Birth of a Brotherhood:

The Foundation
and
Primary Principles
of the
Sangreal Sodality
by

Jacobus G. Swart
(co-founder of the Sangreal Sodality)

1. Barest Beginnings

M
uch has happened since the appearance of this first volume of the Sangreal Sodality
Series around 27 years ago. The Sangreal Sodality had become firmly established as
a Western Inner Tradition Brotherhood, and, in accordance with the intentions of the
original founders, it has been sharing its principles and doctrines in an unobtrusive manner for
the benefit of all who crossed its threshold.
Since much disinformation has been disseminated in recent years regarding the
foundation, history and principles of the Sangreal Sodality, I have felt myself obligated as co-
founder of this brotherhood, to include this special preface in order to facilitate a factual account
of The Foundation and Primary Principles of the Sangreal Sodality.

Pre 1977 William G. Gray described the events leading to the foundation of the Sangreal
Sodality in Chapter 14, The Sangreal Starts, of his unpublished autobiography. The
appropriate section reads: Another professional musician to link up with my personal circle was
Bob Stewart, later to write on Western Traditional topics as R.J. Stewart.....Bob arranged most
of our music for us to accompany our Quarterly Rites, and was always promising to arrange
organ accompaniments for my Rite of Light as I was now calling the lifetime ritual which I had
now completed, and was having the utmost difficulty in getting published. It was rejected by
every publisher as being too specialised to attract sufficient sales. I was assured there was no
demand for ritual scripts, especial those of an elaborate nature.
Carr Collins had had a tape of the Rite for a long time but refused to do anything with
it because he considered it too complicated for him.....I was determined to bring out that
particular work of mine one way or another because it meant so much to me and such a
proportion of my life had gone into it. I had started it as a boy and completed it as a middle aged
man. Every single word had been selected with the most careful evaluation. Different
arrangement had been tried on endless occasions until their fit seemed right. I had cycled mile
after mile with the themes and ideas running through my incessantly while I recited them in my
mind over and over again. I had worked the Rit time and time again until it seemed absolutely
certain that there was nothing further I could possibly do to improve or alter it for the better.
Now all it needed was offering to whosoever needed it most, and apparently nobody wanted it.

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There was only one thing left to do. Publish it privately myself. There were booksellers willing
to stock it on a sale or return basis provided somebody paid for the printing. This was my only
outlet.
When I had the typescript back from the last publishers with a polite rejection note and
the carefully typed pages disarranged and covered in smudges and mug marks, I was so furious
that I retyped the ritual script, cut the rest down to essentials as an introduction, and went to price
its production with a local printer. The most reasonable offer I had was four hundred pounds for
a thousand copies produced as a simple stapled production with a correct coloured cover and my
own design included. This struck me as being reasonable, so I accepted. I was not hoping to
make any money out of it, but only hoping to cover my costs in the end. They were to be
autographed and numbered copies delivered in bundles to cover my costs in the end. They were
to be autographed and numbered copies delivered in bundles of fifty. In a very few weeks they
were ready all I had to do was supply them as requested by booksellers. Two or three hundred
were soon ordered, but now we needed the tapes to go with them.....1
Regarding the mentioned music R.J. Stewart composed for the Rite of Light, we share
fraternal relations with this astute author, esoterisist and musician, and are very proud to be
employing the original organ music which he composed for the Rite of Light (later renamed
the Sangreal Sacrament) in Temple: Lux Occidentis in Extensio of the Sangreal Sodality in
Johannesburg, South Africa.

1977In his autobiography, William Gray delineated the correspondence between himself and
myself, the fellow participant in the foundation of the Sangreal Sodality. He wrote: I had now
begun to receive letters from someone living in South Africa at Johannesburg who was plainly
a most compatible person. One Jacobus Swart, which in English meant James Black. He was
another professional musician, much younger than I, who seemed to have read all my books and
thought very highly of them, plus sounding like a very pleasing person indeed. He was a keen
Qabbalist, and had received training at Safad in Israel which is a sort of official home or the
Lurian School of Qabbalistic thought, He was also completely dedicated to the Western Inner
Tradition specifically, and was writing me as one of its principal living exponents. How he came
in contact with me happened rather strangely. He had been in London on a professional
engagement, and while here was trying to collect a few good occult books. He went into the
Atlantis bookshop, saw my Rite of Light lying there, flicked through it quickly and bought it.
First he studied it carefully, and then showed it to .the man he considered as his Teacher, an ex
Jesuit who had told him to get hold of me if he possibly could, because I was obviously capable
of guiding him wherever he wanted to go.2
William Gray was referring to my harmony, counterpoint and composition music
teacher who was not an ex-Jesuit, but actually an ex-Trappist monk with whom I shared a lot
of my personal interests in esoteric subjects. In September 1977 I selected and bought copy
360of the First and limited Edition of The Rite of Light: A Mass of the Western Inner Mystery
Tradition authored and arranged by William G. Gray in Atlantis Book Shop, Museum Street,
London, and it is this rite, which had such an enormous impact on my life and commitment to
the Sangreal Sodality.
After returning from my European sojourn to South Africa in September 1977, I
attempted to work The Rite of Light over the next couple of years in a most amateurish but
absolutely sincere manner, literally ruining the ritual text as I spilled wine, water and oil all over
its precious pages. I had no special room to work in, or even the right equipment, but did my
utmost best to work the Rite to the best of my ability, whilst querying William Gray on details.

