Ritual of the 6=5 Grade of Geburah
being the Book of the Conference of Signs in the Grade of Adeptus Major
Notes by F.F.J. I have typed this “Book of the Signs” from two copies made by the late G.H. Frater Sub Spe, the one typed, and the other in his own hand-writing. They give the details of the Signs of the 22nd and 23rd Paths and of the Grade of Adeptus Major as used by himself and Frater D.D.C.F. in the early days of the Orders of the G.D. and R.R. et A.C., and are of importance to those of our Fratres and Sorores who value our “Apostolic Succession” from and through these sources.
An interesting point which calls for comment is that most of these Titles and phrases connected with the Paths and Grades are composed of one Greek and one Latin word, just as,in the original G.D. Rituals, “Hodos Chameleonis” was used, though later altered to “`odoj camaileontoj”, Hodos Chamaeleontos or Chamaileontos.
The strict conditions upon which I myself received these GD Grades when I was appointed G.H. Frater Sub Spe’s successor as “Chief Adept in Charge of the Adept College of the Two Sister Rosicrucian Orders in Britannia” was that I should personally pass them on to any Fratres or Sorores deemed fit by the Adept College to receive them, and that all pledges in these Grades should be made to me as Chief Adept in Charge for the time being of the College.
Of the Senate of that College, then appointed in 1923, just before the death of Frater Sub Spe on Saturday 8th December 1923, the GH Soror Dominus Illuminatio Mea and I (Fortes Fortuna Juvat) are now the only surviving members (the others then appointed having been Frater Sub Spe (Chief Adept in Charge), Soror Sub Hoc and Signe Vinces (Deputy Chief Adept); and in order of seniority, Frater Fortes Fortuna Juvat (Warden), Soror Dominus Illuminatio Mea; Frater Per Laborem Aspiro (the late James Barclay); Soror Via Crucis Via Lucis (the late Mary Barclay); and Frater Ecce Venio (the late Very Reverend R.O.P. Taylor), Chaplain of the College.
We, Frater Fortes Fortuna Juvat and Soror Dominus Illuminatio Mea, as the only two surviving members of the Senate of the College of Adepts, hereby declare our intention of coopting as Members of the Senatus, our Soror Spiritus in Rebus, already eligible by the rules of the College; and, when they have attained to the required Grades in both Sister Orders, the following in order of seniority: namely Soror Spes of Hermes Temple: Frater Vive ut Vivas*: Soror Sic Itur ad Astra, Soror Vincit Qui Se Vincit *: (*now deceased) and Frater Spiritus Intus Alit. Should she ever wish to resume her place in both Orders, Soror Lumen Meum Deus Est* (Mrs. Birch)(*now deceased) would come immediately after Soror D.I.M. in seniority. I have not included our Frater Puritas et Veritas and Soror Lux Tua Me Dirigit (Mr. and Mrs. Stewart) in this list, as it is unlikely that they would be able to accept office; but, should they see their way to accepting, we would welcome them as members, already entitled as they are, to hold office.
Fortes Fortuna Juvat
Dominus Illuminatio Mea
All Souls’ Day, 2nd November 1945.
Excerpt from The Book of the Concourse of the Watchtowers
5 Comments
Peregrin · March 27, 2012 at 8:42 am
Thanks for this, Tabatha… 🙂
Frater Yechidah · March 28, 2012 at 11:23 pm
This introductory note is very valuable, as it supplies a lot of historical material in such a short space.
The ceremony itself is also interesting, though it certainly appears incomplete. We can see how Mathers may have gone with signs and titles for the 7=4, but the actual temple movements, speeches, opening and closing, etc. are unfortunately missing, suggesting he either abandoned them, did not get around to writing them, or they have not survived.
LVX,
Dean.
Tabatha · March 29, 2012 at 2:18 pm
One of the things I find interesting, beyond the esoteric speeches, is that the ritual only calls for one officer, the "Conferring Adept," who is introduced at the beginning of this rite ("The "Conferring Adept is either a Chief Adept (i.e. Adeptus Exemptus 7=4) or an Adeptus Major 6=5.") I don't think this officer would be *introduced* here if this was not the beginning of the whole rite. Also, the ritual calls for one other Adept (although this Adept is not given a title) who can give the responses, however the rite also states that the recipient can give his own responses if a second person is not available. No mention of a Vault, other than having available a diagram "from the Portal Ritual of the Vault of the Adepts."
Samuel · April 1, 2012 at 5:38 am
Okay, I am a little slow in replying here.
The language clearly indicates in Carnegie Dickson's introduction that this is the full and complete 6=5 as used certainly in the AO, since Carnegie Dickson was the last Chief of that Order, and what could very well have been the version used even earlier in the GD itself (prior to 1900).
Like you, I find the lack of mention of a Vault interesting. This of course does not mean that this Ceremony did not take place within the Vault, just that it is not mentioned anywhere in the copy of the Ceremony from Carnegie Dickson.
The conference of the Signs is a rather Masonic thing, which has its own indications of the direction that Mathers (or whomever) wrote into the Ceremony.
There is also a lot of similarities between this 6=5 Ceremony and the original Golden Dawn Portal Ceremony. The lack of Officers, the conveying of information (addresses on the diagrams in Portal – conveyance of Signs in 6=5), etc.
From comparison of this 6=5 Ceremony used by the AO (and again perhaps earlier) with those used by Waite and Felkin, there seems to so much less going on in this AO/GD version. Perhaps Waite and Felkin were onto something with their particular versions?
In LVX,
Samuel
Tabatha · April 1, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Samuel,
I take the document at its word that this was an original GD ceremony, but it could have certainly been used in the later offshoots.
It strikes me as the kind of ritual that could have been done quietly in the backroom of a Masonic Hall.