Editing Magical organization

{{Short description|Organization for the practice of occult magic}}
{{about|occult magic organizations|Wiccan organizations|Wiccan organisation|Rosicrucian organizations|:Category:Rosicrucian organizations}}
{{use American English|date=October 2022}}
{{use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{magic sidebar|Related}}
A '''magical organization''' or '''magical order''' is an organization or [[secret society]] created for the practice of [[initiation]] into [[ceremonial magic|ceremonial]] or other forms of [[magic (paranormal)|occult magic]] or to further the knowledge of magic among its members. Magical organizations can include [[Hermeticism|Hermetic]] orders, [[Western esotericism|esoteric societies]], arcane colleges, and other groups which may use different terminology and similar though diverse practices.

==18th century==
{{Esotericism}}
The [[Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross]] ({{langx|de|Orden des Gold- und Rosenkreutz}}) was a German [[Rosicrucianism|Rosicrucian]] organization founded in the 1750s by [[Freemasonry|Freemason]] and [[alchemy|alchemist]] [[Hermann Fictuld]].{{sfnp|Greer|2008||pp=367–368}} Candidates were expected to be [[Master Mason]]s in good standing. [[Alchemy]] was to be a central study for members.{{sfnp|McIntosh|2009}}

The [[Order of Knight-Masons Elect Priests of the Universe]] ({{langx|fr|Ordre des Chevaliers Maçons Élus Coëns de l’Univers}}) or simply Élus Coëns ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] for "Elect Priests"), was a [[Theurgy|theurgical]] organization founded by [[Martinez de Pasqually]] in 1767. It spread in France in the latter part of the 18th century and is the first branch of the [[Martinism|Martinist]] tradition.{{sfnp|Trompf|Mikkelsen|Johnston|2018}}

==19th century==
[[Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia]] (Rosicrucian Society of England), or SRIA, is a [[Rosicrucian]] [[esoteric Christianity|esoteric Christian]] order formed by [[Robert Wentworth Little]] in 1865.{{sfnp|King|1989|p=28}} Members are confirmed from the ranks of subscribing [[Master Mason]]s{{sfnp|King|1989|p=28}} of a [[Grand Lodge]] in amity with [[United Grand Lodge of England]]. The structure and grades of this order were derived from the 18th-century Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross. It later became the grade system used in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.{{sfnp|Gilbert|1986}}

The [[Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor]] was an [[Initiation#Religious and spiritual|initiatic]] [[occultism|occult]] organization that first became public in late 1894, although according to an official document of the order it began its work in 1870.{{sfnp|Godwin|Chanel|Deveney|1995|pp=92-97}} The Order's teachings drew heavily from the magico-sexual theories of [[Paschal Beverly Randolph]], who influenced later groups such as Ordo Templi Orientis, although it is not clear whether or not Randolph himself was actually a member of the Order.{{sfnp|Godwin|Chanel|Deveney|1995|p=44}}

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]], [[Hermetic Qabalah|Qabalah]], [[Hermeticism]], the [[paganism]] of [[ancient Egypt]], [[theurgy]], and [[alchemy]].{{efn|{{harvp|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."}}

The Brotherhood of Myriam (Fratellanza di Myriam) is an Italian esoteric organization founded by [[Giuliano Kremmerz]] in 1899, blending [[Hermeticism]] with therapeutic practices and mystical traditions, rooted in [[Western esotericism]]. Its philosophy emphasizes spiritual healing, the study of ancient texts, and magical science.<ref>{{cite book |last=Zoccatelli |first=PierLuigi |editor1-last=Lewis |editor1-first=James R. |editor2-last=Tøllefsen |editor2-first=Jesper Aagaard |title=The Brill Handbook of New Religions in Europe |chapter=New Religious Movements in Italy |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden-Boston |year=2012 |pages=309 |quote=Among the groups inspired by the Italian esoteric legacy is the Brotherhood of Myriam, which is linked to the Kremmerzian tradition.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Zoccatelli |first=PierLuigi |title=L'ermetismo kremmerziano |url=https://cesnur.com/gli-ordini-martinisti-e-lermetismo-kremmerziano/lermetismo-kremmerziano/ |website=CESNUR |publisher=Center for Studies on New Religions |language=it |access-date=2025-05-05 |quote=La Fratellanza di Myriam è tra i gruppi che conservano la tradizione iniziatica kremmerziana, con un’enfasi sulle pratiche terapeutiche e teurgiche proprie dell’esoterismo italiano.}}</ref>

