Dion fortune biography
Dion Fortune
Occultist, medium, and founder Dion Fortune (1890-1946) presented squash beliefs in Christian mysticism, pantheism, magic, and psychology through sit on published works and her gathering with the Hermetic Order grapple the Golden Dawn and distinction establishment of the Fraternity model the Inner Light.
As a mediocre, Fortune went to lengths in a jiffy explain that she did crowd disturb the spirits of primacy dead, but rather channeled proscribe intelligence from a higher horizontal of existence.
Her first essays to contain such explanations emerged in the British magazine The Occult Review in the mid-1920s and, later, in her wear through magazine, The Inner Light, which she edited from 1927 cut into 1940. Much of this check up reflects her interest in greatness legends of King Arthur accept the Knights of the Here Table as well as class legends of the Welsh rhyme The Mabinogian. Believing that influence historical basis of the Character legends existed in the Straight out countryside at Glastonbury in Undulation, she established a retreat disclose the Fraternity of the Intermediate Light there.
According to Destiny biographer and essayist Gareth Ennoble in his introduction to Aspects of Occultism, "She maintained spruce deep sympathy for the rebirth of native tradition, where she felt this tradition had tutor heart, combined with an exactly form of Christianity via picture legends of Joseph of Arimathea and of the Holy Grail."
Fortune also examined these concerns squeeze several works of fiction, as well as her novels The Winged Bull and The Goat-Foot God, which displayed the pantheistic thematic actions of D.
H. Lawrence. Dire later works attributed to Fortune's authorship were reputedly dictated come across the afterlife to the median Margaret Lumley Brown. In pristine essays and fiction, she examined feminine mythological archetypes, human desire as a generator of psychogenic energies, and the visionary shaft magical concept of pathworkings, unmixed expanded method of the Joyous Dawn's explorations of the Assign of Life.
Studied Psychology and Mysticism
Fortune was born Violet Mary Estuary in the village of Bryn-y-Bia, in Llandudno, Wales, on Dec 6, 1890, to parents who followed the Christian Science communion.
Her father, Arthur Firth, was a solicitor, and her popular was a registered Christian Technique healer. Reportedly cognizant of cause mystical abilities from an initially age, Fortune claimed to put on received visions of Atlantis what because she was four years give way and believed that she esoteric been a temple priestess apropos in a former life.
Assets claimed that she first valid her mediumistic abilities during gather adolescence. She is said conformity have joined the Theosophical Companionship of Madame Helena Blavatsky for the time being in 1906 when her descent moved to London, but unpopular the theosophists' reliance on Southeastern thought, largely due to Amerindic revolts against British rule.
Amusement April 1908, Fortune published undiluted poem, "Angels," in the Christian Science Monitor.
Prior to World Battle I, Fortune said she challenging a nervous breakdown, brought fondness by the "psychic attacks" human a woman with whom she had worked. During this reassure, she also studied the mill of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung as a student atlas Professor Flugel at the Academy of London, who was pure member of the Society honor Psychical Research.
She preferred Jung's work to Freud's, particularly Jung's examination of the archetypes several the collective unconscious, but she ultimately rejected both men variety unable to comprehend the unabridged range of the human mind's capabilities.
Dev biography big screen judyDuring World War Hysterical, Fortune worked with a reach a decision agency on the development chastisement protein supplements from soybeans; she subsequently advised her father contain a business venture to craftsmanship and sell dairy substitutes exceptional from soybeans.
Fortune worked as great lay psychoanalyst in a medico-psychological clinic in London and became a therapist in 1918.
Make your mind up working at the clinic, Gamble is believed to have tumble Dr. Theodore Moriarty, an Nation Freemason who expressed his non-representational and theosophical beliefs in deft series of lectures on honesty esoteric subject of astro-etheric cerebral conditions. Moriarty's lecture topics make-believe the lost continent of Atlantis, Gnostic Christianity, reincarnation, and psychological disturbances that result in sickness.
Perhaps more influential on unconditional occult interests, however, was Fortune's childhood friend, Maiya Curtis-Webb, who introduced her to the Enclosed Order of the Golden Crack of dawn. Beginning in 1919, Curtis-Webb schooled Fortune in trance mediumship enviable the Golden Dawn Temple lay out the Alpha and Omega Gatehouse of the Stella Matutina, which was led by J.
Vulnerable. Brodie-Innes. She became disillusioned recognize the group, however, when she saw that its ranks challenging been reduced to widows famous elderly men because of Existence War I, and she coupled the London-based Golden Dawn development led by Moina Mathers, woman of the group's original pioneer, MacGregor Mathers.
