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Let's Start By Cheating
This is the entry I wrote two years ago on Dion Fortune's book The Training and Work of the Initiate. I'm going to re-post it in its entirety, as though it were new. Looking over it, I'm surprised by the cynicism that I seem to have had toward it. In fact I think very highly of Dame Fortune, though I'm not sure it comes through in this overview. But, this new blog needs CONTENT, and here was have some, ready-made by Me From Two Years Ago.
Eventually I'd like to come back and look at this particular book again. For now, here is what I thought of it in July of 2017.
The Original Post
This is a strange book to start with, but I'm either going to start with it or I'm simply not going to start.
Dion Fortune is the pen name of Violet Firth; she was one of the great lady-adepts of the Golden Dawn system of occultism, which flourished around the turn of the last century. I suppose I ought to disclose that I have some background in the Golden Dawn tradition myself, though whether I'll say more on that topic here I haven't decided.
The first thing that stands out reading any of Lady Fortune's books is the contrast to most of the popular occult work being published today. Ceremonial magic is, simply, not an easy practice. It requires dedication, commitment, and daily effort. Will you learn practical ceremonial magic from this book? No. There is not a single occult exercise presented in these pages. I'm fairly certain that was the norm before Israel Regardie published the Golden Dawn, and I don't think the kind of step-by-step, daily lesson plan books of magic and occultism existed before Donald Michael Kraig wrote "Modern Magic" in the 1980s.
That paragraph reads like the beginning of a book review, doesn't it? I don't think I want these posts to be book reviews. I think they ought, instead, to consist of a short note on the book, maybe a bit about why you ought to read it and what you might get out of it, and a selection of particular quotes that stand out to me.
So:
You've already had your Introduction. It's the second two paragraphs of this post, if you'd like to reread them.
Why You Ought to Read This Book
Do you have an interest in ceremonial magic or occult philosophy?
Do you want to know how the adepts of a previous era approached their craft, what strengths of theirs we have lost, what we might learn from them-- and in what ways we have surpassed them?
Then you might want to read this book. You will learn that adepts like Dion Fortune saw themselves as literal participants in an unbroken chain of initiation stretching back to the ancient Egyptians, the Merkavah mystics and the Eleusinian mysteries. That they were heavily influenced by the Theosophy movement, but that they were also committed to a uniquely Western cultural identity and strongly cautioned against the mixing of Western and Eastern practices so common today. You will learn something about the dedication and discipline necessary on the occult path.
You will also learn a bit about the physics and the psychology of the last century. Fortune regularly references Freudian psychology, theories of the Ether, and the new physics of Albert Einstein. In my view, these passages, along with the occasional references to the sort of racial and theories and political ideas popular in Fortune's day, are among the most important in the book, even though they are often also the weakest.
Now, why do I say that?
Read this book, and then read a work on occultism by a popular contemporary occult or New Age author. Chances are, you'll come across at least one attempt to explain magic by reference to "cutting edge" physics and psychology; a dollop of half-understood Eastern metaphysics; and a dose or two of today's race and gender theories and popular political ideas. Chances are very good that readers one hundred years from now will react to these passages in the same way you reacted to Fortune's references to Freud or Theosophy. And if you are in fact yourself a popular or aspiring author of occult literature, maybe the cringe you felt when reading Fortune reference Freud or "the ether" will convince you to leave out that passage about quantum physics or evolutionary psychology.
Some Quotes
Chapter I: Laying the Groundwork
"There has always been a widespread belief that some men know more than others, and that instead of sharing certain aspects of their knowledge with their fellow-men, as they were willing, nay eager, to do with certain other aspects of it, they kept it sedulously to themselves, or only communicated it to a chosen few, whom they either bound to inviolable secrecy, or only permitted to impart the knowledge in their turn to those who were prepared to assume the same obligations and who were judged worthy to receive this great privilege."
"What, then, can a man do so to cultivate his mind as to be ready for this higher knowledge when it shall come to him? What can he do by way of preliminary training, working as a solitary student, to fit himself for the reception of the knowledge he desires? The student who is not grounded in the elements cannot understand the advanced teaching, he who has no knowledge of arithmetic cannot grasp mathematics. 'Earn the means first, God surely will contrive use for our earnings,' said one, who himself had trodden the path of knowledge.'"
