William Wynn Westcott

William Wynn Westcott

William Wynn Westcott (1848-1925) was an English Rosicrucian and Theosophist best known as a founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which was an offshoot of Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia.

Rosicrucianism

Westcott was very active in Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia.

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was founded by three members of the SRIA: Westcott, S. L. Macgregor Mathers, and William Robert Woodman.

Writings

Westcott was a prolific and influential writer. Some of his works were translated into German, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Turkish, Hungarian, etc., and are still being reprinted.

Articles in Theosophical journals

Westcott was an important contributor to H. P. Blavatsky's journal Lucifer. The Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals lists 53 articles by or about Westcott.

Rosicrucian pamphlets

• Rosicrucian thoughts on the ever-burning lamps of the ancients. London: G. Kenning, 1885. 10 pages.
• History of the Rosicrucian Societies in Anglia. London: Privately printed, 1900. 32 pages.
• Ordinances of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, or The Rosicrucian Society of Freemasons. London: Hall & Lovitt, 1905. 16 pages.
• Time and space. [London], 1908. 8 pages. Society of Rosicrucians in Anglia.
• An essay on the ancient mysteries. London, 1909. Society of Rosicrucians in Anglia series.
• The Rosicrucians: past and present, at home and abroad. [Place of publication not identified]: Privately Printed, 1900-1917?
• The Rosicrucian Society of England: a glance at the progress of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, during the last fifty years. [Place of publication not identified] : Privately printed, 1915. 7 pages.

Collectanea Hermetica

Collectanea Hermetica

The Collectanea Hermetica was a series of hermetic works written, translated, or edited by members of the Golden Dawn. Westcott published ten volumes between 1893-1896, working with Florence Farr, Percy Bullock, and E W. Coleman. It is still being published in new scholarly editions.

• Collectanea Hermetica Vol. I - Hermetic Arcanum of Penes Nos Unda Tagi. 1893. Preface and notes by Sapere Aude (Westcott).
• Collectanea Hermetica Vol. II - The Pymander of Hermes or The Divine Pymander. London; New York: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1894. Preface by the editor.
• Collectanea Hermetica Vol. III - A Short Enquiry Concerning the Hermetic Art by A Lover of Philalethes. London: Theosophical Publishing Society; New York: The "Path", 1894. Preface by Non Omnis Moriar (Westcott). Introduction to Alchemy and Notes by S.S.D.D. (Florence Farr). Available at Wellcome Library.
• Collectanea Hermetica Vol. IV - Aesch Mezareph, or, Purifying Fire: a Chymico-Kabalistic Treatise Collected from the Kabala Denudata of Knorr von Rosenroth. London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1894. Translated by a Lover of Philalethes, 1714. Preface, notes and explanations by Sapere Aude (Westcott). Westcott was responsible for French, German, and English editions.
• Collectanea Hermetica Vol. V - Somnium Scipionis. London, New York: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1894. The vision of Scipio by Marcus Tullius Cicero. Translated into English with essays "The Vision of Scipio Considered as a Fragment of the Mysteries" by L.O. (Percy Bullock), "The Golden Verses of Pythagoras," by A.E.A. (E W. Coleman), and "The Symbols of Pythagoras," by S.A. (Westcott).
• Collectanea Hermetica Vol. VI - The Chaldaean Oracles of Zoroaster. London: Theosophical Pub. Society, 1895. Based on a translation by Thomas Taylor. Edited and revised by Sapere Aude (Westcott), with an introduction by L.O. (Percy Bullock).
• Collectanea Hermetica Vol. VII - Euphrates, or, The Waters of the East: 1655. London ; Benares: Theosophical Publishing Society and Madras, India: "The Theosophist" Office, 1896. With a commentary by S.S.D.D. (Florence Farr). Originally published under Thomas Vaughan's pen name, Eugenius Philalethes, in 1655.
• Collectanea Hermetica Vol. VIII - Egyptian Magic. 1896. By S.S.D.D. (Florence Farr).
• Collectanea Hermetica's Vol. IX - Numbers: Their Occult Power and Mystic Virtue, being a résumé of the views of the Kabbalists, Pythagoreans, adepts of India, Chaldean Magi and mediæval magicians. London, Theosophical Pub. Society, 1890. 52 pages. Written by Westcott. Available at Hathitrust. The 1902 second edition became the Collectanea Hermetica's Vol. IX.
• Collectanea Hermetica's Vol. X - Sepher Yetzirah: the Book of Formation, and the Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom. Bath [England]: R.H. Fryar, 1887. Second edition became the Collectanea Hermetica's Vol. X: London: Theosophical Publishing Society and New York: "The Path": 1893. Translated from the Hebrew by W. W. Westcott. Available at Hathitrust and Google Books.

