From Neophyte to Adept: Bridging the Golden Dawn's Grade System with Real-Life Initiation: Part 1

In the past, I dedicated time to delving into the significance and core essence of the grade system, as utilized by the Golden Dawn and other related groups. It struck me that these systems were potentially endeavors to synthesize a map of the initiatory process inherent in human beings, offering a structured approach to stimulate it within a controlled and guided environment. Given the nebulous and mythical nature of this process, unique to each individual and expressed diversely in their lives, this undertaking presented a substantial challenge, particularly if deemed at least partially successful.

Firstly, let's illustrate the Grade System as visualized alongside the Tree of Life.  The interwoven nature of it with Kabballah within the lodge traditions is very important, but understand that both the grades, and the sephirotic model itself, are powerful metaphors for underlying structures and systems of conceptualization that are not literal or even exactly defined.  They do not necessarily encapsulate the totality of reality or how it works.  That said, I believe they describe certain important parts of reality (and suprereality) and the processes of emanation which underlay much of it, especially aspects of the human soul, body of light, and connection between the Subjective and Objective world.  At the very least, you may use the diagram to get a sense of the order the original grades were placed on for context, from Malkuth, to Yesod, then to Hod, Netzach and Tiphareth, etc. 



        

What is a "grade system" anyway?  Well, let's utilize this as a description of its purpose: 

The intricate grade system of the Golden Dawn, interwoven with the lineage of the A∴A∴, lays out a comprehensive roadmap designed to lead practitioners through the multifaceted realms of practical magic and mystical exploration. Crafted to guide initiates from neophytes to the independent role of Adept, the system employs a rich tapestry of symbolic teachings, elemental correspondences, and transformative experiences. This orchestrated journey aligns the practitioner harmoniously with the forces of the universe, facilitating profound self-discovery, refining magical aptitude, and nurturing an intimate communion with the divine.  The classic grade system aligned along the Sephira of the Tree of Life, expressing an order of the soul of the Adept to move from the Causal World of Matter (Malkuth), up along the tree to different aspects of the divine world as manifest in microcosm, the greater divine reality mirrored within the internal landscape of individual soul. As the LUX of Creation shot through the Tree from Kether to Malkuth, so will the seeking soul climb back along this route in reverse.  The Tree itself is defined along three pillars - the left, middle and right side of the tree, and are called the Pillars of Mercy, Severity and Balance (The Middle Pillar). These pillars indicate the nature of how that creative energy is expressed along the tree, often in an active or passive sense, or describing different aspects of force and form.  The idea is the balancing of energy as it moves from its Source to its Individual Expression in the real world - but we will have to cut further explanations short, as literal books have been written on the full meaning and process of the Kabbalah in the neo-Hermetic context of the lodges.  You are invited to continue your own study, and encouraged to do so.

Normally, the Initiate has members of the order and the established course work to guide them through each initiatory period, with exercises, meditations and ability training aligned to each grade in a way best positioned to create the internal alchemy needed to grow -correctly- under its own merits.  When viewed as a GESTALT map and a core mechanic within the human soul, this process is given wholly to the universe itself - perhaps guided by the hands of your own Holy Daimon.  Your teachers appear within many forms, and the archetypical roles lodge members would inhabit within rituals and ceremonies shift back to the natural forms they would take within your natural life - including the appearance of spirits that fill those roles or other power people in your life.  In the Lodges, those roles were utilized by members of the order and based on priestly or spiritual entities that served a specific purpose, inspired by mystery traditions (that were not necessarily understood well by the Lodges of the time) and symbolic attributions.  It was understood, of course, that the Universe (and the Daimon), was ultimately the guide of the individual person's journey - and that is now total if we remove the lodge construct from the process and return it to its original state.

