Who is any darn Grade he wants to be today---

Required Resources

Four people, dedicated to the work of the lodge

Books: Roberts Rules of Order

            Regardies Golden Dawn

Circeros Self Initiation in the Golden Dawn Tradition, and the Essential Golden                                                                                              Dawn

Access to a typewriter or a computer with a copy of Word and a printer

A place to get photocopies (for making copies of the ritual and for handouts of lectures/lessons)

Some cash to buy supplies, such as photocopies and the items for the Mystic Repast (Rose, Lamp/Candle, Bread and Salt, Wine)

Three wooden dowels if no Hierophants Wand, Hierieus Sword, and Hegegons Wand is available.

A table to serve as the Altar

Two Pillars (can be a Black Candle and a White Candle)

Construction Paper to make Cross and Triangle and the Banners of the East and the West

A private room to meet in, of course

Someone with some knowledge of parliament/democracy/meritocracy procedures

Someone with some knowledge of lodgekit, preferably from a meritocracy lodge

Useful but not necessary

A copy of John Michael Greers Inside a Magical Lodge

A contact in either a Grand Lodge-style Order or the Underground of Independent and Irregular Temples

An Adept

Contact with an Archive Officer

Not necessary, perhaps even counter-productive

Charter/Warrant/Lineage

Complete Set of Documents

Complete understanding of the system

A complete set of tools, robes, a dozen members, a decent meeting room

A website, especially a dot.com

Perfect members and/or perfect leader/teacher

Perfect conditions in general conditions in general

            If you wait for perfect conditions to occur, then you will never start to work and you will still be waiting when the final trumpet blows.

Bylaws

Purpose of the lodge

Baseline for the curriculum

Regular meetings and default conditions (ex. If one Officer and one other member show up a Meeting will happen, though the lesson/ritual may be changed to account for the personal shortage, and NO BUSINESS can be conducted.)

Voting Rights

            Outer Order voting rights to be held by those who showed up to the first meeting. Those who join later must advance to Zelator, and undergo a probationary period of at least six months or six meetings attended, whatever is longer.

            Inner Order voting rights---Adepts if applicable. Inner Order votes can override Outer Order votes on issues of curriculum and advancement, and on matters that concern the GOOD of the lodge, (aka anything that will destroy the lodge instantly if passed).

            Third Order voting rights---if you belong to a Grand Lodge, consult with them.

Anti-Secret Chief rule

            Designed to prevent any Secret Chief(s) or those who claim contact with such from installing an autocratic system or vastly changing the system.

            One of the mistakes that absolutely has to be avoided during the opening days of a new lodge is the installation of any autocratic governing structures. Autocratic governing structures have destroyed lodges beyond count. The original Revolt of the Adepts and many of the schisms that have plagued the later Golden Dawn offshoots have been a direct result of the enlightened autocracy, where the entire decision making power of the lodge/Order has been held by only one or a few High Grade members. Quite often this type of rule is for LIFE of the tyrant in question, no court of appeal.

            The government of a lodge ideally should be a Meritocracy, where the most trusted Highest Grade member gets the highest officer-ship. Through a limited democracy might also work. Officers must be held accountable for the well-being of the lodge; if they are not up to par then the lodge members must have the option of replacing them.

Suggested Schedule of Classes

            First couple of meetings, focus on the LBRP and the Opening and Closing Ritual of the 0=0 Grade, as well as trying to learn the Order of the Business Phrase of the meeting. If the group survives that, then move on to the 0=0 initiations and curriculum.

Absolute Requirements

The willingness on the part of all members, to make mistakes, admit to them when they are finally noticed, and attempt to fix said mistakes.

The honesty and integrity of all members to admit to the lodges TRUE history, that they started out as an Independent and Irregular lodge, and are only Golden Dawn in the sense that they are using the public Golden Dawn material as the lodges baseline.

The ability, especially on the part of the officers and leadership, to say I do not know when confronted with something that they are ignorant about. And the ability to say, I am still human, I made a mistake, I changed my mind, I am guessing, In my less than humble opinion are also required.

And a lot of luck and favor from the Gods and Goddesses.