by Richard Townhill
Recent days have seen a renewal of the ongoing Golden Dawn Flame wars on usenet with the publication and promotion on alt.magick of two "anonymous defamation websites", one attacking Chic and Tabatha Cicero of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc®.
This first site requires little analysis as it is an obvious attempt merely to defame and degrade posing as an ad by Tabatha Cicero for prostitution to raise money for the Golden Dawn Legal Fund.
and the other one attacking David Griffin and Jean-Pascal Ruggiu, leaders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn®.
This one is more representative of the sort of anonymous attack site we have been observing for decades now.
I am not a member of any Golden Dawn order, but have been following the Golden Dawn flamewars closely since it began nearly two decades ago. I will attempt to cut through the rhetoric and hype by the various factions and present an account of both sides of the relevant items of discussion, followed by my conclusions upon objectively weighing all available information.
To begin with, this is a decades old flame war. For a history of the Golden Dawn flame wars, see Mara Bellings excellent post on this subject.
I must unfortunately point out that there is one person in the Golden Dawn Community has been conclusively linked directly to publishing "anonymous defamation websites, using them as a negative marketing tool:
Robert Zink was linked to the anonymously published attack websites when he slipped up by advertising one such negative website from his Golden Dawn Blog - in the entry dated Saturday, February 12, 2005 - linking to a defamation site attacking David Griffin and the HOGD.Once it became apparent that this blog entry directly linked Robert Zink to the negative websites, Mr. Zink removed the entry, in what to me seems like an attempt to cover up his tracks.
Before the blog was sanitized, however many people (including myself) downloaded the entry. Here is one copy where you can read the original blog entry.
Who is Robert Zink anyway?
Robert Zink claims to have 30 years experience with the Golden Dawn. According to his ex-wife, Sonya Niemann Zink, however, the two of them decided to start a Golden Dawn order when Robert bought Israel Regardie's books in 1991. According to Sonya Neiman Zink, neither of them were ever initiated into the Golden Dawn, but founded the order using a Oija Board with Zink chanelling an entity he calls X. Robert Zink then invented something he calls "Astral Initiation" where a candidate meditates while a ritual happens for a mass of students on the other end of the world. This has no root at all in Golden Dawn tradition.
Zink originally called his order the Eternal Golden Dawn, then the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn International, then Hermetic Order of the Morning Star, and today the Hermetic Order of the Morning Star, dba the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn.
Robert Zink operates a marketing business from which he attempts to sell seminars, CDs, and New Age trinkets from the following websites:
http://www.robertzink.com - Personal Magic (Sells Oils, CDs, and other New Age trinkets)
http://www. theguarantee.info - The Guarantee (A Repackaging of "The Secret")
http://www.ruachhealing.com - The Ruach Healing Method (A Reiki Repackaging)http://www.thepowerofangels.com - The Power of Angels (Angel Magic Lite - for the New Age Martket)
Regarding the new anonymous defamation websites from last few days, logic dictates that the group with most to gain by defaming both the Ciceros and Griffin is Robert Zink's Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn. From where I sit, it looks like Zink and his Esoteric Golden Dawn are up to their old tricks again.
So, what is this Golden Dawn flame war all about anyway?
The real root of the problem appears to be a dispute about Golden Dawn initiation, as follows:
a) David Griffin and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn® argue that traditional Golden Dawn Initiation in physical temples is important and should not be abandoned.
b) Chic Cicero and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc.® argues that traditional Golden Dawn initiation in physical temples is not necessary and can be replaced by "Self-Initiation" , guided meditation as is taught in Cicero's "Self-Initiation" book. It is interesting that Chic Cicero admits that he is only self-initiated himself in a private email reproduced here.
c) Robert Zink and the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn also argues that traditional Golden Dawn initiation in physical temples is not necessary and has replaced it with "Astral Initiation" also called "Long Distance Initiation" where people are told to meditate while a ritual happens on the other side of the world.
So how did the flame war get started?
