Israel Regardie, John Michael Greer

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, often shortened to the Golden Dawn, was a significant secret society within the Western esoteric tradition. Active in Great Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it drew heavily on Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry. Its primary focus was the study and practice of Hermeticism, metaphysics, and magic, with an emphasis on theurgy and spiritual development. The Order's teachings and rituals greatly influenced later occult movements, including Wicca and Thelema, establishing it as a major force in 20th-century Western occultism.

The Order was founded by Freemasons William Robert Woodman, William Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell Mathers. Its structure was hierarchical, mirroring Masonic lodges, and it utilized a system of initiations. Notably, unlike some contemporary organizations, the Golden Dawn admitted women on equal footing with men. The Order comprised three distinct levels: the First Order focused on esoteric philosophy and personal growth through elements, astrology, tarot, and geomancy; the Second Order delved into magical practices like scrying and alchemy; and the Third Order, the Secret Chiefs, were believed to guide the lower orders through spiritual communication.

The genesis of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn lies in the Cipher Manuscripts, foundational texts written in a cipher attributed to Trithemius. These documents outlined the Grade Rituals and a curriculum encompassing Hermetic Qabalah, astrology, occult tarot, geomancy, and alchemy. The manuscripts are said to have passed from Masonic scholar Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie to Rev. A. F. A. Woodford, who, finding them uninspiring, transferred them to Freemason William Wynn Westcott. Westcott, with the assistance of fellow Freemasons Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and William Robert Woodman, deciphered the texts and developed them into a structured system for lodge work. Mathers is particularly credited with shaping the curriculum and rituals for the Second Order, known as the Rosae Rubae et Aureae Crucis.

The establishment of the first Golden Dawn temple, Isis-Urania, in London in 1888, followed Westcott's claimed correspondence with Anna Sprengel, a German Rosicrucian. According to Westcott, Sprengel granted permission to found a temple and conferred honorary grades upon the founders. The Isis-Urania Temple, unlike the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia and Freemasonry, welcomed women as equal participants. Initially, the Order functioned as a philosophical and metaphysical teaching body, with its early practices largely drawn from the Cipher Manuscripts and subsequent developments. By 1892, a Second Order, the Ordo Rosae Rubae et Aureae Crucis, was formally established for 'adepts' who had completed the First Order's curriculum. Several other temples, including Osiris, Horus, Amen-Ra, and Ahathoor, were founded in subsequent years across Britain and Paris.

The concept of the Secret Chiefs played a pivotal role in the Golden Dawn's cosmology. Initially, contact with these guiding entities was purportedly facilitated by Anna Sprengel. After her alleged death, Samuel Mathers claimed to have established direct communication with the Secret Chiefs, subsequently providing rituals for the Second Order. These rituals were reportedly based on the tradition of Christian Rosenkreuz. Some interpretations suggest the Secret Chiefs were not literal beings but symbolic representations of profound spiritual sources or teachers. By the mid-1890s, the Order boasted over a hundred members, including notable figures like W. B. Yeats and Aleister Crowley. However, by the turn of the century, dissatisfaction with Mathers's leadership, particularly his close association with Crowley, led to a revolt among the Adepts, culminating in his expulsion from the Order.

The internal conflicts within the Golden Dawn, particularly the dispute over Aleister Crowley's initiation and Mathers's leadership, led to significant schisms. Following the revolt, the Isis-Urania temple declared its independence, causing further disputes that prompted W. B. Yeats to resign. A committee temporarily governed the remaining members, but eventually, different factions emerged. In 1903, A. E. Waite and M. W. Blackden formed a group retaining the Isis-Urania name, while Robert Felkin and other London members established the Stella Matutina. Yeats remained with the Stella Matutina for a period. These splinter groups continued to propagate the Golden Dawn's teachings, contributing to its lasting influence on modern Western occultism.