SCANDAL: The Debate Surrounding Release of the Advanced Golden Dawn Curriculum by the Third Order

- David Griffin Answers Golden Dawn Critics -

 David Griffin
Imperator, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Archon Basileus, Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega

The buzz has been massive on the internet surrounding, my recent revelation that the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order have finally decided to transmit the rest of the Golden Dawn's traditional Second Order curriculum (6=5 and 7=4). I have been forced to rewrite this article, as more and more personalities from the Golden Dawn community have been weighing in on the subject.

Nick Farrell 

For example, Nick Farrell, leader of the Magical Order of Aurora Aureae, just wrote:

I don't doubt that Mathers thought that he was in contact with the third order. Certainly he was trying to contact something with the ring and disk. However, people always assume that he was talking to them about the Golden Dawn teachings and not some bizarre Jacobian plan to get Edinburgh back for the Stuarts. There is a lack of papers from Mathers from all his inner plane communications (after all he had years). One thing that came from Mathers when he was productive was the Z documents which I see as a brilliant connection between modern magic and masonic techniques. But because you have contact with secret chiefs in one phase of your life does not mean you have them later, or even that you keep the same ones. As I showed in Mathers' Last Word these were dropped in the AO during Mathers life time (perhaps picked up later after his death). If Mathers was talking to secret chiefs then they must have been ordering him to water down the GD instruction, and not pursue any 6=5 and 7=4 teachings and structure. They were also advising him to use postal initiation systems and the higher grades to make cash. More positively they could have equally been telling him to throw his weight behind public facing events like the Isis workings (again cash seems to be the motivating force).

The point about secret chiefs is that they require faith. Not in the secret chiefs, but in those who say they have contact with the secret chiefs. Contact with secret chiefs or inner plane contacts cannot be proven other than by the quality of teaching. If that teaching remains secret or placed in a grade that many would never obtain then it becomes less likely. When people claim they have such contacts, or a cosmic mediators, or what ever, then they are breaking the first rule of secret chiefs... you never say if you have that contact. So if they are breaking that rule, and seem to be using their Secret Chiefs contact as a sales gimmick to lure people to their group, you have to then evaluate what exactly is being taught here. If there is nothing new, then there nothing to see here and it is all just Zinkish con-trick. However if their public face demonstrates real wisdom, a desire to help one's fellow man, then they might be on to something. However I know of one chief of a small non-golden dawn order who tells his students that he is off to see his secret chiefs for special training and boards a plane to South America and goes on a two week drugs bender (apparently they are cheaper there). He does not tell his students about taking drugs, but one of his students said that his lectures are always so much better after he has been in touch with his secret chiefs energy.

Care Frater Nick,

You make some interesting points here, but your career as a tabloid journalist is getting in the way of your would-be career as a Golden Dawn historian yet once again. Much like the fatal flaw with your books, here again, you mix a tiny amount of historical fact with vast amounts of personal conjecture, and serve up your speculations as fake historical realities as thinly veiled attacks on the entire Golden Dawn tradition.

To begin with, there is no historical evidence at all to support your false statement that S.L. MacGregor Mathers was selling mail order grades. Secondly, you are seriously misrepresenting what Mathers himself said about his contacts with the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order. For example, in a paper written by Mathers for Theorici Adepti Minori, Mathers went into great detail about his contact with the Secret Chiefs. It is noteworthy that Mathers' own words bear no resemblance whatsoever to thr tabloid-like assertions you make about Mathers yet once again here.

So whose word should we take on the subject of Mathers contact with the Secret Chiefs?

That of Golden Dawn founder, S. L. MacGregor Mathers himself ...

Or that of Nick Farrell, a career tabloid journalist with an axe to grind against Mathers' Alpha et Omega as a competing order?

It is noteworthy, Frater Nick, that you present things as though Mathers' contacts with the Secret Chiefs were merely some sort of New Age channelling. Mathers himself, however, stated clearly that the Third Order were real, physical people with whom he met physically in Paris in 1891.

As much as I disagree with you about most things, Nick, you are correct about at least one important things. Mathers later work, in fact, did not show the same brilliance as it did immediately following his meeting with the Secret Chiefs in 1891 or when Mathers founded the R.R. et A.C. in 1892. You are also correct that Mathers was never was able to finish the 6=5 Adeptus Major curriculum nor the 7=4 Adeptus Exemptus curriculum, and that Mathers later work does not at all reflect his earlier magical genius.

