Magical societies have fascinated humanity for centuries, and today real orders still practice hidden arts. In this guide we explore ten magical societies that offer authentic training and insight into the world of occult knowledge.
Why Magical Societies Captivate Us
From ancient rites to modern reinterpretations, these groups blend tradition, mystery, and personal transformation, giving seekers a structured path toward deeper consciousness.
10 Builders Of The Adytum
The Builders of the Adytum, commonly known as BOTA, calls California home but has thriving branches worldwide. Master mason Paul Foster Case founded the order with a mission to spiritually uplift humanity through the Ageless Wisdom – ancient magical knowledge that, according to the group, was inscribed by God into nature itself.
BOTA’s curriculum revolves around the esoteric power of the Tarot, astrology, alchemy, and the Qabalah. Initiates aim to climb to higher levels of consciousness and ultimately merge with God’s thoughts. A popular technique involves drawing magical Tarot cards, visualizing the symbols in one’s life, and then harnessing that imagery’s symbolic force to overcome spiritual obstacles and ascend toward greater knowledge. Practicing these arts with compassion and justice, BOTA teaches, can lead to reincarnation with amplified magical power and deeper secrets.
9 Ordo Templi Orientis
The Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) is arguably the poster child of magical societies. Originally founded by Theodor Reuss as an offshoot of Freemasonry, the order later fell under the massive influence of Aleister Crowley and his Thelemic religion.
Today OTO stands as one of the dominant organisations representing Crowley’s teachings alongside groups like the A.’.A.’. and the Typhonian Order. Its doctrine blends Masonry with Thelemic thought, using Crowley’s Book of Law as the primary text. The order’s rank structure is split into three tiers: initiates start as Man of Earth, progress to the Lover grade, and ultimately reach the Hermit Grade. Higher‑grade members study increasingly complex rituals – magical diaries, the Rites of Eleusis, Sex Magic, and even ritual sacrifice – each designed to deepen their magical practice.
8 Ordre Reaux Croix
Many magical societies trace their lineage back to Freemasonry, and Martinism is one of the most prominent branches that broke away. Martinez de Pasqually founded the mystical tradition in the 18th century, marrying Masonic principles with Gnostic theology. Over the centuries the Martinist school fractured, even clashing with the Bavarian Illuminati and advising Tsar Nicholas II.
Today, the Ordre Reaux Croix (ORC) stands as the most visible continuation of those teachings. ORC weaves together various Martinist currents into a single order, arranging its philosophy into three illuminated paths represented by a candelabra. The first, the Voie Cardiaque (“Way of the Heart”), emphasizes inner meditation and symbolic interpretation. The second, the Chevaliers Bienfaisantes de la Cite Sainte, serves as the knighthood arm, focusing on enlightenment through selfless deeds and chivalric heraldry. The third, Elus Coen, inherits the original magic of Pasqually, training members to summon astral beings and bind demonic influences.
7 Fraternitas Saturni
Fraternitas Saturni, the “Fraternity of Saturn,” rose to prominence in Germany after the chaotic Weida Conference, where Aleister Crowley attempted to declare himself the world savior of German magicians. Those who rejected Crowley but were still inspired by Thelema formed their own independent society.
The fraternity now operates through chapters and a 33‑degree system. As members ascend the degrees, they study increasingly sophisticated magic and rituals rooted in a blend of Thelemic and astrological traditions known as Saturn Magic. One especially intriguing rite is the summoning of an egregore – an astral entity that embodies the group’s collective ideals, emotions, and aspirations. The egregore named GOTOS, for example, furnishes the fraternity with psychic power.
6 Illuminates Of Thanateros
In the 1970s a fresh wave of magic burst onto the scene. Chaos Magic, devised by Peter J. Carroll and Ray Sherwin in London’s East End, aimed to tear down ancient hierarchies and replace superstition with a pragmatic, testable, individual‑centric system. The original practitioners formally established the Illuminates of Thanateros (IOT) in an Austrian castle, setting out to reshape the magical world.
