Magical organization

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For Rosicrucian organizations, see Category:Rosicrucian organizations.

A magical organization or magical order is an organization created for the practice of ceremonial or other forms of occult magic or to further the knowledge of magic among its members. Magical organizations can include hermetic orders, Wiccan covens or Wiccan circles, esoteric societies, arcane colleges, witches' covens, and other groups which may use different terminology and similar though diverse practices.

It is sometimes difficult to determine if an organization is sincerely practicing magic. For example, The Satanic Temple is perhaps a human rights lobby organization posing as a magical organization.[a]

19th century

The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor was an initiatic occult organisation that first became public in late 1894, although according to an official document of the order it began its work in 1870.[1] The Order's teachings drew heavily from the magico-sexual theories of Paschal Beverly Randolph, who influenced later groups such as Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), although it is not clear whether or not Randolph himself was actually a member of the Order.[2]

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn has been credited with a vast revival of occult literature and practices and was founded in 1887 or 1888 by William Wynn Westcott, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and William Robert Woodman. The teachings of the Order include ceremonial magic, Enochian magic, Christian mysticism, Qabalah, Hermeticism, the paganism of ancient Egypt, theurgy, and alchemy.[b]

Ordo Aurum Solis, founded in 1897, is a Western mystery tradition group teaching Hermetic Qabalah. Its rituals and system are different from the more popular Golden Dawn, because the group follows the Ogdoadic Tradition instead of Rosicrucianism.[citation needed]

Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) was founded by Carl Kellner in 1895.[citation needed]

20th century

Alpha et Omega was a continuation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Following a rebellion of adepts in London and an ensuing public scandal which brought the name of the Order into disrepute,[3] Mathers renamed the branch of the Golden Dawn remaining loyal to his leadership to "Alpha et Omega" sometime between 1903 and 1913.[4]

A∴A∴ was created in 1907 by Aleister Crowley and teaches magick and Thelema, which is a religion shared by several occult organizations. The main text of Thelema is The Book of the Law. Ordo Templi Orientis was reworked by Aleister Crowley after he took control of the Order in the early 1920s. Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica functions as the ecclesiastical arm of OTO.[citation needed]

Builders of the Adytum (or B.O.T.A.) was created in 1922 by Paul Foster Case and was extended by Dr. Ann Davies. It teaches Hermetic Qabalah, astrology and occult tarot.[citation needed]

Also in 1922, after a falling-out with Moina Mathers[5] and with Moina's consent, Dion Fortune left the Alpha et Omega to form an offshoot organization.[6][7] This indirectly brought new members to the Alpha et Omega.[8] In 1924, Fortune's group became known as the Fraternity of the Inner Light.

Fraternitas Saturni ('Brotherhood of Saturn') is a German magical order, founded in 1926 by Eugen Grosche (also known as Gregor A. Gregorius) and four others. It is one of the oldest continuously running magical groups in Germany.[9] The lodge is, as Gregorius states, "concerned with the study of esotericism, mysticism, and magic in the cosmic sense".[10]

In 1954, Kenneth Grant began the work of founding the New Isis Lodge, which became operational in 1955. This became the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis (TOTO), which was eventually renamed to Typhonian Order.[11]

The Church of Satan, a religious organization dedicated to Satanism as codified in The Satanic Bible, was established in 1966, by Anton LaVey, who was the Church's High Priest until his death in 1997.[12] Church members may also participate in a system of magic which LaVey defined as greater and lesser magic.[citation needed] In 1975, Michael Aquino broke off from the Church of Satan and founded the Temple of Set.[13]

The satanic and neo-nazi Order of Nine Angles (O9A or ONA) was founded in the United Kingdom during the 1970s.[14] Hope not Hate have tried to designate the O9A as a terrorist organization.[15]

In 1976, James Lees founded the magical order O∴A∴A∴ in order to assist others in the pursuit of their own spiritual paths. The work of this order is based in English Qaballa.[16]

