You may not believe it!
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, also referred to as the Golden Dawn (Aurora Aurea), existed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Golden Dawn was a secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics, active in Great Britain.
As a hermetic order, Golden Dawn practices focused on the supernatural and spiritual development. Many present-day concepts of ritual and magic were inspired by the Golden Dawn.
In fact, it's claimed the Order had one of the single largest influences on 20th-century Western occultism, even though you might never have heard of it.
The Golden Dawn system was based on hierarchy and initiation, and women were admitted on an equal basis with men. The "Golden Dawn" was the first of three Orders, but all three together are often called the Golden Dawn.
The First Order taught esoteric philosophy based on the Hermetic Qabalah. It also taught personal development through awareness of the four elements, as well as the basics of astrology, tarot divination, and geomancy.
The Second or Inner Order, in Latin referred to as Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis (the Order of the Red Rose and the Golden Cross), taught magic, including scrying, astral travel, and alchemy.
The Third Order was that of the Secret Chiefs. These mysterious characters supposedly directed the activities of the lower two orders by spirit communication with the Chiefs of the Second Order.
The foundational documents of the original Order of the Golden Dawn were known as the Cipher Manuscripts. Written in English, they outlined the rituals of the Order.
William Robert Woodman, William Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell Mathers, the founding members, were Freemasons. Westcott seems to have been the primary driving force behind the Golden Dawn's establishment.
According to the records of the Order, the Cipher manuscripts passed from Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie, a Masonic scholar, to the Rev. A. F. A. Woodford, a fourth founding member of the society. Original Golden Dawn founding members Mathers and Westcott, however, are credited with turning the manuscripts and their rituals into a workable format.
In 1888, the Isis-Urania Temple, the first temple of the Golden Dawn, was founded in London. In contrast to Masonry, women were allowed to participate.
The First Order Grades were related to the four elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. The person aiming to be initiated into that Grade received instruction on the metaphysical meaning of each of these elements.
The Second Order consisted of members known as "adepts." These were people who had completed the entire course of study for the First Order as "aspirants," reaching adept status.
More temples followed for the Golden Dawn. The Osiris temple in Weston-super-Mare and the Horus temple in Bradford were both founded in 1888. In 1893 the Amen-Ra temple in Edinburgh was founded, and Mathers also founded the Ahathoor temple in Paris.
By the mid-1890s, the Golden Dawn was well established in Great Britain. The order boasted over 100 members, who came from every class of Victorian society.
Some believe that the Secret Chiefs were not human or supernatural beings, but were instead symbolic. The term represents a great leader or teacher of a spiritual path or practice, and this is how it found its way into the teachings of the Order.
A number of notable actors, writers, medics, and musicians were members of the Golden Dawn, including actress Florence Farr (pictured).
The Order was created at a time when there was a surge in the popularity of Theosophy (Divine Wisdom). It was welcomed by many educated people in America and in Britain, because it offered a vital and stimulating alternative to the religion of the masses. It also offered an alternative to material science, which was removing the spiritual ideas of the universe.
Theosophy was spiritually and intellectually satisfying to people who were looking for a new kind of spirituality. It claimed to represent an archaic secret tradition. Its aim was to bring the esoteric knowledge of the ancients to the modern world, and to study comparative religions, the laws of nature, and humanity’s spiritual faculties.
The members were also unhappy about Mathers' growing friendship with Aleister Crowley (pictured). Crowley was refused initiation into the adept grade by the London officials, but Mathers overrode their decision—initiating him at the Ahathoor temple in Paris.
When Westcott stepped away, it left Mathers in control of the Order. However, towards the end of 1899, the Adepts of the Isis-Urania and Amen-Ra temples were unhappy with Mathers' leadership.
In 1903, a schism occurred within the Order. What had been the previous Isis-Urania Temple was taken over by Arthur Edward Waite.
A British poet and mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, he was also the co-creator of the Rider–Waite tarot deck, still in popular use today.
Many of the remaining Golden Dawn members went with Waite’s group. Waite was a proponent of mysticism, less so magic.
Sources: (Llewellyn Worldwide)
Other well-known people of the time who were members include Welsh author Arthur Machen, the English authors Evelyn Underhill and Aleister Crowley (pictured), Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne, and Irish poet William Butler Yeats.
In 1896 or 1897, Westcott broke all ties with the Golden Dawn. It's believed his involvement in the Order was brought to the attention of his employers, who told him he would have to give up his profession as a coroner if his membership in the Order continued.
The manuscripts detail a curriculum of teachings that includes a combination of the Hermetic Qabalah, astrology, occult tarot, geomancy, and alchemy.
Mathers (pictured) was removed from the Order after a general meeting to remove him as chief and expel him from the Order. However, after asserting its independence, the Isis-Urania temple was plagued with even more disagreements, with many key members leaving, including Yeats.
Hermeticism or Hermetism is a philosophical and religious system based on the purported teachings of Hermes, a Greek deity.
Secret societies are shrouded in mystery. They usually have strange requirements for entry, and engage in arguably even stranger practices. One such group, which had an enduring effect on the world of magic and metaphysics, is the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Many renowned artists, writers, medics, and actors of its time were reputedly part of this secret society, but barely anyone had a clue!
Intrigued? Click on to learn more about the Golden Dawn and its supernatural legacy.
Magic and metaphysics: what was the Order of the Golden Dawn?
A magical organization that shaped contemporary practices
LIFESTYLE Secret socieities
Secret societies are shrouded in mystery. They usually have strange requirements for entry, and engage in arguably even stranger practices. One such group, which had an enduring effect on the world of magic and metaphysics, is the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Many renowned artists, writers, medics, and actors of its time were reputedly part of this secret society, but barely anyone had a clue!
Intrigued? Click on to learn more about the Golden Dawn and its supernatural legacy...