THE HERMETIC ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DAWN

FOUNDED: 1888

STATUS: Lodges and private practitioners still exist today in limited numbers (no relation to Greece’s Golden Dawn political party).

EXCLUSIVITY FACTOR: Joining may not be that tough, but to ascend in the order, one must display a mastery of magical theories and practices.

SECRECY FACTOR: Over the last century, many of the group’s secrets have been revealed, but the Golden Dawn’s elusive Third Order is still a mystery.

THREAT FACTOR: Hopefully none, if the initiate works their way through the order in the prescribed way—it can be dangerous to practice magic too early, or incorrectly.

QUIRK FACTOR: Astrology, tarot cards, and other neo-pagan magical practices have roots in the Golden Dawn.

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

There’s an old saying that it’s always darkest before the dawn. Members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn sought to come out of the darkness to find spiritual enlightenment—through magic.

Men of science founded this most influential occult group: three British physicians, who were also Freemasons (see page 47) and Rosicrucians (see page 151). Those organizations had many mystical associations that were folded into the ideas behind the Golden Dawn, resulting in a unique combination of Jewish Kabbalah, ancient Egyptian and Greek myths, several strands of Christianity, and many other esoteric traditions.

The word “Hermetic” comes from Hermes Trismegistus, author of sacred texts on mystical and alchemical teachings arising in the first three centuries A.D. Other groups practiced Hermetic tradition, but supposedly, the Golden Dawn was founded on the basis of a charter from an ancient German Rosicrucian Lodge, which had written a coded record of their clandestine occult rituals. This mysterious document is known as the Cipher Manuscript, and its provenance is suspect—it may have been a forgery by one of the founders of the Golden Dawn, or if it is genuine, the lodge from which it originated was so secret that nobody has been able to prove its existence.

Nevertheless, the “perfectible humanism” philosophy behind the Golden Dawn—the idea that everyone could control his or her destiny with lots of hard work and a little bit of magical power—was compelling enough to attract many well-respected thinkers of the time, including Irish poet W. B. Yeats, English writer E. Nesbit, occultist Aleister Crowley (see page 82), and author Bram Stoker.

In its Victorian heyday, the Golden Dawn held meetings at the Isis-Urania Temple in London, the Amen-Ra Temple in Edinburgh, and the Ahathoor Temple in Paris. Some smaller temples existed, but many of the estimated three hundred to five hundred members met in private homes.

The magical order began breaking down when the leaders of various factions bragged that they alone had contact with the “secret chiefs” of the elusive Third Order—the highest level of the Golden Dawn. These beings, said to be imbued with superhuman powers, were never seen by the group’s regular members, and their contacts reported conflicting information from them.

In 1900, a “great schism” occurred when the London temple broke ties with the Paris temple. Different factions of the group began publicly outing each other, and the Golden Dawn was no longer a secret. Scandal further increased their visibility in 1901, when a couple in Paris was accused of recruiting teenage girls to the group for purposes of “sex magic.”

What’s more, in 1914, Aleister Crowley, bitter about not being admitted to the Second Order, revealed the secrets of the Golden Dawn’s initiation rituals in his serial publication The Equinox. By this time, the Golden Dawn had splintered into many other groups, including the Alpha et Omega, the Stella Matutina, and the Independent and Rectified Rite. More schisms occurred in the 1920s and 1930s, until finally dying out in the 1970s. There are still some Golden Dawn lodges and independent practitioners today, but there is no longer any central authority for the group.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

The Golden Dawn welcomed both men and women, which was rare for the Victorian age. Wannabe-Golden Dawn members, or Aspirants, must work through a series of “grades” which are divided into three orders, each indicating a position on the Tree of Life. The four grades of the First Order are related to earth, air, water, and fire, respectively. Aspirants must literally aim for a certain “grade” by passing a written exam on the metaphysical meaning of each of these elements.

Then, if a Lodge’s Circle of Adepts consents, the Aspirant is admitted to the Second Order. This is where the fun starts. At this stage, the Aspirant is taught the basics of practical magic and may be made an Adept with the power to initiate Aspirants into the First Order. And as members master magical techniques and move up in grades, they may choose a special area of magical expertise—sort of like choosing a college major.

In the Second Order, Aspirants are pretty high up there on the tree of life. But if they want to ascend to the Third Order, they may not be able to stay on that tree—because entering the Third Order essentially requires dying. Many Golden Dawn adherents believe that no living person can “cross the abyss” that separates mundane life from union with the Divine. However, others believe simply extinguishing the Ego—symbolized by a demon known as Choronzon—grants one entry to the elusive Third Order. Aspirants to the grades of this order have acquired great magical powers. And to reach the final level is to achieve virtual Godhood. Not many manage to make that grade.