This does not mean, however, as you erroneously conclude with disparaging intent in your book, that Mathers took the AO in a Masonic rather than in a magical direction.

What this actually does show, however, is important evidence supporting the existence of the Secret Chiefs and the Third Order as an actual, physical order.

In reality, the actual reason why Mathers' later work lacks its earlier brilliance - is simply that Mathers had meanwhile been cut off by the Third Order. There were several reasons for this. One reason I mentioned earlier for this was Crowley's having profaned the material that Mathers was given by the Third Order through publication. The most important reason, however, why Mathers was cut off by them, is that the Secret Chiefs were quite unhappy with what Mathers himself had done with the material they had given him for the Second Order.

I am quite surprised that neither you, Nick, nor hardly any of the other of the other contemporary Golden Dawn leaders have ever even noticed what a mess that Mathers made of the Second Order material! The greatest problem with the R.R. et A.C. is the hopeless jumble Mathers made of magical egregores, mixing Egyptian magick with Qabalistic magick, Enochian magick, etc.

This mess is the primary reason why the published R.R. et A.C. magical material works as badly as it does. How on Earth are you supposed to invoke Amoun using Jehova and Elohim? They were bitter enemies in ancient Egypt, for goodness sake!

This is certainly not the form in which Mathers was given the Second Order material. What Mathers was given by the Third Order for the R.R. et A.C. was a coherent system with internally consistent magical hierarchies. It was Mathers himself who made the mess out of this that has come down to us today.

So, as you see, Nick, I am myself not uncritical of Mathers either. However, I criticize Mathers where criticism is due, and not merely to make money by attacking the Alpha et Omega and the Golden Dawn community with tabloid-like books of little historical value.

Next, Morgan Drake Eckstein, of the Bast Temple of the Golden Dawn (BIORC) in Denver on the Gleamings From the Golden Dawn blog wrote:

Morgan Drake Eckstein

I will admit that I am a happy little cynic, with a touch of skepticism tossed in on the side. I realized this today (yet again) when I was reading someone's blog post about Mathers and his contact with the Third Order.

And I found myself talking back to the computer, saying "I don't believe that Mathers ever had contact with the Third Order."

Cue the boos. I know. It is not something that one should actually admit out loud.

Because of the secret nature of the system, this is one of those things that you tend to have to take on faith. Or not. This is assuming that you don't have access to the stuff that the ultra-secret-minded groups have access to.

Then again, you could have access to non-published stuff and still have this opinion. Nothing that I have been given access to indicates that Mathers or Westcott had access to anything beyond the stuff that could be found in any large research library of their day and age.

Of course, I know that I am not a properly trained scholar (whatever that is in this particular case), and not a properly-vetted Magus, and all that jazz. Therefore, my belief and opinion should be ignored.

Nevertheless, I wonder how many other people in the Golden Dawn tradition feel the same way as I do.

Part of the reason for kicking this skepticism around is that I feel that a large part of a current claim is being laid upon this fact (or myth if you are a skeptic like me). And I wonder how much this disbelief affects my feelings about the revolutionary claims being made currently.

This is one of those times, you can tell that I have spent too much time in management and freelance wirting. It is also one of those times, one can tell that I have dealt with more than my fair share of liars and frauds who just happened to head up their own occult groups, complete with false lineages.

For all I know, the current claims being made could be real. But honestly, I personally have been burned too many times to trust anyone's word that the reason for secrecy is not just for their own personal gain. Yes, it is a sad world that I live in.

Feel free to call me an idiot in the comment section. Everyone else is going to.

Care Frater Morgan,

I can not imagine who would be calling you an idiot for making these comments. That would certainly not be me. 

It is natural that you are skeptical about Mathers' contact with the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order. Unless the Third Order one day decides to release additional historical evidence for Mathers' contact with them, the only public evidence presently available is Mathers own word for this, together with the brilliance of the (5=6) Adeptus Minor level of the Second Order system of the Golden Dawn.

You are mistaken, however, in your implication that the validity of the esoteric transmissions contained in the Rosicrucian Order of AO's (6=5) Adeptus Major and (7=4) Adeptus Exemptus grades, stand or fall with Mathers' veracity or with historical proof of the existence of the Golden Dawn's Third Order. On the contrary, the teachings speak for themselves and stand on their own merits. As for proof, we are not limiting these teachings to Adepts of the AO, but are making them available to qualified candidates from the entire Golden Dawn community. Anyone who wants proof merely has to satisfy the same requirements that have been in place for Golden Dawn Adepts since the beginning.

