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45-622: Spiritualism in the Western world began in the United States in 1848 and moved its way across the Atlantic to Britain in 1852. Spiritualism does not have a central organization, instead it is most like an ideology in which individualism is highly prized through religion. Spiritualists believe in the preservation of the soul after death and that the soul continues to exist in the physical world. The rise of spiritualism influenced an interest in

90-660: A Vault of Adepts became the controlling force behind the Outer Order. Later in 1916, Westcott claimed that Mathers also constructed these rituals from materials he received from Frater Lux ex Tenebris, a purported Continental Adept . Some followers of the Golden Dawn tradition believe that the Secret Chiefs were not human or supernatural beings, but rather symbolic representations of actual or legendary sources of spiritual esotericism . The term came to stand for

135-500: A German countess and prominent Rosicrucian named Anna Sprengel , whose address was said to have been found in the decoded Cipher Manuscripts. According to Westcott, Sprengel claimed the ability to contact certain supernatural entities, known as the Secret Chiefs , that were considered the authorities over any magical order or esoteric organization. Westcott purportedly received a reply from Sprengel granting permission to establish

180-574: A Golden Dawn temple and conferring honorary grades of Adeptus Exemptus on Westcott, Mathers, and Woodman. The temple was to consist of the five grades outlined in the manuscripts. In 1888, the Isis-Urania Temple was founded in London . In contrast to the S.R.I.A. and Masonry, women were allowed and welcome to participate in the Order in "perfect equality" with men. The Order was more of

225-611: A census of reported fairy experiences to be made publicly available. Captain Sir Quentin C.A. Craufurd, MBE, (1875-1957), co-founded the Fairy Investigation Society. Crauford was from an aristocratic background, a member of the Craufurd Baronets , and a naval officer. While in the navy, he appeared to have picked up a fascination with wireless telephone communication. Indeed, he was authorised by

270-477: A committee of seven Adepts was elected in London and requested a full investigation of the matter. Mathers sent an immediate reply, declining to provide proof, refusing to acknowledge the London temple, and dismissing Farr as his representative on 23 March. In response, a general meeting was called on 29 March in London to remove Mathers as chief and expel him from the Order. In 1901, W. B. Yeats privately published

315-547: A condition of membership was a genuine belief in fairies. Craufard, for instance, was a pioneer of wireless technology with the Royal Navy who believed he had established communication with marsh elves on the outskirts of London, and that on one occasion they had told him where to dig for treasure. A 1960 newspaper article in the Sunday Pictorial ridiculed Marjorie Johnson, who began to withdraw from her role in

360-501: A flourishing Second Order under Berridge-Mathers in 1913." J.W. Brodie-Innes continued leading the Amen-Ra temple, deciding that the revolt was unjustified. By 1908, Mathers and Brodie-Innes were in complete accord. According to sources that differ regarding the actual date, sometime between 1901 and 1913 Mathers renamed the branch of the Golden Dawn remaining loyal to his leadership to Alpha et Omega . Brodie-Innes assumed command of

405-534: A great leader or teacher of a spiritual path or practice that found its way into the teachings of the Order. By the mid-1890s, the Golden Dawn was well established in Great Britain, with over one hundred members from every class of Victorian society. Many celebrities belonged to the Golden Dawn, such as the actress Florence Farr , the Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne , the Irish poet William Butler Yeats ,

450-516: A pamphlet titled Is the Order of R. R. & A. C. to Remain a Magical Order? After the Isis-Urania temple claimed its independence, there were even more disputes, leading to Yeats resigning. A committee of three was to temporarily govern, which included P. W. Bullock, M. W. Blackden and J. W. Brodie-Innes . After a short time, Bullock resigned, and Dr. Robert Felkin took his place. In 1903, A. E. Waite and Blackden joined forces to retain

495-558: A philosophical and metaphysical teaching order in its early years. Other than certain rituals and meditations found in the Cipher manuscripts and developed further, "magical practices" were generally not taught at the first temple. For the first four years, the Golden Dawn was one cohesive group later known as the "First Order" or "Outer Order". A "Second Order" or "Inner Order" was established and became active in 1892. The Second Order consisted of members known as "adepts", who had completed

