The authors received their major esoteric training in the magical order Aurum Solis, a society which was founded in 1897 and which has continued in active existence to the present day. On July 8, 1987, the authors, then heads of Aurum Solis, retired from the Order; but on June 23, 1988, at the unanimous request of the members, they resumed office.
In 1997, Melita Denning passed from this earth.
Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips are internationally recognized authorities on the Western Mysteries and two of the foremost exponents of the Ogdoadic Tradition, the premier hermetic school whose influence and works are historically traceable for the past one thousand years. The authors both served as Grand Masters in the magical order Aurum Solis, which was founded in 1897 and is still active today. Phillips lives in the United Kingdom. Denning passed from this earth in 1997.