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Aleister Crowley changed the face of modern day occultism. Considered the "the wickedest man in the world." by the media of his time, his reputation among modern day followers of the occult has improved much.
In 2002 the BBC did a poll and Aleister Crowley was rated as number 73 in the top most influential Britons.
Many rising stars of the time made positive remarks about Crowley including but not limited to Ozzy Osbourne.
During his early life he travelled the world joining many secret society's seeking out occult wisdom, he was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and even became a leader of the Ordo Templi Orientis.
He founded his own religion Thelema which fell apart when Italian authorities deported him after the accidental death of one of his followers during one of his ceremonies.
He is well known for many of his writings on the occult including one of his publications called "The Book of the Law".
Crowley was in essence a Ceremonial Magician practising the art of magic that involves summoning demons and controlling them with your "will" in order to carry out your magical orders. This practice is very much alive today and many base heavily on Crowley's work.
Crowley wrote on a large variety of other subjects outside of the occult including fiction and poetry, in some conspiracy theories it even alleged that he was a spy for the British government but there is little evidence to back this up.
He went to university in 1895 to start a 3 year course in philosophy, at Trinity College, Cambridge but change to English literature instead. He was not to join the golden dawn occult society until 1898 after he met a chemist named Julian L. Baker where they discussed their interest in alchemy.
On the Heavens Within Earth blog and on HP Morgan Drake Eckstein's Gleamings from the Dawn blog, bizarre recent comments give the appearance that Golden Dawn members Eckstein and Peregrin (a Buddhist convert caught posing as Pagan while trashing the faith) are attempting to ignite a full blown WITCH WAR dragging the Pagan community into a decade old Golden Dawn conflict.
The incident began when Peregrin alleged on the Heavens Within Earth blog that Stregheria del Bosco Sacro of Benevento claims something or other about an alleged initiatic connection between Gerald Gardner and Italian occultism. The Stregheria del Bosco Sacro of Benevento Tradition immediately put rumors to rest with the publication of the following official clarification:"NEITHER STREGHERIA DEL BOSCO SACRO OF BENEVENTO NOR THE GREAT RITE MAKE ANY CLAIM WHATSOEVER REGARDING ANY INITIATION OF GERALD GARDNER. ANY STATEMENT MADE BY ANY INITIATE CONTRARY TO THIS WAS CLEARLY MADE IN ERROR."In a fashion that has typified the Golden Dawn flame war throughout the last decade, for maximum strife stirring value, Peregrin repeated the original allegation on different venue, in this case on HP Morgan Drake Eckstein's Gleamings From The Dawn blog, to which Eckstein then replied:"Hmmm, this reminds of how many times errorous information has been removed from [their] other claims. Sometimes I think it would be easier if they quit making claims, rather than correcting the ones that they make in error." [Note how Eckstein here deliberately conflates Stregheria del Bosco Sacro of Benevento Tradition with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (AO) although they are completely separate entities, the first being a Pagan religious Tradition and the second a secular, magical order outside the Pagan faith].The additional Witch War tactics underlying this incident can be best understood in light of the decade old Golden Dawn flame war. Several of the rhetorical tactics that have been routinely used against the HOGD/AO and its leaders have been:
* HP Eckstein's present allegation, repeated over and over across multiple fora, blogs, websites, etc, that the HOGD/AO has somehow "shifted its story" over time, when in fact our order has been quite consistent all along.
* The frequent repetition of deliberate misrepresentations across various fora, websites, and blogs, ignoring all refutation, but instead merely repeating the same talking points, over and over, propaganda style. This has resulted in HOGD/AO having to refute the same unfounded allegations, over and over, ad nauseam.
* Depriving through moderation HOGD/AO all right of rebuttal on the various fora, blogs, etc., where tactics 1 and 2 were being waged against our order as part of the ongoing flame war.
It is sad to witness Peregrin and HP Morgan Drake Eckstein suddenly reviving these failed Golden Dawn flame war tactics across the Blogoshpere. The time is long overdue for the Golden Dawn community to put all divisive flame war behind it once and for all - and to begin instead to heal the wounds left by over a decade of strife in our community.
The above exposition reveals the attempt of two Golden Dawn Adepts not merely to rekindle the Golden Dawn flame war, but also to drag the greater Pagan community into the conflict, escalating it into a full blown WITCH WAR.
Admittedly, Frater Peregrin indeed reposted the official clarification as well, although he is at least guilty of reposting allegations across venues in a manner typical of the Golden Dawn flame war. Peregrin, therefore, may only be guilty of bashing Pagans yet again, although this time at least not posing as Pagan as he has done in the past. HP Morgan Eckstein, however, deliberately attempts to conflate the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (AO) with Stregheria del Bosco Sacro of Benevento Tradition.
