Greeting readers. I’m back.

And boy, has it been long. I haven’t written anything in almost a year. During this time, well, I was working as a contracted worker for a company. This may be the last time I have to work for someone else, fingers crossed.

You could say that a lot of karmic debts had to be burned away, which manifested itself as a period of intensive work. It appears I am free now, free from a lot of burdens, responsibilities and past life karma. Free from chronic health problems, and free from many regrets, judgements and fears that I was carrying around.

I can now focus more intently on writing this blog.

WordPress has once again updated its editor, and it’s even worse now. But I guess we’ll cope as we always do.

We shall continue the topic that I left off on. Today we are going to talk about the higher grades of magical initiation. By the way, I must warn you that this post turned out to be LONG. Take your time to read it, who knows when the next post will come out.

In my previous post, I described what initiation is, how it works within the Hermetic Tradition, and what constitutes the ‘outer order’, or elemental grades. I also used the process of alchemy as an analogy. After all, initiation is nothing but spiritual alchemy. The process of creating the Philosopher’s Stone is also a metaphor for the inner transformation of magician themselves. As within so without.

Now we look at Inner Order, and the grades which qualify the magician as an ‘Adept’. I highly suggest reading the previous post before this one.

What is an Adept

What is the Inner Order? And to that matter, who is an Adept?
The simple answer is this: an Adept, of any magical system, is a person who is now qualified to teach and instruct people in that system.

In the elemental grades, the Initiate prepared themselves. They learned the theory of Hermeticism, kabbalah, alchemy and astrology, along with some yoga and tantra. It is very simple: one must understand magick, but one must ALSO understand the magick symbols of a specific spiritual tradition.

For example, imagine the High Priestess of a Witchcraft Coven. She may know a lot about spirituality and magick, but may not understand how these spiritual forces are symbolised within Hermeticism.

So, even an Adept of a different tradition must go through the study and practice of Hermetic ritual. Even if you know Italian cuisine, to learn Chinese cuisine you still have to start with the basics. While your general knowledge of cooking will carry over, you still have to learn to handle new ingredients and master new methods.

This is why initiation is important, regardless of your level of spiritual development. In this case, one must be humble and start from the beginning, learning the symbols of the Hermetic tradition. Each symbol represents a spiritual force. The outer grades are simply the process of learning and mastering these symbols. It is like learning the alphabet before learning to read and write.

Thus the Adept, having completed initiation, now has a complete set of symbols which can represent all of reality. Manipulating these symbols, built into the Adept’s subconscious mind, causes their reality itself to transform.

Does it make sense now? Do you see how this is the key to magick?

An adept of the Golden Dawn tradition, for example, shall understand how the whole of reality can be symbolised using the Hebrew alphabet, with each letter corresponding to various elements, planets or zodiac sign, and each then having a corresponding metal, colour and sound, and each corresponding to a spiritual hierarchy.

An Adept of the Golden Dawn, or any other tradition, has been ‘initiated’. Each of these symbols have been taught to them, and their spiritual energies have been felt and reinforced through ritual and study. Additionally, the initiate has undertaken other tests to develop discipline and will power.

In a sense, each symbol of the tradition is a doorway to a specific spiritual energy and state of consciousness. You could say that these symbols are like ‘keys’ to the doors of the consciousness. Do you now see why the 22 Hebrew Letters are called the 22 KEYS within the Hermetic tradition.

It is not that Hebrew is special here, nor even that Hebrew is necessary.
I, for example, use the alchemical and astrological symbols directly for the 21 Keys, rather than the Hebrew alphabet. This is because I do not speak Hebrew and do not use the Old Testament for my magick. The same alphabet has roots in Egyptian, Coptic, Phoenician and later on in Greek.

It doesn’t really matter what symbols I use. Being a Hermetic initiate, I have an innate understanding of the system. I am able to recognize and represent the whole of reality using the 22 Keys, each Key representing forces on the Tree of Life, which each have corresponding colors, astrological or alchemical symbols, ruling spirits and angels, geometric figures and words of power associated with them.

By manipulating these ‘symbols’ in Ritual, I am able to manipulate these forces within Consciousness itself. Due to my initiation in Kundalini Yoga, and my knowledge of other systems, I am also able to expand on these symbols, seeing them from multiple perspectives and using them in ways not found in Hermeticism.

