The Ciceros on Magical Egos, Pop Psychology and More

Rosy Cross of the Golden Dawn, Public Domain, WC.

I came across an interview by Avalonia of Chic and Tabatha Cicero that's several years old but definitely still worth a read.  They are Chief Adepts in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and have written several books on this magical tradition.  I like their style.  There is a lot of bickering back and forth between magical folks, but here is a quote from the interview that I think sums up their attitude pretty well:

"We would like to think it’s because people “get it” that we’re not interested in attracting followers, or pretending that we are greatest magicians on the planet, or trying to fleece people out of their money."

On a different note, one thing I've noticed, online anyway, is that sometimes Golden Dawn and other Western Magical Tradition concepts are over simplified by some to be all about positive thinking and that the spiritual beings worked with in magic are all just parts of ourselves.  The Ciceros address this too:

"Some authors psychologize magic too much, others not enough... They proclaim that deities, angels, and spirits are simply creations of the human mind. Although pop psychologists derive their thinking from the theories of Swiss psychologist Carl G. Jung and others, they misunderstand Jung, who had a plaque above the front door of his home which read in Latin: “Bidden or not bidden, God is present.”

Spirit is real.  Of course our minds come into play.  But to me the idea that a belief in the reality of angels and other spirits is outdated is just extreme.  I'd like to quote more of this excellent interview, but, I'll refer you over to the original post at the Esoteric Book Review instead.


© Trish Deneen