The phrase “the Mystic Title of Periclinus (Pericline) de Faustis” appears to be a Latin-derived mystical or initiatory title used within the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ritual for the Zelator.
The Zelator is the second initiation in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn’s outer rituals. While the first ritual simply introduces the initiate to the group, this is the first ritual which attempts to put the initiate on the tree of life, and it is the first of the elemental grades. At the end of this ritual the initiate is given the “mystic title” of Periclinus de Faustis.
The Hierophant includes that this indicates that the initiate is far from “the garden of the happy”.
“Periclinus” (or “Pericline”) comes from Latin periclīnō or periclīnor, which means “to be in peril” or “to be in danger.” It can also suggest being tested or undergoing trials.
“de Faustis” likely derives from faustus, meaning “fortunate,” “auspicious,” or “blessed.”
It goes without saying that Faustis also reminds us of the story of Faust or Gerog Sebillicus Faustus / Johann Fausten, which quickly became a cautionary tale in the years after his death. Who is also associated with magical evocation and pacts with the devil. Alternatively, Pericline does not seem to have any historical or literary connections unless we have lost a popular 19th-century text that was known to the ritual’s authors.
Could this be considered to say the peril of fortune? The problems associated with having good fortune and being too comfortable to strive? Perhaps there are similarities in thought with it being easier to get a “camel through the eye of the needle” than a rich man into heaven, according to Jesus as described in the bible.
The phrase could be interpreted as “one who is tested (or in danger) from/through blessed (or auspicious) things” or “one who passes through trials to reach fortune.” This aligns with the Golden Dawn’s themes of initiation, transformation, and spiritual alchemy—where an individual undergoes trials to attain enlightenment or divine favor.
What about the exact opposite? What if it was concerning the fortune of difficulty. Learning to face peril and difficulty is often a real opportunity to grow. We often speak of a crucible being a series of difficult tests, particularly one of spiritual significance, but the crucible is also the place in which different alchemical substances are combined. Perhaps here peril is the very catalyst for the change we want to see in the initiates life.
This mystic title may have been used to symbolize a stage of spiritual testing or refinement in the initiatory system.
Who was Faust?
He was a 15th-century polymath and Occultist, which was much maligned by many of his fellow Germans. He was frequently accused of blasphemy and one person recorded that he claimed he could do all the miracles of Jesus. He was even accused of abusing a teaching position, which supposedly allowed him to engage in sodomy with some of the male students. It is entirely possible he was simply an autistic gay man into Occultism, and the rest is an exaggeration to justify his notoriety. Many people claimed his magical actions were forms of trickery, but then there are reports that his dog that travelled with him would occasionally transform into a servant by people who believed it genuine. He died in an explosion in an alchemical laboratory, leaving his body so heavily mutilated that many claimed it was the result of the devil having come to collect a debt.
A book by John Spies was written about the many supposed sins of Faust which when translated into English inspired a play called the Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr Faustus. Suddenly, Faust was rendered an Elizabethan Sorcerer making pacts with the devil. Faust is granted the demon Mephistopheles, but when he asks for things from the demon it often brings him less than he asked for. Towards the end of the play he recants but cannot be saved.
Goethe wrote a version 200 years later where Faust is drawn to the Occult out of boredom. However, the demon, Mephitopheles, helps get him a girlfriend. In the end, she prays for him and is able to save him.
Conclusion
This mystic title, with which the initiate is identified until their next initiation is over, seems to invoke both trials and fortune. It associates the initiate with the Elizabethan Magician perhaps more as a cautionary tale than a spell, but it is there nonetheless. It perhaps expresses the alchemical change taking place as the initiate goes through the first of many trials to bring out his alchemical changes.
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