Hermetic Brotherhood Of Luxor
Early Western Occultism
Origins
An order for the teaching of practical occultism, the “H.B. of L.” began public activity in London late in 1884. Its Exterior Circle was directed by a Grand Master, Max Theon (1848?-1927), a Polish Jew who later moved to Algeria and started the “Mouvement Cosmique.” Under Theon were two Provincial Grand Masters, Peter Davidson (1837-1915) and the Rev. William Alexander Ayton (1816-1909), and the Secretary, Thomas H. Burgoyne (1855?-1895?). During 1885-86, Davidson and Burgoyne produced the monthly Occult Magazine at first in Scotland, then in Georgia, U.S.
What it is
The Hermetic Brotherhood is an Esoteric Order of teachers, students and practitioners of the Mystic Arts and Sciences.
The Hermetic Brotherhood embraces Alchemy, Hermeticism, Mysticism, Occultism, Spiritualism, Metaphysics, Astrology, Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, Kabbalah, Divination, Tarot, Psychical Research, Transcendentalism, Illuminism, Ceremonial Magic, and related subjects.
The long-range AIM of each Member is the attainment — by study, meditation, prayer, and practice — of Christ-like Adeptship and Mastery, that state of being and consciousness in which there is balance between Infinite God and finite humanity.
The immediate PURPOSE of the Order is to investigate, study, learn, develop, teach, share and practice that way of life and those occult and esoteric arts and sciences which deal with the hidden forces of nature and which aid humanity in its evolution from comparative imperfection to higher states of physical and spiritual existence.
The whole OBJECT of the Order teaching is to bring each Member to the knowledge of his or her higher Self, to purify them, to strengthen them, that they may ultimately regain union with the Divine Man latent within them, that Adam Kadmon, whom God hath made in His own image.
Early Years
The H.B. of L. made its first public appearance in an advertisement on the last page of a new edition of the Corpus Hermeticum issued in 1884 by Robert Fryar, a leading English occult publisher. The advertisement offered membership in an occult brotherhood to all “who may have been disappointed in their expectations of Sublime Wisdom being freely dispensed by HINDOO MAHATMAS”. This deliberate dig at the Theosophical Society was the opening volley of a two-year struggle between the two organizations, which ended with the H.B. of L.’s collapse. Coming at a time when Theosophical pretensions had alienated many people in the occult scene, however, the H.B. of L.’s open defiance of Theosophy brought it many members and quickly made it a significant presence in Europe and America. See Theosophical Society.
Those who responded to the advertisement and paid the fee for membership in the H.B. of L. received a detailed postal course of instruction in practical occultism. Much of the material in the course was drawn from the work of American occultist P.B. Randolph. Another part came from the theories of Sampson Mackey, a self-taught savant of the early nineteenth century who argued for a system of world-ages based on changes in the angle of the earth’s axis. Material also came from a variety of occult writers of past and present, ranging from Johannes Trithemius (1462–1516) to Eliphas Lévi (1810–75). See ages of the world; earth changes; Eulis; Randolph, Paschal Beverly.
Basic Tenet
The order's teachings drew heavily from the magico-sexual theories of Paschal Beverly Randolph, who influenced groups such as the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) (later headed by Aleister Crowley) (Greenfield 1997) although it is not clear whether or not Randolph himself was actually a part of the Order.
Prior to the rise of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1888, the HBoL was the only order that taught practical occultism in the Western Mystery Tradition.
It’s Demise
…in the spring of 1886, when
theosophical leaders discovered that Burgoyne was the same
Thomas Dalton who had been convicted of mail fraud in 1883,
they freely circulated the information. Prompted in part by a
desire to escape the scandal, but also fostering a desire to start
a communal experiment in America, Davidson moved to Loudsville,
Georgia. The Davidson farm never evolved into the colony
he had desired, but it did function as the international headquarters
of the brotherhood for many years. The largest
membership was in the United States and France. The HBL
gradually ceased to exist as it was superseded by other occult
groups…
Closing
This is one of the early Western nation occult groups. As you can see, there is nothing magical or mysterious, just people searching for something missing in their lives using their sensory inputs. A theme repeated among most occult groups.