A Brief History of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
The Golden Dawn is one of the most famous occult secret societies. Its fame is probably due not only to the esoteric boom of the 18th and 19th centuries, but also to the fact that S.L. Mathers and, above all, Aleister Crowley passed through its ranks. However, there has been a great deal of secrecy surrounding its rites, at least until the late 20th century, when various branches accepted openness and expounded the basis of its doctrines as part of their mission: to achieve higher and secret knowledge. In this article, we will briefly review its history.
The founding members of the Golden Dawn (S.L. Mathers, W. Goodman, W. Wescott) belonged to the English Rosicrucian Society, although its "founding legend" is less verifiable. Initially transmitted by the esotericist René Guenon, a Freemason and Rosicrucian priest apparently found a ciphered text hidden in the covers of a secondhand book. This text urged contact with the Countess of Lansfeld, Anna Sprengel, apparently a descendant of the original Rosicrucians. The priest contacted Goodman and Wesscott, and from then on, a correspondence of magical texts began between the Countess and them, sharing rituals and knowledge, and even obtaining permission to found a new Rosicrucian order with these rites in 1888. Of course, although the ciphered manuscript is real, many scholars, both internal and external, doubt Sprengel's actual existence and that it was merely a way to lay the groundwork for founding a new secret order without so much external Freemasonry control. This was even more so when, as will be seen later, Mathers himself suggested this possibility to discredit a colleague. In that same year, 1888, the Temple of Isis Urania was founded in London, followed by a Temple of Hermes in Bristol, a Temple of Amun in Edinburgh, and also a Temple of Hathor in Paris. Lavish rites and striking celebrations took place in these places, which soon gained the acceptance of the elite. Many prominent figures were members of the Order or at least had contact with it, although this was only revealed later, given its secrecy at the time: writers Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, and Butler Yeats, and the illustrator and painter Charles H. Bennet, for example. Among the women, we can highlight Pamela C. Smith, responsible for the illustrations for the Waite playing cards, feminist actress Florence Farr, and Irish activist Maud Gonne.
W.B. Yeats, a writer and Nobel Prize winner in 1923, was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. One of his contributions to the world of spiritualism in general was that of "automatic writing," as his wife, Georgie Hyde-Lees, also a member of the Order, claimed to have the ability to hear higher voices, which her husband channeled through this system. Arthur Waite and Pamela Colim Smith, for their part, were the developers of what is possibly the most famous tarot deck in the world, the Rider-Waite, along with the Tarot of Marseille.
S.L. Mathers was responsible for the more "academic" development of the Order, which, upon its founding, took the name Golden Dawn, as a new rebirth. Among the precepts, it should be noted that women were admitted to this order, something that was not the case with the "traditional" Rosicrucians. This was also a reason for the rapid increase in followers and participants.
We can deduce that the magic developed in this Order with Mathers would have much to do with the magic of the ancient grimoires, some of which Mathers personally translated and published, such as The Key of Solomon and The Book of Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, both European grimoires from the 18th century. However, not everyone agreed with this type of ceremonial magic. Waite, who would later develop his own tarot, published translations of minor grimoires such as The Red Dragon, The Grimoire of Pope Honorius, or The Book of Black Magic and Pacts, for purely economic purposes, since within his circles he always claimed to believe in magic as something more symbolic and mystical, and not as a series of physical rites linked together. However, in its beginnings, the Golden Dawn was purely theoretical, with few magical rituals as such (at most, the development and use of the pentagram). It was later, borrowing from here and there, and with increasingly more adepts from diverse backgrounds, that various ceremonies, festivals, and rituals were introduced as we understand them today.
The Golden Dawn was divided into ten degrees—inspired by the ten sefirot of Kabbalah—attainable through study and intellectual and spiritual ascent. All levels (except the neophyte) are related to the sefirot, in an ascending order.
The initial structure of the degrees consists of a first degree consisting of 7 levels: Neophyte, Warder, Theorist, Practitioner, Philosopher, Intermediary/Gate. Here, the foundations were learned and the observance of rites and practices was learned.
