Olney H. Richmond was the chief of the Order of the Magi, which he officially resurrected in the upper Midwest in the late 19th century. Richmond was a Civil War veteran who was told of the Order by a mysterious stranger one night while he stood guard duty at Nashville. This stranger told him that he was to be his successor and eventually passed on to him the teachings of the Magi. Further, he told Richmond that he would pass through many battles in the course of the war, but that no harm would come to him. This proved true.

This Order of the Magi was the star religion of the ancient Chaldeans. It is said that this tradition existed 20,000 years before the birth of Christ. Indeed it was held that the three Magi of the Bible were members of this order- and that Christ himself later became an initiate. Richmond held that the Order had centers in not only Chaldea, but also Egypt and Persia. Moreover, he held that Pythagoras was a Grand Master of the Order (by way of the Egyptian temple.)

This book contains a collection of lectures delivered by Richmond on the history, philosophy, and practices of the Order. An interesting aspect of the Order was it's extensive use of magic squares and playing cards in divination. Richmond seems to have been a natural mathematician of considerable ability (as was also attested by his skill and mathematical analysis of the game of checkers during the 19th century heyday of that sport.)

This book was a pleasant surprise- I had thought that the Grand Temple Order of the Magi had once again passed from the memory of the world.