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Oxford Golden Dawn Occult Society 201
urge is the lower, creator god. Satanas is the
messenger of the god beyond, who told Eve of the
existence of a god beyond God the creator of the
cosmos. The god beyond takes part in “this world”
only in that he is entrapped in matter in the form
of the divine within humanity, and his only
concern is the return of the divine within humanity,
which can be accomplished through gnosis,
occult knowledge. Satanism, believed to be the
oldest religion, dates back to the worship of the
horned god. It differs from witchcraft in that it
retains the spiritual significance of the horned god.
See also Church of Satan; Gnosticism
For Further Reading:
Melton,J.Gordon.The Encyclopedia of American
Religion. 5th ed. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1996.
Oxford Golden Dawn Occult Society
The Oxford Golden Dawn Occult Society
(OGDOS) was founded in 1981 by a Frater Katon
Shu’al, then a member of the Typhonian branch of
the Ordo Templi Orientis. It is not itself a working
magical order, but rather an association dedicated
to outreach and education about magic. It has
sponsored a National Symposium of Thelemic
Magic every year since 1986, which brings
together many persons interested in the study and
practice of Thelemic Magic.
There is also an inner ritual group, involving
both newer and long-term members of OGDOS,
that began working in 1994 and meets monthly. It
is the latest of a series of such groups within
OGDOS, all of which have with a very eclectic
approach to magic, incorporating elements of
Wicca, tantra, the cabala, shamanism, and so on, as
they see fit. Not surprisingly, the ethos of OGDOS
is highly individualistic and antihierarchical, since
it is essentially a voluntary organization of individuals
whose primary magical practice is solitary.
See also Magic and Magical Groups
For Further Reading:
OGDOS Homepage:
http://www.cix.co.uk/~mandrake/ogdos.htm