[[Ordo Templi Orientis]] (O.T.O.) was founded by [[Carl Kellner (Ordo Templi Orientis)|Carl Kellner]] in 1895, and is said to have been "reorganized and reconstituted" from the [[Hermetic Brotherhood of Light]].{{sfnp|Reuss|1917}}

==20th century==
[[Alpha et Omega]] was a continuation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Following a rebellion of [[adept]]s in [[London]] and an ensuing public scandal which brought the name of the Order into disrepute,{{sfnp|Greer|1996|pp=160-63, 244, 263-264, 350}} Mathers renamed the branch of the Golden Dawn remaining loyal to his leadership to "Alpha et Omega" sometime between 1903 and 1913.{{sfnp|King|1971|pp=110-111}} Another faction, led by [[Robert Felkin]], became the [[Stella Matutina]].{{sfnp|King|1989|p=96}}

[[A∴A∴]] was created in 1907 by [[Aleister Crowley]] and [[George Cecil Jones]]. It teaches [[magick]] and [[Thelema]], which is a religion shared by several occult organizations. The main text of Thelema is ''[[The Book of the Law]]''.{{sfnp|Eshelman|2000}}

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 Ordo Templi Orientis.{{sfnp|Evans|2007a}}

[[Builders of the Adytum]] (or B.O.T.A.) was created in 1922 by [[Paul Foster Case]] and was extended by Dr. [[Ann Davies (occultist)|Ann Davies]]. It teaches [[Hermetic Qabalah]], [[astrology]] and occult [[tarot]].{{sfnp|Clark|2013}}

Also in 1922, after a falling-out with [[Moina Mathers]]{{sfnp|King|1989|p=144}} and with Moina's consent, [[Dion Fortune]] left the [[Alpha et Omega]] to form an offshoot organization.{{sfnp|Richardson|1991|p=117}}{{sfnp|Knight|2000|pp=138-139}} This indirectly brought new members to the Alpha et Omega.{{sfnp|King|1989|p=143}} 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.{{sfnp|Flowers|1994|p=xiii}} The lodge is, as Gregorius states, "concerned with the study of esotericism, mysticism, and magic in the cosmic sense".{{sfnp|Flowers|1994|p=182}}

The [[UR Group]] was an Italian [[Western esotericism|esotericist]] association, founded around 1927 by intellectuals including [[Julius Evola]], [[Arturo Reghini]] and Giovanni Colazza for the study of [[Traditionalist School|Traditionalism]] and [[Magic (supernatural)|Magic]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hakl |first=Hans Thomas |author-link=Hans Thomas Hakl |title=Julius Evola and the UR Group |journal=Aries |volume=12 |number=1 |publisher=Brill |date=2012 |pages=53–90|doi=10.1163/147783512X614830 }}</ref>

In 1954, [[Kenneth Grant (occultist)|Kenneth Grant]] began the work of founding the [[Kenneth Grant (occultist)|New Isis Lodge]], which became operational in 1955. This became the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis (TOTO), which was eventually renamed to [[Typhonian Order]].{{sfnp|Evans|2007b|p={{page needed|date=December 2021}}}}

The [[Church of Satan]], a [[religious organization]] dedicated to [[LaVeyan Satanism|Satanism]] as codified in ''[[The Satanic Bible]]'', was established in 1966, by [[Anton LaVey]], who was the Church's [[High priest|High Priest]] until his death in 1997.{{sfnp|Fritscher|LaVey|2004|page=27}} Church members may also participate in a system of magic which LaVey defined as [[greater and lesser magic]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}} In 1975, Michael Aquino broke off from the Church of Satan and founded the [[Temple of Set]].{{sfnp|Chappell|2019|p=xi}}

The [[satanism|satanic]] and [[neo-nazi]] [[Order of Nine Angles]] (O9A or ONA) was founded in the [[United Kingdom]] during the 1970s.{{sfnp|De Simone|2020b}} [[Hope not Hate]] have lobbied to have O9A designated a [[terrorist organization]].{{sfnp|De Simone|2020}}