Through a sequential series of initiations and rigorous training, the aspirant embarks on a voyage of inner alchemy, gradually peeling back the layers of their existence to reveal the essence of their being and the mysteries of existence. This, in turn, fortifies personal magical prowess and inner strength. This heightened magical power not only enriches the practitioner's mystical capabilities but also amplifies their influence and authority in the spiritual realm. As a result, practitioners possess a formidable advantage in engaging with spirits and navigating the ethereal dimensions with heightened command and finesse. In a non-guided context, as we present, the call to research, apply, study and experiment will fall directly into the hands and will of the Initiated, though interest and passion will certainly be increased enough to shoulder the tasks at hand.  Help will arrive, as will materials, and the greatest responsibility of the Initiate is MOTION - keep moving, always pay attention, and apply your entire passion to this journey.  Even if you fail to do so, there is a great chance that you will look back and see that even in your "non-magical" moments, your life continues to move through your work, teaching and transforming you into the Magician you will be.
The summarize, as we consider this and the remaining parts of the article, we may find an integration of the classical use as taught within a magical lodge or by someone utilizing the lodge system - and the more generic use which the process without the lodge trappings and without the paradigm of any specific magical system.  At the end of the day, ALL Initiation is personal.  It may express itself in such a subtle, even mundane way, that it would be hard to identify.  It may express itself by landing into an established magical tradition unexpectedly that picks up halfway through.  Or, you may be a lodge-initiate that absolutely despises all of that nonsense, picks up your own path and draws a map unique to you.  The theory here, ultimately, suggests that certain core foci in a semi-established order will present itself from pre-Initiation to fully matured Magician or Mystic, and if we recognize the core nature of each Milestone/Grade, we can understand a common process.  The aesthetics are for recognition and identification in many regards, serving as vassals for the powerful symbols, processes and actual spirits that assist in the awakening of a human heart to their greater Destiny.

There will be much information not included here.  This is a theory overview, not an in-depth lesson plan.  Keep that in mind when you come for me in the comments!


An Aside About Thelema: Should we embrace this concept of Initiatory Progress in terms of the grades, then Aleister Crowley's notion of True Will takes center stage - the integration of an individual's intrinsic nature throughout their being, free from external mandates (essentially, doing what aligns with one's inherent purpose without the need for external justification). This viewpoint represents one avenue for evolving and applying the concept, and possibly an unavoidable result of the Initiatory experience as a whole - though that by no means one will, or should, engage in the doctrine of Thelema itself, or even utilize its symbolism. That system is one system, especially designed around Crowley's own path, though it can be utilized with care, especially if your goal is your own unique evolution and your willingness to abandon concepts that do not align with your Great Work.  We might say that your True Will is a natural state that you will begin to embrace as you pass into the Adeptus Minor grade range and beyond the Portal, though it will be more and more imperative to dislodge from Crowley's work as you near and enter this phase to avoid spiritual mimicry and ruin.  The idea is essential, the specifics as Crowley relates in his works, not so much. 

Before immersing myself in this study, I aimed to share my personal history with lodge systems and their role in my spiritual evolution and magical journey, despite the fact that this distinction has never held primary importance for me. Although I never belonged to a lodge, a fact for which I'm grateful, I engaged with the broader systems and techniques employed by these traditions. This involvement occasionally involved interactions with lodge members, although these interactions were primarily focused on practical aspects. I deliberately shielded myself from the social dimensions of the lodge milieu, focusing solely on how it impacted the internal mechanics of the work being explored within lodges.

I also examined these systems as supplements to magical practices existing beyond the realm of lodge paradigms. Consequently, I lacked a dogmatic foundation in any specific system. Nevertheless, I believe the core of my journey was deeply personal and intertwined with guidance from actual spirits and fellow magicians who shared this foundational core. These mentors became peers, contributing to the development of my magical approach and mystical perspectives, which I consider a positive outcome.

Returning to the central theme, I began to appreciate and apply the idea that the initiatory grades represent tangible milestones in personal and internal evolution. My real-life experiences, driven by the deliberate elevation of my magical and mystical work to the center of my purpose, seemed to mirror these concepts. Reflecting on my earlier years from the vantage point of exploring these grades, I discerned a remarkable alignment between major milestones in my life and the inherent patterns represented by the grades on a larger scale. My own understanding, perspective, and practical skill development appeared to resonate with the same evolutionary stages that one encounters while progressing through these grades.

As many are aware, the grade systems trace their origins primarily to Freemasonry, passed down through Rosicrucian orders that gave rise to the founders and many members of the Golden Dawn itself. Although I won't delve into the specifics of these grades as they originated in Masonry, it's conceivable that their purpose aligned with that of the initiatory current and served as a sanctuary for safeguarding it. While certain foundational ideas were present, their disconnection from the natural process due to colonialism and religious dominance limited their expression. The emergence of lodges represented a step towards restoring this expression. For instance, Crowley divulged what was considered the ultimate initiatory secret of Freemasonry and the OTO in an article, prompting the head of the OTO to demand an explanation for his knowledge. Over time and incarnations, what was once considered an ultimate initiatory secret transformed into a more fundamental tenet as the current evolved. Additionally, this entire process finds a basic reflection in the Hero's Journey, although a magician's initiation extends beyond this scope, making the grades a further evolution.

