The Golden Dawn
Page 23
Kerux leads Neophyte back as he came, to between the pillars.
HIERO: Let the Neophyte enter the pathway of good.
Kerux leads Neophyte southeast and halts opposite Hegemon, stepping aside from before Neophyte.
HEG: Whence comest thou?
KERUX: I come from between the pillars, and I seek the light of the hidden knowledge in the name of Adonai.
HEG: The great angel Metatron answered, and said: “I am the angel of the presence divine. The wise gaze upon the created world and behold there the dazzling image of the Creator. Not yet can thine eyes bear that dazzling image. Return, for thou canst not pass by.”
Kerux turns and leads Neophyte back between the pillars.
HIERO: Let the Neophyte enter the straight and narrow pathway which turns neither to the right hand nor to the left hand.
Kerux leads Neophyte directly up centre of hall until he is near the altar, halts, and steps aside from before Neophyte, leaving him to face altar unobstructed.
HIEREUS, HEGEMON (Together): Whence comest thou?
They cross sceptre and sword before altar.
KERUX: I come from between the pillars, and I seek the light of the hidden knowledge in the name of Adonai.
Hierophant advances to east of altar with sceptre, which he thrusts between sword of Hiereus and sceptre of Hegemon, and raising it to an angle of 45 degrees says:
HIERO: But the great angel Sandalphon said: “I am the reconciler for Earth, and the celestial soul therein. Form is invisible alike in darkness and in blinding light. I am the left hand Kerub of the Ark and the feminine power, as Metatron is the right hand Kerub and the masculine power, and I prepare the way to the celestial light.”
Hegemon and Hiereus step back to south and north of altar respectively. Hierophant takes Neophyte by right hand with his left, and pointing to the altar and diagram says:
Flaming Sword
HIERO: And Tetragrammaton placed Kerubim at the east of the garden of Eden and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the path of the Tree of Life, for He has created nature that man being cast out of Eden may not fall into the void. He has bound man with the stars as with a chain. He allures him with scattered fragments of the divine body in bird and beast and flower, and He laments over him in the wind and in the sea and in the birds. When the times are ended, He will call the Kerubim from the east of the garden, and all shall be consumed and become infinite and holy.
Receive now the secrets of this grade. The step is thus given—6 by 6—showing you have passed the threshold. The sign is given by raising the right hand to an angle of 45 degrees. It is the position in which the Hierophant interposed for you between the Hiereus and the Hegemon. The token is given by grasping fingers, the thumb touching thumb to form a triangle. It refers to the ten Sephiroth. The word is Adonai ha-Aretz, and means Adonai the Lord of the Earth, to which element this grade is allotted. The mystic number is 55, and from it is formed the password Nun He. It means “ornament,” and when given is lettered separately. The badge of this grade is the sash of the Neophyte with the narrow white border, a red cross within the triangle, and the number 1 within a circle and 10 within a square, one on each side of the triangle.
He invests Neophyte with the sash, and points out the three portals, saying:
The three portals facing you in the east, are the gates of the Paths leading to the three further grades, which with the Zelator and the Neophyte forms the first and lowest order of our fraternity. Furthermore, they represent the Paths which connect the tenth Sephirah Malkuth with the other Sephiroth. The letters Tau, Qoph, and Shin make the word Qesheth—a bow, the reflection of the rainbow of promise stretched over our earth, and which is about the throne of God.
Hegemon points out the flaming sword on the altar diagram, saying:
HEG: This drawing of the flaming sword of the Kerubim is a representation of the guardians of the gates of Eden, just as the Hiereus and Hegemon symbolise the two paths of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and of Evil.
HIEREUS: In this grade, the red cross is placed within the white triangle upon the altar, and it is thus the symbol of the Banner of the West. The triangle refers to the three Paths and the cross to the hidden knowledge. The cross and the triangle together represent life and light.
