For those of you who are seeking to initiate yourselves into the grade of the Neophyte, you should have in your possession the following material:

    What you are currently reading is number 1 listed above (The Instructions of the Neophyte). The following instructions are designed to assist you in the comprehension of the preliminary steps to be taken to commence the Self-Initiation Work of the Neophyte.

    In the Tasks of the Neophyte there is written all that must be known concerning the actual work of the grade. Read this document and contemplate the tasks until you are sufficiently satisfied that you understand the work of the Neophyte. Also read the Ceremony, Oath and Rituals of the grade and then determine whether or not it is in fact your Will to become a Neophyte. If so, determine a magical Motto for yourself and take the Oath of the grade. Remember that the Magical Motto should represent the aspiration of your Will.

    The Oath of the Neophyte is the link to the First Order of the Thelemic Golden Dawn. It is designed to prepare you for the realization of your True Will. After taking the Oath of the Neophyte, you are a participant in the Mysteries of the grade. The Oath does not entail that you are recognized as an official member or initiate of the grade, only that you are aspiring to be such.

    After you take the Oath of the grade, you should then study, rehearse, and eventually perform the Self-Initiation Ceremony of the Neophyte. There should be a probationary period of nine months after performing the Self-Initiation Ceremony of the Neophyte before you conduct the Self-Initiation Ceremony of the Zelator.

    The Self-Initiation Ceremony of the Neophyte is a most serious ceremony to perform. It will influence your whole life. The Oath of the ceremony is a most solemn obligation, and it will inspire you in such a manner that you must, of your own free will, advance in the essential knowledge of your own true nature and True Will, in this life or in another to come.

    You should by no means perform the Self-Initiation Ceremony of the Neophyte unless you are prepared and willing to dedicate yourself to the Great Work of realizing your own True Will; for it is an irrevocable step; and it binds you to the grand course of cosmic evolution and to the essential unfoldment of your own True Self. Unless you are willing to take responsibility for yourself, to advance in the knowledge of who, what, and why you are, and to begin the essential process of attaining Freedom, and to make manifest that Freedom in the domain of your own practical experience, it would be much better for you to wait till such a time that you are willing to do so, with a complete comprehension of the work to be achieved.

    The Middle Pillar Exercise and the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram are the suggested ritualistic practices for the Neophyte. These two basic Rituals contain the keys by which to comprehend various significant principles of the Magick Art. It is most essential to understand and apply the basics of Ritual Magick before attempting the more advanced forms. These two Rituals are what constitute the fundamentals of Ritual Magick in the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn. It is only after these two Rituals are perfected that members of the Order can begin to understand some of the more essential and advanced forms of Ritual Magick.

    Through genuine mastery of the basic forms of Ritual Magick, the advanced forms will naturally follow. The foundation of all practical magical work rests upon the ability of the Magician to properly focus upon the nature of the work, and also his/her ability to create a state of impression that allows the mind to alter its processes at will. Until the Magician is able to do this, the higher magical states of consciousness will remain closed to him/her. The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram and the Middle Pillar Exercise prepare Magicians for the essential development of higher magical states of awareness, making them fit vehicles for their inner genius, by which all true magical ritual is accomplished.

    Now has come the time for you to prepare yourself to take your first real step upon the Great Ladder of the Stars, and to become an initiate of the New Order of the Golden Dawn. May you attain the Great Work, the SUMMUM BONUM, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness. In the Name of the Lord of Initiation, Sic sit vobis!