A.'.A.'., Franz Bardon and Arum Solis

I started growing an interest in Crowley's work. Notably, his dictated Book of the Law.

This has lead me to a growing interest into his school of training called the A.'.A.'. I find it to be quite interesting and unique.

There is an excellent manuscript that one can find online of an out of print work called The Mystical and Magical System of the A.'.'.: The Spiritual System of Aleister Crowley and George Cecil Jones Step by Step.

It covers what the A.'.A.'., is, stands for, and what one can expect in it.

What I really like about it is how it reached me as a reader. As one who was involved in other systems of the occult - such as the Golden Dawn, I found a lot of truth as expressed by the author.

I found in that book, many of the things that I also believed prior to reading it.

My experience with the Golden Dawn came from joining the Essoteric Order of the Golden Dawn - based on the original organization of Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

What I discovered about the Golden Dawn, after joining, was that it seemed to be a order that had immeasurable problems. Now while there are alwys problems in any group, the Gold Dawn had no formal way of dealing with problems.

They didnt have any ethical code nor standard of behavior.

There tended to be a lot of problems within the Golden Dawn - and what was worse, there was an ego from the Grand Impeartor - that Ethics was of no importance... to quote him, "The Golden Dawn is not a religion, nor a cult, it does not monitor people's Ethics."

It's an interesting topic - do just cults and religions monitor ethics? Don't business', schools and other organizations also monitor ethics and standards of behavior?

Recently I raised this exact topic with the Grand Imperator of the largest modern Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn organization - run by Pat Zalewiski. In my foolishness I thought perhaps their order was different - but he presented the same argument.

As much as the modernist versions of the original Golden Dawn hate Thelema, and misinterpret "Do what thou wilt" they actually embody that sentiment more than they perhaps realize. They expect the individual to police their own behavior. But offer no real guidance to do so.

No guidance.

No tools.

It is the mysterious "current" that is supposed to move people in and out of the order to preserve it. Yet well can see how historically this hasn't worked out so well.

Outside of the ethical delima there is another problem with the Golden Dawn - I felt, that as a student in the Outer order, that nothing was really being gained. You're basically memorizing some tables, and taking some tests.... but for a spiritual occult order, there should be more rigorous training, right?

When I addressed this issue with the order I was in, I was informed that the Real Magick of the GD comes in the Inner Order.

But here's the catch - you are only invited to the Inner Order - not everyone can enter in.

So lets be very clear - all the hype, all the website marketing on various EOGD websites, all the slick flyers they pass into books in bookstores. All that marketing states quite clearly that one can obtain all these amazing abilities... but really the teachings on that material don't come till one is in an Inner Order.

So what are students really doing in the Outer Order? In my opinion it's a waste of time. Even the grand imperator of my order publically stated that no change in the person is expected in the outer order. Grade advancement isn't based on some acomplishment, attainment or even realization. Grade advancement is strictly based on "a desire to improve, and a contrite heart."

In my experience in the Golden Dawn, I saw too many people, who were out of control - get prompted into the Inner Order and still remain out of control.

This isn't to say that people in the order don't gain great attainments - I have met some that do.

But really it's down to their own self determination.

While that's the way the order teaches - self determination - it leaves a vast majority wondering in darkness. Those that excell know a lot of personal methodologies beyond the scope of the GD framework. Some have Buddhist or Eastern backgrounds, others have used works like the Kybalion to assist in their training. But since there is no formal training in the GD, without such external methodologies, it's very difficult to move through the GD system to real adepthood without such training.

Conversely the A.'.A.'. has a very different approach.

They start with magick in the Outer Order. By the time one enters the Inner Order, of the A.'.A.'. they've already advanced past the GD training. The Inner Order of the A.'.A.'. moves beyond that, into the realms the GD never ventured (or so in theory.)

Another interesting avenue of the A.'.A.'. is the focus on ethics. That might seem strange to those who are familiar with some of Crowley's personal life - but one should remember that the some of Crowley's writing was inspired (not from his own consciousness) and some of it was. So his actions to some degree can be removed from the teachings brought to him.

The A.'.A.'. is unlike the OTO. The OTO is a social organization. The A.'.A.'. is a more studious organization - and part of the reading requirements of the Student and then Probationer is to study the works of Raja Yoga and other systems to control the Nephesh and reign in one's desires.

While the A.'.A.'. may not be to the liking of every occultist, I did think it important to distinguish the A.'.A.'. from the GD.

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I'm still working through Initiation Into Hermetics - at this point I'm working on charging food, air and liquids into positive statements of effect.

I'm noticing change in my life as I do this, but it's very subtle.

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Arum Solis

I've been practicing the work of the Chalice... which is a 9 day work done 3 times. I'm on the first time right now.

I've found the work to be affecting my dreams and I've began to see a subtle energy body where the chalice is astrally created in my room of work.