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 Feeling the need for appropriate premises, i.e. setting up an actual temple, I decided to
convert the apartment I rented in Hillbrow, South Africa, which I was using as a centre for
teaching Kabbalah, into a working temple. of the Western Inner Way Since I had by that time
established a very good fraternal relationship with William Gray via the post, I invited him to
visit us in South Africa and to help us set up this proposed temple, as well as coaching us in
the correct manner of working The Rite of Light. William Gray explains: Many letters passed
between us, and after a year or so he kept making suggestions that I should visit him in South
Africa. Everything would be arranged, he and his wife would pick me up at the airport and take
me to the place they had chosen for me to stay. He would fix a pleasant visit to the Kruger Park
Game Reserve and a few other places of interest, plus I could meet all his people and help him
plan out a Temple along Western esoteric lines.....After weighing up all the pros and cons I
decided I would. If nothing else eventuated I should at least have a pleasant and interesting
holiday..... The air ticket duly arrived and I departed from Heathrow.....3

1980November: William Gray arrived in South Africa in November 1980, an event he

described in some detail in his autobiography, which reads: Jacobus and I greeted each other
like long parted bloodbrothers. I liked Gloria his wife too.....Jacobus and Gloria lived in a flat
in the Hillbrow district, and he had another flat in the same block his group were planning to use
as a Temple. This is where I was supposed to come in, with helping them design it according to
Western style, something with which Jacobus was not entirely familiar or very certain about.
We went from one second hand shop to another picking up likely items for the Temple.
A couple of newspaper cardboard center rolls which made ideal pillars, with beach balls for their
tops and squares of chipboard for their basses. Small kerosene lamps of different colours to mark
the Quarters. An ornamental Sword for the East. A plain wooden circle which could be made
into a Shield for the North. A special lamp to be stood on a stand in the South with a plain Rod
on the wall behind it painted half black and half white. In the West a suitable cupboard to make
an altar. Half a dozen chairs and lots and lots of different coloured paints and brushes. I did a lot
of planning and sketching. Jacobus worked like a fiend putting basic paint on the walls and
ceiling, and finally when we had done all we could in the allotted time, I initiated him by the
simplest rites of the Western Mysteries which amounts to the Baptismal rites of Christianity.
Then, between us, we did the same for Gloria, and they and I together inducted the Secretary of
the Group. They chose a name for themselves with the phrase: Domine Dirige Nos. Lord Direct
Us, and individual names for their own usage. I felt that something had really been achieved.4
This Temple was set up in 2 Dunvista Mansions, Banket Street, Hillbrow, Johannesburg,
South Africa. Acquiring all the equipment and painting the Temple under the critical gaze of
William Gray was no easy task, especially with exclamations like. Do it properly! and the
occasional Leave well alone! when I was fussing too much. As he noted, we roamed the streets
of Johannesburg in search of suitable Temple gear, appropriately coloured cloth, cords,
candlesticks, etc., with many visits to the Oriental Plaza. Lamps, chairs, and even the cupboard
which was converted into an altar, were acquired from secondhand dealers. Spare board
cylinders around which huge rolls of paper were twined, were obtained from The Star, the
major daily newspaper in Johannesburg, and medium sized beach balls purchased from a toy
shop were used for the capitals. Additionally a lot of paint in various colours in small and large
tins were added to the process, and when it looked like the stage was set for the construction of
the Temple, I was set to work under the careful guidance of William Gray. I painted and painted
and painted......walls, a special design on the ceiling, ritual equipment, etc., etc., all done whilst
William Gray was chanting his way through The Office of the Holy Tree of Life.5