I admit to being a bit concerned with the logical consequences for you as a Golden Dawn leader, however, of your stated belief that Mathers lied about his contact with the Third Order and that he made up the entire Golden Dawn Second Order system based merely on his own research. There are several important problems with this argument, especially coming from a leader of a Golden Dawn temple.

To begin with, if Golden Dawn founder, S.L. MacGregor Mathers is a lier as you stated above and the entire Golden Dawn tradition is based on the lie of the existence of the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order, then why on Earth would anyone who holds this belief want to initiate others into a such system? 

Why lead others in a system one personally believes to be rooted in deception at the core? 

Why teach others a system that one personally believes is so fatally flawed? 

Do you not see the logical inconsistency for any Golden Dawn leader in the philosophical position you are espousing?

Soror AID

Next, Soror A.I.D. from Pat Zalewski's Order of the Golden Dawn said:

Faith should not be part of Ritual Magic. If there is a secret third order they will have to find some way to let me know of their existence and the X is their contact before I could believe. And their existence needs to be accompanied with some demonstration of their knowledge level. Faith is what gets cults in trouble.

Care Soror AID,

You are missing the point here. This is not a question of faith. The real question here is, are you really satisfied with your development as a Golden Dawn initiate being cut off with the basic traditional teachings from the (5=6) Adeptus Minor level you can buy in any esoteric bookstore?

As for evidence, I recently gave one example on the Golden Dawn blog of how the Golden Dawn's magical systems for the (6=5) Adeptus Major and (7=4) Adeptus Exemptus grades in today's AO curriculum, augment and complete those of the Golden Dawn's (5=6) Adeptus Minor grade, by using the example of the magical squares of Agrippa included in the Golden Dawn's original (5=6) Adeptus Minor curriculum. Please allow me to refresh your memory. On the Golden Dawn blog, I recently wrote:

For example, until my publishing this article, no one in the entire esoteric community has known that the squares published by Agrippa and included in the Golden Dawn's (5=6) Adeptus Minor grade curriculum are not the real squares, but are only encrypted versions, and only the tip of the iceburg of a vast, incredible system of theurgy that unlocks untold numbers of parallel dimensions on the inner planes, ultimately culminating in union with the Divine at the center of the square, properly understood as a three dimensional cube.

Until this article, no one has understood either what the "planetary seals" published by Agrippa really are, when in fact, they are keys to "unseal" the "sealed" squares in order to reveal the true, unencrypted magic squares, and to unleash the true magick and full power of the system.

Once unlocked with the proper initiatic keys, these magical squares reveal to the advanced Adept the entire, secret magical hierarchy of entities of the Golden Dawn system of magical squares, that remain safely encrypted from those who would seek cheap notoriety by publishing the secret names and sigils of the true, servient spirits of Agrippa's squares.

Please note that the Golden Dawn's advanced Second Order teachings on the vast theurgical system occulted behind the encrypted version of the magic squares published by Agrippa and included in the published Golden Dawn material, is but one small example to show how the Golden Dawn (6=5) Adeptus Major and (7=4) Adeptus Exemptus material completes the published Golden Dawn (5=6) Adeptus Minor material. There are many such ways that the higher grades complete the published material, although at this juncture I am only permitted to draw attention to this one example, since all of the advanced Second Order teachings beyond Adeptus Minor (5=6) remain unpublished and unprofaned, oath bound material.

Again, this is not a matter of faith. On the contrary, for Adepti Majori and Adepti Exempti of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega, it is a question of personal knowledge and magical practice. Would you like proof? Such proof is completely open to you. All you have to do is fulfill the necessary prerequisites like everyone else and that have not changed since the beginning of the Golden Dawn. I will go deeper into this in my response to the other commenters below.

Peregrin Wildeoak's "Calvin" Avatar

Next, Frater Peregrin (who has presented himself on the internet as a Christian who is not really a Christian, a Pagan yet not a Pagan, and a Buddhist but not really a Buddhist either, and who comes from a Golden Dawn temple in Australia that is far too secret for Peregrin to name - but that had no problem with Peregrin publishing the secret Aura Papers of the Golden Dawn's Cromlech temple), wrote:

Great post, Morgan :) Thanks.

The most amusing thing about this whole issue is that some Orders insist on Mathers’ contact as fact for their own legitimacy - go figure that one!

