Nick Farrell (United Kingdom) has been a ceremonial magician since he was 17.
Born in England and raised in New Zealand, he was initiated into Builders of
the Adytum (BOTA), and is currently an initiate of the Esoteric Order of the
Golden Dawn and one of its branch orders, the Order of the Table Round. He
now runs a temple in the tradition of Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn,
lectures and runs workshops throughout the world. He has contributed to
Quest, Liongate, and Round Merlin's Table magazines and Chic and Tabatha
Cicero's Hermetic Journal.
PART 1: AN INTRODUCTION TO ESOTERIC GROUPS
Most people interested in the esoteric have a belief that there is a Hogwarts
or an Invisible College - a secretive coven or hidden society with mysterious
secrets and powerful initiations. The late great Francis King, a renowned
occult writer, once said that an occultist needs a group like a politician
needs a party. You can do some wonderful things as an independent candidate,
but if you have the backing of a party you can do so much more.
Finding groups has become easier over the past 30 years with the wider
distribution of esoteric information, particularly on the Internet. While no
Hogwarts or Invisible College has made itself known, esoteric groups exist
all over the world and joining a group has become part of many people's
spiritual path. Since the number and accessibility of esoteric groups is on
the rise, potential group members have a wider variety of groups to choose
from, and the option to move from one group to another until they find a
spiritual home.
However, some people, after many years of trial and error, turn away from
groups and happily carry on by themselves. Some successful magicians and
witches go through their entire magical lives without joining a group or
school.
So which is your path? To answer that question, you must first strip away the
myths that have accumulated around esoteric orders and see what they really
are.
What is a group?
An esoteric group is any gathering of people working toward a goal of
mastering techniques that will raise the consciousness of individual group
members. Groups provide collective security for people walking the esoteric
path. People in the esoteric world are mostly what writer Colin Wilson dubbed
"outsiders," meaning that they are not in the mainstream of
society. They are unusual people with extraordinary belief patterns. By
coming together, they are reassured by the fact there are others like them.
They feel this proves that they are not as weird as they thought.
Like clubs, different esoteric groups fulfil different needs. It is important
to decide what you want from an esoteric group before seeking one out.
Groups can be broadly divided into three categories: Hermetic, nature, and
mystical. Hermetic groups focus on structure, ordered ritual, and thinking.
Nature groups are more about feeling, and have looser structures. Mystical
groups are rare, as the path of the mystic is a lonely one; however they can
be a mixture of the two others.
PART 2: A SHORT HISTORY OF ESOTERIC GROUPS
At the turn of the 20th century, magical groups were divided into two
different types: schools and Orders.
A school presents a system of magic - usually gently introducing you to
different ideas - and then lets you practice on your own. Occasionally small
groups will meet to perform rites, but for the most part students are left to
their own devices. The Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn is a school that,
aside from initiations, does not do much in the way of magic. Once you have
learned a tradition from a school, you are expected to work it largely on
your own.
An Order is a network of groups that performs rituals utilizing the same
traditions or magical languages. Order members meet in temples or lodges,
which are similar to franchises; they have the same basic structure as the
larger Order, but exercise a degree of autonomy in their own region and for
their own members. Sometimes it's possible for disaffected members to appeal
lodge decisions to the central authority.
In the past 100 years, new types of groups have emerged that defy this system
of classification. The first is the "outer court" lecture. This
system of public meetings became a forum in which lightweight esoteric
subjects were discussed. Although these meetings were ends to themselves,
their real function was for esoteric groups to meet potential candidates.
They were also a good place for leaders of different groups to meet and swap
notes.
Similar to the outer court lecture is the Sunday church service. This bizarre
marriage of occult and Christianity came about when some of the bigger groups
realised that they would qualify for tax exemptions if they held a regular
"church service." An Order called Builders of the Adytum holds a
"cabbalistic church service" which is used to introduce newcomers
to the Order before exposing them to more complex rites.
