The Sword of the Phylax
Golden Dawn Temple of Hermanubis
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn- The Cicero’s
S.M. (Stella Matatina)- Regardie, Brodie Innes, Tony
Fuller
(Smaragdum Thalasses) Whare Ra- Dr. Felkin - Jack
Taylor, Frank Salt (Pat Zalewski, Nick Farrell
A.O. (Alpha et Omega)- Samuel Scarborough, Nick
Farrell
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (R.G. Torrens) Secret Rituals of the Golden Dawn Frater M.T.O.
Cipher Manuscript
Page 3
·
7. K. Hekas Hekas Esti Bebeloi
·
8. H. See to guarding & who is present
Page 6
·
3. H. By dispensation I order Hg. to
prepare
·
4.the candidate. Binds her or him 3 ropes
·
5. H. Admit ____, loses name. Takes motto
·
6. K. refuses admission until censed &
crossed
·
7. marked by Dad. & Stol.
Israel
Regardie- Hegemon prepares the Candidate (Sentinel carries hoodwink and rope,
guards the hall-Keryx knocks/Sentinel responds with a knock to show Temple is
secure.
S.M. ( Stella Matutina)-Hegemon has Phylax prepare
candidate, guard the hall Keryx knocks/Sentinel knocks
Israel Regard-Hegemon
prepares the candidate (Sentinel carries robe & hoodwink), guards hall
Keryx knocks/Sentinel responds with knock.
A.O. (Alpha et Omega) Nick Farrell Mather’s Last
Secret.
Phulax (Phulaxi)
The Sentinel may answer these two following interrogations:
Hierophant- The Situation of the Phulax or Sentinel?
Hiereus or Phulax- At or without the Portal of the
Hall.
Hierophant- His duty?
Hiereus or Phulax- Armed with a lethal weapon to keep
out intruders and to prepare the Candidate.
Hegemon prepares the
Candidate (hood-winked/rope thrice around waist) UNLESS there is more than One
(1) Candidate, then the Phulax can assist.
Order of the Golden Dawn in the Outer (O.:G.:D.:)
R.G. Torrens-Secret Rituals of the Golden Dawn-Original
Outer Order rituals of Isis Urania -1st Temple? Of the Hermetic
Order of the Golden Dawn.
(Frater M.T.O.)-Temple of Hathor-Ptah-Praemonstrator
Ordinis at Order of the Golden Dawn in the Outer-Former Hierophant at Temple of
Thoth Amen-Ra
e) Phylax
takes their place outside the Hall after assuming their godform. Members not
taking officerships sit in appropriate grade location.
Phylax creates Triangle with
Kerux and Hiereus over Candidate
Hiereus:
(Salutes, goes to the door,
stands in front of Kerux and Phylax forming a triangle.)
Fratres and Sorores /Consores of the Temple of
__________ of the Order of the Golden
Dawn in the Outer, give the signs of a Neophyte.
(All members give Sign, except the Hiereus and Dais
officers. Once completed, Hiereus gives the Sign of the Enterer to the
Hierophant.)
Very Honored Hierophant (gives the Sign), all present
have been so honored
(Gives the Sign of Silence. Kerux, Hiereus and Phylax
return to stations and salute.)
Phylax: Black and white. A eye drawn in Egyptian
style. It is the all-seeing eye which guards the temple. The “divine eye” of
the Egyptians—a hieroglyphic called Wadjet, often called the Eye of Horus, was
referred to “He who feeds the sacred Fire or the intelligence of man”…in other
words, Osiris. The Egyptians also defined the eye (the circle of the iris with
the pupil as its center) as the “sun in the mouth” meaning the creative word.
The Phylax can be seen in this light as extending the “word” of Osiris beyond
the borders of the temple, through the divine eye.
The Phylax (Greek for "Guard" or
"Sentinel") is the Watcher Without, the guardian of the temple. He is
represented by the god-form Anoup emp Emenet (Anubis of the West) and is the
counterpart of the Keryx, the Watcher Within. His station is without the Portal
of the Hall, and it is his duty to keep out intruders, which is represented by
the Sword he carries. He is also charged with preparing the candidate, and
wears a black collar with a lamen depicting a white eye on a black background,
indicative of the ever watchful gaze of Anubis of the West.
This is a good topic. My comments may seem a bit out
of the blue... but does the Phylax have to be outside of the Hall? Can the
Phylax be within the Hall, but without the Portal?
