The Golden Dawn

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (or, more commonly, the Golden Dawn) was a magical order active in Great Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which practiced theurgy and spiritual development. It has been one of the largest single influences on 20th-century Western occultism.

Concepts of magic and ritual at the center of contemporary traditions, such as Wicca and Thelema, were inspired by 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.). 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. The Second or "Inner" Order, the Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis (the Ruby Rose and Cross of Gold), taught proper magic, including scrying, astral travel, and alchemy. The Third Order was that of the "Secret Chiefs", who were said to be highly skilled; they supposedly directed the activities of the lower two orders by spirit communication with the Chiefs of the Second Order.

Hermetic Qabalah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetic_Qabalah

Four Classical Elements
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Elements

Tarot Divination
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot_divination

Scrying
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrying

Astral Travel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astral_projection

Alchemy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy

Geomancy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomancy



The foundational documents of the original Order of the Golden Dawn, known as the Cipher Manuscripts, are written in English using Trithemius cipher. The manuscripts give the specific outlines of the Grade Rituals of the Order and prescribe a curriculum of graduated teachings that encompass the Hermetic Qabalah, astrology, occult tarot, geomancy, and alchemy.

Cypher Manuscripts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cipher_Manuscripts

Trithemius Cipher
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trithemius_cipher

According to the records of the Order, the manuscripts passed from Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie, a Masonic scholar, to the Rev. A. F. A. Woodford, whom British occult writer Francis King describes as the fourth founder (although Woodford died shortly after the Order was founded). The documents did not excite Woodford, and in February 1886 he passed them on to Freemason William Wynn Westcott, who managed to decode them in 1887. Westcott, pleased with his discovery, called on fellow Freemason Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers for a second opinion. Westcott asked for Mathers' help to turn the manuscripts into a coherent system for lodge work. Mathers in turn asked fellow Freemason William Robert Woodman to assist the two, and he accepted. Mathers and Westcott have been credited with developing the ritual outlines in the Cipher Manuscripts into a workable format. Mathers, however, is generally credited with the design of the curriculum and rituals of the Second Order, which he called the Rosae Rubae et Aureae Crucis ("Ruby Rose and Golden Cross" or the RR et AC).

more can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetic_Order_of_the_Golden_Dawn

The Master Key System

From Wikipedia:

The Master Key System is a personal development book by Charles F. Haanel (1866-1949) that was originally published as a 24-week correspondence course in 1912. It was later published in book form in 1916 by Psychology Publishing, St. Louis and The Master Key Institute, New York.

The course is a "practical wrapper" for the seven hermetic principles as laid out in the Kybalion. Each chapter contains a sequentially numbered section to read, which includes an exercise towards the end, followed by a section with questions and answers.

Along with "The Science of Getting Rich", by Wallace D. Wattles, the Master Key System is the source of Rhonda Byrne's inspiration for the book and the film "The Secret" (2006).[1][2]

Charles F. Haanel was an American author, millionaire, entrepreneur, and businessman who belonged to the Masonic society, Keystone Lodge No. 243, A.F. & A.M., the American Scientific League, The Author’s League of America, The American Society of Psychical Research, the St. Louis Humane Society, and the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce.

Read the book: http://thesecret.tv/treasures/ebooks/Master-Key-System.pdf