Welcome as a Candidate for Initiation into The Magical Golden Dawn.  As a Candidate for Initiation there are several things you need to do to get prepared for your initiation.  These don't need to be done in any particular order nor is there any time limit on when they need to be done.

Candidates are encouraged to follow their own spiritual path as part of their rituals and meditation.  The Magical Golden Dawn is neither a religion nor a spiritual path.  It is a method of enhancing your chosen spiritual path and not a substitute for it.  Whatever your current spiritual practices may be, they both define your spiritual path and your spiritual practices.  We encourage you to continue following your chosen spiritual path and change anything in our teaching materials or rituals to bring them into compliance with your current spiritual path.  We also encourage you to change these things if you change either your spiritual practices or your spiritual path or both.

As a general rule, if you already have an intimate knowledge of the materials we present here for the Candidate, it will take you a few days to properly prepare for your initiation.  If all of this material is new to you, it may take you two to three months to properly prepare for your initiation.  If you're in-between these two extremes, intuitively decide where you are and plan accordingly.

Historically, all initiations into the Golden Dawn traditions from whom we're descended were done only on the Equinoxes and Solstices.  The reason for this is because the Solar and Lunar energies are both very magical  at these times.  Choosing to take your grade initiations, those initiations which follow the first initiation you are preparing to take, on a Solstice or Equinox is recommended.  But it's only a recommendation and not a requirement.

Another good time for initiations is at the time of new Moon.  The time of the New Moon is defined as being the exact day of the New Moon and the day before and the day after the New Moon.  Any one of these three days is a good day for starting anything new.  An initiation is the start of something new.

You set the date for your initiation.  Set the date.  Mark it on your calendar and start preparations.  Figure out how you'll be free from intrusions from your telephones, friends, neighbors and pets during the ritual.  Sometimes friends and pets are not intrusions but welcome guests in your ceremony.  You decide.  Start making plans now.

Decide where you want to hold your initiation.  You'll need a quiet space where you won't be interrupted for about two hours.  The initiation itself takes about an hour.  Preparation before and reflection after the ritual take another hour.  The ritual can be done in one place and the rest in another.  Living rooms and secluded back yards make good places for rituals.  Kitchen and dining room tables are good places to prepare and reflect.  Decide where you want to hold your initiation.

Decide what representatives for the Elements you want to use on your altar.  The Magical Golden Dawn asks you to have representatives for each of the five Elements on your altar.  These representatives are placed in the proper direction on your altar according to your wishes.  The usual arrangement is Incense for Air in the East, Candle for Fire in the South, Cup of Water for Water in the West, a Platter of Salt for Earth in the North and a Spiritual Book in the Center for the Element of Spirit.  But what representatives and directions you choose is entirely up to you.

Decide what you're going to use for an altar.  The usual choice is a low table though the floor or any other platform  which can hold and support your representatives for the Elements is acceptable.  Decide what coverings and other spiritual objects, if any, you're going to place on your altar. 

If you want classical or spiritual music playing softly during your ceremony, decide where you want the music player and exactly what music you want playing.  Incorporate this into your altar if you want.

Decide what you're going to wear.  If you're serious about your magical  studies you may want to purchase a long white robe.  White is a color of purity and is most often used.  However, any color of your choice may be used.  Some magicians use a cloak or sash instead of a robe.  Some magicians wear no jewelry of any kind while others wear what they want to wear.  You decide what garment and adornments you want to use.

During the ceremony you'll be addressing Deity in a number of different ways.  You'll need to decide what Name you wish to use for each of the following:

1. The Creator of All That Is (Spirit)

2. The Creator Incarnate in Your Mind (Air)

3. The "Father" aspect of the Creator (Fire)

4. The "Mother" aspect of the Creator (Water)

5. The Creator Incarnate in your Body (Earth)

While some Golden Dawn traditions believe there is one and only one name for each aspect of deity, experience teaches us that any name you choose will work just as effectively as any other name. Your intention is far more important that the name you assign to the Divine. But you may certainly memorize the Aramaic, Buddhist, Christian, Druidic, Egyptian, Greek, Hebrew, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Norse, Pagan, Wicca or any other Divine names of your choice.

In the Gnostic tradition of the Holy Order of the Golden Dawn which gave birth to The Magical Golden Dawn, the following "God Names" and attributions were used:

1. Spirit - IAO  (Creator God)

2. Air - Eh-Hey-Yeh  (Father God)

3. Water - Elohim  (Mother God)

4. Fire - Yod Hey Vav Hey (Son God)

5. Earth - Adonai (Daughter God)

In the Gnostic tradition of the Qabalah which also gave birth to The Magical Golden Dawn, the following "God Names" and attributions were used:

1. Spirit Above - IAO

2. Spirit Below - Adonai Malek

3. Spirit Within - Adonai Ha-Aretz

4. Father God - Eh-Hey-Yeh

5. Mother God - Elohim

6. Son God - Yod Hey Vav Hey

7. Daughter God - Shaddai El Chai

Using this information as a "template," you need to decide what name you will use for Deity for each of these Five or Seven Elements which are also seven directions and seven aspects of Deity representing the seven bodies which each of us inhabits.  Keep in mind the Element of Spirit is Three-in-One, namely Spirit Above, Spirit Below and Spirit Within.  These represent the Spirit Above that leads us toward our goal, Spirit Below that supports us in all our endeavors, and the Spirit Within that is our own True Self. You may use the same name for more than one aspect of the Divine or all of the aspects. The name or names you choose is your decision and your decision alone.

This completes the first of three tasks to prepare yourself for initiation.

When you've completed the first task, you're ready to start the second task.  The materials you will need to complete the second task include both rituals and lessons to be learned. 

PREPARATION WORK FOR 0 = 0

SUGGESTIONS TO GET STARTED

This Home Page is divided into four main sections plus the suggestions at the beginning:

1. Rituals we use and one optional ritual

2. Lessons to help you get started

3. Optional Lessons for those who are interested

4. Initiation and More Lessons

As you prepare for your initiation into The Magical Golden Dawn, we offer you these suggestions: Read through the material on this page from the beginning to the end without following any links. If you decide this is something you want to incorporate into your own spiritual practices, then follow the links you want to follow. Study what appeals to you and the things you'd like to learn more about.

In our experience, trying to learn something that does not appeal to you is a complete waste of your time and energy. True, some things are more difficult to learn than others. Our suggestion when you find something difficult to learn is to start asking questions. Somebody had the same issue and was able to find an easier way. We have a discussion group where you an ask these kinds of questions. If that might embarrass you, why not obtain a free email service from Myway, Gmail or Hotmail and use a creative name instead of your own.

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