Anyway, as I have said elsewhere, people arguing for anyone’s, Mathers or even current Imperators, contact with a secret third order is pointless. The paradigm is this:

1. The Third Order IS real but are really, really secret (they could be next door!)

2. People who have contact with the Third Order have proof of their existence, which is very nice for them, I am sure.

3. But they cannot share this proof with others - even if they wanted to, as the Secret Chiefs would be sore pissed and frown mightily in their direction.

4. So we regular unwashed folk must simply accept the existence of the Third Order based on the assertion, honesty(!) and integrity(!) of those claiming contact.

Such a paradigm is hardly conducive to fraternal and logical debate or discussion.

So, really there is NO point in discussing the Third Order in relation to Mathers or others in the same way we can discuss evidence for Mathers’ love of military uniforms and attitude to sex.

Of course, once upon a time the mythos of a Third Order, secret and powerful, was an inspiring presence and moved people towards greater transformation and magic. I doubt it does for many today as we have seen that it can also lead people to dysfunction and trolling round Europe looking for CRC’s tomb.

I would suggest those who claim to know Mathers was in contact with the Third Order (or their current leader is etc), simply stop talking about it. Unless they want to enter a rational and provable discourse by providing proof, there is no point.

‘Those who know, are silent’ seems a good motto here. Thanks :)

Care Frater Peregrin,

You are playing Calvin ball again. Do you think that merely restating this flawed and previously refuted argument over and over in a thousand different venues on the internet -  somehow makes it more valid? Or do you think it somehow gains propaganda value through mere repetition. In any case, the holes in this argument are gaping.

Calvin Ball

To begin with, both you and Morgan are erroneously implying that the claim of the Rosicrucian Order of A.O. regarding the traditional Golden Dawn's Second Order curriculum, somehow stands or falls with historical proof (or lack thereof) of Mathers' claims regarding contact with the Golden Dawn's Third Order as well as of its existence. You are mistaken. As I showed above, it certainly does not.

Next you are using your old "no proof" mantra yet again - in a transparent and ineffective attempt to undermine credibility - by yet again ignoring actual presented evidence - and instead falsely stating  over and over like a broken record that we are offering "no proof" to back up our claims regarding advanced esoteric teachings. Such cheap rhetorical tactics - while perfectly suited for Calvin ball - have no place in real, rational discourse. 

In reality, we have stated over and over for years that individuals willing to meet the traditional requirements by doing the work and maintaining initiatic secrecy, will have all of the proof that they want. 

Moreover, despite your deceptive yet transparent rhetorical tactics - the AO has over the years presented even to the public a great deal of initiatic evidence about what we teach - by making hitherto unknown information available even to the public (as above with the Agrippa squares, for example), as far as is possible in consideration of oath bound material, of course. 

You are also playing Calvin ball by misleadingly claiming that the limitations imposed by initiatic secrecy makes any fraternal discussion impossible. This has no basis in reality either.

I do have a question for you, however, Peregrin:

"What are you - a magician or a historian?"

Since obviously you are a Golden Dawn magician - your incessant application a historical yardstick - instead of a magical one - to essential matters concerning the Golden Dawn - is just more Calvin ball.

More Calvin Ball

The central point of Alpha et Omega claims regarding the Golden Dawn's Second Order  is, in reality, that AO magical teachings for the (6=5) Adeptus Major and (7=4) Adeptus Exemptus grades, unlock the secrets of the (5=6) Adeptus Minor magical systems and gives the advanced Adept access to the full power of the systems.

As evidence, I have already publicly provided one example - as was permitted to me by my teachers. I notice that you conveniently ignored this evidence (as usual), but instead are attempting to divert everything to a historical discussion instead of a magical one. In other words - more Calvin ball.

As further refutation of your mistaken and misleading "no proof" mantra regarding the existence of advanced R.R. et A.C. teachings beyond the published 5=6 material, let me quote again from my previous article:

"Let it be known that the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega does not want to dominate any other order. On the contrary, we want to see the entire Golden Dawn community continue to grow in the direction that was originally intended for the Golden Dawn by the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order. We therefore have no problem with sharing the teachings of the higher grades beyond (5=6) Adeptus Minor with Inner Order Adepts from Golden Dawn orders and temples other than the AO."

Finally, let us consider your erroneous assertion that:

"we regular unwashed folk must simply accept the existence of the Third Order based on the assertion, honesty(!) and integrity(!) of those claiming contact."

This argument makes no sense at all. Our order has stated clearly that we offer initiation and training in the Golden Dawn's (6=5) Adeptus Major and (7=4) Adpetus Exemptus esoteric transmissions regardless of Golden Dawn temple or order affiliation. We are not restricting this material to AO Adepts only.

