Sword Use in the Golden Dawn

There has long been some confusion regarding the positioning and ritual use of the sword within the Golden Dawn tradition. One of the first points to clarify is which hand holds the sword during different parts of the ceremonies.

During the circumambulation of the Neophyte Ceremony, the sword is carried in the left hand. This corresponds to the outer current of the developing magical force as the

energy ring is progressively established around the Temple. Viewed from above, with the blade imagined upon the face of a clock, the sword is held at approximately ten minutes to the hour when carried on the outside in the left hand, and at approximately twenty minutes past the hour when carried on the inside. This orientation is deliberate. It enables the blade to symbolically sever any undesirable energetic links or influences cast off during the circumambulation while simultaneously preventing discordant forces from entering the protective sphere that is being created. During the closing circumambulation, however, the sword is transferred to the right hand, reflecting the reversal of the current as the accumulated force is dispersed and the Temple is ceremonially closed.

During the procession, when the Sign of Silence is given, it is the upright sword that is brought to the lips with the left hand before being extended forward in a horizontal movement as the officer makes the Projecting Sign. Throughout the remainder of the ritual, whether the officer is seated or standing, the sword is normally maintained in an upright position. The only exception occurs during the Eucharist, when the officer leaves the chair and approaches the altar. At this point the sword is left standing beside the chair with its point resting upon the floor in a position of repose.

Jack Taylor explained to me that this was more than a matter of convenience or ceremonial etiquette. In the Whare Ra tradition, the grounded sword was regarded as retaining a point of magical power, anchoring and stabilizing the force associated with the officer's station while the chair itself remained temporarily unoccupied. The sword thus continued to mark and sustain the magical presence of that office even in the officer's brief absence.

Another traditional use of the sword point, although outside the formal Temple ritual, was associated with the preparation of the Whare Ra temple grounds before construction began. The land was consecrated by members of the Order of the Table Round (OTR), the organisation that later merged with Whare Ra and the Golden Dawn. During this consecration, the participants simultaneously thrust the points of their swords into the earth, charging and dedicating the site through a unified act of magical intention. This illustrates that, within the Golden Dawn tradition, the sword was not merely a symbolic weapon but also an instrument for directing, grounding, and transmitting magical force.