Perhaps Peregrin and Morgan do not yet realize how the greater Pagan community is far less tolerant towards War-mongering Witches than the Golden Dawn community has been over the last decade. In the Pagan community, it is considered in extremely bad taste for one Pagan Tradition to wage Witch War against another, and War-mongering Witches may quickly find themselves shunned by the entire community.
Clearly, any attempt to drag the greater Pagan community into an old Golden Dawn conflict will not be well looked upon by the greater Pagan community. Attacking the Stregheria del Bosco Sacro of Benevento Pagan Tradition by attempting to conflate it with the purely secular, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (AO) clearly constitutes nothing other than WITCH WAR.
Yesterday, Haiti was severely devastated by a 7.0 earthquake. Rescue workers desperately search for survivors beneath the rubble. Hospitals have been destroyed and people are being treated for their injuries in the street while dead bodies are scattered throughout the streets of Port-au-Prince covered in shrouds. A third of all Haitians - 3 million people - need emergency aid.
In response to this terrible earthquake in Haiti, Robert Zink (GH Frater PDR (Robert Zink) today issued a call to the entire Golden Dawn community to:"invoke the Magic of Light to bring comfort, stability to the earth so as not to have more after shocks and quakes, stability to the government so as to not have up risings. We can invoke forces of Light to bring about action faster from world governments and all those willing to give aid"
We echo Robert Zink's sentiment that we need to do everything we can spiritually and physically to help with this crisis.
Then it appears Robert Zink may have had an epiphany when he said:"Then there is the Dali Lama who while exiled from his own land, and having seen persecution and murder against his people continues to spread peace and light throughout the world. He has never uttered a negative statement against anyone."In a bizarre other development, following nine months respite from the Golden Dawn internet Feud, Robert Zink paradoxically today resumed publishing ad hominem attacks on the HOGD/AO and its leaders with the following post from EOGD member, Frater QALL, Ashlee Beebe (dastree07770@...) who wrote:"I can say from personal experience that (Griffin) is a nut job!"Sadly, there remain nearly 2,000 such ad hominem attacks on our order and its leaders archived on the EOGD Yahoo! forum as part and parcel of the Golden Dawn Internet feud. Clearly, these have nothing to do with fraternal debate or rational discussion. These posts serve no purpose except to stir strife between our orders.
Following the excellent example of the Dalai Lama, no matter how many new ad hominem attacks Robert Zink publishes on his website and fora - he merely strengthens me in my resolve that the HOGD/AO will not strike back at him.
In the spirit of the Dalai Lama, I choose to ignore the negative remarks about me that Robert Zink published today. Robert Zink will simply have to find someone else to demonize other than our order as his Golden Dawn "boogey man."
Instead - despite the very real differences between our two orders - the HOGD/AO is answering the EOGD's call to magical solidarity in the Golden Dawn community.
I have therefore, As International HOGD/AO Imperator, today issued an appeal to all of the brothers and sisters of the HOGD/AO around the entire world, to stand in magical solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn in invoking the magic of light to bring comfort and stability as called for by EOGD leader, Robert Zink.
To ensure the success of this united magical initiative of the Golden Dawn community, I am requesting that all of the Initiates of our outer order, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, as well as all of the Adepts and Magisters of the Alpha Omega perform a Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram with this specific intention.
It is my sincere aspiration that this act of magical solidarity shall bring not only quick relief and comfort to the people of Haiti, but herald the beginning of an era of unprecedented peace, harmony, and solidarity between the EOGD and the HOGD/AO as well.
Greatly Honored Frater PDR:My wand - and the wands of all of the Brothers and Sisters of the HOGD/AO around the world, are raised in solidarity with your magical initiative on behalf of the people of Haiti!I concur with Robert Zink. Let us come together in this difficult time. But let us also walk our talk. Let us finally mutually begin to remove all of the remnants of the Golden Dawn Internet Feud from our orders respective fora, websites and blogs on a reciprocal basis, like the thousands of personal attacks remaining on the EOGD Yahoo! forum. To do otherwise would support Robert Zink's skeptics suspicion that his initiative really amounts to nothing more than taking advantage of disasters and loss of life to score public relations points.
Finally, I urge all of the brothers and sisters of the Golden Dawn not to merely let our assistance to Haiti end with this magical initiative. Let us also open up our wallets to speed the recovery along.
On a personal note, GH Frater PDR, I challenge you to join me in putting our money where our mouths are. I pledge to make personal donations from my private bank account matching personal donations that you make as well.
Send me the receipts for your donations and I will do likewise. Let us set an example for our order members with our generous donations, and prove to your skeptics that you are not merely trying to exploit a disaster to score political brownie points.
Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum, Yeheshua
David Griffin
G.H. Frater Lux Ex Septentrionis
Imperator Ordinis,
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
outer order of the Rosicrucian
Order of Alpha et Omega
"Ex Deo Nascimur.
In Yeheshua Morimur.
Per Sanctum Spiritum Reviviscimus"
