Author: alexsumner

I am a novelist and writer on the Occult. After having written several non-fiction articles for the Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition (www.jwmt.org), in 2009 I published my first novel, "The Magus." In 2010 and 2011, I came out with the sequels, "Opus Secunda" and "Licence To Depart." My book "Conjuring Demons for Pleasure and Profit: an Abramelin Memoir" came out in 2022. I am currently working on a new series, "The Demon Detective and other stories." I also have other books and screenplays in the pipeline. When not writing I am an astrologer, tarot reader, and ceremonial mael, "Eternal Witch," was published in 2018.gician.

The Golden Dawn vs Artificial Intelligence

This is an important message addressed to everyone who is trying to get in touch with us. Recently, our webmaster has been receiving messages via our Contact page which appear to be written by AI. We shall therefore make clear the Golden Dawn in London’s policy of using AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and the like.

DON’T DO IT.

We appreciate human-written expressions of sentiment, even critical ones, if meant sincerely.

Currently however, our webmaster is deleting all messages which are rated as 100% written by AI according to leading AI detector websites, on the basis that artificially written messages hinder rather than facilitate sincere communication.

The Golden Dawn is a magical school, and as such a Frater or Soror is often called upon to take written examinations and express their thoughts and feelings on magical matters in writing. If ever a Frater or Soror attempted to use an AI engine in such an instance, we would treat that as an instant failure, in much the same way that a more conventional school would prohibit a student attempting to pass AI-generated content off as their own work.

Consequently, using an AI engine to write to us at the outset simply smacks of bad faith.

If the only reason that you wanted to use AI was that English is not your first language, again we would say: Don’t do it. We have several (human) translators within the GD, so just write to us in your first language and we will respond accordingly.

Thank you.

The Golden Dawn in 2024

Happy new year to you all.😊

I would just like to thank all the people who have been messaging us via our website: I thought I would take this opportunity to speak briefly about how to join the GD.

The Golden Dawn is an invitation only body for men and / or women. We only invite people whom we have met in person, which is why we occasionally organise public or semi-public GD-related events.

That being said, however, we always welcome genuine enquiries from people about membership. Ideally we would like to hear from you if

  • You have an interest in the Western Mystery Tradition in general, e.g. Hermeticism, the Qabalah, Astrology, Tarot, Alchemy, Ceremonial magick, etc;
  • You have an interest in the history and tradition of the Golden Dawn in particular;
  • You live either in London, or within easy reach of London – whether that be by road, rail, or even air;*
  • You are able to attend our meetings regularly;
  • You have enough space / privacy to practice the teachings of the Golden Dawn at home;
  • You have enough time to practice the teachings of the Golden Dawn; and
  • You do not belong to any other Golden Dawn order.

*If you are not able to get to London, we may be able to put you in touch with Golden Dawn temples elsewhere in the world.

If you are new to the subject of the Golden Dawn, then I highly recommend the following books, all by Chic & Tabatha Cicero. Not only do they describe the Golden Dawn itself, but you may find further relevant titles through looking through their bibliographies:

The Essential Golden Dawn
Golden Dawn Magic
Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition

The Great Resumption…

I am pleased to announce that with the lifting of most of the COVID-19 restrictions in England, the Golden Dawn has begun meeting physically and conducting ceremonies again in London. We are proceeding cautiously for the moment, and respecting the wellbeing of our members, but nevertheless we have already held our first meeting and are looking forward to holding future meetings, on the assumption that conditions remain as they are now or improve.

For more information about the Golden Dawn, please message us via the Contact page – thank you.

A Brief Note About Covid 19

In order to respect the health and well-being of our members and their families, and to observe the restrictions in place about travelling and meeting together, the Golden Dawn in London is not currently holding physical temple meetings.

However, the members are nevertheless meeting regularly on the Astral and, more prosaically, conducting such business which does not require a physical temple using video conferencing software.

Real Golden Dawn temples do not conduct so-called “astral initiations” but have always believed that only physical ceremonies (which have an effect on the astral nevertheless) are authentic. Consequently, we are looking forward to resuming meeting properly as soon as possible, as we have a back-log of new initiations and grade work, and more importantly, we miss meeting up with each other in person.

We continue to welcome enquiries about the Golden Dawn, via our Contact page, on the understanding that we can only act as fast as our physical circumstances enable us. Thank you.

Golden Dawn Open Day: Sunday 11th August 2019

Information about the Golden Dawn Open Day on Sunday 11th August 2019
Golden Dawn Open Day: Sunday 11th August 2019

I would like to invite you to the Golden Dawn Open Day 2019, which will be held on Sunday 11th August 2019 in London.

The line-up for the day includes:

  • Healing Circle
  • “Esoteric Psychology” – Angel McAllister.
  • “Pathworking “- Frater Io Pan.
  • “Adventures in Symbolist Egypt: R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz and the Temple of Man” – Lynda Whall.
  • “Diary of a Ceremonial Magic Operation” – Alex Sumner.
  • Panel Discussion.

This is also a great opportunity to find out more about the Golden Dawn, and also if you wish to invite guests who are interested in the subject.

The day will last from 10.30 for 11am start, and is expected to last no longer than 5pm (including lunch break). On this occasion we will be asking for a £10 admission fee (£5 concession rate).

To register your interest and find out more details, please Contact The Webmaster. Thanks!

About this website

Being a private organisation, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn does not often make public announcements, but when we do, they will be posted here.

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