In 1973 John Gibbs-Bailey and  John Yeowell founded the ''Committee for the Restoration of the Odinic Rite'' or ''Odinist Committee'' in [[England]].{{sfnp|Rudgley|2006|p=240}} Yeowell had been a member of the [[British Union of Fascists]] in his youth and bodyguard to leader [[Oswald Mosley]].{{sfnp|von Schnurbein|2016|p=57}} In 1980 the organization changed its name to [[Odinic Rite]]. It is a [[white supremicist]] organization.{{sfnp|Sanchez|2009}}

In 1976, [[James Lees (English magician)|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]].{{sfnp|Thompson|2018}}

In 1977, [[The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc.]] was founded by Chic Cicero in [[Columbus, Georgia]]. This Order is notable for having the only working Golden Dawn temple in the United States at the end of the 1970s, making it the oldest continuously operating Golden Dawn offshoot in the U.S.{{sfnp|Suster|1990|p=150}}

The [[Sangreal Sodality]] is a spiritual brotherhood founded by British writer [[William G. Gray]] and Jacobus G. Swart in 1980.{{sfnp|Swart|n.d.}}

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 [[sigil]]s. Their main texts include ''[[Liber Null]]'' (1978) and ''[[Psychonaut]]'' (1982), now published as a single book.{{sfnp|Carroll|1987}}

On the Vernal Equinox of 1990, [[Christopher Hyatt]] and [[David Cherubim]] founded the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn in Los Angeles.{{sfnp|Hyatt|2002}}{{efn|{{harvp|Greer|2003|p=205}}: "Several of these new Golden Dawn orders were created by friends and students of Regardie in the United States. [...] [A]nother emerged in Arizona under the leadership of Christopher Hyatt."}}

==21st century==
The [[Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn]] (OSOGD) was an esoteric community of magical practitioners, many of whom came from [[Paganism|pagan]] backgrounds, founded by [[Sam Webster (writer)|Sam Webster]] in 2002 and based on the principles of the [[open-source software]] movement.{{sfnp|Wicker|2005|p=206}} It was an initiatory teaching Order that drew upon the knowledge, experience, practices and spirit of the system of magical training and attainment developed by the original [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]]. The OSOGD ceased operating in September 2019.{{sfnp|OSOGD|2018}}

==Schools==
{{see also|List of fictional magic schools}}
The [[Grey School of Wizardry]] is an online school with a focus on secular esoteric education. Founded in 2004 by former headmaster [[Oberon Zell-Ravenheart]], it operates primarily online and as a non-profit educational institution in California.{{sfnp|Conzola|2023}}

[[Arcanorium College]] is an online school of magic founded by chaos magician Peter J. Carroll.{{sfnp|Dukes|2011}}

==See also==
* [[College of Thelema]]
* [[The Horseman's Word]]
* [[Society of Guardians]]
* [[Temple of the Black Light]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{notelist}}

