. The support was and continues to be instrumental to us. Our thanks go out to, but are not limited to Samuel Scarborough, Frater M.T.O., Darcy Kuntz, Jayne Gibson, Olen Rush, Tony Fuller, Pat Zalewski, and Nick Farrell.
With time the Temple evolved. We created the tools, per the Secrets book. Soror A.K. was an art professor at a local university and had access to a laser cutter-which is how we made the degree badges, the Enochian tablets (After extensive studies), some of the tools, and a new triangle and cross. We even began using a 3D printer. Soror A.K died of cancer in 2020. Frater P., a long-standing temple member was elected to take her place as one of our three Chiefs.
We maintained our weekly study groups, two hours on Sunday. The first hour was whatever we were studying at the time, the second hour was divination, usually done with Tarot cards. We continued to open Temple once a month or more as needed. The two equinoxes were mandatory.
As we progressed, more material became available either in print or online. We used this material as we could. Our temple grew (maximum was at 12 members) and would dwindle (often we would find ourselves opening temple with only three members, like in the beginning). We found this good in a way as members could practice different officers. We would designate offices at the equinox for six months but would fill in as needed.
We positioned the three original members as Chiefs, so that if a vote came up, and we voted on everything, all members included. If the vote was tied, the Chiefs would review the topic/subject and break the tie. This worked nicely. As far as the Grades, we have been initiated into each Grade as we completed the Work as Chiefs we started out as anyone else would have, drawing energy, strength and grounding from the current itself. Drawing down the LVX. We have and continue to use the Whare Ra Etheric Link, and the GD current via the Throne of the Hierophant. We then evoke the Godforms of the Chiefs to the Dias for their presence to maintain the necessities of their duties as Godforms/Chiefs. We generate sigils according to the intention of the ritual, so for example the 2=9 Initiation, they were evoked via Sigils generated from the Moon Kamea. For the Equinoxes we use the Kamea-Magick Square of Venus for the Autumn Equinox and Osiris, with the Kamea-Magick Square of Mars for the Vernal Equinox and Isis.
We do not do ‘astral’ grade initiations. We believe that an individual needs to be present physically, to obtain the full effects and benefits of a degree initiation.
Regarding be ‘an Order’ as we never considered ourselves an Order or technically affiliated with an Order, rather maintaining our independence as a working temple that is linked directly to the GD current.
For potentially new members we would have them fill out an application. In the beginning we would share the application among the temple members, discuss, do divination on the individual, and interpreting an Astrological Chart and a Geomantic Shield. We would then have a guest session at Study Group via Zoom, with a vote to be done by the Temple members afterwards. This worked well for a while. But we would have folks that simply bailed once they saw exactly how much work was involved.
We still use the Green Brick (Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn) for the curriculum, but supplement the degree work with supplementary material. For example, we read and studied the Picatrix and Mansions of the Moon for the Moon/Yesod for the 2=9 Theoricus degree.
We got together and decided to create a Probate group that would last nine months to see if an individual would do the work, before being initiated into the Temple. We based the Probate group loosely on the introduction to the Green Brick, fleshing out the material as presented by the Ciceros. This worked, but remains a challenge to maintain numbers. In the end, we believe quality over quantity.
We used to charge dues, but as a Temple, we voted to stop collecting them, since we have most of the materials needed for the Temple to function. We feel that certain projects can be funded accordingly. This has worked out to everyone’s satisfaction.
It remains a challenge and a labour of love to maintain the Temple. Since we are a ‘college town’, several of our members have moved away, so we now have study group as a combination of in person and Zoom. This in presents a challenge. Some of our projects are better done in person, and to be honest the lack of face-to-face interaction does lend itself to a disconnect and thus lack of motivation.
We do maintain a strict curriculum, with evaluations before moving to the next degree. There is a written evaluation, a physical evaluation and an interview by one or more of the Chiefs. Then a vote is cast.
I must say that with the publication of The Golden Dawn Companion by R.A. Gilbert, rules and bylaws are easier to address, and precedence as set forth historically and presented as such. One such example being the three Chiefs as established in our Working Temple. “The Golden Dawn Osiris Temple #4 (1888) had an Imperator-Frater C.D.S., Praemonstrator-Frater E.E., and Cancellarius-Frater F…, The three chiefs also filled the offices of Hierophant, Hiereus, and Hegemon respectively.” Pgs 43-44, The GD Companion, Gilbert. We used this as setting a precedent for our Hierophant, Hiereus, and Hegemon to represent the Temple of Hermanubis as Chiefs respectively.
As presented in this excerpt from Mrs. Felkin Equinox newsletter, July 1950:
“The Order training is designed to build a vehicle, or, shall we say, a temple, in which the Divine Spirit may find a dwelling. Therefore, I cannot emphasise too strongly the importance of the Outer training for if the foundations of the temple are not well built and truly laid, the superstructure may collapse…This is a critical time in the history of our Order, but, if we are faithful to our Obligations and maintain the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood, we may expect to receive the new inspiration which will enable the Order to fulfil its true destiny. So, I would say to you all, have faith, have courage, have determination, and great will be your reward. May each of you be inspired and strengthened to take your part in the Great Work.”
I would have to say, after 76 years, this is still true. It is still a ‘critical time in the history of the Order’, and that IF you desire to create a working Temple, have faith, courage, determination, and indeed as Mrs. Felkin stated, “great will be your reward”
As so many in the greater Golden Dawn community have shared with us and continue to share with us. DO THE WORK!
I hope this article does for you what has been done for me: to ‘inspire and strengthen’ your resolve to ‘take part in the Great Work’. Remember: If you can dream it, you can do it!
LVX
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