What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn: Magic Arts and the Occult Revival
The first full-length narrative history of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the esoteric society at the centre of the 19th- and 20th-century rise of the occult.
Occultism has long been associated with the visual and literary arts, the wild and the avant-garde, and nowhere was this more embodied than in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Founded in London in the 1880s by Freemasons, it was the world’s most famous secret society. In this fresh, bracing narrative history, Felix John Taylor recounts its rise and fall through the men and women for whom the Order represented both an alternative to traditional Victorian religious values and a space for imaginative exploration.
Devoted to the study of ceremonial magic, the Order attracted a long list of eminent writers, actors and visual artists to its ranks. It looked towards a ‘golden age’ of spiritual enlightenment, with progressive ideals – class and gender were no barriers to entry – and teachings from tarot to alchemy and astral projection that were gradually unveiled as members ascended ten ‘grades’.
While its temples were formally spaces to practice magic, Taylor finds that the Golden Dawn was at various points more an arts club or society of writers. Political schisms and sex scandals ensured that it was short-lived, yet for many members its occult practices came to shape their work and influence the wider culture over a much longer period.
The Golden Dawn, with its role in the foundation of Wicca and modern developments in magic, is a vital thread connecting Victorian esotericism to the present-day occult revival. This visually arresting, meticulously researched literary history teases out these connections, while offering a compelling account of the Order and its members.
Occultism has long been associated with the visual and literary arts, the wild and the avant-garde, and nowhere was this more embodied than in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Founded in London in the 1880s by Freemasons, it was the world’s most famous secret society. In this fresh, bracing narrative history, Felix John Taylor recounts its rise and fall through the men and women for whom the Order represented both an alternative to traditional Victorian religious values and a space for imaginative exploration.
Devoted to the study of ceremonial magic, the Order attracted a long list of eminent writers, actors and visual artists to its ranks. It looked towards a ‘golden age’ of spiritual enlightenment, with progressive ideals – class and gender were no barriers to entry – and teachings from tarot to alchemy and astral projection that were gradually unveiled as members ascended ten ‘grades’.
While its temples were formally spaces to practice magic, Taylor finds that the Golden Dawn was at various points more an arts club or society of writers. Political schisms and sex scandals ensured that it was short-lived, yet for many members its occult practices came to shape their work and influence the wider culture over a much longer period.
The Golden Dawn, with its role in the foundation of Wicca and modern developments in magic, is a vital thread connecting Victorian esotericism to the present-day occult revival. This visually arresting, meticulously researched literary history teases out these connections, while offering a compelling account of the Order and its members.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 19, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 30, 2026
A Luminous History of the Occult
This work offers a masterful and accessible exploration of one of the most aesthetically influential crackpot societies in the fin de siecle history.
By weaving together biography, literary analysis, and historical narrative, the book illuminates how the Golden Dawn served as a crucible for some important minds of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It avoids sensationalism, instead providing a rigorous yet engaging account of how "magical" thinking influenced modern poetry, theater, and fiction. For anyone interested in the intersection of spirituality and art, this is an enlightening read.
And sumptuously illustrated.
Chapter Synopses
* Introduction: ‘A Wild Performance’ – Sets the stage by detailing the 1888 founding of the Order in London, framing it as a theatrical and intellectual performance that blended ancient myths with contemporary Victorian anxieties.
* 1. ‘Met metaphors for Poetry’: W. B. Yeats – Examines how the famous poet used the Golden Dawn’s rituals and symbols as a foundational system for his creative work, turning occult practice into a engine for high art.
* 2. A Gift Given to the Wise: Florence Farr – Focuses on the actress and musician who became a leader within the Order, highlighting her efforts to balance traditional ritual with her own feminist and experimental creative impulses.
* 3. The Twilight Star: A. E. Waite & Arthur Machen – Explores the scholarly and mystical approach of Waite (creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot) and the fiction of Arthur Machen, who found in the Order a way to express the "hidden" or "pagan" reality beneath everyday life.
* 4. Babe of the Abyss: Aleister Crowley – Chronicles the rise of the Order's most infamous member, detailing the internal conflicts and ego clashes that eventually led to the Golden Dawn's spectacular schism.
* 5. ‘The Spell of Sound’: W. B. Yeats, Florence Farr & Pamela Colman Smith – Analyzes the artistic collaboration between these three members, particularly their experiments with spoken-word performance and the visual creation of the modern Tarot.
