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Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawnouter order of theRosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega Welcome LetterDear new member,On behalf of our Chief Adept, I would like to welcome you to to the HermeticOrder of the Golden Dawn, the First or Outer order of the Rosicrucian Order ofAlpha et Omega . You have just entered world’s best and most complete school ofHermetic theurgy (ritual magic) and alchemy. I am pleased to welcome you as adistance member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and hope that we canprovide the assistance you seek on your journey of self-discovery on the path ofUnion with the Divine. This is a process that unfolds with time, patience anddedication to the Great Work.The aim of this guide is to help you on the magical path of spiritual awakening, bysuggesting how to commence your theoretical and magical studies. You will findbelow an example of a Monthly Journal Form for recording your ritual work, atimetable of study for your first month as a Golden Dawn member and a Q&Asection; which will hopefully answer the most common questions that will arise asyou start with your training.Please also remember that there is a members’ forum for questions that may arisewith regards to your studies. By posting them on the forum and having it answeredthere, it will aid other students who may also have the same question. You will alsohave the opportunity to receive feedback on a number of occult topics such as

Theurgy, Astrology, Tarot, Qabalah and more from other students sharing theirknowledge. We also have weekly on-line lectures in the virtual classroom area ofthe member’s forum to participate and learn. As a working magical Order, unity inour efforts is important.We wish you well in your studies and hope you enjoy working within theHermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.Fraternally in L.V.X.G.H. Frater D.e.D.I.Praemonstrator OrdinisforG.H. Frater. L.E.S.Chief Adept and Archon BasileusHermetic Order of the Golden Dawn,Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega "Ex Deo Nascimur,In Christi Morimur,Per Spiritum Sanctum reviviscimus"Getting Star tedThe problem that many people find upon joining the Order and reviewing thecurriculum is that they are not sure where to start. It appears to be such a hugeundertaking that deciding where to begin is difficult. The best way to approach it,and any other situation, is to break it down into its component parts, and deal withthem one at a time.First, review the curriculum in the members’ section of our order’s website. As youwill see, this is split into the Theoretical curriculum and the Magical curriculum(the latter being the practical aspect of the work). Become familiar with the topicsthat you are going to be reviewing and then review the rituals that you will need tolearn.With regards to the Magical curriculum, the rituals that are required for the 0 0grade of Neophyte are as follows:The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP)The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram (LBRH), which includes theAnalysis of the KeywordThe Middle Pillar RitualThe Rose Cross Ritual

The QabaIistic Cross forms a part of these rituals and, while care should be taken inits execution, it should not be listed as a separate ritual on the reports.All of the rituals that are required study for this grade have a similar theme: toprovide you with methods of purification and equilibration.The Neophyte grade is where an individual lays the foundation from which theywill eventually grow. This being the case, there has to be a period of cleansing ofthe Sphere of Sensation (Aura), so when the elemental energies are transmitted,they will find a purified vehicle in which to reside. This is also the time when theenergies that are already there are equilibrated and balanced.As you progress through the Outer Order and the Elemental grades, you will bedirecting and receiving different types of energies. Unless you have preparedyourself to accept these energies, the benefits that you would have received will belost.This is the reason that there is so much emphasis on the rituals that you will learnin this grade. As you learn more complex rituals, you will always be ableto rely on the balancing and cleansing abilities that you will be developing now.The rituals in this grade have been sent to you in a sep[arate .pdf file.Once you have reviewed the topics that you are to study and the rituals that youare to memorize, create a timetable for your study. You should do the basic ritualsat least 5 times per week.Remember, this is not a race, so you do not have to try to memorize everything inthe first week. Sure and steady growth is the aim. This allows your Sphere ofSensation to have the required time to deal with the manipulations that you areperforming and also allows your subconscious mind to assimilate the informationthat you are reviewing. The amount of time this takes differs with each person.There is no pressure to rise through the grades quickly, nor is it a contest. Usingone’s own discernment regarding progress is the key.You will be required to perform the Meditation from the First Knowledge Lectureon a regular basis as well.Tools of the TradeEventually, all serious students of the Occult and practitioners of Magic will wantto create/acquire and consecrate their own Magical Tools. However, at thebeginning of your studies, you will initially only require two daggers.These two daggers will be used for the two types of banishing rituals that you willinitially learn: the LBRP and the LBRH. There are two daggers because the forcesthat you will be banishing are of two types: Elemental in the LBRP and Planetary

