Cicero - Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition_Part 01

TheNeophyte Grade 5
The aspirant will also need to choose a magical motto. A motto is usually
a phrase that is descriptive of the magician's spiritual goal. Itis rendered in Latin,
Hebrew, or any language other than the aspirant's everyday speech, in order to set
the magical name apart from secular life.
In the initiation ceremonies of the Golden Dawn, various participants
known as officers assume certain godforms (i.e., take on the astral appearance and
qualities of a god or goddess) who carry out specific duties in the ritual. True godform
assumption should not be attempted by anyone who is not yet an Adept.P
In a self-initiation rite these various godforms are built up in the imagination of
the candidate where they represent different parts of the aspirant's psyche. These
godforms are therefore microcosmic reflections of specific macrocosmic godforces
to which they are linked. They are each called upon and orchestrated by the
candidate's own Higher Self through the desire for the Light. The solitary aspirant
does not actually assume the godforms created in the temple, but instead acts
upon their behalfby taking on the various offices in the temple under the watchful
guidance of the god-forces. An officer-form, so to speak, is a lesser extension of
a godform which serves to carry out specific functions within the temple. It is the
cfficer-forms, not the godforms themselves, that are assumed by the solitary aspirant
of this course. When the officer-forms are not being assumed by the candidate,
they are returned to the full authority of their respective godforms.
The combined activities in the ritual, especially the activities of the various
godforms and officer-forms, symbolize the component parts of the candidate's
own mind, which work together to effect initiation. However, preparation mustbe
done prior to self-initiation into the Neophyte grade. It is very important for the
student to have previously opened up a channel of dialogue with Thme by practicing
the exercises given in the introduction. We suggest that the aspirant study
the section here entitled "The Godforms of the Visible Stations" and the diagrams
of the temple provided for this rite. The reader is also advised to commit to memory
the section of this chapter which describes the primary offices of the Neophyte
grade and their officer-forms. All information required for the rise and circulation
of the Light in the ritual, as well as the necessary visualizations, will be explained
step-by-step in the ceremony given here.
The following manuscript describes the appearance of the various godforms
of the Neophyte Hall, especially in terms of color. The colors of the Three Chiefs
reflect their correspondingSephiroth: Chesed, Geburah, and Tiphareth. The colors of
these three officials are seen to "flash" with their respective vibratory energy.13 Their
high placementon the Tree of Life indicates the importance of these officers in guiding
the current of magic from its source (the Supernal Triad) into the temple.
The remaining officers who do not occupy a seat on the Dais are each
assigned two visible forms, the initial form and the advancedform. The initial forms
12 Students who take on godforms before they are ready to do so may endanger themselves through
psychic imbalance and deception.
13 "Flashing Colors" are complimentary colors that are located directly opposite each other on a
standard artist's color wheel. One of the two colors is active, the other passive. Two colors that
"flash" are linked together with the same vibratory energy.