TRUTH REVEALED: Golden Dawn Lineage & You!
There are a bewildering number of groups on the Internet calling themselves Golden Dawn today that have no legitimate connection with the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn - founded in Britain in 1888. One such group, trying to disguise its recent founding by a New Age enterpreneur, published a sensational article on its website entitled, “The Shocking Truth About Lineage!” that deceptively downplays and misrepresents the essential role that lineage plays - not only in the Golden Dawn and its Hermetic and Rosicrucian lineages - but in all legitimate initiatic spiritual traditions around the world.
There is certainly nothing wrong with New Age teachings nor even New Age Golden Dawn groups, if promoters would at least be honest about it! But instead, they often try to trick you with deceptive marketing slogans, calling themselves things like "Guardians of the True Golden Dawn Mysteries"...
...while in the same breath throwing fundamental, traditional Golden Dawn teachings and practices right out the window! - Even things as important as real, traditional Golden Dawn initiation physically present in real Golden Dawn temples.
In place of such traditional Golden Dawn practices, these New Age promoters sell you dubious, New Age subsitutes like “Astral" (long distance) or “Self” initiation.
And of course - those masters of illusion try to bamboozle you with claims that are these are actually traditional Golden Dawn practices!
For example, one New Age Golden Dawn promoter claims that Golden Dawn founder, S.L. MacGregor Mathers invented both "Astral Initiation" and the "Law of Attraction." There is, of course, no evidence whatsoever to back up such absurd claims. If any real evidence existed at all, New Age Golden Dawn advocates would have published it long ago.
Such claims can be amusing such as claiming that the Emerald Tablet of Hermes was invented in Atlantis, but in the case of Astral Initiation, it is designed to target your wallet. When a group is willing to fabricate false teachings to get your money, it begs the question the integrity of their "oral traditions.
Traditional, physical Golden Dawn initiation is one of the most powerful tools for spiritual development of the entire Golden Dawn system. The bad news is that - unfortunately for people living in remote areas, there simply is no short cut nor satisfactory substitute for travelling to a real temple.
But - if you really want to believe those guys can make you a "full Golden Dawn initiate" - from the comfort of your own living room - while you lay on your couch on the other end of the world...
...The New Age Golden Dawn promoters will be more than happy to take your money!
One function of lineage is indeed to protect you - to give you a means of assurance that what you will find in a Golden Dawn order is actually what you would expect from the Golden Dawn tradition. In today’s confusing and misleading internet environment, Hermetic, Rosicrucian, and Golden Dawn lineages serve to guarantee you quality and traditional practices more than ever.
But this is not the most important aspect of lineage.
MORE TRUTH REVEALED: Here is what New Age Golden Dawn promoters are terrified you will learn:
True spiritual lineages convey with them a set of teachings, techniques, and spiritual energies that are not generally available to the public. Hermetic, Rosicrucian, and Golden Dawn spiritual lineages guarantee you access to unpublished aspects of these traditions that have been reserved exclusively for initiates for Millennia. This is certainly the case with our order - where traditional Golden Dawn, Hermetic and Rosicrucian initiatic lineages convey advanced magical and alchemical practices for spiritual development New Age orders can only dream of!
The reason why New Age Golden Dawn orders want you to believe that notions like "The Secret" and "Astral Initiation" are traditional Golden Dawn, is because - despite their hype - they have nothing to offer you other than well known, published material.
Our order is a direct lineal descendent of the original H.O.G.D. (founded in Britain in 1888) and the lineages of our order are Hermetic and Rosicrucian in origin. Our Hermetic lineage arose in Egypt, was carried to Europe with the Greek and Roman empires, and has been passed down from Hermetic master to disciple for Millennia in an unbroken chain of initiates. These substantial Hermetic and Rosicrucian lineages were transmitted to our order by a secret Continental European order of Hermetic alchemists, referred to by Golden Dawn founder, S.L. MacGregor Mathers as the "Secret Chiefs" (Geheime Oberen), This is the true "source of origin" of all of the initiation rituals, teachings, and spiritual practices of all of the grades comprising all three orders set forth in the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
The Hermetic and Rosicrucian lineages of our First Order, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (H.O.G.D.) were received by famous Freemason, Kenneth MacKenzie, in 1850. The lineages of our Second Order, the Rosae Rubeae et Aurea Crucis (R.R. et A.C.), were received by S.L. MacGregor Mathers in 1891. The lineages of our Third Order, which complete the entire system, were received in Paris by Jean-Pascal Ruggiu and David Griffin in 2002.
We additionally hold multiple lines of auxiliary lineage drom Golden Dawn derviative orders, which include but are not limited to R.W. Felkin's Stella Matutina, S.L. MacGregor Mather's Alpha et Omega, A.E. Waite's Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, G.W. MacGregor Reid's Ancient Druid Order, Madeline Montalban's Order of the Morning Star (Ordo Stella Matutina), and Countess Tamara Bourkoun's Order of the Pyramid and the Sphinx as transmitted by the great British Adept, Desmond Bourke, Countess Tamara Bourkoun, and Marquis Nicholas Tereschenko.
We also hold a vast array of supplemental Rosicrucian lineages and/or esoteric transmissions which include the Gold und Rosenkreutz Order (Fraternitas Aureae et Rosae Crucis), the Order of the Asiatic Brethren (Fratres Lucis), the Societas Rosicruciana of Backstrom, Les Frères Ainées de la Rose+Croix (F.A.R.+C., The Elder Brothers of the Rose+Cross), the Rose Croix d'Orient (Rose Cross of Egypt) and the Reaux Croix (Elus Cohen).
EVEN MORE TRUTH REVEALED: Contrary to false information recently published by New Age Golden Dawn promoters, our order has never claimed any sort of Golden Dawn lineage through Israel Regardie. On the contrary, we have for nearly a decade warned the public about a hoax regarding "Regardie Initiatory Lineage." We have also published published the attached letter in which Israel Regardie clearly states that he has no real Golden Dawn lineage to begin with.
For more detailed, accurate information about the actual, spiritual lineages held by our order, their lines of transmission, and their true spiritual function and importance, please also read our in-depth article on the true importance of lineage in spiritual traditions.
Our order is the sole and exclusive owner of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn® trademark in the European Union (reg. 000063925). We additionally own the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn International® trademark in Canada (CIPO Reg. TMA510387). In the United States, we operate by legal agreement adopted by the United States District Court as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, outer order of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega.®