In the early 1880's Anna and Maitland would often go together to the British Museum and study topics such as Platonism, Neoplatonism, Gnosticism and Hermeticism. Anna found that these studies reinforced the teachings she was receiving in her illuminations. In 1883 Anna became President, and Maitland Vice-President, of the London Lodge of the Theosophical Society.
In 1882 a disagreement between Anna and Maitland and the Theosophist Alfred P. Sinnett arose over his review of The Perfect Way. Sinnett praised some parts of the book but damned other sections. His Esoteric Buddhism came out in 1883 and Anna and Maitland found little of value in it, claiming that it was neither esoteric nor Buddhist.
In March 1884 the founders of Theosophy, Madame Blavatsky and Henry Olcott, went to England with the aim of smoothing the ruffled feathers. In her typical fashion Madame Blavatsky made a dramatic entry into the Lodge meeting. She tried to stare down Anna and Maitland with her "great eyes," but, in Maitland's words, "Of course neither of us was in the smallest degree affected by her sorcery." A compromise was worked out, with Anna and Maitland stepping down from their official positions, but remaining in the Lodge for the rest of the year. They never severed their connection to the parent Society.
Anna and Maitland then formed the Hermetic Society as a separate body so that Theosophists could join. (Originally it was to be a Theosophy lodge, but Theosophy rules allowed members to belong only to one lodge.) The new Society recognised the underlying unity of all religions, but was grounded in Western esoteric traditions, being the direction Anna and Maitland wanted to take. Audiences at their meetings would vary from a sizeable thirty to fifty people. Maitland proudly wrote that occasionally actors and professional reciters would attend just to hear the perfect elocution of Anna.
Some of Anna's dreams were published by Maitland as Dreams and Dream Stories in 1888. He collected together some of Anna's illuminations and published them as Clothed in the Sun in 1889.In 1891 Maitland formed the Christian Esoteric Union, but it petered out after he died due to a lack of funds and poor organisation. Maitland's final work was a two volume biography of Anna, published in 1896.A "second edition"(really a reprint) was published in the same year.
Hermes or Mercury was, among other things, the messenger of the gods and the guide for souls.
Hence the use of the word 'Hermetic' to denote the Western mystery tradition.
Anna formed her Hermetic Society in 1884.(Image fr. Mantegna's Tarocchi c.1465)