A pertinent point is worth noting: during the time when I explored these grades, my comprehension of the grades and the system wasn't comprehensive enough to influence these patterns in my life. It wasn't until I delved deeply into the GD paradigm that I perceived these parallels. This doesn't necessarily discount projection on my part. However, we must also consider that the realm in which these processes unfold doesn't adhere to linear influences and spiritual evolution; it isn't bound by the same logic as more superficial mechanisms. The greater initiation process amalgamates linear and logical causality with non-local elements, influencing our destiny and practical personality. While the point holds value, it also invites scrutiny. We might even invoke the notion of "meta-truth" for those inclined towards such thinking.

In essence, I observed that my own journey, alongside those of others I had encountered or studied, followed a general pattern that could be effectively articulated using the grade system. Naturally, the grade system needed to be distilled to its essential core to achieve this. Of course, not everyone engaged in practices like breath-focused yoga or Hebrew learning at specific stages.

It primarily represented a subtle and intrinsic map that the Golden Dawn endeavored to navigate, enriching it with courses, material, exercises, and mental training. Their aspiration was to spark a kind of alchemy that might occur more organically in individuals exposed to the right environment and stimuli in the ordinary world.

This, in my perspective, held great value. Consider the context within which they operated: the Victorian and post-Victorian colonial England (and France). It was an environment so incongruous with the human organism and its internal terrain that most individuals would struggle to engage in the initiatory theater. Those living in cultures less ravaged by colonialism and more attuned to their roots had an advantage in this regard.

In my view, the members of the Golden Dawn were products of the heart of the colonialist mechanism, the very force that obliterated the initiatory current by dismantling the cultures that embraced it. If we were to ever acknowledge them as genuine gnostics, it would likely be due to this perspective. The honest adherents of the Golden Dawn weren't detached from the colonialist culture. Instead, they existed within it and grew up surrounded by it. However, they seemed dedicated to surpassing it spiritually. In their efforts, they constructed a roadmap to replace the one eradicated by their culture, not just from the cultures it devoured but also from the individuals unwittingly trapped within its confines.

Certainly, their viewpoints and methods were imperfect and not entirely immune to colonial influences, an aspect we might pardon. Achieving complete detachment from the culture one is born into and surrounded by is incredibly challenging, if not impossible. We are inherently social and receptive beings, shaped by our surroundings and beliefs. Even in the modern era, where global communication enables exposure to diverse cultures, people still struggle to overcome their localized cultural programming, regardless of its illogicality.

For their era, I believe they played a pivotal role in freeing magic and spirit. This liberation was spurred by the current itself, often expressed through the souls of magicians, artists, and dreamers. Forces always seek equilibrium in the end. The more restrictions imposed, the more the core spark becomes concentrated and potent, until it dissolves any shackles that bind it. Essentially, the Western world witnessed its first magical revival through the efforts of these individuals. By studying these moments of reawakening, we can gain insight into the fundamental equations of the magical and mystical current. This phenomenon resembles the big bang theory in cosmological physics, where all fundamental forces and energies are compressed into a singularity before experiencing a rapid expansion. In the initial stages of expansion, physicists study how these forces merge and diverge, affecting the laws of nature. Similarly, the symbolism of the rose, lotus, rising sun, and the Kabbalistic journey might point to this overarching theme. It's plausible that the current itself signaled the inherent purpose of lodge orders through these symbols. Moreover, this process mirrors the subtle forces as they flow through all things, a concept well-illustrated by systems like Kabbalah.

In my own magical training, I integrated these theories and adapted them. I even authored a few articles on these subjects, although I regret to say they seem to have vanished.

One crucial note: as I visualize this theory, it's vital to underscore that there isn't a fixed sequence for experiencing different milestones. Although the grades suggest a linear progression, these milestones often manifest in non-linear ways. Concepts related to the Philosophus grade might surface during the Practicus stage, and so on. The interconnectivity is paramount, shaped by the theater of our real-life experiences. However, advancing into a new "grade" seems to align one's internal perspective with that grade and consolidate the lessons of the previous grade. On occasion, revisiting old perspectives aids in refining our philosophy and technique, bolstering our foundational understanding before embracing our new perspective with integrated information.

