Our Mission
Our Order's mission is to serve humanity by assisting individuals in the development of illuminated consciousness through the preservation and promulgation of the lineage and teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha and Omega and the Stella Matutina.
The Order of the Golden Dawn
Golden Dawn ("Golden Dawn"), full name Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (abbreviated G∴D∴), is an esoteric Order that is unaffiliated with any religion. It is derived from mostly occidental, rather than oriental, traditions of esotericism and occultism, ceremonial magic, Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism and was originally formed in London, England, in 1888 by three prominent Freemasons Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, Dr. William Wynn Westcott and Dr. William Robert Woodman. The order existed in its original form until the outbreak of World War II. During its heyday in the 1890s, it would attract individuals from London's intelligentsia and art circles, including such distinguished people as the Irish poet William Butler Yeats, the actress Florence Farr, the freedom fighter Maud Gonne, as well as the writers Arthur Machen, Arthur Edward Waite and Aleister Crowley.
The Golden Dawn tradition is a synthesis of many aspects of the Western mystery tradition and includes such seemingly disparate elements as ceremonial magic, alchemy, meditation, astrology, numerology, Enochian magic, divination, tarot, astral projection, and more. It is a natural development of the occult natural philosophies of the Renaissance, of which the greatest sources of inspiration were Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus and John Dee, but also of the teachings put forward by the French occultist Eliphas Levi, who was one of the leading figures in the 19th century occult renaissance. Like these writers, the Golden Dawn tradition has its philosophical foundations principally in Hermeticism, Qabalah, and Freemasonry. Furthermore, it also draws inspiration from the teachings of Zoroaster, the Eleusinian Mysteries, Gnosticism, as well as from the Neo-Pythagorean and Neo-Platonic teachings. It is also based on esoteric understandings of religion, with a focus on the Ancient Egyptian, Hellenic and Judeo-Christian religions. But above all, and thanks to its pursuit of eclecticism or syncretism, Golden Dawn is a distinguished representative of the Rosicrucian tradition.
The Adepts of the Order are specialists in the arts of invocation, evocation and divination, but are warned not to desecrate these into being only simple tools for material desires, but to learn to keep a higher goal with their science and art, namely that of ultimately uniting with their Divine Self, God or the One, and in the process transmute their entire being with the aim of becoming deified. As a primary stage in this spiritual transformation, the magical training received in the Order aims to culminate in what is so poetically called "Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel" which eventually leads to the awareness of the Higher Self. It is this form of higher magic with spiritual and religious goals, called Theurgy (from the Greek Teourgia, θεουργία , "god's work"), that is the real subject of the occult training and it is this thinking that permeates the entire Golden Dawn tradition.
The Order of the Noble Serpent
The Hermetic Order of the Noble Serpent was granted a charter to operate an Order in the Golden Dawn tradition by Adepti Exempti of the Hermetic Order of the Nascent Dawn, a contemporary Order with lineage to the original G.D. Order of 1888, in 2015. The name, Hermetic Order of the Noble Serpent, ultimately refers to the Great Work of the Hermetic Magician which is to unite the Above, the Divine, with the Below, Nature. The Mysteries of the serpent are many, ubiquitous and cross cultural. One among the many Mysteries of the serpent is the shedding of the skin, which has been interpreted in various cultures to symbolically represent resurrection, rebirth, healing, transformation and immortality. The Noble Serpent can also refer to the Qabalistic symbolism of the ascent of the serpent Nehushtan on the Tree of Life. On this ascent, the serpent begins its journey as a creature restricted to the paths surrounding the Earth (Malkuth), but ends the ascent at the apex of the Tree where the paths there hold up the Crown (Kether) of the Divine. A crowned serpent, or a serpent crown, such as the Uraeus crown of the Pharoahs, therefore represents the realization of the unity of Nature (the Below) with the Divine (the Above). Not unlike the alchemical allegory of the transmutation of lead into gold, this crowning of the serpent Nehushtan is analogous to the purification and transformation of consciousness that occurs in a magician who, with sincerity, humility and great effort, succeeds in treading the Order’s path of initiation. The Noble Serpent, therefore, represents the completion of the Hermetic Great Work.