INSIDE THE GOLDEN DAWN

All in-fighting aside, the goal of the Golden Dawn was spiritual development, a higher state of being. This process begins with a “banishing ritual” that has become a preliminary for most Western magic. The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram entails bringing a dagger to the center of a pentagram, making many gesticulations with the body, “vibrating” several “names of power,” including archangels, and visualizing the embodiments of the names recited. This, and other magical rituals, can be performed at an altar outfitted with Egyptian-inspired ephemera and magical tools such as the aforementioned dagger. An altar may be in a Golden Dawn temple, or many practitioners today have altars in their homes.

Golden Dawn members practice many different kinds of magic, including circle casting, astral projection (out of body experience), astrology, theurgy (religious magic), and more. The classic Rider-Waite tarot deck was actually invented in 1909 by Golden Dawn member A. E. White and illustrated by fellow member Pamela Colman Smith. Alchemy—an ancient tradition that includes the ability to transform base metals into gold or silver—is also allegedly practiced by some high-level Golden Dawn magicians. This practice in particular relates to a Hermetic principle—the alchemical process requires a closed, or “Hermetically sealed,” container. Though greed is against the Golden Dawn philosophy, one can’t help but wonder if some aspirants want in just to get the golden touch!

Many secrets of the Golden Dawn have been revealed over the course of the last century, but there are many others known only by members. For those seeking to become “more than human,” the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn may be the right place to start.

THE CRIMES OF MR. CROWLEY

Regarded as the father of modern occultism, Aleister Crowley’s falling out with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was but one incident in a lifetime of scandal and nonconformity. He was born to a wealthy British family in 1875, and broke out of the confines of stuffy Victorian society to become a ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. Crowley founded his own religion called Thelema, which employed the motto “Do What Thou Wilt.” In Crowley’s case, the things he was “wilt” to do were often considered depraved and debaucherous. Here are a few of his most notable transgressions.

HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITIES

At the turn of the 20th century, homosexuality was still illegal in many places, but Crowley delighted in breaking all the rules. While enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge, he took a holiday to Stockholm, where he had a transformative mystical experience said to be brought on by his first homo-erotic encounter. Then in 1897, he began a relationship with Herbert Charles Pollitt, president of the Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club. Herb apparently couldn’t tolerate Aleister’s interest in esotericism, and the two broke up, much to Crowley’s regret. Crowley’s homosexual, or, more accurately, bisexual proclivities also didn’t go over well with the members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and contributed to him being ousted by the society in 1899.

PORNOGRAPHY

Crowley’s first book was a collection of sexually explicit poems called White Stains, published in Amsterdam in 1898. It was called “the filthiest book of verse ever written,” and most of the original 100-copy print run was destroyed by British customs. But White Stains was not only a celebration of sexual taboos—it also warned readers of the less pleasurable side of things. One poem vividly describes the pain of catching the clap, exclaiming “How sore it is!” Crowley would go on to have many of his subsequent writings banned and burned, and his work is still frequently contested today.

MARRYING HIS FRIEND’S SISTER

Nobody wants their sister to marry a guy nicknamed “the Beast.” Even though painter Gerald Kelly was a friend of Aleister Crowley, he took issue with being his brother-in-law. The two men met during college at Cambridge, and in the early 1900s were part of the same crowd in Paris, mixing with the likes of writer W. Somerset Maugham and sculptor Auguste Rodin. Kelly introduced Crowley to his sister, Rose, who confided to the occultist that she was having an affair with a married man—but to her sorrow, that would soon have to end since her family had betrothed her to an American. In a gentlemanly yet libertine move, Crowley offered to take Rose’s hand in marriage and allow her to conduct her affairs with whomever she pleased. The couple eloped the next morning, much to her family’s shock and dismay. However, Aleister and Rose surprised themselves by falling in love. Crowley came to rely on his wife’s magical intuition—he was convinced that the Egyptian god Horus spoke to him through Rose. Sadly, their love affair did not have a happy ending. The couple divorced in 1909, and in 1911, Aleister had Rose committed to an asylum for alcoholic dementia, a condition she struggled with until the end of her life. Meanwhile, her brother led a much more socially acceptable existence than his old pal Aleister by becoming a favorite painter of the British royal family, and being knighted in 1945.