A Note on the Differences between the Golden Dawn and the Argentum Astrum (A∴A∴): Before I continue, let me highlight something about the specific grade systems of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and its successor group, the A∴A∴. The A∴A∴ was structured by Aleister Crowley to evolve the system used by the Golden Dawn, which he considered a product of the 'Old Aeon' of Osiris. Often, the A∴A∴ was utilized as an inner order to the more public lodge of the OTO (Ordo Templi Orientis), which Crowley also gained control of during that time - though the A∴A∴ was always designed to be a natural and invisible order beyond any specific physical lodge. The newer grades were far more in-your-face than the comparative grades in the Golden Dawn, and some consider them far more capable in producing Adepts. Both methods were structured for Initiation, with the final goal being that an initiate would move from a student position to an independent magician engaging in their work, both within and outside the order itself. In the A∴A∴, the Theoricus grade was removed, and the grade of Zelator was expanded to replace it. Initially, the Golden Dawn grade number of Neophyte was 0 = 0, Zelator was 1 = 10, and Theoricus was 2 = 9 within the Golden Dawn, while Crowley condensed much of that work into the unnumbered Probationer phase and the period before. The Neophyte became 1 = 10, and the Zelator (2 = 9) work encompassed much of the goal of the original four grades beyond Neophyte - Zelator, Theoricus, Practicus, and Philosophus. These four grades were aligned with the classical elements and with the first four spheres on the Kabbalistic Tree of life. In regards to this writing, and in respect to my own path as the author, the interpretation of the A∴A∴ more closely aligns with my map - but includes factors of the former. We could say that the original grades were indeed summarized in the Zelator of the A∴A∴, but the practical parts of the training were undertaken throughout, through Philosophus, and included the work of both Orders. However, since these grades symbolize a greater process, as the point of this article illustrates, those distinctions are not as important as they may seem.

Allow me to share a few observations on these grades as they might manifest in the real life of someone outside of a Lodge, or even outside of a particular magical tradition. I'll include a few stories that reflect my experiences during this time. The following will focus on the Neophyte level and reveal a few of the possible examples of how that may appear. In the next article, I will explore Theoricus-Zelator, Practicus, and Philosophus, and my perspective on the higher grades:


Neophyte Grade: The Empty Chalice

This grade signifies the novice, embodying a person aligned with conventional culture and beliefs. Yet, they sense an inner curiosity, driven by a fundamental questioning of the established societal paradigm. This internal shift might be influenced by an encounter with an Adept figure, someone who stands outside the norm and wields power or insight despite rejecting conventional notions.

(Note: If you are still trying to align with the traditional Golden Dawn-to-A. A. scheme, consider this also to conclude the Probationary phase but still incorporate parts of it.  As for my own personal stories, which I will give a few of below, relating to the "probationary" level, you may find them in my interview on the Strange Dominions podcast, which digs a little deeper into my own story and teenage years.)

As synchronicities, liminal experiences, and unusual events unfold, an innate urge to comprehend the glimpses of a hidden world emerges. Alongside this, a profound questioning of personal identity and the validity of the prevailing monolithic reality transpires. Is magic a tangible force? How do the inconsistencies in my religion's logic hold up? I just witnessed an actual spirit - what does this mean about the nature of reality? Such inquiries resonate. They compound upon themselves, with answers arriving in the wake of the questions themselves, which often lead to further questions, and so on.  We might liken this to a trail of breadcrumbs found within a dark forest of trees, with a destination and process (hopefully) less traumatic than Dante's'.

After a year of steadily being drawn into Egyptian religion and mythology, returning there after enjoying those stories as a child, you began to consciously entertain the idea that they might be real. You have a desire to connect with them—despite an inherent skepticism instilled from a young life absorbed in books of astronomy, physics, biology and other sciences. You had already, as a child, studied and absorbed the stories and logic of Christianity through contact with a dedicated denomination in your family life.  Eventually, the mystery was explored and became a little empty - it didn't serve you, and you never really could connect with it.  It seemed like the beliefs were for other people, with your curiosity never truly sated by its stories and explanations, and not something that resonated with you.  There was no hatred - merely a disinterest, like a someone moving on from toddler toys to something more mature.  There was something in the heart of the myths you read and the stories you absorbed that felt Personal.  Ideal.  You began to love the figures and gods in these stories.  They resonated.

