HISTORY OF THE GOLDEN DAWN
The History of the Golden Dawn can be traced to the late 19th and 20th centuries.
The founder was a Dr. William Wynn Westcot who was a coroner in London and also a Rosicrucian.
Westcot was able to obtain part of a manuscript which contained a number of rituals for the ancient society the Golden Dawn.
Westcot set up an independant lodge in England.
The Isis Urania Temple of the Hermatic Order of the Golden Dawn was set up in England in 1988.
Its leaders were Westcot, Mathers and Dr. W.R.Woodman.
Three hundred and fifteen initiations took place during the societys heyday from 1888 to 1896.
A hierarchy of 10 degrees corresponding to the ten sephiroth of the tree of life of the Kabbalah.
An eleventh degree for neophytes.
The degrees were divided into three orders, Outer, Second and Third.
Advancement through the order was by initiation.
Mathers was obsessed with jealousy in regards to Westcot.
Mathers translated the manuscript of the book of the sacred magic of abra-melin the mage and the book was eventually published in 1898.
In 1896 Horniman cut off financial support for Mathers.
Mathers claimed he was initiated into the Third Order in 1896 by the secret chiefs.
Horniman disputed this and was expelled.
Westcot resigned and his succesor was Florence Farr.
Aleister Crowley was initiated into the Golden Dawn in 1898.
His rise through the ranks was remarkable.
In 1899 Crowley went to Paris and was initiated into the Second Order.
The London Order rejected his initiation.
In 1900 Crowley went to London and tried to take control of thr quarters of the Second Order, but failed.
Self-Initiation Into The Golden Dawn Tradition (Llewell)
Crowley got even by publishing some of the Golden Dawns rituals in his magazine The Equinox.
W. B. Yeats became head of the Second Order.
The Golden Dawn split with Mathers forming the Alpha et Omega Temple.
In 1903 A. E. Waite left and formed a new group called the Golden Dawn. Eventually the different offshoots from the original Golden Dawn faded.
During its peak the Hermetic order of the Golden Dawn possessed the greatest known repository of western magical knowledge.
Three main systems were taught : The Key of Solomon, Abra-Melin and Enochian Magic.
In 1891 Woodman died.
Mathers finaces were difficult and in 1891 he and his wife were broke.
A wealthy Golden Dawn member, Annie Horniman, became their benifactors.
Mathers moved to Paris where another Golden Dawn was set up.
Crowley AND Mathers had a falling out and they supposedly engaged in macic warfare.
Mathers sent an astral vampire to attack Crowley.
Crowley responded with an army of demons.
Eventually both Crowley and Mathers were expelled from the London Golden Dawn.
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