The Manifesto of the
SODALICIUM MYSTERIORUM
ARTHURI,
or
Fellowship of the Arthurian Mysteries
IN NOMINE REGIS QUONDAM REGISQUE FUTURUS,
To use their knowledge as the keys to the esoteric secrets hidden within the Arthurian legends,
To provide a common bond of fellowship, spiritual renewal, and growth through initiations,
To be of service to the Spiritual Community,
To help awaken The Hero latent in each of our initiated members,
and to encourage each other in our searches for our respective Holy Grails.
The Arthurian Legends have been popular wherever they are known, no matter how far from their native Britain they spread, and those with even the most superficial knowledge of the Mysteries finds esoteric references within the stories.
The Qabalist and the Ceremonial Magician discover in the Matter of Britain a treasure-trove of magical themes, in numbers, colors, and objects. For example, he reads the story of how the Battle against the Eleven Kings was won only after one of the Kings was slain with a blow to the crown of his head. Knowing the esoteric meaning of the number eleven, and of the Chakra associated with the top of the head, the Ceremonial Magician immediately sees the allusion to the Great Work ("It matters not if it is by design or by coincidence.").
The Neo-Pagan finds reverence for nature and seasonally-based festivals, among other hints at “the old religion.” Are the many knights, ladies, and even Arthur himself not based upon the old gods? Are the days on which they feast not the days which Christianity adapted from the pagan religion?
The Neo-Druid enjoys the legend’s Celtic origins. For example, he reads of how Sir Balin had been imprisoned for six months, and was released in the springtime; he cannot help but realize the reference to our Lord the Sun.
The Hermeticist sees the parallels between the Holy Grail and its Quest, and the search for the Philosopher’s Stone.
And the post-modern individual, “spiritual” or not, enjoys tales of a simpler, nobler, and magical time, when right and wrong were clear, and having ideals was lauded rather than derided.
The method of the SODALICIUM MYSTERIORUM ARTHURI is to initiate candidates in an Arthurian setting. All degrees, of which there are only three, are by invitation only.
Fraternal orders exist primarily for mutual aid for the membership; the more successful ones also perform acts of public service.
There is no “indefeasible right” to become an initiate within a fraternal order. Only those who are of good heart, good character, and good will can benefit from initiation, and initiating orders, in turn, succeed only when they limit initiation to such people.
One becomes a member of a fraternal order by taking an oath. Such an oath is a verbal contract and must be kept if it is to be meaningful. The “fraternal order” that cares not if its members keep their oaths -- or, worse, cares only if some of its members do, but not if others do not -- is little more than a club, and is doomed.
The mere taking of an oath never made anyone another person's "brother" or "sister", for true fraternity lies not in taking oaths, but in keeping them; additionally, there can be no fraternity with those who would not be their brothers' or sisters' friends.
Membership in a fraternal order is not a “life insurance policy” for a social life. Leadership in a fraternal order, at any level, is an opportunity to grow and to be of service to others, and is not for one’s comfort, prestige, or income. "Initiation fees" -- if any -- should be nominal at most, and dues should be reasonable, being spent on nothing but the group's expenses.
We are also tolerant: we care not if our members are Neo-Pagans, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Thelemites, liberal or magical Christians (we can't imagine any other kind wanting to join!), or even atheists.
We make no pretentious claims to an "ancient," "oriental," or "Atlantean" lineage, nor do we claim to have been founded on the instructions of “Secret Chiefs” or other “astral” contacts -- unless coming across a copy of Gareth Knight's The Secret Tradition in the Arthurian Legends, and saying to oneself, "Hey, this looks interesting... " counts.
(The S.M.A.'s founder had been a member and a chartered initiator of another fraternal order. He had grown tired of the internal politics within that group, and so decided, in 1464AA (2001CE), to start an order of his own.)
Moreover, we also do not claim either legendary or historical persons, who died before our Fellowship was founded (2004CE, or 1467 Anno Arthuri), as “illustrious past members”. We freely admit that our "mysteries" are of our own discovery and invention, and that they are Arthurian in inspiration only (again, "it matters not if it is by design or by coincidence" that the "Hiram Abiff" story can be retold in Arthurian terms). We also acknowledge that our public rituals are inspired by and modeled upon those of other orders (the "Arthurian Pentagram" ritual is a Celtic revision of the classic "Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram", and the adorations of Belinus and the Maiden, Mother and the Crone were inspired by the A:.A:.'s Liber Resh vel Helios).
There is no slow-moving, unaccountable, and insensitive hierarchy, as there are with some other fraternal orders.
