Questions and Answers about the Neophyte Grade
Q: Why do I have to study Hebrew? Do I have to become fluent?
A: The reason for the Neophyte to start studying Hebrew is that traditionally certain Hebrew Divine Names and Words of Power are stock in trade for the students of the Western Mystery Tradition. These along with certain technical terms, such as the names of Sephiroth (“Spheres”) of the Tree of Life are necessary to learn if the student hopes to make any progress in understanding the tradition. As for fluency, the goal of the Order’s Hebrew lessons is not fluency (you will never be able to select a meal from a Hebrew menu based on what you learn in the Order), but rather enough for the student to understand the most important of the Hebrew terms and Names used in the tradition.
Q: I already know a lot, if not all, of the published Golden Dawn material; is there any reason that I can not skip the Neophyte Grade, or at least get though it quicker?
A: The Neophyte Grade is about more than just learning the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, and memorizing the First Knowledge Lecture. One needs to work with the symbolism of the Grade, preferably in the context of a lodge, if one is to gain the full energetic benefits of the Grade. Furthermore, for those who advance into the Inner Order (Second Order), an intimate knowledge of the Neophyte Grade is necessary, for many of the magical formulas that are used by Adepts are concealed in the Neophyte Grade.
Q: Is it really necessary to belong to (be affiliated with) a lodge? Isn’t most of the Golden Dawn material already published?
A: No, it is not necessary to be a member of a lodge, or an Order for that matter, to study and use the Golden Dawn material. But it is a lot harder to figure it out without a support network to bounce questions off of. Besides, the published material is not all there is to the system; if one was merely concerned with the core material, and happy to see it frozen in just one of its variations, then the published material would be enough. Considering that not all the material is published, and it has gone though a certain amount of evolution since the issue of the documents that Israel Regardie and Francis King published, one may want to consider joining a lodge. Besides much of the published material deals with lodgekit (the set of standard tools and techniques used by lodges); without lodge experience, much of that material is not understandable (or even spotted as lodgekit) without firsthand lodge experience. Furthermore, if one wants to earn a Grade beyond ZAM (Zelator Adept Minor, the second subgrade of Adeptus Minor), one must make contact and become part of an Order that has the unpublished material for the subgrades and Grades beyond ZAM (outside of a few select pieces, the published material only goes up to ZAM; and the ZAM material is not even complete).
Q: How do you know that the published Golden Dawn material is not complete?
A: (MDE) Simple, I have been the member of several “Golden Dawn” and Golden Dawn based Orders. I have been part of the ZAM program of three different groups; the one thing they all had in common was that they had lectures and lessons that have not made their way into print yet; I am also currently in the THAM subgrade section of one program.
Q: Is the unpublished material worth knowing?
A: (MDE) I think so. While many people think that most of the occult knowledge has been published, my experience in the Orders indicates otherwise.
Q: What about self-initiation and astral initiation?
A: While they are both useful for those who are not in close proximity (easy travel distance) of a lodge, they do not provide experience in lodgekit or allow for face to face contact with others of the tradition. Though there are some people who prefer to work alone, there are others who need a group environment to help keep them focused on their studies. Both self-initiation and astral initiation come with only limited support (in the form of books and correspondence courses), something that makes the journey harder for most people.
Q: Why do some Orders discount self-initiation and astral initiation as legitimate forms of initiation?
A: Simple, while they can be effective, most lodges and Orders chose to err on the side of caution; self-initiation and astral initiation depend upon a set of factors, just like actual initiation in a physical lodge, that may or may not occur during the process. At least, with conferring a physical initiation in a lodge, we know that you have least gotten the Assiahic level of the experience, no matter how much of an off day that the officers or initiate is having (it is a fact that everyone has bad days; how can you be sure that the day of your self-initiation or astral initiation wasn’t one of them).
Q: I already have a Grade from other Order, why do I have to start all over again?
A: For two reasons: one, we can never be a hundred percent sure why you left your previous group; and two, our program of instruction is different.
Q: How do you know that your program of instruction is different than other Orders?
A: (MDE) Because I have been involved in several Orders, plus the fact that some of our material has been changed to prepare members for our Inner Order program.
Q: I still do not know why I have to start all over at Neophyte again?
A: Simple, Neophyte is a probationary Grade. During your time in Neophyte, you get to decide if membership in the BIORC is right for you, just like the lodge (and Order) gets to decide if it is likely that you are going to be a stable and productive member of the lodge.
Q: Are the members of the correspondence course considered to be members of the lodge (Bast Temple)?
A: No. They are considered to be Associate Members of the Order (BIORC). Associate Membership makes it easier to join a lodge of the Order, but it is no (promise) that one will be accepted into a lodge and become a full member of the Order. The correspondence course is set up to provide support for those who do not live within reasonable travel distance of a lodge; it is not meant to replace actual lodge membership.
Q: What does BIORC stand for?
A: Ba Iset Order of the Rosy Cross.
Q: Is the BIORC a Golden Dawn Order?
A: We are a Golden Dawn based Order. While some of our material comes from Golden Dawn, and its later offshoots, some of the course material draw off of non-Golden Dawn sources, or was written by our own members.
Q: Is there one true Golden Dawn Order?
A: No. Not a single Order today can truly claim to be descended from the original Order. One should view any claims stating that “Order X” is the one and only Golden Dawn as being merely an advertising gimmick. One should judge the worthiness of an Order by their usefulness to their members, and not by the claims made by their public relations department (official or otherwise).