Pagan Pathways: Golden Dawn

The Golden Dawn system of magic is not a religion, although religious imagery and spiritual concepts play an important role in its work. The Golden Dawn was designed by its founders to be an Hermetic Society dedicated to the philosophical, spiritual, and psychic evolution of humanity. It was also designed to be a school and a repository of knowledge, where students learned the principles of occult science and the various elements of western philosophy and magic. Tolerance for all religious beliefs was stressed, and symbolism used within the G:.D:. came from a variety of religious sources. Today, people from many diverse religious paths consider themselves practicing Golden Dawn magicians--including Neopagans, Gnostics, Jews, and Christians.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. There is now established in the world a New Order of the Golden Dawn. It is a Magical-Religious-Scientific Order dedicated to the teachings of Aleister Crowley. The principal function of the New Order is to assist in the initiation of aspirants into the Magical Life of Thelema. It is a Magical Order of the New Aeon wherein men and women, by the essential aids of Science and Religion, can participate in the Great Work of Thelema.