Cicero - Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition_Part 01

f all the initiation ceremonies of the Golden Dawn, the Neophyte
Ritual stands apart from the rest. The Neophyte grade is called the
0 0 = 00 grade because it is not attributed to any of the Sephiroth on
the Tree of Life. This ceremony is a preliminary rite which contains
all the fundamental magical formulae and techniques of the Order.
It is based almost entirely around the idea of the Divine Light and
the spiritual magnetism which draws that Light into the temple to be implanted
in the aspirant's sphere of sensation. The word Neophyte comes from the Greek
word neophytos or "newly planted."
In a traditional Neophyte Ceremony with a full initiating team, the Hierophant,
the main officer of the ritual, acts on behalf of the Divine Self of humanity-the
supreme spiritual Soul. As the physical embodiment of the godform of
Ousiri (Osiris), he is stationed in the East, the place of the dawning sun and the
symbolic direction of the Supernal Light of Kether. It is through Ousiri, represented
by the Hierophant, that the Light is brought into the temple.
The Hegemon, who is the personification of the godform of Thme, symbolizes
the higher part of the candidate's mind-the highest part of the Ruach or
reasoning mind working in combination with the Neshamah, the Divine Soul. The
Keryxn represents the lower part of the Ruach functioning in obedience to the
Will. The Hiereus is the active will of humanity, the guardian against evil. The
Hegemon is the aspiring, compassionate and intuitive consciousness which seeks
to bring about the Rise of the Light. (It is for this reason we have elaborated the
role of godform of the Hegemon, Thme, in the initiation rituals presented here.)
The primary objective of the student who wishes to initiate him/her self
into the grade of Neophyte is twofold. First the Divine Light mustbe brought into
the temple. Second, through a magnetic charge, this Light mustbe attracted to and
implanted within the psyche of the aspirant. What must be remembered here is
that the Higher Self rarely leaves its lofty abode, except when the Lower Self
intentionally opens up to the Higher by an act of genuine aspiration or self-sacrifice.
This action alone makes the descent of the Light into mind, heart and soul
possible. Therefore the self-initiated must ever strive steadfastly in the utmost
11The old-fashioned spelling of this word was kerux, which transliterated the Greek letter upsilon as
a "u." However this same letter is also transliterated as a "v' in such words as "mystery" and "sympathy,"
which are both of Greek origin.
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