And therefore, you will also see how Hermeticism isn’t special, or better than any other system. However, different systems have different symbolic frameworks which are employed for magical use.

THIS is also why you should not ‘mix and match’ systems until you understand one system thoroughly. Too many people wish to avoid the work and discipline needed to follow a system to the end.

Imagine languages. Everyone learns a language growing up. Perhaps you learnt English, and it is your mother tongue. However, most people only learn basic communication. Fluency is usually not taught in schools. The average English speaker can have a normal conversation, but likely cannot write a book or present ideas to the public.

Now imagine a person with a basic knowledge in English decides to start learning Japanese, and reads up on a few basic phrases. What would be the result? Well, it would be a weird hybrid of basic English sprinkled with some Japanese words, often used incorrectly.

What is the purpose of language? It is a tool for reading, writing and communication. And what is the purpose of these? To understand the world, and express oneself.

Language is not essential for self expression. Even an illiterate man can express himself with art or music. But if language is to be used as a tool, then it should be learned properly. Even a fluent English speaker must start learning Japanese from the very beginning, like a child. A person who masters one language may have an easier time mastering more languages.

Magical systems are exactly like languages. It is a tool for the spiritual and magical work.

The religious tradition you were born into is like your mother tongue, and thus you you have a basic level of ‘fluency’ with it. You can choose to increase this fluency in your native religion, or find one that suits you better, or practice both together. Just as one’s mother tongue will leave one with an accent and manner of speaking, the symbols of your birth religion are fixed in your mind and will always affect your spiritual practice.

And those are ultimately just a method for manifestation and self discovery.

The goal is manifestation. It is done with magick. To do magick, you must be fluent in the language of magick. And Magickal systems are just that: different languages for magick.

I hope it is now clear what initiation is, why it is important, and why one must stick to a system before adopting another.

When we learn English, do we also learn German and Latin? No.

But English descended from those languages, right? And yet, we do not need to understand them to understand English. Sometimes it is nice to see an English word and trace back its Latin roots, but it only helps you understand English better.

Similarly, a person studying Hermeticism need not also study all the precursors. You don’t need to ALSO understand Egyptian or Pagan magick, or Jewish or Christian mysticism. Tracing out these roots is good, but only when it helps you practice Hermeticism better. On it’s own, any single spiritual tradition is enough.

The same can be said for any other system. As long as a magickal system is functional, you don’t need to get lost in its history, or derivations, or mix it with anything else.

An Adept is an individual who has become ‘fluent’ in the symbols of a magic system, and now able to use them to do actual magick. And now we will discuss how this is done in the Golden Dawn tradition.

The Inner Order

The Inner Order is a concept found in many spiritual and magical systems. In the Golden Dawn system, it consists of three grades: Adeptus Minor, Adeptus Major and Adeptus Exemptus.

These grades, like the previous ones, are also common to various other Western traditions.

The difference between the Inner and Outer order is that there is no longer a curriculum. When the Initiate was in the elemental grades, they were handed a set of daily rituals and practices, and had to read various lectures and books which describe the Golden Dawn symbols. The Initiate also had to learn about various topics like astrology, alchemy, tarot, geometry and theurgy.

For each grade, the curriculum is different. Then the initiate enters the Portal, which is a probationary grade like Neophyte.

The Portal grade ended with communion with one’s own Higher Self. Beyond this, there can be no ‘curriculum’. No teacher can tell the Adept how to live, because the Adept must now follow their newly revealed inner guidance.

For an adept, life is like an open book. The word of God is no longer found in grimoires or scriptures, but in life itself. The life experience itself speaks directly to the person. The Adept shall recognise that nothing that has ever happened to them was accidental or random, and that everything is actually their own Higher Self.

Everything that comes into your awareness is like a thread of light, slowly guiding you to infinity. Your entire existence has been and shall be a Revelation, a manifestation of the Higher Self.

Everything that happens is by higher Will, and so there is really no reason to be afraid or have doubt.

In the inner order, the real work begins. Everything done previously was simply a preparation. Now, we begin the work of assimilating the Higher Self, and of conquering the Shadow Self. The inner grades not only put us in touch with the Higher Self, but also reveal the Shadow. The Shadow is all the potential yet to be manifested.

The Shadow represents all that energy that’s trapped inside, placed under lock and key due to doubt, fear, anxiety and judgement. It is the treasure that has been cast away into dark places, and guarded by ‘demons’, who are none other than its keepers, placed there by our own action.

It is very difficult to put into words how all this works. You shall simply have to experience it for yourself.

The work of the Inner Order is twofold: to understand the guidance of the Higher Self, and to redeem the Shadow Self.

The Higher Self represents Love, and is the source of Compassion. The Shadow Self represents Fear, and will eventually become the source of Power.

During this time, the Kundalini begins to move beyond the Sacral chakra. For a vast majority of people, their whole life is spent in the two lower chakras, living in the world of the senses and the desires. An Adept is the person who moves further. Now the Kundalini enters pushes past the Root and Sacral Chakra and into the Solar Plexus Chakra. This corresponds to the sphere of Tifaret (Harmony), which is the sphere of Adeptus Minor.

Adeptus Minor

Let us return to the alchemy analogy. Hopefully you all still remember it from the last post.

To give a refresher, alchemy is the practice of taking the fabled ‘First matter’ and purifying it, making the Philosopher’s Stone which can turn lead into gold.

In case it isn’t obvious, this process is an analogy for the purification of the Magus themselves. The First matter (prima materia) is none other than the individual, not yet purified. The Philosopher’s Stone represents the state of the enlightened Magus, where they go beyond duality.

Such a person can transform darkness into light (lead into gold). The idea of the Stone is also found in Eastern spirituality. In Vajrayana, it is imagined as a Diamond, and called the ‘wish granting stone’. To clarify, the Diamond is none other than the purified and perfected Heart, able to manifest the Will. ‘Wish granting’ is none other than magick. And yes, that it why the foremost Buddhist scripture is called ‘Diamond Sutra’.

In the last post, I described how the Prima Materia is first separated into the four elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth. Then, each element is purified. This is represented by the outer grades.

Once Air, Water and Fire are separated out, all that is left is Earth, in a blackened and ‘dead’ state called ‘Crow’s Head’. In the Portal grade, this Crow’s Head is sealed in a flask and heated, the fire increasing in intensity until it becomes purified and white in colour. You can think of it as a rebirth, the dead husk being brought back to life. This material is called the ‘Salt of Earth’.

Thus, this is the state of the Adeptus Minor. The Adept has been freed from his intellectual, emotional and spiritual burdens. The body and senses (Earth) have been refined and exalted. The Adeptus Minor thus exists in a state of apparent bliss and inner peace. They have become like the Salt of Earth, a pure, clean and potent medicine.

Yet, the other elements which were separated have not yet been added back. The purified Salt is good, but it is not yet the Stone. Still, it is an exalted state of spiritual bliss and many individuals will be satisfied remaining as Adepts their whole life.

The symbol of this grade is 5=6. The numbers, as I have mentioned before, shows the number of the grade followed by the number of the Sefirot.

It represents the manifestation of one’s potential, and how much is yet to be done. Neophyte was 0=0, since it is a pure, unmanifest state of preparation. Zelator was 1=10, Theoricus was 2=9, Practicus was 3=8, Philosophus was 4=7.

So, for example, Practicus is 3=8 because it is the 3rd grade, and placed in the eighth Sphere, which is Hod (Glory).

The work of the Adeptus Minor is simple: overcome the Shadow. If you lived 100 years ago and were a member of the Golden Dawn, this is what you’d be told to do. This would be your curriculum: to finally study the knowledge which pertains to the the so called ‘Demons’ and the Tree of Shadow.

For you see, the Initiate, through ritual and meditation, has established the Tree of Life within themselves. The Tree of Life is composed of the 10 emanations (sefirot). But beneath this Tree hangs the Tree of Death, or Shadow, and it is composed of 10 husks, or shells (qlifot).

Just as every emanation represented an ideal, or an aspect of spiritual light, the shells represent something that has been suppressed, denied or rejected. Thus, they form the ‘fallen’ creation.

In a sense, all that you reject about yourself is flung outwards, into the dark world of Matter. In simple words: projection. Everything that you dislike about the world, and all judgements, opinions and attitudes that you form are actually just aspects of yourself which have been denied and projected onto the world.

This is why they say “you are what you hate” or “you become what you fear”.

Thus, these are the ‘false idols‘ spoken off in many religions. As an Adeptus Minor, we begin to draw in these fallen aspects of ourselves, to ‘redeem’ the demons, and this is done by filling these ‘shells’ with light.