1) The flames really started getting hot when Robert Zink published arrest documents from Columbus Georgia, showing that Cicero has a history of arrest for domestic violence and on weapons charges. He also alleges that Cicero once owned a strip club and was dishonorably discharged from the Army on violence charges. The original arrest documents, strip club business license and discharge deposition may be viewed at:
http://www.geocities.com/cicero200940/CriminalCicero.pdf
2) Chic Cicero responded by revealing that Robert Zink is a known Sexual Predator and that Robert Zink is guilty of raping Rafaela Pulera (according to California law) , the underaged 15 year old daughter of Rita Pulera, then one of one of Zink's Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn members.
a) Robert Zink first responded by denying these serious allegations.
b) Chic Cicero then replied by publishing the following post from the underaged victim's mother, Rita Pulera:
Posted by Rita, Raphaelas Mom
Date Time: 2002.07.28 03:51
RE: PDR, FDA Unfairly Slandered
Hello, Catherine (Campbell, former EOGD Chief): Its been awhile, hasnt it? I am happy to hear that Raphaela is doing so well. I wouldnt know. I was hoping all of you would leave Raphaela out of it. But you havent. How dare you! Raphaela was only 16 when her relationship with Robert began. Let me set that straight. And if you want to contest her mother, go right ahead. I did not give Robert any consent to sleep with my daughter, he just took it on himself. Raphaela, I am sorry, I have to do this now. You see, Catherine, Robert did a Bowl of Desire on Raphaela so he could take her -- she was still attending Rosary High School. So it was not okay. She had to drop out of high school because of the pregnancy, and to this day has never been allowed to finish her schooling. Why dont you have some shred of decency and leave my daughter and her son out of it? The reason I never pressed charges was to protect my daughter, my grandson and myself from the threats. Please take this conversation offline now. If you want to email me let me know.
Rita
c) Robert Zink followed up by publicly attacking the Rita Pulera, attempting to undermine the Mother's credibility.
d) Rita Pulera, the Mother in indignation, then published as proof the birth certificate of the illegitimate child that Zink sired when he raped the victim, Rafaela Pulera, who was only 15 when he first raped her and 16 when he inpregnated herher. The victim dropped out of St. Mary's high school and still has not been able to complete her education. As proof, the birth certificate of the child sired by sexual predator Robert Zink on victim, Rafaela Pulera, can be viewed here.
These Golden Dawn flame wars have been flaring up periodically on alt.magick and elsewhere ever since and are routinely accompanied by the promotion of extremely unethical and disgusting "anonymous attack websites". For example, one such website included the private name and address of David Griffin's parents, advertising their home as a house of prostitution. Just recently, another one appeared, publishing the private address and phone number of Chic and Tabatha Cicero and posing as an ad by Tabatha Cicero for prostitution with Chic Cicero as here pimp.
Further evidence of Robert Zink's guilt in the defamation of other leaders of other Golden Dawn orders is easily confirmed on Robert Zink's own EOGD forum (groups.yahoo.com/group/Golden-Dawn-Forum-World-Wide) where a search of forum archives, for example, for the search term "Griffin" yields 1122 defamatory posts attacking David Griffin and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn!
Conclusion: A defamatory post or two, here and there, might be somewhat normal, but over one thousand posts? From where I sit, this is clear and compelling evidence of an ongoing, orchestrated defamation campaign of leaders of other orders being waged by Robert Zink and his Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn. Combined with the fact that Robert Zink has been conclusively and undeniably connected with at least one anonomous defamation website ... the evidence becomes overwhelming.
So is there any other evidence that Robert Zink and his EOGD are also behind these latest defamatory websites? The themes included in the new site attacking Griffin perfectly mirror attacks contsined on the EOGD site itself. For example, the new site attacking Griffin attacks his views that teachings on sacred sexuality are part of core Golden Dawn teachings. (Note that Robert Zink has more of a prudish, fundamentalist Christian slant in his EOGD, and Zink has attacked Griffin's views on sacred sexuality many times bnefore including on Zink's own website.
Here are both sides of the sexuality discussion, in Griffin and Zink's own words:
Robert wrote on the EOGD website (see esotericgoldendawn.com/tradition_sexmagic.htm)
David Griffin replied on the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn website.
Conclusion: Since Robert Zink is the ONLY person who has ever been linked to the defamatory sites, and since the new site perfectly mirrors the arguments on Zink's EOGD site, the smoking gun for the new anonymous defamatioin websites seems clear enough to me.
Let us continue to examine both sides of the discussion on the other issues raised on the new defamtory site:
For example, the new anon site gives what I consider limited and very biased biographical information about two HOGD leaders, David Griffin and Jean-Pascal Ruggiu. On the other side of the story, here is a very different biography of David Griffin and here is a very different biography of Jean-Pascal Ruggiu.
