Claim: The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was devoted to knowledge.
Evidence: The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn -LRB- Ordo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae or , more commonly , The Golden Dawn -LRB- Aurora Aurea -RRB- -RRB- was an organization devoted to the study and practice of the occult , metaphysics , and paranormal activities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The occult -LRB- from the Latin word occultus `` clandestine , hidden , secret '' -RRB- is `` knowledge of the hidden.
In common English usage , occult refers to `` knowledge of the paranormal , '' as opposed to `` knowledge of the measurable , '' usually referred to as science.
The term is sometimes taken to mean knowledge that `` is meant only for certain people '' or that `` must be kept hidden '' , but for most practicing occultists it is simply the study of a deeper spiritual reality that extends beyond pure reason and the physical sciences.