Hierophant points out the tablet of the north, saying:
HIERO: This grade is especially referred to the element of earth, and therefore one of its principal emblems is the great watchtower or terrestrial tablet of the north. It is the third or great northern quadrangle or earth tablet, and it is one of the four great Tablets of the Elements said to have been given to Enoch by the great angel Ave. It is divided within itself into four lesser angles. The mystic letters upon it form various divine and angelic names, in what our tradition calls the angelic secret language. From it are drawn the three holy secret names of God, EMOR DIAL HECTEGA,13 which are borne upon the Banner of the North, and there are also numberless names of angels, archangels, and spirits ruling the element of earth.
Kerux comes forward and hands Fylfot Cross to Hierophant.
HIERO: The hermetic cross, which is also called Fylfot, hammer of Thor, and swastika, is formed of seventeen squares out of a square of twenty-five lesser squares. These seventeen represent the sun, the four elements, and the twelve signs of the zodiac. In this grade, the lights on the pillars are unshaded, showing that you have quitted the darkness of the outer world. You will leave the temple for a short time.
Kerux takes Neophyte out.
Ceremony of Advancement—Second Part
Zelator Temple 2
The temple is arranged as in the diagram above.
HIERO: Frater Kerux, when the Neophyte gives the proper alarm, you will admit him. Fratres Stolistes and Dadouchos, assist the Kerux in the reception.
Kerux goes out and instructs Neophyte in the knocks. Stolistes and Dadouchos take up positions so as to face Neophyte as he enters hall. Kerux opens door and admits Neophyte, but does not stand in front of him.
HIERO: Frater (name), as in the grade of Neophyte, you came out of the world to the gateway of hidden knowledge, so in this grade you pass through the gateway and come into the holy place.14 You are now in the court of the Tabernacle, where stood the Altar of Burnt Offering, whereon was offered the sacrifices of animals, which symbolised the Qlippoth or evil demons who inhabit the plane contiguous to and below the material universe.
Dadouchos makes cross in air with censer and censes Neophyte in silence with three forward swings.
HIERO: Between the altar and the entrance into the holy place stood the laver of brass wherein the priests washed before entering the Tabernacle. It was the symbol of the waters of creation.
Stolistes makes cross with water on Neophyte’s forehead and sprinkles thrice in silence.
Having made offering at the altar of burnt sacrifice, and having been cleansed at the laver of brass, the priest then entered the holy place.
Kerux takes Neophyte behind pillars to north. Stolistes and Dadouchos return to their places. Hiereus takes his stand between the pillars (Kerux having removed the chair) facing Neophyte. He guards the path with his sword and says:
HIEREUS: Thou canst not pass the gateway which is between the pillars, unless thou canst give the signs and words of a Neophyte.
Neophyte gives them and, instructed by Kerux, advances to a position between the pillars. Hiereus returns to his place. Hegemon comes forward, stands east of pillars facing Neophyte, and bars the way into the temple with sceptre, saying:
HEG: Thou canst not enter the holy place, unless thou canst give the sign and grip of a Zelator.
Neophyte gives them. Kerux resumes his seat after handing Neophyte over to charge of Hegemon. Hegemon leads Neophyte to north, and says:
HEG: To the northern side of the holy place stood the table of shewbread. The drawing before you represents its occult meaning. On it twelve loaves were laid as emblems of the bread of life, and it is an image of the mystery
of the rose of creation. The twelve circles are the twelve signs of the zodiac, while the lamp in the centre is symbolic of the sun, which is the source of heat and life. The four triangles whose twelve angles each touch one of the twelve circles are those of fire, earth, air, and water, and allude to the four triplicities of the zodiacal signs. The triangle inscribed within each of the twelve circles alludes to the three decanates, or phases of ten degrees of each sign. On one side of each triangle is the permutation of the divine name Yod Heh Vau Heh, which is referred to that particular sign, while in the opposite side of it is the name of one of the twelve tribes which is also attributed to it.
Table of Shewbread
HEG: Now the twenty-two sounds and letters of the Hebrew alphabet are the foundations of all things. Three mothers, seven doubles, and twelve simples. The twelve simple letters are allotted to the twelve directions in space, and those diverge to infinity, and are in the arms of the Eternal. These twelve letters He designed and combined, and formed with them the twelve celestial constellations of the zodiac. They are over the universe as a king upon his throne, and they are in the revolution of the year as a king traversing his dominions, and they are in the heart of man as a king in warfare.
