The Initiate of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn is consecrated as a Warrior of Thelema to the Great Work of Initiation. The Initiating Lord of the Thelemic Golden Dawn is Horus, the Crowned and Conquering Child, who is also a God of War. However, from the point of view of the Warrior of Thelema, the Principle of War extends beyond physical combat. There can be war on other planes, sort of speaking. There is, for instance, the war with the self, which is The Great War of Initiation.

In the Thelemic Golden Dawn (T.·.G.·.D.·.) we view Thelemic Initiation itself as a Spiritual War or personal battle with the self/ego/ruach. The Initiate of the Thelemic Golden Dawn is therefore consecrated as a Warrior of Horus, whose only Weapon is the Sword of Thelema, to conquer the real enemy within -- the self. Even the so-called enemy without is but a symbol for the true enemy within. In our Thelemic Philosophy the enemy without is actually looked upon as a focal point and means for conquering the true enemy within. It is a Spiritual War, an Internal Combat for Self-Control, Self-Liberation and Self-Illumination.

The Warrior of Thelema is one who accepts and practices complete responsibility for hir own life. In fact, self-responsibility is a key element and measure of success in our Thelemic Order. Each Initiate is to become completely responsible for hirself via the development of integrity and the strength of character that arises from confronting and surmounting the ordeals, tests and trials suitable to the evolution and progress of hir own unique nature.

Even in our Thelemic Golden Dawn group initiation ceremonies, Temple Officers are only there to assist the Initiate in hir initiatory progress and fight for personal Liberation, like Comrades in a Battlefield fighting for their Freedom. But it is always the Initiate hirself who is ultimately responsible for hir own life and progress and for all of hir own actions and reactions. Such is a fact of Nature. For outside conditions or objects do not cause the nature of the actions and reactions we experience in our lives. It all comes from within. Thus there is nothing negative or positive in itself. It is only our subjective reactions to conditions which make them so. All is relative to the psychology of the individual.

In this light, no one can really hurt a Warrior of Thelema. Whatever s/he feels, whatever hir reactions may be, s/he takes complete responsibility for them, no matter what they may be. The Warrior of Thelema also knows that s/he can transform any one reaction into that of another, so that a destructive thought or emotion can be instantly transformed into a creative and beneficial one. The Warrior of Thelema realizes that s/he is, at the core of hir being, in complete control of hir every action and reaction, that nothing or no one else is in control of hir life, and that s/he has no enemy other than hirself, that nothing or no one is really ever against hir but hirself!

Thus there are no real obstacles for the Warrior of Thelema. S/he sees all ordeals, all obstacles, and all adversity, as creative and necessary challenges, as something to be confronted and overcome with strength, confidence and joy. All ordeals are steps to success in the Great Work of Initiation. And to the Warrior of Thelema, success is the word of hir nature, for success is the fulfillment of hir Will. Thelemic Warriors, who strive to be Masters, do their own Will, whereas cowards and slaves do not.

The Will is the Psychological Weapon of the Warrior of Thelema. From a psychological point of view, the principal function of the Will is to control all of the other psychological functions, to regulate and direct them into proper channels for creative self-expression. The Will is central to our personality and is directly linked to the core of our being. In relation to the Great Work, all aspects of the mind need to be placed in the service of our Will, that is, our True Will -- the natural, instinctive, creative, illuminated Will from within. Every thought, every emotion, every feeling, must be sacrificed to this One Will in the Warrior of Thelema.

In this there is strength, joy and fulfillment. For when the Will is in control of the other psychological functions, regulating and directing them into creative forms of self-expression, it brings with it an ecstatic sense of fulfillment, for it is then that we are in communion with our true nature, aligned with the center of our being. We are, essentially, a Center of Will. Therefore, the first question that is put forth to the Candidate for Initiation is "What is your Will?" In the honest answer to this question lurks the meaning of one's true nature. In the knowledge of the Will lies the seed to Victory in the Great Work of Initiation. It is the foundation of the work, the core of the path, and the source and means to fulfillment.

In the Thelemic Golden Dawn the Will is symbolized by the Sword, which is the Weapon of the Warrior of Thelema. This is not the simple elemental sword of Nature, but rather the Exalted Sword of the Spirit, the Aristocratic Weapon of Force and Fire which is forged from the Gold of the Sun! With this Sword the Warrior of Thelema goes forth to conquer, aflame with energy and enthusiasm, and with iron diligence, to attain success in the accomplishment of the Great Work of Initiation!