 Rose Cross of the Golden Dawn | |
| Successor | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1887; 139 years ago (1887) |
| Dissolved | 1903; 123 years ago (1903) |
| Type | Magical organization |
| Headquarters | London |
| Location | |
Chiefs of the Second Order |
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| Part ofa series on the |
| Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn |
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TheHermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (Latin:Ordo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae), more commonly theGolden Dawn (Aurora Aurea), was asecret society from theWestern esoteric tradition, that was heavily based onRosicrucianism and inspired byFreemasonry, chiefly devoted to the study and practice ofoccultHermeticism andmetaphysics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Known as amagical order, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was active inGreat Britain and focused its practices ontheurgy and spiritual development. Many present-day concepts of ritual andmagic that are at the centre of contemporary traditions, such asWicca[1] andThelema, were inspired by the Golden Dawn, which became one of the largest single influences on 20th-century Westernoccultism.[a][b]
The three founders,William Robert Woodman,William Wynn Westcott, andSamuel Liddell Mathers, wereFreemasons and members of theSocietas Rosicruciana in Anglia. Westcott appears to have been the initial driving force behind the establishment of the Golden Dawn. Hence the Golden Dawn system was based on hierarchy and initiation, similar toMasonic lodges.[2] While the grade structure was based on theSRIA, women were admitted on an equal basis with men.[3]
The "Golden Dawn" was the first of three Orders, although all three are often collectively referred to as the "Golden Dawn". The First Order taught esoteric philosophy based on theHermetic Qabalah and personal development through study and awareness of the fourclassical elements, as well as the basics ofastrology,tarot divination, andgeomancy. The Second or Inner Order, theRosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis, taught magic, includingscrying,astral travel, andalchemy. The Third Order was that of theSecret Chiefs, who were said to be highly skilled; they 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, known as theCipher Manuscripts, are written in English using theTrithemius cipher. The manuscripts give the specific outlines of the Grade Rituals of the Order and prescribe a curriculum of graduated teachings that encompass theHermetic Qabalah,astrology,occult tarot,geomancy, andalchemy.
According to the records of the Order, the manuscripts passed fromKenneth R. H. Mackenzie, a Masonic scholar, to the Rev.A. F. A. Woodford, whom British occult writerFrancis King describes as the fourth founder,[4] although Woodford died shortly after the Order was founded.[5] The documents did not excite Woodford, and in February 1886 he passed them on to FreemasonWilliam Wynn Westcott, who managed to decode them in 1887.[4]
Westcott, pleased with his discovery, called on fellow FreemasonSamuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers for a second opinion. Westcott asked for Mathers's help to turn the manuscripts into a coherent system for lodge work. Mathers asked fellow FreemasonWilliam Robert Woodman to assist the two, and he accepted.[4]
Mathers and Westcott have been credited with developing the ritual outlines in the Cipher Manuscripts into a workable format.[c] Mathers is generally credited with the design of the curriculum and rituals of the Second Order, which he called theRosae Rubae et Aureae Crucis ("Ruby Rose and Golden Cross" or theRR et AC).[6]
In October 1887, Westcott claimed to have written to a German countess and prominent Rosicrucian namedAnna Sprengel, whose address was said to have been found in the decoded Cipher Manuscripts. According to Westcott, Sprengel claimed the ability to contact certain supernatural entities, known as theSecret Chiefs, that were considered the authorities over any magical order or esoteric organization. Westcott purportedly received a reply from Sprengel granting permission to establish a Golden Dawn temple and conferring honorary grades ofAdeptus Exemptus on Westcott, Mathers, and Woodman. The temple was to consist of the five grades outlined in the manuscripts.[7]
In 1888, theIsis-Urania Temple was founded inLondon.[8] In contrast to the SRIA and Masonry,[9] women were allowed and welcome to participate in the Order in "perfect equality" with men. The Order was more of a philosophical and metaphysical teaching order in its early years. Other than certain rituals and meditations found in the Cipher manuscripts and developed further,[10] "magical practices" were generally not taught at the first temple.
