Rising Star – Introducing a New Form of Magickal Order
“Magick is the art and science of willfully unfolding the soul”
Note:This was discussed on Jason Mankey's Raise the Horns radio show.
Please note: This document, while intended for all, is best
understood by those with experience in the Western Magickal Tradition and
Golden Dawn style lodges. Other foundational documents, express these ideas
differently for those without this experience. Questions are always welcomed.
Currently, the Western Magickal Tradition (WMT) has
wonderful orders for seekers of all faiths or no faith. Various orders and
lodges welcome Pagans, Christians, Jewish folks and the undecided. Some groups
accept them all! This rich tradition opens the doors of the mysteries to all
with the desire, drive and perseverance necessary to solve their personal spiritual
mysteries and become workers of magick. Given the right group leadership and
intelligent persistent students, these systems work.
One of the major problems with these systems is that they mirror
a cultural problem of the societies in which they were born and operate. Most
of them require a deconstruction process as they assume, like the Biblical fall
of man myth, that the human is defective from the start or has obtained so much
dross that the only way out is a soul-rending initiation of deconstruction. This
creates problems.
First, the deconstruction process can be so painful that it
turns people away from any form of spiritual effort. Secondly, it fosters low
self-worth among the lower grades of the system. How can any person, feeling
that they are defective and without hope of internal redemption, possibly feel
good about themselves and their chances for spiritual growth, much less wielding
the power of the universe as magicians? Thirdly, it sets up a situation in
which those members that have done more of the purifying work as ‘better’ than those
in the lower ranks. This usually unspoken dynamic can lead to both the abuse of
authority, rampant egotism and the willful surrender of the students’ personal
sovereignty.
Rising Star operates from a different perspective. The fall
of man mythos is discarded. In its place we follow the creative process of the
universe as taught by the Holy Qabala. Humankind is seen as living within and
fully participating in the process of self-creation. This eliminates the
deconstruction process and replaces it with one of construction. Those things
that must fall away will do so of their own accord and more peacefully. This
also places all of us on an even playing ground. We are all unfolding into our
higher and best natures. We are all simply spiritual explorers using the map of
the Qabala as our guide and the techniques of ceremonial magick as our tools.
We do not hold to the perspective that a person is not ready
for what we offer. There are no tests of membership as there is no membership.
The participant can stop the process at any time. Participation in the outer
order is only regulated by the time the Teacher/Instructor (TI) has to offer to
perform the initiations.[1]
The Outer Order
The purpose of the outer order is to expose people to the
creative processes of their immortal souls. There is no need to have an
interest in the qabala to participate in the outer order. The only magickal
experiences take place in the initiations and how the person assimilates the
lessons.
The outer order is initiation by demand. There are four outer
order initiations that follow the pattern of creation of the Qabalistic Four
Worlds. The first initiation (bordering on Atziluth) gives people a glimpse
into the Abyss and they come away with a greater understanding of what the
immortal soul is trying to create in this incarnation. The second (Briah) introduces
the participant to their magickal child, the embodiment of their creative
innocence. The third (Yetzirah) reveals their creative strength and the last
how the process is manifesting (Assiah).
The outer order only provides rudimentary outlines of what a
student is exposed to in the initiations and how they may go about learning the
lessons they may subjectively encounter.
Unlike some orders that have special robes with badges and
symbols of rank. Rising Star has nothing analogous. In fact, in two of the
outer order initiations the aspirant is skyclad (nude). In order to be exposed
to the spirit of the first initiation, all that we think we are has to be left
behind. As part of embodying that attitude, we leave behind not only our mental
and emotional programming and our attitudes but our costumes as well.
In the second initiation, the participants choose costumes
that they feel represents themselves and the creative spirit of their souls as
learned in the first initiation.
The old philosophy still followed by most orders today is
that new students cannot leave enough of themselves behind to gain insight from
higher level initiation. This is demonstrably false. It is true that a new
person is unlikely to fully experience the creative processes of their soul but
it is false to assume no benefit can be obtained. Each student is fully capable
in some way and will derive what they need from the rite.
The outer order process will take at least a year to
complete. There is no requirement to move to the inner order. If aspirants
continue through the fourth initiation, they can stop, repeat the cycle or
request admission into the inner order.
There are several unique aspects of the system that apply to
both the inner and outer orders:
There are no oaths taken. Instead, the student makes a
statement of intent to learn the lessons of the particular initiation. The
inner order adds an oathbound provision that students will not initiate others
until they earn 5=6 (adept) admission.
The initiation ritual is performed by only one person. This
eliminates the need for many ritual officers and the corresponding difficulty
of scheduling initiation dates.
A person can do all the work of both inner and outer orders
and never meet another member besides their TI. Certain group classes may be
offered in the inner order but there is no requirement to attend. This
eliminates the group dynamic where one person’s lessons conflict with another
person’s within the context of the group.
The Inner Order
The purpose of the inner order is to provide an initiatory
environment that teaches magickal work from a theurigical (spiritual
development) perspective, trains magicians and creates new initiators. The
latter allows for the process to continue for others. The grade material takes
one step-by-step through the qabala needed to succeed, as well as magickal
instruction.
Inner order admission is not by demand but by mutual
acceptance. The aspirant and TI must be compatible as the work on the inner
order is voluminous and at times personal. This is a teaching magickal order
that places great emphasis on ritually rising through the planes as the primary
spiritual and magickal technique. Here, the initiatory pattern works up the
Tree of Life in the traditional fashion.
Within the order magickal experience is emphasized over
intellectual knowledge. For instance, in the 1=10 grade over fifty acts of
magick must be performed and documented before the student can request testing.
There are many people capable of handling the intellectual work of other orders
but many never have the nerve to actually do the magickal and theurgical work
necessary for spiritual development. This system washes those folks out
quickly.
An oath is taken within the inner order once one enters the
3=8 initiation hall. The oath binds both the aspirant and the TI to a timely
completion of the work of the grade and the next three. In short, once someone
moves off the middle pillar their initiatory path back to the middle pillar is
guaranteed. This removes the possibility of an interpersonal conflict resulting
in someone left off the middle pillar for long periods of time. That can turn
into a type of spiritual torture and power play that should be impossible to
impose within this system. The same type of oath is required should a student
want to advance beyond the 5=6 and take the 6=5. A full cycle must take place
to bring them back to the middle pillar.
The inner order has a unique feature to the WMT. After being
initiated into the 5=6 it is the obligation of the student to reinitiate the TI
into the four outer grades of the order. This ensures the TIs spend the time
and make the necessary efforts to create competent magicians/initiators. It
also reinforces the idea that the unfolding of the soul is continual; The cycle
always repeats. Finally, it insures that an initiator has experience in doing
so before they initiate a new comer.
[1] There
are personal reasons any given TI may have that allows them to refuse to
conduct an initiation for any one person. All of those have to do with the TI,
not the prospective initiate.
