Various religious organizations using the name Golden Dawn are similar to one another, and to the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which splintered in the late 1800s due to personality clashes, in no small part related to Aleister Crowley's involvement in the organization.
Current Orders of the Golden Dawn are the result of a reconstruction of the original organization or splinter groups. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was once the largest magic cabal in the United Kingdom, although it didn't last long.
Although it claimed earlier origins, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was officially founded by William Wynn Westcott, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, and William Robert Woodman in the 1880s.
The Cipher Manuscripts, a sixty-page collection of magical initiation rituals, believed to have been written in 1809, served as the organization's foundational documents. Golden Dawn tradition is that the manuscripts had passed from Kenneth R.H. Mackenzie, a Masonic scholar, to the Reverend A.F.A. Woodford, who is sometimes named as the Golden Dawn's fourth founder, although he died shortly after the Order was founded. Woodford passed the manuscript on to William Wynn Westcott, a Freemason, who decoded them in 1887.
Westcott called on Mathers for help in turning the documents into a system of order for the organization, and Mathers included Woodman in the task. Mathers is credited with designing the curriculum and rituals for the Second Order, which he called the Rosae Rubae et Aureae Crucis, or Ruby Rose and Golden Cross, while Mathers and Westcott were chiefly responsible for developing the ritual outlines in the Cipher Manuscripts into a workable format.
The decoded manuscripts included the address of Anna Sprengel, a prominent Rosicrucian who claimed to be able to contact a group of supernatural entities known as the Secret Chiefs, who were regarded as the authorities over any magical order. Reportedly, Westcott received permission through Sprengel to establish a Golden Dawn temple and to appoint Westcott, Mathers, and Woodman to the level of Adeptus Exemptus.
The Isis-Urania Temple was founded in London in 1887. Contrasting with Freemasonry and the Rosicrucian Order, women were accepted on an equal basis with men.
The Golden Dawn was the first of three Orders, the second being the Ruby Rose and Cross of Gold, and the third was that of the Secret Chiefs, although all three were together known as Golden Dawn.
Within the first few years, a series of personal problems led to the organization's dissipation and splintering. In 1891, Westcott's correspondence with Sprengel ceased, ending contact with the Secret Chiefs. Mathers professed to have established a link, supplying the rituals for the Second Order. Later, Westcott claimed that Mathers had assembled these rituals from other sources. Other members came to doubt the existence of the Secret Chiefs.
In 1897, Westcott broke ties with the Golden Dawn, leaving Mathers in charge. By 1899, the other Adepts were concerned with the leadership of Mathers, and his growing reliance on Aleister Crowley. When Crowley was refused initiation into the Adeptus Minor grade, Mathers vetoed their decision and initiated Crowley in 1900, prompting the expulsion of Mathers from the Order. Splinter groups began to form thereafter, while many others resigned from the Order, eventually leading to the closure of its temples, the last in 1978.
In recent years, an attempt at reconstruction of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn remains active, while other splinter groups are still in operation.
Contemporary Golden Dawn organizations include the reconstructed Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn, the Fellowship of the Golden Dawn, Golden Dawn Collegium Spiritu Sancti, Golden Dawn Universum, Golden Dawn Ancient Mystery School, the Order of the Stella Matutina, Sodalitas Rosae+Crucis et Solis Alati, Orden Hermética de la Aurora Dorada, Ordem Esotérica da Aurora Dourada no Brasil, the Hermetic Society of the Golden Dawn, the August Order of the Mystic Rose, the Order of the Golden Dawn in the Outer, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Alpha Omega Rosicrucian Mystery School, the Holy Order of the Golden Dawn, and the Druidical Order of the Golden Dawn.
Any of these, or others that may not have been mentioned here, are the focus of topics in this category. Denominations, associations, orders, organizations, or affiliated schools, publishing companies, or other entities associated with the Golden Dawn are appropriate topics for this category. Informational sites related to the Golden Dawn may also be submitted to this category, whether supportive or confrontational.
Recommended Resources
Druidical Order of the Golden Dawn
Claiming descent from the Druid Revival of the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a 19th-century magical order, the Druidical Order is one of several splinter groups of the latter. Frequently asked questions and complaints are answered, and its membership policies and application procedures are put forth, and applications may be made through the site. Relevant books are suggested.
http://www.druidical-gd.org/
The Fellowship of the Golden Dawn is an international Order in the tradition of the founders and early leaders of the Hermetical Order of the Golden Dawn. The history and an introduction to the Fellowship are delineated, and its initiation policies and procedures are outlined, and its distance healing, Kabbalistic healing, and magical healing services are discussed, as well as its training programs and resources.
https://goldendawnfellowship.com/
Golden Dawn Collegium Spiritu Sancti
The Hermetic fraternity and occult school is dedicated to the principles of the Western Mystery tradition, Hermetics, occult science, esoteric knowledge, and practical mysticism, passed down from teacher to student. Its membership and student policies are defined, and its topics of practice and study, organizational structure, and leadership contacts are outlined. An online shopping area is included.
https://www.gdcss.org/
Serving Golden Dawn members worldwide, the Order’s temple is located in Los Angeles County, Southern California. The OGDU is a non-profit organization incorporated in 2012, independently continuing the classical Golden Dawn tradition. Among its programs include beginning through advanced training in the art of divine working, which includes theoretical and practical instruction in Kabbalah, alchemy, healing astral projection, divination, and others.
http://ogdu.org/
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in Canada
The Ma'at-Heru Temple of the Golden Dawn in Toronto is the headquarters of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in Canada, and home of the Adepts Chic and Tabatha Cicero. An overview and history of the worldwide and national organization is put forth, with administrative contacts, answers to frequently asked questions, links to additional online resources, and a private area for members. Membership is by invitation only.