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540-418: Is the number of steps down from the top (Kether). The First Order Grades were related to the four elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, respectively. The Aspirant to a Grade received instruction on the metaphysical meaning of each of these Elements and had to pass a written examination and demonstrate certain skills to receive admission to that Grade. While no temples in the original chartered lineage of

585-575: The Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia . Westcott appears to have been the initial driving force behind the establishment of the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn system was based on hierarchy and initiation (similar to Masonic lodges ) and the grade structure was based on the S.R.I.A , however, women were admitted on an equal basis with men. The "Golden Dawn" was the first of three Orders, although all three are often collectively referred to as

630-528: The "Golden Dawn". The First Order taught esoteric philosophy based on the Hermetic Qabalah and personal development through study and awareness of the four classical elements , as well as the basics of astrology , tarot divination , and geomancy . The Second or Inner Order, the Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis , taught magic, including scrying , astral travel , and alchemy . The Third Order

675-514: The 1940s, and in the 1950s she became the secretary of the Society, while Craufurd was the President. Johnson transcribed many of the Society's collected reports on fairy sightings into a volume called Seeing Fairies . These accounts collected by Johnson included her own experiences, anecdotes told to her, letters written to the Society, as well as "stray accounts that appeared in the media and on

720-570: The Admiralty to create an experimental radio station to broadcast to the fleet in Chatham from HMS Andromeda , the first wireless broadcast of music and speech for the purpose of entertainment in Britain. In the 1920s, he began to experiment with wireless technology to contact the spirit world, and became very well known in spiritualist circles. In founding the Fairy Investigation Society, his role

765-666: The Alpha et Omega and Stella Matutina closed or went into abeyance by the end of the 1930s, with the exceptions of two Stella Matutina temples: Hermes Temple in Bristol , which operated sporadically until 1970, and the Smaragdum Thallasses Temple (commonly referred to as Whare Ra ) in Havelock North , New Zealand , which operated regularly until its closure in 1978. Much of the hierarchical structure for

810-668: The English and Scottish temples, while Mathers concentrated on building up his Ahathoor temple and extending his American connections. According to occultist Israel Regardie , the Golden Dawn had spread to the United States of America before 1900 and a Thoth-Hermes temple had been founded in Chicago . By the beginning of the First World War in 1914, Mathers had established two to three American temples. Most temples of

855-436: The Fairy Investigation Society began with a speech by the chairman, who would offer the cases of fairy evidence "under close observation." A toast would be offered to the fairies, followed by a discussion of financial reports, forthcoming cases, and reports to be signed by all members. Upon its resurgence, some of the stated goals were to establish a bi-annual newsletter, launch a website containing fairy resources, and to gather

900-607: The Golden Dawn came from the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia , which was itself derived from the Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross . The paired numbers attached to the Grades relate to positions on the Tree of Life. The Neophyte Grade of "0=0" indicates no position on the Tree. In the other pairs, the first numeral is the number of steps up from the bottom (Malkuth), and the second numeral

945-467: The Golden Dawn survived past the 1970s, several organizations have since carried on, revived or expanded upon the Order's teachings and rituals, including: The Golden Dawn , by Israel Regardie; was published in 1937. The book is divided into several basic sections. First are the knowledge lectures, which describe the basic teaching of the Qabalah, symbolism, meditation, geomancy, etc. This is followed by

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990-548: The Grade Rituals of the Order and prescribe a curriculum of graduated teachings that encompass the Hermetic Qabalah , astrology , occult tarot , geomancy , and alchemy . According to the records of the Order, the manuscripts passed from Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie , a Masonic scholar, to the Rev. A. F. A. Woodford , whom British occult writer Francis King describes as the fourth founder (although Woodford died shortly after

1035-662: The Isis-Urania temple, disputes were arising between Farr's The Sphere , a secret society within the Isis-Urania, and the rest of the Adepti Minores. Crowley was refused initiation into the Adeptus Minor grade by the London officials. Mathers overrode their decision and quickly initiated him at the Ahathoor temple in Paris on 16 January 1900. Upon his return to the London temple, Crowley requested from Miss Cracknell,

