Aurum Solis, Gold of the Sun, is a magical order founded in England in 1897 by George Stanton and Charles Kingold which claims descent from the Ogdoadic Tradition of the Western Mystery Tradition[1]. It is best known through the published works of two of its leaders, Vivian Godfrey and Leon Barcynski. Better known by their pseudonyms, Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips, the husband and wife team together authored many books on different aspects of magical practice, such as Astral Projection and Creative Visualization, as well as their seminal work outlining the corpus of the Aurum Solis and the Ogdoadic Tradition, The Magical Philosophy.

Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips are the pen-names of Vivian Godfrey and Leon Barcynski, who together authored many books in the early days of Llewellyn Publications, chief among which is the formal presentation of the Order Aurum Solis' philosophy and praxis: The Magical Philosophy. Phillips began to receive magical training at the age of 16 from Ernest Page. For some time in the early 1970s, he was the head of the Aurum Solis psychic investigation team. Phillips was also a pupil of U Maung Maung Ji, a lecturer in Eastern philosophies, who worked with the UN Secretary-General U Thant.

Melita Denning was the first female Grand Master of the Aurum Solis, from 1976 to 1997. At one point Denning spent about six years traveling throughout and gathering occult knowledge, chiefly from the Middle East and the Mediterranean. These studies led her to discover the work of the Aurum Solis on kindred matters. She studied Jungian psychology under Buntie Wills, herself a student of C. G. Jung's friend Toni Sussman. Denning was invested Dame d'Honneur, OMCT, in 1968 by the Geneva Grand Priory of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple. She was also friends with Olivia Robertson, the founder of the Fellowship of Isis, since they were young women. Denning spoke English, French, Italian and Latin.Around 1971, Denning and Phillips began working with Carl Llewellyn Weschcke. Around 1979 they moved to the United States. In June 1982 they were consecrated Autocephalous Bishops of the Paracletian Church by Herman Adrian Spruit, the founder of the Church of Antioch. In 1983, they both consecrated Carl Weschcke into the same bishopric. Around 1984, they began working with William Stoltz and initiated him into the First Hall. On 8 July 1987, Denning and Phillips retired from the Aurum Solis, and Weschcke became the Grand Master. Yet on 23 June 1988 both resumed office at the unanimous request of the members Denning as Grand Master and Phillips as Administrator-General.

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Ordo Aurum Solis ("Order of the Gold of the Sun") is a Hermetic and Theurgic order founded in England in 1897 by George Stanton and Charles Kingold. It is a vehicle of the Ogdoadic Tradition, itself an important element of the Western Mystery Tradition. Ordo Aurum Solis is best known through the published works of two of its past Grand Masters, Vivian Godfrey and Leon Barcynski. Better known by their pseudonyms, Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips, the husband and wife team together authored many books (some reappearing in newer editions) that cover different aspects of magical practice, such as the Llewellyn Practical Guide to Astral Projection and Llewellyn Practical Guide to Creative Visualization, as well as their seminal work (reprinted in three volumes) outlining the philosophy and practices of Ordo Aurum Solis: The Magical Philosophy.

Despite a few similarities to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, some of its descendants, various Thelemic orders, and other groups stemming from the Rosicrucian revival of the 19th century, Ordo Aurum Solis represents a distinct and unique system of magical philosophy and practice based on the Ogdoadic Tradition.

Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips are the pen-names of Vivian Godfrey and Leon Barcynski, who together authored many books in the early days of Llewellyn Publications. Chief among these was the formal presentation of the Order Aurum Solis' philosophy and praxis: The Magical Philosophy.

Melita Denning, a Jungian scholar, was the first female Grand Master of the Order. She led the Order from 1976 to 1987, and from 1988 till her death on March 23, 1997. Earlier in her life, she had traveled throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean in search of occult knowledge. It was after six years of research that she finally came upon Ordo Aurum Solis.

Osborne Phillips was Grand Master of the Order from 1997 to 2003. He received magical training early in his life at the hands of Ernest Page, a London astrologer of some repute. In the early 1970s, he was in charge of psychic investigation as conducted by certain initiates of Ordo Aurum Solis. Phillips was also a student of U Maung Maung Ji, who specialized in Eastern philosophical systems and was a co-worker of the UN Secretary-General U Thant.

Jean-Louis de Biasi, an author and philosopher born in Southern France, has been involved in the Mystery Traditions for the past forty years. He has been Grand Master of Ordo Aurum Solis since 2003, and, as shown on the Order Aurum Solis' website. De Biasi has written books on the Ogdoadic Tradition, the Tarot, the aura, and Freemasonry. As per his website, he now seems to be actively writing books in English. He wrote Secrets and Practices of the Freemasons: Sacred Mysteries, Rituals and Symbols Revealed and has written two books directly related to Ordo Aurum Solis: The Divine Arcana of the Aurum Solis: Using Tarot Talismans for Ritual & Initiation and Becoming Gods: Invoking the Powerful Divinities to Transform and Enjoy your Life.

Vivian Godfrey (Melita Denning) was diagnosed with cancer early in 1997 and died on March 23 of that same year.

On June 14, 2003, Leon Barcynski (Osborne Phillips) retired as Grand Master and was succeeded by Jean-Louis de Biasi, the current Grand Master, who subsequently made a declaration that bore witness to the Hermetic nature of the work of the order.

In 2010, the website of Ordo Aurum Solis made mention of the addition of a public branch of the Order called the Ecclesia Ogdoadica, a religious organization transmitting the traditional aspects of Hermetic religion to the public. Reference was made to the religious philosophy of Gemistus Pletho, a Greek philosopher of the Renaissance and heir to the ancient mystery religions. The priests of the Ecclesia Ogdoadica are initiates of Ordo Aurum Solis whose goals are to re-establish the cults of the Immortal Divinities, with the authority of their Hermetic heritage, as taught by the Sacred Texts of Hermetism. This in the hopes that it will promote a Hermetic way of life.

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