Aleister Crowley
&
the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
In 1898, when 23, Crowley read a book by Eckartshausen entitled The Cloud
upon the Sanctuary. This was to have a great affect upon the young man,
as it spoke of a Secret Sanctuary of Spirits, an inner sanctum which held
all the secrets pertaining to God and to Nature. Thrilled by this idea,
he set about to Þnd such a hidden order, which offered him what he
had so long desired, knowledge of the mysteries, which would enable him
to be truly superior to all.
Envisage the situation of the young Crowley - early years dominated by a
harsh, uncompromising religion, which permitted eternal life only to those
it saw worthy, who had conformed to the rules laid down. This, however,
was a new perspective - enlightenment could be obtained through study and
knowledge (a doctrine known as gnosis), and not through worship and obedience
to Holy Law. This must have greatly appealed to Crowley, as he did not need
to conform to the system that he had grown to hate, he need only search
and be taught.
Crowley started his search in earnest. Later that year, in Zermatt, he encountered
one Julian Baker, and explained what he sought. This Baker, a student of
the occult, was to introduce him to a member of the Golden Dawn.
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was an esoteric society that dealt
in ritual magic, the Qabalah, and other mystical matters. Its origins have
been the subject of much debate, although there is a consensus view that
it was the product of one man, William Wynn Westcott. It will here be necessary
to explain a little of the history of this order, and explain how it was
organised, so we can see how Crowley interacted with it.
Dr. Westcott, a London Coroner, was a prominent Freemason. He was deeply
involved in a Masonic side degree, the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (the
SRIA), whose purpose was the study of philosophic and esoteric matters (the
Qabalah and hermetica). Not content with this order, which did not practice
anything that could be truly called magic, existing mainly as a discussion
group, he set about inventing a new order. However, due to the very nature
of occult orders, for it to be of note, it needed a deÞned, authentic
origin. He achieved this by 'translating' some cipher manuscripts 'discovered'
by a masonic priest in a bookshop. These, he claimed, were fragments of
magical rituals, with an address in Germany representing an order of Rosicrucian
adepts.
As regards the issue of the ætiology of this order, the theory expounded
to me has been thus: The formulation of the Golden Dawn was not in the hands
of just Wynn Westcott, but also in those of a certain Kenneth MacKenzie.
A complete biography of Westcott has never been written, but the character
analysis presented is that he was a rather schizoid type who possessed a
rather mediocre intellect, and in himself was not capable of generating
the cipher manuscripts, nor the complex Golden Dawn rituals. All the evidence
points to MacKenzie as the genius behind the creation of the GD. MacKenzie
died in the 1870's so the suggestion is that the GD was a long time in the
making, and following MacKenzie's death, Westcott carried on their work
to it's conclusion. (stuff about MacKenzie)
In 1887, with the co-operation of two other men, Dr. Woodman and Samuel
Liddell Mathers, Westcott founded the Þrst Temple of the Golden Dawn,
by right of a charter 'granted' by the head of the German order. This they
named the Isis-Urania Temple, and it was to meet at Mark Mason's Hall, then
in Great Queen Street, London.
The Golden Dawn possessed a hierarchical structure, in keeping with many
other occult bodies, including the Freemasons and the Rosicrucian societies.
It was divided into 11 grades or degrees, which represented successively
increased learning and ability in magical matters. It's codes for these
grades were based upon an esoteric Þgure known as the Tree of Life,
which was part of the Hebrew body of Mysticism known as the Qabalah (From
QBLH p; received tradition). The hierarchy was divided up into 3 orders
which each represented a certain class. The lowest order was named the Golden
Dawn, and comprised those students who had learnt magical doctrines, and
had passed exams on these. The second order was titled the Red Rose and
Golden Cross, and it was here that the members practised magical acts. The
third and Þnal order was known as the Silver Star, and was composed
of those adepts who had crossed the Abyss, and themselves become masters
of the magical arts. (ToL Þg. with GD grades)
As for the actual body of the work of the Golden Dawn, this is very well
documented. The original 5 grades in the lowest order were primarily academic,
in that each grade had a certain number of skills to perfect, and knowledge
to acquire. For example, they needed to achieve mastery of the astral plane
through meditation and certain forms of Yogic exercises. The knowledge required
was primarily Qabalistic, although other forms of occult doctrine were touched
upon: the Tarot, Enochian magic and ceremonial magic, to name a few.
The major body of work in the second order was that of achieving conversation
with one's Holy Guardian Angel. The individual HGA is a celestial intelligence
(some say a Secret Chief) with whom each person is theoretically capable
of reaching through meditation. This contact was beneÞcial as it allowed
the adept to reach his true potential, and so ascend to, and cross the Abyss,
to become a true Master. This was considered the Great Work of the Order
as a whole, and it is interesting to read the differing accounts of adepts
who claimed to have achieved it.
