Comedy Golden Dawn Supreme Pooh-Bah David Griffin has suffered yet another major set-back after one of his key members has deserted him and taken his temple with him.
“G ∴ M + R has, however, initiated a process that is towards ever greater autonomy, until finally at the winter solstice in 2013, separates itself completely from HOGD / A + O and appoints his former Nordic jurisdictions as completely independent and autonomous, and himself as a totally unique words resident of Hyperborea,” Google translate tells us.
Tomas Stacewicz’s key job in Griffin’s Rosicrucian Order of the AO was to spin long false histories to bolster his dear Leader’s claim to supremacy over any one else in that long winded tradition.
Griffin lost his connection to Jean Pascal Ruggiu‘s secret chiefs for the crime of not giving his secret chief enough money. Griffin had fallen out with Ruggiu which meant that he no longer had access to the alchemical material he hoped to repackage as third order teachings. Stacewicz seems to sense that Griffin had nothing more to offer and has slung his hook.
We have run some of his various blogs through Google translate and it appears that Stacewicz was opposed to the dumbing down of the Golden Dawn teachings with new age lingo and hard sell.
According to his blog, he has schismed his Swedish Temple to form a new order with the title Hermetiska Orden av Den Gryende Morgonrodnaden which we are assured is impossible to say when you are pissed, although we found it tricky when we were sober.
Nevertheless it appears, judging by the history Stacewicz has provided on his webpage he is claiming lineage from David Griffin himself. This lineage depends on a character called Desmond Burke who pretended he was a 7=4 in the AO so that he could dress up with his mates in a pretend temple. In a letter he admitted that he had no right to give lineage to anyone (see letter below).
So what must be particularly galling to Griffin is that Stacewicz has not chucked him because he is full of bullshit, he has gotten rid of him because he thinks he can do it better. Either that, or Stacewicz is truly dumb enough to still believe David’s lineage spin. Stacewicz has written long blogs about the importance of lineage so we guess he still needs something.
He appears to have done his best to craft his new order within the Griffin/Ruggiu myth about a 111 year cycle of reformation which happens to coincide with whatever date with their forming of the AO in 1999.
“Interesting to mention in this context is that the Rosicrucian tradition dictates a general reformation cycle of 111 years, which is broken down into smaller reformations about a decade. This seems to correspond quite well with Sun’s heartbeat on 11 years. In fact, the words of its Swedish packaging, which now calls itself the Hermetiska Orden av Den Gryende Morgonrodnaden , have recently implemented such a minor decenniel reformation. Turn of the year 2013-14 represents a time when our solar heart beats its kind again and Aurora borealis reveals himself again as the strongest, a Nordic Dawning Aurora – Aurora Nascente in Hyperborea!” says Google translate.
While Stacewicz’s temple is small, the loss of a loyal follower must be a blow to Griffin who is now left with his wife and pro-bono property lawyer Jorge Helvia who is no doubt readying some nicotine stained, smoke soaked, documents to impress the Judge in the case which is overseeing a trademark claim against his order by the deep pocketed and legally well-resourced AMORC.
One of AMORCs arguments against Griffin is that he does not have a presence in Europe so should not be allowed the trademark in that country. If that is the case then Stacewicz’s defection could spell the end of Griffin in the EU, unless his Paris temple (which he appears to have named in the same way that Ryan Air has named Luton Airport “London Airport”) and more than one member.
The letter in which Bourke says he has no lineage to give
Watcher of the Dawn 
The letter you have shown is one that I saw some years ago., along with another, which is another nail in the GP ‘s(Great Pretender) claims. Having a 22 year old Bourke (when the last AO temple shut in 1939) as an AO 7=4 is beyond words. . All this appears top be a case of “my immaginative construct is better than yours” when comparing the GP with SR.’s thought bubbles. While on that subject, I could not help but notice that SR is positioning himself as a respondent of 3rd Order recognition by having a dollar both ways; an inner plane contact and a daddy figure (SC) who will solve all GD ills. He has not quite made his mind up by the look of it.
My own bottom line on these connections be they in the flesh or inner plane is that if you claim them then you have to produce something worthy of the claim and SR and the GP have not done this, nor do I think they will. The SC posts by the GP resemble a new age approach that is quite frankly a big yawn.
In the GD there is no substitute for hard work and continuity over a long period of time which will produce its own results. The SC or daddy figure used by some GD groups to show authority is in my opinion a red herring to distract one from asking about the higher levels above 5=6 what do we do or where is the material for the higher levels. The GP has not produced anything significant, or even insignificant in the GD that is his own work, as everything comes from elsewhere and he acts as a middle man for documents. This is certainly not the actions what I would call an inner plane contactee who is supposed to be stimulated in revealing more of the GD to help others.
The glaring anomaly in all this is that new teachings are introduced into this AO order yet they have not given adequate explanations of what is already there, which is what Mathers tried to do with his 5=6 sub grades material. I have not seen one decent ritual analysis of the GD by either the GP or SR, and that must come before any so called 3rd order material. So we now have two dancing masters in SR and the GP,
The “lineage” claims of all the various neo-Golden Dawn’s all strike me as a bit bogus since Mather’s was ignominiously booted out of the actual G.D. (for his drinking and overbearing behavior I surmise) when the arguably more capable Billy Yeats became the new head of the ‘Real GD’ with Mathers only in charge of his own schismatic A&O. Or am I missing something here? As a main developer of Yeats’s scandalously ignored magickal system – see http://posthuman.org – perhaps I should make some silly claims to have ‘legitimate authority’ ;D
Ooops, wrong URL, should be http://posthuman.TV
And a Merry Christmas to all of you too!
