Aurum Solis Vs. Golden Dawn Options

Hello all!

I have some questions about the Aurum Solis.

Over the past year I have become interested in the occult, mainly in Ceremonial Magick. Most of the info that I have read has been from the net and I have found a plethora of articles and sites that deal with the Golden Dawn but very little about the A.S. What little I have found about them intrigues me quite a bit, and, seeing it recommended a number of times, I purchased "Mysteria Magica" by Denning & Phillips.

So, what I am wondering about is what are the differences between the G.D. and the A.S. I understand that the former is a Rosicrucian style and the latter is Ogdoadic and from what I can tell, Ogdoadic has something to do with the number eight and deals mostly with Greek gods and seems to use the Greek language more so than Hebrew. Other than that I'm lost to the major differences between the two. The rest look to be more... for want of a better term, minor. For instance the Golden Dawn uses the Kabbalistic Cross and the Aurum Solis use the Calyx. They seem to be the same ritual to me! The G.D. has the LBRP; Aurum Solis has Setting of the Wards. Again, to my unseasoned eye, same thing! From reading articles and people's comments about magic and the occult, it is the subtlties that have the most impact. After all, the "Devil IS in the details".... I just can't see the little bugger! lol

Any help appreciated

-- G.L.B.

p.s. I apologize if I seem a bit incoherent. It's 0744 est , I just got home from work and my head feels like it's full of oatmeal

You may wish to simply compare the stated histories by each order and note the differences and similarities.

Golden Dawn History Lecture

Ogdoadic Tradition

There is a podcast that I found quite interesting at Thelema Coast to Coast with one of the higher ups of the Astrum Sophia. He specifically discusses how the Golden Dawn Tradition and the Ogdoadic differ and where the similarities lie. It's number #5 at this link.

Astrum Sophia podcast

I wouldn't try to hard to look for a "devil" in the details. Nothing will fit your desires as an individual perfectly. This is of course my personal opinion and the articles and people you have spoken to may disagree. If one looks for devils, they can certainly be found, but to use a previous analogy I would much rather spend my time in the smoke room, with a boiler maker and nachos.

This post has been edited by chaoscrowley37: Mar 12 2006, 09:57 AM