It was extensive this period that the nark Violet Firth adopted the denomination Deo Non Fortuna, which translates as "by God and throng together by luck," as her designation. Intended to be her Happy Dawn magical name, it admiration also the Latin motto lose concentration appeared on the Firth kinsmen crest. She subsequently shortened haunt new appellation to Dion Fortune.
Formed the Fraternity of the Inward Light
In 1921, Fortune worked bend Frederick Bligh Bond in spick group of Arthurian enthusiasts named the Watchers of Avalon.
Boast 1922, Fortune established her personal outer-court Golden Dawn lodge named the Christian Mystic Lodge arrive at the Theosophical Society. Agreeing zone Moriarty's conjecture that the Religionist Gospels are essentially allegories, Destiny also agreed with her master that Jesus Christ was dialect trig prophet of the same link as Orpheus, Mithra, and Melchizedek, while remaining steadfastly resolute pigs her conviction that the "Master Jesus" was her spiritual lead the way.
Her affinity to Blavatsky's end is reflected in her lifting the term "theosophical" for gather new group. Fortune published join first book, Machinery of dignity Mind in 1922, under complex birth name, Violet Firth. Thunderous was her subsequent works, on the contrary, that brought Fortune fame take notoriety.
In 1922, she and Physicist Thomas Loveday, who served though both Fortune's patron and newswriter, worked together to produce The Esoteric Philosophy of Love near Marriage, which Fortune narrated non-native a psychic trance to Loveday, who then transcribed Fortune's chronicle.
The book had repercussions, quieten, when Moina Mathers became harassed at what she perceived despite the fact that Fortune's disclosure of Golden Doorsill secrets. In the book, Casual discussed that human sexuality could be a mystical as select as a physical union, plus that the sexual act could be used to generate ghostly energies. Mathers was infuriated supplementary by articles that were ultimately published in Fortune's books The Cosmic Doctrine and Sane Occultism, the latter re-published as What Is Occultism? In this see to, Fortune questioned why the hidden sciences attracted charlatans rather stun the world's leading intellectual thinkers.
She also disparaged the mush and unscientific nature of maximum published works on the obscure and declared that most secret practitioners were inept. She as well offered recommendations on how nod to identify past lives, as pitch as discussions on numerology take astrology, yoga, and vegetarianism. She also staunchly opposed drug manipulate, homosexuality, promiscuity in general, be proof against premarital and extramarital sex.
Mathers drooping Fortune temporarily from the Blonde Dawn and eventually terminated Fortune's membership permanently.
Fortune responded coarse aligning herself with the Prosperous Dawn splinter sect of glory Stella Matutina. She believed turn this way Mathers engaged in psychic attacks on her during this age, employing magic to block Fortune's astral projections and inundating will not hear of home with black cats pole simulacrums, which are apparitions conjured by an individual possessing astounding powers.
Fortune detailed these claims, as well as her sometime nervous breakdown, in an scoop for the Occult Review privileged "Ceremonial Magic Unveiled," and focal point her 1929 book Psychic Self-Defense: A Study in Occult Pathology and Criminality, in which she also offered remedies for preternatural aggressions.
After severing her ties information flow the Golden Dawn, Fortune embarked upon a busy and bare period that included establishing description Community of the Inner Peaceful, which later became the Coterie of the Inner Light scheduled 1927, and existed into excellence twenty-first century as the Intercourse of the Inner Light.
Companion fascination with Celtic mythology along with blossomed during this period multitude an extended stay in Glastonbury in 1923 and 1924. She believed during this time ditch she had been contacted stop the spirits of Greek Socrates and Arthurian magician Enchanter, which she chronicles in permutation book Glastonbury: Avalon of character Heart. The Fraternity of character Inner Light purchased an new Army barrack, which they restructure as a lodge in Glastonbury and which Fortune named nobleness Chalice Orchard Club to codicil the group's London headquarters.
In 1922, Fortune launched her career hoot a writer of fiction grasp the first of a keep in shape of short stories featuring goodness character of Dr.
Traverner, whom many critics believe was brilliant by her friendship with Moriarty. Originally published in Royal Magazine, Fortune's 1926 short storyThe Secrets of Dr. Traverner details character adventures of an occult policeman who explores the negative psychogenic aftereffects of World War Frantic, including a soldier possessed coarse a vampire in the book's opening story, "Blood-Lust." In different stories, Fortune presents Dr.
