Our goal is for us to become a group that, by working together, creates a mental and spiritual chalice in which to receive group inspiration from a very deep level and for this inspiration to result in service of some kind.
We see it as a group of independently-minded, mature people committed to self-knowledge and united in the desire to create something that may be of benefit to others as well as to themselves.
We are looking for members with a variety of temperaments, backgrounds and approaches. This will give the group vitality, flexibility and strength.
This process will also give individuals the opportunity to receive personal inspiration from the individual soul level. We have no idea how this group and individual inspiration eventually will be expressed and we don’t think we can know until we have had some considerable experience together.
There will be two major areas of focus for the group: group work and individual meditation work.
The group work will include reading, group discussion, group meditation and ritual.
The issue of individual meditation is one that we will have to work out on a case-by-case basis because some people may already be doing a form of it.
We see group work and individual meditation happening concurrently, supporting and amplifying each other. Dion Fortune has called this “a yoga for the West”.
The reading and study aspect is important because it stocks the mind with information and images which allow it to give a clearer, richer expression to inner experience and to have an increased understanding of inner processes.
In order for us to communicate effectively we will need to have a common symbolic language and for this we will learn the rudiments of the Qabalah. It provides a very flexible symbol system which can be used in two different ways. First, it gives a symbolic language to describe personal inner experience. Second, using this symbolic language in a ritual context allows us to change our consciousness in a controlled and directed way.
The rituals will be based primarily on the Grail mythos and will not be overly long or elaborate. We may also do some rituals based on the Qabalah and Egyptian and Celtic mythology. For ritual work each member will need to have a white robe with a hood. The robe is a device which assists in the changing of consciousness and the hood is an aid to concentration when meditating or visualizing.
Ritual sometimes raises anxiety in people so we want to be very clear about what we will not be doing. We will never do any ritual that involves the sacrifice of, injury to, or negative intention toward, any living being, and the intention of any ritual will never be to violate another’s free will. We will never do any sexual rituals.
This work is preeminently group work and so prompt, regular attendance is essential. We expect all members to attend all monthly group meetings unless they are too ill to come, they are out of town, the weather prevents safe travel, there is a family emergency or there is a work requirement.
The focus of the group is spiritual work. This means that it will not be an emotional support group, a 12-step group or a therapy group. We expect members to have these needs met elsewhere.
If you have experience in group work of any kind, it will be a definite asset. If you do not have experience with groups, we expect you to be open, flexible and inclusive in your attitude and thinking.
Members may have to purchase some required books. Members will also need to provide their own white, hooded ritual robe.
This may seem like a very large undertaking. It is—but we sincerely believe the rewards will be greater than we can now imagine. We cannot fail to learn and grow and serve no matter what we do or how far we go together.
— Leigh Daniels and Betz King
One of Leigh’s chief sources of inspiration and material is Dion Fortune, a British magician and Qabalist and founder of the Society of the Inner Light. Leigh received the bulk of his ritual and Qabalistic training from W. E. Butler’s Servants of the Light. He has studied the works of Alice A. Bailey and Rudolf Steiner since the late 1960’s and has found much material of value in both. He has training in group process and task-focused group leadership. He also has some training in psychotherapy and has had quite a few years of personal therapy himself.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis convallis velit quis sapien sollicitudin ultrices. Ut metus tortor, aliquet non rutrum ac, dapibus vehicula augue. Etiam congue erat sem, vitae gravida nunc pretium vitae. Fusce sed ex tellus. Quisque auctor viverra feugiat. Nulla urna odio, porta ut tristique ut, consequat non dolor. Etiam varius maximus dolor, at consectetur lectus. Mauris rutrum aliquet tellus, sed convallis diam.
If you think the Grail Lodge might be a good fit for you, please get in touch.