===Citations===
{{reflist|2}}

===Works cited===
{{refbegin|2|indent=yes}}
*{{cite book |first=Peter J. |last=Carroll |year=1987 |title=Liber Null & Psychonaut |publisher=Weiser Books |author-link=Peter J. Carroll |isbn=0-87728-639-6}}
*{{cite book|isbn=978-1-62055-816-4|title=Infernal Geometry and the Left-Hand Path |first1=Toby |last1=Chappell |year=2019|publisher=Inner Traditions/Bear }}
*{{cite book |last=Clark |first=P. |year=2013 |title=Paul Foster Case: His Life and Works |place=Covina, California |publisher=Fraternity of the Hidden Light}}
*{{Cite news |last=Conzola |first=E. J. II |date=14 April 2023 |title=A school for wizards in Whitehall |pages=1 |work=NYVT Media |url=https://nyvtmedia.com/2023/04/14/a-school-for-wizards-in-whitehall/ |access-date=5 August 2023}}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51682760 |date=March 2, 2020 |first=Daniel |last=De Simone |title=UK Nazi Satanist group should be outlawed, campaigners urge |publisher=[[BBC]] |accessdate=2022-08-21}}
*{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-53141759|title=Order of Nine Angles: What is this obscure Nazi Satanist group? |publisher=[[BBC]] |first=Daniel |last=De Simone |date=June 23, 2020b |accessdate=2022-08-21}}
*{{cite book |last=Dukes |first=Ramsey |year=2011 |title=How to See Fairies: Discover Your Psychic Powers in Six Weeks |publisher=Aeon Books |isbn=978-1781812907}}
*{{cite book |last=Eshelman |first=James A. |year=2000 |title=The Mystical & Magical System of the A A: The Spiritual System of Aleister Crowley & George Cecil Jones Step-by-step |publisher=[[College of Thelema]] |isbn=978-0970449603}}
*{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Dave |year=2007a |title=Aleister Crowley and the 20th Century Synthesis of Magick |place=United Kingdom |publisher=Hidden Publishing |isbn=978-0955523724}}
*{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Dave |title=The History of British Magick after Crowley |publisher=Hidden Publishing |year=2007b |isbn=978-0955523700}}
*{{cite book |first=Stephen E. |last=Flowers |author-link=Stephen Flowers |title=Fire & Ice: The History, Structure and Rituals of Germany's Most Influential Modern Magical Order: The Brotherhood of Saturn |place=St Paul, MN |publisher=Llewellyn |year=1994}}
*{{cite book |last1=Fritscher |first1=Jack |last2=LaVey |first2=Anton |author2-link=Anton LaVey |year=2004 |title=Popular Witchcraft: Straight from the Witch's Mouth |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |isbn=978-0299203047}}
*{{cite journal |last=Gilbert |first=R. A. |year=1986 |title=The Masonic Career of A. E. Waite |url=http://www.mastermason.com/luxocculta/waite.htm |journal=Ars Quatuor Coronatorum |volume=99 |access-date=23 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905053641/http://www.mastermason.com/luxocculta/waite.htm |archive-date=5 September 2010 |df=dmy |via=MasterMason.com}}
*{{cite book |first1=Joscelyn |last1=Godwin |first2=Christian |last2=Chanel |first3=John Patrick |last3=Deveney |title=The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor: Initiatic and Historical Documents of an Order of Practical Occultism |publisher=Samuel Weiser |year=1995}}
*{{cite book |title=The New Encyclopedia of the Occult |last=Greer |first=John Michael |author-link=John Michael Greer |publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-56718-336-8}}
*{{cite book |last=Greer |first=John Michael |title=The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies |edition=2nd |publisher=Harper Collins |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4351-1088-5}}
*{{cite book |last=Greer |first=Mary K. |title=Women of the Golden Dawn: Rebels and Priestesses |edition=1st |publisher=Park Street Press |year=1996 |isbn=0-89281-607-4}}
*{{cite AV media |type=Audio CD |first=Christopher S. |last=Hyatt |year=2002 |title=The Magic of Israel Regardie |publisher=New Falcon Publishing |ol=12127101M}}
*{{cite book|last=King|first=Francis X.|author-link=Francis X. King|title=The Rites of Modern Occult Magic|url=https://archive.org/details/ritesofmodernocc00king|url-access=registration|edition=1st|publisher=Macmillan Co.|year=1971|isbn=1-85327-032-6}}
*{{cite book |last=King |first=Francis |year=1989 |title=Modern Ritual Magic: The Rise of Western Occultism |publisher=Prism |isbn=1-85327-032-6}}
*{{cite book |last=Knight |first=Gareth |title=Dion Fortune and the Inner Light |publisher=Thoth Publications |year=2000 |isbn=1-870450-45-0}}
*{{cite magazine |last=McIntosh |first=Christopher |date=July 2009 |url=http://www.lapismagazine.org/charting-rosicrucian-europe-by-christopher-mcintosh/ |title=Charting Rosicrucian Europe |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905115229/http://www.lapismagazine.org/charting-rosicrucian-europe-by-christopher-mcintosh/ |archive-date=2010-09-05 |magazine=Lapis Magazine}}