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 However, the most momentous moment of his visit to South Africa occurred during the
very first days of his arrival there. William Gray was receiving intense psycho-spiritual impulses
which resulted in the foundation of the Sangreal Sodality, and which caused the temple William
Gray and I set out to construct in Johannesburg. He described the entire incident in his
autobiography, saying: When initially encountering an entirely fresh environment I do not sleep
well for a while because my mind is so full of thoughts that consciousness is stretched to its
limits and reaching in all directions for issues arising from this new material. The impact of
South Africa and Jacobus combined awakened an entirely new Concept in me, and I named it
the Sangreal Concept. The word itself simply means Blood-Royal with a very sacred
connotation. By linking this with the legendary Star-people supposed to have visited this planet
many millennia ago and begun to breed with its native race of humanoids, I could now see
clearly what the Holy Grail was and why it had to be quested for until achieved. The Holy
Grail, or Sangreal was factually our capability for bearing this strain of Blessed Blood in
ourselves and evolving all the noble and one might say Divine characteristics which it brought
so long ago to our chromosomes, and had not yet completed on this earth. That Sangreal trace
in our genetics had implanted all the possibilities for perfection of our species as spiritual beings.
The implications of this happening were so vast and far reaching that they kept me awake almost
an entire night thinking about them with an awed amazement.
At last, after nearly a lifetime. I had seen the Sangreal as clearly as if it had appeared in
physical form. It was indeed an actuality. The actuality of ourselves being blest by the best blood
in our own veins. We ourselves were the Vessels which contained this priceless power.
Everything in the old-time legends fitted in. Nowhere was the Grail known as a Cup, but
specifically a Vessel, which could be a container of any kind. It was the principle of containment
which was signified, and the Blood Royal was always considered as a very special inheritance
handed down genetically from the earliest times to our days which was said to confer kingly
characteristics on those who bore even the slightest trace of it. Since Western mankind had
become so widely interrelated, it seemed clear we nearly all had some trace of the original strain
in ourselves however slight. All we had to do was find that and follow it wherever it led, The
Kingdom of Heaven literally was within ourselves.
When I communicated these ideas to Jacobus he too was astounded. We worked some
Rites of Light together, and I realised this would have to be renamed the Sangreal Sacrament
which I had composed without consciously and objectively knowing exactly what had been
produced through my mediation. It would take me ages to concentrate the Sangreal Concept into
finer focus. Maybe the rest of my life would not be long enough but at least I might make a start
on something which would probably take me several lifetimes to achieve.6
William Gray basically told me that the Sangreal is an optimum that any of the human
race may reach in search of spiritual progress and development toward Divinity, and that it is
linked to blood, because blood was seen as the Life-bearing fluid communicating all
characteristics through every human generation, and is therefore a constant between the
beginning and end of our existence.
Plainly, the Sangreal is really the objective one is looking for during ones whole lifetime,
and strictly speaking, It is ones own identity within the identity of ones ethnic identity, within
the identity of humanity itself, and that again within the identity of all Life throughout the entire
Cosmos. A life inside lives which as a whole again is another Life, and so on ad infinitum. The
Sangreal is a constant and continuous process of Self discovery. As Credo Mutwa, the famous
Zulu medicine man, once said in conversation with William Gray: Man will never amount to
anything until he realises what he is.

4
 In olden days the search for objectives and identity was visualised as a Hunt or Quest,
because it was the language of the day. The active young man went hunting, as he still does for
everything. It was he who literally had to hunt for food so that his family and tribe could live.
If he did not hunt they all died of starvation, and if the young women did not go hunting for
firewood they died of cold. Young women of course hunted also for edible plants, berries and
roots, plus other necessities for bedding and what passed for furniture. The most modern of those
equivalents is only the old Life-Quest brought up to date. Only the language changes, and the
Quest in spiritual terms is only the physical one translated to a higher level. Or should one say
the real Quest IS the spiritual one which translates to lower terms? At any rate the two are
entirely interdependent.
Deep within our Blood, or the Sangreal, we have this ONE instinct which drives our lives
in all directions through this world, towards this ONE Truth we each have to find for ourselves
in our own ways, yet it all amounts to the same thinga discovery of WHAT WE ARE. Exactly
what Mutwa said. Eventually all humans have to find it, or if they lose it, they lose themselves
as well. That is the Holy Grail, or Vessel holding the secret of who we are. So there are really
a lot of Grails, one within the other so to speak, and we find them consecutively and continually
the whole of our lives. All our ancestors inside ourselves, or us outside them, whichever way you
like to look at it. Or again us inside them. It makes little difference which way you see this
interrelationship. It is there, It is real, and It is the Sangreal.

