The Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn

By Crusader1307

 The Society or simply ''Golden Dawn'' as they were known, was an organization founded in 1887 in England (with Branches throughout Europe and even The United States), which were very secretive during their existence. Made up of supposedly some of the most powerful Men in The World at The Time, much of The Golden Dawn's ''legend'' was linked to the infamous ''Illuminati''. The Group explored not only Man's relation to all Religions, but that of Ancient Ones, such as Paganism and The Occult Arts. Metaphysics and Alchemy were also frequently ''experimented'' with. The Society was soon rumored to be Practitioners of ''Dark Arts'' and Satanism often even using Human Sacrifice to achieve their goals. These were access to all knowledge (kn own and unknown) and ''Power to control'' all aspect of physical and metaphysical ''life''.

Organized into a Hierarchy (with ''Temples'' being their ''Headquarters''), High ranking Members often performed separate Rituals away from the Common Members. It was said that much of their rituals were based on several Ancient Egyptian practices (seen as being the only ''true'' form of such ''magic''). The Group featured many reputed well known names, including serving as the ''springboard'' for the philosophies of none other than Aleister Crowley. After several splits inside The Society due to different beliefs, off-shoots would continue to exist until just prior to World War I (1903). And while several Temples (under different names) still existed as late as 1914 (in The US), most simply faded away. However, one such Temple would continue in England until 1978. The Society identified itself with a symbol based on Christian The ''Rose Cross'' of the 16th Century. The Cross featured colors associated with various Magical Religions and Practices. In addition, all forms of Man's Religious Systems (Christian and Non-Christian) were identified by their religious symbolism throughout The Rose Cross.