"The good occult student should have a sound general knowledge of natural science, history, mathematics and philosophy. He cannot, naturally, have a thorough knowledge of all these subjects, but he should know their outlines; he should be familiar with the principles of all the sciences and know the methods of philosophy. Then, when he acquires special knowledge, he will be able to see it in relation to the cosmic scheme of which it forms a part, and hence will know it in a very different way from the man who perceives it apart from its environment."
Chapter III: Preparation for Initiation
"The Higher Self comes into manifestation in the physical body when Initiation takes place. We have only to consider the vast difference between the Individuality and the personality in the average man to realise the immense amount of preparation that must take place before such a maniefstation can take place. Moreover, we cannot fail to see that if that manifestation were attempted before due preparation had been made, the incoming Self would find so great a disparity between itself and its vesture that, like a badly fitting garment, th vesture would be split asunder by the attempt to wear it. This is an occurrence not uncommonly observed among occultists and accounts for many of the problems of occult fraternities."
"It will be seen from the foregoing considerations that the essence of all practical operations is mental. It follows therefore that in the powers of the mind we find the key to the whole process. But although everybody has a mind, they have not by any manner of means all got the conscious use of these powers, though there are more people who have the subconscious and involuntary use of them than is generally credited. A large part of an initiate must therefore consist in the development and training of these latent aspects of his own mind."
Chapter VI: Daily Life Upon the Path
"The first principle to be learnt concerns the nature of the cosmic laws and their inviolability. Students must accept the concept of the absolute rule of law-- that nothing is fortuitous, accidental or incidental. Whatever happens is the result of a cause; whatever is going to happen is also the result of a cause. Being aware of this law, the initiate never grumbles or repines, but accepts calmly and unresentfully whatever may befall him, knowing that nothing comes to him which is not his due. Acknowledging the justice of karma, he accepts the reactions of the past ungrudgingly."
"[The Initiate] knows...that although he cannot determine the conditions under which his life must be lived, he can determine his reactions to those conditions, and according to his reactions will be the karma which will determine the conditions of his next life. The initiate always takes as his unit of calculation, not one life, but three lives, for it always takes three lives for a karmic force to work itself out. Within that unit of three lives we have free will. We can exactly determine the conditions of the life after next."
Chapter XII: The Alphabet of the Mysteries
"A working knowledge of anthropology, archaeology, and folk-lore is also exceedingly valuable for different systems, especially those existing among primitive peoples at the present day, throw much light on the ancient cultures and enable us the better to grasp their metaphysical significance. A general knowledge of physiology is also essential if the relationship between mind and body is to be understood, and the new work in physics is of especial interest to the student of occultism, explaining as it does the nature of the etheric substratum of the manifested universe. Finally, there should be some training at least in the methods and concepts of philosophy and the findings of comparative religion. Thus equipped, the initiate will have the necessary cultural background to enable him to approach his chosen subject in a scientific spirit and produce results worthy of serious consideration."
Chapter XIII: The Training of the Mind
"It will be seen from the foregoing considerations that the essence of all practical operations is mental. It follows therefore that in the powers of the mind we find the key to the whole process. But although everybody has a mind, they have not by any manner of means all got the conscious use of these powers, though there are more people who have the sub-conscious and involuntary use of them than is generally credited. A large part of the training of an initiate must therefore consist in the development of these latent aspects of the mind.
"For purposes of our study we may consider the mind under three heads, as is usually done in psychology-- feeling, will, and reason.But instead of considering them as the psychologists do, as separate units, we shall consider them as the Qabalists do, as successive emanations resulting in equilibrium. We should thus see feeling and reason in polarity, and the kinetic will as resulting from their union. But this is not enough. According to Qabalistic principle, a trinity thus formed must be resumed in a fourth principle upon another plane before it can become functional. If the plane under consideration is a lower plane, they will be resumed in a physical body which gives them expression upon teh plane of matter through instinct; but if the plane under consideration is a higher plane, they will be resumed in that little-understood faculty, the imagination. It is from this synthesis upon a higher plane, and from this alone, that occult power issues forth."
Back to the Present
So, that's what I wrote in 2017. You know, by far the most valuable part of this post is the quotations from Dion Fortune herself. Every single sentence could provide a theme for a very productive session of discursive meditation, or three. More than anything else, the following is jumping out at me:
"Whatever happens is the result of a cause; whatever is going to happen is also the result of a cause. Being aware of this law, the initiate never grumbles or repines, but accepts calmly and unresentfully whatever may befall him, knowing that nothing comes to him which is not his due."
By the Gods, if only I'd paid better attention to these two little sentences at the time I wrote this original post! But, that's a story for another night.
