I would like to take a moment to talk briefly about the bulk of the rituals on this site for Self Initiation. I also think a few words on the criticism of certain source materials for the aspirant that is on the path of Self Initiation may be in order here as well. The material as it is presented here on this site, with the exception of perhaps the elaborated Watchtower Ceremony for the Portal Grade, are skeleton at best. They are not to be taken as complete rituals by any means, but should be practised by the student until proficiency is attained. Once a certain amount of confidence has been obtained, the student should then set about fleshing these rituals out for themselves, whether by further elaboration with material from other Golden Dawn sources, by meditation, or other means available to the student. There is a great deal that simply must be left up to ones own ingenuity.

As for source materials, I would suggest the student obtaining a copy of The Golden Dawn by Llewellyn Publications, The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic by New Falcon Publications, or the Cicero's Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn System of Magic, also published by Llewellyn. In fact, any of Regardie's works are heartily recommended, as are the works of Aleister Crowley, who can be understood much better in light of his early roots in the Golden Dawn. The works of Dion Fortune, William Butler, Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, Gareth Knight, William Gray, and others of this form are also recommended.

But now to address some of the criticism of recent years regarding the first three mentioned sources from the above paragraph. I have often heard the original edition of The Golden Dawn referred to as simply a door stop. This implies that it is simply something that sits on ones shelf and is more to be used as a work of reference than as an actual textbook in which to learn the system from. Much the same has been said of Regardie's Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic. This attitude could not be further from the truth.

The Golden Dawn and The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic are definitive works and stand on their own. For the student looking to work within the system of the Golden Dawn, these are first rate manuals in which to work from. To say that they are nothing more than mere books to be utilized for reference and source materials is a bit short-sighted. They are complete to the extent that they will allow the beginner to begin the process of working with the system. They are complete in that they do contain the material for the aspirant to successfully work through the grades of the system. If the student will but read the introductions to the Llewellyn Edition and utilize the advice given there, he or she should, in time, begin to understand the function of much of the material as it is presented, and will be able to begin the process of working through the grade material as well as the initiatory rituals. It is true that the organization of the material is lacking, but with the advice given in the introductions, if the student would but simply take their time with the material, then their questions will be answered as they work through the system.

For the New Falcon Edition of Regardie's Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic, the student is advised to read the articles at the beginning of the book so as to get a general understanding of the nature of the work and how to proceed. The book is complete and does contain a wealth of material that is not in Llewellyn's The Golden Dawn. In this book Israel Regardie gives a wealth of information for the solitary practitioner to follow that will lead them in the right direction.

Now, when I say that these books are complete, I am not saying that they contain all of the Golden Dawn Material, nor am I saying that other temples down through the years haven't expanded on what has been publicly printed. All I am saying is that the system as outlined in these manuals is complete to the extent that they need to be in order for the would be student, or group of students, to reconstruct the system and utilize it. It is there, it is available, and the material as presented is fully usable.

Now, regarding the Cicero's manual Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn System of Magic. I have heard so many comments on how the book is not user friendly, on how it is not designed for beginners, on how there is simply too much material for each grade, on how if one were to seriously work through the material one would never become an Adept or ever hope to attain such a grade, on how long it would take to really work through the material, etc., etc., etc. And so, I ask, what's your point? The book, in and of itself, takes the Golden Dawn material and organizes it in a manner that was never done before. In addition to this, if the beginner finds the material difficult to follow, how much more difficult is it than the previously two mentioned books. I dare say their manual is much easier to follow and understand, and presents the material in a graded fashion in which the aspirant, who is willing to stick with it, will truly attain. As for the wealth of material, yes, there is indeed a great deal of material to learn. So what is the problem there? Do you have some aversion to the study and learning of material that pertains to Magick and The Great Work? The timeline as it is given in the manual for the minimum amount to be spent in each grade is just that, the minimum amount of time to be spent in each grade. The timeline given is simply the minimum 'RECOMMENDATION'. If it takes a bit longer, so what? Who are you racing against? I dare say that if a person would simply apply themselves to learning the material as it is given in any of these manuals then they would probably not have a problem, and I simply cannot see any valid arguments at all concerning the Cicero manual. If a person cannot, with perhaps the help of one or two source books on the Kabala, learn from this manual and follow along, then they probably do not have any business working with this tradition and may simply need to find a different path.

And there is nothing wrong with that. There are several highly acclaimed and valid initiatory schools out there that offer courses by correspondence that are second to none. Many of these schools can be found on the links page, and their curriculum will generally take the beginning student step by step from the basics to much more advanced material.

Would you go to a four year university and attempt to bully your way through the degree program? Of course not! If you did try it, would the university listen to you? Absolutely not! In the same manner, the valid initiatory temples that exist today will not progress a student through the grades just because a student wants to be an Adept. The student must work through the grades, and this will often take years to do. It really is as simple as that. There are so many people out there that will emphatically state that Self Initiation cannot be done and that a person can only become initiated within a working lodge. And yet, these very same people will turn right around and criticize the works of people that have graduated from these systems, or currently run active lodges, stating that the curriculum they offer in their published works is just too much and takes to long to complete.

The Golden Dawn System is a vast and extensive system of Magick, and preparation for the higher states of consciousness can often take years of work. It cannot be rushed, just as puberty in adolescents cannot be rushed. Certain things simply take time to unfold, and to 'force' certain things to develop before their time is simply dangerous at best, and catastrophic at worst. Magick is not generally viewed as being dangerous, but the aspirant that is not working within a lodge does need to take care and not rush things. In addition to the spiritual changes that are strived for, there are mental, emotional, and various diverse physical changes that take place within the body as you begin this process. It simply cannot be rushed, and if it is rushed it can be dangerous. There are mental, emotional, and physical repercussions for those that may wish to hurry things along, and these repercussions may or may not manifest for years. Intelligence, patience, perseverance, tenacity, ingenuity; these and other qualities like them will lead the aspirant upwards to the heights on the Path of Return. Stupidity, haste, lack of vision, these types of qualities will only drag you down and cause much harm in the long run.

As it is, I think one of the biggest problem is that most people simply do not have it in them to really learn the system because they are simply to lazy to really do the work, so they simply criticize what they do not understand, skip over things they find non interesting and difficult, and further criticize those that are seriously attempting to learn and have it in them to truly attain. Laziness and lack of initiative have no place in the Occult Arts and Sciences, for an Art and Science it truly is.