2. Primary Principles
Regarding the running of a brotherhood which might in the future have Temples, Lodges and
Chapters in various lands, we agreed on the following fundamental principles:

1. Temples, Lodges or Chapters are to be operated independently of one another.

Individuals who agree with, or feel inspired by the teachings and practices, which was
later expounded in the basic textbooks of the Sangreal Sodality, may set up a in Temple,
Lodge or Chapter. Such a working circle is deemed an autonomous grouping, which may
link with other such groups, or remain independent in accordance with preference. As
such, each group is responsible for its personal self-government, financing, and organised
being.
William Gray affirmed this in his autobiography, saying every group had to be
self-supporting and autonomous, yet in fraternal communication with others of the same
or similar ideology7, and reiterated this affirmation in direct correspondence with
leaders of Temples, e.g. in August 1986 he told Antonio Delfino, late Warden of the
Irmandada Cabalistica do Santo Graal Temple of the Sangreal Sodality based in
Resende, Brazil Do understand that each Group or Temple of the Sangreal Sodality is
supposed to be autonomous or self-governing, so you have full authority to make your
own decisions and rules. I can only give advice and encouragement.8
We also agreed that neither Certificates of Membership nor Charters of
Affiliation will be issued to members and Temples of this brotherhood. In this regard
William Gray responded most strongly to theIrmandada Cabalistica do Santo Graal
who, at the establishment of their Temple in Resende, queried this very issue. In October
1983 William Gray wrote the Warden of the said Chapter, stating quite emphatically I
must confess I do not quite understand what you mean by documents we must send you
in order that we may be recognised as Brothers. WHAT documents??? You already are

5
 fratres et sorores by your own recognition of that fact. I do not personally have any
authority to issue Charters or Certificates of Membership. Such things may look
impressive on a Temple wall, but you should know as well as I do that they are only
decorations. The real membership is written in your hearts and souls between yourselves
and God. No writing on any wall will ever confirm or guarantee this, though it could and
might remind you of that verity
You are your own authority. So set up your Sangreal Temple and serve it with
happiness and honour.9
2. The Sangreal Sodality is not a religion, nor does it contra-indicate any valid religion of
any denomination whatsoever. It allows a focus for willing individuals to articulate their
approach to divinitywithout external dictates or interference of hierarchical structures.
This brotherhood cannot be defined or limited to a singular religion or religious
practicerather it provides a spiritual focus for like minded individuals, whose approach
to divinity and spirituality is individualistic and personal.
This point is clarified in the Sangreal Catechism which William Gray wrote for
all entrants into the Sangreal Sodality, specifically sections 64, 66, 67 and 68, which read
as follows:

(6) Question: Is the Sangreal against the Church?

Answer: Not in the least. It simply says that humans should be free to find a
formal faith according to the inborn instincts of their natural nobility.
(66) Question: Which is the best form of faith to follow?
Answer: There is neither best nor worst, but only suitability for every soul
involved, and close compatibility with individual states of spiritual
consciousness.
(67) Question: Is it possible to belong with the Sangreal and also a Church?
Answer: Perfectly, since the Sangreal is an inherent state of spirit, and a Church
is a humanly organized collection of people dedicated to a common fellowship
of faith which could be compatible with Sangreal ideology.
(68) Question: Has the Sangreal a Church of its own?
Answer: Only insofar as people seek to formalize their faith in it and so combine
their consciousness by participating in religious rituals and practices that honour
it specifically in special ways.10

3. We adopted the title Warden to define an overseer of a single Temple, Lodge or

Chapter. It does not apply as a rank or title, nor hint at anything except responsibility for
the spiritual well-being or behaviour of other humans in his or her specific Temple,
Lodge or Chapter.
The term neither applies nor refers to any individual claiming authority over the
Sangreal Sodality internationally or over the brotherhood as a whole. Furthermore, by
the very principles behind the foundation of the Sangreal Sodality, no representation
shall be made of one Temple, Lodge or Chapter being superior to another, or being the
central representative body of this brotherhood. This represents the most
fundamental principal of all as far as the very existence of the Sangreal Sodality is
concerned, and William Gray strongly emphasized this in his correspondence with other
Sangreal Sodality Chapters around the globe. In a letter written June 1984 to the Warden
of the Irmandada Cabalistica do Santo Graal Temple, he stated: The Sangreal does
not have authority. All are their own authorities in Its name,11 and reiterated this stance