* 6. Metaphysical Thrillers: Charles Williams & Dion Fortune – Discusses the later evolution of Golden Dawn ideas into the "supernatural fiction" of the mid-20th century, showing how the Order’s teachings morphed into popular literary genres.
The Quests of Machen, Williams, and Fortune
While all three were deeply influenced by the Golden Dawn, their specific "searches" were distinct:
* Arthur Machen was looking for "The Great God Pan"—a hidden, often terrifying, spiritual reality that lay just beneath the surface of the physical world. He sought to prove that modern life was merely a veil hiding ancient, untamed forces.
* Charles Williams was looking for the "Co-inherence," a metaphysical state where the spiritual and physical worlds are completely intertwined. He sought to find the divine specifically within human relationships and everyday social structures.
* Dion Fortune was looking for a "Psychological Integration" of the occult. As a trained psychoanalyst, she sought to bridge the gap between scientific psychology and ancient magic, looking for practical ways to use ritual to heal and expand the human psyche.
Aleister Crowley nips in and out of every chapter, always an unwelcome guest to GD's eminently Victorian cadre.
This work offers a masterful and accessible exploration of one of the most aesthetically influential crackpot societies in the fin de siecle history.
By weaving together biography, literary analysis, and historical narrative, the book illuminates how the Golden Dawn served as a crucible for some important minds of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It avoids sensationalism, instead providing a rigorous yet engaging account of how "magical" thinking influenced modern poetry, theater, and fiction. For anyone interested in the intersection of spirituality and art, this is an enlightening read.
And sumptuously illustrated.
Chapter Synopses
* Introduction: ‘A Wild Performance’ – Sets the stage by detailing the 1888 founding of the Order in London, framing it as a theatrical and intellectual performance that blended ancient myths with contemporary Victorian anxieties.
* 1. ‘Met metaphors for Poetry’: W. B. Yeats – Examines how the famous poet used the Golden Dawn’s rituals and symbols as a foundational system for his creative work, turning occult practice into a engine for high art.
* 2. A Gift Given to the Wise: Florence Farr – Focuses on the actress and musician who became a leader within the Order, highlighting her efforts to balance traditional ritual with her own feminist and experimental creative impulses.
* 3. The Twilight Star: A. E. Waite & Arthur Machen – Explores the scholarly and mystical approach of Waite (creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot) and the fiction of Arthur Machen, who found in the Order a way to express the "hidden" or "pagan" reality beneath everyday life.
* 4. Babe of the Abyss: Aleister Crowley – Chronicles the rise of the Order's most infamous member, detailing the internal conflicts and ego clashes that eventually led to the Golden Dawn's spectacular schism.
* 5. ‘The Spell of Sound’: W. B. Yeats, Florence Farr & Pamela Colman Smith – Analyzes the artistic collaboration between these three members, particularly their experiments with spoken-word performance and the visual creation of the modern Tarot.
* 6. Metaphysical Thrillers: Charles Williams & Dion Fortune – Discusses the later evolution of Golden Dawn ideas into the "supernatural fiction" of the mid-20th century, showing how the Order’s teachings morphed into popular literary genres.
The Quests of Machen, Williams, and Fortune
While all three were deeply influenced by the Golden Dawn, their specific "searches" were distinct:
* Arthur Machen was looking for "The Great God Pan"—a hidden, often terrifying, spiritual reality that lay just beneath the surface of the physical world. He sought to prove that modern life was merely a veil hiding ancient, untamed forces.
* Charles Williams was looking for the "Co-inherence," a metaphysical state where the spiritual and physical worlds are completely intertwined. He sought to find the divine specifically within human relationships and everyday social structures.
* Dion Fortune was looking for a "Psychological Integration" of the occult. As a trained psychoanalyst, she sought to bridge the gap between scientific psychology and ancient magic, looking for practical ways to use ritual to heal and expand the human psyche.
Aleister Crowley nips in and out of every chapter, always an unwelcome guest to GD's eminently Victorian cadre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2026
Pacy account of occult networking
April 6, 2026
This well-researched work brings the members of the Occult society The Order of the Golden Dawn and other related societies in the early years of the 20th century to life. Members included the Irish poet Yeats, the Welsh author Arthur Machen, the occult bad boy Alistair Crowley, Dion Fortune (must read more of her work), and the lesser-known but incredibly interesting Inkling Charles Williams. Taylor provides a good background on how these occult groups developed and actually worked in terms of the degrees of initiation. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the occult and the fascinating individuals who shaped it. Great bibliography for more exploration.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews