Society of the Guardians

The Society of Guardians of Grace, Blessings and Sustenance, more commonly known as The Society of Guardians, or just The Guardians is a magical and Qabalistic order with its headquarters currently based in Australia; having smaller operational groups existing in New Zealand.

A small group, it is limited to 22 members, who are described as "technical mystics".cite book |last=Ellwood |first=Robert S. |year=1993 |title=Islands of the Dawn: The Story of Alternative Sprituality in New Zealand |location=Honolulu |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |id=ISBN 0-8248-1487-8] Although small, it has conducted classes and correspondence courses for members of the public.

Origin

The traditional history of the order states that it originated in a small 12th century community of weavers and scriveners interested in Kabbalah, who left southern France to settle in Spain at the same time that Jews were expelled from France. According to the story, in 1282 members of the group, disguised as Franciscans, rescued the Kabbalist Abraham Abulafia from prison and subsequently studied on more advanced levels with him. They formed an order which continued to operate until, during the occult revival of the mid- to late-19th century, the order grew to its maximum of 22 members and split into separate German and British orders. Apparently in the 1930s the German order perished under Nazi Germany, while the British Order's Senior Guardian, Freedman Burford, decided to emigrate to Australia with a few other members to preserve it from the war. [ [Beliefs and Practices in New Zealand. Published by Massey University 1985. Prof Peter Donovan - editor.] ] In Australia the elderly Guardians all died, and only one new member, Michael Tyne-Corbold (1927-1996), joined; he was invested as Senior Guardian a week before Freedman Burford died, and assumed the traditional Guardian name "Freedman", becoming Michael Freedman.

Michael Freedman

That history is unverifiable; however in 1970 Michael Freedman and his wife moved to New Zealand, where he worked as a psychologist. He opened a "Sanctuary of the Holy Angels" in a house on Horoeka Avenue, on the slopes of Mt Eden and built a flourishing order.

Ritual and astrology were key elements of the order's work. They described their rites as "Mithraist in a very broad sense", and these were observed according to solar and lunar cycles. At the Mt Eden Sanctuary a Mass of the Holy Archangels was held each Saturday evening to mark the beginning of the new week, and solstices and equinoxes were observed. The order's rites involved dancing and offerings of bread, salt, honey, wine and incense as libations to Mother Earth, and contained words from both Jesus and the Buddha.

In 1978 the order began offering a free meditation course by correspondence, one they claimed was free of any dogma or "mystical mumbo-jumbo", and was just as beneficial as the very expensive courses available in Transcendental Meditation.

The Senior Guardian Michael Freedman also presided over a collective which published New Zealand's leading esoteric and occult periodical for a number of years, initially called "Magic Pentacle", and later, after Michael Freedman's death in 1996, "New Pentacle". Freedman wrote many articles in the magazine, and was also working on a number of translations of Latin, Greek and Hebrew texts into English, including a translation of a version of the Sefer Yetzirah.

Leonard Stevens

Following Freedman's death, the order went into disarray for several years. During c.e.2000 Leonard Stevens (aka Jean de Cabalis) secured a 'Guardian' charter at 6th degree level from Dermot Cooke (the appointed successor Senior Guardian by Michael Freedman). This warrant further entitled Leonard Stevens to continue the Guardians of Grace Blessing and Sustenance work and lineage.

Practices

The Three Watchwords of the New Age as first proclaimed by Michael Freedman at the Winter solstice, 1980 were:Communion, Compassion and Cooperation. Any person was invited to adopt these watchwords. A customary way to do this is to face East and recite the words known to the Guardians as "the Intention":

:It is my intention:to link myself with those Forces and Forms:which are building the Universe:so that I/We may be a part of evolving life.:In Communion with all Life:With Compasssion for all Life:and in Cooperation with all Life. [ In the Hebrew tongue: YChD 22, RChMyM 298, ShThWPYWTh 780, this is their significance: YRSh Inheritance 510, from the Proclamation of the Three Watchwords by Michael Freedman ]

Today's Guardians invite all persons (in the spirit of the Age of Aquarius) to continue the work of the Guardians in cooperation with all life, walking in Light and Life and Love. However formal membership within the Guardians consisted of various offices and seven grades.fact|date=August 2008 Full Guardian membership status was obtained after a number of years membership and study. Ceremonial dedications or receptions being performed to receive candidates to either Healer, Priest and/or Guardian status.

References

Guardian Documents: there is a collection of some Guardian materials at: http://etoile.topcities.com/ECT/