This is the entry I wrote two years ago on Dion Fortune's book The Training and Work of the Initiate. I'm going to re-post it in its entirety, as though it were new. Looking over it, I'm surprised by the cynicism that I seem to have had toward it. In fact I think very highly of Dame Fortune, though I'm not sure it comes through in this overview. But, this new blog needs CONTENT, and here was have some, ready-made by Me From Two Years Ago.
Eventually I'd like to come back and look at this particular book again. For now, here is what I thought of it in July of 2017.
The Original Post
This is a strange book to start with, but I'm either going to start with it or I'm simply not going to start.
Dion Fortune is the pen name of Violet Firth; she was one of the great lady-adepts of the Golden Dawn system of occultism, which flourished around the turn of the last century. I suppose I ought to disclose that I have some background in the Golden Dawn tradition myself, though whether I'll say more on that topic here I haven't decided.
The first thing that stands out reading any of Lady Fortune's books is the contrast to most of the popular occult work being published today. Ceremonial magic is, simply, not an easy practice. It requires dedication, commitment, and daily effort. Will you learn practical ceremonial magic from this book? No. There is not a single occult exercise presented in these pages. I'm fairly certain that was the norm before Israel Regardie published the Golden Dawn, and I don't think the kind of step-by-step, daily lesson plan books of magic and occultism existed before Donald Michael Kraig wrote "Modern Magic" in the 1980s.
That paragraph reads like the beginning of a book review, doesn't it? I don't think I want these posts to be book reviews. I think they ought, instead, to consist of a short note on the book, maybe a bit about why you ought to read it and what you might get out of it, and a selection of particular quotes that stand out to me.
So:
You've already had your Introduction. It's the second two paragraphs of this post, if you'd like to reread them.
Why You Ought to Read This Book
Do you have an interest in ceremonial magic or occult philosophy?
Do you want to know how the adepts of a previous era approached their craft, what strengths of theirs we have lost, what we might learn from them-- and in what ways we have surpassed them?
Then you might want to read this book. You will learn that adepts like Dion Fortune saw themselves as literal participants in an unbroken chain of initiation stretching back to the ancient Egyptians, the Merkavah mystics and the Eleusinian mysteries. That they were heavily influenced by the Theosophy movement, but that they were also committed to a uniquely Western cultural identity and strongly cautioned against the mixing of Western and Eastern practices so common today. You will learn something about the dedication and discipline necessary on the occult path.
You will also learn a bit about the physics and the psychology of the last century. Fortune regularly references Freudian psychology, theories of the Ether, and the new physics of Albert Einstein. In my view, these passages, along with the occasional references to the sort of racial and theories and political ideas popular in Fortune's day, are among the most important in the book, even though they are often also the weakest.
Now, why do I say that?
Read this book, and then read a work on occultism by a popular contemporary occult or New Age author. Chances are, you'll come across at least one attempt to explain magic by reference to "cutting edge" physics and psychology; a dollop of half-understood Eastern metaphysics; and a dose or two of today's race and gender theories and popular political ideas. Chances are very good that readers one hundred years from now will react to these passages in the same way you reacted to Fortune's references to Freud or Theosophy. And if you are in fact yourself a popular or aspiring author of occult literature, maybe the cringe you felt when reading Fortune reference Freud or "the ether" will convince you to leave out that passage about quantum physics or evolutionary psychology.
Some Quotes
Chapter I: Laying the Groundwork
"There has always been a widespread belief that some men know more than others, and that instead of sharing certain aspects of their knowledge with their fellow-men, as they were willing, nay eager, to do with certain other aspects of it, they kept it sedulously to themselves, or only communicated it to a chosen few, whom they either bound to inviolable secrecy, or only permitted to impart the knowledge in their turn to those who were prepared to assume the same obligations and who were judged worthy to receive this great privilege."
"What, then, can a man do so to cultivate his mind as to be ready for this higher knowledge when it shall come to him? What can he do by way of preliminary training, working as a solitary student, to fit himself for the reception of the knowledge he desires? The student who is not grounded in the elements cannot understand the advanced teaching, he who has no knowledge of arithmetic cannot grasp mathematics. 'Earn the means first, God surely will contrive use for our earnings,' said one, who himself had trodden the path of knowledge.'"
