1. A person who is very skilled or proficient in a particular ability as in “When it comes to
magick, he is an adept.” A description of such a person as in “He is adept at
astrology.” In certain magickal orders, an adept is a person who has achieved a certain level of advancement in that group, sometimes using the original Latin form of the term,
adeptus. In the
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, there are two different grades, the
Adeptus Minor and the
Adeptus Major. Each has subgrades, such as the
Neophyte Adeptus Minor.
2. Unfortunately, the term is used loosely and variously to mean either one who has reached a recognized higher grade in one of the initiatory orders, one who has made contact with their Holy Guardian Angel, one who has "crossed the Abyss," or for an advanced student. It is not a “grade” or “credentialed position” universally recognized like an academic degree. Beware of the self-annointed!
AUTHOR: Carl Llewellyn Weschcke