For the first four years, the Golden Dawn was one cohesive group later known as the "First Order" or "Outer Order". A "Second Order" or "Inner Order" was established and became active in 1892. The Second Order consisted of members known as "adepts", who had completed the entire course of study for the First Order. The Second Order was formally established under the nameOrdo Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis (the Order of the Red Rose and the Golden Cross).[11]
Eventually, the Osiris temple inWeston-super-Mare, the Horus temple inBradford (both in 1888), and the Amen-Ra temple inEdinburgh (1893) were founded. In 1893, Mathers founded the Ahathoor temple inParis.[8]
In 1890, Westcott's alleged correspondence with Anna Sprengel suddenly ceased. He claimed to have received word from Germany that she was dead and that her companions did not approve of the founding of the Order, and no further contact was to be made.[12] If the founders were to contact theSecret Chiefs, apparently, it had to be done on their own.[8]
In 1892, Mathers professed that a link to the Secret Chiefs had been established. Subsequently, he supplied rituals for the Second Order.[8] The rituals were based on the tradition of the tomb ofChristian Rosenkreuz, and aVault of Adepts became the controlling force behind the Outer Order.[13] Later in 1916, Westcott claimed that Mathers also constructed these rituals from materials he received from Frater Lux ex Tenebris, a purportedContinental Adept.[14]
Some followers of the Golden Dawn tradition believe that the Secret Chiefs were not human or supernatural beings, but rather symbolic representations of actual or legendary sources of spiritualesotericism. The term came to stand for a great leader or teacher of aspiritual path or practice that found its way into the teachings of the Order.[15]
By the mid-1890s, the Golden Dawn was well established in Great Britain, with over one hundred members from every class ofVictorian society.[5] Many celebrities belonged to the Golden Dawn, such as the actressFlorence Farr, the Irish revolutionaryMaud Gonne, the Irish poetWilliam Butler Yeats, the Welsh authorArthur Machen, and the English authorsEvelyn Underhill andAleister Crowley.
In 1896 or 1897, Westcott broke all ties to the Golden Dawn, leaving Mathers in control. It has been speculated that his departure was due to his having lost a number of occult-related papers in ahansom cab. Apparently, when the papers were found, Westcott's connection to the Golden Dawn was discovered and brought to the attention of his employers. He may have been told to either resign from the Order or to give up his occupation ascoroner.[16] After Westcott's departure, Mathers appointed Florence Farr to be Chief Adept in Anglia. Dr.Henry B. Pullen Burry succeeded Westcott as Cancellarius—one of the three Chiefs of the Order.
Mathers was the only active founding member after Westcott's departure. Due to personality clashes with other members and frequent absences from the center of Lodge activity in Great Britain, however, challenges to Mathers's authority as leader developed among the members of the Second Order.[17]
Towards the end of 1899, the Adepts of the Isis-Urania and Amen-Ra temples had become dissatisfied with Mathers's leadership, as well as his growing friendship with Aleister Crowley. They had also become anxious to make contact with the Secret Chiefs themselves, instead of relying on Mathers as an intermediary.[18] Within the Isis-Urania temple, disputes were arising between Farr'sThe Sphere, a secret society within the Isis-Urania, and the rest of the Adepti Minores.[18]
Crowley was refused initiation into the Adeptus Minor grade by the London officials. Mathers overrode their decision and quickly initiated him at the Ahathoor temple in Paris on 16 January 1900.[19] Upon his return to the London temple, Crowley requested from Miss Cracknell, the acting secretary, the papers acknowledging his grade, to which he was now entitled.[19]
To the London Adepts, this was the final straw. Farr, already of the opinion that the London temple should be closed, wrote to Mathers expressing her wish to resign as his representative, although she was willing to carry on until a successor was found.[19] Mathers believed Westcott was behind this turn of events, and replied on 16 February.[20]