The past 50 years have seen the lines between school and Order blur in a way
that would have been unthinkable 100 years ago. Some Orders now run teaching
programs, and some schools now have varied magical programs. Even the modern
version of the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn - the Hermetic Order of the
Golden Dawn - now works magic in the middle of its outer order workings. In
the early days, the outer order would have simply heard a lecture or read a
few announcements.
Under Gerald Gardner, Wiccan groups were more religious and less
instructional. During this era, they would have fit into the Order category.
But modern Wiccan groups provide instruction to novices and also do regular
ritual work. They are one of the modern hybrids.
Looking at the structures described above, you may decide that you will not
get what you need from a group. If you dislike, or lack the time to do
regular work, you will not benefit from a school. Many schools even
acknowledge this fact. One school I know of expects a 90% drop out rate in
the first year. Schools tend to give you lots of homework! Orders require
regular attendance, and it might not be possible for you to get to every
meeting. Belonging to an Order takes dedication, particularly if you live far
from the temple or lodge. I know of one person who drives seven hours every
month to get to a meeting.
PART 3: THE PROS AND CONS OF VARIOUS GROUP STRUCTURES
When you are investigating a group, you should ask about its structure and
who makes the decisions. Structure - particularly in the more hierarchical
groups - might cause you some difficulty, unless you are the type of person
who can accept things without question. Some groups believe that they can
function in a collective anarchy. While this sounds good, psychological group
theory suggests that a natural leader will still emerge. Each structure has
its good and bad points, and if you join an esoteric group you should be
aware of what they are.
Guru-led groups
A guru is someone who, by merit of his or her experience and knowledge,
becomes the natural leader of a group. Gurus teach, make decisions on behalf
of the group, and group members compete for the chance to bask in the guru's
attention. The guru delegates tasks and honors in accordance with his or her
whims. The guru provides the group with a sense of continuity. Teaching is
consistent in the sense that it comes from the same source. The guru can
become an almost messianic figure for the group to work with. This is
appealing to students who are seeking a father or mother figure that may be
lacking in their lives.
However, if power corrupts then esoteric absolute power corrupts that little
bit more. In political terms, a guru is a dictator. Guru-based groups are
most dangerous to the leader. With so much control, gurus can start to
believe that they are gods on earth - especially as this system fosters that
belief in students.
Democratic groups
Some guru-based groups are aware of the problems inherent in the guru system,
and try to mitigate their leader's power by holding yearly elections.
Leadership positions in the organization are determined by voting at an
annual meeting. The advantage of this system is that gives group members some
measure of control over who runs their group. It also means that leaders who
perform poorly can be voted out. Everyone has a say in running the group, and
nothing happens without the blessing of the majority.
But democracy - which, in this context, is essentially a popularity contest -
rarely works in an esoteric group where unpopular decisions about group
members may have to be made. A democratic group can fall to bitter infighting
unless a strong leader emerges who completely understands the "will of
the people."
Priest and priestess-led groups
This structure is common when magical partners set up a group to support
their work. Some Wiccan covens are led by a priest and priestess. In theory,
one person can mitigate the power of the other. If one leader is set his
ways, then group members can approach the other leader for a second opinion
that carries weight.
However, if a priest and priestess disagree, they can effectively neutralise
themselves. As a result, decision-making is stalled or even stopped
altogether. Additionally, priest and priestess often have a personal
relationship, or a magical one that amounts to the same thing. Because of
this, personal spats and domestic arguments can influence their effectiveness
in running the group.
The Round Table
In this structure, the leader is a "king" or "queen"
figure. This person is usually the most experienced member of the group, or
the most natural teacher. This leader has the final say on everything, but is
expected to rule by the consensus of the rest of the group. The Round Table
structure has the advantage that group members feel they have a say in most
decisions. Communication is usually good, as the king or queen is often
called on to justify his/her decision in the face of the group.