http://www.hermeticorderofthegoldendawn.ca/
Hermetic Society of the Golden Dawn
With temples on five continents, the private Order was founded in 1999 by high-ranking Freemasons and members of the Societas Rosicruciana in America, who practice the Golden Dawn structure, techniques, rituals, and ceremonies as they were originally done in 1888. Open to individuals of all creeds, races, and genders, its membership policies, publications by members, and informational video are available.
https://goldendawn.ning.com/
Based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Holy Order of the Golden Dawn is a Mystery School and one of several successors to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. An introduction to the Order is set forth, and its membership and initiation policies, prayer requests, and a gallery of photographs are displayed. A calendar of upcoming events, contacts, and a private area for members are incorporated.
https://golden-dawn.webs.com/
Inaugurated in 2005, the Manhattan Temple of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, becoming the first operating Golden Dawn temple since the original Thoth Hermes Temple of the 1920s. A profile and photo of the temple are displayed, and an overview of the Golden Dawn Order is put forth. Its training courses, performance arts programs, and practical magic are highlighted, and a blog is included.
http://www.nycgoldendawn.org/
Founded in 1888 as an amalgamation of various branches of study and traditions, the Golden Dawn split into several bodies since its inception. Operating the Horus-Hathod Temple in Montreal, Canada as well as the Thoth-Maat Temple in Austin, Texas, this Order holds that its methods and teachings are pertinent to the original Order. Its teachings, membership policies, addresses, and contacts are published to the site.
http://www.orderofthegoldendawn.com/
Order of the Golden Dawn in the Outer
Home to the Mother Temple of Thoth Amen-Ra in Denver, Colorado, the Order is a magical, mystical, and alchemical Order and school founded in 2007, and devoted to practicing the Golden Dawn system as it has developed over more than a century. Included here are an overview of the Golden Dawn tradition, the Order’s temples, membership policies, and procedures for joining or starting a study group.
http://www.goldendawnorder.com/
Order of the Golden Dawn Temple of Thoth Hermes
Serving Denver, Colorado and the surrounding region, the Temple offers training in the esoteric arts according to the traditions of the Order of the Golden Dawn, including personal mentoring, online and local classes, special workshops, week-long conclaves, and networking with a worldwide international fraternity. Its traditions, approach, and style are outlined, and a three-stage development of the soul is highlighted.
http://www.thoth-hermes.org/
Also known as the Ordo Stella Matutina, the Order is a fully established Order that continues the Golden Dawn and Rosicrucian traditions, as well as the teachings of the original Golden Dawn and Stella Matutina, as taught by its primary founders. The organization and its curriculum are acknowledged, administrative contacts are posted, and a list of recommended resources and a reading list are shared.
http://www.ordo-stella-matutina.com/
Sodalitas Rosae+Crucis & Solis Alati
The mystical and alchemical Order was formed in the fall of 2002 and named for two Orders, Sodalitas Rosae+Crucis, which translated to the Secret Society of the Rosy Cross, and Sodalitas Solis Alati, which means The Secret Society of the Winged Sun. Its history and structure are summarized, and both of the Orders that make up the one are highlighted, and its practices, traditions, and services are related.
http://rosae-crucis.net/eng/
Affiliated with the Fellowship of the Golden Dawn of the North West in North America, the Temple Het-Heret is in Seattle, Washington. The Temple’s programs including the teaching of the Golden Dawn tradition of the occult sciences by way of Carl Gustav Jung’s use of archetypes and psycho-dramas, as well as Neo-Platonic philosophies, and magic. The temple and its patroness are advanced, and contacts are posted to the site.
http://www.het-heret.org/
The Golden Dawn Ancient Mystery School
Continuing the traditions begun in 1888 by the late S.L. MacGregor Mathers, the School was originally known as the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn. Included here are the stories of famous people associated with the Order, as well as the traditional beliefs on a variety of subjects. Its traditions, fraternity, and contacts are stated, healing requests can be made, and a blog is included. A private area for members is provided.
http://goldendawnancientmysteryschool.com/
The Golden Dawn Research Trust
A cooperative of the Adepts, the goal of the Golden Dawn Research Trust is to preserve the history, teachings, practices, rituals, books, documents, and letters of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, as it existed from 1887 to 1930, and to preserve the source material for the teachings and practices of Golden Dawn. A historical bibliography is set forth, and a collection of new and used books are available for purchase online.
http://www.goldendawntrust.com/
Specializing in the sale of hermetic books and magical implements, including wands, lamens, badges, and other unique items, as well as books on Golden Dawn traditions and on topics relating to magic, prints, audio, and other products. An introduction to Chic and Sandra Cicero, Chief Adepts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, is presented, along with informational articles, news, and archives.
https://www.goldendawnshop.com/
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in Britain
Although the direct lineage of the original Order ended when the Whare Ra Temple in New Zealand closed, it was reconstituted by this order in 1977, under the mentorship of Israel Regardie. Although the Order is secret and its membership is limited, there are several temples in the United Kingdom and in the United States, operating independently. A history of the Order is set forth, and its manuscripts and other resources are included.
http://www.hogd.co.uk/
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in New York
Formed in 2008, the Maat-Sophia Temple is affiliated with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, as reestablished under Chic and Tabitha Cicero. General information about the organizational structure of the temple administration and of the Order is put forth, including its membership policies, which are by initiation only, as well as recommended reading and links to other online resources.
http://www.hermeticgoldendawnny.org/
The Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn
The Open Source Order was created in 2001, as one of several factions that replaced the original Order of the Golden Dawn, and has been initiating and making Adepts of magicians around the world. As of September of 2019, it has announced that it will no longer provide initiation, mentorship, education, or other services, although Adepts may continue to choose to teach the OSOGD system independently.
http://osogd.org/
