Claim: The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was hierarchical.

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 . Known as a magical order , the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was active in Great Britain and focused its practices on theurgy and spiritual development . Many present-day concepts of ritual and magic that are at the centre of contemporary traditions , such as Wicca and Thelema , were inspired by the Golden Dawn , which became one of the largest single influences on 20th-century Western occultism .   The three founders , William Robert Woodman , William Wynn Westcott , and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers , were Freemasons and members of Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia -LRB- S.R.I.A. -RRB- . 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 -LRB- the Ruby Rose and Cross of Gold -RRB- , taught 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 .