Talk:The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc./A+O version
Correcting article with a verifiable and accurate version.
[edit]Here are my verifiable sources for the revisions that I’ve made for the HOGD Inc. article.
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc.
[edit]Section 1: “The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Inc., a non-profit religious foundation established in Florida, USA, by Charles 'Chic' and Tabitha Cicero and Adam Forrest, holds the United States trademark rights for "Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn", and are the foremost proponents of the traditional Stella Matutina system.”
Comment on section 1: There are no immediate defamatory, disingenuous, P.O.V. violations in section 1. It is factual up to date information and is common knowledge in the Golden Dawn community, which has never been a matter of dispute. This information can be clearly obtained and verified by consulting both Cicero’s HOGD Inc. web-site, and in a number of Cicero’s books. Therefore, I consider section 1 an accurate assessment of the HOGD Inc., and its founder members.
Verifiable source for section one is: www.hermeticgoldendawn.org/
Section 2: “Cicero and his first wife, Eva, started as an O.T.O. camp, as Cicero was duly initiated into the Minerval grade of the O.T.O. in August of 1978. It was after being given Regardie’s contact details by the former Caliph of the O.T.O., Grady McMurtry, who was friendly with Regardie, that Cicero was introduced to Regardie by Patricia Behman; who was Regardie’s student in 1982. It was from this initial meeting in 1982 that Cicero helped Regardie establish a branch of the Golden Dawn in the United States in the early 1980’s, and it was from this initial meeting that Cicero was in contact with Regardie until his death in 1985.”
Comment on section 2: It is written in print by the Ciceros themselves, that Cicero was directly involved in O.T.O. practises from as early as August 1978 as an initiate of the O.T.O.
In the Ciceros introduction to the third edition of the Middle Pillar by Regardie: ISBN 1-56718-140-6. It is stated in the Endnotes on page XXIV. That Charles “Chic” Cicero was initiated as a “Minerval into the O.T.O. in August of 1978”. This clearly and comprehensively states that Cicero was not only just involved with O.T.O. practises, but initiated into the O.T.O., which is to be a fully operative member, which further implies heavy involvement and commitment to that sole aforementioned organisation. I will reiterate for clarity, that the introduction and endnotes were indeed written by the Ciceros themselves, and states August 1978 as the date of Cicero’s initiation into the O.T.O., at the Minerval degree.
Therein the aforementioned footnote it also explains that a house was bought with the intentions of producing a working Golden Dawn temple, however, although this house had been bought with the sole intentions of it existing as a Golden Dawn temple, and I quote directly from the footnote: “But it also became the site of our O.T.O. temple.” The endnote further states at the time of Cicero’s “Minerval” initiation into the O.T.O., Grady McMurtry, the former Caliph of the O.T.O., walked through the framework of Cicero’s intended site for his Golden Dawn temple. This then establishes through verifiable means that Cicero did start as an O.T.O. temple, camp and initiate before he instigated, and finished the construction of his Golden Dawn temple site. Cicero had already received a “Minerval” initiation of the O.T.O., while evidently the Golden Dawn site was barely under construction as Grady McMurtry, as documented by the Ciceros in the footnote on page XXIV, only witnessed the framework of the Golden Dawn temple.
This information found therein the footnotes of this aforementioned book -contradicts- the points made by the Ciceros in the main body of text in the introduction.
Taken from the cover notes made by the esteemed and highly reputable Llewellyn publications, furthermore a neutral source. A short biography of the Ciceros includes the following information: “Chic was a close friend of Israel Regardie, and helped Regardie resurrect a legitimate branch of the Golden Dawn in the United States in the early 1980’s.” There is no mention here of Cicero’s Golden Dawn temple, or any other for that matter dating to 1977 or even the late 1970’s in any Golden Dawn context whatsoever. The mediator should note that Llewellyn publications were responsible for that direct quote and not Cicero himself, thus it constitutes as a neutral, verifiable, book source.
This short biography by the neutral verifiable source can be found on: “The magicians craft: Creating Magical Tools”, by Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero. ISBN1-56718-142-2. The biography quote made by Llewellyn is on the back cover thereof.
In fact, there is no proof whatsoever that Charles Cicero ever operated a Golden Dawn temple of any sort prior to 1983.
Moreover, Cicero's credibility must be evaluated in light of the 1999 affidavit he gave in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. While Charles Cicero claimed that he had not received a dishonourable discharge from the U.S. armed services, Ralph Fytton, a former "adept" of the Cicero organisation, provided this conflicting affidavit:
Moreover, the 1999 affidavit EXECUTED BY CHARLES CICERO HIMSELF, provides further factual information on the credibility of Charles Cicero: it makes it quite clear, as does his web site at http://www.hermeticgoldendawn.org that he is - whatever his representations elsewhere- in the business of marketing books and Tarot cards for a profit.
