Cicero - Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition_Part 01

TheNeophyte Grade 55
life on one hand and the life of humans on the other. The goal of the Qabalist is to
discover and invent keys to the understanding of arcane symbols which reflect the
eternal mysteries.
Israel Regardie stated that, "Qabalah is a trustworthy guide, leading to a
comprehension of the universe and one's own self." It is all this and more. This
"Tradition" was never restricted to instruction in the mystical path alone; it also
includes ideas on the origins of the universe, of Angelic hierarchies, and the practice
of magic. Qabalah is the foundation upon which the art of Western magic
rests. Magic has been defined by Aleister Crowley as "the science and art of causing
change to occur in conformity with Will." To this Dion Fortune added'
"changes in consciousness."
The Qabalah, which Dion Fortune called "the Yogaof the West" reveals the
nature of certain physical and psychological phenomena. Once these are rightly
understood, the studentcan use the principles of magic to exercise control over the
conditions and circumstances of his/her life. Magic provides the practical application
of the theories supplied by the Qabalah.
The Qabalah as it exists today is a vibrant, living and dynamic philosophy
which includes ideas on the origin of the entire Cosmos, the eternal mind of God,
and the spiritual development of humankind. It is a precise mystical system that
describes universal laws and shows us how to utilize spiritual principles in everyday
life. By firmly fixing Qabalistic symbols such as the Tree of Life in one's mind,
the aspirant has access to a balanced group of archetypes that the Inner Self can
more easily relate to, thus making true spiritual growth more readily attainable.
As the Hermetic studentbegins to contemplate and experience the energies of the
Sephiroth (the ten emanations of the Qabalistic Treeof Life)s/he will find that they
develop into genuine Forces that become animated within the psyche. These
newly awakened Forces will initiate a process of reorganization in the mind of the
student, gathering up disjointed elements of the Divine Powers which lay dormant
in the average person. They begin to structure themselves in accordance
with the Sephiroth, permitting the student to tap into a previously unknown
source of Divine Inspiration which is kept alive and prolific through meditation
and active ritual work. The Qabalah has often been called the "Ladder of Lights"
because it not only depicts Cosmic generation, which is the descent of the Divine
into the physical, but also defines how the individual may employ it for spiritual
ascent by purifying both body and mind through ceremony, contemplation, and
prayer, until at length one achieves that pristine state of consciousness that is necessary
to attain union with the Higher Self, which is the emissary to the Divine
Self represented by the first Sephirah of Kether.
Some people who have a brief encounter with the Qabalah come away
with the idea that it is a purely patriarchal or male-oriented philosophy simply
because of its Hebrew origins. Nothing could be further from the truth. Take for
example a word which is common throughout Qabalistic teachings, "Elohim." This
a word formed from a feminine noun, "Eloah" and a masculine plural "im." You
are left with a word that has both male and female characteristics which literally
means"gods"-the creative principle formed from the perfect and equal union of