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Celtic Egyptians: Isis Priests of the Lineage of Scota
Celtic Egyptians: Isis Priests of the Lineage of Scota Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers – the primary creative genius behind the famous British occult group, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn – and his wife Moina Mathers established a mystery religion of Isis in fin-de-siècle Paris. Lawrence Durdin-Robertson, his wife Pamela, and his sister Olivia created the Fellowship of Isis in Ireland in the early 1970s. Although separated by over half a century, and not directly associated with each other, both groups have several characteristics in common. Each combined their worship of an ancient Egyptian goddess with an interest in the Celtic Revival; both claimed that their priestly lineages derived directly from the Egyptian queen Scota, mythical foundress of Ireland and Scotland; and both groups used dramatic ritual and theatrical events as avenues for the promulgation of their Isis cults. The Parisian Isis movement and the Fellowship of Isis were (and are) historically-inaccurate syncretic constructions that utilised the tradition of an Egyptian origin of the peoples of Scotland and Ireland to legitimise their founders’ claims of lineal descent from an ancient Egyptian priesthood. To explore this contention, this chapter begins with brief overviews of Isis in antiquity, her later appeal for Enlightenment Freemasons, and her subsequent adoption by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. It then explores the Parisian cult of Isis, its relationship to the Celtic Revival, the myth of the Egyptian queen Scota, and examines the establishment of the Fellowship of Isis. The Parisian mysteries of Isis and the Fellowship of Isis have largely been overlooked by critical scholarship to date; the use of the medieval myth of Scota by the founders of these groups has hitherto been left unexplored. -
Cults and Societies in Fin De Siècle Literature
SUMMARY Summary of Thesis submitted for Ph.D. degree by Sarah Jane Berry on Seeking God by Strange Ways: Cults and Societies in fin de siècle literature The general consensus regarding the role of Christianity at the fin de siècle is that while it did not cease to exist, technological and scientific advances had eroded the faith of many educated Victorians. Here, the term “seeking” suggests a spiritual journey with the aim of attaining a true understanding of the universe, which in occult circles is called esoteric knowledge or “gnosis”. One of the purposes of this thesis is to demonstrate how “seeking God by strange ways” in fin de siècle literature is a spiritual rite of passage to locate God in man and involves “lifting the veil” between this world and the spiritual realm. The late nineteenth century traveller seeking God enters a “period of margin” or transitional phase between two fixed states. As liminality is characterized by transformation or a process of “becoming”, some liminal beings live outside their normal environment and raise questions concerning their self, the existing social order and “the new hedonism”. The novels and authors featured here have been chosen to illustrate this thesis because they describe alternative religious cults and societies and spiritual rites of passage, while exploring social and cultural transitions. This exploration often brings with it abjection, marginalization and alienation. In addition to raising questions of “gender inversion”, sexual equality with notions of the “equalization of women and men” and “psychic androgyny”, the occult and mystical revival laid great stress on individual evolution and perfection. -
The Golden Dawn Tradition in America
The Golden Dawn Tradition in America The Golden Dawn was founded by Dr. William Wynn Westcott, a London coroner, Master Mason and Secretary General of the Sociatas Rosicruciana in Anglia (Rosicrucian Society in England), who in 1887 gained possession of a secret manuscript, written in cipher and containing fragments of initiation rituals of unknown origin. Dr. Westcott managed to decipher the content and to flesh-out the fragments into full-scale rituals, which drew on numerous traditions such as the Kabbalah and the Hermetic Arts and Sciences. On 1st March 1888, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was established with the opening of the Isis-Urania Temple at 17 Fitzroy Street, London, with Dr. Westcott, S. L. MacGregor Mathers (a member of the Rosicrucian Societies High Council) and Dr. W. R. Woodman, Supreme Magus of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, as the three chiefs. The Gold- und Rosenkreuz (Rosicrucian) grading system was employed which consisted of ten grades or degrees, each corresponding to the ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life of the Kabbalah. These grades were divided into three distinct Orders, referred to as the first (outer), second and third (inner). On 20 December 1891, Dr. Woodman died and no one was chosen to take his place in the Golden Dawn ruling triad. Mathers had supposedly made contact with Masters of the Inner Order, and under their authority, appointed himself Head of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Mathers was a dedicated scholar, linguist and creative ritualist. It was Mathers who developed the Second Order Curriculum, which was based largely on the Rosicrucian Legend. -
