The Fall Myth

Introduction

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a mystical and esoteric society that came into being in 1888. Invented by Freemasons, Rosicrucians, and Qabalists, it heavily informed and continues influencing Western occultism. It functioned like a school, incorporating a fusion of approaches to spiritually, psychically, and intellectually advance Humanity. While that is addressed in my introduction to the Golden Dawn, my viewer, Sees Thunder, suggested I examine one of its central myths—namely, that of the Fall.  

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The Fall Myth

As said in my other videos, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn didn’t have a unified dogma. And as the Ciceros say, there’s no one ‘true way’ to utilize its approaches. On the contrary, while different scholars modified and interpreted things differently, specific concepts remain ubiquitous. And one of them is the Fall myth. 

The Main Idea

As my Golden Dawn video remarks, the system employs various religious and mythological symbolism. Yet, it’s not a religion as it uses those as metaphors for stages and currents in one’s sphere of being. Like many things Golden Dawn, the myth of the Fall draws upon Christianity, Hermeticism, and Qabalah. Its primary idea is that Humanity was previously in a state of ‘Unity and Divinity’ but eventually fell into ignorance and separation.

The Tree of Life

The Myth of the Fall is closely related to and best displayed through the Qabalistic Tree of Life, the backbone of Western occultism, and the Golden Dawn. 

The Tree of Life maps how the universe manifests, reflected by the human soul. The diagram has 10 spheres called sephiroth. Besides being a divine emanation, each sephirah represents an aspect of the human experience; the topmost is Divinity, whereas the lowest is the physical universe. So the journey in between is a process of self-realization, Enlightenment, and growth.  

A Metaphor for Human Existence

The myth and the Tree diagram serve as a multi-layered allegory for human existence. Given that, examining the Fall Myth calls for touching on the basics of sephiroth. Please let me know if you’d like to dive deeper into them. 

Sephiroth

The Supernal Triad

Being the topmost and Number One, Kether (or the Crown) represents undivided unity beyond duality. It is a pure being. Hence why it’s attributed to the name EHEIEH (or I AM). Chokmah, 2 (Wisdom) associates with the primordial spark of individual consciousness. In Chokmah, the last starts recognizing and differentiating itself from the Divine Source. Although it is a reflection of it. Binah, or number 3, stands for understanding and receptivity; it is where consciousness increases awareness of (its) individuality and relationship with the ‘source.’ Called the Supernal Triad, the three topmost sephiroth function as one unit. 2 and 3 are attributes of 1. And all this is likened to ‘Tao,’ and ‘Yin, and Yang. 

Opposites

Also called Gedulah and Pachad, 4 and 5 Chessed and Geburah represent consciousness transitioning from divine unity to duality and opposites. Here, consciousness can exercise free will, which alludes to the fact that Geburah represents the Universal Will expressed through the individual one. Meaning ‘beauty resulting from harmony,’ Tiphereth or number 6 is where the opposites reconcile. Also, where consciousness’s soul-nature finds balance with the emerging ego or Ruach. More on that by the end of the video. 

Struggles and Ordeals

7 and 8 Netzach and Hod (Glory and Victory) also represent potential struggles and ordeals, as now consciousness has to navigate between the spiritual and material realms. Associated with the personal subconscious, including dreams, and symbols, number 9, Yesod, is regarded as a bridge linking the latter.  

Getting Denser

The lower it goes, the more entangled in material existence consciousness becomes. Some scholars define that as falling deeper and deeper into sleep. Or having a dream within a dream, with another, with each subsequent sephirah. This culminates in Malkuth, the Kingdom. Being the lowest, the 10th sephirah stands for the physical universe and material existence. It is where consciousness fully descends into physical limitations and separateness. 

Grade Papers and Illustrations

The Golden Dawn book introduces the Fall Myth through the papers of Grades: Practicus (3=8) and Philosophus (4=7). Attributed to water and the sphere of Hod, Practicus is reached through the paths of Shin and Resh from Malkuth and Yesod. Philosophus is attributed to Netzach and Fire and accessed through the Paths of Qoph, Tzaddi, and Peh. The Golden Dawn also includes illustrations depicting the Garden of Eden before and after the Fall.

Before the Fall

The first picture depicts the Supernal Triad as the Mother Supernal, Aima Elohim, the woman of the Apocalypse. Clothed with the Sun and having the moon on her feet, she wears a crown of 12 stars. IMHO, this reinforces the idea that the Supernal Triad operates as one. Under all this, follow the lower sephiroth. Symbolizing Good and Evil, the Tree of Knowledge grows from Malkuth. It is between the Tree of Life and the physical reality. In this first picture, Eve is tempted by the Tree of Knowledge’s fruits. The Lowest in the first picture is the seven-headed dragon, Leviathan, representing seven infernal palaces, and the Qliphoth or Shells. The River Naher has four streams flowing into four of the sephiroth and the four Elements.