How is this done? Depends on the individual. There is no curriculum. It is possible to do it through ritual, and generally this is how ceremonial magicians do it. We begin now to raise the Tree of Shadow out of the darkness and unite it with the Tree of Life. Together, they are one Tree, one creation. There is no Heaven and no Hell, there are no angels or demons, there is only one existence, one reality, and all beings are as brothers and sisters, be they human or non human.

Here, the ritualistic knowledge learned in the outer grades comes of use. The Adept may create his own rituals, and some Adepts even start their own magical system at this stage. One example would be Aleister Crowley or Poke Runyon. Others will follow the rituals laid out in grimoires or taught within the Order. As I understand, the Golden Dawn never lasted long enough for anyone to actually get past Adeptus Minor. Or maybe it did and they just never revealed it.

Personally, I think the whole nonsense about the Golden Dawn ‘falling apart’ is just a ruse. I think they went much, much further than they admit, and had reached an extremely advanced stage of magical ascension. But they were sacred of revealing it so we hear this whole story of how no one ever went to the higher grades or how there was infighting within the order etc. But anyway, moving on.

There is no single curriculum for these grades. Instead, the various Adepts who started the various descendent orders like the Alpha et Omega, the Isis Urania Temple, the O.T.O, the O.T.A, the A.’.A.’. and the Whare Ra Temple, all had their own rituals.

This perhaps is the biggest weakness of the Golden Dawn tradition: the lack of written material on tried and tested rituals for the Inner Grades. However, it is also the greatest strength. It pushed Adepts to think for themselves, to follow their own instinct and interests. In this way, the Golden Dawn has broken the dogma that so many other spiritual traditions fall into.

As you can imagine, these rituals are accompanied by inner and outer changes in the Adept’s life.

In essence, the grade of Adeptus Minor is a grade of various trials and challenges that appear in the magician’s life. These are not just spiritual, but real challenges. This is why, in this grade, the Adept is urged to go forth into life and find their purpose. The Adept is pushed to put their knowledge into practice. Not just in rituals, but to actually practice what they preach and LIVE according to the magical and spiritual ideals they believe in.

The Adept may pursue some career or vocation, they may strive to master some craft, they may begin to try out different rituals or finally dabble in other traditions. The Adept is free to explore and follow their instinct. In this way, the Adept shall come across various problems and challenges which must be solved and overcome. Faults within one’s belief system must be confronted. All these are simply projections of the inner self. The Adept is overcoming their demons. They are reaching forth, with love and compassion, and redeeming themselves, and thus the world.

Earlier, the Adept cast out parts of their own being: perhaps certain interests which are embarrassing, perhaps certain desires which are shameful, perhaps certain beliefs which hold them back, perhaps certain attitudes which do not serve them, or perhaps simply self imposed restrictions and unconscious oaths which have been taken.

Many of us who live as Magicians now have lived as magicians, priests, shamans and witches in previous lives. Many of us carry shame and guilt from past lives, many of us have taken vows of chastity or poverty which now hold us back. You may not remember them, but those blockages and bindings still lie upon the Soul.

The ‘demons’ are none other than those things we fear, those brothers and sisters whom we judge as inferior and unworthy, and all those yearnings which we have put away out of guilt.

These things then are projected outwards as ‘false gods’, as golden calves to which we make sacrifices. For example, a person who has become convinced that they will always be poor. Such a person has projected their desire and ability to make money outwards. Thus, they are faced with all those symbols of wealth that they have created: banks, corporations, governments, parents. Those who can give us what we think we don’t have.

We simultaneously worship and fear these symbols. We lay our time, potential and energy as sacrifices before such symbols, hoping to get money. And we fear that it shall not be given. Can you see how this relates to mythology, and why ‘demons’ and ‘false gods’ are considered one and the same.

It is not only institutions, but also people. For example, a person who is ashamed of his appearance projects this shame onto those who are perceived as ‘beautiful’. A person who thinks they are unattractive are always intimated by attractive people, and yearn to be like them while also hating them.

This projection also happens, ultimately, to those beings who do not have a body. A person ashamed of sexual desire looks at the deity Lilith, and says “she is a whore and a prostitute”. A person who has suppressed of his lust and vitality looks at Asmodeus and says “he is a violent and cruel God”. A person who cannot tolerate others looks to Jehovah and says “he is an barbaric and intolerant god”.

This, by the way, is how the Gods of one culture end up as demons in another, or how most ‘demons’ in most cultures are actually just ancient Gods. Usually, they are Gods which rule things like hunting, war, sex, wild animals and other things. Most of them are simply gods from before the Agricultural Revolution. When mankind developed agriculture, we imagined ourselves as more evolved than hunter gatherers. So, the old Gods ruling hunter gatherer things become ‘demons’. It’s really not that complicated.

A society which embraces death, like Hindu society, sees the the beings who rule over death as ‘good’. So, Shiva is a god. But Judeo-Christian culture fears death. So, Satan, the lord of the burning grounds, is considered evil.

However, the Gods of Alcohol and intoxication are shunned by Hindus. So, we called them ‘Ashura’ (literally meaning ‘intoxicated ones’). Meanwhile the Norse Pagans worshipped them as ‘Aesir’: often Gods who are shown drinking and fighting.

But then the old Norse had very clear opinions about sexuality and masculinity. Loki, a god of Fire who was seen as effeminate and androgynous was general regarded as an ‘evil’ god.

But then Aztecs had no problem with androgyny. Thus, Huitzilopochtli was a pretty androgynous and effeminate male God who was highly regarded by them. But then they had become obsessed with war and bloodshed, and if the Buddha had been born Aztec, his teachings would likely have been disregarded and forgotten.

What you see as evil and what you judge to be wrong or dark, in truth represents your own Shadow. This is not to be taken lightly, and Shadow work does represent a very real danger. The danger is to your perceived sense of reality.

Illusory or not, people react badly when their idea of right and wrong falls apart. If a person, faced with failure and challenges becomes bitter and gives up magic, then there would be no point. This is why this stuff is usually kept as secret. If you were to invoke the Satan right now and attempt Shadow work, you may suddenly be faced with all the things you have refused to let go off. For example, imagine realising that your chosen career is a massive waste of time and that you were never going to succeed in it, and you actually hate it but were too proud to admit it. And imagine this manifests as you losing your job and having to go look for a new one.

An uninitiated person, at this stage, tends to give up on life or become bitter and nihilistic. But, an Adept, who has established the Tree of Life inside their body, is able to tap into the correct positive emotion and use that to transform and redeem the situation. An Adept knows that their own Higher Self is causing this, and that everything is part of the plan. An Adept knows that all this is simply alchemical purification.

Thus, an Adept is undeterred. An Adept knows enough magick to control his emotions, and to start focusing on finding a new job.

This is why Shadow Work is the work of an Adept. And this is why I will not give instructions on how it is done. You must trust your own inner guidance. I have merely described how it happened for me.

Adeptus Major

So Adeptus Major comes after Adeptus Minor. How very creative.
I’m sure there are many interpretations of these names, but in my opinion they are ‘little Adept’ and ‘big Adept’.

So, what did it mean to be a big Adept in the Golden Dawn?

Quite frankly, it is around this point where information about the grade rituals starts to really run dry. From what I know, the official story is that no one in the Golden Dawn got to this grade except Moina Mathers (S.L. Mathers’ wife) and after the order fell apart, all written materials were destroyed. If you look at The Golden Dawn by Israel Regardie, the knowledge lectures go as far as the beginning of the Adeptus Minor grade, where the work of that grade is revealed.

The successor orders had their own rituals. At this point the history of the Golden Dawn gets very confusing and muddy, and the few people who could shed light on it are very old and keep to themselves. I have read some of their works though. I’m saying all this to make it clear that from here on out, you are reading largely my personal experiences and personal understanding of these teachings. The Golden Dawn sources I am working from are the later works of Israel Regardie and the works of Pat Zalewski.

I know most readers don’t really care much about historical details and will just accept whatever I say at face value. Ultimately, I guess most people are more concerned with the practice than the history of some 20th century occult order, which is actually a good thing. Still, consider this scholastic integrity. Since I never belonged to an occult order myself and have no relationship with any currently living GD members, I feel it is essential I point out my fragmented knowledge in case I misrepresent their history. You’ll just have to trust that the GD Masters are guiding my hand from the spiritual planes where they now reside 🙂

The number of this grade is 6=5. You will notice that this is the tipping point. It is where the first number is larger than the second. This means that now, more than half the work is complete, and the Adept is able to bring forth 60% of their full potential (to put it crudely). It is the sixth grade, and placed on the fifth Sphere which is Geburah (Power).