Over time, they morphed from unreal to real in subtle ways within your heart.  Without realizing it, you deeper self began to call for them, and began to understand their reality ages before your conscious mind accepted this as true.  

You found deeper knowledge about magic in a random book a friend had left at your house by accident. You found a CD in your mailbox containing modern music integrated with ancient Egyptian melodies. You decided to wear an Ankh to identify with the gods and honor them - and the week you did, you got a new job, and the co-worker you first met was a member of a Khemetic reconstructionist religion who was wearing an Ankh herself, the timing of which was surprising. She taught you a little of what it meant to her. You had dreams that featured mythical elements and spirits.

One day, during this time you found yourself suddenly and instinctively praying and calling out to one of the neteru (gods) in a moment of sudden danger without thinking about it. It just happened, in a moment of anxiety and fear.  After a strange and sudden road trip - your first adventure by yourself - on your way home, you were lost in an unknown city during a terrible storm, exhausted from lack of sleep, before the days of cell phone GPS: In that moment, after desperately calling out to Heru - Horus - to help you find your way, a great Hawk flew in front of your car within a few feet - in the middle of a torrential rainstorm, in the most dangerous part of Philadelphia, at 3 am. You thought you imagined it, despite how real it was, so you didn't mention it - but your friend beside you in the passenger seat, eyes wide, asked you if you saw the Big Fucking Bird that had just flown in front of the car? Then, within seconds, the sign to the highway appeared and you were on the track home.

Consider a scenario: You encounter an individual adorned with Egyptian-style tattoos and occult symbols, who locks eyes with you in a Walmart checkout queue, but only after you are filled with a feeling that this stranger is important and that you need to meet them. This feeling has gravity. It's essential, but you can't explain it. Something about this stranger calls to you. You have been neck-deep in a series of coincidences this week alone, experiencing a confusing but heavy synchronicity among the things in your life that feel as if you are being led to SOMETHING - then, suddenly you see this person, and you feel a strange pull rise up in you, despite your shyness. You don't make eye contact. You're standing in line at Walmart, after all, and you're just a teenager. You know you won't be able to bring yourself to say anything. Then, suddenly, the stranger looks over at you, gives you a quizzical look, and says hello. Then they say, as if thinking about how to say it without sounding too strange, "Something is pushing me to meet you. I've felt it all day. I was supposed to meet somebody here, but I didn't understand it until I turned around. I know that sounds strange."

You pause, a bit shocked, and try to explain that you feel the exact same way. How does that work? The logic of life doesn't operate like that. People don't operate like that. People barely make eye contact in this area, much less do two people recognize and respond to a preternatural impulse to befriend a complete stranger in a Walmart checkout line. A powerful synchronicity has occurred, an undeniable one. This stranger tosses you their number, but you won't meet them again for quite some time. You lose the number in short order among your things - but you'll find it again in the future, perhaps when it's right to utilize. This person will go on to become your mentor, but only after many more adventures and lessons have passed and you have gained your first Initiation down the line.

This greater reality, this connection to myths, this developing curiosity, and draw to Know steadily begin to manifest themselves through astonishingly coincidental interactions with precisely the right events and people required to forge the connection you are seeking. The meeting of the Adept, this stranger who will eventually - in another phase of life - become your guide and teacher, is a great step. Throughout this period of time, magic (and the idea of a magical world) capture your thoughts, and even more astonishingly, magic reciprocates the contemplation, creating a dance between you and this Other that bounces back and forth, increasing the tempo. The more you seek, the more you are given, which inspires you to seek harder, and you are given a greater perspective, so on and so on.

Although you remain an outsider to this Mystery, the metaphorical curtain's edge draws you irresistibly closer. You feel compelled to uncover its secrets and fathom broader truths. Your former reality's veracity has been eroded by probing inquiries and exposure to external phenomena, topped by the deliberate and targeted initiation of the reality that lies beyond. This dawning realization of external (not yet do they seem internal) realms contrasts with the deepening understanding that you transcending your normal life. In a Silent Language audible only to your intuition, you perceive an invitation to this grander reality. You sense its purpose, and your heart ignites with fervor, leading you into your inaugural initiation—an experience that molds the stage of your life into an archetypal landscape of spiritual significance.