In other words, anyone who wants proof can have it. All one has to do is to fulfill the same requirements that have from the very beginning been required of all legitimate Golden Dawn Adepts. 

Simple, really.

If some people are too lazy to make the necessary effort - or do not have the integrity that has always been required of real Golden Dawn Adepts - it is certainly not the fault of the Alpha et Omega!

What is silly - is for such individuals to run around claiming that there is "no proof" that the traditional (6=5) Adeptus Major and (7=4) Adeptus Exemptus initiatic transmissions exist - merely due to their own personal shortcomings.

Frater JC

Finally, Frater J.C., of the O.G.D./S.S. wrote:

Well said party has contact with the "third order," because it is something they invented in modern time. They'll state they founded it with one breath, and then in the next breath state that the third order just gave them some new teachings.

At least some from said group have the respectable approach of honesty and state very clearly that they while are researching such things as hermetic alchemy to add into their tradition, which I think is great, others will say they are learning the same things, in this context "secrets," from mysterious nobodies.

Care Frater JC,

Morgan stated his belief that Mathers just made up the entire (5=6) Adeptus Minor curriculum out of his own research. This reflects a bizarre belief (quite prevalent in our Golden Dawn community) that no higher Rosicrucian or Hermetic initiatic transmissions could possibly exist beyond that published by Crowley and Regardie. 

Do you not see how self-centered and preposterous this notion really is?

Well, if Mathers made it all up, then he must have been one heck of a magical genius.

Are you really now trying to imply that I personally - based exclusively on my own research - have invented the entire, traditional Golden Dawn curriculum for all of the grades above (5=6) Adeptus Minor published by Crowley and Regardie?!?!

Well, I certainly thank you for this huge complement - since in order to accomplish such an astounding feat - I would have to be the greatest magical genius of the new millennium.

I truly wish that I were such a genius, but sadly I am not. 

In reality, I am just another Golden Dawn Adept who happened to have the great fortune to have made amazing contacts in Continental Europe, and who has been so faithful and tenacious that my teachers finally agreed to release the (6=5) Adeptus Major and (7=4) Adeptus Exemptus teachings, for the the good of our entire Golden Dawn community.

Again, complete and indisputable initiatic proof is available to any Golden Dawn initiate, no matter what temple or order you belong to. 

All you have to do is do the work and fulfill the same requirements that have been required of all Golden Dawn Adepts since the very beginning of the order!

<> <> <> <> <> <>

In most Golden Dawn orders today, you will today find little more than the well known (5=6) Adeptus Minor material that was published by Crowley and Regardie that is available for purchase in any bookstore and that you can find on line even for free.

This is not at all the case with the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega!

In 1999, the Alpha Omega moved all of the (5=6) Adeptus Minor material that had been profaned by publication to our Outer Order, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. To replace this profaned material, the Third Order recently also released astounding Hermetic and Rosicrucian magical teachings that unlock the published material and unleash its power, together and other essential initiatic transmissions for all three grades of the R.R. et A.C.

In the Alpha et Omega, once you become an Adept of the R.R. et A.C., you are not going to be merely handed Israel Regardie's book like in most other Golden Dawn orders.

Already as a (5=6) Minor Adept, you will discover initiatic keys that unlock the published materials that other Golden Dawn orders only dream of, since most lack the initiatic keys to unlock the Golden Dawn's advanced magical systems. You will also find many other initiatic transmissions and traditional Golden Dawn magical and alchemical practices, available in no other Golden Dawn order.

Moreover, in the Alpha et Omega, you will not find a truncated and incomplete Golden Dawn system that ends with the (5=6) Adeptus Minor materials you have read a zillion times already. In the A.O., our traditional Golden Dawn teachings continue not only through the (6=5) Adeptus Major and (7=4) Adeptus Exemptus grades of the Second Order. We also offer complete initiation and training in all three grades of the Golden Dawn's Third Order as well.

The A.O. is not interested in trying to dominate any other Golden Dawn order. We therefore have decided to share the teachings of the higher grades beyond (5=6) Adeptus Minor with the best and the brightest Adepts from across the entire Golden Dawn community, regardless of what temple or order you belong to.

You do, however, still have to meet all of the traditional qualifications for initiation into the R.R. et A.C., that have been in place since the beginning of the Golden Dawn. This includes an understanding of the importance of initiatic secrecy as well as a willingness to conform with this traditional Golden Dawn rule.

Interested candidates are welcome to contact me directly using the "contact us" link on the Golden Dawn website.