IOT’s philosophy is fiercely individualistic: rank is earned through demonstrated magical skill and dedication to the order, not birthright. This meritocratic stance sparked internal schisms, most famously the “Ice War,” which split the group along political lines. Members pursue the Gnostic state – an ecstatic, altered‑consciousness experience that supposedly frees magicians from mental blocks, allowing them to perform any magic they choose. A signature ritual, the Invocation of Baphomet, lets chaos magicians summon a manifestation for communion with varied consciousnesses or to alter physical reality.
Membership is open and free, and the order often encourages both members and non‑members to cast spells for the betterment of all.
5 Servants Of The Light
When most people picture magical orders they imagine secret vaults and hidden grimoires. The Servants of the Light push back against that secrecy, championing the spread of the Western Mystery Tradition to anyone eager to learn.
The Servants are devoted followers of Qabalistic currents within Western magic, yet they insist that their teachings can be blended with any personal faith or practice. Eschewing ranks and rigid curricula, they operate like an open school where anyone can join and study whenever they wish. This openness reshapes the learning dynamic, framing magic as a path toward spiritual balance and oneness rather than a tool for dominance.
Their authority derives from a mystical collective called the Alexandrae Fraternitatis, described as ascended master beings linked to a higher reality.
4 The Open Source Order Of The Golden Dawn
Can magic evolve with culture? The Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn believes it can. This offshoot of the historic Golden Dawn argues that the original practices were overly colored by Victorian ideals. To modernize the craft, the Order embraces technology and the open‑source software ethos – the belief that knowledge (or magic) improves when freely shared.
In practice, the Order has swapped the old Christian mythos for a more universal framework, weaving Egyptian and Eastern symbols together with technologically‑inspired language. A signature rite, the Rite of the Milk of the Stars, blends mathematical, spiritual, and magical techniques to amplify spells and master energy control.
3 Ordo Aurum Solis
Many orders claim ancient lineages, but the Ordo Aurum Solis (OAS) truly roots its heritage in the Ogdoadic Tradition, which they say began with the Egyptian god Thoth. The tradition traveled through the mystery schools of Greece and Ptolemaic Egypt, passing from master to master – figures like Plato and Galen – in a chain dubbed the Golden Chain, until OAS formally organized in 1897.
Structured like most Hermetic lodges, OAS divides members into three halls to classify rank and skill. Its teachings rest on the Three Pillars: theology, traditional philosophy, and Theurgy (high magic). Theurgy is considered the pinnacle, exemplified by the ritual Desmos kai Eklusis, wherein a practitioner becomes a living vessel for a deity or spirit, allowing divine orders or knowledge to flow through the order.
2 Fraternitas L.V.X. Occulta
An American branch of the Golden Dawn that gained independence, the Fraternitas L.V.X. Occulta, or the Fraternity of the Hidden Light, is dedicated to educating a select few in Western mystery traditions to serve humanity. The term “Hidden Light” was chosen because of its numerological correspondence to the keystone of King Solomon’s temple. The Fraternity, though still primarily American, has spread throughout the globe.
The Fraternity is a traditional school of Hermetic practice, which trains in correspondence magic and derives its methods from the Emerald Tablets, the earliest text of Western magic. This magic can be best be expressed by the axiom, “As above, so below.” In other words, whenever one wishes to accomplish something with magical power, they must align with the higher astral powers to invoke it in our world. For example, if one desires love, they would need to cast their ritual under the Moon while facing southwest and involve water.
1 Temple Of Set
On the night of July 21, 1975, Michael Aquino received a contact from Set – a figure commonly known as Lucifer or Satan. Set demanded the restoration of his temple and the revival of his teachings. This mythology, blended with influences from Thelema, Hermeticism, and paganism, laid the groundwork for the Temple of Set.
The Temple’s ultimate aim is the self‑deification of its members through deep understanding of Set and the black magic he imparts. While it retains a degree system similar to traditional magical lodges, members are organized into groups called Pylons, which study esoteric topics such as vampirism or dark knighthood within larger structures called Orders.
The Temple prescribes no formal rituals; instead, it encourages its adherents to invent and develop their own black magic and spells, fostering personal responsibility and creative experimentation.