What Was the Golden Dawn's Magical Formula?

Abrac

With the GD you start to see the shift occur. They were the first as far as I know to teach directed imagination as part of a magical curriculum, but the rituals still played a leading role. Crowley's 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law' was a fundamental shift away from prescribed ritual, placing primary importance upon the subjective state.
 

ravenest

Abrac said:
On the backs of the GD Tarot are three phrases- Khabs Am Pekht, Konx Om Pax and Light In Extension. Apparently these all mean the same thing in different languages- Egyptian, Greek and English respectively. On page 347 of The Golden Dawn it says: "Their significance implies, by various Qabalistic methods of analysis, as well as by certain reading of the Coptic and Egyptian heiroglyphics, 'Light in Extension' or 'May Light be extended in Abundance upon you.'" I couldn't find anything that said this was THE GD magical formula but to me it sums up their philosophy as good as anything.

Yeah, that's about as close as one can get, I'd say.
Abrac said:
Before Crowley, magic had been practiced the same way for centuries. The inner state of the magus was irrelevant; as long as certain formulas were followed in the prescribed manner and the correct words said, the heavens would open and shine its Light upon you. This was also the GD's approach. Crowley's formula was different; it placed the emphasis upon the subjective inner state of the magus. To me, this is one of Crowley's most important contributions, if not THE most.

Yeah, that old way didnt work (I'd tried it when I was young :laugh: ).

I used to quote an OTO staement when people thought I was evil for being into Crowley studies; "What do you actually do?" they'd ask.

"We practice the Holy Magick of Light." I'd reply.
 

kwaw

ravenest said:
Yeah, that old way didnt work (I'd tried it when I was young :laugh: ).

Perhaps you didn't work them properly;)

I used to quote an OTO staement when people thought I was evil for being into Crowley studies; "What do you actually do?" they'd ask.

"We practice the Holy Magick of Light." I'd reply.

Same reply a member of the Golden Dawn may have made [or make] then?
 

Aeon418

Abrac said:
From what I understand, Crowley's conviction was that the magical formula, "Do what thou wilt," was to supersede the Golden Dawn's complex system of rituals. Does anyone know what the GD's magical formula was called or if it even had a name? I don't recall ever hearing anything specific.
Do what thou wilt is more of a modus operandi than a magical formula, but that's a quibble. LOL

The Golden Dawn initiatory formula is based on Osiris as hierophant, the dying and resurrected sun, INRI. The Equinox of the Gods changed the initiatory formula and promotes Horus from the station of Hiereus to Hierophant. (See GD Neophyte ritual) The formula of Horus is the ever-living sun.

The goal remains unchanged though, it's just an updated way of getting there that conforms to a truer understanding of Nature. After all, the sun doesn't really die, does it? So why base a spiritual path around a misconception of both the sun and Self?

The Golden Dawn proclaimed Konx Om Pax. The phrase = 451.
Crowley's reformulation, the A.'.A.'. - Astron Argon = 451.
One Star in Sight. ;)
 

ravenest

Aeon418 said:
After all, the sun doesn't really die, does it? So why base a spiritual path around a misconception of both the sun and Self?

Yes, an integral part of the Third degree ceremony (the very end). The candidate goes through this whole dying god formula only to be told at the end of the Oasis series of initiation (prior to Lodge) ... well, pretty much what Aeon says above.

Why? because one needs to know the framework of the 'old' (and still qlippothically extant) age. One 'needs to know what one is in for'.

All credit to A.C. for finally updating traditions with commonly understood natural science! Might seem that that SHOULD be common - but not in my experience. The 'mystical tradition' seems to lag a few centuries behind most often - but why should it?

The Sun does not die and travell through the underworld to be reborn each day (like the soul ;) ).

From our perception point it appears to, but what happens is our perception point turns away from the sun , so the sun is concealed 'behind' the mass of our own perception point and it's (the mass of the perception point)creates a shadow through part of the atmosphere which reaveals the wonder of the heavens.

Have fun mediating on how that relates to your 'gnosis mortis'.
 

Aeon418

ravenest said:
Why? because one needs to know the framework of the 'old' (and still qlippothically extant) age. One 'needs to know what one is in for'.
The symbolic Osiris stage is the current baseline for modern humans, or at least should be. ;) Horus is the next step.

The whole Golden Dawn 0=0 to 5=6 structure is contained with the A.'.A.'. Neophyte grade 1=10.
 

ravenest

Would not you say that that first step has been taken ( By revelation of Liber AL ?) And the Osirian energy extant is due to past momentum? Or do you think the Horus age is yet to come?
 

Aeon418

ravenest said:
Would not you say that that first step has been taken ( By revelation of Liber AL ?) And the Osirian energy extant is due to past momentum? Or do you think the Horus age is yet to come?
The first step has been taken and things are moving, but has the goal been attained yet? I don't think so.

In terms of the collective psycho/spiritual evolution of the human race, the purpose of the Osirian stage was the full flowering of the Ruach, the intellectual mind. I think we've certainly seen that. So much so that it's now become a danger to itself and threatens to kill us all.

We won't see the vintage wine of Horus until the collective level of human awareness is at the stage Crowley labled K&C of HGA or the Second Coming as some people like to call it. :laugh:
 

ravenest

Yes, hence the tense in the phrase; 'Do what thou wilt SHALL BE the whole of the Law' ? It's going to take a while.

But bringing this all back to Tarot (cant believe we got away with it for so long ;) ), I have always found it interesting to compare some peoples interpretation of the cards with others. Even when some knew, they slipped back into the old Aeon ideas. Especially when a diverse group looks at a card like 'The Devil" or comparing 'The Last Judgement' to 'The Aeon'.

In one instance someone went on this really negative rave about the devil card, went full circle themselves and emerged with a primal, pagan, Pan idea. Then they laughed at themselves about how they did that and were still infuenced to the extent that all that stuff spontaneously came out in a workshop.
 

Aeon418

ravenest said:
I have always found it interesting to compare some peoples interpretation of the cards with others. Even when some knew, they slipped back into the old Aeon ideas.
I think The Devil is the best barometer for this. The difference between the Aeon and the Last Judgement is, in many ways, quite subtle because it's a progression. (Lust is a good one too.) But the the New Aeon Devil undergoes a complete trans-valuation of all values. The poor bloke was just misunderstood for 2000 years. But everyone loves a scapegoat. :laugh:

The old Devil relies on the notion of Spirit versus Matter. (To a large extent the Golden Dawn Osirian magical formula incorporates this.) But the New Aeon conception is of the unity of Spirit and Matter. Two sides of the same coin. This make a big difference to the interpretation of some cards. So much so that many people who approach the Thoth for the first time, without exploring the underlying ideas, will automatically fall into the old rut that their cultural programming has already dug for them.

People who wish to dive into the Thoth while ignoring Crowley and his ideas miss the point of the deck because, more often than not, they fail to check their baggage at the door.