Also, does the Phylax disappear from the other
Ceremonies above Neophyte? The position certainly is not listed.
And is Anubis of the West the only godform that can be
used for Phylax?
okay... I know these are more questions than comments,
but I wanted to lead with them.
The Phylax really never disappears, but is present in
all the Ceremonies. Someone must guard the door throughout all the Ceremonies.
Does the Phylax have to be
without the Hall. The answer here is more complex, but generally no, but does
sit outside of the Portal next to the door when within the Hall.
The godform issue can be different depending on what
source is looked at. Opaut can be used rather than Anubis of the West, but
Opaut is often used as an invisible station after Neophyte.
The feminine form of Phylax is Phylakissa, but Phylax
is often used in practice for both sexes.
This particular godform fits the needs of the office.
Contrary to is rather intellectual, regal, illuminated counterpart, Anubis of
the West is a great deal more aggressive and rough around the edges.
A good place to look for a visual aid in understanding
the difference between these two godforms would be the Moon card, where they
have the two different dogs. One is domesticated, the other wild. I've even
seen one artist who painted this trump with the two forms of Anubis rather than
the dogs.
Secrets of a GD Temple
Phylax (Sentinel):
Egyptian Opowet, Coptic Ophooui, Graeco-Egyptian
Ophois; also Egyptian Anu em Ament, Coptic Anoup emp Emenet, Graeco-Egyptian
Anoubis of the West, Latinized Greek Anubis.
The Watcher without The Phylax sits outside of the
Hall to guard its outer perimeter. He has a sword in his hand to keep out
intruders.
Commentaries
Anubis of the West
(0=0)-Anubis of the West is the Outer Guard.
Anubis has the head of a black jackal, very alert,
pointed ears well pricked up. His nemyss is black banded with white; he wears a
collar of black and white bands, and a tunic of white flecked with tufts of
black hair. His body is red. His waistcloth is black striped with white and
from it hangs a lion’s tail. His ornaments are black and white; his Phoenix
Wand and Ankh are black. He stands on black pavement.
Sentinel
The last, and final Officer, is the Sentinel, or
Phylax as he is sometimes called. His name is thought to have been derived from
the French, Scentinelle, or the Italian, Sentinella. Some have even thought
that it came from the French, Sentier, “A footpath,” which in turn is derived
from the Latin, Semita-‘A narrow way.” This Officer stands in charge of the
Candidate at the Portal, or outer opening of the straight and narrow way he is
about to enter. The Greek word, Phylax, signifies “a Watcher,” “guard” or “sentinel”-“guardian”
or “keeper.” A fuller form of the word is Naophulax, meaning “keeper of the
Temple.” The verb, Phulasso, means “to keep watch and ward,” especially by
night-and you may think of the Phylax as “the watchman,’ armed with a lethal
weapon to keep out intruders, and to prepare the Candidate as he stands in the
outer darkness.
The Greek word, Phulacterion, means “a guarded place,”
“a fort’ or, in its secondary meaning, “a safeguard” or “preservative,’ “an
amulet,’ for protection, and is familiar to you from the Phylacteries of the
Jews which were strips of parchment, inscribed with texts from the Law, and
worn as amulets on the forehead while praying. The Latin word corresponding to
the Greek, Phylax, in a general sense is Custos. The Officer is distinguished
by [the sword]
The Sword of the Sentinel has a black grip and gold
guard. The black represents the darkest part of matter while the gold guard was
a reflection of the Hidden Mysteries of the Order. At all times, the Sword is
drawn and held upright in the left hand (for the duration of the ceremony) as a
reminder of the seriousness of the occasion. Even when the Sentinel remains
seated beside the door (and outside the Portal, but still inside the Hall), the
Sword is still drawn.
Commentaries
Order of the Stella Matutina
As the Candidate enters the Temple, the Sentinel turns
down the lights.)
The Kerux checks to see If the Hall is properly
guarded by giving one knock on the door, or he unlocks the door, looks out,
then closes and relocks the door. The Sentinel replies by giving one knock with
the Hilt of his Sword.
Kerux goes to the door and gives one knock. Sentinel
replies with one knock.