S:.R:.
Tomas, please don’t take any magical or philosophical differences personally; I have nothing against you and wish you every success on your new independent course. I read your blog on lineage, 2011/04/importance-and-significance-of-lineage.html and as an initiate of the Whisper Succession let me assure you that no ‘egregore’ demands or exclusivity has ever been asked of me by any Tibetans. You shouldn’t conflate the “secrecy” obsession that is widespread throughout the WMT with the open-palm teaching of Buddhist orders …. nothing is concealed … ‘enlightenment’ can’t very well be proprietorial can it? Enjoy the holidays.
The GD is the craddle of the Adept, It is the normal process that the Adept dont stay eternaly in the craddle and fly on his own. Thomas has just left the Outer Order not the Main Current.
When the fruit is ripe, it fall naturally from the tree, far enough to grow a new tree.
What the WOTD’s seer have not seen here is the Order Of David is just expanding, quiletly, without schism nor dispute.
@ Anne Did you pull that who-hash out of a hallmark card because a spade is a spade no matter how much pleonastic nonsense you compose a sentence out of.
You could suggest that SR left because he found he had more ritual experience and talent than the GP and an ego to match. Reality has not shed its wings in his direction either as he still clings to the spin doctoring nonsense he concocted over AO lineage when it is plain to any rational being that the dates for those he claimed lineage from simply do not add up. The story was incrementally adjusted to try and convince people of AO lineage. Back in the mid 90’s when this nonsense was first dreamed up Bob Word sent me a letter about Frater A (Bourke) who was member of the SM and Secret College in London but no AO mentioned. Bourke has denied this and it is all BS or a mistake by others, take your pick. The AO connection came in much later. Since Word Ruggiu and Tershenko all got these at the same time it gets quite messy as they claim AO. and Word did not. Just to have a dollar either way the AO claim was then shifted to be from Tamara Bourkon.whose history has already been discussed in a previous post. The false AO connection thrust on this very well liked ocultist does her memory a disservice with these lies.
In this letter by Word, came the most ridiculous explanation I have ever seen. It essentially stated that he got a 7=4 but not a real one but one that was recognized as a real one, which is as close as I could come to understanding his position which was like trying to grab a greased eel in an olive oil bath while half pissed and had just dropped a tab of LSD which was starting to kick in. Some how I think he got lost on the tap dance. This was due to my letter to him telling him that whoever gave him a 7=4 should give him the teachings that go with it after he asked me for 7=4 papers which he thought he was entitled to. I still have copies of those letters. .
.
Bob Word contacted me in 1994 and told me he had received the 7=4 and asked me if I had documents pertaining to that grade. I told him that he should go back to the person who initiated him. This is his reply in part (4 June 1994):
“…I appreciated your comments on the 7=4. The English conferral was inter-Order rather than Intra-Order; thus I received the degree as a visiting Head of an Order rather than as a student of the previous Order. The intent of the conferral was to transmit the authorities of the 7=4 grade as received through the four Order or Lineages : 1) The Stella Matutina; ) The Secret college of the SRIA; 3) The Order of the Sacred Word; 4) The Traditional Golden Dawn Order. The combination of the various lineages is due to the ubiquitous activities of a certain initiate in the various bodies [Bourke]. Since the initiates I contacted are impeccably connected with the various Inner Orders and Occult Schools, and connection with them reached me through numerous channels independently, I have not the slightest doubt of their veracity, on their own terms, of their claims. Thus, the validity of the transmission has already been verified in ways entirely distinct form the concerns over documents which you raise.”
“For the present, without quoting names without permission, I shall simply state that Frater A [Bourke] received the 7=4 in the Stella Matutina; that he was a member of the Hermes Temple which closed in 1972 ; that he is in possession of the original warrants of Dr. Felkin; that he is a member of the SRIA; that he formerly governed access to the manuscripts in the British Library ; that he is Druid; that he holds charters for the rite of Memphis in Britain; that he is recognised as an initiate by the Heads of various occult Orders in Europe; …Then in the early 1980’s G.H. Frater A ceremoniously conferred the grade of 7=4, in combined lineages cited above upon a certain G.H Frater B…Then in 1993 G. H. Frater B ceremonially conferred the Grade of 7=4 on me, with the intent of transmitting simultaneously of all four lineages cited above …”
You will note that no AO is mentioned here and that by his own admission no training was given for this level nor any documents and all he got was the authority! This the same nonsense that Ruggiu and Tershenko went through but they also pulled the AO rabbit out of the hat and shifted the AO connection to Tamara Bourkon as well while still stating Bourke was an AO 7=4. According the ex Whare ra 9=2, JVD, Bristol had shut by 1960 as when he and his wife went there the temple had closed. It is also why Charles Renn had to go to Whare ra to get his 7=4 in the early 1960’s and not 1972. Essentially Word is saying trust me I have done the research and everything adds up but all the paperwork comes back to Bourke who by his own admission had no GD or SM lineage to give!
Pat
The full text of this letter is at http://www.scribd.com/doc/202435250/Robert-Word-Letter
Pat