The HOGD operates as an educational division under the Alpha Omega Free Church, which functions under the provisions of 26 U.S.C. § 508(c)(1)(A). The Church oversees our specialized training curricula and organizational activities, which include historical and philosophical instruction in Hermeticism, Qabalah, Alchemy, Rosicrucianism, and Enochian ritual studies.

Our legal rights to protect and transmit this curriculum are verified across multiple international jurisdictions:

• European Union: We hold the sole and exclusive international registration for the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn® trademark (Reg. No. 000063925).

• United States: We operate under a permanent trademark agreement formally adopted and enforced by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Since 1888, our secular training format has guided students globally through a dedicated combination of historical education, symbolic architecture, and experiential learning.

David Griffin serves as the Imperator of the HOGD, guiding its international mission to present traditional Hermetic ritual methodologies within a structured, modern educational framework.

• International Director of Studies: David coordinates curriculum dissemination across multiple continents, leveraging his fluency in German, Swedish, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and English.

• Esoteric Scholarship: He is the author of The Ritual Magick Manual: Complete Solitary Rituals of the Hermetic Golden Dawn (1999), a landmark work that compiled and presented these traditional practices for independent study for the first time. This core scholarship serves as the foundation for our current curriculum and study resources.

• Traditional Expertise: He holds advanced ranks across multiple western esoteric traditions, blending complementary lineage perspectives to deepen and validate the HOGD educational curriculum.

Anthropologist Leslie McQuade serves as the Chief Adept of the HOGD, directing the practical implementation of our international student training programs.

• Educational Oversight: Leslie systematically guides students through the core academic modules of the HOGD curriculum, tracking performance across Hermetic philosophy, Qabalah, Alchemy, Rosicrucianism, and Enochian studies.

• Archaeological & Ethnographic Expertise: As a world-traveled field archaeologist and ethnographer, Leslie has contributed to major academic excavations, including projects for the Carnegie Mellon Museum and the Japanese Department of Education.

• Comparative Ritual Scholarship: She applies a rigorous academic methodology to the study of comparative ritual forms, drawing distinct, cross-cultural insights from global indigenous and esoteric traditions. Her findings enrich specialized elective courses offered to our students, maintaining a clear distinction between comparative anthropology and the core historical curriculum of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn®.

We remain committed to delivering the historical teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn® through both self-directed study resources and structured formal training courses.

​​​​​​​Since 1888, we have upheld this mission through clear, disciplined instructional systems focused on traditional ritual study.