Israel Regardie. Israel Regardie French: [ʁəɡaʁdi], born Francis Israel Regudy French: [ʁəɡudi] (November 17, 1907 – March 10, 1985), was an occultist, a writer, and Aleister Crowley's personal secretary and transcriptionist, widely known for his books and commentaries on the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Early life[edit] Israel Regardie was born Israel Regudy in London to Barnet Regudy, a cigarette maker, and his wife, Phoebe Perry, poor orthodox Jewish immigrants from Zhitomir, Russia. His family changed their surname to "Regardie" after a clerical mixup resulted in Israel's brother being enrolled in the British Army under that name.[1] Regardie emigrated with his parents to the United States in August 1921 and settled in Washington, DC.
He studied art in Washington, DC and Philadelphia, PA. Career[edit] In 1937, at the age of 30, Regardie returned to the U.S., entering Chiropractic College in New York City. Death[edit] Legacy[edit] Note: In the above paragraph, A.M.A.G. refers to Regardie.
Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers. Samuel Liddell (or Liddel) MacGregor Mathers (8 or 11 January 1854 – 5 or 20 November 1918), born Samuel Liddell Mathers, was a British occultist.
He is primarily known as one of the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a ceremonial magic order of which offshoots still exist today. Early life[edit] Mathers was born on 8 or 11 January 1854 in Hackney, London, England. His father, William M. Mathers, died while he was still a boy. His wife was Moina Mathers (née Mina Bergson), sister of the philosopher Henri Bergson. Lifestyle[edit] Freemasonry[edit] Mathers was introduced to Freemasonry by a neighbour, alchemist Frederick Holland, and was initiated into Hengist Lodge No.195 on 4 October 1877. Translations[edit] Mathers was a polyglot; among the languages he had studied were English, French, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Gaelic and Coptic, though he had a greater command of some languages than of others. Criticism[edit] Death[edit] Mathers died on 5 or 20 November 1918. See also[edit] Aleister Crowley. After an unsuccessful attempt to climb Kanchenjunga and a visit to India and China, Crowley returned to Britain, where he attracted attention as a prolific author of poetry, novels, and occult literature.
In 1907, he and George Cecil Jones co-founded a Thelemite order, the A∴A∴, through which they propagated the religion. After spending time in Algeria, in 1912 he was initiated into another esoteric order, the German-based Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), rising to become the leader of its British branch, which he reformulated in accordance with his Thelemite beliefs. Through the OTO, Thelemite groups were established in Britain, Australia, and North America. He spent the First World War in the United States, where he took up painting and campaigned for the German war effort against Britain, later revealing that he had infiltrated the pro-German movement at the behest of the British intelligence services.
Early life[edit] Youth: 1875–94[edit] Cambridge University: 1895–98[edit] Had!