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Samuel L. MacGregor Mathers was a British occultist. He is primarily known as one of the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a ceremonial magic order of which offshoots still exist. He became so synonymous with the order that Golden Dawn scholar Israel Regardie observed in retrospect that "the Golden Dawn was MacGregor Mathers."

Mathers is credited with developing the ritual outlines in the mysterious Cipher Manuscripts into a workable format. This process led to the creation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. His translations of old grimoires, while probably justly criticised with respect to quality, were responsible for making what had been obscure and inaccessible material widely available to the non-academic English speaking world.

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Quimbanda initiation

• ... that the religion of Quimbanda reveres society's outcasts?
• ... that Ierathel confounds the wicked and slanderers?
• ... that the Egyptian decan Khentu Kheru deals with stomach issues?
• ... that channeling is a central spiritual practice of Umbanda?
• ... that The Hierophant was so-named in an attempt to de-Christianize the tarot?
• ... that the demon Stolas appears as an owl, but takes the shape of a human?
• ... that the Tibetan Nechung Oracle wears an outfit that weighs seventy pounds?

This month in history Representation of Halloween in the United States October - The British fleet lays off Esopus Island during the Revolutionary War. (1777) 2 October - Future King of England, Richard III is born. (1542) 2 October - Author and occultist Arthur Edward Waite is born. (1857) 2 October - Jack Parsons, American chemist, occultist, and engineer is born. (1914) 4 October - The Gregorian calendar is introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. (1582) 4 October - Ritual magician Samuel L. MacGregor Mathers is first initiated into a Masonic lodge. (1877) 7 October - The reference date for the origin of the Hebrew calendar. (3761BC) 9 October - Reginald Scot, author of The Discoverie of Witchcraft, dies. (1599) 11 October - An exorcism for the nuns of Loudun begins during the trail of Urbain Grandier. (1632) 12 October - The Salem Witch Trials are ended. (1692) 12 October - Author and occultist Aleister Crowley is born. (1875) 12 October - Followers of María Lionza undertake their annual pilgrimage to Sorte Mountain in Venezuela. 13 October - Hundreds of the Knights Templar in France are arrested at dawn by King Philip the Fair, and later confess under torture to heresy. (1307) 15 October - George Lusk, the chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee in London, received the "From Hell" letter allegedly from Jack the Ripper. (1888) 26 October - Author and astrologer Sybil Leek dies. (1982) 27 October - Emperor Constantine is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. (312) 27 October - Condemned as a heretic, Michael Servetus is burned at the stake just outside Geneva. (1553) 29 October - The first trial for witchcraft in Paris results in the death of three people. (1390) 29 October - Occultist and author Anton Szandor LaVey dies. (1997) 31 October - Peter Stumpp, the Werewolf of Bedburg, is burned along with his mistress and daughter. (1589) 31 October - Thiess of Kaltenbrun, the Livonian Werewolf, is condemned to be flogged for heresy. (1692) 31 October - The occult horror film Nightmare on the 13th Floor first airs on television. (1990) 31 October - The holiday Halloween is celebrated in many countries.

Featured image The Angel Tarot is a deck of Tarot cards created by occultist Travis McHenry. Like its companion deck, the Occult Tarot, the Angel Tarot was highly influential among the esoteric and metaphysical community for its adherence to Kabbalistic teachings and its depiction of angels as more than just humans with wings. To research the deck, he traveled to the Arsenal Library (Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal) in Paris, France and examined three grimoires of black magic. These handwritten manuscripts were previously unpublished, and contained the oldest-known source of the seals used to summon specific angels. Travis photographed these seals and copied other information in the books, before returning to the United States, where he created the deck. Photo credit: Travis McHenry (More Images)

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