Israel Regardie
Hegemon rises and removes his chair from between the
pillars and goes out, followed by the Sentinel, who carries the hoodwink and
rope. Hegemon sees that the candidate is properly robed and hoodwinked and that
the rope goes three times round his waist. He then leads the candidate to the
door, and gives on knock.
Doing some more research/work on the Hermanubis GD
Temple Phylax/Sentinel sword...
In Pat Z’s commentaries it states: “the sword has a
black grip & gold guard-the black represents the darkest part of
matter/gold-reflection of Hidden Mysteries of the Order...
In the Cicero’s Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple-it
supports the black grip/gold guard...
But-in Self initiation into the GD-the Cicero’s say
the sword is ‘flaming red’-Ophois’ ‘Red Sword’
How do members feel about this and what colors do you
associate with a Temple’s Phylax sword?
Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn
The Ciceros
Phylax or Phylakissa
[Egyptian Opowet, Coptic Ophooui (Ah-paw-ee),
Graeco-Egyptian Ophois; also Egyptian Anup em Amenet, Coptic Anoup emp Emenet
(Anoup-em-pay-men-et), Graeco-Egyptian Anoubis of the West, Latinized Greek
Anubis]. Initial Form: Ophois has the had of a black jackal or wolf and wears a
black nemyss. His linen kilt is white, and his overkilt is striped black and
white. His pectoral collar is naded white, black, white. His wristbands are
banded black and white.
Ophois bears a flaming red sword. The god stands upon
a black pavement. When seated, the god sits upon a black throne ornamented in
white, which stands upon a black pavement.
Secrets of a GD Temple
The Sword of the Phylax (Sentinel)
Use and Symbolism
The Phylax is the guardian of the outside of the
Temple. With sword in hand, he guards against intruders. The most effective use
of the Sentinel’s Sword outside of a full Order ceremony, would involve a
simple Banishing Ritual.
Construction
Any convenient sword can be employed for the sword of
the Phylax. As is the case with the Hiereus, the best sword to obtain would be
a military sword with a brass guard. The grip should be painted black and the
guard should be gold. One could also make a sword from an iron bar and a wooden
handle (to be painted in the aforementioned colors.)
I am looking at the Black
as EARTH of EARTH in association with the Pent...AYIN-with the Devil Major
Arcade cats and ‘Matter’ plus the link between the Eye of Horus-Phylax and
Ayin-‘eye’...Capricorn-Cardinal EARTH...
ok-here is what I have been working on...first I
started doing some research for our new Phylax Sword...but in the process,
discovered that most of the Orders simple call the position 'The Sentinel'....
some sources use both, and one source only uses the
one- 'Phylax'...
So I got to looking at the word, Phylax...
Greek-a Watcher, Guardian
Naophulax-Keeper of the Temple
Phulacterion- A Guarded Place,
I was seeing the connections to the Sentinel and the
'Phylax' with a 'Phylactery' of Protective Talisman worn by the Magician...
'On a leather parchment, worn around neck or tied
around the right arm.
Invocation:
"For I have your name as a unique phylactery in
my heart, and no flesh although moved, will overpower me; no spirit sill stand
against me-neither daimon-nor visitation nor any other of the evil beings of
Hades because of your name, which I have in my soul and invoke. Also [be] with
me always for good, a good [god dwelling] (Temple?) in a good [man], yourself
immune to magic."
the talisman is to be written in Myrrh ink, with
shavings of 'breathing lodestone' added to it, along with place a sprig of
'ever-living plant' (evergreen-pine?) and tied up 7 times with 'Threads of Anubis'
(Thread taken from a funeral home? and consecrated to Anubis in ritual?) placed
on the right arm-with offerings made...
Intoned while writing:
"Guard me from every daimon of the air, on the
earth, under the earth, and from every angel & phantom, & ghostly
visitation and enchantment."
of interest to note-2 things:
#1-take a Seal of Solomon and place it on your tongue
(Paper/Parchment?) and it will force the Spirit to:
tell whatever sort you may be, heavenly, aerial,
terrestrial, subterranean, or netherworld, tell whatever sort you may be.)
#2-HGA Phylactery: Strip of tin, uses names of
Egyptian directional angels to protect the magician from his own conjured
personal angel."
Imsety-South-Human
Duamutel-East-Jackal
Hapi-North-Baboon
Qebehsenuel-West-Hawk.
I think we NEED to look
at Ritually creating a Phylactery to work in direct association with our
Phylax, via his Godform and Sword…
