The Essential Golden Dawn

by Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero

a review by John Gilbert

The Essential Golden Dawn (ISBN 0-7387-0310-9) by Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero is one of two great books that should be required reading of all persons interested in learning the Golden Dawn system. The other book is Self-Initiation Into the Golden Dawn Tradition (ISBN 1-56718-136-8) by the same authors. Both books were published by Llewellyn Worldwide. These two books reveal to the student everything the student needs to know to work through the Golden Dawn degrees.

Do I recommend that?

Having worked through the degrees in a working temple under the supervision of several advanced students, you may suspect my answer to be: No, that's not recommended. But the truth is, I don't see any reason why a working temple is required, and I see every reason why the student should apply herself or himself to arduous study and follow the system outlined by the Ciceros. Self-initiation may not be better, but in my opinion it's just as valid and a lot more convenient. A lot more convenient.

The Essential Golden Dawn is just that, it's essential should you decide to self-initiate yourself into the Golden Dawn tradition. It's essential for anybody trying to understand the Golden Dawn system. It's essential for researchers investigating the Golden Dawn and it's essential for students of the Practical Qaballah -- that's the Qaballah applied to life and everyday circumstances.

The Ciceros established themselves as true Golden Dawn scholars with the publication of the Golden Dawn Journal Series and the Golden Dawn Magical Tarot. If their status as Adepts in the Order was ever in question, all doubt was removed by their books Creating Magical Tools and Ritual Use of Magical Tools. All these titles were published by Llewellyn Worldwide.

With the advent of The Essential Golden Dawn the Ciceros establish themselves among the two or three elite Masters of the Golden Dawn living today. While there are probably several dozen people living today who've achieved the 7=4 degree of the Golden Dawn, there are probably less than a dozen who express that degree in their lives. From that small group only two or three rise above the rest and I consider Chic and Tabatha to be among this elite group.

They write priceless gems page after page and never leave us wanting for more information. Everything they say is meticulously researched and well documented. They cover every major topic in great detail and explain all the secrets as they go. They develop the minor details and make understanding this complex thing called the Golden Dawn easy for anybody to understand.

Am I impressed with this book?

To say the least, I am very impressed with this book. But I've been very impressed by every book Chic and Tabatha have written about the Golden Dawn. They know what they're talking about better than anybody else I know. They present the material factually and completely in easy to understand language. Why wouldn't I be impressed?

My suggestion is to add The Essential Golden Dawn to your library. If you're serious about joining a Golden Dawn temple, my suggestion is to also add Self-Initiation Into the Golden Dawn Tradition to your library as well. They're both outstanding books well worth the time and effort needed to become an Adept in the Golden Dawn.

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