The Probationer is an uncut gemstone of the A∴A∴ which will never become a valuable sapphire, or a brilliant. The core of the entire Superior’s work lies in this intactness. His job is not to abrade that magnificent stone, on the contrary. He is there to taint it so much that he can redeem it cheaply, on the market of gods and stars.
Completely free PDF – The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James.
The Great White Brotherhood, when mentioned, evokes thoughts of a group of supernatural beings with extraordinary powers who exert influence over religions, spiritual organizations, and the very fabric of civilization.
The A∴A∴ is certainly not, neither will ever be a Thelemic order, but a pan-æonic, all-pervading, omnipresent. Like cosmic void, in which there is neither morning nor dusk, its spreading is not framed by the loom of time nor space. Moreover, its movement is always as its nature is everywhere.
All the peculiarity of this place lies in one straightforward fact, though the Aspirant refuses to accept it, which is that he learns a lot more from the Student than from his own Superior.
IAO - is "ouch", cried by your Angel, as somehow he step on over some remarkable thorn on his path through the light, every time you act "out of him".
At the very beginning of Star Ruby; aspirant is dashing down the hand with a great sweep back and out, crying: "Apo Pantos Kakodaimonos!".
All past and future times, all of them are before his Pyramid, for only eternal now is left inside.
The true crown of achievement is not to remain a child, but to become a child.
Your entire life is just one of the ways of performing one and the same dialogue between you and your God; no, it is precisely that between.
What defines a Genius is his authenticity, his exceptionality which exceeds all standards of taste and mediocrity, to the extent that the worst vulgarity in his possession easily becomes an object of the highest divine providence.
There is nothing so effective as the nature of silence; the full effect of the ritual is only after its last word, never during the performance.
The relationship between the Motto and the Angel is the same relationship between the Aspirant and the Motto. In every present which continually exists in the same way, the Aspirant, the Motto, and the Angel are one and the same thing.
Grades are meridians of the soul and like earthly meridians, they are just a matter of agreement, and as it does not mean that there are clearly visible lines on the planet, it can be said that from the standpoint of LVX, the Grades do not exists.
Persephone is none other than the Probationer; his Oath is Cora's grain of pomegranate. Even knowing the consequences of all this, it would not prevent Cora from tasting the fruit which would permanently tie her to the dark, distant kingdom so far away from home and her mother.
Disguised as a beggar, the great Odysseus was patiently enduring suitors' abuse. He uttered words which the Probationer will sense perfectly: “Still, my heart, for you have suffered heavier things”. Secretly knowing that, when the time comes, he will kill every one of them.
Hail! Asi! Hail, Hoor-Apep! Let The Silence speech beget!
In all its exceptionality, a clay teapot is not real; what is real is only clay. How would a teapot ever exist without clay? A teapot is just clay formed by Genius in the shape of a teapot. Ice does not exist; there is only water. Ice is only a consequence of Will passing through water, transforming it into ice. It is the same with all the other elements.
There is no one in this world who can tell you where or what this path is, as long as you follow your nose, you are on the right track.
It can be said that each Grade cherishes a specific relationship with the Diary, that there is a special thread that binds the Diary with a certain Grade, and that this thread has a different nature on each occasion.
There are many variations and methods for performing the Pentagram ritual, which we can explore in order to refresh and refine our own practice. One of my favorite variations is that the whole ritual is performed sitting in a chair, imagining yourself two feet in front of you doing the entire ritual, with all the details that would otherwise be present during the work.
No other magical aid is used as often as a Robe, and within the plane of the Golden Dawn, no other weapon suggest equally at the Grade and the ultimate goal, which is always and only the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, as much as the Robe does.
Diary is not a record of your practice, but a record of your living soul, it is not a reminder of what it was, nor what it will be, but always and only what it is now.
Teaching is the best way of learning. The role of the Superior is to be a fellow sufferer, a wandering companion, a witness of the sacred act of the Oath which Student undertakes.
What has to be told openly here is that the Book of the Heart Girt with a Serpent can be everything that an Aspirant of the Golden Dawn would ever need, and all the tasks and instructions of our Order are only pale echoes of its verses.
