The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, founded in 1888, is the outer order of the Rosiucrucian Order of Alpha et Omega, founded by the great Mage, S.L. MacGregor Mathers, in 1909. Our order is the direct lineal descendant of the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. We also hold a vast array of related Hermetic and Rosicrucianlineages as well as numerous Golden Dawn and Alpha Omega trademarks around the world.

Hermetic doctrine teaches that the entire Universe is ONE - and that we are all but cells in the body of this enormous cosmic entity. As such, the Alpha Omega believes in the brotherhood and sisterhood not only of all women and all men - but of all created things. We therefore hold all religions in reverence, as individual manifestations of a single underlying perennial truth. 

The Alpha Omega holds that human life on Earth is but the caterpillar stage of a higher, energetic form of life that human beings are evolving towards. Our purpose is to assist meritorious individuals in their quest "to become more than human," providing them with traditional Hermetic and Rosicrucian initiation and training, 

Our order understands the importance of initiatic secrecy for spiritual development. As has always been the case in traditional Initiatic societies, our order venerates the sanctity of all initiatic Mysteries. We therefore oppose the profanation of the mysteries of any initiatic tradition, and not merely of our own. 

The H.O.G.D. and the A.O. fully embrace diversity in the Golden Dawn community. We do not claim exclusivity as traditional Hermetic or Roscicrucian orders. We are nonetheless distinguished as the only Golden Dawn order remaining under the direct protection, guidance and supervision of the Continental European source of the Rosicrucian tradition, which our founder, S.L. MacGregor Mathers, called the "Secret Chiefs of the Third Order." 

Thanks to the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order, the Alpha Omega is further distinguished today as the only Golden Dawn order that initiates and teaches the traditional mysteries of each and every grade of the Golden Dawn, including the complete traditional curriculum of all grades above Adeptus Minor (5=6), where the traditional material published by Israel Regardie and taught in other Golden Dawn orders leaves off. 

The H.O.G.D. and the A.O. comprise a spiritual order and not a political one. We require our members to obey the laws of the land in which they reside, and reserve the right to expel any member convicted of a serious crime. 

Beyond this, we do not interfere in the private lives of our members in any way. Our order is based instead on principles of personal responsibility, personal liberty, and self-determination. Each member of our order is accepted for initiation - and advanced in grade - exclusively according to individual merit. We do not discriminate due to race, religion, gender, sexual or political orientation.

We advocate political, religious, and racial tolerance and condemn all forms of political, religious, and racial extremism.

This does not, however, mean that the A.O. will not rigorously defend the reputation of our order when attacked. Sadly, there are those who have mistaken our Prime Directive of non-interference for weakness. In response, our Adepts have stepped forward on numerous occasions to defend our order's reputation on the Internet. Our detractors have already learned that attacking our order's reputation or otherwise encroaching on its rights will not be tolerated.