"The good occult student should have a sound general knowledge of natural science, history, mathematics and philosophy. He cannot, naturally, have a thorough knowledge of all these subjects, but he should know their outlines; he should be familiar with the principles of all the sciences and know the methods of philosophy. Then, when he acquires special knowledge, he will be able to see it in relation to the cosmic scheme of which it forms a part, and hence will know it in a very different way from the man who perceives it apart from its environment."
Chapter III: Preparation for Initiation
"The Higher Self comes into manifestation in the physical body when Initiation takes place. We have only to consider the vast difference between the Individuality and the personality in the average man to realise the immense amount of preparation that must take place before such a maniefstation can take place. Moreover, we cannot fail to see that if that manifestation were attempted before due preparation had been made, the incoming Self would find so great a disparity between itself and its vesture that, like a badly fitting garment, th vesture would be split asunder by the attempt to wear it. This is an occurrence not uncommonly observed among occultists and accounts for many of the problems of occult fraternities."
"It will be seen from the foregoing considerations that the essence of all practical operations is mental. It follows therefore that in the powers of the mind we find the key to the whole process. But although everybody has a mind, they have not by any manner of means all got the conscious use of these powers, though there are more people who have the subconscious and involuntary use of them than is generally credited. A large part of an initiate must therefore consist in the development and training of these latent aspects of his own mind."
Chapter VI: Daily Life Upon the Path
"The first principle to be learnt concerns the nature of the cosmic laws and their inviolability. Students must accept the concept of the absolute rule of law-- that nothing is fortuitous, accidental or incidental. Whatever happens is the result of a cause; whatever is going to happen is also the result of a cause. Being aware of this law, the initiate never grumbles or repines, but accepts calmly and unresentfully whatever may befall him, knowing that nothing comes to him which is not his due. Acknowledging the justice of karma, he accepts the reactions of the past ungrudgingly."
"[The Initiate] knows...that although he cannot determine the conditions under which his life must be lived, he can determine his reactions to those conditions, and according to his reactions will be the karma which will determine the conditions of his next life. The initiate always takes as his unit of calculation, not one life, but three lives, for it always takes three lives for a karmic force to work itself out. Within that unit of three lives we have free will. We can exactly determine the conditions of the life after next."
Chapter XII: The Alphabet of the Mysteries
"A working knowledge of anthropology, archaeology, and folk-lore is also exceedingly valuable for different systems, especially those existing among primitive peoples at the present day, throw much light on the ancient cultures and enable us the better to grasp their metaphysical significance. A general knowledge of physiology is also essential if the relationship between mind and body is to be understood, and the new work in physics is of especial interest to the student of occultism, explaining as it does the nature of the etheric substratum of the manifested universe. Finally, there should be some training at least in the methods and concepts of philosophy and the findings of comparative religion. Thus equipped, the initiate will have the necessary cultural background to enable him to approach his chosen subject in a scientific spirit and produce results worthy of serious consideration."
Chapter XIII: The Training of the Mind
"It will be seen from the foregoing considerations that the essence of all practical operations is mental. It follows therefore that in the powers of the mind we find the key to the whole process. But although everybody has a mind, they have not by any manner of means all got the conscious use of these powers, though there are more people who have the sub-conscious and involuntary use of them than is generally credited. A large part of the training of an initiate must therefore consist in the development of these latent aspects of the mind.
"For purposes of our study we may consider the mind under three heads, as is usually done in psychology-- feeling, will, and reason.But instead of considering them as the psychologists do, as separate units, we shall consider them as the Qabalists do, as successive emanations resulting in equilibrium. We should thus see feeling and reason in polarity, and the kinetic will as resulting from their union. But this is not enough. According to Qabalistic principle, a trinity thus formed must be resumed in a fourth principle upon another plane before it can become functional. If the plane under consideration is a lower plane, they will be resumed in a physical body which gives them expression upon teh plane of matter through instinct; but if the plane under consideration is a higher plane, they will be resumed in that little-understood faculty, the imagination. It is from this synthesis upon a higher plane, and from this alone, that occult power issues forth."
Back to the Present
So, that's what I wrote in 2017. You know, by far the most valuable part of this post is the quotations from Dion Fortune herself. Every single sentence could provide a theme for a very productive session of discursive meditation, or three. More than anything else, the following is jumping out at me:
"Whatever happens is the result of a cause; whatever is going to happen is also the result of a cause. Being aware of this law, the initiate never grumbles or repines, but accepts calmly and unresentfully whatever may befall him, knowing that nothing comes to him which is not his due."
By the Gods, if only I'd paid better attention to these two little sentences at the time I wrote this original post! But, that's a story for another night.