6
 of the Sangreal Sodality in more detail five months later to the same individual in
November 1984, saying Anyone with an affinity for the Sangreal can claim to represent
IT, but only for themselves. For example, you do not have to see the SANGREAL exactly
as I do. It must always be as you interpret it out of yourself. I can only give guidelines
which you may find useful and I hope will be helpful. The Sangreal is bound to be
somewhat different for each soul. If we imagine ourselves all sitting around an enormous
Round Table and the Sangreal appears in the exact center, every viewer will see it from
their own angle only, and that in effect is what happens.12
The Warden in question affirmed the same sentiment in a missive to William
Gray in December 1987, which reads: I think that all the Groups must stay independent
and responsible, following the guidance of your books. The brotherhood between groups
of the world can be maintained by exchanging correspondence as we said, and the
exchange of the blood too between the Directors of the groups. We must avoid the
possibility of some group centralizing the works of Sangreal, and also the possibility of
creating Masters, Grand Masters, Sovereigns, Imperators, etc. You know that these are
cults of personality, and it has brought prejudice to evolution of many fraternities.13
This stance of the Sangreal Sodality was echoed by Martin Pickands, the spouse
of the later Warden of the Albany Temple in America, in an article titled The American
Sangreal Sodality: Where do we go from here? written for Accord, the in-house
journal of this specific Chapter of the Sangreal Sodality dated June 1987. The appropriate
section reads Bill Grays conception of the Sodality in the long run is that of a lodge
with no Grand lodge, that is, a loose confederation of fellow seekers who share their
goals and are willing to support each other in striving for the betterment of Humankind.
Marcia and I share in his desire to prevent the centralization which usually results from
efforts such as ours, and to emphasize the individual importance of each working group
which comes into existence......
As I take it, this means that we must become one in our desire to better mankind
through the Sangreal, putting our individual best into the task. It does not mean and never
should mean to adhere to the ideas and ideals of others except in so far as we share those
ourselves. After all, it would be a contradiction in terms to seek the Sangreal, which is
our inner selves, by sacrificing our individual will to the judgment of others.14

3. Initial Initiations
On the completion of the basic layout of our Temple, William Gray initiated each of its new
members in turn, starting with myself as the first member of the newly formed brotherhood. The
Initiation Ceremony is a standard one titled A Shortened Form of Initiation: The Holy
Mysteries of Light in the West, which was compiled and used by William Gray in his private
temple in Cheltenham, UK, for over a decade.15 However, since it would henceforth be used for
the induction of full members into our brotherhood, the rite was modified to include the basic
principles of the Sangreal Sodality.
I was initiated on Sunday, 16th November 1980, and afterwards handed an authorized
copy of the initiation ceremony on the occasion of my wifes initiation on the afternoon of the
19th November 1980. Other fellow members were initiated, and all our initiations were
accompanied with a unique custom introduced by William Gray. He designed what is termed the
Sangreal Seal, a highly symbolic logo, the format of which William Gray modified shortly
after his return to the United Kingdom in the first days of December 1980.16

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 The mentioned unique custom pertained to new initiates
establishing a personal symbolical link with the Sangreal
Sodality, and affirming their commitment to its principles. The
process was described by William Gray in The Sangreal
Sacrament. He wrote Make a neat copy of the Logo, and stain
the central Contents of the Cup portion with a drop of your
own physical blood. Then sign your name on the back or
underneath it, and enclose the symbol in a transparent envelope.
The best thing to use for staining the symbol is a fine-pointed
brush to pick up the drop of your blood. The whole symbol
should be about three inches square.....What you do with the
completed symbol is keep it located centrally with your private
shrine if you have one, or if you do not, then carry the symbol on your person. It forms your
personal link with the Sodality.17
In the case of these blood seals of the first initiates into the
Sangreal Sodality, photocopies of the logo drawn by William
Gray were used since at that stage the neat, professionally
drawn version was not yet available. The dated Sangreal
Sodality blood seals of newly initiated members of the first
temple of the Sangreal Sodality named Domine Dirige Nos.
These, including the first seal of William Gray, are held in the
archives of Temple Lux Occidentis in Extensio.18
The 19th November 1980 turned out to be a very special
date for us, as William Gray consecrated our Temple later that
same day, using a ritual he wrote for the occasion, one inspired
by that very unique insight he had into the Sangreal during the
first days following his arrival in South Africa.19
Thus the Johannesburg Temple became the first Temple
of a unique spiritual brotherhood in 1980, and I its first Warden.
This can be verified from the dated personal inscriptions in the
copies of his writings which William Gray offered me;20 the blood seals of the first initiated
members, including that of William Gray who considered himself a full member of the Temple
he had helped to set up; the references William Gray made to our Temple in letters to individuals
who later attempted to establish Sangreal Sodality Chapters elsewhere;21 as well as the
correspondence between myself and those who later wrote me that William Gray had informed
them of the Temple in Johannesburg.22 Whilst a few of our early initiates of the Sangreal
Sodality have since passed into higher realms, and some have settled elsewhere in foreign lands,
several are still directly involved with the brotherhood.
In sharing his inspiring ideas with me, William Gray certainly found me to be most
receptive, and we forged a very close friendship, as he himself said: Jacobus was not only a
wonderful host but I was able to form a very close relationship with him. He seemed to be the
son I had never had physically, and I realised I had found my spiritual successor who would
carry on my work after I died and hopefully bring it to a more successful conclusion than I had,
or at least push it a trifle further forward.23
Early in December 1980 William Gray returned to Britain filled with hopes for our new
brotherhood. These he expressed most eloquently in his autobiography, saying I returned to
Britain feeling that we have made a real start with a liberating spiritual Concept and all that was
needed now was its following up and expansion into something closer to credibility.24

