Return in the Living Light of the Glorious Star
Author: Samuel Eckhardt
Issue: 95
The hitherto little known Western mystery tradition “the Ogdoadic tradition” has existed since the early years of the Christian Church and is a fusion of pre-Christian cults of the Eastern Mediterranean world with the monastic teachings and traditions of the early Church. At the forefront of its teachings is the study of the human soul and the way to make it receptive to the golance of light.
There is a genuine science of the soul, a psychology and philosophy, which – embedded in ritual and theological methodology – has existed since the early years of the Christian Church. This science is retrospectively called the Ogdoadic tradition, after its main and identifying symbol of the Eightfold Star: Stella Gloriosa Regenerationis, the Glorious Star of Renewal.
It is a study and discipline that seeks to make the Temple of the Holy Spirit, also called the House of Sacrifice, a living and meaningful sanctuary within the human psyche. Or rather, because this sanctuary is already latent within each individual and it is precisely through the coming together of soul forces that it is formed to become aware of this sanctuary as an effective vehicle of spiritual realization in Christ.
This is primarily an exploration of the levels of the human psyche (ψυχή = ancient Greek for soul) itself and the way in which these levels can be harmoniously, dynamically and effectively harmonized.
History and interconnections
The so-called Ogdoadic tradition dates back to a dynamic fusion of pre-Christian cults of the Eastern Mediterranean world with the monastic teachings and traditions of the early and undivided Church. Conceptually, it was first defined by Leon Barcynski (aka Osborne Phillips) and Vivian Godfrey (aka Melita Denning) in 1974 in the first volume of their work Magical Philosophy.
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The main symbols of the Ogdoadic tradition are the Fivefold Structure of the House of Sacrifice as a work plan and classification system, and the Eightfold Star of Renewal as a symbol of achievement and New Life.
In the more recent Rosicrucian tradition, this is represented by the symbol of the ruby rose on a golden cross. Each of these two honorable traditions has its own characteristic teaching, each makes its luminous contribution to the Western Mystery Tradition, and each calls to itself certain members who are prompted by a deep inner impulse to enter the path of return.
Thus Jesus speaks in the Gospel of Thomas: “If anyone says to you, ‘Whence have you come?’ say to them:
We have come from the light, the place where the light has become of itself.”
The influence of the Ogdoadic tradition on Western spirituality, philosophy, and culture has been profound, and demonstrably has run through Western history for at least nine centuries like a golden thread in a tapestry: shining in clear light, yet strangely unnoticed.
The Symbolism
The Fivefold Structure of the House of Sacrifice is an immediate key to the dynamics of the universe and to that pattern in the divine mind according to which human nature came into being. The same key, therefore, is that by which the faculties of the psyche are awakened in their proper and effective order, and likewise it is the key by which the hidden forces of the universe can be understood, realized and attained.
The Eightfold Star of Renewal is the glorious symbol that fills and transcends the House of Sacrifice. The Eightfold Star, used since ancient times to represent the divine life, is also emblematic of unwavering aspiration and achievement. In the highest way, it is the act of renewal and spiritual rebirth in the eternal individuality of God and in His eternal becoming.
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Both symbols had their early beginnings in the religious writings of ancient Mesopotamian religion, where the symbol of the eight-pointed star was an authoritative sign pointing to the divine nature, and where a fivefold structure had been established for categorizing the heavenly powers in relation to divine activity and human life. The Pythagoreans, whose identifying symbol was a pentagram, considered the number eight to be the number of perfection, and thus contributed equally to this developing tradition.
Early on, this number was adopted by the Christian Church as a symbol of rebirth in Christ – on an “Eighth Day,” in a state outside of space and time. Here the Ogdoadic tradition per se was born.
Significant aspects of classical philosophy flourished in Alexandria, drawing from Platonic, Aristotelian, Orphic, and theurgic-mystical traditions. From this vibrant stream of interconnecting systems emerged Neoplatonism, fundamental concepts of which were later integrated into the theological premises of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church in Constantinople (now Istanbul).
The fivefold structure of the spiritual life was already well established when St. Ambrose (340-397) set it forth clearly in his work On the Mysteries. Pseudo-Dionysius, the Areopagite (sixth century), wrote his mystical theology and treatises on the doctrine of angels and the divine names in the brilliant atmosphere of this tradition. And many others built on this current, which united in itself Neoplatonic, Gnostic and Hermetic traditions.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), in his “Homilies on the Song of Songs,” revealed the mysteries of the Fivefold Structure in writings of great and memorable beauty, thus resuming the golden thread of the Ogdoadic tradition. The medieval Knights Templar (Poor Knighthood of Christ and Solomon’s Temple at Jerusalem, 1118-1312), who wore on their white cloaks a scarlet cross, which basically represents the Eightfold Star, also used the Fivefold Structure of the spiritual life in the structure and course of their knightly initiations. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that St. Bernard was instrumental in the founding of the Knights Templar.