While keeping intact the symbolism and praxis of the historical Golden Dawn rituals, our Order has also recognized that the consciousness of humanity evolves over time. Therefore, we have reformed the structure of the original Golden Dawn Order’s curriculum to gradually introduce ritual magick that was once reserved for the Inner Order of the Golden Dawn, the Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis (R.R. et A.C.). In our outer Order, the elemental or microcosmic forces are invoked as part of the curriculum of the initiatory grade to which their symbolism corresponds. The invocation of the celestial or macrocosmic forces is still reserved for the Inner Order.
The Order is governed by a triumvirate of Chiefs which includes an Imperator, who administrates the regulations of the Order, a Praemonstrator, who administrates the teaching and curriculum of the Order, and a Cancellarius who administrates communications with prospective candidates and manages the archives. The role of the Chiefs is to ensure that the mission of the Order is maintained. It is neither the right nor the desire of Order leadership to govern or interfere with the personal lives of members.
It is expected that members of the Order actively participate in the Golden Dawn system of theurgy to the best of their abilities. We are a Mystery School with a comprehensive curriculum that requires members to submit reports to their assigned teacher on a regular basis regarding their studies and practice of ceremonial magic. We maintain high standards in the teaching and training of our initiates, including requirements for progression to more advanced initiatory grades through the taking of written as well as practical examinations. We also require physical attendance at our Mother Temple on a monthly basis. Therefore, we are primarily a local Temple. However, anyone outside of the region can also apply if they are willing to travel to Oxford, Michigan for their initiation(s) and for attendance at temple meetings at least four times a year.
The Order is a meritocracy and advancement is based on competency in ceremonial magic. Therefore, admission and advancement in the Order are not based on superficial personality differences, race, national origin, sex, gender, religion, political party, sexual preference, economic class, style of dress or judgments of an individual’s attractiveness. We do require, however, belief in some form of a Higher Power or Powers. It should be noted that, for the disabled, we will make as many accomodations as possible but we are sadly not wheelchair accessible. Candidates should be intellectually proficient enough to handle study, essay and journal writing as well as ritual and meditation practices. Walking aids such as a cane are permitted. Please note that standing, walking and sitting are required during temple meetings. Members should be able to read, speak, and write in the English language. Members also should have either decent eyesight and hearing, or be wearing the appropriate glasses, contacts or hearing aides.
Initiates are expected to uphold the sanctity of our oaths, and in particular to uphold the sacred principle of silence, with particular care being taken to maintain a semi-public profile where the existence of the Temple may be generally known, either locally or online, but where its activities, places of meeting, documentation and membership roll is kept completely confidential. The oaths of our Order do not contain any conditions which are contrary to civil, ethical or religious obligations.
All members are obliged to take collective responsibility for the Order. This includes the payment of dues. However, we are not a for profit business and dues go only to operating costs. Yearly dues are currently $50 and initiation fees are $50 per initiation. Annual dues are not rendered until after one has been a member for a period of a year, after which time they become due at the Spring Equinox. In the case of Order members in extreme financial distress, we handle dues payment arrangements on a case-by-case basis.
We expect all members to respect the Temple, other members and themselves enough to refrain from the use of illicit drugs before coming to the Temple and while on the premises. However, prescribed medications are permitted. We do our best to maintain safety for all members and to foster harmony in the environment. Illegal drugs can be dangerous for all involved and may compromise members’ safety, as well as interrupt our rites.
The Order preserves the Hermetic tradition and specifically the Golden Dawn system of theurgy by refraining from the following: the commercialization and aggressive marketing of occult teachings, black magick, “flame wars”, ego based competition with and/or disparaging of other occult Orders, self-initiation, serial initiation (i.e. the initiation of multiple candidates simultaneously), astral initiation, online initiation, mixing the official Golden Dawn Temple work or curriculum with other esoteric traditions, or by making the Golden Dawn system the agent of any particular religious faith, political party or ideology.
Individuals with a sincere desire to assist us in the Great Work of the Order may apply here.