Consider the next scenario: During this time, you realize that a group of your closest friends are engaging with stuff you don't have experience with. One day you find them "playing with energy" and what amounts to invoking personal spirits, showing each other how it's done and playing with the techniques - but you can't feel that energy, and you can't do any of that spirit stuff. You can see its results though, and suddenly you're overwhelmed with intense curiosity and intense insecurity: Why can they do these things and I can't? I'm trying, but I can't feel this force they are describing, or do it myself. This results in a strange, intense desire to KNOW, to join them, to get beyond whatever part of reality, and yourself, is stopping you. You are built for this - but you are the outsider now, and you will do anything to see beyond that curtain that has been drawn up in front of your face in a particularly stinging way.

You have a small breakdown, all of the psychological self-doubt that's existing in you through your life so far rising up against this sudden point - and you deny it, you go past it: Moving beyond that curtain is MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU than your own restrictions. In another moment of pure will, without thinking, you write down a plea to the God that arises to you, that has always inspired and connected with you: Thoth - Djehuti - the god of writing, of magic, of bookworms like you. Your eyes still red from your emotions, you scrawl your need onto paper, step out of your house amid the trees in the middle of the night and fall to your knees. You look up and call to Him, begging, asserting, petitioning to See, to Know, to Move into that other reality, that reality which you've been teased with, but which was held back from you - that your only friends have somehow entered (you didn't even know they were into this stuff a few days before, despite all of your time with them) into this world was the final flame that consumed your heart. You call to the Moon as you call to Thoth, a wreck of a creature, but with all contradictions resolved in your heart, in that moment. You burn the paper with the words - which are gone from your mind forever - and you wander back inside, in a haze, still emotional and lost, but suddenly far less weighed down.

You go to sleep. The next day, you wake up and you're feverish. You remain sick and bedridden for two weeks, overwhelmed with fever. Your time is a blur of sickness and red-hot fever dreams - dreams of a great void of reddish, neon outlines of figures that are not figures. They are speaking to you, teaching you. They have no words. You do not understand them when you wake up, but when your eyes close again, even in half-waking, they remain. They dance, they move, they teach.

When you get better, you return to your friends. Something is different. You feel the energy they are playfully making in their hands, and you create it yourself. You can feel it, and in a way, see it. It's a new, direct sensation. They can feel it too. They look at you differently; your best friend grins. You don't tell them anything about your experiences with Thoth or the dreams - but he looks at you and says, "Well, brother, you're finally ready!" The others nod. Your best friend performs a sudden invocation, and you meet the spirit that guides him - a fiery being that matches his fiery nature. So begins the rest of your life. This juncture denotes the transition from the unreal to the real—a coming of age interwoven with the universe and the divine. It symbolizes heeding the call and embracing its directive.

After this Initiation occurs within the natural theater of a person's life, the Lessons of the grade will begin to unfold in a greater sense. With the movement past the "curtain," those synchronicities will begin to present themselves as both teaching and experiential events, as well as potential meetings with other people that will fill archetypical roles in your journey. These play out organically, and the life lessons you learn in connection with these people - romantic partners, friends, enemies, teachers, heroes, authors, bosses, strangers, etc. - will often evolve into patterns that offer you the chance to grow into your greater path.

As the Neophyte, especially considering the idea that the Neophyte contains the balancing of the four elements of Earth as found in the original four grades of the Golden Dawn system, you may find yourself in consistent movement. As this grade resolves, each of those elements as they are expressed within your own nature will have been identified, and the powers within yourself attached to them will have harmonized through some form of training and application. This will always include gaining Knowledge  that informs yourself and the magical world (Air 🜁); maturing emotionally and figuring out your desire and value structure as well as forming connections with spirits and other allies (Water 🜄);establishing stability for yourself in terms of your body and your survival, as well as beginning to create or find magical materia and tools (Earth  🜃); and the direct undertaking of ritual work, energetic and meditative practice, experimentation with consciousness, psychic ability, and the beginnings of spell-craft (Fire 🜂).

In your Initiation process, you have already experienced and demonstrated each of the Four Elements as they relate to Magic and your Spirit, and each of them is demonstrated in some of the stories above if you look closely. These can align with the Powers of the Sphinx, which are indeed an aspect of these traditions directly and align with Malkuth and the Neophyte.



The Next Part will explore into Zelator and likely offer a few practical tips for anybody that might be positioned at that stage of their game and happened to come across this article.