This personalized program for inner and outer development is the beating heart of this organization, both providing comprehensive training in consciousness exploration and mastery, but also providing a scale of progress for the individual in life as well as within the organization. The practices will be loosely based on previous versions of the New Hermetics course but the structure will be somewhat different, consisting of seven phases that are not strictly Qabalistic, but still clearly relatable to the Tree of life. The structure will also be extremely flexible and experienced teachers will be free to edit, remove or add elements and practices as much as needed to teach what they would like to teach.

 

First Phase: Malkuth and Yesod

Second Phase: Hod and Netzach

Third Phase: Tiphareth (junior)

Fourth Phase: Tiphareth (inner)

Fifth Phase: Geburah

Sixth Phase: Chesed

Seventh Phase: Supernal Triad

 

These seven phases will directly relate to responsibilities within the organization, to allow for order within the chaos of a dynamically changing, growing and expanding body of esotericists:

Phases one and two: these are learning stages whose members can attend councils and vote as they please, but are not expected to or required.

Phase three: local council, maintain organization in various local groups and teachers, collect numbers of members working at various degrees and sending to national council.

Phase four: regional council, maintain and archive changes in curriculum or structure of groups, collecting most useful to present to national council, organize large-scale events, festivals, conventions.

Phase five: national council, organize national events, collect regional reports, voting on most useful transformations for national, expected to be active world transformers in personal endeavors, maintain national database of membership numbers and degrees.

Phase six: international council, translate new materials, consolidate, integrate and incorporate changes in techniques, rituals and teachings into core programs, expected to be true leaders and innovators in chosen fields of endeavor.

Phase seven: supreme magi, a mostly spiritual function, guiding the ethical, aesthetic and archetypal principle of the organization through active participation at all levels.

 

Other matters will be assigned to councils as need rises. Issues such as disputes will be handled on a case by case basis initially, as the councils will be small at first and may initially only consist of the two members who have a dispute! All councils will be open to all membership and all members at every level can vote on all matters. The difference in the levels is that as a member of the 4th phase you will be expected to take responsibility in the regional council of your area, and you will be able to take on a governmental office (Chair, Secretary, etc.)

There is no need for elaborate ceremonies conferring degrees in this system as the degrees are earned through inner work, self inquiry, practical exploration, written work and outer conduct. (Finish the workbook, finish the phase). If, however, someone is working in an active ritual group community in which it is conducive, there are simple rituals of acknowledgement that can be conducted, containing specific instruction about the expectations and challenges that are ahead, as well as a consecration passing magical energy, but this is conducted in a straight forward manner and can be dispensed with entirely when circumstances such as geography forbid it. The rituals can also be freely changed by those who conduct them of course, as long as they do not become too ridiculously long and elaborate.

It is, however, expected that your progress through the program will be accompanied by positive forward momentum in your life. It is useless to go through elaborate self-inquiry, training, practice and exercises if you are not applying the material to make your own life better and the world a more positive and harmonious place.

When an individual is operating at the 5th phase or above it is expected that you are using your more developed personal capacities to make significant contributions to culture and the world at large. Such contributions may be public, or may be hidden behind the scenes, and may cover any number of different arenas from medicine, physics or other sciences, art, music, literature, theater/film, politics, activism, religion, esotericism and many others.

There will be many cases where frontier rules will be in place, people will be acting 3rd, 4th, and 5th phase members for practical organizational reasons, while continuing to work through the first phases. These frontier appointments will be based on people showing enthusiasm, wisdom and level-headedness as the organization develops.

The educational curriculum itself is based in large upon the New Hermetics tools, at least in its initial form, but it is being rounded out by a considerable amount of new material dealing both with areas of practical esotericism that were left out previously as well as matters pertaining to interaction with the world and community in service and self understanding. Individual teachers will also add their own wisdom and remove glaring errors to create a teaching system that is constantly growing and evolving.

Development of multiple intelligences will also be encouraged throughout the system by offering a curriculum that engages some of Howard Gardner’s categories distinctly and synergistically. Some combination of these will be required at all levels, and students will be encouraged to work on areas that are weaker as well as mastering natural strengths:

Bodily-kinesthetic – movement, dance, hatha yoga, martial arts, bio-energetic work, bodywork

Verbal-linguistic – writing, public speaking, ritual performance, ritual construction, mantra

Logical-mathematical – astronomy, geometry, formal logic, astrology, qabala and/or other systems

Visual-spatial – visual art, design, visualization, inner and astral work, tool-making

Interpersonal – peer support, leadership, community outreach, group conduct

Intrapersonal – introspection, emotional and personality self-analysis, meditation, raja yoga

Musical – chanting, music performance, vibrational and music theory, ritual performance

Naturalistic – gardening, wildcraft herbalism, attunement to land and environment

Moral – service to others, introspection, alchemy

This is merely meant to be indicative of general categories and possibilities and is far from an exhaustive list or complete curriculum. Some of these areas will be a part of the core curriculum and others will merely be elective.

There are several different ways in which the seven phases of training can be engaged. People can continue to work through even the new program entirely by themselves. New workbooks and recordings for the first three phases will be available for anyone. These rugged individualists can turn in their work to be given “credit” by the organization, or else they can just continue to work in solitude. However, the criteria for starting and running a working ritual group will be to provide completed workbooks (or to be “grandfathered” in if you have taken previous courses with Jason or other equivalent work).

There are three categories of certification or charter:

“Acting” means that this individual or group has been granted a level of status based upon local need. It is expected that the prerequisite work is presently in progress and will be completed over time.

“Complete” means that the individual or group has completed all necessary work and has fully earned the charter or certification.

“Honorary” will only be given in special circumstances and means that this person has been granted the full obligations and responsibilities of a specific level based upon work conducted in other organizations. Honorary status merely means that it is generally believed that you have completed work basically equivalent to that of this organization in one way or another. Even if you are granted an honorary level it is still encouraged that you will complete the prerequisite work as this organization’s curriculum is in many ways quite unique. It will never be compelled and your own wisdom may dictate your conduct.

Support groups or mutual study groups may form as a result of people finding each other in local areas. These sorts of informal groups will usually form as an adjunct or evolutionary growth from chapters of the Esoteric Book Club. This kind of group, or the previous kind may also grow into a Ritual Working Lodge eventually.

Another way that the new training program may be engaged is as a member of a working Ritual Magick Lodge. While the training course will not be a requirement at all in the Ritual Magick Lodges, there will probably be lodges in which it becomes an important background issue. There will be three different basic kinds of Lodges, and these will be divided along with the training program.

(Anyone who has completed my Advanced Adept training may form a class or lodge any time as they see fit. Others who have either finished the basic course or who feel they are qualified should contact me at jason@newhermetics.com to discuss it further. Please also feel free to contact me to find local teachers, classes, lodges).

Evolutionary Hermetic Curriculum

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