Society of the Guardians

The Society of Guardians of Grace, Blessings and Sustenance, more commonly known as The Society of Guardians and by its variation, the Et Custosi Tutelae^[1] or just The Guardians, is a magical and Qabalistic order with temples primarily in New Zealand and in Australia.^[2] Operational groups exist on Great Barrier Island and in Auckland City, New Zealand.^[3] other Et Custosi Tutelae temples exists in the Philippines ^[4] and the B'nai-Amen Temple of the Guardians of Grace, located at Pinewood Springs, Colorado,^[5]

Traditionally a small group, it is limited to 22 members who are described as "technical mystics".^[6] Although small in comparison to other Orders such as the Golden Dawn, many members of the public benefited from the classes and correspondence courses conducted by the Guardians, before their Mt. Eden sanctuary closed down after the death of Michel Corbold (aka Michael Freedman).

Origin

The legendary history of the Society claims 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 Society grew to its maximum of 22 members and split into separate German and British orders. In the 1930s the German order apparently 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.^[7]

In Australia the elderly Guardians all died, and only one new member, Michel Tyne-Corbold (1929–1996), joined. He was invested as Senior Guardian a week before Freedman Burford died, and assumed the traditional Guardian name "Freedman", becoming Michael Freedman.^[6]

Michael Freedman

That history however is unverifiable and unlikely. What is known is that Michael Freedman was the nom-de-plume of an Australian whose legal name was Michel Tyne-Corbold (truncated to Michel Corbold), the Tyne being his mothers family name. In January 1968, Michel Corbold and three other Australians went to India to study at the Maharishi Academy in India.^[8] Corbold graduated from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Academy (Rishikesh headquarters) in India and, upon returning to Australia, established himself as a Transcendental Meditation teacher in 1968.^[9]

Having set up a spiritual centre in Melbourne, Michel Corbold meet the prominent occultist Mouni Sadhu (Mieczyslaw Demetriusz Sudowski) who also lived in Melbourne and was active in the Rosicrucian tradition and Eastern spirituality. According to Jean de Cabalis, it is from this association with Mouni Sadhu that Michael created his adaption of a 12th-century mystical order and tradition.^[10]

Shortly after in 1970, Michel Corbold and his wife Susan Robbins moved to New Zealand, where he continued as a meditation teacher for income and acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Auckland.

Corbold opened a "Sanctuary of the Holy Angels" in a house on Horoeka Avenue, on the slopes of Mount Eden and built a flourishing order.^[6] Michel Corbold adopted the Mystic Cross of the Grand Hierophant symbol published by Mouni Sadhu in his book The Tarot^[11] as the official emblem of the Society of Guardians for the New Age of Aquarius.^[12][13] Corbold initially used a variation of the Golden Dawn Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis symbol, which he attributed to the lost German branch of the Guardians, as the ancient Grand Badge of office for the Society.^[13] For the Ancient Seal of the Guardians, a 19th brass Hindu (Southern Indian) body stamp having a solar symbol was used.^[14] The body stamp presumably was acquired in India during his studies at the Maharishi Academy.

Although of dubious historical credibility, the Society was very active magically. Working with magical tides,^[15] Ritual, Kabbalah and astrology were key elements of the Society's work. The Guardians described their rites as "Mithraist in a very broad sense", and these were observed according to solar and lunar cycles. At the Mount 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 Society'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.^[6]

In 1978, the Society 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 through one of its commonly linked Societies.

As Senior Guardian, Michael Freedman also presided over a collective which published New Zealand's leading esoteric and occult periodical for a number of years. The periodical, begun by Jean de Cabalis, its original editor, called Magic Pentacle, and 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.

Michael Freedman maintained good relations with the local Wicca scene during the 1990's and was a member of the Boucca covens. He was also the Pan Pacific Pagan Alliance representative for New Zealand for a time.^[16]

Jean de Cabalis

Jean de Cabalis began studying with the Guardians in 1982. He was a live-in student of Michael Freedman. Michael Freedman was known as the "Mage of Mt Eden".^[17] Cabalis was made a Priest and Guardian Adept of the Guardians by Michael Freedman during two ceremonies in 1986. Cabalis remained Vice President of the Guardian Society and a close friend of Michael Freedman until Freedman's death in 1996.

