Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
A title in a magical organization can be extremely elaborate. The main objections to all these regal titles is they are an exaggeration and blow up of the truth, of either the duty or the initiation. When such items are criticized, one should first consider the source of such reactions, and whether they are all ego based or constructive criticism. When one carefully observes the critics, they are a great percentage of the time jealous fools aping the objections of other critics who, in turn, are also so ego based that the base truth of the observation is clouded with, again, ego rather than fact.
Lets look a little bit closer and control our tendencies for the ego to intervene with a clear, honest view of this controversial subject of titles. Lets start from the beginning. A magical organization will have magical secrets that will manifest a certain bud-will that will manifest into a thought form and become a consciousness we call a Grade. A Grade is a level of initiation in a magical organization that is a consequence of a Great Work that involves a specialized field of magical gesture. The higher the Grade, the more closely that aspirant will be aligned to the original Initiations that is being aimed for by the will of the Order. The lower Grades are simply a step which assures that these eventual goals of Supreme Initiation are absolutely assured. Very well then, we are now in a position to state that each Grade must have a title that expresses the steps of this Initiation. If Grade is called (with no little objection, mind you) "Supreme and Holy Aspirant of the Garden of Earth" I might receive from the profane crowd boos and hisses that this title is too elaborate, pompous, unwieldly, clumsy, cumbersome, silly, presumptuous and a terribly gross exaggeration of the facts of initiation.
Now you see what a fine mess all these critics have created by these infernal objections? I now have to go to the trouble of explaining in detail why this is not so, and why they have no leg to stand or be silent or be considered a braggart and fraud. Either way, such sick egos smile how much power they must have over me by being able to trouble me so by there absurd and irrelevant vomit. Why not drop the "Supreme and Holy", one critic might exclaim with a clever sneer and darting eyes thinking naively he has finally outwitted the Master and may therefore be a Master himself.
Those who have studied my essay on magical mottoes should observe the self same principles involved with the process. You get what you invoke and become what you name yourself. You partake of the essence of that what you reach out to and attune yourself to whatever energy you will yourself to align with. These general perceptions hold sway with titles. The more elaborate, the carefully devised dramatic mottoes, the titles which emphasize the divine, the aspiration to attune to real legend, all these will assist the path of your Great Work.
Failure on the Path might be a poor choice of title or motto. You may not have set your sights high enough for the aspiration to stimulate the mysterious processes of Initiation. Look at the failure of that aspirant who called himself "333" compared to the success of the Initiate who called himself "Parzival". How can one expect Initiation to occur if one has created a title that corresponds to the demon worlds without the equal balance of the divine worlds?
So titles, elaborate as they may sound to the gullible are more of an asset than a liability. As long as they are not meaningless in content why should the critics care if they are sometimes unusually long?
I especially note the brainwashing that people undergo by people who let others do their thinking for them and establish Grade titles that are near replicas of other magical organizations. I won't mention any names, of course, but point out with a big cock of my right eyebrow that the name "Neophyte" is used by at least five organizations! Its unimportant who originated "Neophyte" first as a title. The point is, if the matter of manifestation of the Order's aim of Initiation is taking a unique direction why not use a unique title that expresses this? My objection is therefore not the use of elaborate titles at all but the monotony of plagiarism.
Can we at least be a little more original? If you're going to create a whole new magical organization at the very least dream up some creative titles that will give these critics something to gossip about.
Claiming Grades is a subject rarely touched upon. If someone founds a magical organization he or she can claim any Grade he or she wants and it is foolhardy to attempt to contradict anything. After all, the person who founds the Order has invented all the titles and worked out the Initiatic structure in detail.
We do have a real problem with people who have been expelled or resigned or have been cut with from an Order and they are claiming titles. After leaving the Order, they stopped working as Aspirants and became the most deceitful of all charlatans.
I have absolutely no objection if some Brother or Sister announces the successful self-promotion of accomplishing an Oath & Task and self-advancement in the Order if the Instructor is dead. It would be this Brother or Sister's karma and none of my concern. If you're positive that some Brother or Sister is deluded or insane concerning a Grade or title after his Superior's death and that Superior is also your own Superior then a decision must be made. Other than this, the general rule is to mind your own business and let success be the proof of any claim. In the many, many years of participating in Order work I have only thrice had to object to such a situation and I did not enjoy it when it occurred.
After all, I have my own Path, my own Work, my own Initiations to consider and I have no desire to bother with the titles of others.
Love is the law, love under will