When the book by Pat and Chris Zalewski arrived at my
desk for evaluation, the initial reaction was that of praise and acknowledgment.
Then I read the title one more time, "The Equinox & Solstice Ceremonies
of the Golden Dawn." There must be an explanation to that error, because
the Golden Dawn never had a solstice ceremony. The answer to that question
is to be found in the book itself, "When we first became associated with
members of Felkin's Whare Ra Temple.....a number of those with grades
from 6=5 to 9=2 (!) repeatedly expressed disappointment that the Golden
Dawn never had a Solstice Ceremony." (Pages XVII-XVIII). My apologies
to all those disappointed people, but the original Esoteric Order of the
Golden Dawn didn't have a Solstice celebration, period.As we evaluate the content of the book, let us begin with the overall
production. The result is a wonderfully printed, and illustrated manual
and thesis on the topic. The authors went out of their way to present
the Equinox ritual and make it a valuable key for growth. The ritual has
been printed in the Golden Dawn by Regardie , yet, with the size of the
book and complexity of content, it took a shadowy position. That position
has changed into its rightful throne, thanks to the book by Zalewski.
In contrast with many other books on magic, the pictures and illustrations
make it easy to comprehend and appreciate by the general practitioners
and students. I highly recommend the book for purchase, regardless of
the discrepancies from the original tradition, to be discussed below.
The Equinox (Aequus=equal , Nox=night), is celebrated twice a year, the
Vernal Equinox and Autumnal Equinox. In both these periods, the day and
night is in complete balance. In the first equinox, the Sun enters into
Aries, allowing for a period of outer growth and new beginning. This is
where the magician is beginning to work hard, preparing for the period
of gestation. In the Autumnal Equinox the Sun enters into Libra, a period
of inner growth and meditation. Even so, they are both heralds of opposite
seasons. In both celebrations, equality is present. Neither of the equinoxes
are held at a period of light more than darkness nor darkness more than
light. This balance point is very important throughout all of the classical
Golden Dawn teachings. Its emphasized in every aspect of symbolism all
the way through 0=0 and beyond.
The Solstices (Sol=sun , Stitium= to make stand still), are not celebrated
twice a year, for both periods are a point of unbalance. The first period
of Summer Solstice begins with Cancer, a period where the day is longer
then the night. Let us remember that even the Sun can burn us if we are
exposed to it for a long period of time. The Winter Solstice is where
the Sun is at its weakest point, in Capricorn. This is a period of great
darkness and the light has receded away. The celebration of these two
periods can produce unbalanced vibrations both ways. The Golden Dawn felt
the periods of the Solstice can fit very nicely within the Equinox timeframe.
"Unbalanced power is the ebbing away of life. Unbalanced mercy is weakness
and letting evil go unchecked, therefore becoming an accomplice of evil.
Unbalanced severity is cruelty and the bareness of mind." - (0=0 Initiation).
The book continues to discuss the concept of the Equinox Ritual presenting
the original version, plus two additional ones. No solstice ritual is
presented, for there has never been one for the reasons mentioned above.
The commentary on the ritual is very detailed and informative. The two
additional variations are very good additions for historical and practicality
reasons.
Let's now bring up a serious issue that have been brought on by the new
"Felkinized" trend. On both pages 115 and 128 the author mentions that
the avenging angel is Hru¹, thus leaving Hua² as the angel of
Divination! This is a very serious and dangerous switch. It is in no way
in harmony with classical & original teachings of S.L. MacGregor Mathers
and the Order. Even the Golden Dawn book by Regardie and all material
on the Golden Dawn before (not including Zalewski), the switch is not
made, Hru is the angel of Divination , Hua is Great Avenging Angel. This
switch in the material is not fair to the readers, especially the new
ones, for it can deceive them into believing that Hru is the avenging
angel. The author's personal prejudice when presenting historical material
should not tint his work in such a fashion. This negates historical and
literal honesty. Therefore, Zalewski has no right to rewrite part of it
as if it was the truth. After all, the book does not read the "The Equinox
& Solstice Ceremonies of the Whare Ra Temple & Ara Ben Shemesh.³"
My last word on the book is good. It is a good book to have as an addition to any magical library. Good to read, good price, good illustration, good pictures, good commentary, and good job. Just highlight the errors starting from the front page on, and study the work.
Footnotes:
1) Hru is the angel of the Tarot, as reproduced in the Golden Dawn Book by Regardie.
2) Hua is the avenging angel. He appeared first in the Quran as one of the names of God , then reappeared in the Cipher Manuscript as the avenging angel, invoked by the Adept in his/her vows unto the Lord of the Universe.
3) Pat Zalewski claims lineage from the New Zealand temple founded by Dr.Felkin, a member of Stella Matutina who was obsessed with contacting the Secret Chiefs. He eventually contacted a disincarnate spirit named Ara Ben Shemesh who claimed to be a Master from the Middle East.