Hermitix Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn / Magic Arts and the Occult Revival with Felix John Taylor
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Mar 25, 2026 Felix John Taylor, librarian and scholar of Welsh mythology with a PhD, wrote a richly illustrated cultural history of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. He explores why creative writers joined, the Order’s ritual spaces and graded teachings, the roles of figures like Yeats, Crowley and Florence Farr, and how occult networks and art shaped a wider revival.
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Machen's Horror Predated The Golden Dawn
- Arthur Machen read occult literature and worked for an occult publisher long before joining the Golden Dawn, so his horror drew from wider occult culture not the Order's rituals.
- Machen joined the Order late in his career (1899), after writing major works like The Great God Pan, and only participated briefly.
Yeats Turned Golden Dawn Ritual Into Poetic Practice
- W.B. Yeats treated the Golden Dawn as practical magic; its grade system and symbolism directly shaped his poetry and occult ambitions.
- He attempted to form a Celtic mysteries order and remained a member for decades, integrating ritual into his literary practice.
Florence Farr's Central But Overlooked Role
- Florence Farr is often remembered only via Shaw or Yeats but she rose quickly in the Golden Dawn and shaped teaching as premonstratrix and through 'flying rolls.'
- Farr formed ritual groups (the Sphere) that contributed to internal disputes leading toward the Order's schism.