1080-529: The Order was founded). The documents did not excite Woodford, and in February 1886 he passed them on to Freemason William Wynn Westcott , who managed to decode them in 1887. Westcott, pleased with his discovery, called on fellow Freemason Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers for a second opinion. Westcott asked for Mathers's help to turn the manuscripts into a coherent system for lodge work. Mathers, in turn, asked fellow Freemason William Robert Woodman to assist

1125-498: The Society publishes two newsletters a year. The main objective of the society was to compile evidence in the form of anecdotes, letters, and popular accounts of fairy sightings. It was believed that seeing fairies was a clairvoyant ability, and that these beings could "connect us to nature and open the human soul to a higher metaphysical world." The ability to see fairies was also connected to religious belief, with an inextricable connection to British spiritualism. A typical meeting of

1170-477: The Welsh author Arthur Machen , and the English authors Evelyn Underhill and Aleister Crowley . In 1896 or 1897, Westcott broke all ties to the Golden Dawn, leaving Mathers in control. It has been speculated that his departure was due to his having lost a number of occult-related papers in a hansom cab . Apparently, when the papers were found, Westcott's connection to the Golden Dawn was discovered and brought to

1215-544: The West with all things mystical from ghosts and seances, tarot ( Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ), to fairies. The disillusionment of World War One continued to fuel the rise of spiritualism which correlates to the establishment and growth of the Fairy Investigation Society. During World War One two young cousins from Cottingley , England, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, took photographs of themselves with cardboard cutouts of fairies in their garden. Elsie's mother had shared

1260-503: The acting secretary, the papers acknowledging his grade, to which he was now entitled. To the London Adepts, this was the final straw. Farr, already of the opinion that the London temple should be closed, wrote to Mathers expressing her wish to resign as his representative, although she was willing to carry on until a successor was found. Mathers believed Westcott was behind this turn of events and replied on 16 February. On 3 March

1305-467: The attention of his employers. He may have been told to either resign from the Order or to give up his occupation as coroner . After Westcott's departure, Mathers appointed Florence Farr to be Chief Adept in Anglia. Dr. Henry B. Pullen Burry succeeded Westcott as Cancellarius—one of the three Chiefs of the Order. Mathers was the only active founding member after Westcott's departure. Due to personality clashes with other members and frequent absences from

1350-586: The center of Lodge activity in Great Britain, however, challenges to Mathers's authority as leader developed among the members of the Second Order. Towards the end of 1899, the Adepts of the Isis-Urania and Amen-Ra temples had become dissatisfied with Mathers's leadership, as well as his growing friendship with Aleister Crowley. They had also become anxious to make contact with the Secret Chiefs themselves, instead of relying on Mathers as an intermediary. Within

1395-1058: The entire course of study for the First Order. The Second Order was formally established under the name Ordo Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis (the Order of the Red Rose and the Golden Cross). Eventually, the Osiris temple in Weston-super-Mare , the Horus temple in Bradford (both in 1888), and the Amen-Ra temple in Edinburgh (1893) were founded. In 1893 Mathers founded the Ahathoor temple in Paris . In 1890, Westcott's alleged correspondence with Anna Sprengel suddenly ceased. He claimed to have received word from Germany that she

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1440-547: The idea of a film that would centre on 'the little people' in 1946" focusing on leprechauns and fairies. Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ( Latin : Ordo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae ), more commonly the Golden Dawn ( Aurora Aurea ), was a secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics during

1485-717: The late 19th and early 20th centuries. Known as a magical order , the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was active in Great Britain and focused its practices on theurgy and spiritual development. Many present-day concepts of ritual and magic that are at the centre of contemporary traditions, such as Wicca and Thelema , were inspired by the Golden Dawn, which became one of the largest single influences on 20th-century Western occultism . The three founders, William Robert Woodman , William Wynn Westcott , and Samuel Liddell Mathers , were Freemasons and members of

1530-752: The name Isis-Urania, while Felkin and other London members formed the Stella Matutina . Yeats remained in the Stella Matutina until 1921, while Brodie-Innes continued his Amen-Ra membership in Edinburgh. Once Mathers realised that reconciliation was impossible, he made efforts to reestablish himself in London. The Bradford and Weston-super-Mare temples remained loyal to him, but their numbers were few. He then appointed Edward Berridge as his representative. According to Francis King, historical evidence shows that there were "twenty three members of