Medical and social sciences

• A Therapeutic Index of Diseases & Symptoms. [London], 1884.
• Suicide: Its History, Literature, Jurisprudence, Causation, and Prevention. London: Lewis, 1885. 191 pages. Available at Hathitrust and Wellcome Library.
• The Extra Pharmacopoeia of Martindale and Westcott. London : Pharmaceutical Press, 1883-1935; published serially. Coauthor William Martindale. London: H. K. Lewis, 1910 for 14th edition. At least 20 editions. Digital versions are at Wellcome Library, Wellcome Library (1904 11th ed.), Hathitrust (1912 15th ed.), Internet Archive (1910 14th ed.), and Hathitrust (1910 14th ed.).
• Twelve years' Experiences of a London Coroner. London: Bailliere, Tindall and Cox, 1907. 18 pages. Available at Wellcome Library.
• Salvarsan or 606, dioxy-diamino-arseno-benzol; its chemistry, pharmacy, and therapeutics. London: Lewis, 1911. 77 pages. Written with William Martindale.

Other occult topics

• The Isiac Tablet of Cardinal Bembo: its History and Occult Significance.. Los Angeles: Philosophical Research Society, 1887.
• An Introduction to the Study of the Kabalah. New York: Allied Publications, 1888. 72 pages. Illlustrations by the author. Several later publishers and Spanish translation.
• Alchemical hieroglyphics, which were caused to be painted upon an arch in St. Innocents Church yard in Paris. 1890.
• The science of alchymy: spiritual and material. London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1893. Written under pseudonym Sapere Aude.
• Christian Rosenkreuz and the Rosicurians [and] The Platonic philosopher's creed. London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1894. Available at Hathitrust.
• The magical ritual of the sanctum regnum interpreted by the Tarot trumps. London : Redway, 1896. Translated from the MSS. of Éliphas Lévi; edited by William Wynn Westcott. Limited digital versions at Hathitrust and Google Books.
• A catalogue raisonné of works on the occult sciences. London: Priv. Print., 1911. Coauthor F. Leigh Gardner. Three volumes. V.1. Rosicrucian books. v.2. Astrological books). v.3. Freemasonry, a catalogue of lodge histories (England). Available at Hathitrust, Internet Archive, and other sources.
• Data of the history of the Rosicrucians. London, J.M. Watkins, 1916.
• The Origin of the Rosicrucians and Freemasons.
• History of astrology. Article printed in Gardner, Frederick Leigh. Bibliotheca astrologica : a catalog of astrological publications of the 15th through the 19th centuries.

Published lectures

• "Divination and its history: a lecture." [London]: Privately printed, 1900s.
• "An Address on the Coroner and his Relations with the Medical Practitioner and Death Certification: Delivered at a Meeting of the North London District of the Metropolitan Counties Branch of the British Medical Association." Available at PubMedCentral.
• "The Serpent Myth: a lecture read before the Bradford lodge of the Order of Light, 1906." London, Women's Printing Society, Ltd., 1906.
• "The star lore of the Bible; A paper read before the Metropolitan College, on January 11th, 1912." [London], 1912. 14 pages. Society of Rosicrucians in Anglia.
• "Knots as symbols: a paper read before the Metropolitain College, on January 24th, 1915." [London?]: Privately printed, 1915.
• "A Lecture To Inquirers Into Theosophy And Practical Occultism."

Other articles and pamphlets

• "Commentary on the ten sephiroth." 1887. 4 pages.
• "Reincarnation: an essay." Privately printed. 1905. Written by A. Cadbury Jones; edited by William Wynn Westcott.
• "The religion, philosophy and occult science of China." [London], 1911. 10 pages.
• "Freemasonry and its relation to the Essenes." 1915. Reprinted from the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge vol. xxviii, 1915, pp. 67-79.
• "The Mandrake." Available at NCBI.
• "The overlaying of Infants." Available at PubMedCentral.

Additional resources

• Gilbert, R. A The magical mason: forgotten hermetic writings of William Wyn Westcott, physician and magus. Wellingborough: Aquarian, 1983. Roots of the golden dawn series. 318 pages.
• Küntz Darcy. Sent from the second order: the collected letters of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Letters of S. L MacGragor Mathers and W. W. Westcott. Austin, TX : Golden Dawn Trust, 2005. 120 pages.
• Küntz Darcy. The Serpent Myth. Edmonds, WA: Holmes Pub. Group, 1996. Golden Dawn studies series 9.
• Maber, Roy. Man of Mystery-Medicine-Magic, Founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn 1888-1914. [Place of publication not identified] : P.P, 1991.
• Poll, Michael R. Collected Rosicrucian thought. Lafayette, La. : Cornerstone Book Publishers, 2007. 160 pages.