And the twelve loaves are the images of those ideas, and are the outer petals of the rose; while within are the four archangels ruling over the four quarters, and the Kerubic emblems of the lion, man, bull, and eagle.
Around the great central lamp, which is an image of the sun, is the great mother of heaven, symbolised by the letter Heh, the first of the simple letters, and by its number five, the pentagram, Malkah the bride, ruling in her kingdom Malkuth, crowned with a crown of twelve stars.
These twelve circles further represent the twelve foundations of the holy city of the Apocalypse, while in Christian symbolism the sun and the twelve signs are referred to Christ and His twelve apostles.
Hegemon leads Neophyte to Hiereus and then returns to his place and is seated. Hiereus leads Neophyte to the south, and says:
HIEREUS: On the southern side of the holy place stood the seven-branched candlestick, wherein was burned pure olive oil. It is an image of the mystery of the Elohim, the seven creative ideas. The symbolic drawing before you represents its occult meaning. The seven circles which surround the heptagram represent the seven planets and the seven Qabalistic palaces of Assiah, the material world—which answer to the seven Apocalyptic churches which are in Asia or Assiah15—as these again allude to the seven lamps before the throne on another plane.
HIEREUS: Within each circle is a triangle to represent the threefold creative idea operating in all things. On the right hand side of each is the Hebrew name of the angel who governs the planet; on the left side is the Hebrew name of the sphere of the planet itself; while the Hebrew letter beneath the base is one of the duplicated letters of the Hebrew alphabet which refer to the seven planets.
Seven-Branched Candlestick
The seven double letters of the Hebrew alphabet have each two sounds associated with them, one hard and one soft. They are called “double” because each letter represents a contrary or permutation, thus: life and death; peace and war; wisdom and folly; riches and poverty; grade and indignity; fertility and solitude; power and servitude.
These seven letters point out seven localities: zenith, nadir, east, west, north, south, and the place of holiness in the midst sustaining all things. The archetypal Creator designed, produced, combined, and formed with them the planets of the universe, the days of the week, and in man, the gates of the soul. He has loved and blessed the number seven more than all things under His throne. The powers of these seven letters are also shown forth in the seven palaces of Assiah and the seven stars of that vision are the seven archangels who rule them.
He leads Neophyte to west of altar, returns to his place, and is seated. Hierophant comes to east of altar, takes censer from altar, and holding it with chain short, makes cross and three forward swings, replaces it, and says:
HIERO: Before the veil of the Holy of Holies stood the altar of incense, of which this altar is an image. It was of the form of a double cube, thus representing material form as a reflection and duplication of that which is spiritual. The sides of the altar, together with the top and bottom, consist of ten squares, thus symbolising the ten Sephiroth of which the basal one is Malkuth, the realisation of the rest upon the material plane, behind which the others are concealed. For were this double cube raised in the air immediately above your head, you would but see the single square forming the lowest side, the others from their position being concealed from you. Just so, behind the material universe lies the concealed form of the majesty of God.
The Altar of Incense was overlaid with gold to represent the highest degree of purity, but the altar before you is black to represent the terrestrial earth. Learn, then, to separate the pure from the impure, and refine the gold of the spirit from the black dragon, the corruptible body. Upon the cubical altar were fire, water, and incense, the three mother letters of the Hebrew alphabet: Aleph, Mem, and Shin. Mem is silent, Shin is sibilant, and Aleph is the tongue of a balance between these contraries in equilibrium, reconciling and mediating between them. In this is a great mystery, very admirable and recondite. The fire produced the heavens, the water, the earth, and the air is the reconciler between them. In the year, they bring forth the hot, the cold, and the temperate seasons, and in man, they are imaged in the head, the chest, and the trunk.
I now confer upon you the mystic title of Periclinus de Faustis,16 which signifies that on this earth you are in a wilderness, far from the garden of the happy.