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 4. Appealing Appellations
1981Carr Collins, the American sponsor of William Grays books, had been pressurising
William Gray into writing a correspondence course comprising about fifty lessons on the
Western Mystery Tradition. He promised William Gray that he would publish these
professionally, but William Gray had great reservations about correspondence courses in general,
mentioning that For several years I had been resisting these demands because correspondence
courses on esoteric topics seemed so futile and pointless. One might impart information, but that
was all. One might as well try to teach moral integrity or honesty by correspondence. It is true
that attention might be directed to specific subjects and enthusiasm encouraged through
correspondence between teachers and pupils, but that was all. Providing Carr fully understood
that, I was willing to do my best, and I produced a couple of simple lessons to show him. He
claimed to be very impressed and asked me to continue with them and he would see to the
rest.25
William Gray also mailed Carr Collins his drawing of the Sangreal Logo, and in early
January 1981 we received a professionally drawn version of the Sangreal Logo and letter head
design, which we adopted and to which we added our Temple details.26

Within barely three weeks of receiving this letterhead, William Gray adjusted the Sangreal Logo
at the request of Carr Collins. The position of the Spear, which previously was coming out of
the central Cup, was adjusted to point downwards. A month
later I received a letter from William Gray accompanied by a new
version of the Sangreal Sodality logo. He then addressed me as
James, this being the English equivalent of Jacobus. Be that as
it may, he wrote that he had created this new Logo of the
Sangreal Symbol, since Carr Collins was carping about the tip of
the Rod Id included, so I tried drawing a new one and hope he
likes it. The present tip is a Rosicrucian one, but he wont
recognize it.27 A final, professionally approved, and beautifully
drawn version of the Sangreal Logo arrived shortly thereafter.28

9
We continued to work away at improving our Temple, converting the cupboard we were using
into a proper altar, adding a Standard, a small ark with an aumbry to hold our Torah scrolls
and Sangreal blood seals, and improving our sanctuary lamp. We were rather pleased with the
final outcome.29
We also regularly worked the Sangreal Sacrament, the new designation of his Rite
of Light, and for the first time the Seasonal Ceremonies30 which William Gray had written
previously and now incorporated into the Sangreal Sodality, and which we commenced during
the Winter of 1981.
In the mean time William Gray was focussing his attention on writing the course for Carr
Collins, as he said For the remainder of the year I worked away producing approximately one
and a bit lessons every week, sending them on to Carr in the States as I completed two or
three.31 The speed at which he turned out these lessons reminded me of another text titled The
Language of the Gods,32 and the writing of which progressed at a snails pace as far as William
Gray was concerned. He told me that at about one page written every day, this work took him
the entire year to write, and I watched the birth of this text with great interest.
William Gray had an awful time trying to get it published, with one publisher after
another dismissing the text as much too technical. Eventually, when publishers started losing
copies and only the original manuscript remained, I nagged him to give it to me. He tried one
more British publisher, who returned it covered in food and coffee stains. This infuriated
William Gray to such a degree, that he brought the manuscript with him during his next visit to
South Africa, and offered it to me beautifully gift wrapped, adding Here! You have it, since
nobody else in creation wants it! I was profoundly impressed by the text, which comprised truly
advanced Kabbalistic teachings which very few would have access to, what to say comprehend.
However, William Gray was able to make good use of the contents of this work, having worked
much of it into the course he was writing for Carr Collins.
Be that as it may, William Gray wrote the required fifty lessons at record speed, and
Carr Collins had them virtually in no time at all. In fact, he seemed to have been sort of put out
by them. William Gray said I waited for him to keep his word. Sooner or later he wrote back
saying that he could not possibly handle any correspondence course himself, but if I cared to
assemble all the lessons according to subject, he would get them published in book form and the
royalties would be mine. All I had to do was sort them out, write an introduction and
valedictories for each one, renumber all the pages, and then think of titles for all of them.33
During November 1981 William G. Gray paid another visit to our Temple in
Johannesburg. Almost our very first topic of conversation was the title of our brotherhood, i.e.
The Sangreal Sodality, the first notion of which we had was when we received the first
letterhead.
I initially suggested, amongst others, names like The Sangreal Society and
Brotherhood of the Grail, which William Gray found twee and made rude noises about. In
the course of a couple of months we had gone from Temple: Domine Dirige Nos of the
Church of Aquarius, the way we intended styling ourselves prior to William Grays first visit
to South Africa, a title he did not like at all, to Sangreal Temple: Domine Dirige Nos, to
Temple Domine Dirige Nos of the Sangreal Sodality.
The initiated members did not mind the title Sangreal Sodality, once they knew what
this designation meant, and therein I believed was the rub. I decided to raise this issue with
William Gray who would not yield. I told him that young people might not know what the word
Sodality actually meant, and he responded sarcastically that there are items in print called
dictionaries which would tell them quite clearly what the word means, and that I should look
it up for myself as well. I said something about solidarity, which I promptly forgot in the
ensuing fracas.

