INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE GRADE
OF THE NEOPHYTE
(Probationer)

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Issued by
the Order of the
Thelemic Golden Dawn
(Order of the T.G.D.)

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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

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    For those of you who are seeking to initiate yourselves into the grade of the Neophyte, you should have in your possession the following material:

    1. The Instructions of the Neophyte (this document)
    2. The Tasks of the Neophyte (Below)
    3. The Oath of the Neophyte (Below)
    4. The Self-Initiation Ceremony of the Neophyte
    5. The Thelemic Middle Pillar Ritual and Instructions
    6. The Lesser Thelemic Ritual of the Pentagram and Instructions
    7. The Invocation to the Lord of the Universe

    8. The Neophyte Scroll

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    What you are currently reading is number 1 listed above (The Instructions of the Neophyte). The following instructions are designed to assist you in the comprehension of the preliminary steps to be taken to commence the Self-Initiation Work of the Neophyte.

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    In the Tasks of the Neophyte (below) there is written all that must be known concerning the actual work of the grade. Read this document and contemplate the tasks until you are sufficiently satisfied that you understand the work of the Neophyte. Also read the Ceremony, Oath and Rituals of the grade and then determine whether or not it is in fact your Will to become a Neophyte. If so, determine a Magical Motto for yourself and take the Oath of the grade. Remember that the Magical Motto should represent the aspiration of your Will. [The Magickal Motto typically has two parts; the first word is typically Frater or Soror -brother or sister respectively- followed by the word representing the magicians current understanding of their True Will. For example, Frater Praemonstro means approximately Brother who Shows the Path. Mottos often include Latin or Greek, but may use any language.]

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    The Oath of the Neophyte is the link to the First Order of the Thelemic Golden Dawn. It is designed to prepare you for the realization of your True Will. After taking the Oath of the Neophyte, you are a participant in the Mysteries of the grade. The Oath does not entail that you are recognized as an official member or initiate of the grade, only that you are aspiring to be such.

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    After you take the Oath of the grade, you should then study, rehearse, and eventually perform the Self-Initiation Ceremony of the Neophyte. There should be a probationary period of nine months after performing the Self-Initiation Ceremony of the Neophyte before you conduct the Self-Initiation Ceremony of the Zelator.

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    The Self-Initiation Ceremony of the Neophyte is a most serious ceremony to perform. It will influence your whole life. The Oath of the ceremony is a most solemn obligation, and it will inspire you in such a manner that you must, of your own free will, advance in the essential knowledge of your own true nature and True Will, in this life or in another to come.

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    You should by no means perform the Self-Initiation Ceremony of the Neophyte unless you are prepared and willing to dedicate yourself to the Great Work of realizing your own True Will; for it is an irrevocable step; and it binds you to the grand course of cosmic evolution and to the essential unfoldment of your own True Self. Unless you are willing to take responsibility for yourself, to advance in the knowledge of who, what, and why you are, and to begin the essential process of attaining Freedom, and to make manifest that Freedom in the domain of your own practical experience, it would be much better for you to wait till such a time that you are willing to do so, with a complete comprehension of the work to be achieved.

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    The Middle Pillar Exercise and the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram are the suggested ritualistic practices for the Neophyte. These two basic Rituals contain the keys by which to comprehend various significant principles of the Magick Art. It is most essential to understand and apply the basics of Ritual Magick before attempting the more advanced forms. These two Rituals are what constitute the fundamentals of Ritual Magick in the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn. It is only after these two Rituals are perfected that members of the Order can begin to understand some of the more essential and advanced forms of Ritual Magick.

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    Through genuine mastery of the basic forms of Ritual Magick, the advanced forms will naturally follow. The foundation of all practical magical work rests upon the ability of the Magician to properly focus upon the nature of the work, and also his/her ability to create a state of impression that allows the mind to alter its processes at will. Until the Magician is able to do this, the higher magical states of consciousness will remain closed to him/her. The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram and the Middle Pillar Exercise prepare Magicians for the essential development of higher magical states of awareness, making them fit vehicles for their inner genius, by which all true magical ritual is accomplished.

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    Now has come the time for you to prepare yourself to take your first real step upon the Great Ladder of the Stars, and to become an initiate of the New Order of the Golden Dawn. May you attain the Great Work, the SUMMUM BONUM, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness. In the Name of the Lord of Initiation, Sic sit vobis!

Love is the law, love under will.

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THE TASKS
OF THE NEOPHYTE

Probationer
(Zero Degree)

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Issued by
the Order of the
Thelemic Golden Dawn
(Order of the T.G.D.)

By David Cherubim
(Frater Aurora Aureae)
Copyright © 1990 e.v.

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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

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    The principal business of the Neophyte of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn is to discover his/her own True Will, and to begin to obtain knowledge and control of the nature and powers of his/her own being. S/he is further to devote him/herself to the study and practice of such things as s/he may deem fit for the cultivation of his/her aspirations to the Higher Life of Thelema. However, the Neophyte shall do best by devoting him/herself to the diligent study and practical application of the principles of the Law of Thelema as expounded in Liber Legis (The Book of the Law).

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    The Neophyte should begin to compose a Magical Diary concerning his/her magical activities, aspirations and thoughts. This is of utmost importance and should not be neglected by any means. The Diary is the method and means of expressing, discovering and analyzing the various parts of oneself for the essential comprehension of one's True Will. The Magical Diary plays an essential part in the training of the Magician; it is a good means of disciplining his/her mind and organizing his/her thoughts for the realization of his/her own True Will.