During the last two decades of the 20th century, several organizations practicing chaos magic were founded. These include Illuminates of Thanateros, and Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth. These groups rely on the use of sigils. Their main texts include Liber Null (1978) and Psychonaut (1982), now published as a single book.[17]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Bugbee (2013): VICE: Is the Satanic Temple a satanic, or a satirical group? Doug: That is a common question. I say why can’t it be both? We are coming from a solid philosophy that we absolutely believe in and adhere to. This is Satanism, and to us it couldn’t be called anything other than Satanism. However, our metaphor of Satan is a literary construct inspired by authors such as Anatole France and Milton—a rebel angel defiant of autocratic structure and concerned with the material world. Satanism as a rejection of superstitious supernaturalism. This Satan, of course, bears no resemblance to the embodiment of all cruelty, suffering, and negativity believed in by some apocalyptic segments of Judeo-Christian culture. The word Satan has no inherent value. If one acts with compassion in the name of Satan, one has still acted with compassion. Our very presence as civic-minded socially responsible Satanists serves to satirize the ludicrous superstitious fears that the word Satan tends to evoke.
  2. ^ Smoley & Kinney (2006), pp. 102–103: "Founded in 1888, the Golden Dawn lasted a mere twelve years before it was shattered by personal conflicts. At its height it probably had no more than a hundred members. Yet its influence on magic and esoteric thought in the English-speaking world would be hard to overestimate."

References

Citations

  1. ^ Godwin, Chanel & Deveney (1995), pp. 92–97.
  2. ^ Godwin, Chanel & Deveney (1995), p. 44.
  3. ^ Greer (1996), pp. 160–63, 244, 263–264, 350.
  4. ^ King (1971), pp. 110–111.
  5. ^ King (1989), p. 144.
  6. ^ Richardson, p. 117.
  7. ^ Knight (2000), pp. 138–139.
  8. ^ King (1989), p. 143.
  9. ^ Flowers (1994), p. xiii.
  10. ^ Flowers (1994), p. 182.
  11. ^ Evans (2007b), p. [page needed].
  12. ^ Fritscher & LaVey (2004), p. 27.
  13. ^ Chappell (2019), p. xi.
  14. ^ De Simone (2020b).
  15. ^ De Simone (2020).
  16. ^ Thompson (2018).
  17. ^ Carroll (1987).

Works cited

  • Bugbee, Shane (July 30, 2013). "Unmasking Lucien Greaves, Leader of the Satanic Temple". Vice. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  • Carroll, Peter J. (1987). Liber Null & Psychonaut. ISBN 0-87728-639-6.
  • Chappell, Toby (2019). Infernal Geometry and the Left-Hand Path. ISBN 978-1-62055-816-4.
  • Clark, P. (2013). Paul Foster Case. His Life and Works. Covina CA: Fraternity of the Hidden Light.
  • De Simone, Daniel (March 2, 2020). "UK Nazi Satanist group should be outlawed, campaigners urge". BBC. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  • De Simone, Daniel (June 23, 2020b). "Order of Nine Angles: What is this obscure Nazi Satanist group?". BBC. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  • Evans, Dave (2007a). Aleister Crowley and the 20th Century Synthesis of Magick. United Kingdom: Hidden Publishing. ISBN 978-0955523724.
  • Evans, Dave (2007b). The History of British Magick after Crowley. Hidden Publishing. ISBN 978-0955523700.
  • Flowers, Stephen E. (1994). Fire & Ice: The History, Structure and Rituals of Germany's Most Influential Modern Magical Order: The Brotherhood of Saturn. St Paul, MN: Llewellyn.
  • Fritscher, Jack; LaVey, Anton (2004). Popular Witchcraft: Straight from the Witch's Mouth. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0299203047.
  • Godwin, Joscelyn; Chanel, Christian; Deveney, John Patrick (1995). The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor: Initiatic and Historical Documents of an Order of Practical Occultism. Samuel Weiser.
  • Greer, Mary K. (1996). Women of the Golden Dawn: Rebels and Priestesses (1st ed.). Park Street Press. ISBN 0-89281-607-4.
  • King, Francis X. (1971). The Rites of Modern Occult Magic (1st ed.). Macmillan Co. ISBN 1-85327-032-6.
  • King, Francis (1989). Modern Ritual Magic: The Rise of Western Occultism. ISBN 1-85327-032-6.
  • Knight, Gareth (2000). Dion Fortune and the Inner Light. Thoth Publications. ISBN 1-870450-45-0.
  • Richardson, Alan (1991). The Magical Life of Dion Fortune. Aquarian Press. ISBN 1-85538-051-X.
  • Smoley, Richard; Kinney, Jay (2006). Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions. Quest Books. ISBN 978-0-8356-0844-2.
  • Thompson, Cath (2018). All This and a Book. Hadean Press Limited. ISBN 978-1-907881-78-7.
  • Walker, James K. (2007). The Concise Guide to Today's Religions and Spirituality. Harvest House Publishers. ISBN 978-0736920117.
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