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 As I quickly realised from my etymological dictionary, the term Sodality is only Latin
for a Comradeship, which William Gray informed me had something to do with the service
to the community by fraternities of laymen within the Catholic Church. I cannot remember the
exact details now, beyond recognising the concept of service as being central to our
understanding of the Sangreal.
Being Jewish I suppose I do not recall the exact details of what he said about the especial
Christian links to the term. However I do remember mentioning to William Gray in the ensuing
uproar, that some people would think of Sodality as Solidarity, which, as he pointed out
rather sharply, is one of those stupid words popular nowadays with left-wing political
motivations. It has of course connections with Sodality, but has adopted a totally socialist
slant.
Next we had a very lively discussion on what he called weasel words. I thought the
expression very apt, since a weasel is an intrusive and vicious rodent type animal, which William
Gray informed me is exactly what such warped words are. Typical examples we discussed were
parameter, fascist, witch, and situation. Perfectly clear words in themselves, yet twisted
through slanted misuse until they are made to mean something quite different to their original
construction. The upshot of the debate was that William Gray won hands down, and we were
henceforth known as Temple: Domine Dirige Nos of the Sangreal Sodality in South Africa.
This time William Gray had brought with him a new Sangreal rite he wrote especially
for the Sangreal Sodality, titled The Seeking of the Sangreal.34

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We have worked this rite regularly ever since, and automatically remember our beloved
Companion who offered it to us in November 1981 with the words Think of me and the rest of
the Sangreal Sodality when you work this Rite.
This concludes the saga of The Foundation and Primary Principles of the Sangreal
Sodality. Much might be added regarding the manner it continued to unfold over the three
decades of its existence, e.g. the publications of its official training manuals and rituals, the
incorporation of international Temples, Lodges and Chapters, and its official trademarking
internationally. However, it is clear that William Gray, my beloved Father-Brother in the
Blessed Blood, had a remarkable premonitory foresight when he wrote me prior to our first
meeting, saying I do most sincerely feel that a great deal of good is going to come out of our
meeting. I dont know how, but feel absolutely assured of it. Whatever it might be wont come
to pass either soon or rapidly, but somehow a contact will be made which is going to flower in
future fields neither of us may ever see. Dont ask me to explain this, I cant.35 Many years later,
with the Sangreal Sodality still developing and unfolding in its own unique way, I can see what
he meant.

eeeeee

The Sangreal Sodality

The Sangreal Sodality is an internationally trademarked brotherhood with Lodges, Temples and
Chapters established in several countries. If you would like further information on organising
your own group under the auspices of this brotherhood, please enquire regarding the official
Code of Conduct and further details from:

Jacobus G. Swart
74 Twelfth Street
Parkmore 2196
Johannesburg
South Africa
email: jacobsang@gmail.com

Footnotes:

1. Gray, William G.: My Autobiography p. 125, Unpublished Manuscript, Sangreal

Sodality_William Gray Dossier: Temple Lux Occidentis in Extensio,
Johannesburg, South Africa.
2. Gray, William G.: My Autobiography pp. 125128, Ibid.
Richardson, A. &
Claridge, M.: The Old Sod: The Odd Life & Inner Work of William G. Gray, pp.
215216, Ignotus Press, London 2003.
3. Gray, William G.: My Autobiography p. 128, Op Cit.
Richardson, A. &
Claridge, M.: The Old Sod: The Odd Life & Inner Work of William G. Gray, pp.
216, Op Cit.
4. Gray, William G.: My Autobiography pp. 128130, Op Cit.
Richardson, A. &
Claridge, M.: The Old Sod: The Odd Life & Inner Work of William G. Gray, pp.

