Harpocrates In late Greek mythology as developed in Ptolemaic Alexandria, Harpocrates (Ancient Greek: Ἁρποκράτης) is the god of silence. Harpocrates was adapted by the Greeks from the Egyptian child god Horus. To the ancient Egyptians, Horus represented the newborn Sun, rising each day at dawn. When the Greeks conquered Egypt under Alexander the Great, they transformed the Egyptian Horus into their Hellenistic god known as Harpocrates, a rendering from Egyptian Har-pa-khered or Heru-pa-khered (meaning "Horus the Child"). Horus[edit] Among the Egyptians the full-grown Horus was considered the victorious god of the Sun who each day overcomes darkness. In the Alexandrian and Roman renewed vogue for mystery cults at the turn of the millennium — mystery cults had already existed for almost a millennium — the worship of Horus became widely extended, linked with Isis (his mother) and Serapis (Osiris, his father). Ovid described Isis: 20th century reference[edit] Modern occultist uses[edit] References[edit]
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn The three founders, William Robert Woodman, William Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers were Freemasons and members of Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (S.R.I.A.).[5] Westcott appears to have been the initial driving force behind the establishment of the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn system was based on hierarchy and initiation like the Masonic Lodges; however women were admitted on an equal basis with men. The "Golden Dawn" was the first of three Orders, although all three are often collectively referred to as the "Golden Dawn". The First Order taught esoteric philosophy based on the Hermetic Qabalah and personal development through study and awareness of the four Classical Elements as well as the basics of astrology, tarot divination, and geomancy. Influences[edit] History[edit] Cipher Manuscripts[edit] The foundational documents of the original Order of the Golden Dawn, known as the Cipher Manuscripts, are written in English using Trithemius cipher. Secret Chiefs[edit]
Holy Guardian Angel The term Holy Guardian Angel was possibly coined either by Abraham of Worms, a German Cabalist who wrote a book on ceremonial magick during the 15th century or Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, the founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, who later translated this manuscript and elaborated on this earlier work, giving it extensive magical notes, but the original concept goes back to the Zoroastrian Arda Fravaš ('Holy Guardian Angels').[citation needed] In Mathers' publication of The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, he writes: "If thou shalt perfectly observe these rules, all the following Symbols and an infinitude of others will be granted unto thee by thy Holy Guardian Angel; thou thus living for the Honour and Glory of the True and only God, for thine own good, and that of thy neighbour. Later, author and occultist Aleister Crowley popularized the term within his religious and philosophical system of Thelema. Aleister Crowley's view[edit] Enochian view[edit]
Secret society Organization hiding details from non-members "Secret Society Buildings at Yale College", by Alice Donlevy[1] ca. 1880. Pictured are: Psi Upsilon (Beta Chapter), 120 High Street. Left center: Skull and Bones (Russell Trust Association), 64 High Street. Right center: Delta Kappa Epsilon (Phi Chapter), east side of York Street, south of Elm Street. A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. Definitions[edit] The exact qualifications for labeling a group a secret society are disputed, but definitions generally rely on the degree to which the organization insists on secrecy, and might involve the retention and transmission of secret knowledge, the denial of membership or knowledge of the group, the creation of personal bonds between members of the organization, and the use of secret rites or rituals which solidify members of the group. Historian Richard B. David V. Realms[edit] Politics[edit] Internet[edit] Asia[edit]
Mephistopheles MEPHISTO_PHILES in the 1527 Praxis Magia Faustiana, attributed to Faust. Mephistopheles (/ˌmɛfɪˈstɒfɪˌliːz/, German pronunciation: [mefɪˈstɔfɛlɛs]; also Mephistophilus, Mephistophilis, Mephostopheles, Mephisto, Mephastophilis and variants) is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character version of the Devil. In the Faust legend[edit] The name is associated with the Faust legend of a scholar — based on the historical Johann Georg Faust — who wagers his soul with the Devil. The name appears in the late 16th century Faust chapbooks. From the chapbook, the name enters Faustian literature and is also used by authors from Marlowe down to Goethe. Outside the Faust legend[edit] Shakespeare mentions "Mephistophilus" in the Merry Wives of Windsor (Act1, Sc1, line 128), and by the 17th century the name became independent of the Faust legend. References[edit] Bibliography[edit]
Magical organization Organization for the practice of magic It is also sometimes difficult to determine if an organization is sincerely practicing magic. For example, The Satanic Temple is perhaps a human rights lobby organization posing as a magical organization.[a] 19th century[edit] The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor was an initiatic occult organisation that first became public in late 1894, although according to an official document of the order it began its work in 1870. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn has been credited with a vast revival of occult literature and practices and was founded in 1887 or 1888 by William Wynn Westcott, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and William Robert Woodman. Ordo Aurum Solis, founded in 1897, is a Western mystery tradition group teaching Hermetic Qabalah. 20th century[edit] Alpha et Omega was a continuation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. During the last two decades of the 20th century, several organizations practicing chaos magic were founded. Notes[edit]