1575-605: The photos at a Bradford Theosophical Society meeting on nature spirits. They then gained the attention of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes series and notable member of the Fairy Investigation Society. He published the photos along with an article in the 1920 Christmas edition of the Strand Magazine . The photos made international headlines, and the Fairy Investigation Society acquired momentum toward its creation. The Fairy Investigation Society

1620-486: The radio." Johnson believed herself to be a "sensitive," and claimed to have seen fairies, as well as other elementals, angels, and entities. Walt Disney was also a member of the Fairy Investigation Society. He was certainly a member through 1956 and 1957, but sources speculate that he may have been interested in the group nearly 10 years earlier. In 1947, Disney visited Ireland to learn something of Irish folklore for storyboard research. "[H]e and his writers began exploring

1665-534: The rituals of the Outer Order, consisting of five initiation rituals into the degrees of the Golden Dawn. The next section covers the rituals of the Inner Order including two initiation rituals and equinox ceremonies. Craufurd baronets The Craufurd Baronetcy , of Kilbirney in south-west Scotland ("North Britain" in the terminology of the time), is a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain . It

1710-723: The society's records were largely lost or destroyed. The society was inactive until 1949 when Craufurd revived it with the help of Nottingham secretary Marjorie Johnson. Johnson wrote newsletters through the 1950s and helped create a survey of living fairylore, later published as Seeing Fairies . During the late 1950s there were well over a hundred members, including famous individuals such as author Alasdair Alpin MacGregor , Ithell Colquhoun , Leslie Alan Shepard , RAF commander Sir Hugh Dowding , Victor Purcell , Walter Starkie (of gypsy lore fame), Naomi Mitchison and animator Walt Disney . According to folklore historian Simon Young ,

1755-515: The society. The society was only semi-active under her successor Leslie Shepard, based in Blackrock, Dublin , Ireland, finally closing down in the early 1990s. The society was reestablished online by Young in 2013. It has an anonymous membership list and no longer requires members to believe in fairies. Enthusiasts, researchers and skeptics are all welcome among the renewed ranks of the FIS. As of 2021,

1800-592: The two, and he accepted. Mathers and Westcott have been credited with developing the ritual outlines in the Cipher Manuscripts into a workable format. Mathers, however, is generally credited with the design of the curriculum and rituals of the Second Order, which he called the Rosae Rubae et Aureae Crucis ("Ruby Rose and Golden Cross" or the RR et AC ). In October 1887, Westcott claimed to have written to

1845-437: Was dead and that her companions did not approve of the founding of the Order and no further contact was to be made. If the founders were to contact the Secret Chiefs , apparently, it had to be done on their own. In 1892, Mathers professed that a link to the Secret Chiefs had been established. Subsequently, he supplied rituals for the Second Order. The rituals were based on the tradition of the tomb of Christian Rosenkreuz , and

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1890-693: Was inspired by cofounder Barnard Sleigh's 1926 novel entitled The Gates of the Horn Being Sundry Records from the Proceedings of the Society for the Investigation of Faery Fact & Fallacy . Included in the book were ten short stories describing tales of fairy encounters through reports of the society, which monitored fairy-human relations. The book solidified a "fairy ideology" first recognizing fairies as sort of guardians of an ecologically damaged world. While The Gates of Horn

1935-419: Was not commercially successful, readers were so convinced by Sleigh's realistic portrayal of Edwardian occult and spiritualism that some reviewers of the time wondered whether this supposedly fictional society described by Sleigh actually existed. During its prime, in the 1920s and 1930s, the society organized meetings, lectures, and discussions for collecting evidence of fairy life. With World War II , however,

1980-579: Was that of the Secret Chiefs , who were said to be highly skilled; they supposedly directed the activities of the lower two orders by spirit communication with the Chiefs of the Second Order. The foundational documents of the original Order of the Golden Dawn, known as the Cipher Manuscripts , are written in English using the Trithemius cipher . The manuscripts give the specific outlines of

2025-445: Was to deliver the scientific means of collecting evidence, via his telephone technology, while Barnard Sleigh would deliver the psychic means of contacting fairies. Crauford also experimented with other technologies in his attempt to contact fairies, including automatic writing and psychic photography. Marjorie T. Johnson was a member of the Fairy Investigation Society in its later postwar iteration. She became acquainted with Craufurd in

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