Au commencement

Indubitablement Sumer fut le berceau de la civilisation. C'est là que l’écriture fut inventée et que la première forme élaborée de religion se développa. Certains des plus importants principes ésotériques et pratiques de cette culture ont été transmis en Égypte. Ils ont été très tôt associés à la connaissance magique des premiers égyptiens. C'est ainsi que débuta réellement ce que l'on peut appeler la tradition occidentale qui se répandit atour de la mer méditerranée. 

Naissance de la "chaîne d'or" (la chaîne d'or)   

Le Dieu Thot et la Déesse Isis sont les réels fondateurs réels des traditions hermétiques et théurgiques. Les "Mystères Sacrés" et le "Culte d'Isis" sont devenus plus connus que les traditions théurgiques et hermétiques dérivées des enseignements de Thoth. Il est évident que cette partie du patrimoine a constitué les racines de ce que l'on appela des centaines d'années plus tard "Théurgie", "l’œuvre divine".

Jusqu'au 5ème siècle, cette tradition fascinante continua à se développer en plusieurs étapes qui seront expliquées plus en détail sur d'autres parties de ce site.
Le premier aspect principal a été le développement du culte de Thoth à Hermopolis. Sur la base de l'histoire fondatrice de la création du monde, les prêtres élaborèrent des rites et des mystères sacrés. La même chose se produisit pour la déesse Isis qui était aussi liée à la magie.
Au cours de la période hellénistique de l'Egypte connue sous le nom de période ptolémaïque du nom de son fondateur Ptolémée I, cette très ancienne tradition fut associée aux Mystères grecs. C'est l'époque où la philosophie et la théurgie furent enseignées à Alexandrie. Cette période et ce lieu doivent être considérés comme le lieu de naissance de la tradition à laquelle nous faisons référence.
 

Egypte, lieu de naissance de la Tradition Occidentale

Le premier personnage célèbre qui voyagea en Egypte afin d'apprendre les secrets de cette ancienne tradition religieuse et magique, fut Pythagore, au 5ème siècle avant notre ère. Il y passa un bon nombre d’années. Il reçut les enseignements et la formation issus des temples de ce pays.
Tout comme Pythagore l'avait fait, Platon se rendit en Egypte pour recevoir les enseignements des prêtres faisant partie du clergé d'Héliopolis. De retour à Athènes (Grèce) après des années d'apprentissage, il fonda son école appelée « l'Académie ». Aujourd'hui les savants s'accordent sur le fait que cette Académie conserva l'organisation de l'école pythagoricienne par la publication de livres associée aux enseignements oraux et privés. Il est surprenant de constater que cette Académie fut active du 5e siècle av. notre ère jusqu’au 6e siècle après notre ère, donc pendant plus de 10 siècles !

Porphyre de Tyr (233-305 CE) fut le Scholarque (chef) de l'Académie platonicienne d'Athènes. Il fut un des maîtres de Jamblique. Il est très probable qu'il lui ait transmis son héritage philosophique et ses initiations (issues de Platon et de Pythagore). Jamblique apprit en outre tous les textes platoniques, pratiqua plusieurs anciens Mystères et reçut finalement ce qui devint une véritable révélation, connue sous le nom des "Oracles Chaldéens".
Jamblique découvrit cette science sacrée héritée des Chaldéens et des Égyptiens : la théurgie !
Bien entendu, la magie existait avant cette période, mais Jamblique unifia ces différentes doctrines, provenant de l'Égypte et de la Chaldée, sur la base théologique et rituelle des Oracles Chaldéens. Ce fut vraiment à ce moment que cette famille spirituelle trouva son axe et sa patrie. Jamblique enseigna à Apamée (Syrie) pendant tout le premier quart du 4e siècle.
 
 

The dark days

Meanwhile during the period when Iamblichus was teaching, Christianity was rising rapidly, imposing its absolute and intolerant view. Unfortunately, and as is very often true in the history of humanity, it was not the moderate participants who shaped this new religion…

The Ptolemaic dynasty ended in 30 BCE. The school of Alexandria continues to exist until the 5th century. Hypatia was savagely murdered by Christians while the library of Alexandria was destroyed by the rising rage of Christianity. Initiates, theurgists, philosophers, and scientists flew to other countries such as Italy, Greece, Syria, etc. 
Keeping these elements in mind, it is possible to say that the Hermetic and Theurgic Tradition was maintained in Byzantium, Greece, and Italy. First of all, I would like to highlight the names of Leon the Mathematician, Michael Psellos, and Michael Italikos. All of these men respectfully learned the “Chaldaean oracles” and wrote extensively about these texts. Italikos was even named the “second Plato.” It is indubitably the case that Magic and even Theurgy were used by many scholars.

During the early days of the Christian religion, the Emperor Justinian declared that the Orthodox Nicene Christian faith was the official (and only permitted) religion that could be practiced in the Empire. The Emperor’s Codex contained two statutes which mandated the total destruction of all pagan practices, even in private life.

In 529 the Neoplatonic Academy of Athens was closed by order of the Emperor. From that day forward, Paganism was actively suppressed, as were all related pagan creative works (books, art, etc.) by fanatical monks, encouraged by the authorities of the Empire.

