The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Latin : Ordo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae , more commonly the Golden Dawn Aurora Aurea , was a secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Known as a magical order , the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was active in Great Britain and focused its practices on theurgy and spiritual development. Many present-day concepts of ritual and magic that are at the centre of contemporary traditions, such as Wicca [ 1 ] and Thelema , were inspired by the Golden Dawn, which became one of the largest single influences on 20th-century Western occultism. 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 to Masonic lodges. 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 the Hermetic Qabalah and personal development through study and awareness of the four classical elements , as well as the basics of astrology , tarot divination , and geomancy.
The Third Order was that of the Secret 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 the Cipher Manuscripts , are written in English using the Trithemius cipher. The manuscripts give the specific outlines of the Grade Rituals of the Order and prescribe a curriculum of graduated teachings that encompass the Hermetic Qabalah , astrology , occult tarot , geomancy , and alchemy.
According to the records of the Order, the manuscripts passed from Kenneth R. Mackenzie , a Masonic scholar, to the Rev. Woodford , whom British occult writer Francis King describes as the fourth founder, [ 4 ] although Woodford died shortly after the Order was founded. Westcott, pleased with his discovery, called on fellow Freemason Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers for a second opinion.