The second degree had 3 levels: Lesser Adept, Greater Adept, and Exemptus Adept.
The third and final degree had 3 levels: Master of the Temple, Magus, and Ipsisimus.
The tests to be passed in the first degree were purely theoretical, but those of the second degree required putting the magic learned into practice. Among the subjects studied were obviously Kabbalah, Tarot, astrology, alchemy, geomancy, and other magical practices that have been progressively added or modified, such as the ancient magic of the Greco-Roman and Egyptian worlds, astral visions... Mathers himself placed great emphasis on color theories and their esoteric keys as a way to achieve certain states. He supported the use of certain colored garments or objects in rituals, based, according to him, on correspondences between the Tarot and Hindu philosophy.
But such variety gradually led to the emergence of two branches within the Golden Dawn, one of which focused more on occult philosophy, Hermetic esotericism, and study, and the other leaning more toward magical practice, trance states, angelic talismans, spells, etc.
Aside from this, Mathers had also devised a Second Order, called the Ruby Rose Golden Cross, in which access was much stricter and more reserved, as one could not enter until one had reached at least the fourth degree of the Golden Dawn. For initiation into this Second Order, which could only be entered by merit and/or invitation, Mathers and his wife Moina recreated the supposed heptagonal tomb of Christian Rosenkreuz (the supposed founder of the Rosicrucians), known as "the Vault of the Adepts," whose walls were laden with symbolism.
Mathers claimed to have made physical and astral contact with the higher Rosicrucians to organize this order, which, for example, required members to make magical objects, which continue to be used today both within the order and outside of it, in many other esoteric settings, such as magical and altar instruments.
These objects initially consisted of four for the four elements: a cup for the water element, a wand for the fire element, a dagger for the wind, and a saucer or shield for the water element. These figures undoubtedly refer to the suits of the Tarot deck.
Also included were a sword supposedly symbolizing Mars; a beaded necklace or bracelet, similar to a rosary or a japa mala; and a lotus branch as an auxiliary tool in spells.
These supposedly superior Rosicrucians were called "Secret Chiefs." While some adepts believed they were Freemasons or alchemists who had preserved the ancient esoteric secret traditions, Mathers argued that they were not such, but rather entities from another world, contactable through esoteric practice. These secret chiefs emerged parallel to the supposed death of the German Rosicrucians with whom they corresponded, and they also brought internal disputes.
As previously mentioned, there were two factions regarding the development of thought: the more philosophical members, agnostics, atheists, as well as Christians, were deeply disturbed by the rituals related to paganism and entities. On the other hand, those who embraced pagan practices could not deny what they considered the basis of their experiences and visions, as well as the auxiliary forces of their spells. Little by little, tension grew. The first clashes were between the lodges of the islands versus those of the mainland, with the Paris temple being a fierce opponent.
Woodman had died, and Wescott suddenly left the Order, apparently because his membership had been made public, and this affected his position as Colonel, to the point of suspecting a conspiracy against him. After this, S.L. Mathers, as Imperator, that is, sole leader of the Golden Dawn, attempted to impose his systems in a homogeneous manner, although this was seen as dictatorial and alien to the variants of the spiritual quest. While even Aleister Crowley himself initially sided with Mathers, internal wars and divisions soon began. Of note are the Order of the Mystic Healers of Saint Raphael, created by Christian occultists, and of course, the Astrum Argentum, created by Crowley, with the ensuing controversies. There was also a "flight" of philosophers and agnostics/atheists to theosophical lodges, as they considered them to deal with spiritual matters in a more impartial manner. On the other hand, orders such as the Temple of Isis-Urania and Amun-Ra, believed that contacting the "secret leaders" should be accessible to everyone, not just Mathers, whom they distrusted as a transcriber of the designs of their superiors.
For its part, the Golden Dawn seemed to be in decline and went through a period marked by obscurantism both among its members and its actions. This was especially true as a result of Crowley's popularity, which initially made them appear intransigent, and especially when they refused to be implicated by the controversial school of Theléma. But the Golden Dawn had already lost credibility earlier, when Westcott returned to the Order with the intention of "redirecting" it, and Mathers, believing he was seeking to take over his position as Imperator, wrote a letter in which he said that all correspondence with Sprengel and Westcott had been a charade.
