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Home > Article Library > Magick > New Aeon > Chapter 8 Search

New Aeon Magick
Chapter 8

by Garald Campo

                    FRATERNAL MAGICAL ORDERS

"Our  humanity  were a poor thing were it not  for  the  divinity
which stirs within us".

                                                    Francis Bacon
                               ***

The  function of  Magical Orders is to serve Mankind  by  helping
the  Aspirants  which  seek its instruction  to  evolve,  thereby
helping the whole of humanity in the evolutionary process.   This
should be the sole purpose for these Orders.

There  are  several Orders from which I  have  greatly  benefited
from.   During  the  occult explosion of  the  late  1800's  they
offered instruction which was not otherwise available.

The problem with modern Magical Orders is that very few have kept
up with the evolutionary process that their candidates have  been
able  to access.  Most of the information which is given  in  the
Golden  Dawn offshoots has been published by several authors  for
over  50  years.  Most of those who aspire to those  Orders  have
already been exposed to the material.

It  is absurd to require an aspirant to quit all training  simply
because  they  joined   with  a  group,  that  for  the  sake  of
formality; refuses to update their curriculum.  It is an insult.

The  aspirant is forced to take horrible oaths to keep  published
material secret.  This will be the pitfall and eventual demise of
Magical  Orders.  It would appear that most Magical Orders   have
fallen  into  a rut called "Tradition".  This  inflexibility  and
unwillingness  to evolve runs contrary to the grain of The  Great
Work.

From  their  actions, one would think that some of  these  Orders
serve  the higher ups who run them instead of the  Aspirants  who
need  them.   We will see what fruits these Orders yield  in  the
future. Only time will tell.

The  type  of  Orders  which  are  the  most  interested  in  the
development  of  the  individual  are  the  ones  that  encourage
individuality.   Although  they are ever vigilant to  ensure  the
safety  of the traveler while on the path they will never  stifle
creativity,  and  they  are flexible enough  to  accommodate  any
Seeker.   The only problem with this kind of Order is  that  they
usually lack academic structure.

The  New Aeon Magician has four Orders worth mentioning  at  this
time;  An Inner Order known as the A.A., and three  Outer  Orders
which  are  in  service to the inner known  as  the  Ordo  Templi
Orientis,  The  Temple of Thelema, The Fraternitas  LUX  Occulta.
The last two groups claim lineage to the original Golden Dawn and
have  upgraded their curriculum to better express the current  of
the New Aeon.

The phenomena behind such a merge is quite intriguing considering
that the predecessors of The Golden Dawn would not have had  much
to do with Crowley OR his system of Magick.

Necessity  is  the forerunner of  evolution.  This  consolidation
indicates  three  very  significant  factors  in  today's  occult
community.   The  first is that unlike  their  predecessors,  the
"new"  Golden Dawn groups have tried Crowley's methods  and  have
found  them  to be viable, sound, and practical.  The  second  is
that  most G.D. fraternities have acknowledged the coming of  the
"new age" which Crowley delivered as Thelema.  The third is  that
more and more, Thelemic Magicians are discovering the virtues  of
working with other Magicians; which instills upon them tolerance,
discipline and dedication to The Work.

It  would  be ideal if these groups succeeded in their  quest  to
blend individuality AND academic structure.  Their proof will  be
their success...or failure.


                          THE A.'.A.'.

This  is the Order of all Orders, the One of which  other  Orders
are but a shimmer of its light.  Membership is very selective and
strictly  secret.  In most cases, the student is only allowed  to
have  knowledge of two people in the Order:  his  instructor  and
(when  he  has  reached  sufficient  Wisdom)  the  pupil  he   is
preparing,  and  can  only move to his next  grade  when  he  has
prepared  his  apprentice  to take his place.   This  provides  a
strong unbroken chain linking the Lower with the Higher.

Usually, it is required that the aspirant be armed with at  least
basic knowledge of Pranayama, The Pentagram and Hexagram rituals.
Advancement  in this Order is not easy; it is not randomly  given
for  the sake of convenience or favoritism.  One must EARN  their
next  grade,  and the tasks are so difficult and  demanding  that
most aspirants never reach beyond the grade of Neophyte.

You do not find the A.'.A.'., it finds you.  The teachers of this
Ancient  Order  of Magicians  frequent the  many  magical  groups
vigilantly  seeking  individuals  of  the  right  metal  for  the
demanding, fulfilling course.

All  of those who have truly devoted their lives to The Work  are
attracted   to  this Order the same way that a moth is  drawn  to
the light.   If you feel this passion it is wise to show  caution
if  one  is to avoid the charlatans who have not yet  transcended
the ego.   Here is some guidelines which will ensure that you end
up with a rightful teacher:

1)   The  Adepts of this Order do not advertise, boast,  or  even
allude  to membership unless they are speaking in secrecy to  the
individual they are interested in.

2)  Anyone claiming membership in this Order should have at their
disposal  a  clean,  unbroken  lineage  beginning  with  Aleister
Crowley:    If  they  are  legit  they  will  not   oppose   your
questioning;  skepticism  is  an  indispensable  mental  function
required  by  Magick.

