Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers
Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (1854–1918) was an English esoteric writer and translator, and a founder of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. His publications helped make continental texts on Qabalah and ceremonial magic available to English readers.[1]
Early life and family
Mathers was born in Hackney and later lived with his widowed mother in Bournemouth. He took an interest in fencing and military affairs and served in the Hampshire Infantry Volunteers. His early publishing included a military manual, Practical Instruction in Infantry Campaigning Exercise (1884), adapted from French material.[2]
He married the artist Mina Bergson, generally known as Moina Mathers, in 1890. Annie Horniman provided financial assistance to the couple. They moved to Paris in 1892, where Mathers continued his esoteric work and his involvement in the Golden Dawn. His adopted name “MacGregor” and claims of aristocratic ancestry form part of his self-presentation; they should not be treated as established genealogy.[2]
Freemasonry and the SRIA
He entered Freemasonry in Hengist Lodge in 1877 and joined Metropolitan College of the SRIA in 1882. He contributed papers to the college and later served as its Celebrant. Mathers moved to Paris in 1892 and left the SRIA in 1903.[1]
Publications
His books included The Kabbalah Unveiled (1887), The Key of Solomon the King (1889)[3] and The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage (1898). The last work's title page states that his English version was made from a French manuscript in the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Paris. It was published by John M. Watkins in London.[1][4]
The Kabbalah Unveiled drew on Christian Knorr von Rosenroth's Latin Kabbala Denudata. Mathers also wrote a short book on the Tarot. These works should be distinguished from the older texts he translated: a title attributed to Solomon or another ancient figure does not make Mathers's English edition an ancient document.[2][5]
The Golden Dawn
Mathers founded the Golden Dawn with William Wynn Westcott and William Robert Woodman in 1888. He became a central figure in its development and subsequent disputes. After the divisions around 1900, the Mathers-aligned organisation was known as Alpha et Omega. He died in Paris in 1918.[6][7][1]
Archival sources
The National Library of Ireland holds material relating to Mathers among W. B. Yeats's occult papers. One item is a letter from Moina Mathers to Yeats, dated 14 July 1926, concerning her late husband. Such correspondence provides evidence of how his work and reputation were discussed after his death, alongside the printed reminiscences of people who knew him.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 SRIA Province of Greater London, ‘Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers’, biographical account.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sandra Tabatha Cicero, “A Biography of Mathers”, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
- ↑ Wellcome Collection, The Key of Solomon the king (Clavicula Salomonis), catalogue record for the George Redway edition, London, 1889.
- ↑ S. L. MacGregor-Mathers, trans., The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage (London: John M. Watkins, 1898), title page.
- ↑ University of Pennsylvania, The Online Books Page, “S. L. MacGregor Mathers”, bibliographical index.
- ↑ Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, ‘William Wynn Westcott’, biographical entry.
- ↑ SRIA Province of Greater London, ‘Metropolitan College’, historical account based on the college's records.
- ↑ National Library of Ireland, “Letter from Moina Mathers to W. B. Yeats regarding Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers”, 14 July 1926, MS 36,283/15/9, catalogue record.
| Rosicrucian history and related societies | |
|---|---|
| Overview | Rosicrucians · Christian Rosencreutz · SRIA · Golden Dawn |
| Early texts | Fama · Confessio · Chymical Wedding |
| People | William Wynn Westcott · Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers · William Robert Woodman · Arthur Edward Waite · Pamela Colman Smith |
| Related reading | Comparing the traditions · All articles in this section |