The Two Sources of Morality and Religion
THE TWO SOURCES OF MORALITY AND RELIGION By Henri Bergson This e-book had been prepared by Auro e-Books, an international website dedicated to e-books on Well-Being and Spirituality. Discover more e-books and other activities on our website: www.auro-ebooks.com Translated by . !shley !udra and "loudesley Brereton With the assistance o# W. $ors#all "arter %acmillan and "o., Limited St. %artin's Street, London ()*+ ,book ,dition -.(/ 3 Table of Contents Translators' Prefa e!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" C#a$ter I! Moral Obligation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' C#a$ter II! Static Religion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(" C#a$ter III! D)na*% Religion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!+'" C#a$ter I,! Final Re*arks Me #an% s An. M)sticis*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!//0 About the Author!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/2' 4 Translators' Preface 01 undertaking to place before the ,nglish public %. $enri Bergson's great work, which since its publication in %arch ()*- has gone through seventeen editions, the translators were confronted at the outset with great difficulties. !n e2ample, of the utmost importance, was the word 3morale3, which has a wider meaning in 4rench than in English, conveying both morality and ethics. There are obvious disadvantages in attempting to use now the one now the other of these two terms, though this has in some cases been done. But we have in most cases kept to the word 3morality3, and therefore consider it advisable to inform our readers of the wide sense in which we use it. !s %onsieur Bergson himsel# says more than once, 3You may attribute what meaning you like to a word, provided you start by clearly defining that meaning3. The path of all translation is strewn with stumbling-blocks. -
Magic Made Modern? Re-Evaluating the Novelty of the Golden Dawn's
Correspondences 2.2 (2014) 159–187 ISSN: 2053-7158 (Online) correspondencesjournal.com Magic Made Modern? Re-evaluating the Novelty of the Golden Dawn’s Magic Christopher A. Plaisance E-mail: [email protected] Abstract This is an article in the history of magic that re-evaluates Alison Butler’s thesis regarding the novelty of the magical praxis of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. It consists of a response to two claims made by Butler as to the morphological novelty of the order’s magic: 1) the utilization of active, as opposed to passive modalities of the vis imaginativa; and 2) the techniques of unmediated invocation. In both domains, not only do Butler’s works mischarac- terize the practices of the Golden Dawn itself, but also wrongly identifes these categories as instances of innovation. In fact, there is a strong degree of formal similarity between the ritual mechanics of the order and those earlier antique, medieval, and Renaissance practitioners in the specifc areas of visualization and invocation. These similarities strongly call into question the characterization of the Golden Dawn’s magic as fundamentally modern in form. Keywords Golden Dawn; Magic; Theurgy; Neoplatonism; Western Esotericism Introduction During the course of its brief yet explosive existence, the chief offcers of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (hereafter the Golden Dawn) de- veloped and promulgated a practice of magic which drew on techniques and doctrines culled from a wide variety of antique, medieval, and Renaissance © 2014 Christopher A. Plaisance. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. -
Theatre Magick: Aleister Crowley and the Rites of Eleusis
THEATRE MAGICK: ALEISTER CROWLEY AND THE RITES OF ELEUSIS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University by Tracy W. Tupman, M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2003 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Dr. Joy H. Reilly, Advisor Dr. Alan Woods ________________________________ Advisor Dr. Lesley Ferris Theatre Graduate Program ABSTRACT In October and November of 1910 seven one-act plays were produced at Caxton Hall, Westminster, London, under the collective title The Rites of Eleusis. These public productions were as much an experiment in audience and performer psychology as they were an exotic entertainment. Written, produced and directed by leading cast member, Aleister Crowley, The Rites of Eleusis attempted to present a contemporary interpretation of an ancient myth in order to reignite the role and importance of mysticism in modern society. Through exposing the audience to a variety of sensory stimuli such as incense, rhythmic music, dance, and poetry, it attempted to create within the audience itself an altered state of consciousness which would make them co-celebrants within the performance/ritual. As Crowley stated in the original broadsheet advertisements for the productions, the Rites were intended “to illustrate the magical methods followed by a mystical society which seeks for illumination by ecstasy.” But Crowley intended much more: he hoped the audience would not merely view an “illustration,” but experience an -
106 Spring 2003