Around 1891, the head of the German order died, and there was no further
contact, following a brusque reply which stated that if they wished to learn
more, then they had the means to obtain it. This implied that they should
obtain direct contact with the 'Secret Chiefs', a tenebrous group of individuals
who were immortal and masters of all. These Secret Chiefs were thought to
inhabit the unpopulated areas of Tibet, or actually be ethereal spirits,
with no physical form. At any rate, The leaders of the Golden Dawn needed
to establish a link with these lofty souls.
In 1891, in the Bois de Boulogne of Paris, Mathers, the third leader of
the GD claimed to made contact with the Secret Chiefs. He stated that they
had granted him sole authority to rule the order, and he wrested control
from Westcott, who resigned in 1897. Meanwhile, the other leader, Dr. Woodman
had died. Mathers was now the supreme ruler of the GD. At this time the
Golden Dawn was a surprising heterogeneous organisation, given that it had
been formed by 3 freemasons. Although a proportion of the membership had
been derived from the members of the SRIA, who had been enticed by Westcott,
there were also many women, and a number of individuals with whom conventional
freemasonry would have had no truck with. Prominent members included Arthur
Edward Waite and W.B. Yeats, the poet.
We now return to Crowley who had been introduced to Mathers through the
agency of a George Cecil Jones, a friend of Baker's, who also happened to
be a member of the Golden Dawn. Crowley accepted Mather's invitation to
join, and in November 1898, was initiated as a Neophyte 0° = 0°
in the outer order of the Golden Dawn. He took the motto Perdurabo 'I will
endure to the end', and was hence known as Frater Perdurabo.
One month later, he became a Zelator, and in the two following months he
gained the next two grades. After a statutory period of latency he then
achieved the rank of Philosiphus, and stood on the brink of the second order.
This was amazing progress, in 6 months he had scaled the ranks of the outer
order, and was soon to be a practising magician in the eyes of the Golden
Dawn. It would have pleased him immensely, this was his type of order. He
could gain new accolades at the drop of a pin, and be recognised as an adept,
albeit by a select few.
In 1900, Mathers was living in Paris. Removed geographically from the Golden
Dawn in England, dissent arose. The adepts of the second order started to
rebel against his authority over them, demanding proof of his compact with
the Secret Chiefs. On the 16th of February of that year, Mathers, fearing
that he would be ousted from his seat of power at the head of the G.D. wrote
a letter to his representative, Mrs. Emery (Who was also the Instructor
of Rituals in the order), and informed her of the truth behind the formulation
of the G.D. :
"...For this forces me to tell you plainly (and, understand me well,
I can prove to the hilt every word which I say here and more, and were I
confronted with S.A. {Sapere Aude - Westcott} I should say the same) though
for the sake of the order, and for the circumstance that it would mean so
deadly a blow to S.A.'s reputation, I entreat you to keep this secret from
the Order, for the present, at least, though you are at perfect liberty
to show him (Westcott) this if you think Þt, after mature consideration.
He has never been at any time either in personal or written communication
with the Secret Chiefs of the Order, he having either himself forged, or
procured to be forged the professed correspondence between him and them,
and my tongue having been tied all these years by a previous Oath of Secrecy
to him, demanded by him, from me, before showing me what he had either done
or caused to be done or both..."
A short while earlier, on the 13th of January, Crowley having been refused
the initiation into the second order, to the grade of 5°=6°, by
those running the second order in Mather's absence, he travelled to Paris,
to demand that Mathers perform the initiation himself. Mathers agreed, with
the premise that Crowley should swear an oath of undying allegiance to him,
and that Crowley would recognise him as head of the order.
So it was that Crowley became an Adeptus Minor of the Order of the Rosæ
Rubæ et Auræ Crucis. On his return to London, Crowley applied
to the headquarters of the second order for the copies of the degree rituals
that were rightly now available to him. However, he was refused these, and
was not recognised as an Adeptus Minor, since the initiation had been performed
by Mathers. (the secretary at this time was a Miss. Cracknell, whom Crowley
describes typically as "...an ancient sapphic crack, waiting to be
Þlled..."). In anger Crowley returned to Paris, to tell Mathers
what had occurred. Whether his anger was due primarily to their non-recognition
of his new grade, or the overt insubordination against Mathers, we do not
know. In the Confessions, Crowley states "...that the London body was
in open revolt against the Chief...", and makes no mention of his feelings
on the matter p; so he would have it that it was the lack of loyalty
that had piqued him.
Matt D.A. Fletcher