As a result of that decree, an uncounted number of male and female initiates were captured, tortured and killed in the name of “pure Christian love”. The secrecy of our Tradition and beliefs became an obligation, a simple matter of survival.
 

The Renaissance

In the fifteenth century, the Theurgic Neoplatonic tradition (also called in modern times “Ogdoadic tradition”) reappeared. Gemistus Pletho (1355–1452) met Cosimo de Medici in Florence and influenced the latter's decision to create a new Platonic Academy there. Cosimo subsequently appointed Marsilio Ficino as head of the newly formed Academy. He proceeded to translate all Plato's works into Latin, including the Enneads of Plotinus, and various other Neoplatonic writings.
The group that met at the Villa Careggi perpetuated both the initiatic mysteries of the Neoplatonist tradition and the Theurgic initiation. 
Besides this main philosophy, other parts of the western tradition were known by some members of the Academy. Giovanni Cavalcanti was an initiate of the “Fideli d’Amore” and Pico della Mirandola was a specialist of Qabalah. The tradition of the “Fideli” have been created by French troubadours of the Middle age, while Qabalah was coming from the Hebrew religion. Both were progressively incorporated to the main beliefs and tradition of the Academy. We have also to keep in mind that close contacts existed between other Academies in Italy, such as the academy of Venice and Naples (Academy of Secrets).
This group’s remarkable activities marked the rebirth of this ancient pagan tradition that changed the western world on many fundamental aspects including philosophy, theology, art, and many more

Modern times

The period between the Italian Renaissance and the rebirth of the Order in 1897 has been well documented by the Grand Master Jean-Louis de Biasi in his book “Rediscover the Magick of the Gods and Goddesses,” Llewellyn Publications. We invite you to go deeper on the subject by reading the historic section of this book.

After the period of the Renaissance, the Theurgic Neoplatonic tradition continued to exist. We should mention an interesting group called “the Fratelli Obscuri” which was active in Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries. This secret organization concealed the laudable object of propagating the Sciences and the love of Virtue. The Fratelli Obscuri had been established in imitation of an older Society which had existed since before the fall of the Grecian Empire in the towns of Constantinople and Thessalonica. It was divided into three Grades.
Antonio Pizzalleti, Grand Officer of this organization came to London and installed the new Society under the name of “the Tavern of the Muses. A few years later William Sedley and Thomas Smith established two new Taverns, one at Oxford and the other at Cambridge.” Another tavern was opened at York and many more also opened at the time John Selden was head of the Fratelli Obscuri in England. Eventually, the Fratelli Obscuri in England transformed their society into the Tobaccological Society. The tobaccologist (named Priseurs or Nicotiates in France) were known as the “Children of Wisdom.” Remember that the Neoplatonicians were called “Friends of Wisdom,” and philosophers.
Freemasonry, and which seem related to this tradition. Perhaps the most significant is the “Academy of the Sublime Masters of the Luminous Ring” (Académie des Sublimes Maîtres de l’Anneau Lumineux).

According to the oral tradition of the Aurum Solis, an “Order of the Helmet” was established in England during the reign of Elizabeth I. This Order could have combined the Fideli d’Amore and Careggi successions. Francis Bacon, Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe and many another notables were among its initiates. Deeply involved with the beginnings of this Order was the “Italiante” movement of the early years of Elizabeth’s reign. She herself had, during her sister’s reign, been tutored by a Platonist scholar and had avidly studied the works of Castiglione, an intimate of the Medici. Under her personal patronage were Giacomo Aconcio, an initiate of the Ogdoadic Guild Mysteries and Bernardino Ochino, a Sienese. Ochino, it may be mentioned, before traveling (by way of Geneva) to England, had narrowly escaped the trials of the Inquisition in Rome through the timely warning of another initiate, Cardinal Contarini. 

Around the years 90s, it has been claimed that these heritages were organized by a group called the “Societas Rotae Fulgentis” previous to the official rebirth as Aurum Solis in 1897. After further historic investigation it appears that this claim was rooted on some books from the Renaissance, knowledge coming from the previous organizations already mentioned, and a rite called "Rota Fulgens Solis." As the official head of the “Antiquarian Society” in London stated in a personal communication with the grand Master: “I’ve never heard of a ‘Society of the Blazing Wheel’ or ‘Societas Rotae Fulgentis’. I have checked the main histories of the Society, which are ‘A History of the Society of Antiquaries’ by Joan Evans (1956) and ‘Visions of Antiquity’, edited by Susan Pearce (2007) and there is no reference to an inner body called this or any other name. […] Many people called themselves or were described as an antiquary but it didn’t necessarily mean they were a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.”
We will come back on another page of the website on this topic.

During the 20th century druidic and shamanic traditions were incorporated in the Aurum Solis under the name “Green flame of Albion.” It was also the time when the past Grand Masters Denning and Phillips created the expression “Ogdoadic Tradition” to talk about this hermetic and theurgic lineage that eventually became the Aurum Solis. Specific sections of this website provide more details about the various parts of this heritage.

Today the Aurum Solis presents all these parts of its heritage in a clear and well-structured curriculum accessible to all serious student. Besides this main corpus of teachings and practices, several main components have been organized in organizations working under the auspices of the Aurum Solis. This is a way to offer to the public all the main aspect of our heritage. 
Then, the amazing history of this tradition can continue to be well alive, providing ancient keys very adapted to the modern world.