Category Archives: Initiation

Initiation requires study and concentration of the mind as necessary preliminaries. Those who wish to undertake practical work must study and obtain familiarity with our philosophy and primary techniques. They should give thought to a fraternal name and associated Qabalistic number for exclusive use in the Hermetic Order of the Star and Snake. An ‘Apprentice’ is a Student that has been accepted into the novitiate and begins practice and learning. The Student is asked to provide a date for starting their Record. This will coincide with the entry of the Sun into a new zodiacal sign. The Record must be kept on a strict daily basis. The Apprentice Oath and Task is signed after meditation on its meaning, and a copy returned to the Order. The Apprentice continues their reading and study. If the Apprenticeship is deemed successful, a ritual for admission and particular practice will be given for the Iº (First Degree) Neophyte.

The Oath of an Apprentice (Hermetic Order of the Star and Snake) is as follows:

I shall direct the whole nature and all the powers of my being towards the accomplishment of the Great Work, which is: To obtain True Knowledge of that which is by Nature hidden from the ordinary senses and reason of Man. To this end, I will obtain control over the nature and powers of my own being.

In fact, that declared aim, to be attained in any full and complete measure, might take many years, even a lifetime, and might even never be attained, as depending on the latent possibilities of the individual.

Our Hermetic Qabalah Foundation course is open to suitable applicants. Advanced practices involve Raja Yoga, which combines devotion to an Egyptian deity involving concentration of mind, meditation and intellective process of discrimination, which alone can lead to the yoga of pure knowledge (jnana).

See also this page: Initiation

Contact Ordo Astri

Contact us: Address your email letter of enquiry to the Director of Studies. In closing your letter, please use your real name, not an Internet pseudo or nickname. Add any other details that will help us respond accurately to your enquiry. Send email. (Expect a response within 3 to 4 days.)

Contact: Egyptian women preparing for Valley Festival (probably Theban)Initiation: You may apply for our House of the Net course of study and practice (Probationership) here. See below for links to required reading.

Our legacy Hermetic Qabalah Foundation course is worked under supervision by suitable applicants. The (required) textbook for the course is: Hermetic Qabalah Foundation—Complete Course.

In either case you must please send us an email letter of introduction.

A full initiate member is any person in the first degree of Neophyte or above in the Order. A Neophyte is an entered practitioner. See Initiation (home page) for grades or degrees.

All meetings, whether online or otherwise, one-to-one or as part of a group, take place in private. We do not maintain lodges or hold public meetings. It is not possible to ‘transfer’ a grade or degree obtained through membership of another group or organisation.

Apply Now for Introductory course

Contact: Studies

While our Recommended Reading list is extensive, you do not need to buy and read a lot of books all at once before you can start practical work. This takes time—so take your time. However, the two books below are essential for those who are seriously minded about doing a spiritual practice over the long term:*

For those who wish to work our House of the Net six month practical Apprenticeship (equivalent of Probation) in ritual, devotion and meditation, our book, Thunder Perfect Gnosis—Intellectual Flower of Mind (Oliver St. John, 2023) is required. It includes ten chapters on Raja Yoga, which is our core practical basis. The sequel, Metamorphosis—Hermetic Science and Yoga Power (Oliver St. John  2024) completes the study of Patañjali Yoga with a very detailed exposition on the Supernormal Powers in classical yoga.

* Please Note: The complete yoga treatise will soon be available in one volume:

Raja Yoga for the Modern Practitioner

Podcasts

  • Metaphysics of the Real: RSS.com
    On RSS you can listen on all major platforms, including Apple, Spotify, Amazon, etc.
  • Metaphysics of the Real on YouTube Channel

Help Fund Ordo Astri: Donations

Student and members at any level are welcome to contribute by making a donation to Ordo Astri securely by PayPal.* (You do not need to have a PayPal account.) You can either:

  • Make a one-off donation
  • Choose one of the three monthly subscription plans
  • Donate any amount you want on a monthly basis

The link takes you to our secure PayPal page hosted by Tantrika Arts.

* If you do not wish to donate by PayPal or card then please contact us by email to make a direct transfer.

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions we have encountered, to which we give our answers.

Q. Do I have to pay membership dues or course fees?
A. There are no membership dues or course fees. When applications are accepted for supervised practical work we think that practitioners should help us by contributing as according to their means but we do not place anyone under a financial obligation.

Q. I have heard that ritual is a requirement. Will I be expected to make blood sacrifices?
A. We don’t do any rituals like that. Let’s have a look at the etymology of the word ‘ritual’. It is related to rit, from Sanskrit rita, meaning ‘to set in order’. This means that true ritual is inseparable from reordering the estate of the individual, and that involves study and concentration of mind as a support. Sacrifice, on the other hand, is to ‘make sacred’ so the meaning is closely related to that of consecration and dedication.

Questions to Hermetic Order: Quimper Cathedral Fruits of KnowledgeQ. I see that you teach tantras. Will I be expected to attend sex orgies?
A. Sorry to disappoint you but you have got the wrong idea about tantra. Tantra is a path where practice is important and it usually involves devotion to deity, use of images (yantra), words or sounds (mantra), and yoga meditation.

Q. I have heard that in the OTO initiation involves jumping out of a barrel naked and then getting wrapped up in a national flag. Is Initiation in the Hermetic Order in any way comparable?
A. No. Also, you need to be aware there is no association at all between us and any Crowley organisations and what they might get up to. Initiation with us is more than being inducted into a group or society, whether closed or semi-public. It means being the recipient of a spiritual transmission, which is itself identical to the meaning of tradition in the etymological sense. It implies that spiritual realisation concerning the true nature of the Self as deathless, immortal, eternal, absolute and infinite, is a possibility to be actualised by inner work.

Questions on course work

Q. Will I be able to work in my own home?
A. Yes, ritual and meditation is done in one’s own home.

Q. Why do I need to keep records of my rituals and meditations?
A. When writing up the Record, the logical reasoning faculty reasserts control. This helps to forge a bridge or portal at the threshold of the diurnal waking and nocturnal dreaming worlds. From this liminal gateway otherworldly forms or symbols may yet emerge, finding a voice through the newly born intellectual awareness. Although each ritual meditation is carefully closed down to facilitate return to the ordinary consciousness mode, the effects continue long afterwards. The ritual is not complete until the writing of the Record is done.

Q. The course work is supervised. Does that mean I will have other people in a higher grade telling me what to do and bossing me around?
A. All work is assessed by the Preceptor. All students are expected to maintain the discipline of the work, which means following the advice given. Without that there is no path, no discipline and no valid practice. However, the advice given concerns the methods and techniques. Instruction is also given in theoretical knowledge, which is indispensible. We do not tell people what food to eat or not, or what clothes to wear. We are not here to micro-manage people’s lives and, quite frankly, do not have the slightest interest in any of that.

If you have questions we have not covered here you are welcome to send us email. Please address your questions to Oliver St. John, Director of Studies. Thank you.

Notes

Books by Oliver St John

Podcasts

  • Metaphysics of the Real: RSS.com
    On RSS you can listen on all major platforms, including Apple, Spotify, Amazon, etc.
  • Metaphysics of the Real on YouTube Channel