Qabalistic Cross Golden Dawn

[Dindin]

Hi everyone,


I’ve been deep-diving into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn’s version of the Tree of Life (the Athanasius Kircher arrangement), and I'm particularly interested in the mechanics of the Qabalistic Cross (QC).


As many of you know, when performing the QC, the practitioner touches the forehead, the chest/genitals, the right shoulder, and then the left. The standard Golden Dawn explanation for this sequence is that you are "backing into" the Tree. By doing this, the Pillar of Severity (Geburah) aligns with your right shoulder and right arm. This reversal is meant to symbolize the microcosm (the individual practitioner) mirroring the macrocosm (the universe), where Severity traditionally sits on the left side.


However, traditional Lurianic Kabbalah doesn’t make this reversal. In the Lurianic system, Severity is associated with the left side for both the macrocosm and the microcosm.


Interestingly, I've come across the historical theory that this specific switch—placing Geburah on the right for the microcosm—was actually a theological change introduced by the Sabbatean-Frankists. To be entirely clear, I'm not suggesting that the Golden Dawn is a Frankist organization, but rather that they may have historically inherited this specific structural tweak through the esoteric grapevine.


This brings up a few questions I was hoping to discuss:

• Energetic Implications: What are the actual magical or energetic implications of this reversal within the QC?
• Impact on Rituals: Since the QC acts as the foundational opening and closing for almost all foundational GD rituals (like the LBRP), how does anchoring Severity to the right fundamentally affect the current of the rituals?
• Historical Sources: Does anyone have any specific texts or historical info that traces this Frankist connection to the Golden Dawn's founders?

I’m very curious if anyone has any information, insights, or personal thoughts on this. I’d love to hear your perspectives!

 

[Frater R.P.G.]

I'm not very familiar with the Frankist implications, but GD took the Qabalistic Cross directly from Eliphas Levi's Dogme et Rituel della Haute Magie.

 

[Dindin]

I'm not very familiar with the Frankist implications, but GD took the Qabalistic Cross directly from Eliphas Levi's Dogme et Rituel della Haute Magie.

Right.. and where did he get it ...

 

[Kellhuss]

The Frankists were explicitly antinomian / contrarian, and would invert virtually any traditional order or symbolism. There’s not much analysis beyond that as to function or metaphysic: the inversion itself was sufficient to demonstrate their position as to transcending then contemporary religious basics and command.

The GD formulation by contrast is genuinely just a logical outcome of the perspective of imposing the orthodox tree onto the body.

Geburah on your left would therefore be the revised version, Frankist or otherwise.

 

[HoldAll]

You're right, classic Jewish Kabbalah associates Geburah with the left-hand side, the left hand being considered evil, dirty, etc. I think it was Dion Fortune in her "The Mystical Qabalah" who explained that one should think of the Tree of Life as a sort of cloak pulled over one's shoulders, and thus Geburah would be located on the right one.

Here's how I justify this QC reversal for myself: 90% of all people are right-handers, which is why their dominant hand is always stronger. For knightly combat, for example, this means that most knights held their shield (Chesed in a protective role) with their left hand and their sword in their right (= power hand, symbolising Geburah). In karate, most point-fighting competitors will stand with their left foot forward (= 'orthodox stance') and typically use their left hand for blocking and their right for countering when defending; it's similar with boxers who often hate to fight left-handers ('southpaws') because they throw off their favorite combos. Additionally, some shotokan karate katas start with the left hand cradling the right fist as if forming a protective envelop around it.

'Controversial' a sephiroth Geburah may be, but it DOES symbolise power and strength which are good qualities to have once the going gets tough. I guess you could also say that the GD, being a magical order, favoured active exploration over the mystic's passivity. However, I wouldn't be surprised if this reversal was yet another example of Hermetic Qabalists modifying the Jewish Kabbalah to conform with their own occult predilections, like grafting all sorts of planetary correspondences onto the Tree of Life which just aren't there in the original.

The GD leadership was probably not even aware of the Frankists. However, it may just be possible that Jacob Frank's Book of the Words of the Lord (compiled between 1755 and 1791) - which was written in Polish, not in Hebrew - came to the notice of Polish Masons and was then somehow transmitted to their English brethren. Theodore Moriarty who taught Dion Fortune Hermitic Qabalah was a Mason, as were the founding fathers of the GD. Another possible line of transmission may run through the Frankist Moses Dobrushka who published in German (although not about Kabbalah, as far as I know). In general, it seems to me that much of Jewish Kabbalah (as well as Masonic knowledge) was spread by lore, not books, so there's probably no textual evidence for these theories.

Summing up, I'd say that energy-wise, the right shoulder signifying power would make more sense for right-handed persons because their dominant hand is physically stronger and dexterous; it's the hand that makes things happen. I don't think there's a precedent for left-handers to change the QC back and then perform the whole ritual with the left hand, going against tradition is hard.