by Kim Sharpe

Created on: August 22, 2008

The Golden Dawn is a mysterious organization that has been around for over a hundred years. It was first founded in 1888 William Westcott a doctor and a mason and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers who was also a mason. They claimed to be an offshoot of the German Rosicrucian Order. They also made up at least five of their five of their rituals from the Masons.

Samual Liddell Macgregor Mathers eventually took the reins and control of the Golden Dawn. He based much of everything on his strong Celtic beliefs and he was also descended from the MacGregor Clan of Scotland.

Most of the Golden Dawn is based on the magick of Eliphas Levi's along with a strong Egyption basis. The Medieval Grimoires are also strongly used and were incorporated by Mathers into the practices. The Golden Dawn also leans heavily towards Graeco-Egyptian magic, the Jewish Kabbalah and teachings,the Tarot and Eastern mysticism. Plus many other avenues of teaching and philosphy.

The Golden Dawn is made up of ten levels or degree's. These degree's are based on the Sephiroth from the Kabbalah. Each degree helps a person gain a higher self. It is believed that as a member passes through higher and higher degree's they actually communicate with Magi.

Because the Golden Dawn was extremely secretive and has remained such through the years many people don't realize that its ranks have been made up of some extremely famous people through the years. W. B. Yeats, Aleister Crowley, Constance Wilde, Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, A. E. Waite, Annie Horniman, Florence Farr, Gerald Kelly. Wallace Budge, and Maude Gonne were all members.

After Mathers moved away WB Yeats, the famous poet, would take over the leadership of the Golden Dawn and from this Golden Dawn many offshoots would branch off through the years.

The Golden Dawn is often viewed as a religious organization but this is a misconception. Those who belong to the Golden Dawn are very diverse in their religious beliefs and practices. The Organization basically seeks to gain knowledge and inner peace. However, it is a society that is based strongly on alchemy and extreme secrecy. The orders meetings are kept strictly secret at all times. But this strict adherence to secrecy is also to protect its members. Many influential and successful public people call the Golden Dawn home. Because of prejudice and ignorance many people in society might frown on these people being members of a society thats basis is alchemy. They would not understand or seek to understand the order and they would blacklist the members. Much like what happened in the 1950's to those viewed as having communist viewpoints.

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