But for this structure to work effectively, the king or queen needs to have
people management skills, and needs to be able to organize a consensus. Many
teachers or leaders find this difficult, as the skills of a chairperson may
not come as naturally to them. Additionally, the king or queen can still run
the group like a guru or dictator and dismiss the Round Table meetings as
confirmations of decisions they have already made.
The Golden Dawn's leadership structure
Theoretically, Golden Dawn groups have three chiefs. All three are initially
appointed by an outside organisation. The best teacher becomes the
Praemonstrator, the best administrator becomes the Cancellerious, and the
best ruler becomes the Imperator. All three have equal power. Decisions about
and within the group are made swiftly because each chief has control in their
area of expertise.
If all three chiefs are strong, it is impossible for one to have total
control. When power is balanced, one chief can be fired by the other two if
he or she becomes somehow unfit. But if one chief is much stronger than the
other two, this system essentially reverts to a guru system where the other
chiefs hold power in name only.
PART 4: DISPELLING THE MYTHS
Unique occult teachings?
If the only reason you are thinking of joining a group is to access secret
teachings, think again. There are no schools or orders in the world that can
teach you how to be superhuman, or how to wave your wand and turn someone
into a pig. Most schools and Orders teach subjects and rituals that you could
study on your own in books, or research on the Internet.
What a school or Order does provide is a symbolic alphabet that will help you
understand spiritual experiences, and the discipline to help you adopt it.
For example, a group might force you to learn colors that represent planets
or spiritual states. After a while, you will associate the color blue with
Jupiter. One night you might have a dream of an angel dressed in blue, and
you would automatically know that whatever the angel is up to will be
connected to Jupiter.
The advantage of a group is that it presents you with a system of symbolism.
However, you could teach yourself the same system of symbolism if you were so
minded.
The myth of initiations
Some groups practice ritual initiation. In theory, these rites of passage are
supposed to open a pathway for the initiate to progress within the framework
of the group. Initiation means "a beginning," it does not mean an
attainment.
During initiation, an initiate is sometimes asked to envision what a higher
spiritual level is like. But more often, an initiation rite involves planting
a symbol in the initiate's aura so that they can experience it later. Such
initiations are emotionally powerful, and are often effective spiritual
experiences. However, experienced members will not be able to open spiritual
doors for a student if he or she is not ready.
Many schools and Orders perform ritual initiations long before their
initiates have developed the spiritual maturity to understand the state they
have been symbolically rewarded. In the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, it
is possible to pass through the first five initiations in two and a half
years. Some groups will even put you through the rituals in a weekend! But if
you examine what those initiations are supposed to represent, you will see
that you are looking at a lifetime's work (if you are lucky).
To be fair, most good groups will tell you that these initiations only
provide you with symbols of those spiritual states that you can use later.
Beware of groups that use initiation to make their group leaders appear more
godlike, or to assert control over dissident group members. This posturing
stems from the mistaken belief that the initiator must be a powerful being -
and that the initiator has the right to refuse the gift of initiation to
anyone he or she deems unworthy. It is true that the initiator must be aware
of what he or she is doing, because merely performing a rite of initiation
will not in itself do the job. But this has nothing to do with the leader
appearing godlike.
Making the initiation "take" - so that the traditions of the group
become ongoing part of the candidate's life - is the real purpose of these
rites. This has nothing to do with the initiator; it is purely the job of the
initiated. True initiation does not need a ritual or an initiator. It can
happen spontaneously in the heart and mind of the person on the path. As the
Golden Dawn neophyte ritual says: "God alone is our Light and the
Bestower of Perfect Wisdom. No mortal power can do more than bring you to the
Pathway of that Wisdom, which he could, if it so pleased him, put into the
heart of a child."
Mysterious secret chiefs and inner-plane adepts
An esoteric group differs from an ordinary club or organization in that it
has to be open for business on the astral and spiritual levels. Some groups
miss this point, and as a result fail to do much more than form an amateur
dramatics club.
