Cicero - Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition_Part 01

Introduction
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ceramic jar in your right hand as a symbol of your heart and your spiritual
essence. Inyour left hand she places the white shu feather of Maat. She speaks.'?
My featheris that which is weighed againsteveryhumanheart.Thy
heart must be measured and judged to be true and just.Thy heart
and thy soul must be made Maat.Let not thy scalestip either to the
right or to the left, for either unbalanced is not good.Seek ever the
center, for onlythe straightand narrowpath between the Pillarscan
lead you to the Stoneof the Wise.This is the greatTruth which hath
never been broken since the time of Osiris. Remember thou that
God will judge the just.
The white shu feather and the ceramic heart are absorbed into the flesh of your
hands. Thme holds the yellow Phoenix Wand before you. The Wand bursts into
flame within her hand. From the ashes of the Phoenix Wand a newWand emerges. It
is a red and yellow-gold Wand crowned by a split miter-head. Asmall red cross ornaments
the head of the scepter. Thme speaks:
This is the Scepterof Wisdom which shall conductthee always on
the Path of Knowledge. It symbolizes religion and spiritual desire
which guidesand regulates life. Remember to holdall religions in reverence,
for there is nonebut contains a rayof the ineffable Lightthat
thou art seeking. Remember that the goddess who now stands
beforethee is a living symbol of those higheraspirations of the soul
whichshouldguide its action.
Meditate for a few moments more on the godform of Thme before allowing her to
fade gently from your sphere of awareness. Slowly dissolve the yellow ovoid
shape surrounding you. When you are ready, perform the Adoration to the Lord
of the Universe, followed by the Battery of four knocks and the Lesser Banishing
Ritual of the Pentagram.I)
Bringing Down the Light
In all Golden Dawn ceremonies, the initiating Hierophant, acting as a living
"channel" brings the Supernal Light down into the temple through a complex formula.
The student of this course, acting as his/her own initiator, must use a
greatly simplified method of bringing the Divine Light into the temple. A technique
for accomplishing this is presented here. This exercise should be practiced
for at least three months prior to self-initiation into the grade of Neophyte.
After taking a ritual bath, sit quietly for a few moments of meditation, facing
the Eastern part of your temple space. When you feel ready, stand and place
10 Please note that this ritual, as well as the initiation rites in the following chapters, contains passages
which are set in a sans serif typeface, to indicate speeches that are "spoken" astrally by the
godforms-not physically by the magician-and are "heard" internally.