Over the years there has been much controversy concerning the idea of Self Initiation, and rightly so. There are many that believe that an individual cannot initiate themselves successfully on their own and that the only way to be successfully initiated is to be a member of an active temple with validly constituted initiating officers. As stated in another article on this site, there is something to be said about being initiated within a valid initiating temple by officers that have experienced the transfer of energies, who themselves were initiated by other officers that had received this transfer, and so on. In this manner there has been a direct lineal succession, so to speak, from Hierophant to Neophyte down through the years. These Neophytes then rise through the ranks, some becoming initiating officers and Hierophants themselves, and then passing on the transmission to other Neophytes.

Another added advantage of going through the initiation rituals in a validly constituted temple is the fact that during the initiations there are numerous energies that are called upon by competent officers that are then utilized in many different ways, some of which act within the aura of the candidate. In this manner a true initiation can take place on the physical level, but there are subtle manipulations that take place on more subtle levels, specifically dealing with the candidates aura. This is often a successful way to accelerate the growth of the candidate, and the candidate can often experience results sooner, rather than later. This type of initiation within an initiating temple also allows the candidate to make contact with the Egregore of the Order, and there is believed to be much in the way of power and inspiration, as well as protection, that can be gained from this type of contact.

So, the question arises, how can a person validly initiate themselves using the Golden Dawn system of Magick? To begin with, one thing we might want to look at are the basics.

• In the Neophyte ceremony of the Golden Dawn the Candidate is introduced to an influx of L.V.X. There are many other things that take place, but the main theme is one of coming into "Light". This "Light", or L.V.X., is a force that is generated during the Neophyte ceremony. Through the use of this Light subtle manipulations take place within the aura of the candidate, and certain symbols are "seeded" to await further growth.
• The elemental initiations for the grades of Zelator, Theoricus, Practicus, and Philosophus are conferred upon the candidate by separate rituals corresponding with the spheres of Malkuth, Yesod, Hod, and Netzach on the Tree of Life, and to the elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, respectively. Each of these grades also corresponds to an aspect of the person and their Psyche that they are suppose to work on. In each of these separate rituals there is an invocation and manipulation of elemental energies by the Hierophant and initiating officers that again influence the aura of the candidate to help assist them in this task.
• Finally, the Portal ritual is designed to work with the fifth element of Spirit, and although it is not assigned to a particular sphere on the Tree of Life, it acts as a bridge from the lower to the higher, from the outer to the inner, and allows the candidate to reassemble, so to speak, his/her elemental natures into a unified whole under the presidency of the element of Spirit.

Granted, there is immensely more to it than just what is listed above, and this is a bit simplistic, but it is the bare bones of it. So, the candidate is initially infused with an influx of Light, or L.V.X., then goes through a process of elemental equilibration, and is then introduced to the element of Spirit where they are to "recompile" everything, learn how it all fits together, including the corresponding aspects of self. Through the entire process the individual has hopefully purified their natures to the extent that the crowning achievement will at length be the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, or Illumination, the entrance into the sphere of Tiphareth and the experience of Briatic Consciousness.

So, the question arises as to how this is to be accomplished by the individual working completely on their own. Fortunately, the plan has been laid out for this type of practice for quite some time, but many people have either failed to pick up on it, or are simply unwilling to start with the basics and work up to the more advanced techniques. In a lodge environment the individual has to start with the basics and gradually work their way through the material in a gradual and progressive manner. The individual undergoing this process on their own must take this into consideration and discipline themselves to undergo a similar process. To this end Francis Israel Regardie firmly believed that the individual could indeed initiate themselves into the elemental grades of the Golden Dawn corresponding to the grades of Zelator, Theoricus, Practicus, and Philosophus, as well as the Portal. He also believed that the Neophyte ritual might be adapted for personal use, but that the Adeptus Minor ceremony was simply not possible to be done on ones own. However, even with the Adeptus Minor ceremony there is a bit of a workaround.

To begin with, even Aleister Crowley believed that some form of Self Initiation was possible. To this end he wrote Liber Pyramidos for Neophytes, and Liber Samekh for those aspiring to the grade of Adeptus Minor. Unfortunately, these rituals are intended primarily for use with his system of Thelema, and are specifically rituals for those either within, or aspiring to, his order A.A., although anyone with the proper knowledge and preparation could successfully use them. Israel Regardie had his own ideas as to how to go about this within the system and initiatory framework of the Golden Dawn, and something of this nature was hinted at. Consider the following.

"Let me therefore urge upon the sincere reader whose wish it is to study this magical system, to pay great attention to the scheme of the grade rituals, to obtain a bird's eye view of the whole, to study every point, its movement and teaching. This should be repeated again and again, until the mind moves easily from one point of the ritual to another. The synthetic outline of those rituals presented in this Introduction should be found helpful as assisting in this task. Let him also study the diagrams of the Temple lay-out, and build up in his imagination a clear and vivid picture of that Temple together with the appropriate officers and their movements. Then it will be an easy matter to devise a simple form of self-initiation. It will be simple to adapt the text to solo performance. But a careful scrutiny and examination of the entire system should long precede any effort to do practical work, if serious harm and danger is to be avoided."

The Golden Dawn, Introduction to the First Edition

Of particular interest here are the fifth and sixth sentences in the above paragraph. He gives us the basic idea on how to approach the rituals if working alone, and then tells us that they can then be adapted into rituals of self initiation. This, in and of itself, should tell the reader that it was Regardie's firm belief that Self Initiation is a distinct possibility if the individual would but apply themselves to the work in a careful and methodical manner. It was his belief that if the rituals were approached with this attitude then something of value could be gained by the solo practitioner. Fortunately, there has been extensive work to flesh out these initiatory rituals for the solo practitioner in the manner which Regardie outlined in the above paragraph. This exists today as a set of rituals that can be found within a book entitled "Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition" by Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero.

In the introduction to the 5th edition of The Golden Dawn as published by Llewellyn, Chris Monnastre recalls how Regardie "was able, by a process of induction, to begin to open me up to the entrance of powerful healing energies from profoundly deep reservoirs of the unconscious (and in the absence of verbal therapy!)." It is also mentioned that Regardie considered the Middle Pillar ritual as the "sine qa non" of all magical work.

In another quote from the same source:

"But the Magician calls this experience and influx of energy L.V.X. and with proper training and dedication, is able to release it him or herself WITHOUT THE AID OF AN OUTSIDE PERSON OR AGENCY."

And again, from the same source:

"However, once in 1982 he confided in me that if any person worked the Middle Pillar technique twice daily for a significant period of time, that the same result would eventually occur. If this daily work were combined with sustained relaxation and prolonged rythmic breathing, one could, in effect, become ones OWN "Hierophant" and trust that one's own personal Genius would guide one within the pure intention of sincere effort.

Now, from the above it does appear that Israel Regardie firmly believed that the individual could in effect initiate themselves and make contact with their own "personal Genius." He gave advice on how to approach the initiation ceremonies, and was also fairly certain that the daily performance of the Middle Pillar ritual and other exercises could, in effect, go along way in preparing the persistent student. Israel Regardie also believed that the Light, or L.V.X. could be generated in a number of ways, such as:

• The Neophyte Ritual
• The Middle Pillar Ritual
• The Ritual of Opening By Watchtower

The Neophyte Ritual has been outlined in the above books for anyone to follow with sufficient interest and the perseverance to continue with the work once it is started, and the performance of this ritual is one way in which to generate L.V.X. The Middle Pillar ritual is already widely known and doesn't need to be addressed in this paper, but it is a simple meditative ritual that anyone can perform that also generates L.V.X. . Suffice it to say that the ritual can be found on this site, as well as within the books by Regardie and the Ciceros. So here we already have two means of generating this type of energy at our disposal. The third way, that of The Opening by Watchtower, not only generates L.V.X., but can also be used to invoke the elemental energies as they are used in the Golden Dawn rituals for the grades of Zelator, Theoricus, Practicus, Philosophus, and Portal.

The Ritual of Opening by Watchtower is a powerful ritual that Regardie wrote based primarily on the orders Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram and the Consecration of the Vault of the Adepti. In his book Ceremonial Magic, Regardie took the bare bones of this ritual and introduced the basic elemental invocations and prayers at certain points in a graduated manner of three distinct stages. By doing so he gradually taught the student how to effectively invoke the elemental energies in a manner similar to the actual Golden Dawn initiation ceremonies. In effect, the performance of this ritual over a prolonged period of time goes a long way in introducing the student to these elemental energies and has a similar effect to the elemental initiations. Consider the following quote as it is taken from his book Ceremonial Magic, paying particular attention to the last sentence.

"The ritual itself is first presented in all its simplicity. Study it well. Then in a succeeding section, additions will be made. These additions are extrapolated from the elemental Grades of the Order of the Golden Dawn from Vol. 1, No. 8 Equinox. Note them well, please. In these grades, the officiating officer invokes the Elements by a specific process so that they may influence the aura and character of the candidate undergoing initiation. This specific process is added in the appropriate place to the Watchtower Ritual, lengthening it a little bit, but rendering it not only more explicit to the student, but more potent. It would not be amiss, then, to read into this statement that the Watchtower Ritual may be turned into a ritual of self-initiation."

Ceremonial Magick Israel Regardie The Aquarian Press Pg. 12, Chapter 1

And consider the following regarding the work of the grade of Portal:

"Regardie and I discussed the subject of self-initiation several times. We both agreed that at this level of attainment, the magician should perform the Opening by Watchtower daily in order to activate the astral (Yetziratic World) and become a magician who truly walks between the worlds.-CC" 

Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero First Edition, Llewellyn Publications, 1995 Footnote, page 692.

Regardie also comments in his Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic that if two were working together then the neophyte ceremony could be worked, or worked around, by the repetitive use of the Middle Pillar Ritual technique. He also had the following to say about the Opening by Watchtower ritual.

But from there, with the aid of the Opening by Watchtower, as it has come to be called, the elemental initiations would be taken care of, and from there they face the task of the Adeptus Minor initiation. What needs to be done in that regard is something I would rather not speculate about. But as one initiate has said, all that remains is to prepare the Temple and then hope and pray that it may become indwelled.

The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magick Francis Israel Regardie Falcon Press, 1987

In effect, there appears to be quite some justification regarding the ability of the individual to initiate themselves, providing the individual is willing to take themselves in hand and acutally do the work, and that this process could be undertaken successfully by the aspiring student. This does not mean that an individual would be able to initiate themselves into an existing lodge, but simply to initiate themselves into what constitutes the current of the Order of the Golden Dawn, and to initiate a chain of events that would in time result in the same form of enlightenment that results from working within an Initiationary Lodge. By being able to work within an Initiationary Lodge the aspirant might advance quicker, but there is no guarantee that this is the case, since everyone advances at their own pace. There is a basic approach to this work of Self Initiation that can be outlined and summed up as follows.

• The daily performance of rituals such as the Middle Pillar and the LBRP.
• The gradual buildup and working of the Initiation Rituals over a period of months, if not years.
• The absorbtion of the knowledge lectures as the student works through each initiation ritual.
• Appropriate meditations and ritual work for each grade.
• The making of appropriate implements for each grade ritual.
• The continual use of The Ritual of Opening by Watchtower at a stage when some proficiency in ritual has been attained.

This, in essence is a basic approach to the work of Self Initiation. It is not an easy task, but neither is it impossible, and can be achieved if the student will simply persist in the work. It does take some time, but the time spent is nothing compared to the gains that are to be had, and when this life is over, and all that we take with us is ourselves, we will have built something within us to take that will have been worthwhile, the Philosophers Stone.

For those that are interested in more of Israel Regardie's views on Self Initiation, you may be interested in reading some of his articles here.