And I give you the symbol of Aretz which is the Hebrew name for earth, to which the 1° = 10 grade of Zelator is referred. The word Zelator is derived from the ancient Egyptian Zaruator, signifying “Searcher of Athor,” goddess of nature; but others assign to it the meaning of the zealous student whose first duty was to blow the athanor of fire which heated the crucible of the alchemist.
Hierophant resumes seat on dais. Kerux leads new Zelator to seat in northwest.
HIERO: Frater Kerux, you have my command to declare that our frater has been duly admitted to the 1° = 10 grade of Zelator.
Kerux comes to northwest of Hierophant, faces west, raises wand and says:
KERUX: In the Name of Adonai Melekh, and by command of the very honoured Hierophant, hear ye all that I proclaim that Frater (name) has been duly admitted to the 1° = 10 grade of Zelator, and that he has obtained the mystic title of Periclinus (Pericline) 17 de Faustis and the symbol of Aretz.
He returns to his place by east, saluting, and by south and west.
HIERO: In the Zelator grade, the symbolism of the tenth Sephirah Malkuth is especially shown, as well as the tenth Path of the Sepher Yetzirah. Among other mystic titles, Malkuth is called Shaar, the Gate, which by metathesis becomes Ashur, meaning the number ten. Also in Chaldee it is called Thraa, the Gate, which has the same number as the great name Adonai, written in full: Aleph, Daleth, Nun, Yod, which both equal 671 in total numeration. It is also called “the gate of death,” “the gate of tears,” “the gate of justice,” “the gate of prayer,” and “the gate of the daughter of the mighty ones.” It is also called “the gate of the garden of Eden” and the inferior mother, and in Christian symbolism, it is connected with the three holy women at the foot of the Cross. The tenth Path of the Sepher Yetsirah which answereth to Malkuth is called “the resplendent intelligence,” because it exalts above every head and sitteth upon the throne of Binah. It illuminateth the splendour of all the lights (the zohar me-ouroth), and causeth the current of the divine influx to descend from the prince of countenances, the great archangel Metatron.
Frater (name), before you can be eligible for advancement to the next grade of 2° = 9, you will be required to pass an examination in certain subjects. A manuscript on these will be supplied to you. When you are well satisfied that you are well informed on these, notify the officer in charge.
Closing of t
he 1° = 10 Grade
HIERO: Fratres and sorores, assist me to close this temple in the 1° = 10 grade of Zelator.
All rise.
Frater Kerux, see that the temple is properly guarded.
KERUX: (On inner side of the door, knocks. Sentinel knocks.) Very honoured Hierophant, the temple is properly guarded.
HIERO: Let us adore the Lord and King of Earth.
All face east.
Adonai ha-Aretz, Adonal Melekh, blessed be Thy name unto the countless ages. Amen.
Hierophant gives 1° = 10 sign. All give sign and face as usual. Hierophant leaves his throne and passes to the north, standing before the tablet of the north, Hiereus stands on right of Hierophant; Hegemon on his left; Kerux behind Hierophant; Stolistes behind Hiereus, Dadouchos behind Hegemon.
HIERO: Let us rehearse the prayer of the earth spirits:
“O invisible king, who, taking the earth for foundation, didst hollow its depths to fill them with Thy almighty power. Thou whose name shaketh the arches of the world, Thou who causest the seven metals to flow in the veins of the rocks, king of the seven lights, rewarder of the subterranean workers, lead us into the desirable air and into the realm of splendour. We watch and we labour unceasingly, we seek and we hope, by the twelve stones of the holy city, by the buried talismans, by the axis of the lodestone which passes through the centre of the earth—O Lord, O Lord, O Lord! Have pity upon those who suffer. Expand our hearts, unbind and upraise our minds, enlarge our natures.
“O stability and motion! O darkness veiled in brilliance! O day clothed in night! O master who never dost withhold the wages of Thy workmen! O silver whiteness—O golden splendour! O crown of living and harmonious diamond! Thou who wearest the heavens on Thy finger like a ring of sapphire! Thou who hidest beneath the earth in the kingdom of gems, the marvelous seed of the stars! Live, reign, and be Thou the eternal dispenser of the treasures whereof Thou hast made us the wardens.”