Is the Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn a “real” Golden Dawn order?
The first task is to define the Golden Dawn: Historically the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a flowering of the western magickal tradition in England, France, the US and later, New Zealand. Its initial incarnation existed from 1887 (or 8) to 1903. Based on a grade system derived from the Societas Rosicrucians in Anglia (SRIA) which in turn was derived from Masonic roots, its doctrine, like the SRIA, was rooted in the Hermetic Qabalah informed by Christianity. Its notable unique elements included the actual practice of ritual to achieve magickal ends, the teaching of the techniques of ritual and spiritual magicks including Tarot, Astrology, Enochian and Goetic sorcery, and the inclusion of women on an equal basis with men. It used the best available understandings of Egyptian and Tatwic magicks of the time and blended these with the dominant theology of the day, which view the divine in a transcendental and dualistic manner. In line with the culture of the day matter in general a