This is the point where the symbolism of the rituals becomes much less magical and much more religious. It’s less about pentagrams and circles and much more about good works, about self knowledge. A magician who has gotten to this point likely has not much need of rituals or spells of symbols.

Here, it truly becomes High Magick. It truly becomes ceremony. It is now less about memorising the correct words and tracing the correct symbols, and more about identifying one’s life as the prophetic life.

Here, I will give a simple example. I will give an example of a excerpt from the Zelator initiation and compare that to one from an Adeptus Major initiation, so you can understand how the mindset has changed during this time.

By the way, these names here like “heirophant” and “chief adept” are simply the titles taken on by variour officers during initiation rituals. Nothing too complicated.

Zelator Initiation Ritual (Excerpt:)

All Officers face North.
Hierophant makes sign in front of, and concentric with Tablet of the North,
an invoking Pentagram of Earth, saying:

“And the Elohim said, ‘Let us make Adam in our Image, after our likeness
and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the
fowl of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over
every creeping thing that creepeth over the Earth.’ And the Elohim
created Eth ha-Adam in their own Image, in the Image of the Elohim
created they them. In the name of Adonai Melekh and of the Bride
and Queen of the Kingdom, Spirits of Earth adore Adonai!“

Hierophant hands his Scepter to Hiereus and, taking his Sword, makes the
symbol of Taurus in centre of Pentagram, saying:

“In the Name of Auriel, the Great Archangel of Earth, and by the sign
of the Head of the Ox – Spirits of Earth, adore Adonai!“

Hierophant returns Sword to Hiereus and takes Mitre-headed Sceptre from
Hegemon, and makes Cross in the air, saying:

“In the Names and Letters of the Great Northern Quadrangle, Spirits
of Earth, adore Adonai!“

Hiero. returns Sceptre to Hegemon, and takes Cup from Stolistes, making
cross, and sprinkling thrice to North, saying:

“In the Three Great Secret Names of God, borne upon the Banners of
the North – EMOR DIAL HECTEGA – Spirits of Earth, adore
Adonai!“

Now, compare it to the Adeptus Major ritual.

Adeptus Major Initiation Ritual (Excerpt):

Chief Adept: “Oh Death, where is thy sting?”
2nd Adept: “Oh Grave, where is thy victory?”
Ch.& 2nd: “Thanks be to God which giveth us the Victory.”

They place their wands with the ends resting within the Pastos and raise their Ankhs, joining them
above the wands.

Ch.Ad: “Say then, my brother, what is the emblem which we raise above
the graver?”
2nd Ad: “It is the ancient symbol of Life; the union of the girdle of the Great
Mother with the Tau Cross of Death; it is the emblem of that eternal Life of the
Spirit which the Divine Ones pour forth upon Men, delivering him from the
body of Death.”
Ch.Ad: “Merrily, thou halt answered well, my brother. Let us then entrust
the Great Mother thus to raise us all from the Death of the Soul to the Life of the
Spirit.“

They turn to the North East. still keeping their wands in the Pastos, but separating the Ankhs which they
raise in Invocation. They sink upon one knee; 3rd also kneels without and raise; Ankh:

Ch.Ad: “Mother of Life, Hidden House of the Fire of the Spirit, grant us Thy Life.
Mother of All, Matron, we would be even as the Burning Bush which was not
consumed; a Sign to those who may have eyes to see. In Thy hands is the Lamp of
Understanding; show us, if but for an instant, a Ray of that Light Divine. Rose of
the World, vouchsafe to us a breath of Thine Ineffable Fragrance. Tower of
Ivory, enclose us in Thy protecting Purity. Give us, we beseech Thee, this day and
hour, Thine aid in the high purpose for which we are here assembled. Strengthen
the Postulant who seeks enlightenment through the Gates of Darkness, that
passing through the Valley of Bitterness he may find therein the Wells of Living
Water. Reflect upon his soul those Visions of the Spirit which awaken the
understanding and beckon us to the Pisgah Heights of Holiness. There may he
find the Pearl of Great Price, which is also the Lodestone of the Wise.
Shekinahi”

2nd Ad: “Shekinah”
3rd Ad: “Shekinah”
All Three: “Shekinah”

Turn up lights. The Vault which was in darkness at first gradually becomes lighter, repealing the
figure of Shekinah holding a lamp under or mil. At the last word she holds forth her lamp, in silence
letting the light shine upon the Adepti in turn. They bow their heads a moment, then she
withdraws silently. The Adepti rise and quit the Vault in silence.