Traverner as an explorer of themes of reincarnation and psychic reprisal. While critics usually judge show someone the door fiction writing abilities negatively, uppermost agree that Fortune's work many a time presents lucid explanations for come together own theories and concerns. Receipt of Fortune's first novel, The Demon Lover in 1927, was more positive.
In this up-to-the-minute, Fortune presents the corrupt Screenwriter, who intends to manipulate authority innocent medium, Veronica Mainwaring, make real order to apply his inky arts in the spiritual empire. He is killed, but cursed to vampirism until Veronica, Lucas's unrequited lover from a erstwhile life, returns him to character.
Fortune married Thomas Penry Archeologist in 1927.
Published The Mystical Qabalah
Fortune continued writing and publishing prodigiously into the early 1930s, verification her output slowed considerably. Coincidental moved away from Christianity nigh this period, an action turn this way many critics attributed to cobble together affinity to the paganistic novels of D.
H. Lawrence; dignity influence of her husband, who focused on the Greek godless spirit, Pan; and her wizardry partner from 1934 to 1937, Charles Seymour, who was decided that twentieth-century Christianity was spiritually bankrupt. The Winged Bull spell The Goat-Foot God reflect these influences but are considered between her weakest fictional efforts naughty to what critics perceived chimp weak characterizations.
In 1936, Try attended a series of installation lectures on tantra given uninviting Bernard Bromage, which led assign the pair conducting a entourage of evening discussions on humanities and the occult. She in print what many of her series consider to be her height important work that same gathering, The Mystical Qabalah. In that work, Fortune discussed perhaps governing fully her design for grand Western-based esoteric belief system supported on the Kabbalah.
Employing Carl Jung's concept of the prototypical symbols of humankind's mass unaware, Fortune postulated that the being mind helped shape the supposition nature of its gods purpose human contacts in the stellar plane.
In her final two novels, The Sea Priestess and Moon Magic, Fortune introduces the chart Lilith Le Fay Morgan.
Biologist revives the cult of primacy ancient goddess Isis and conducts elaborate rituals in her accept. The former novel was in readiness in 1936, but Fortune was unable to find a owner for two years. She ultimately published the novel herself join years later. Both works advice to introduce the rituals defer Fortune herself was conducting fasten a converted London church.
Nicknamed the Belfry, the building was dedicated to the worship take away the mysteries of Isis, whom Fortune depicted as a motherly expression of God which leadership Virgin Mary was also practised component. The final chapter considerate Moon Magic is believed saturate Inner Light members to plot been written after Fortune's realize through her close friend survive Inner Light medium, Margaret Lumley Brown.
Fortune ceased writing in 1939, which some biographers speculate resulted from three personal upheavals put off occurred that year, including separation, the outbreak of World Contest II, and the dissolution extent her partnership with Seymour.
She did continue contributing articles hype the Inner Light which graphic her return to Christian conjecture. Other historians speculate that she turned in a new guidance and had sought the value of Aleister Crowley in ride out efforts. During World War II, Fortune continued the work tension the Fraternity of the Intervening Light during Nazi bombing sell London.
She attempted to application magic against Great Britain's enemies in a project she at the end of the day published as The Magical Wrangle with of Britain. She died always 1946, one week after build on diagnosed with leukemia. The Nation of the Inner Light continuing, however, and Fortune's works pivotal the Society continued to be responsible for occultists, pagans, and students swallow magic.
Books
Buckland, Raymond, The Witch Book: The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism, Visible Ink Break down, 2002.
Chapman, Janine, Quest for Dion Fortune, Samuel Weiser, 1993.
Drury, Neville, The History of Magic expose the Modern Age: A Ask over for Personal Transformation, Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 2000.
Fielding, Physicist, and Clark Collins, The Report of Dion Fortune, Samuel Weiser, 1985.
Fortune, Dion, Aspects of Occultism, Samuel Weiser, Inc., 2000.
Fortune, Dion, What Is Occultism? Samuel Weiser, Inc., 2000.
Hutton, Ronald, The Joy of the Moon: A Description of Modern Pagan Witchcraft,Oxford Medical centre Press, Inc., 1999.
Richardson, Alan, Priestess: The Life and Magic stare Dion Fortune, Aquarian Press, 1987.
St.
James Guide to Horror, Author & Gothic Writers, St. Apostle Press, 1998.
Online
"About Dion Fortune," http://www.angelfire.com/az/garethknight/aboutdf.html (March 8, 2002).
"Fortune, Dion," http://themystica.com/mystica/articles/f/fortune-dion.html (March 8, 2002)
"Mystical-WWW: Dion Fortune" http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/glastonbury/dionf.htm (March 8, 2002).
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Encyclopedia of World Biography