12
 216, Op Cit.
5. Gray, William G.: The Office of the Holy Tree of Life, The Sangreal Foundation, Inc.,
Dallas 1970; incorporated in Sangreal Ceremonies and Rituals,
Sangreal Sodality Series, Vol. 4, Samuel Weiser, York Beach, 1986;
republished in A Beginners Guide to Living Kabbalah, The
Sangreal Sodality Press, Johannesburg 2009.
6. Gray, William G.: My Autobiography pp. 129130, Op Cit.
Richardson, A. &
Claridge, M.: The Old Sod: The Odd Life & Inner Work of William G. Gray, pp.
216217, Op Cit.
7. Gray, William G.: My Autobiography p. 131, Op Cit.
8. Gray, William G.: Sangreal Sodality_Brazilian Correspondence p. 16, Sangreal
Sodality_Brazil Dossier: Temple Lux Occidentis in Extensio,
Johannesburg, South Africa.
9. Gray, William G.: Sangreal Sodality_Brazilian Correspondence p. 4, Op Cit.
10. Gray, William G.: Sangreal Catechism, in Sangreal Ceremonies and Rituals pp.
3132, Op Cit.
11. Gray, William G.: Sangreal Sodality_Brazilian Correspondence p. 7, Op Cit.
12. Gray, William G.: Sangreal Sodality_Brazilian Correspondence p. 11, Op Cit.
13. Delfino, Antonio: Sangreal Sodality_Brazilian Correspondence p. 18, Op Cit. For
clarity the grammar was rectified.
14. Pickands, Martin: Accord, Volume 2 Number 6, June 1987, Sangreal Sodality_
Albany Dossier: Temple Lux Occidentis in Extensio, Johannesburg,
South Africa.
15. Gray, William G.: A Shortened Form of Initiation: The Holy Mysteries of Light in the
West, Unpublished Manuscript, Sangreal Sodality_Initiation
Dossier: Temple Lux Occidentis in Extensio, Johannesburg, South
Africa.
16. Gray, William G.: SangrealSodality_First Logo, Sangreal Sodality_Logo Dossier:
Temple Lux Occidentis in Extensio, Johannesburg, South Africa.
17. Gray, William G.: The Sangreal Sacrament, Sangreal Sodality Series, Vol. 2, Samuel
Weiser, York Beach, 1983.
18. Gray, William G.: SangrealSodality_DomineDirigeNos_1980_Bloodseal_WilliamGray
, Sangreal Sodality_Logo Dossier, Op Cit.
19. Gray, William G.: The Consecration of a Temple dedicated to the Sangreal System of
the Western Inner Way, Sangreal Sodality_Rituals & Ceremonies
Dossier: Temple Lux Occidentis in Extensio, Johannesburg, South
Africa.
20. Gray, William G.: Gray_Inscription_HolyTree Office;
Gray_Inscription_OutlookInner WesternWay &
Gray_Inscription_ SangrealSeeking, Sangreal Sodality William
Gray Personal Inscriptions_ Dossier: Temple Lux Occidentis in
Extensio, Johannesburg, South Africa.
21. Gray, William G. &
Delfino, Antonio: Sangreal Sodality_Brazilian Correspondence pp. 3 and 5, Op Cit.
22. Swart, Jacobus G. &
Delfino, Antonio: Sangreal Sodality_Brazilian Correspondence pp. 1, 2, 14 and 15,
Op Cit.
23. Gray, William G.: My Autobiography p. 130, Op Cit.
24. Gray, William G.: My Autobiography p. 131, Op Cit.
25. Gray, William G.: My Autobiography p. 131, Op Cit.

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26. Gray, William G.: First Letterhead,Sangreal Sodality_Domine Dirige Nos Dossier:
Temple Lux Occidentis in Extensio, Johannesburg, South Africa.
27. Gray, William G. &
Swart, Jacobus G.: 1981_South AfricanLetters_Gray-Swart_16February, Sangreal
Sodality_South African Letters Dossier: Temple Lux Occidentis in
Extensio, Johannesburg, South Africa.
28. Gray, William G. &
Collins, Carr. C.: Sangreal Sodality Official Logo, Sangreal Sodality_Logo Dossier,
Op Cit.
29. Temple Domine
Dirige Nos: SangrealSodality_DomineDirigeNos_1981_Sanctuary, Sangreal
Sodality_ Photo Dossier: Temple Lux Occidentis in Extensio,
Johannesburg, South Africa.
30. Gray, William G.: Seasonal Occult Rituals, Helios Books, Cheltenham 1970;
incorporated in Sangreal Ceremonies and Rituals, Op Cit.
31. Gray, William G.: My Autobiography p. 131, Op Cit.
32. Gray, William G.: The Language of the Gods, incorporated in A Beginners Guide to
Living Kabbalah, Op Cit.
33. Gray, William G.: My Autobiography p. 131, Op Cit.
34. Gray, William G.: Seeking the Sangreal in The Sangreal Sacrament, Op Cit.;
Gray_Inscription_Sangreal Seeking, Sangreal Sodality William Gray
Personal Inscriptions_Dossier, Op Cit.; original manuscript in Sangreal
Sodality_William Gray Dossier: Temple Lux Occidentis in Extensio,
Johannesburg, South Africa.
35. Gray, William G. &
Swart, Jacobus G.: 1980_South AfricanLetters_Gray-Swart, Sangreal Sodality_South
African Letters Dossier: Temple Lux Occidentis in Extensio,
Johannesburg, South Africa.

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