Thaumaturgy Religious views[edit] Christianity[edit] In original Greek writings, the term thaumaturge referred to several Christian saints. This is usually translated into English as "wonderworker", a saint through whom God works miracles, not just occasionally, but as a matter of course. It was even said that God raises up not more than one every century. Famous ancient Christian thaumaturges include Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea, also known as Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus, Saint Menas of Egypt, Saint Nicholas of Myra, Saint Seraphim of Sarov, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Ambrose of Optina, Saint Gerard Majella and Saint John of Kronstadt. Islam[edit] In Sunni, Shia, and Sufi Islam, a Tay al-Ard (literally "folding up of the earth") is a saint miraculously teleporting, or "moving by the earth being displaced under one's feet." Magic[edit] In the 16th century, the word thaumaturgy entered the English language meaning miraculous or magical powers. Hermetic Qabalah[edit] Philosophy[edit] See also[edit]
A∴A∴ Initiatory magical order History[edit] The A∴A∴ claims to have been present in all societies and epochs, although not necessarily under that name.[2] The A∴A∴ is composed of two orders, known as the inner and outer college. The outer college in its modern form was formulated in 1907 by Aleister Crowley and George Cecil Jones, claiming authority from Aiwass (the Author of The Book of the Law) and other Secret Chiefs of the planetary spiritual order after the schism in and subsequent collapse of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn at the turn of the Twentieth century.[3] The principal holy book of the A∴A∴ is the book Crowley called AL and Liber Legis, technically called Liber AL vel Legis sub figura CCXX as delivered by 93=418 to DCLXVI, whose scriptural title is The Book of the Law, by which name the Book is most commonly known and referred to. The classic account of A∴A∴ is Karl Von Eckharthausen's The Cloud Upon the Sanctuary, re-issued by the A∴A∴[2] as Liber XXXIII. Name[edit]
Thelema The word thelema is the English transliteration of the Koine Greek noun θέλημα (pronounced [θélima]) "will", from the verb θέλω "to will, wish, purpose." As Crowley developed the religion, he wrote widely on the topic, producing what are collectively termed the Holy Books of Thelema. He also included ideas from occultism, Yoga and both Eastern and Western mysticism, especially the Qabalah.[8] Historical precedents[edit] The word θέλημα (thelema) is rare in classical Greek, where it "signifies the appetitive will: desire, sometimes even sexual",[9] but it is frequent in the Septuagint.[9] Early Christian writings occasionally use the word to refer to the human will,[10] and even the will of God's opponent, the Devil,[11] but it usually refers to the will of God.[12] One well-known example is in the "Lord's Prayer" (Matthew 6:10), “Your kingdom come. François Rabelais[edit] François Rabelais was a Franciscan and later a Benedictine monk of the 16th century. Aleister Crowley[edit]
Franc-maçonnerie Un article de Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre. Le mot franc-maçonnerie désigne un ensemble de phénomènes historiques et sociaux très divers formant un espace de sociabilité[1] qui recrute ses membres par cooptation[2] et pratique des rites initiatiques faisant référence à un secret maçonnique et à l'art de bâtir. Difficilement traçable historiquement, elle semble apparaître en 1598 en Écosse[3] (Statuts Schaw), puis en Angleterre au XVIIe siècle. Elle se décrit, suivant les époques, les pays et les formes, comme une « association essentiellement philosophique et philanthropique », comme un « système de morale illustré par des symboles » ou comme un « ordre initiatique ». Organisée en obédiences depuis 1717 à Londres, la franc-maçonnerie dite spéculative – c'est-à-dire philosophique – fait référence aux rites des Anciens Devoirs de la maçonnerie dite opérative formée par les corporations de bâtisseurs qui édifièrent, entre autres, les cathédrales[4]. Histoire[modifier | modifier le code]
Satanism The downward-pointing pentagram is often used to represent Satanism. Satanism is a broad term referring to a group of social movements comprising diverse ideological and philosophical beliefs. Their shared features include symbolic association with, or admiration for the character of Satan, and Prometheus, which are in their view, liberating figures. Eliphas Lévi's Sabbatic goat (known as The Goat of Mendes or Baphomet) has become one of the most common symbols of Satanism. Although the public practice of Satanism began with the founding of The Church of Satan in 1966, historical precedents exist: a group called the Ophite Cultus Satanas was founded in Ohio by Herbert Arthur Sloane in 1948.[3] Original Satanic practice, however, is intended to be independent. Satanist groups that appeared after the 1960s are widely diverse, but two major trends are theistic Satanism and atheistic Satanism. Theistic Satanism[edit] Luciferianism[edit] Palladists[edit] Our Lady of Endor Coven[edit] Islam[edit]
Rosicrucianism Spiritual and cultural movement originating in 17th century Europe Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking its knowledge attractive to many.[1][2] The mysterious doctrine of the order is "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe, and the spiritual realm."[3] The manifestos do not elaborate extensively on the matter, but clearly combine references to Kabbalah, Hermeticism, alchemy, and Christian mysticism.[4] The Rosicrucian manifestos heralded a "universal reformation of mankind", through a science allegedly kept secret for decades until the intellectual climate might receive it. In later centuries, many esoteric societies have claimed to derive from the original Rosicrucians. Origins[edit] Essays
The Residents The Residents are an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of Meet The Residents was in 1974, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs. They have undertaken seven major world tours and scored multiple films. Pioneers in exploring the potential of CD-ROM and similar technologies, The Residents have won several awards for their multimedia projects. Ralph Records, a record label focusing on avant-garde music, was started by the band. Throughout the group's existence, the individual members have ostensibly attempted to operate under anonymity, preferring instead to have attention focused on their art output. Its albums generally fall into two categories: deconstructions of Western popular music, or complex conceptual pieces, composed around a theme, theory or plot. History[edit] Origins[edit] 1972–1980: Album era[edit]