In the 19th century, esoteric groups influenced by Theosophy took this
principle of multiple plane workings further. They claimed that true esoteric
schools had a special inner-plane adept or secret chief that mediated power
from secret sources to the group. These inner-plane adepts were magicians who
died but were so good at living they no longer needed to reincarnate. They
lived in the spiritual realm basking in the light of God (or the God and
Goddess), and helped groups achieve great cosmic purposes. They did this by
activating themselves on the astral, and acting as a channel for the special
groups they selected. Such groups were flavored with the adept's power and
became "contacted." Some modern groups still market themselves as
being "contacted" and dismiss other supposedly lesser groups as
"uncontacted."
Personally, I don't think it makes the slightest difference if a group
includes an inner-plane adept, but some groups think it important. Before you
commit to joining a group, find out if it includes an inner-plane adept.
Consider whether you believe in super-beings that direct the fate of magical
groups. If you are comfortable with this concept, there are plenty of groups
to join who promote it. But if you find that you don't believe in inner-plane
adepts, there are also groups that do not believe that being
"contacted" is important or necessary.
The right to initiate
In your search, you might come across groups that claim theirs is the only
legitimate version of a certain tradition. Groups of this kind often claim
they have a charter that gives them the right to initiate others in this
particular tradition. You may safely ignore such claims, as they do not add
anything to the spiritual abilities of the group.
The idea of lineage comes from the old Masonic groups. Their traditions
stated that groups were not legitimate unless they had correct lineage and a
proper charter issued to them from someone who had a high enough grade. The
Masons got this idea from the Christian church. The church claimed that its
priests had the right to do their job because Christ had placed his hands on
(blessed) his apostles, who had placed their hands on those who became the
priests of the new church. This formed an unbroken psychic link from Christ
to present-day priests.
Some modern esoteric groups claim lineage from older groups, although few of
these claims survive any scholarly scrutiny. Even if there were evidence of
such links, there is no guarantee that such a psychic link is desirable.
While Victorian esoteric teaching is fairly timeless, the social structure
and moral codes of the period have little to offer the 21st century magician
or Wiccan. Forming a psychic link with a 19th century group could foster
outdated ideas rather than empowering a modern working group.
If a group is doing its esoteric work correctly using an older tradition, it
has a right to initiate new members because the divine agrees to manifest
through the group. If God or the Goddess does not want to initiate someone,
no group will be able to do so.
The truth about grades and titles
Another thing to consider is whether or not to join a group that uses grades
and titles as a method of assessing progress. The idea of grading members of
occult schools has been popular for centuries. Grading originates with
medieval craft guilds - a system in which a worker entered a trade as an
apprentice to an expert, and progressed to the level of journeyman after
gaining considerable experience. Finally, after many years of work, the
journeyman became a master and had the freedom to practice his skills without
help.
An adapted version of this system has since become part of most esoteric
schools, from Wicca to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. There are
usually three degrees, with each symbolising the work that you are needed to
learn:
First degree: At this level, you learn the symbolic language of your esoteric
group. Most groups teach simple rituals to beginners at this level. These
rituals allow newcomers to experience the powers they will be working with
after they've attained higher degrees. This degree focuses on what you see in
the earth plane. Some groups ask you to work with the physical body, while
others approach each of the four elements. In this degree, you have
experiences that help integrate energies into your consciousness.
Second degree: At this level, you start to apply the basic information that
you have learned in the first degree. In some schools, you will begin looking
for your personal contact; in others, you are working to meet your Holy
Guardian Angel. In some groups, you also work on balancing the elemental
energies you experienced in the first degree by using the fifth element -
that of spirit. In this degree, you are preparing your personality and soul
for the deeper experiences of the third degree.
Third degree: At this level, you are an expert of your group's tradition.
Usually, you have earned this degree when you have met and formed a direct
relationship with your Higher Self. In groups that use contacts, forming a
relationship with your Higher Self begins when you agree to work with a
particular inner-plane master. In others, you can start to work directly with
your Higher Self. In Wicca, a person who has eared the third degree can
become a high priest or priestess of a coven of his or her own.