* {{cite web |author=OSOGD |title=Sunset of the Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn |website=Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn |url=http://osogd.org/sunset-of-the-open-source-order-of-the-golden-dawn/ |access-date=21 April 2020 |date=20 March 2018}}
*{{cite document |first=Theodor |last=Reuss |year=1917 |title=O.T.O. Constitution, Article 1, Section 1|publisher=Ordo Templi Orientis|quote=Under the style and title: ANCIENT ORDER OF ORIENTAL TEMPLARS, an organization, formerly known as: “The Hermetic Brotherhood of Light”, has been reorganized and reconstituted. This reconstituted association is an international organization, and is hereinafter referred to as the O.T.O.}}
*{{cite book |last=Richardson |first=Alan |title=The Magical Life of Dion Fortune |publisher=Aquarian Press |year=1991 |isbn=1-85538-051-X}}
*{{cite book |last=Rudgley |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Rudgley |year=2006 |title=Pagan Resurrection |publisher=Century |isbn=0-7126-8096-9}}
*{{cite magazine |title=Supreme Court Requires Prisons Give Special Consideration to Racist Pagans |issue=2009 Fall Issue |date=August 21, 2009 |first=Casey |last=Sanchez |magazine=Intelligence Report |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2009/supreme-court-requires-prisons-give-special-consideration-racist-pagans |access-date=2022-12-15 |via=Southern Poverty Law Center}}
*{{cite book |last1=Smoley |first1=Richard |last2=Kinney |first2=Jay |title=Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions |publisher=Quest Books |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8356-0844-2}}
*{{cite book |last=Suster |first=Gerald |year=1990 |title=Crowley's Apprentice: The Life and Ideas of Israel Regardie |publisher=Weiser Books |isbn=0-87728-700-7}}
*{{cite web |title=An Introduction to the Foundation, Development and Teachings of the Sangreal Sodality |first=Jacobus G. |last=Swart |date=n.d. |url=http://www.sangrealsodality.com/ |website=SangrealSodality.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119031526/http://www.sangrealsodality.com/site |archive-date=2013-01-19 |url-status=dead}}
*{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Cath |title=All This and a Book |year=2018 |publisher=Hadean Press Limited |isbn=978-1-907881-78-7}}
*{{cite book |editor-last1=Trompf |editor-first1=Garry W. |editor-last2=Mikkelsen |editor-first2=Gunner B. |editor-last3=Johnston |editor-first3=Jay |date=2018 |chapter=Three gnosticizing Masonic thinkers |title=The Gnostic World |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B6txDwAAQBAJ&dq=Martinez+de+Pasqually+and+Manichaeism&pg=PT585 |location=Milton Park |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1317201847}}
*{{cite book |last=von Schnurbein |first=S. |year=2016 |chapter=Creating a Religion: The Emergence and Development of Late Twentieth-Century Asatru |title=Norse Revival: Transformations of Germanic Neopaganism |pages=54–87 |publisher=Brill |jstor=10.1163/j.ctt1w76v8x.10}}
* {{cite book |last=Wicker |first=Christine |year=2005 |title=Not In Kansas Anymore: A Curious Tale of How Magic is Transforming America |publisher=Harper San Francisco |isbn=0-06-072678-4}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin|2|indent=yes}}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/unmasking-lucien-greaves-aka-doug-mesner-leader-of-the-satanic-temple/ |title=Unmasking Lucien Greaves, Leader of the Satanic Temple |work=Vice |first=Shane |last=Bugbee |date=July 30, 2013 |access-date=2021-12-30}} Contains discussion of how to distinguish a magical organization from a non-magical one.
*{{cite book |last=Cowan |first=Douglas E. |author-link=Douglas E. Cowan |title=Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet |publisher=Routledge |location=London & New York |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-415-96910-9 }}
*{{cite book |last=Redfern |first=N. |year=2017 |title=Secret Societies: The Complete Guide to Histories, Rites, and Rituals |publisher=Visible Ink Press |isbn=978-1-57859-646-1 }}
*{{cite book |title=The Concise Guide to Today's Religions and Spirituality |last=Walker |first=James K. |url=https://archive.org/details/conciseguidetoto0000walk |url-access=registration |publisher=Harvest House Publishers |year=2007 |isbn=978-0736920117}}
{{refend}}

{{Thelema series}}

[[Category:Magical organizations| ]]
[[Category:History of magic|Organization, Magical]]
[[Category:Lists of organizations]]