The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers
The chief ritual architect of the mature Golden Dawn, assembling old manuscripts into a working ceremonial system.
- Dates
- 1854 – 1918
- Dating
- documented dates
- Born
- London
- Died
- Paris
The life
He eventually moved to Paris, and struggles over his authority contributed heavily to the Golden Dawn schisms.
Place in the tradition
The shape of modern ceremonial magic is largely his construction, assembled from sources that did not originally fit together.
a note on the record
History and later legend
He died in Paris in 1918, probably amid the influenza-pandemic era, although the precise cause is not securely documented.
the written record
Principal works
-
1887
The Kabbalah Unveiled
Translation of portions of Knorr von Rosenroth's Latin Kabbala Denudata, making Zoharic material accessible in English.
held in the source catalogue Read at sacred-texts.com ↗
-
1889
The Key of Solomon the King
An influential English edition of the Solomonic grimoire tradition.
-
1898
The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage
Introduced English occultists to the Abramelin system: prolonged purification, communion with the Holy Guardian Angel, and subsequent command of spirits.