IMPERSONATING ROYALTY

Crowley had a flair for the dramatic. He often assumed false identities of a royal or ancient mystical nature, using titles he claimed were bestowed by European or Hindu aristocracy. After marrying Rose Edith Kelly in 1903, the couple took an extended honeymoon with a stop in Cairo, Egypt. There, Crowley donned Persian garb and passed himself off as a prince named Choi Khan (Hebrew for “the Beast”). His new bride was his princess. They rented an apartment in which Crowley set up a temple room and began invoking ancient Egyptian deities and studying Arabic and Islamic mysticism. Incidentally, “Princess” Rose was pregnant on this trip, and in 1904 she gave birth to a daughter, whom they (anti)christened Nuit Ma Ahathoor Hecate Sappho Jezebel Lilith (a name that is basically a crime in itself).

ADULTERY

It comes as little surprise that a man obsessed with “sex magick” (he put a “k” at the end of “magic” for reasons relating to numerology) had no qualms about cheating on both his first and second wives. He also welcomed the affections of married women, such as Mary Alice Rogers, whom he met on a ship to Hawaii. He celebrated their brief romance in a series of poems, published as Alice: An Adultery, in 1903.

BLOOD SACRIFICE

In 1909, Crowley went to the Sahara Desert to perform an invocation of Choronzon, the Demon of Dispersion—a being whom Crowley believed to be guardian of “the Abyss,” the gap between the Real and the Unreal. To provide the life essence, the spirit needed to materialize, a black-robed Crowley slit the throats of three pigeons and drained their blood at each point of a triangle drawn in the sand. Choronzon allegedly did make an appearance within the magic triangle, channeled through the body of Crowley. Such activities caused many to speculate that Crowley was a Satanist who practiced human sacrifice. That was one crime Crowley was not guilty of—murder and violence were against the law of Thelema—but he enjoyed the sensationalist rumors, and even jokingly referred to masturbation as child sacrifice. According to his diaries, Crowley performed this “sacrifice” one hundred and fifty times a year.

FAKING HIS OWN DEATH

That killer sense of humor was again in evidence when Crowley pulled this stunt: In 1930, he traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, and left a suicide note atop the rocky cliffs on a seaside chasm called Boca do Inferno. It appeared that “the wickedest man in the world” (as he was dubbed by the British press) had ended his own life by jumping into the mouth of hell. Crowley hoped the ensuing publicity would drum up sales for his books. His friend, celebrated Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, was in on the joke, and fed the media frenzy by saying he had seen Crowley’s ghost the next day. But other friends of Crowley’s were shocked when they heard news of his death. Several weeks later, he revealed his suicide to be a cruel joke when he showed up unannounced at an exhibit of his paintings and drawings in Berlin. Real funny, dude.

CURSING

No, not the profanity kind of cursing, though Crowley did use some pretty spicy language in his writings. Legend has it that he placed a curse on his physician, Dr. William Brown Thompson, for failing to provide him with sufficient amounts of morphine. Crowley was originally prescribed heroin for asthma, and had struggled with opiate addiction for many years thereafter. Dr. Brown began treating him near the end of his life, continuing him on his regimen of morphine. But Crowley was unsatisfied with the amount the doctor allotted him, so he tried to weasel more morphine out of the pharmacist—behavior perfectly befitting a man who once wrote a book called Diary of a Drug Fiend. After that, Dr. Brown always accompanied his persistent patient to the pharmacy. Finally, the doctor stopped prescribing the morphine altogether, which could not have been pleasant for a longtime addict like Crowley. When Crowley died on December 1, 1947, Dr. Brown was found dead in his bathtub within twenty-four hours of his patient’s demise. Scotland Yard confirmed that both men died of natural causes, but nonetheless, rumors circulated that Crowley had placed a death curse on the disagreeable doctor—one last wicked act before he left the world.

NOT GIVING A F**K

The central doctrine of Crowley’s philosophy of Thelema was ”Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.” Thelemites were encouraged to get in touch with their “True Will,” and follow their own unique path in life. This concept has influenced freethinkers for over a hundred years. In the counter-cultural movement of the 1960s, many luminaries paid Crowley tribute. The Beatles featured him among their personal heroes on the cover of the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page was such a fan of Crowley that he purchased the occultists’ house in Scotland; and LSD guru Timothy Leary saw his drug experiments as a way of continuing Crowley’s work. Aleister Crowley’s legacy as a man who unapologetically did as he pleased will no doubt continue to inspire open-minded oddballs for years to come.