ISSN 1478-0186 1 The Charles Williams Society Newsletter The Charles Williams Society Newsletter No. 106 Spring 2003 2 THE SOCIETY The Charles Williams Society The Society was founded in 1975, thirty years after Charles Williams’s sudden death at the end of the Second World War. It exists to celebrate Charles Wil- liams and to provide a forum for the exchange of views and information about his life and work. Members of the Society receive a quarterly newsletter and may attend the Society’s meetings which are held three times a year. Facilities for members also include a postal lending library and a reference library housed at The Centre for Medieval Studies in Oxford. Officers of the Society President: John Heath-Stubbs OBE Chairman: Membership Secretary: Mrs Eileen Mable Mr Guy Carter 28 Wroxham Way 63 Rectory Road, Harpenden Walthamstow, Herts, AL5 4PP London, E17 3BG 01582 713641 020 8520 7262 [email protected] Secretary: Revd Dr Richard Sturch Librarian: 35 Broomfield Dr Brian Horne Stacey Bushes Flat 8, 65 Cadogan Gardens Milton Keynes MK12 6HA London, SW3 2RA 01908 316779 020 7581 9917 Treasurer: Newsletter Editor: Mr Stephen Barber Mr Edward Gauntlett Greystones 21 Downsway, Lawton Avenue Whyteleafe Carterton Surrey, CR3 0EW Oxon OX18 3JY 020 8660 1402 [email protected] 01993 841219 Web site: http://www.geocities.com/charles_wms_soc/ Spring 2003 THE NEWSLETTER 3 Contents Newsletter No. 106 Spring 2003 Officers of the Society 2 Reading Groups 3 From the Editor 4 Council Meeting Report 5 Society News & Notes 7 Forthcoming Meetings 8 Charles Williams & Magic Edward Gauntlett 9 Letters 30 Sonnet John Blyth 33 Editorial Policy and Copyright 35 Reading groups For information about the Oxford reading group please contact Brenda Boughton, tel: 01865 515589. -
Astral Projection and the Disenchantment of Fin-De-Siècle Britain
Occult Science and the Science of the Occult: Astral Projection and the Disenchantment of Fin-de-Siècle Britain by Johnstone Metzger A graduating thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in The Faculty of Arts History Department We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard. University of British Columbia 20 April 2012 Table of Contents Introduction 1 Chapter One: The Occult Science 15 Chapter Two: Science and the Occult 38 Conclusion 67 Bibliography 72 1 Introduction In Theosophical and kindred circles, the rumours of an Occult Order making great pretences were abroad in those days. Obscure persons were placing cryptic sigils after their names in unexpected communications, as if to test whether I was already a member. Dark hints were conveyed in breathless murmurs. … It transpired presently that MacGregor Mathers … was something to do with this darkly glittering business. The name of Wynn Westcott also loomed remotely. Mathers was like a comic Blackstone of occult lore and Westcott like a dull owl, hooting dolefully among cypresses over tombs of false adepts. 1 – A. E. Waite, 1938. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the occult in Britain experienced a sudden growth in popularity and public exposure. During the 1850s and 60s, the Spiritualist movement brought séances, spirit mediums, and contact with the ghosts of the dead into the public consciousness. The Theosophical Society introduced a new faith to Britain in the 1870s, and its leader herself, Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891) came to live in London the following decade, claiming to dispense true spiritual wisdom with a blend of Eastern and Western religion with science and magic. -
Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secrets Nye Abraham, the Jew: (Alchemist and Magician, Circa, 1400)
Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secrets Nye Abraham, The Jew: (Alchemist and magician, circa, 1400). work this consisting of some account of Abraham's youth and early Comparatively few biographical facts are forthcoming concerning travels in search of wisdom, along with advice to the young man this German Jew, who was at once alchemist, magician and aspiring to become skilled in occult arts. The second part, on the philosopher; and these few facts are mostly derived from a very other hand, is base on the documents which the Egyptian sage curious manuscript, now domiciled in the Archives of the handed the Jew, or at least on the confidences wherewith the Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal, Paris, an institution rich in occult former favoured the latter; and it may be fairly accurately defined documents. This manuscript is couched throughout in French, but as dealing with the first principles of magic in general, the titles of purports to be literally translated from Hebrew, and the style of the some of the more important chapter being as follows: " How Many, handwriting indicates that the scribe lived at the beginning of the and what are the Classe of Veritable Magic ? " - What we Ought to eighteenth century, or possibly somewhat earlier. Take int Consideration before the Undertaking of the Operation, " Concerning the Convocation of the Spirits, " and " I what Manner A distinct illiteracy characterises the French script, the we ought to Carry out the Operations. punctuation being inaccurate, indeed frequently conspicuous by its absence, but an actual description of the document must be Passing to the third and last part, this likewise is most derived waived till later.