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Temple of Set Reading List
"Temple of Set Reading List:
Category 10 - The Golden Dawn" (3/1/86CE)
Reprinted from: _The Crystal Tablet of Set_
© Temple of Set 1989 CE
Weirdbase file version by TS permission
by Michael A. Aquino, Ipsissimus VI* Temple of Set
Electronic mail: MCI-Mail 278-4041
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a turn of the century British
Rosicrucian/ceremonial magic society. Drawing from the legacy of Eliphas
Levi, the Theosophical Society of Helena Blavatsky, and the Societas
Rosicruciana in Anglia (S.R.I.A.), the Golden Dawn nevertheless succeeded in
achieving a sophistication and an artistic elegance all its own. While it
may be going too far to say that it became the prototype for all initiatory
orders of this century, it certainly was the forerunner of Aleister
Crowley's A.A., and its initiatory grade-structure would later influence
those of the Church of Satan and the Temple of Set.
10A. _The Rites of Modern Occult Magic_ (British title: _Ritual Magic in
England_) by Francis King. NY: Macmillan, 1970. (TS-3) (CS-3) AL: "A
comprehensive survey of the Golden Dawn and other magical orders. Contains
more actual, no-nonsense information than can be gleaned from the ponderous
writings of the orders covered." MA: "A compact history of late 19th-century
Rosicrucianism in England, the rise & fall of the Golden Dawn, the impact &
influence of Crowley's A.'.A.'. & O.T.O. organizations, and comments on
various pre-1966 offshoots, primarily in England. Readable, informative, and
objective. A good introduction to the social context of the G.'.D.'. [If
#13C is representative of King's research methods, however, his selection
and emphasis of facts may not be as rigorous as could be desired."
10B. _The Golden Dawn_ by F. Israel Regardie. River Falls: Hazel Hills, 1970
(2 volumes, reprinted as 1 volume in 1974 by Llewellyn). (TS-4) MA: "This is
the third edition of the famous and still definitive study of the G.'.D.'.
It is perhaps the only published work in which the artistry and atmosphere
intended for the G.'.D.'. are clearly evident, untarnished by bitter
accounts of petty personality conflicts. Looking through this work, one can
see the authenticity and sophistication that the G.'.D.'. projected, which
accounted for its attractiveness to the intelligentsia of a cynical and
restless Victorian England. In spite of this, the G.'.D.'. was crippled by a
lack of scientific and historical precision in its doctrines; this too will
be apparent to the reader. Compare, for example, the Enochian Keys with the
original Dee manuscript [included in _The Crystal Tablet of Set_].
Nevertheless _The Golden Dawn_ remains a classic - and Regardie's _magnum
opus_. [Not recommended is Regardie's 1984 work _The Complete Golden Dawn
System of Magic_, which is a confusingly-organized product of a variety of
authors, some apparently original/authentic and others modern/pretenders -
most identified by initials/mottos only, so that the reader cannot easily
distinguish between them.]"
10C. _Sword of Wisdom: MacGregor Mathers and "The Golden Dawn"_ by Ithell
Colquhoun. NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1975. (TS-3) MA: "An account of the
G.'.D.'. and its principal figure, Mathers, by a devoted Mathers admirer.
This bias, together with scant documentation of arguments in the text, makes
it necessary to take this book with a grain of salt. Its primary value is as
an update and supplement to #10A. The Enochian section is best ignored as
unsubstantiated. An interesting feature of the book is the inclusion of
G.'.D.'. membership and 'spinoff' lists, which offer clues to the legacy of
the G.'.D.'. in some later initiatory contexts."
10D. _The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra=Melin, the Mage_ by S.L.
MacGregor Mathers (Trans.). NY: Dover Books #23211-5, 1977 (reprinted from
the 1932 de Lawrence hardcover edition). (TS-4) MA: "In the pristine Golden
Dawn this grimoire was thought to be particularly 'dangerous', but by Setian
standards it is merely quaint. Yet it was the text that inspired Aleister
Crowley to begin serious Workings as a magician. Now of historical/collector
value only, it is a translation of a 15th-century manuscript in the
Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal in Paris. Included is an extensive introduction by
Mathers."
10E. _Eliphas Levi: Master of Occultism_ by Thomas A. Williams. University
of Alabama Press, 1975. (TS-3) MA: "Amidst all the confusion surrounding
Levi, this little 174-page biography stands as an island of scholarship.
Williams discusses the facts of his life, philosophy, and writings
succinctly, suggesting prior influences and subsequent legacies. Today most
of Levi's doctrines are thoroughly outdated, but in many ways he was the
Columbus of modern occult science. Extensively footnoted, with a good
bibliography and a list of Levi's own works."
10F. _The Magicians of the Golden Dawn_ by Ellic Howe. NY: Samuel Weiser,
1978. (TS-3) MA: "A documentary history of the rise and fall of the G.'.D.'.
by a historian, not an occultist with an axe to grind. Hence it is objective
while stopping short of cynicism. This history is based upon various
personal and group interactions among the membership, not upon the evolution
or development of magical theory. The book is valuable as an illustration of
the stresses and strains upon an occult order and of how various individuals
- some well-intentioned, some not - attempted to influence the situation.
The ultimate lesson is that an occult society which becomes obsessed with
interpersonal intrigue to the neglect of magic and philosophy is on the path
to self-extermination." Howe is also the author of #14W.
10G. _Yeats' Golden Dawn_ by George Mills Harper. NY: Barnes & Noble, 1974.
(TS-3) MA: "The best account of W.B. Yeats' encounter with occultism - first
via Blavatsky's Theosophical Society and then with the G.'.D.'. after 1891.
A picture of the conflict between Yeats the poet and Yeats the magician.
There is an extensive documentary section, including Yeats' key pamphlet 'Is
the RR&AC to Remain a Magical Order?' and the 'Bye-Laws' of the 1st and 2nd
Orders of the G.'.D.'. as of 1900 and 1902 [after the Mathers & Crowley
schisms]. Also included is the Hermetic Library Catalogue of Wynn Westcott,
now obsolete but charming for its historical quaintness."
10H. _Yeats and Magic: The Earlier Works_ by M.C. Flannery. NY: Harper & Row
(Barnes & Noble Import Division), 1978. (TS-4) MA: "This is neither as
lengthy nor as G.'.D.'.-focused as #10G, but it is interesting because of
its explanation of the influences of #19S and Blake [see #6F] in Yeats'
magical philosophy. It is also more probing than #10G, seeking to illustrate
Yeats' personal approach to a magical philosophy rather than his dealings
with the G.'.D.'. organization."
10I. _Egyptian Magic_ by Florence Farr. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire:
The Aquarian Press, 1982. (TS-4) MA: "The actress Florence Farr was one of
the more famous initiates of the G.'.D.'. and was a particularly close
friend of Yeats and G.B. Shaw. This little paperback is a very readable
summary of the Egyptian magical tradition - as abbreviated as may be
expected in 85 pages - but is nonetheless notable for its section on gnostic
Christian philosophy as developed in post-dynastic Egypt. Herein may be
found the G.'.D.'. roots of the 'AEonic' system into which Aleister Crowley
would propose the AEon of Horus."
10J. _The Golden Dawn: Twilight of the Magicians_ by R.A. Gilbert.
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire: The Aquarian Press, 1983. (TS-3) MA: "This
little paperback might best be described as a '_Reader's Digest_ condensed-
book version' of #10A/C/F/G with some ritual samples from #10B tossed in as
appendices. If you want a quick and unconfusing look at the Golden Dawn,
this is as good a cook's-tour as any."
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