The Vow is not sworn to an institution. It is sworn before God, within the secret chamber of the heart.
The Royal Art begins as attraction, study, longing, and recognition. But at some point the seeker must choose.
A vow is the moment the wandering becomes a Quest.
This page gives a seed form of that vow. It may be spoken aloud, written by hand, adapted, prayed silently, or held as an inner orientation. It is not a binding membership oath. It is a consecration of intention.
The Vow of the Royal Art
I turn again toward the Source from which I came.
I remember that I am not a creature of fear, accident, exile, or dust alone, but a Child of God, a soul of royal origin, called home to the Kingdom.
I accept the Quest of remembrance.
I ask to be taught the Way of Christ: forgiveness, love, innocence, healing, and Atonement.
I ask to be made a true Knight of the Grail: courageous, faithful, humble, and devoted to the healing of the Wasteland.
I ask to be trained in the Hermetic Art: to read the Book of Nature, transform the prima materia of my life, and seek the Stone without vanity or greed.
I ask to be received into the Mystery of the Temple: to pass through the veils, die to the false self, recover the Lost Word, and become a living stone in the House of the Holy Spirit.
I vow to seek the Good, the Beautiful, and the True.
I vow to forgive where I would judge.
I vow to serve where I would dominate.
I vow to remember where I would fall asleep.
I vow to build the Temple, seek the Grail, craft the Stone, bear the Rose-Cross, and become worthy of the Crown.
Not by my power alone, but by grace.
Not for my glory, but for the Kingdom.
Not to escape the world, but to bless it.
May the Father guide me.
May Christ walk with me.
May the Holy Spirit correct my sight.
May Sophia teach me wisdom.
May the Grail call me onward.
May the Crown descend only when I am ready to serve.
So may the Work begin again.
Notes on the Vow
The vow is not a performance. It is a direction.
It should not be spoken in pride, intensity, or self-dramatization. It should be spoken quietly, with seriousness and humility. The purpose is not to become special. The purpose is to become faithful.
The vow may be renewed:
At dawn.
At the beginning of a new phase of life.
Before study.
Before ritual.
Before a difficult act of forgiveness.
At the threshold of a Quest.
On holy days and initiatory anniversaries.
The Short Form
I seek the Kingdom.
I undertake the Quest.
I offer my life to the Great Work.
I choose forgiveness over fear, truth over illusion, beauty over despair, and service over self-glory.
May I become worthy of the Crown.
Within the Royal Art Opus
The Vow is the inner threshold of the Royal Art. It marks the movement from curiosity to commitment, from reading to walking, from symbol to life.