Mathers fell out of favor with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, however, he managed to found the Alpha and Omega Order, where he continued his line of magical study. W. B. Yeats joined a new group called Stella Matutina, which sought to revive the ancient Golden Dawn by focusing and limiting itself exclusively to the rites and practices of its early years. A. Waite, meanwhile, joined and took over the Temple of Isis-Urania. The well-known story of Aleister Crowley can be read in more detail in this blog post. Before the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn collapsed, it is said that Mathers placed a curse so that an Order as large and influential as the Golden Dawn would never again exist. He used peas, representing the rebels, and swirled them around in a net or sieve, so that there would never be a consensus among them. Authors such as King (1989) believe that, while it is true that several Golden Dawns have continued, none will be as great or leave such a palpable legacy in esotericism as Mathers did.
Despite everything, the continental Golden Dawn (or "Golden Auroras") gained followers, especially in France and Germany. A Golden Dawn was born on the American continent, specifically expanding rapidly in the United States, according to some due to the influence of Crowley's disciples, such as Wilfred Smith in California, and according to others, due to the "self-exile" of members of European orders. Despite the insistence on tradition and secrecy surrounding the original London Golden Dawn, the truth is that, at least at the popular level, the American Golden Dawn holds the leading role, largely because it has also embraced various neopaganisms and openly expressed many of its rituals as a kind of popular invitation, something unthinkable in the British Golden Dawn, whose rituals had previously only been exposed through the works of Crowley and Yeats.
According to some initiates, the initiation and degree change rituals still retain the secret spirit of the early founders, although they are not allowed to reveal everything exactly. Apparently, similar to Freemasonry and other orders and cults, adepts or those apt are gathered in an antechamber where they are prepared for the ritual that will take place inside. For this purpose, they may be given an item of clothing (such as a cape, tunic, or scarf of a specific color that distinguishes them at their stage) or some other relevant object. They are then blindfolded or led into a dark place until they reach their examiners. The examination or initiation itself can also be conducted in the dark and/or in solitude, thus increasing the variety of perceptions. There, the requested tests and rituals are performed, and at the end, they are led back to a lit place, where they meet with their superiors, who present them with the insignia of their new degree.
Among the rituals, the ritual of the pentagram stands out, in which the dagger is taken and the elements are invoked; the ritual of the hexagram, which seeks the conjunction of planetary and sephirotic values; the lotus wand ritual, where the powers of creation and Isis are manifested; the Rosicrucian ritual, where sigils are cast on the petals of the Zelator's rose, etc. In addition to minor spells with seals, talismans, and other magical sources, such as the use of swords for protection. However, each order/school has ended up adapting its teachings to the times and its tastes, and despite the testimonies and manuals, it would be presumptuous to consider some rituals "basic or obligatory." In that sense, the adepts Chic Cicero and his wife Tabatha have done an admirable job openly exposing the rituals of the American Golden Dawn, as if it were just another grimoire, and allowing one to understand the meaning and study given within the order and the reason for its application, as opposed to secrecy that leads to errors. It also has to do (there is no doubt that today), that information technologies and New Age movements have contributed to esoteric information being much more widespread and open to the public than in the 19th century. Therefore, it is also more mixed, which leads to the eternal question about the meaning of secrecy in current religious and esoteric orders, which, by all accounts, do not seek sectarianism or classism in a world characterized by its openness.
Pietro V. Carracedo Ahumada - pietrocarracedo@gmail.com
Bibliography:
-Cicero, C.; Tabatha Cicero, S. Golden Dawn Magic: A Complete Guide to High Magical Arts. Llewellyn Publications, U.S., 2019.
-King, F. Modern Ritual Magic: The Rise of Western Occultism. Prism, 1989
-Regardie, I; Greer, J.M. The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites, and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2016
Related articles:
> Aleister Crowley (1875-1947)
> The Theosophy of Helena Blavatsky
