Waite's FRC Tree of Life Diagram

Abrac

Thank you so much for your insights. I think that part in the Ishtar Publishing book about "The Magus Initiation" must be a misprint.

I've noticed a lot of Waite's FRC rituals bear a striking resemblance to GD rituals, so it wouldn't surprise me if he lifter others.

Feel free to critique my Tree diagram. If you see any ways of making it better please share. :)
 

RellufT

FRC Higher Rituals

I have located my copy of the rituals which were printed in 1937. I will add more subsequently but a quick refresher shows that there were some nine parts comprising the 'Fourth Order of the Rosy Cross'. Part XIII, for example, is headed "The Sacred Ritual of Light in Ascension and the Dawn of a New Decennium", whereas Part IX is "The World of the Supernals; The Festival of the Tree of Life and the Inward Presence Therein Leading to the Sacred Paths of Kether and the Explored Mystery of the Medial Line; Videlicet Mysterium Ascensionis". Again Part III is "World of Supernals: The Mass of Union and the Ceremony of Ordination for a Junior Haeres of the Holy House". And many others. It has been some time since I looked closely at the Ishtar books but a quick glance suggests that these have just a version of only one of the nine parts, and also, incidentally, excludes the Ritual for Da'ath which is between the Adeptus Exemptus and the Fourth Order rituals referred to above. Although I have still to look thoroughly I suspect that the title "Magus Initiation" in the book is a very recent and unsound addition by the person who published these. It should be noted that the term "Magus" is followed by "8=3" which is obviously incorrect.
 

RellufT

Tree of Life

Kwaw- I will need to consider your first question at greater length but of course Crowley's Unicursal Hexagram first appeared in the G.D. 4=7 paper 'Polygons and Polygrams' - it is one of the variants of the Hexagram rituals and thus did not originate with Crowley. Although I will check I do not believe there were more "dynamic or variable" notions of the ToL in the inner teachings of the G.D. although many individual members did do considerable personal work and speculation. J.W. Brodie Innes (Sub Spe) produced an extraordinary amount of later high Grade material for his A.O. Temple and Westcott's unpublished diaries do contain a huge amount of personal work, some copied from obscure sources and some (presumably) his personal work. However, in the Stella Matutina there was an instructional "Preparation For the 9=2", consisting of nine preparations; the very first is "Study the Da'ath Tree carefully in colour". This Da'ath Tree was, of course, first encountered in the Grade of Philosophus, 4=7 and was presented to the candidate in ceremony. However, it was not coloured and thus the colouring was a later Inner development.
 

Abrac

Dang, there are a lot all right! I knew there was one between Adeptus Exemptus and Daath which I don't have and have been trying to lay hold of, but not all the others.

My Ishtar Publishing has two which it has labeled as World of Supernals:

1. World of Supernals Part II, "The Ceremony of Enthroning a Keeper of the Sacred Mystery."

and

2. World of Supernals Part III, "The Ritual of Return in Light."

These may be ones that Waite later renamed or reworked.
 

Abrac

RellufT, after a person has reached Daath, three paths are available for advancement. Do you know if there's a prescribed order in which they should be traveled?
 

RellufT

Tree of Life

Within the S.M. it is the 17th and then the 18th leading to Binah. From Binah it is the 14th to Chokmah. However the officers taking the rituals represent the 11th, the 12th and the 13th and there is reference to these Paths also in the rituals in the 8=3 and 9=2 and the officers wear caps and cloaks bearing Aleph, Beth etc. These two rituals occur within a black triangular Vault. Regarding the FRC I will have to read through these again (not having myself been through these- Waite rituals are very long!). Of course the G.D. didn't have these Grades and the A.O. stopped at the 7=4.
 

RellufT

Waites Fourth Order

Some other rituals in Waite's Fourth Order are titled as follows (I note the numbering is different from yours Abrac);
The Fourth Order of the Rosy Cross: World of the Supernals:

Part I: The Ceremony of Reception in the Portal of the Fourth Order being the Fourth Portal Grade

Part II; The Further Side of the Portal which is 0=0 In Supernis, Sive in Nihilo et Nusquam Ex Dono Dei Magni et hoc est AEterna (long ritual)

Part III; The Ceremony of Enthroning a Keeper of the Sacred Mystery

Part IV: The Ritual of Descent in Light

Part V; The Pontifical Ceremony of Celebrating the Festival of the Winter Solstice. (very long ritual, in several parts)

It should be noted that while the rituals for the Third Order are largely the same, qua ritual, as the Ishtar publications, nevertheless the latter lack a great deal of rubric and introductory lead-in to the ritual itself.
 

Abrac

Thanks for this list of rituals, very helpful. In your rituals are the Festivals of Winter and Summer solstice both together as World of Supernals, Part V?
 

Abrac

I updated the Tree Diagram to reflect newly-acquired info. Per the rituals posted by RellufT, Daath is included in the World of Supernals so it seems better to have the Threshold of the Fourth Order below Daath instead of above it. This is more consistent with the rest of the Tree, where the Threshold is below each sephira on the middle pillar. I also changed "House of Life" in Tiphareth to "House of Regeneration," which is more consistent with Waite's own terminology.
 

Abrac

I updated the diagram by moving the Threshold of the Fourth Order. Daath is a little different from the Portals below it; it's both in Atziluth and out of it. I was looking for a way to illustrate this and I think I found a pretty good solution. There are no degrees above Daath; initiates did spiritual work in Atziluth but always returned to Daath. In the diagram you can see the influx of influences from Atziluth into Daath, but there's a part of it still below the threshold.

From the Ritual of Return in Light:

"Through paths and Sephiroth, and thus from world to world, the soul goes up, even unto Daath, the threshold of Being in Union. It does not cross the threshold, save only in intimations of vision, as a waking space between white Pillars of sleep. Beyond the images of mind and heart, beyond all thought and word, this state of Being lies. The soul comes back therefrom because of mission to the world."​