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

Well...here we are again... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
editted content - bym
The Aurum Solis is definitely a seperate entity from the Golden Dawn. Its roots are, like CC37 says, more derived from a Rennaisance order which used a decidedly Greek/Egyptian format...Ptolemaic origins. The 'Ogdoaic' reference has to do with the Inner Order utilizing the older eight god grouping of the Egyptian dieties as opposed to the later 'Ennead' grouping. As with all occult orders both AS and GD have closed papers on a variety of research subjects. The Aurum Solis will be glad to openly give out information to the public as it did in the Philips and Denning books but have reserved the right of full disclosure to Inner Order Companions. Also ongoing research has not been available because it still is a work in progress. I hope this doesn't put off seekers of knowledge. I do believe that the Aurum Solis is abit older than the Golden Dawn...but, visit the site, read the press and apply for membership if you really need to know! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

PS After rummaging around some more I came up with the Orders "official" biography about its history and the meaning of the Ogdoadic Tradition:

The Aurum Solis (Gold of the Sun) was founded in Britain in 1897, arising from the membership of an antiquarian society, itself founded in the eighteenth century. Unlike the Rosicrucian tradition of the Golden Dawn, the Aurum Solis is an Ogdoadic tradition, tracing its mystical teachings through Byzantium and the Near and Middle East. The word "Ogdoadic" means "pertaining to the number eight", and is chosen for its rich associations ranging from the eight notes of the completed musical scale to Pythagorean lore, wherein eight is called the number of perfection. The concepts of regeneration and completion can be seen to follow on the heels of the number eight in much the same fashion as the idea of planetary correspondences associate themselves with the number seven..

There has also been a recent schism within the body of the order. It's beginning to sound like the old OTO/OTA etc. LOL! Once politics enter the sane mind flees...

This post has been edited by bym: Mar 15 2006, 09:26 AM