Of all the orders in the West which purport to teach the "mysteries,” the longest-lasting, most successful, and most influential has been the Freemasons. At the time of this writing, that Order is nearly three-hundred years old. Its list of past members includes many of the greatest men in history (we, however, admit women as well as men). Even beyond its lodges, the Order of Freemasons has made its influence felt. Neo-Paganism is no exception; its degree structure, and many of its terms (“So mote it be,” the use of “cowan” for “outsider,” and so on) are nothing less than Masonic in origin.
Therefore, because of its success, we use the Masonic approach of three initiations, each representing a stage in life, each revealing mysteries, conferring benefits, and incurring responsibilities (but note well that we also admit women).
“Squire”
In this degree, the candidate experiences rebirth, receives refuge from the Saxons (our word for "cowan"; a historical reference, and not intended as a slight against contemporary "Saxon Wiccans"), and solemnly pledges to be of service to the Order.
In this degree, after tests of will, courage, and resourcefulness, the candidate achieves adulthood, and solemnly pledges to be of service to his or her spiritual community.
In this degree, after facing the dual challenges of betrayal and death, the candidate achieves a vision of the Grail.
At the discretion of the Lodge’s Merlin, providing that Camelot Grand Lodge has been notified, any member of another Order may receive admission to the S.M.A. at the degree corresponding to that of his or her current order.
1. We greet each other, begin all meetings and feasts, and all correspondence with "In the name of the once and future King." This corresponds to the Wiccan "Blessed Be!" and the Thelemite "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."
We end with "and in the name of the Queen of Infinity." This corresponds to "Merry meet, merry part," and "Love is the law, love under will."
In official proclamations, these are said in Latin:
In an informal "real time" setting, these may be abbreviated to "Nomine": in informal writings (especially e-mails), one may save keystrokes with "INR..." and "& INRI", as do "BB", "MM", "MP", "93", and "93--93/93."
2. Before meals, we express our gratitude to the gods by saying,
Looking forward to the return of our King, we then express our hope in the Cymric tongue:
(There are also other times when this pair of sayings is appropriate.)
We then conclude with:
3. Four times daily -- at sunrise, midday, sunset, and midnight -- we adore our Lord, whose outward symbol is the Sun. Once nightly, we adore our Lady, whose outward symbol is the Moon. At mid-afternoon, if possible, or, at some other time if mid-afternoon is inconvenient, we sit, close our eyes. While visualizing the Lord and Lady standing before us (the Lord on our right and the Lady on our left) we recite the following mantra (originally from the Golden Dawn tradition, but paraphrased for our use) one hundred eight times:
Holy art thou whom nature hath not formed,
Holy art thou, the vast and mighty ones!
Rulers of the light and the darkness, AMEN.
4. We celebrate nine feasts (nine being a number of the Goddess): the eight traditional "sabbats" and Pentecost. We celebrate the sabbats at the "astronomically" or "astrologically correct" times; we also celebrate Pentecost because, according to Mallory, King Arthur's coronation was on Pentecost; later, on another Pentecost, the Round Table Knights were charged with the Quest to seek the Holy Grail -- therefore, we have deemed Pentecost the best day for publishing this manifesto.
5. As Part of our celebration of the eight sabbats, we perform
6. Our "Year Zero" is 537CE, as this is the most reliable date for the Battle of Camlann, in which King Arthur died. Our "New Year's Day" is the Feast of Gwyl Arglwyddes, the Cymric name for Imbolc or Candlemas (early February, when the Sun is at 15deg 00min 00sec Tropical Aquarius). To convert Common Era to Anno Arthuri, subtract 537 from the Common Era date for all dates between and including Gwyl Arglwyddes and 31 December; subtract 538 from 1 January to the last day before Gwyl Arglwyddes. For example, 1 December, 2003CE was in the year 1466AA, as was 12 January 2004CE, while 12 February 2004 was in 1467AA.
7. We prefer the words "Cymru," "Cymry" and "Cymric" to "Wales" and "Welsh"; "Welsh" comes from a Saxon word meaning "foreigner," and it was the Saxon invaders who were the "foreigners" in fifth-century CE Britain.
Membership in the SODALICIUM MYSTERIORUM ARTHURI is open to all who are of good heart, good character, and good will, interested in the Matter of Britain, active in the Neo-Pagan or alternative spirituality community, and who live in or frequently visit southwest Pennsylvania (this "residency requirement" may change as the Order grows).
If you are such a person, and if your philosophy is in harmony with this Manifesto, we invite you to contact Merlin Gahmuret at in_nomine_regis@yahoo.com or apply for membership in the Sodalicium Mysteriorum Arthuri Yahoo! Group.
by order of
GAHMURET, Merlin of Tintagel Lodge
Sovereign Merlin, Camelot Grand Lodge,
SODALICIUM MYSTERIORUM ARTHURI
Avalon, Pennsylvania, United States of America
30 May 1467AA (Pentecost, 2004CE)