We begin with the Father and end with the Mother.

You may notice clearly, the sheer difference in the vibe, the tone and symbolism of the ritual. Adepts, even of different traditions, but especially of one tradition, regard each other as brothers and sisters.

Ultimately, the formality, the hierarchy, and rules and demonstrations of ‘low magick’ are simply meant to develop discipline and inspire awe in Initiates. But the Adepts dispense with it, for another Adept who has come as far as the sphere of Geburah is already purified, already having cleared the mind, body and heart of blockages.

Such a person has already begun the process of drawing up the Qlifot and uniting them with the Sefirot, turning duality into unity, starting to perceive the world beyond good and evil. What a Hindu would called Advaita, or non-dualism.

By this stage, the Kundalini energy has come to rest in the Heart Chakra. In the East, this would be the stage where the Yogi has mastered his lower nature and inner elements. I can’t really explain what this means, because it would be distorted and misunderstood, and turned into another tool to separate, divide and categorise people and things.

It may sound strange that the Goddess would appear in a Kabbalistic tradition, and many who have still not understood the essential unity of Traditions will complain that this is some sort of New Age distortion. However, the Golden Dawn tradition is also a Hermetic tradition, not just a Kabbalistic one, and this grade is symbolised by the Ankh.

Even within Kabbalah, the concept of the Shekinah is present. This was secret knowledge, of course, but it is revealed at this stage to the Adept. The grade of Adeptus Major, then, is a final trial of the Adept. See another excerpt from the Initiation ritual:

“Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrahr?”

“I have trodden the winepress alone, and of all the people there was none
with me; and I looked and there was none to help, and I wondered that there was
none to uphold.”

The Work is long and hard. The Adept has laboured, seemingly alone, and attempted to manifest the true Will. They have followed the oath they had taken as an Adeptus Minor:

“I have fought upon this Earth for good. I have glorified the name of God in the world”
(excerpt from an Adeptus Major ritual)

And, at this late stage, the Adept is weary and tired. But that final push is needed. The last three Qlifot, which lie the Qlifotic abyss, need to be integrated. They are called Satariel, Ghagiel and Thaumiel.

Some readers may feel a chill simply hearing these names, especially if unfamiliar with Shadow work.

The grade of Adeptus Major relates to Geburah (Power). Our only and greatest Power is Courage, and our greatest refuge is Strength. In a sickly, meek society, the idea of Power makes people uncomfortable. But without Power, there is really no life force.

This is the grade of the Goddess because, contrary to popular imagery, the Goddess is life, power, strength and courage. She is not a meek, mild mannered force who hides behind a veil. The Goddess is active, and she is presence (Shekinah). To be separated from the Goddess, is to be separated from life itself. To fear the Qlifot is to be as a Tree whose roots have rotted away.

This grade is the Dark Night of the Soul. It is the hardest part, because it requires some of the simplest acts of courage rather than grand ceremonies or rituals. It is the final rest of the Adept in the dark crypt, where they stay for 36 hours until the Goddess appears to him. When they see Shekinah, she illuminates their path and they are at last filled with the life, vitality and strength which they has lost. The sphere of the Qliffot are redeemed and brought into light.

The soul passes through the 36 decans of the Zodiac. At the end, a light shines, and a veil is lifted.

Adeptus Exemtpus

The grade of Adeptus Exemptus is associated with Chesed (Mercy). It’s number is 7=4.

There is a reason I spent so much time on the last two sections.

As far as I can tell, there are no elaborate rituals or initiations associated with this grade. In fact, from what I can tell, the entire Initiation for the Adeptus Major was essentially a formal blessing, welcoming the Adept into the congregation of High Adepts.

You see, in the Golden Dawn, Adeptus Exemptus was the highest grade to be formally conferred. There are some cases, in successor orders, where the last 3 grades being given, but these were more of a formality. An honorary position. Similar to how you get a honorary degree from a college if you’re well respected. Robert Felkin, founder of the Whare Ra temple, was the first to claim a higher grade than this, and I believe it was a controversial move at the time.