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    The Neophyte should learn, regularly practice, and master the following simple technique of the Fourfold Breath:

    1. Empty the lungs and remain thus while counting 4.
    2. Inhale, counting 4, so that you feel filled with breath to the throat.
    3. Hold this breath while counting 4.
    4. Exhale, counting 4 till the lungs are empty.

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    The Neophyte should practice this Fourfold Breath technique while s/he is composed in a basic posture or Asana, counting slowly or quickly till s/he obtains a suitable rhythm. This simple technique will help to still the body and quiet the mind of the Neophyte.

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    Having attained this, the Neophyte should consider a point as defined in mathematics -- having position, but no magnitude -- and let him/her take note of any important ideas that arise during this simple meditation. Concentrating his/her mind on this point of Meditation, let him/her endeavor to realize the Immanence of the Divine throughout Nature, in all Her aspects.

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    Two Magical Rituals are suitable for the Neophyte to begin to study and perform. Every Neophyte should know and be able to properly perform these two rituals before advancing to the next grade of the Zelator. These two rituals are the Middle Pillar Exercise and the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram.

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    It is a common error for Magicians to ignore the fundamentals of Ritual Magick. For instance, rarely will you find a Magician who is willing to devote any serious amount of time to performing the simple Middle Pillar Exercise. Yet such a simple ritual of this type is a proper magical method of making contact with the Light and bringing it into manifestation and actualization. In other words, it is a dynamic method of the Great Work, and it is worthy of great attention from those who are truly serious about engaging themselves in Ritual Magick. It is one of the most important of all rituals for any serious Magician to know and be able to perform. The same applies to the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram.

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    The Neophyte may also find it advantageous to learn the following Thelemic rituals by Aleister Crowley: The Star Ruby (Liber XXV), A\A\ Publication in Class D, which is a Thelemic form of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram; and also Liber Resh vel Helios (Sub figura CC), A\A\ Publication in Class D, being the four Adorations to the Sun.

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    Now those who undertake an initiation without understanding and doing the necessary grade work are missing the whole point of the initiation. It is simply stupid to undergo an initiation in a Magical Order without the will to advance in the Great Work. Initiation is the first real step toward the accomplishment of the Great Work; it is the first rung upon the ladder to the Palace of Wisdom. Without it there is no possibility for genuine self-realization. It is the beginning of the creative process of individuation, of the soul traveling inward and achieving integration or true unity of being. It is the golden dawn of the soul, the blossoming of the inner lotus of the spirit.

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    From the Thelemic point of view, initiation is the birth of the golden flower of the True Will; it is the realization of one's true path in the cosmos, thus making for the manifestation of the knowledge and power of one's True Self. To put it in other words, Thelemic initiation is the realization of the True Will, which makes for the greater attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.

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    Thelemic initiation is the awakening of the development of efficiency with regard to the active execution and fulfillment of one's True Will. Efficiency is, in a nutshell, the power to produce effects. It is, ergo, the proper application of the Will, and the power to make changes in conformity with the Will. Of this there are definite grades of attainment, and only the most dedicated and diligent student need apply him/herself to the serious work of these grades.

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    Thelemic Initiation is the scientific exploration and realization of the nature and powers of your own Being. It is the purification of all that is an hindrance to your progress, and it makes for the free development and consecration of all those parts of yourself which are an essential element in the constitution of your True Will, that you may attain the Great Work of the New Aeon of Horus

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    Thelemic initiation is a very serious matter, involving the awakening of the highest in you. Those who take a Thelemic initiation without understanding the actual powers that are awakened in the process are unaware of what they do and, more often than not, they will fail the initiation, being unable to comprehend the serious quality of its formula. To be initiated in a Thelemic system of Magick within a Thelemic Order is to take complete responsibility for yourself, to dedicate yourself to the task of realizing all of your creative potentials as a human and spiritual being. Such is the task of one who is, relatively speaking, seeking to master him/herself in all things.

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    The grade of Neophyte has no real correspondence with a Chakra, Planet, Alchemical Metal or Sephira on the Tree of Life. It is purely a probationary grade. It is a stage of inner trial, when the Secret Guardians of the Mysteries test the aspirant's devotion to the Great Work. It is the key to the higher initiations.

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Love is the law, love under will.

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OATH OF THE
NEOPHYTE

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Issued by
the Order of the
Thelemic Golden Dawn
(Order of the T\G\D\)

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[The oath of the grade can be written or printed in the Magickal Journal, and signed]

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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

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1. I, ........................................................ [Motto], being of sound mind and body, and having resolved on this day ....................................... to prosecute the Great Work, do hereby solemnly swear:

2. To devote myself to the discovery of my True Will.

3. To understand all things.

4. To love all things.

5. To do all things and endure all things necessary to the discovery of my True Will.

6. To aspire to the Knowledge and Conversation of my Holy Guardian Angel.

7. To work without lust of result.

8. To banish the illusions.

9. To rely only upon myself.

10. To dedicate my every thought, word and deed to the discovery of my True Will.

May the Order crown the work, lend me of its wisdom in the work, and enable me to understand the work!

Witness my hand [Neophyte Motto] ..................................................................

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Love is the law, love under will.