3)  Check these names out by writing to the Ordo Templi Orientis.
Let them know that you were approached by some one claiming to be
a  member of the A.'.A.'., and you would like to make  sure  they
have  valid charter.  You may need to send them a Xerox of  their
lineage.  Someone there should be able to verify.

It  may  seem  like a lot of work, but believe me:   It  is  much
better  to   spend a life time looking and not finding,  than  to
waste   one hour  working  with  selfish  individuals   who   use
one's   pure intentions to gratify their self-regard.

Magick  is a VERY REAL thing.  Anyone who can read can teach  the
fundamentals  of Knowledge and Wisdom, but only a True Adept  can
bestow upon you the power of the Ages.


                  ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS (O.T.O.)

This organization was created by Theodore Reuss in the early 20th
century.  While publishing his magnum opus "Magick in Theory  and
Practice", Aleister Crowley inadvertently published some  of  the
highest  secrets  of  the Order on a treatise  dealing  with  Sex
Magick.   Reuss immediately flew in from Germany and held him  to
an  oath  of secrecy; at the same time he was made  head  of  the
Order  of the English speaking countries.  This came as  quite  a
surprise  to  Crowley.  The O.T.O. became the  observation  arena
where teachers of the A.'.A.'. could seek prospective students.

The  Ordo  Templi Orientis is the  FIRST  spiritual  organization
accepting  The Book of The Law as their holy book.  Crowley  went
to  work on changing the rituals of Initiation to  better  convey
the  message of the New Aeon, the concept of Thelema:   "Do  what
thou  wilt shall be the whole of the Law".  The Order now  exists
world  wide and is recognized as a religious organization by  the
state.

Membership  in  the Order is confidential;  no  one  will  inform
another of your involvement with the Order.  If you want to  tell
someone you are a member it is your business.   All men and women
of  full age and in good report are entitled to the  first  three
Degrees; after which one may progress only by invitation.

The  Ordo Templi Orientis has many bodies world wide which  teach
and practice Ritual Magick.  It provides its members with a  free
atmosphere where one can be who they truly are.  The main goal of
the  Order  is to secure the absolute Freedom of its  members  by
assisting the individual in whatever way possible in  discovering
their True identity.  Since one man cannot know the True Will  of
another,   this  process  must  be  accomplished  only   by   the
individual;   thus   the  Order  cannot   interfere   with   this
metamorphose.

The  O.T.O.  is a home for many Magicians of different  walks  of
life  who  have  accepted the Law of the New  Aeon  and  wish  to
exchange ideas with those of like mind.  Most of its members  are
influenced by  Aleister Crowley, The Golden Dawn, and Wicca.   It
provides camaraderie, and fellowship; and in places that practice
the Gnostic Mass: Spiritual sustenance.


                   TEMPLE OF THELEMA (T.O.T.)

The  Temple  of  Thelema is an outer  Order  consecrated  to  the
service  of  the  A.'.A.'.  It was created by the  staff  of  the
College  of Thelema for the purpose of providing students with  a
solid Foundation on which to build their magical careers.  It has
a  strong  unbroken  lineage  to  Mather's  Golden  Dawn.     The
necessary modifications have been made to allow for the New  Aeon
influence not inherent in the Golden Dawn groups.

It offers a strict curriculum designed to familiarize the student
with  the  principles  of  hard  work;  thereby  increasing   the
student's  chances of coping with the strict regimen  offered  by
the A.'.A.'.

Traditionally,  the  Temple  of Thelema and  its  Initiates  work
together  in the Temple as a group.  Like the  A.'.A.'.,  members
are   advanced   through   the   degrees   according   to   their
accomplishments;  the degrees are earned.  If one works hard they
are  advanced, if one chooses to remain idle they should  not  be
surprised to find themselves far behind their peers.

Members of this Order must be willing to dedicate a  considerable
amount of time to their studies.


               THE FRATERNITY OF THE HIDDEN LIGHT

This  group is more traditional in their approach  to  Ceremonial
Magick, as it draws most of its Wisdom from its unbroken  lineage
to Mather's Golden Dawn and fundamental Rosicrucianism.

It  has Temples in the U.S. and Canada and, while  membership  is
secret,  it frequently performs several rituals during  equinoxes
or solstices which are open to the public.

It offers the best courses in Magical Wisdom I have ever seen  or
read.   The  serious  student who has decided  to  work  solitary
without  the  benefit of fraternal  assistance  should  seriously
consider   these   courses,  as  they  reveal   much   previously
unpublished material.

Of course, there are many other Orders.  I have only commented on
the  ones which I personally have had contact with.   I  strongly
caution  the Seeker to exercise caution when seeking a  group  to
work  with.   Recently,  it has  become  fashionable  to  conduct
groups,  and  many have been started without  proper  lineage  or
authority  of  any kind.  This is particularly true  with  Golden
Dawn  types.  This is not to say that everyone who claims  proper
charter  is  a charlatan, but documentation should  be  requested
before committing one's self to ANY group.

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