in the LBRH.You will consecrate the Elemental Banishing Dagger using Hexagrams, with theforce of Geburah, and you will use it to banish Pentagrams (for the LBRP). Thenyou will consecrate the Planetary Banishing Dagger using Pentagrams, with theforce of Elemental Spirit, and you will use that dagger to banish Hexagrams (for theLBRH). When these daggers are not in use, remember to wrap these in either silkor linen, so that they are not accidentally discharged when performing yourbanishings. In other words, wrap the Planetary Banishing Dagger before performingthe LBRP and vice versa. This ensures that the charged force of the dagger that isnot in use is not accidentally banished. Remember that it is the “doing” of therituals that is the most important factor to consider. If you do not have any tools touse at the start of your magical career, use your index finger to draw yourHexagrams and Pentagrams instead. Do not wait and only perform the rituals onceyou have all the proper items at hand.The performance of the rituals and the manipulation of the energies they representare more important at this stage than having the right tools. They are only anextension of your Will. While the tools are important in ceremonial and ritualmagic, the training of the mind and the act of manipulating the energies takeprecedent at the Neophyte grade.As you progress in the Order, you will build on the basic tools, such as the LotusWand for Zodiacal rituals, the Phoenix Wand for Planetary rituals, and theElemental Weapons for the Elemental rituals. These will be dealt with separately asyou reach the appropriate grade.Further details on the Banishing Daggers can be found in the Introduction sectionof the Neophyte curriculum.The only other item that you will require will be a black robe for use in yourmagical work. While this is not mandatory for use while you perform your ritualsat home, it will be required to wear when you take your first physical initiation.This can be either made or purchased.Please remember that no sashes are to be worn by distance members.These will be presented to you when you receive your 0 0 physicalinitiation.Monthly RecordkeepingWhy do you need to record what you are doing? There are two main reasons torecord your rituals. First, it gives your tutor an understanding of what you aredoing and how well you are learning the curriculum. By reviewing your records,your tutor can see areas where you might need more concentration, or he or shemay spot incorrect ritual techniques. When you feel that you are ready foradvancement, your tutor will be able to review your reports to see that you have

covered the theoretical curriculum and have been performing your ritual work.When you do your record-keeping, it is important to note any realizations andexperiences from your meditations and rituals. It is also important to note anytechnical difficulties in performing the rituals. This will be more important in thehigher degrees when you begin working with the Greater rituals. Your notes makeit possible for your tutor to follow up on your work and guide you through theprocess.The second and probably most important reason for record keeping is that you willbe able to review your own reports and see how you are developing. You will beable to notice trends in your ritual work. For example, you may find you havemore focus when working rituals at the full moon or more intense dreams whenthe moon is new. You can also see the areas you have already covered, allowingyou to see more clearly how long you have spent on each topic and whether youneed to spend more time on an area.If there is a day you cannot perform any rituals, you should still record that nothingwas done. This again might show a trend in a future review.Please note that one of the aims of our work is to train the adept, and the adept isone who has mastered the ritual system. Therefore, hard work is expected from ourstudents. This is not a social club for intellectual entertainment. This is a trainingschool for magicians and alchemists to reach the highest goals of humandevelopment.Below is a sample Monthly Journal Form which you can use for your report.Summarize observations and results for each ritual. Record rituals missed. You canfill in any topics studied or books you have read.Remember, you will have to forward your report to your tutor for his or herreview and comment. This is not a way to make sure you are doing your work “orelse.” You are the one that benefits from doing the work, not anyone else. Yourtutor is there to help guide you through the curriculum, not to mark you down fornot performing rituals.Your tutor will expect to receive full reports about your practical magical work ona monthly basis (that is, every four weeks). Fill in the relevant information, andsend your first report one month from now. It is important to keep the time spentcommunicating between student and tutor to a minimum, but still be enough foryour tutor to be supportive of you. Therefore, try as much as possible to minimizeyour communications to these reports and answering direct questions from yourtutor.Also, try to reduce the number of your own questions to your tutor, restrictingthem to questions of a strictly personal nature. Questions of general interest shouldalways be asked on the Tutorials forum. Please remember that your tutor will havea full-time job on top of the work that he or she does for the Order. Theseguidelines are structured to streamline your relationship for optimum efficiency.