Cabalis also studied under Frank Salt, a chief of the Whare Ra temple of the Order of the Golden Dawn for a time. Cabalis is also a lineaged 3rd degree initiated wiccan. Having been initiated into the Alexandrian magical mysteries by one of Alex Sanders last High Priestesses (Dale B) and also into the Simon Goodman (Ian Watts)^[18] Australian line through another Wiccan; whom Jean co-founded a Wiccan tradition called Boucca Wicca.^[19] Boucca Wicca had links to Simon Goodman and Alex Sanders through their initiates.^[20] and also the Duality School of Magic.^[21] From 1998 Boucca Wicca released a small quarterly called 'the Ankh' was featured within Circlecaster an occult journal; which released after the closure of Magic Pentacle ^{[22] [23]} Boucca Wicca was influential in the early Pagan Alliance of New Zealand ^[24]

Following Freedman's death in 1996, the Order went into disarray for several years. According to the Constitution of the Guardians, Cabalis was elected as the new Senior Guardian, taking office in 1999.^[25] Anxious to avoid any future problems, Cabalis placed his Guardian current within the aegis of his Et Custosi Tutelae magical order. The title "Senior Guardian" being placed under Cabalis' regency until the return of the appointed successor D.C (aka Yahuel).

During 2000, Cabalis secured a Guardian charter at 6th degree level from Yahuel (the appointed successor Senior Guardian by Michael Freedman). This warrant further confirmed and entitled Cabalis the right to continue the Guardians of Grace Blessing and Sustenance work and lineage, which he continued within the Et Custosi Tutelae.

Cabalis appointed Frater Carfax as the Imperator (manager) of the Guardians in 2003, where an Australian group has been operating.^[26] In 2014 Frater Carfax resigned from the Et Custosi Tutelae society to pursue his own Guardian Order, the Bet Yerusha.^[27]

In 2008, Cabalis traveled to Frankfurt, Paris and London where he received further Rosicrucian initiations. And to Ghent, Belgium where he was dubbed a Knight of the "Freres Aines De La Rose Croix" Rosicrucian Order by Knight Commander, Bishop P.de C. ^[28][29] Bishop P.de C. provided Cabalis additional 'Freres Aines De La Rose Croix' charter and three of the FAR+C esoteric lines which are now included within the Et Custosi Tutelae Guardian society.

During the Southern Hemisphere Summer Solstice 2014, Jean de Cabalis withdrew from practice of occultism and the public arena to follow the dharma way. Although he continues to release "Et Custosi Tutelae" material through Lulu Press and serve administrative functions for its members.

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 Compassion for all Life

and in Cooperation with all Life.^[30]

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.^[31] 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.

Et Custosi Tutelae

During the late 1970s and the 1980s the Guardians under Michael Freedman became more magical. Many if not all the earlier Guardian ceremonies, which were gnostic and esoteric Christian in nature, were no longer performed in favour of the Guardians having a more magical emphasis.

In order to preserve and resurrect these ceremonies and the strong Gnostic Christian Rosicrucian mystical tradition, that was removed under Michael Freedman during the late 1980s and early 1990', but found within its earlier ceremonies,^[32] Jean de Cabalis along with Bishop Dr. T.S. formed the Guardian Church during the Feast of Virgo 2003.^[33] at the same time (2003) Frater Carfax was appointed Imperator of the Et Custosi Tutelae. The Et Custosi Tutelae having been earlier created in the 1990s by Jean de Cabalis and Soror Moonshee to include bona-fide historical lineages such as Alexandrian Magick, Order of the Golden Dawn (Whare Ra) to supplement the somewhat dubious legendary history of the Guardians. In this way Cabalis' sought to provide historical relevance to his variation of the Guardians, that was lacking under Freedman.

The Guardian Church for a time existed within the A.'.M.'.S.'. Sovereign Illuminated Order of the Rose Croix an Rosicrucian society descended from Roger Caro's 'Freres Aines De La Rose Croix'; that Cabalis received charter for in 2003. The A.'.M.'.S.'. continued to grow through multiple Caro and Toussaint currents existing within the Guardians through Cabalis and Bishop Dr R.W. Later Cabalis was made a Knight of the 'Freres Aines De La Rose Croix' in Belgium by Knight Commander, Bishop P.de C. ^[34] Bishop P.de C. provided Cabalis additional 'Freres Aines De La Rose Croix' charter and three of the Order's esoteric lines. Bishop P.de C. was made the honorary Archbishop of the Guardian Gnostic Church since the resignation of Bishop Dr. T.S.; Cabalis joined egregores with Bishop Dr. R W. a holder of several Temple of Adjunta and OSFAR+C / ENA lines separate from de Coster. The Sovereign Illuminated Order of the Rose Croix, ceased to be a separate Order to the Guardians in 2011, merging completely within the Et Custosi Tutelae under the agreement of Cabalis and Dr. R.W. This adding to the collective pool of historical lineages contained within the Et Custosi Tutelae. All the religious ceremonies of the Guardians, ceased by Michael Freedman, have been re-enacted within the Guardians under the leadership of Cabalis. In addition another Golden Dawn line, and multiple Ordo Templi Orientis charters, from Europe, North and South America were obtained by Cabalis for the collective pool of the Et Custosi Tutelae.^[35]

Another smaller tradition; the sacred mysteries of the Abbess being preserved through the Australian branch of the Society primarily under the care of Frater Carfax at this time.

References