Category: Golden Dawn

  • Periclinus de Faustis / Pericline Faust

    —

    by

    Hadron Templeton
    in

    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…

  • Boaz and Jachin – the Black and White pillars

    —

    by

    Hadron Templeton
    in

    Have been to a ritual where there was a white column and a black column and no-one bothered to tell you what they mean? You might be entitled to compensation… just kidding. So you might have come across these columns before. You see them on the High Priestess tarot card from Smith-Rider-Waite deck, labelled with…

  • Light dawning in Darkness: Light of a Golden Day

    —

    by

    Hadron Templeton
    in , ,

    In Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ritual, this is the name of the guardian of the East where the initiate will be presented to receive enlightenment. The role played by the Hierophant in the Neophyte ceremony of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Hierophant guards the pathway into the light in the…

  • Darkness: Great one of the path of Shades

    —

    by

    Hadron Templeton
    in , ,

    In Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn‘s Neophyte ritual, this is the name of the guardian of the West. The role played by the Hiereus in the Neophyte ceremony of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Hiereus guards the pathway into the darkness in the West. The initiate is challenged on the point…

  • The Hanged Man – The Tarot

    —

    by

    Hadron Templeton
    in ,

    Early decks often refer to this card as the traitor. Eliphas Levi supposes that this is the prudence card. As I have said before, in the decks which include the prudence card, the Popess is distinctly absent she is also commonly depicted with a book, just like prudence, and is the appropriate gender. The way…

  • Justice – The Tarot

    —

    by

    Hadron Templeton
    in ,

    This is one of the 4 cardinal virtues which govern society. Plato placed Justice above all the others. Temperance was needed by the farming class who had to temper their animal instincts while governing the food for the nation, prudence was needed to guide the ruling class and strength was needed by the warrior class…

  • The Wheel of Fortune – The Tarot

    —

    by

    Hadron Templeton
    in ,

    This was an interesting card. When it first appears in Bembo’s deck it appears to concern itself more with the rise and fall of kings. Often the goddess or angel of fortune is blind folded and turning the wheel behind herself so she does not see what she is doing. Someone is climbing up the…

  • The Hermit – The Tarot

    —

    by

    Hadron Templeton
    in ,

    The Hermit is a very simple card featured in nearly all tarot decks. Early renditions of the card feature an older man gazing at an hourglass and using a walking stick. The card was often called “il vecchio” which means old man or sometimes “il tempo” meaning time. If I were to translate that into…

  • Strength – The Tarot

    —

    by

    Hadron Templeton
    in ,

    Strength is one of the cardinal virtues. What is a cardinal virtue? Well, when I first came across them I wondered if it was like the cardinal directions, maybe you could navigate by them and in a way you can navigate the field of ethics. The four cardinal virtues come from a theory where all…

  • The Chariot – The Tarot

    —

    by

    Hadron Templeton
    in ,

    Traditionally this card is a chariot drawn from one side of the card to the other but in Waite’s deck the chariot is facing forward. The card has always been associated with victory. Some early deck show a female charioteer and sometimes the horses are winged. Waite’s Understanding Waite perceives this card as the king…