William Wynn Westcott (17 December 1848 – 30 July 1925) was a coroner,

ceremonial magic Ceremonial magic (ritual magic, high magic or learned magic) encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic. The works included are characterized by ceremony and numerous requisite accessories to aid the practitioner. It can be seen as an ex ...

ian,

theosophist Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...

and Freemason born in Leamington, Warwickshire,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He was a Supreme Magus (chief) of the S.R.I.A and went on to co-found the Golden Dawn.

Biography

He was a doctor of medicine. In 1871 he became active in

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

where he became Master of his home Lodge three years later and also the ''Quatuor Coronati'' research lodge (Master 1893–94). In 1879 he moved to Hendon. In 1880 he began studying the

Kabbalah Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The defin ...

and joined Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia. In 1882 he met

Samuel Liddell Mathers Samuel Liddell (or Liddel) MacGregor Mathers (8 or 11 January 1854 – 5 or 20 November 1918), born Samuel Liddell Mathers, was a British occultist. He is primarily known as one of the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a cerem ...

Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia

Westcott became chief of the SRIA with the death of William Robert Woodman.Regardie, p. 17

The Golden Dawn

Wescott co-founded the

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ( la, Ordo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae), more commonly the Golden Dawn (), was a secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics during the late 19th and early 20th ...

with

Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers Samuel Liddell (or Liddel) MacGregor Mathers (8 or 11 January 1854 – 5 or 20 November 1918), born Samuel Liddell Mathers, was a British occultist. He is primarily known as one of the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a cerem ...

and William Robert Woodman in 1887, using the motto V.H. Frater

Sapere Aude ''Sapere aude'' is the Latin phrase meaning "Dare to know"; and also is loosely translated as “Have courage to use your own reason”, "Dare to know things through reason", or even more loosely as "Dare to be wise". Originally used in the '' F ...

. Around this time, he was also active in the Theosophical Society, where he founded in 1891 The Adelphi Lodge in London WC. In 1896, he abandoned public involvement with the Golden Dawn due to pressure regarding his job as a Crown Coroner, with which it was seen as an unseemly association. He continued to head the S.R.I.A. and later was involved with the Golden Dawn breakaway Stella Matutina.

Later years

He retired as a coroner after 1910, emigrated to the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...

in 1918, and died in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

in 1925.

Bibliography

* ''Suicide: Its History, Literature, Jurisprudence, Causation, and Prevention'', 1885 * ''The Isiac Tablet of Cardinal Bembo'', 1887 * ''Sepher Yetzirah'', 1887 - (1911 third edition meant to be Collectanea Hermetica's Vol. X) * ''Numbers'', 1890 - (The 1902 second edition became the Collectanea Hermetica's Vol. IX) * ''Hermetic Arcanum'', 1893 - (Collectanea Hermetica Vol. I) * ''The Divine Pymander'', 1894 - (Collectanea Hermetica Vol. II) * ''The Hermetic Art'', 1894 - (Collectanea Hermetica Vol. III) * ''AEsch Mezareph'', 1894 - (Collectanea Hermetica Vol. IV) * ''Somnium Scipionis'', 1894 - (Collectanea Hermetica Vol. V) * '' The Chaldaean Oracles'', 1895 - (Collectanea Hermetica Vol. VI) * ''Euphrates'', 1896 - (Collectanea Hermetica Vol. VII) * ''Egyptian Magic'', 1896 - (Collectanea Hermetica Vol. VIII) * ''The Magical Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum'', 1896 * ''An Introduction to the Kabalah'', 1910 * ''The Origin of the Rosicrucians and Freemasons'' * ''A Lecture To Inquirers Into Theosophy And Practical Occultism'' * ''History of the Rosicrucian Societies in Anglia''

References

Sources

* The Isiac Tablet of Cardinal Bembo By William Wynn Westcott * ''The Golden Dawn'' By Israel Regardie * ''The Magical Mason'' anthology of writings by William Wynn Westcott, edited and introduced by R.A. Gilbert (The Aquarian Press 1983)

External links

*
Biography of Dr. William Wynn Westcott
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westcott, William Wynn 1848 births 1925 deaths British emigrants to South Africa Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England English occult writers Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn People from Leamington Spa British coroners Hebrew–English translators 19th-century occultists