NMR ISSUE 42

Astrological Forecast 42
Bass, Grasshopper & Lion
Editorial 42
Esoteric Symbology of the Tarot
Ghigau's Song
Goddess Manifest
Loving's Call
Mirra, Lady of the Pool
On Confronting Our Dark Side
Ritual for Creative and Spiritual Fertility
Ritual for the Waters of Life
Spring Activities
The God of the Witches
The Unknown Founder of the Golden Dawn
Unicorn with Flower Wreath in Candlewicking
Working with Your Shadow, I
Your Soul's Growth

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The Unknown Founder of the Golden Dawn

By Donald Michael Kraig

Recently, while surfing the `net I came across the home page of yet another group pretending to be the Golden Dawn. Interestingly, they criticized every other groups' claims to legitimacy (i.e., documentary proof of a genuine relationship to the Golden Dawn founded by Mathers and others in the late 1900's), although presenting not a bit of such evidence to support their own claims in this. Also, I recently saw copies of their mail-order teaching, and found a large percentage of it to be nothing more than a slight rewrite of my own Modern Magick, complete with expressions I used and breaking down rituals into sections exactly as I did (although no one had done so before).

Looking further I found some information which at least they gave sources to. Since I had been giving a lecture on the same topic for over seven years, and since they used similar sources, I read it over, wondering if, in fact, they had done any further research. As is typical of information from all such groups, they had not.

Specifically, I have long been interested (and lectured upon) what I call the Pre-history of the Golden Dawn. In the official History Lection of the Golden Dawn order it is mentioned that there was a precursor, a London temple, in the early 1800's. This temple, according to the notes on the Internet, was led by an obscure individual named Faulk. As I wrote, they didn't do their research. As we will see, Rabbi Faulk (or Falk) was hardly obscure. In fact, he was one of the most influential occultists of the time and was called so in a book about him, The Baal-Shem of London.

Being called a Baal-Shem (speaker of the name) was no small honor. Rather, it was the sign of being a talented kabalist and magician. The Rabbis known as Baal-Shems used their knowledge of the names of God, and the proper way to say those names, in order to work great magick. The idea of the famous Golem of Prague is based on the idea that knowing the magical ways of working with words and names could actually bring life to lifeless matter. The Golem, a huge, hulking creature made of clay, was brought to life to defend the Jews of the Prague Ghetto against their oppressors. It was also the forerunner and model for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

In Jewish history there have been many such Baal-Shems, the most important one being called the Great (Tov) Speaker of the Name, or Baal Shem Tov (Besht for short). Prayers written by the Besht are still used in synagogues all over the world. Very few have been called a Baal Shem, and Falk was one of the most amazing.

First, it is important to question if the story, as told in the History Lection, is accurate. Falk did die in 1782, so he couldn't have run a temple in London in the early 1800's. There is some belief that it might have been his son, however this is questionable. In Judaism, children are not supposed to be named after any living person. Thus, either the date given in the History Lection are in error or, more likely, the son adopted the name of his more famous father.

There can be no doubt that Falk was a magician. He started out in Germany and accounts of his alchemical workings (in the late 1730's) have been published. He was eventually condemned for being a sorcerer. His punishment: to be burned alive. Luckily, he was able to escape to Holland.

As I said, Falk was very influential. It is probably here that he met a man named Emmanuel Swedenborg. In 1744, two years after Falk moved to London, Swedenborg also moved to the British Capitol.

This leads to a side note on Swedenborg. Although he is not part of what I call the Occult Mainstream, he is certainly a source of it. He combined Kabalah, channeling, astral traveling and having seances. Later he denied some of his magical sources, but the information in his many books, including his unrecognized contributions to the field of sex magick theory and technique (see his book, Conjugial Love (sic)), are undeniable. He was an important influence on the Golden Dawn, Crowley and the modern Spiritualist movement. I find it highly likely that he moved to England to be near his teacher.

Falk rapidly became known in England, both among Jews and even more so among Christians. According to some historians, even the infamous Cagliostro was involved with Falk and learned from London's Baal Shem both the secrets and rituals that later formed his Egyptian Rite of Freemasonry. These Rites, by the way, became one of the sources for the modern O.T.O.

Falk was involved with revolutionaries and Freemasons. He is noted in a German history of Freemasonry as being a very extraordinary man from every point of view. Some people believe him to be the chief of all the Jews. He is referred to as a Rose-Croix [Rosicrucian]. He has had adventures with the Marechal de Richelieu, a great seeker of the Philosopher's Stone. It is also noted that he predicted the death of Louis XV.

One of Falk's enemies in London complained that wealthy Christians liked him and gave him money which he spent on the men in his Brotherhood. This Brotherhood was probably a high-degree, Rose-Croix Masonic group. For those who are not familiar with the Golden Dawn, their so-called Inner Order claimed to be the true Rosicrucian Order (and no, they're not affiliated with the AMORC Rosicrucians!).

While on one of his frequent trips to Paris, Falk consecrated a talismanic ring made of lapis lazuli for the Duke of Orleans to insure that the Duke, who supported Freemasons (and vice versa), would ascend to the throne of France. As a leader of the Freemason movement, the Duke supported the French Revolution and became known as the hero, Phillipe Egalit. But the Freemasons lost control of the revolution, and the movement toward liberty became, instead, The Terror. He became an enemy of the people, yet firmly believed in the ring's power. He was beheaded on the Guillotine in 1793, but gave the ring first to a Jewish friend who then passed it to the Duke's son. In 1830 that son ascended to the throne as King Louis Phillipe of France.

Not only was there a link between Falk and the Duke of Orleans, but also Falk's student, Cagliostro, is also in this revolutionary brew. In 1786 he predicted that a great prince would soon institute a liberal reign in France. Many believe that this was the Duke and the liberal reign was the French Revolution during its early days.

William Butler Yeats was not only one of the most famous poets of modern history, as well as helping out the oppressed people of Ireland, but for a time after Mathers was ousted he was also the head of the Golden Dawn. He claimed that the mystical poet/artist William Blake had studied Kabalah in the Rosicrucian school of Falk. Interestingly, it is well known that the Duke of Orleans, who had studied practical Kabalah with Falk, was one of Blake's heroes. In his book, The French Revolution, Blake makes the Duke a hero, a bulwark of revolutionary hopes who urged the French nobles to Fear not dreams, fear not visions. One of Blake's associates, an artist named Copley, painted a picture of Falk in which he was depicted in Cabalistic regalia with the Masonic compass and quadrant in his hands. So far I have not found a copy of this painting, although it was said to have been widely distributed at the time.

When I give lectures, I almost always start by writing the following large letters: TFYQA. This stands for, Think For Yourself. Question Authority. I go on to explain that even though I say something, or write something, or merely because anybody else says or writes something (or posts it on the internet!) does not make it so. Instead, I urge people to listen with an open mind and then investigate for themselves before coming to a conclusion.

Falk was not obscure. His relationship to Masonry and the O.T.O. is undeniable. His link to modern Kabalistic, magical, and mystical traditions is at least as important as Levi's, even though he is not as well known today. Why is he not well known? Because he didn't leave any published writings.

Falk's link to the Golden Dawn may only be indirect. For a more direct link it would have to be shown the dates in the History Lection are wrong are wrong (a strong possibility) or that Falk's son used his father's name and reputation (unlikely, but possible).

In any event, this is a field for scholars (especially Masonic scholars) with access to original documents.

1996, Donald Michael Kraig