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Secret Words, Secret Societies - Part 2

© Sandra Linville

Another order, not so ancient though, was founded to study and revive interest in Western magic. In 1888, S.L. MacGregor Mathers founded the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. As an occult society, it taught majick, qabalah, alchemy, tarot, astrology and other hermetic subjects. Its membership was mostly London intellectuals, artists and writers with its three most influential members being the poet William Butler Yeats, Arthur Edward Waite and Aleister Crowley. Too much infighting caused it to disperse in 1903. A New Order of the Golden Dawn was established and is dedicated to the teachings of Aleister Crowley who was known by the media as "The Great Beast" or "The Wickedest Man in the World." Its main function is to help initiate members into the Magical Life of Thelema. Thelema is a Greek word meaning will or intention.

The Rosicrucians or AMORC (Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis) are still around working toward mastering life through metaphysics and mysticism. The original Rose Cross Brotherhood, begun in 1597, worked to "restore the lost secrets of science, particularly medicine." They were asked to keep four tenets of the faith: cure the sick with no payment, don the native clothing in the county they traveled, attend one annual meeting and choose a successor at the time of their death. Oh, and also keep the Order's secrets for 100 years.

The Masons are basically a philanthropic organization. "Groliers" defines it as "the largest worldwide society, freemasonry is an organization of men based on the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, using builders' tools as symbols to teach basic moral truths generally accepted by persons of goodwill. It is religious in that a belief in God is the prime requirement for membership, but it is nonsectarian in that no religious test is used. The purpose of freemasonry is to enable men to meet in harmony, to promote friendship and to be charitable. Its basic ideals are that all persons are the children of one God, that all persons are related to each other and that the best way to worship God is to be of service to people."

The Masons' history is cluttered with controversy and it even engendered an Anti-Masonic party, the first major third party in American politics.

The Masons have a lot of rituals, lodges and names like "Mystic Order of Vailed Prophets of the Enchanted Realm," but basically they're just guys who want to have

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