by Guest Blogger, Tomas Stacewicz, VH Frater SR, 6=5
I am VH Frater S.'.R.'., Tomas Stacewicz, Imperator of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn(R) in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. Many of you know me already or have read my GYLLENE GRYNINGEN blog.
"I DO NOT USUALLY SPEAK OUT ON THIS BLOG, BUT I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED BY THE DIRECTION THAT THE GOLDEN DAWN COMMUNITY APPEARS PRESENTLY TO BE MOVING IN."It's a great shame that our community is being dragged back to a state that preceded our Golden Dawn Harmony initiative in spring 2009, where instead of reasonable arguments based on fact and backed up with evidence, ugly rumours and outright lies are once again being used by a leader of a Golden Dawn organization.
For the last few weeks Robert Zink, the Chief of the "Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn", has on his "Golden Dawn Blog" been spreading false allegations and accusations against the H.O.G.D./A+O, which I feel must be addressed as it involves my native country and personal domestic affairs. I only reluctantly have decided to address this latest debate which is quickly being dragged back into the sort of feud that has nearly destroyed the reputation of the entire Golden Dawn tradition over the past two decades, being one who tries to shun this truly ugly aspect of the modern Golden Dawn community and culture.
Most of the contents of the latest blogs by Mr. Zink aren't even worthy of any serious attention at all, as most readers are able to see through the stereotypic rhetoric of propaganda which infest them. Our order has already refuted the myriad "flame war" talking points Mr. Zink in recent weeks appears to be attempting to resurrect together with the flame war itself. The interested reader need only read our on order's website our TRADEMARK and LINEAGE PAGES (including regarding DESMOND BOURKE), the factual biography (instead of propaganda) of MR. DAVID GRIFFIN (our International Imperator), or the ACTUAL COURT DOCUMENTS that are a matter of public record.
But there is, however, one important point that I feel compelled to address here as it concerns the Order in Sweden and its history. Being a Swede, and the Imperator of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn(R) in Scandinavia, as well as the author of a mainly Swedish Golden Dawn blog (even if events and debates outside of my country often compel me to write in English), I must address the issue of certain Swedish affairs being aired in that blog by Mr. Zink. Robert Zink writes thus:"TOMMY WESTLUND. LEFT HIS [DAVID GRIFFIN'S] ORDER AND TOOK THE ENTIRE SWEDISH TEMPLE WITH HIM AFTER ALLEGEDLY DISCOVERING GRIFFIN WAS DOING RITES WITH THE NAZI FLAG DRAPED OVER THE ALTAR."BEING A MEMBER OF THE SWEDISH JURISDICTION OF THE H.O.G.D./A+O, AND ALSO AN INITIATE OF THE SAME TEMPLE AS THAT OF TOMMY WESTLUND, FOR AS ALMOST AS LONG AS THE LATTER, I BELIEVE THAT I PROBABLY AM THE PERSON MOST QUALIFIED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.
"I WILL NOT EVEN DIGNIFY WITH A RESPONSE THE FALSE AND HATEFUL NAZI RUMORS THAT MR. ZINK HAS BEEN INVENTING AND SPREADING FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES NOW AS AMMUNITION FOR GOLDEN DAWN FLAME WAR. "Let me instead bring some real facts into this discussion.
Regarding Tommy Westlund, Tommy was a personal friend of mine and I still regard him to be a dear Frater. He now heads his own order, the Sodalitas Rosae Crucis (S.R+C), which has taken the Golden Dawn tradition and other Rosicrucian currents into a unique direction, that however doesn't reflect the vision of the H.O.G.D./A+O, even if we both pursue the Ars Royale, this being the actual reason for us going separate ways. There is no feud at all in Sweden between the H.O.G.D./A+O and S.R+C, or any other Order for that matter. The true state of matters in Sweden is that there is no need for any Golden Dawn Harmony initiative here, as there is no disharmony in Sweden or Scandinavia to address in the first place.
This newly alleged reason for Tommy's departure from our Order, clearly invented by Robert Zink for his "Golden Dawn Flame War" certainly isn't any protocol of Temple procedures that I have ever seen or heard about in my 15 years of active Temple work in several Swedish and European Temples. In reality, Tommy Westlund left the H.O.G.D./A+O because he wanted to found his own Order, according to his own personal preferences and research.
Tommy Westlund certainly did not take the "entire Swedish temple with him", that being the Temple in Stockholm. Besides, referring to the "entire Swedish temple" falsely gives the impression that there only existed one Temple in Sweden at that time and thus that it no longer exists any Order in Sweden. This is outright propaganda-style disinformation. In fact there existed several Temples of our order in Sweden at the time of Tommy Westlund's departure, one of which one has been under my personal supervision and leadership since early 1997. None of these Temples "followed" Tommy Westlund when he left to found his new organization. In fact, only a couple of individuals followed Tommy into his new project. The Stockholm Temple to which Tommy belonged remained intact and proceeded with its operation as usual.
Let there also be no doubt that the H.O.G.D./A+O continues to have a real presence in Sweden today and that it's College of Adepti oversees students from entire Scandinavia. After Mr. Griffin decided to leave Sweden permanently to pursue his study and training with his Alchemical Masters, he left the charge of the Scandinavian Jurisdiction over to me as Scandinavian Imperator.
Furthermore, I am sure that Tommy and his Order are doing a splendid work in furthering the spiritual process of their initiates, and I truly acknowledge him for that. Therefore, it feels disheartening to see Mr. Zink trying to drag the name of Tommy Westlund and that of my native country into this latest "flame war" barrage against the H.O.G.D./A+O. Therefore I urge Mr. Zink to stay away from dragging Sweden and Swedish initiates into these types of dirty games and underhanded tactics in the future. We don't want to have any part of it.
I do not believe that the hard working Fratres and Sorores of the EOGD are happy that our community is being dragged back into feuding and flame war either. I can assure you that your brothers and sisters in the HOGD/AO do not want this any more than you do. Let us all speak out for peace now before it is too late. Our orders not have to agree about everything. We do not even have to always like what one another does. Let us indeed keep our discussions and debates civil, however. Even if we need to point out something ugly in ourselves to one another, let us do even this in a fraternal manner. And above all, let us present reasoned arguments backed up by factual evidence, not just destructive talking points and flame war propaganda.
Let there be no doubt that the H.O.G.D./A+O still remains firmly committed to the Golden Dawn Harmony initiative, we launched two years ago. We repeat our offer to remove on a reciprocal basis all objectionable materials from our respective fora, websites, and blogs. However, this initiative has fallen on deaf ears up until now and reading the latest blog by Mr. Zink, I fail to see that there actually is any real, common interest in maintaining harmony in the Golden Dawn community on his part."I CALL THEREFORE ON OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN THE EOGD TO LET MR. ZINK KNOW THAT YOU TOO HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF FLAME WAR LONG AGO."Mr. Zink may think that by trying to drag us all back into flame war, he is only hurting Mr. Griffin or only the members of the HOGD/AO, but he is actually hurting all of you in the EOGD as well as our entire beloved Golden Dawn tradition.
Let us not only end this flame war before it gets started. Let us finally roll up our sleeves together and clean up the really old garbage and attacks off or our websites as well. Let this not be the beginning of a new flame war. Let this instead be the beginning of true fraternity between our two orders.
Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum, Yeheshua,
VH Frater S.'.R.'.Imperator for Scandinavia
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn(R)