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The Society of the Fideli d’Amore, founded in Italy at the end of the 12th century, was a Western formulation of the symbolism, mysticism and practice of the secret Ismaili order “of the Faithful of Love” in Asia Minor. Its followers followed the path of inner enlightenment and devotion to the spiritual upliftment of humanity in the Islamic world. Complemented and enriched by the Order of the Knights Templar, the Fideli d’Amore found their way into the Ogdoadic tradition. Outstanding in the subsequent development over many generations was the Florentine family of Cavalcanti, who introduced the Fideli d’Amore to the intellectuals of the time. Of these initiates, two are particularly outstanding: Dante Alighieri – author of the famous work “The Divine Comedy” – introduced to the group by the poet Guido Cavalcanti in the 13th century, and Marsilio Ficino, initiated by Giovanni Cavalcanti himself in the 15th century, as Ficino’s own words testify.
The Careggi Circle
In the city of Florence in the 15th century, under the inspiring genius of Marsilio Ficino, an Ogdoadic society called the Careggi Circle was formed from the members of the Platonic Academy. No one can tell the story of the birth of Europe without recounting the awakening that was accomplished here in the minds of men and women at the beginning of the Renaissance through the work of this circle, and whose effects still echo throughout the Western world.
Scholars, poets and philosophers traveled there from far and wide to seek initiation or at least inspiration through conversation with the group.
Reuchlin, the German pioneer of Kabbalah, and Erasmus, who carried the spirit of the Renaissance to his homeland, the Netherlands, were among those deeply influenced by the initiates of the Careggi Circle.
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Initially founded because of the philosophical and occult interests of Cosimo de Medici, Ficino’s patron, the Careggi Circle was significantly developed by Cosimo’s grandson, Lorenzo the Magnificent. Each member of the inner circle bore a name from classical mythology, referring to the gods of the Golden Age. For example, Lorenzo was given the initiatory name Pan by Cosimo, while Pico della Mirandola, a brilliant young Kabbalist and Hermetic, was called Apollo. The painter and sculptor Michelangelo was also an initiate of this high-level gathering, the last before Lorenzo’s death. The murder of several initiates of the inner circle was the beginning of a cruel persecution by religious fanatics and marked the dissolution of the society.
However, especially through the initiate Bernardino Ochίno, the Ogdoad knowledge could be brought to England. Due to a timely warning from another initiate, Cardinal Contarini, he narrowly escaped persecution by the Roman Inquisition shortly before his journey. The golden thread of Ogdoadic lore was then further spun by the Order of the Helmet in the 16th century, whose emblem stood for silence and invisibility.
Throughout the following centuries, and even today, the writings of these initiates give wings of fire to the aspirations of those who may hear or read them, and win their hearts to the Mysteries.
The Order was founded in England during the reign of Elizabeth I and transmitted the knowledge of the Florentine Guilds, the Fideli d’Amore and the Careggi Circle.
These lineages of initiatic succession and the rich teachings of the Ogdoadic tradition associated with them were received in the 18th century by the British Society of the Flaming Wheel, the Societas Rotae Fulgentis (S. R. F.). We do not know exactly by whom the transfer and continuation of the heritage was made. What is certain is that by 1689 the Order of the Helmet had ceased its operational work and the last of the original initiates died 62 years before the S. R. F. was founded. However, the followers of the Order were numerous, and there were other Ogdoadic lineages in England at the time that may have been responsible. Whatever may have been the source of inspiration and transmission, it was accomplished with initiatic insight, and a considerable amount of material on the history, philosophy, symbolism, rites, and initiations of the various Ogdoadic formulations was thus secured. As an umbrella organization, the Societas Rotae Fulgentis continues to guard the Ogdoadic heritage for future generations, thus ensuring the uninterrupted succession of this tradition.
From the inner membership of the S. R. F. the Aurum Solis was founded in England in 1897 as a specifically magical order, which together with its offshoots is still active and today based in North America. In the meantime, under the current Grand Master, this order has strongly deviated from its traditional path and now forms a mixed system with modern yoga elements. In order to reconnect with the original Christian charism of the Ogdoadic heritage, the Societas Rotae Fulgentis established a new organization in 2017: the Societas Lucis Viventis, whose initiation rites are practiced as they were used for the Aurum Solis in the 19th century before the adaptation. The fullness of the mysteries of the original Ogdoadic tradition is currently represented and perpetuated by this “Society of Living Light.” Its headquarters are located in Brazil, South America.
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About the author
Samuel Eckhart is a religious member of the Societas Lucis Viventis. He is initiated into various Eastern and Western traditions, holds several university degrees, and is currently focusing on the study of the Hermetic Kabbalah.
Contact: slv-europe@posteo.net
This article was originally published on the German website: Die Ogdoadische Tradition
