Taking an inner vow Creating a personal ritual
Self-Initiation
“All spiritual development comes from within the individual, arising from discipline and self-improvement. No man can increase the spirituality of another. To attempt to do so is to disregard one of the most fundamental laws of nature–the law of Karma. Man earns wisdom by right thought and right action. The legitimate schools of the ancient wisdom, and the legitimate teachers of the doctrine offer spirituality to no one. They merely indicate a path of action, which, if followed with consecration and intelligence over a long period of years, will result in certain improvement of character and knowledge.”
- Manly P. Hall, Words to the Wise
“Remember that God alone is our Light and the Bestower of Perfect Wisdom, and that no mortal power can do more than bring you to the Pathway of that Wisdom…”
- From the Neophyte Ritual of the Golden Dawn
“We cannot remind our readers too often that the Great Initiator comes in the Silence to the higher consciousness, and is never a human being, however supernatural and secluded. All that can be done by the Servants of the Masters on the physical plane is the preparation of the candidate.”
- Dion Fortune, The Training and Work of an Initiate
“In stating that that the isolated student could now be his own initiator, one important phrase is rendered imperative. And that is he must be persistent and as thoroughgoing and exacting as if he were an initiator in a regularly constituted Golden Dawn temple under the constant scrutiny of officialdom and higher adept authorities. The responsibility for progress is thus placed inexorably on the student or candidate himself.”
- Israel Regardie, The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic
“Here you prove that you have truly attained thus far of your own strength, and after, you may progress by the higher Soul within you.”
- From the Portal Ritual of the Golden Dawn
“…just because self-initiation is possible, that doesn’t make it easy. Nor should it be done lightly. This path requires you to be your own task master, and have your wits about you enough to see when you’re cheating yourself, being lazy, or in other ways compromising your discipline. Personally I think it beats worrying about whether your teacher is an egomaniac, is leading you astray, or leeching money off of you. It’s all a matter of where you turn your attention: To the teacher outside or within.”
- Richard Kaczynski, “Self-Initiation,” Mezlim, Vol. IV, Issue # 1, Candlemas 1993