Cicero’s first wife is herein entered into the article so to distinguish between Cicero’s earlier partner Eva Cicero, and his present partner Sandra Tabatha Cicero that he has co-written several books with. This is contained in the article, and should remain so, purely to avoid any confusion between the two.
The references to Cicero’s former partner and to the O.T.O. are not herein arbitrarily entered into article to prejudice the reader. It is indeed, factual and completely verifiable information that Cicero was not only involved with the O.T.O. as early as August of 1978, but an initiate of the O.T.O., and that his present wife at that time was Eva Cicero. These are merely essential verifiable facts as to the history and establishment of Cicero’s Golden Dawn temple, which is relevant to the reader, as biographical background on Cicero. These points are not to be misconstrued though as a prejudice or P.O.V., but verifiable biographical material prior to Cicero’s establishment of a Golden Dawn temple; that is relevant to the article’s background on the Ciceros.
There can be found therein Regardie‘s publication: “The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order of: The Golden Dawn.” As revealed by Israel Regardie in the sixth edition. ISBN0-87542-663-8. There can be found on page XXII a statement by Behman in her introduction to the sixth edition: “Between 1981 and 1983, I studied magic under Regardie in his home and personal Temple in Sedona, Arizona. Hundreds of hours of personal instruction, stimulating conversation, practical ritual, magic drill, and warm companionship replaced his reticence of discussing magical topics ten years before!”
This is evidence from a verifiable source that Behman was a student of Regardie’s and had a long-standing close relationship with Regardie, at the time Cicero was attempting to get into contact with Regardie. It transpires as common knowledge that it was Behman that first introduced Cicero to Regardie, as she was the Praemonstratrix of the newly resurrected order by Regardie in the United States. Regardie was considered the last living Adept of the traditional Golden Dawn, and as Behman was Regardies’s student she rightfully inherited the sovereignty over the newly founded Golden Dawn temples.
Charles Cicero did not have any contact with any Golden Dawn leader until Behman introduced him to Regardie in 1982. His only "Golden Dawn" involvement if any, before then is that he might- along with tens of thousands of others- have purchased a copy of the Regardie book. Charles Cicero, though he disingenuously states that, he "worked closely" with Regardie, was never initiated into any grade of the Golden Dawn by Regardie (the only Cicero family member initiated by Regardie was his former wife, Eva, who was initiated into 0=0 by Regardie). Cicero has admitted that all his initiations were performed by Larry Epperson (a/k/a Adam Forrest). Regardie, of course, left all his papers to Alan Miller (a/k/a Christopher Hyatt)/Gary Ford's "Israel Regardie Foundation"; and gifted his magical tools to Behman (who gifted them to Griffin).
At the same time, Charles Cicero WAS initiated a Minerval in the O.T.O. by the late Major Grady McMurty.
The two contracts uploaded, which Cicero does not dispute signing, are: contract by David John Griffin and Patricia A. Behman, on behalf of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (H.O.G.D.), a general partnership, as owners of the "Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn" mark in the European Union, and Charles Cicero, on behalf of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc. (H.O.G.D., Inc.), as the then applicant to the U.S. mark, agreeing to share the "Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn" mark on a worldwide basis; and the Sale of Partnership Agreement from Behman to Griffin. The one affidavit provided was executed by Charles Cicero in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1999. All three can be retrieved, as a matter of public record, from:
Please find infra: the ECF link at the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. You can find the original court affidavits I used supra in my posting with: The case number which is- C05-432 JSW, and the ruling court for this case is the San Francisco Courthouse. ""https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cand/index.html"" Furthermore, please find again infra a message served to the Hermetic-Order-of-the-Golden-Dawn public forum, at Yahoo groups: ""http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hermetic-Order-of-the-Golden-Dawn/message/5095"" The message served to HOGD public forum contains clear and comprehensive instructions on how to download the original court affidavits, from the original public domain source, for people to be able to form their own opinions from the actual original court documents.
The fact that some Golden Dawn practitioners in the Golden Dawn community have a disliking for the O.T.O., or Thelemic practises doesn’t even enter the argument as its completely a point of view, non-verifiable opinion, based on prejudices. it
The verifiable evidence for the autonomous licensees diverging from the traditional curriculum is: “The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order of: The Golden Dawn.” As revealed by Israel Regardie, in the sixth edition. ISBN0-87542-663-8. There is no mention, whatsoever of “Thelema, Martinism, self-initiation, or astral initiation,” which comprise any part of the original teaching materials in the textbook aforementioned, that reveals the Golden Dawn tradition explicitly, whatsoever. Of most notable of these teachings are: “Z1, the enterer of the threshold” and the “Z3, the symbolism of the admission of the candidate.” Both of which deal explicitly with the subject of initiation on multitudinous levels, and neither mention or imply “astral” initiation or self-initiation in any form. In fact, such methods of self-initiation, and astral initiation are derived from the Golden Dawn tradition, and are subsequent embellishments of certain putatively licensed orders on the GD tradition, that have the approval of Cicero’s HOGD Inc.