Every group that uses degrees has variations on this theme. There is often an
outer grade that you must pass through before you reach the first degree. Not
all groups work with a degree system, and you must decide if it is a system
that you want to be a part of your spiritual path.
Can groups actually do more powerful magic?
If a group has real expertise, it can do much more than an individual. You
are likely to see more magical and spiritual fireworks working with an
esoteric group than you would working by yourself. But just as going to
church every Sunday does not make you a good Christian, your esoteric
spiritual path is still dependent on the work you do alone. Esoteric schools
and groups should give you lots of homework, and only by doing that homework
will you tap into the personal spiritual development a group can offer.
PART 5: FACTORS TO CONSIDER
The fundamental problem with groups
Since members of esoteric groups are human beings, the groups often suffer
from members' mortal fallibilities. The work of bringing people to the light
creates shadow; in working with angels, our personal demons are evoked. A
knitting club may not have these sorts of problems because its members are
unlikely to become identified with divine energies. In an esoteric group this
confusion is more common.
Many of these problems arise because occult groups are run and populated by
"outsiders." These outsiders are not - as they would like you to
believe - special or more powerful than anyone else. They are merely people
on the path, just like you.
Some esoteric groups are still locked in the structures and beliefs of the
Piscean age. This was an era when students were encouraged to play the role
of the good sheep looking for the shepherd. This idea's time is past, which
is why many occult groups are failing. Groups that fail to help people
develop as individuals, or make them lose sight of their own divinity are
doomed to collapse. Esoteric groups should be producing people who can stand
as powerful individuals, capable of bringing about change in their own lives
and in the lives of others.
Some groups have become comfortable wombs where there is no emphasis on
seeking and meeting challenges. For this reason, be wary of groups that are
too "nice" and "fluffy" or appear conflict-free. If a
group is pushing its members to work, the group will force change and
individualisation. Becoming an individual is painful, both to the person
experiencing it and those around them.
What is the alternative?
It is only within the past 300 years that group work has really been an
option for practitioners of the Western Mystery Tradition. Before that, a
person interested in the esoteric would study under someone who is already a
working magician.
Now we have books and e-mail, which enable people to follow a path without
joining a group. There are some drawbacks to walking the path of the solo
magician or Wiccan. Solitaries do not benefit from the guidance of someone
more experienced in spiritual matters, and have no one to keep their sense of
self-importance in check.
Walking the esoteric path requires personal discipline. Some believe it is
much easier to develop this sort of discipline with the guidance of a group.
However there are frequent cases of the-grass-is-always-greener syndrome;
some solo magicians believe they would be better off in a group, while group
members sometimes think they would be better off in another group or working
alone!
What should you do?
To determine if joining an esoteric group is right for you, ask yourself
these questions:
If you are happy on your spiritual path without joining a group, continue
walking that path.
Otherwise - forewarned of the potential pitfalls - start looking for a group
that matches your needs and interests. Ask questions and try out a few groups
until you find one that matches your own philosophy. Once you find this
group, be prepared to stick to it for at least three years. This amount of
time will give you the chance to fully absorb and evaluate the symbolism,
techniques, and beliefs of your group's tradition. If you are truly suited to
the group you've chosen, you will find that group work will become a
cornerstone of your esoteric work.
RECOMMENDED TITLES BY THIS AUTHOR:
MAGICAL PATHWORKING:
Use psychological magic to achieve a better life and deepen your studies.
MAKING TALISMANS:
Includes information on what talismans are and how they work; a brief history of talismans in the Western Magical tradition; how to use names of power, angels, magical languages, and color magic; how to draw talismans, consecrate them, and even destroy them.
These title and others can be found at Isis Books & Gifts! With over
500 Wicca and Witchcraft book titles in stock, your sure to find one right
for you!
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receive a free 90-page catalog.
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