The new defamatory website goes on to claim "Griffin has no lineage." Since it is known that Robert Zink indeed has no legitimate connection to the Golden Dawn, this sounds like sour grapes. It should be noted that Robert Zink has made this allegation many times in the past on his EOGD website as well. This is further indication of a Robert Zink authorship of the new attack website. Interestingly, althoug Robert Zink alleges that Griffin has no lineage, Zink offers no PROOF - only an empty assertion of a personal and obviously biased opinion.
On the other hand, David Griffin and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn have thoroughly documented their various lineages in great detail here and here.
The attack website (again mirroring Robert Zink's own EOGD site, then goes on to claim that David Griffin was expelled from Chic Cicero's order. On the other side of the discussion, it is comon knowledge in the esoteric community that David Griffin was never a member Chic Cicero's temple, but rather of Cris Monnatre's temple, and that what really happenned was a schism between Cicero and Monnastre commonly called the "The Golden Dawn Pizza Schism of 1994".
Apparently, this schism was provoked when Chic Cicero allegedly had a loud, angry, public outburst at Griffin over ordering pizza, screaming at the top of his lungs "if you don't want pepperoni pizza then get the hell out of here." Monnastre then sternly admonished Cicero, `"Chic Cicero, don't you ever embarrass me like that in front of my temple members again." Monnastre left in a huff taking Griffin with her. Cicero then allegedly lied to his order members that Monnastre had allegedly "resigned". Griffin sided with Monnastre in the ensuing schsim and hired Stuart MacKenzie, who successfully represented the OTO against Marcello Motta and reached a settlement agreement with Cicero. Here is a post documenting the Golden Dawn Pizza Schism.
My conclusion: This sounds like more sour grapes, flame war propaganda to me.
The attack website then goes on to allege: "Griffin's Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn has no temples".
Once again - this is merely a declarative statement and that no substantiation whatsoever is offered!
On the other hand, one of the Hierophants of one of the Griffin's HOGD temples recently refuted this allegation presenting substantiating evidence of the existance of physical HOGD temples. Also, here is HOGD's own article on their temples.
The anonymous defamation website continues with the argument:
Since Griffin was initiated by Cicero (an inaccurate, see above) and Cicero was initiated by Regardie, then Griffin is claiming lineage by Regardie.
This unsubstantiated assertion is highly problematic. There no mention whatsoever of any sort of Regardie lineage on Griffin's HOGD's lineage page, even though it does go into great detail about their lineages. Most importantly, they actually even debunk the myth of a Regardie lineage.
Concluson: This too is just more sour grapes propaganda.
Finally, the defamation website states that "Griffin does not mention any lineage through Cicero" and that the HOGD®'s attorney, Jorge Hevia, has been attacking everyone legally. Actually, publically available court documents reveal the contrary. Here they are.
1) Legal Aggression: An examination of the above linked court documents reveals that was in fact Chic Cicero's order at plaintiff that sued Griffin's order and attempted to prevent Griffin's from continuing to call itself Golden Dawn in the USA.
2) The terms of the settlement agreement prohibit Griffin and Cicero from even mentioning one another.
Conclusion: The items about Legal Agression and not Griffin's mentioning any lineage from Cicero are also clearly just more sour grapes propaganda of the sort so typical for this flame war.
The negative website also is highly critical of David Griffin's "Ritual Magic Manual." Again, however, no substantiating evidence is presented other than a link to Aaron Leitsch's negative review (kheph777.tripod.com/rev_rmm.html) of this book.
On the other side of this story, HOGD long ago published a refutation by David Griffin of this review by Aaron Leitsch, which seems completely biased and not at all objective, since Leitsch is the secretary of Chic Cicero's Golden Dawn corporation. Leitsche's office on the Cicero board is verifiable at sunbiz.org, operated by the Florida State Board of Corporations.
Conclusion: A negative book review written by an officer of a competing order can hardly be considered credible ... and its inclusion on the attack website seems from where I sit like just more sour grapes.
My overall conclusion: The negative websites, upon careful examination, appears to have little or no credibility. All appearances indicate that the new negative websites attacking Chic Cicero and David Griffin are the handiwork of Robert Zink and the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn, which appear to be waging Golden Dawn flamewar for propaganda and marketing purposes for nearly two decades now.
- Richard Townhill