“Pison: Fire — flowing to Geburah where there’s gold.

Gihon: Water — the waters of mercy, flowing into Chessed.

Hiddikel: Air — flowing into Tiphereth

Phrath: Earth — flowing into Malkuth. “

After the Fall

In the second picture, the sephirothic tree is disordered. Eve and Adam are fallen. Leviathan dominates the view, coiling around Malkuth and linking it to the Qliphoth. Also called the shells, (in a nutshell) the latter are unbalanced and (usually) destructive forces, deserving a separate video.

The streams of the Naher River (in the second picture) are desecrated, and Leviathan pumps infernal Waters through Daath. To isolate and secure the Supernal Triad from the mess, YHVH is placed above all this. This also shows the separation of the Supernals from the fallen Adam, who is now crucified on the four rivers. A new Adam is required to be born and crucified in infernal waters. So he can descend to the lowest and be reborn of Malkuth. This new Adam is expected to break the heads of Leviathan, restoring harmony like heroes in fairy tales.

The Way of Return

There are two ways of Return. One is that of the ‘Yogi’ and mystic. Going through a straight line, this follows the spheres of the Middle Pillar. The second is the magician’s way, following the flaming sword and going through all spheres. It is said that the second way incorporates the totality of one’s being by dealing with all spheres. This alludes that the magician learns to appreciate both the brightest and darkest parts of their soul as essential elements of their being. Also, as Thelemites would say, as part of the ecstasy of Nuit.

It’s noteworthy that, unlike the Eastern Mystic, the Western Magician doesn’t view ‘matter’ as evil but as a different state of Spirit. As Dion Fortune says, they are like ‘ice and water,’ the two forms of the same thing. The Western magician strives to bring the Godhead down, making the divine wall prevail in the kingdom of shadows. 

And as noted in the Golden Dawn, Malkuth is the synthesis of all other spheres. 

According to David Shoemaker’s Living Thelema: 

“The way of Return is the Qabalistic term for describing the process of reuniting the incarnate human personality with its divine Source. Just as the universe (and each human being) was created in a “top-down” process descending from Kether, so must each human seek to return to God on an upward path from Malkuth. This is an elegant and uniquely Qabalistic restatement of the mystical path common to all esoteric Traditions. That is, by retracing the process through which we came into being, we may discover the divine nature within us and transcend the limitations of physical existence…”

— Living Thelema.

The Fall also symbolizes the mundane day-to-day consciousness a person is destined to transcend. It is really one’s own limitations and programming one has to overcome. And this is where the various techniques for invocation and meditations come into play. Properly utilized, they expand consciousness, opening the person to their divine nature.

Getting Your Head into the Right Place

By walking this way and building their magickal skills, the practitioner steadily allows their consciousness to re-enter its original state. As Qabalists say, Enlightenment is about getting your head into the right place. This ‘right place’ is the sphere of the Sun, Tiphereth. Called 5=6 in terms of Golden Dawn grades, reaching that stage is considered accomplishing ‘Great Work.’ It is a state where the ego or day-to-day consciousness Ruach elevates and unites with one’s soul or deeper consciousness Neshamah. It is called 5=6 because the microcosm joins with 6 macrocosm. Also, that’s the fifth level of initiation within the system, when the adept is accepted in the inner order. 

Individuation

Scholars versed in psychology identify this with Jungian Individuation and bringing forth the Capital Letter Self, which is attributed to the Neshamah in the Qabalistic system and the HGA in Thelema. They both require balancing the aspects of the psyche, which Magick and Qabalah ascribe to the four elements. As Crowley says (somewhere) in 777, the Angel is received after the elements are balanced. Yet, although still the most important, achieving this and going beyond the veil of Paroketh becomes the first stage in Thelema. The second is crossing the abyss. 

Human Experience

Nevertheless, it’s worth mentioning that this experience isn’t exclusive to Golden Dawn or Thelema. Instead, it is the birthright of any human being. It’s also not necessarily accomplished through ritual or the techniques of the Golden Dawn or any other system, though they can help and serve as a catalyzer. I suggest exploring different methods for further insights and alternative perspectives on the Fall Myth. This includes The fourth way’s concept of essence and personality, such as the Setian Xeper and the path of remembering. But that’s just my opinion let me know what yours is, such as your thoughts on the video.