On 3 March a committee of seven Adepts was elected in London and requested a full investigation of the matter. Mathers sent an immediate reply, declining to provide proof, refusing to acknowledge the London temple, and dismissing Farr as his representative on 23 March.[20] In response, a general meeting was called on 29 March in London to remove Mathers as chief and expel him from the Order.[21]
In 1901, W. B. Yeats privately published a pamphlet titledIs the Order of R. R. & A. C. to Remain a Magical Order?[22] After the Isis-Urania temple claimed its independence, there were even more disputes, leading to Yeats resigning.[23] A committee of three was to temporarily govern, which included P. W. Bullock, M. W. Blackden andJ. W. Brodie-Innes. After a short time, Bullock resigned, and Dr.Robert Felkin took his place.[24]
In 1903,A. E. Waite and Blackden joined forces to retain the name Isis-Urania, while Felkin and other London members formed theStella Matutina. Yeats remained in the Stella Matutina until 1921, while Brodie-Innes continued his Amen-Ra membership in Edinburgh.[25]
Once Mathers realised that reconciliation was impossible, he made efforts to reestablish himself in London. The Bradford and Weston-super-Mare temples remained loyal to him, but their numbers were few.[26] He then appointedEdward Berridge as his representative.[27] According to Francis King, historical evidence shows that there were "twenty three members of a flourishing Second Order under Berridge-Mathers in 1913."[27]
J.W. Brodie-Innes continued leading the Amen-Ra temple, deciding that the revolt was unjustified. By 1908, Mathers and Brodie-Innes were in complete accord.[28] According to sources that differ regarding the actual date, sometime between 1901 and 1913 Mathers renamed the branch of the Golden Dawn remaining loyal to his leadership, toAlpha et Omega.[29][d]
Brodie-Innes assumed command of the English and Scottish temples, while Mathers concentrated on building up his Ahathoor temple and extending his American connections.[30] According to occultistIsrael Regardie, the Golden Dawn had spread to theUnited States of America before 1900 and a Thoth-Hermes temple had been founded inChicago.[31] By the beginning of theFirst World War in 1914, Mathers had established two to three American temples.
Most temples of the Alpha et Omega and Stella Matutina closed or went into abeyance by the end of the 1930s, with the exceptions of two Stella Matutina temples: Hermes Temple inBristol, which operated sporadically until 1970, and the Smaragdum Thallasses Temple, commonly referred to asWhare Ra, inHavelock North,New Zealand, which operated regularly until its closure in 1978.[32]
Much of the hierarchical structure for the Golden Dawn came from theSocietas Rosicruciana in Anglia, which was itself derived from theOrder of the Golden and Rosy Cross.[33]
The paired numbers attached to the Grades relate to positions on the Tree of Life. The Neophyte Grade of "0=0" indicates no position on the Tree. In the other pairs, the first numeral is the number of steps up from the bottom (Malkuth), and the second numeral is the number of steps down from the top (Kether).
The First Order Grades were related to thefour elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, respectively. The Aspirant to a Grade received instruction on the metaphysical meaning of each of these Elements and had to pass a written examination and demonstrate certain skills to receive admission to that Grade.
While no temples in the original chartered lineage of the Golden Dawn survived past the 1970s,[32] several organizations have since carried on, revived or expanded upon the Order's teachings and rituals, including:
The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order, clated byIsrael Regardie; was published in four volumes between 1937 and 1940. It was divided into several sections by topic. First are the knowledge lectures, which describe the basic teaching of the Qabalah, symbolism, meditation, geomancy, etc. This is followed by the rituals of the Outer Order, consisting of five initiation rituals into the degrees of the Golden Dawn. The next section covers the rituals of the Inner Order including two initiation rituals and equinox ceremonies.
Regardie's work, later collected into a single volume, has gone through hardback and paperback editions and remains in print as of 2026.
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