Magic in the Victorian Era

Interest in Magic, mysticism, spiritualism, and the occult in general blossomed toward the end of the nineteenth century, perhaps as a reaction to the Age of Reason's emphasis on logic and empiricism. The Magicians of this era had a strong impact on the evolution of contemporary Witchcraft and Magic.

One noted figure of this time was Charles Godfrey Leland, a Pennsylvania scholar and writer who traveled widely studying the folklore of numerous cultures. His most famous book, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches became an important text that influenced the development of Neo-Paganism and modern-day Witchcraft. Another was Madame Helena Blavatsky, a Russian-born medium who moved to New York and founded the Theosophical Society with Henry Steel Olcott. Theosophy, which means "Divine wisdom", combines ideas from the Greek mystery schools, the Essenes, Gnostics, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Neoplatonists, and others, as discussed in her best-known books The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, begun by Englishmen William Wescott, S.L. MacGregor Mathers, and William Woodman, was the most important magical Order to arise in the West during the Victorian period. All three men were Freemasons and members of the Rosicrucian Society, which influenced their beliefs and practices. The Order's complex teachings drew upon the ideas and Traditions of numerous ancient cultures and melded them into an intricate system of Ceremonial Magic.

The most significant symbol in the Golden Dawn's magical repertoire was the Tree of Life from the Hebrew Kabbalah. This geometric figure depicts the stages of personal transformation that a Magician must go through to achieve illumination. The Order also incorporated elements from Hindu mythology, yoga, astrology, Alchemy, the Tarot, ancient languages, and many other subjects into its ideology and Rituals.

The most notorious member of the Golden Dawn was Aleister Crowley, a controversial and charismatic figure who many say was the greatest Magician of the twentieth century. After breaking with the Golden Dawn, he formed his own secret society, called Argenteum Astrum, or Silver Star, and later became the head of the Ordo Templi Orientis (Order of the Templars of the Orient or OTO). Much of his Magic centered upon the use of sexual energy. The author of numerous books on Magic and the occult, Crowley also created one of the most popular Tarot decks with Lady Frieda Harris, known as the Thoth Deck.