Essentially, as the name suggests, the Adept is now…exempt. Exempt from instruction or even guidance. This is the highest grade that could be reached, and all the symbolism and knowledge of the Order has been fully taught. There was, quite literally, nothing else to teach.

Adepthood has been completed. Some Adepts, in this lifetime, will Cross the Abyss. But this is simply not something that can be done through formal practice, through special rituals, or by conferring someone a grade within a system.

As far as we are concerned, the Golden Dawn, and most other esoteric Orders end at this point. In fact, in old Alchemical traditions there were only 7 grades, one for each planet.

During the ceremony of this grade, the aura of the Adept is sealed. You see, the aura of an ordinary person is like an egg. It is a thin, porous layer of spiritual energy existing a few inches over the skin, open to outside energetic influences. When the ordinary person becomes an initiate, an opening is created in the aura. This is like an energetic tunnel, a link between the person and magickal current of the Order. Through this link, centuries of knowledge, guidance and experience are passed on. The person becomes an extension of the Order’s values and philosophy, imbibing them and receiving spiritual vitality.

Upon becoming an Adept, the aura slowly expands to become like a bubble, or ‘sphere of sensation’. It is made of interlocking energetic currents which form a grid, making the sphere impenetrable. However, the aura still has holes in it, representing fears, doubts, shame, guilt or any other distortions. These can allow external forces to influence and affect the energy of a person. The person’s projections and judgements are like tendrils which lash outward. The whole mass of humanity exists in a state like an interconnected mesh, like dolls of string all tangled up with each other, creating a ‘web’ of illusion called ‘Maya’ in Hinduism. In the West, this web is imagined to be like a spider’s web that people are tangled up and trapped in, referred to in Hermeticism as the ‘Hades’ and called ‘The darkly splendid world’.

Once the Adept has raised up their Shadow, the Aura is sealed. The holes and distortions have been worked out and closed, and no tendrils are shot outwards. The Adept slowly becomes untangled and free, able to maintain their own peace of mind and bodily health. Over time, they recognize that any distortions in one’s vibratory complex are self created. They were always self created, but now the awareness is there and the aura can be immediately brought back into a state of harmony.

When one becomes an Adeptus Exemptus, the opening that was created in the Aura is closed off and sealed. In other words, the tunnel like connection between the Adept and the Order is broken. This may seem depressing to some, but it is similar to an umbilical chord being cut. Put simply, the Adept’s aura has been completely filled with all the energy it can ever receive. All that the Order can teach, it has taught. It is then hermetically sealed. From this point on, it shall generate its own energy and vitality.

In mundane terms: it means no longer being reliant on anything else for guidance, motivation or happiness, but creating this within oneself. This is the closing of the Cosmic egg, like a fruit which ripens and falls away from the Tree. This grade is a time of celebration and joy, for it represents the end of a long journey.

Before I close, I want to return to our alchemical allegory. You understand how the black, dead matter in the grade of Portal, was heated and purified into the Salt of Earth. This is the grade of Adeptus Minor.

Now the elements which had been removed are added back. You will recall that, in the grade of Theoricus, the first element was extracted. This was in the form of the Water of Life. This Water, after seven distillations, has become extremely purified and is slowly added back to the Salt. This is the grade of Adeptus Major.

During this, the Salt imbibes the Water and becomes hard and shiny. Following this, the white oily substance which is called White Eagle, and represents Air, is placed in the container with the shiny material and heated, until the two mix and coagulate.

Following this, we have successfully created the White Stone of alchemy! This is not yet the Philosopher’s Stone yet, but a lesser version of it. It is said to turn any base metal into silver and produce a potent medicine. This represents the grade of Adeptus Exemptus. The work is not technically complete, since the element of fire has not been added back, but the Adept is all but perfect. They have not yet reached eternity, and their ability to bring light from darkness is not perfect.

Yet, it is next to perfect, and such a person is no less than a Sage.

Now, I have shared with you the journey of an Adept. In my next and final post, I will attempt to describe the Crossing of the Abyss and the final three ‘grades’.

Until then, peace to you brothers and sisters. If you want to learn magick, check out my Books. If you want to read more of my personal experiences, be sure to follow me on Patreon. Until next time.

Wow and it only took an year c: