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The Springtime of Dion Fortune

By Celtic Fire -
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There she is staring out at you...or maybe that should be "in to you"! Whether writing as Violet Firth, Violet M Steele or Dion Fortune, the person behind these names was a prolific author, with some 20 plus works of non-fiction and a further 9 works of fiction. Just in case you can’t get above 20, don’t forget her two lesser known works of The Soya Bean: An Appeal to Humanitarians and  The Psychology of the Servant Problem: A study in social relationships . Not a bad track record for someone who was busy lecturing and teaching, as well as setting up and running her own esoteric fraternity. Most readers seem to appreciate her no-nonsense, down-to-earth and eminently readable style. It tends to lack the occasional pomposity and arrogance peppered throughout Crowley’s highly impressive output. True, some of her writing is now woefully dated in ways that much of Crowley’s isn’t. Similarly, some of the “facts” she presents have not withstood the test of time. Howeve...
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The Diamond Smith

By Celtic Fire -
 A man was cutting diamonds, and in order to minimise wastage used a torturous technique involving fine diamond-edged wheels. A manufacturer of similar jewellery in ground glass said: “We merely grind off the surplus, and so work more efficiently.”   “Maybe,” said the Diamond Smith, “but so precious are my diamonds that even a tiny fragment is worth sparing , and so my care is worthily bestowed.”   “True, true,” assented the worker in glass. “I see that your attention is relatively devalued by the scarcity of your material. Well, never mind - soon we will have techniques for making diamonds by the ton, and you can afford to waste your surplus, as we do.”   The Diamond Smith was unhappy.   “But I only wish to work with what is precious!”   “It is false,” said the worker in glass, “for your preciousness springs from mere scarcity and is the index of your own poverty.”   “And the flower springs from the dung heap,” retorted the D...
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The Beginning of the London Group Part Four

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This fourth public lecture was given in Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London on the 28 th  of May 1975. As mentioned previously, like most genuine esoteric fraternities, the thinking and practices of the group developed and changed over the next forty years. Some elements of what was said then are perhaps a little dated now, but essentially these Outer Court summary notes remain of historical interest and  may also provide some practical pointers for those  with eyes to see, particularly the points on "contact".  *      *      * This evening, we continue our series of inaugural lectures with a talk on Elementary Esoteric Physiology. 1.   The Individuality   What is it? Essentially, those aspects of a person which developed in the earlier part of the current evolutionary phase, and which will persist until the end of this phase. It is sometimes called the “Higher Self” in contrast to the “Lower Self” or Personality, and i...
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The Beginning of the London Group Part Three

By Celtic Fire -
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Continuing my series of posts on the inaugural public lectures of the London Group, included below is Lecture 3, which Alan Adams presented at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London on the evening of 7 th May 1975. Like all healthy esoteric fraternities, much changed and developed in the thinking and practices of the group over the next 4 decades. Some elements are now dated, but essentially this lecture remains of interest historically and  to any seeker after wisdom. It is after all one of a handful of inaugural lectures which hooked the “fish” who subsequently joined the three adepts who seeded the group from Dion Fortune’s Society of the Inner Light. While a further series of public lectures would be held in the Friends Meeting House, St Martin's Lane, London in the second half of the 1980s, led by another, this is where it  all started.  ELEMENTARY ESOTERIC ANATOMY Clearly, the world and humankind were once very different from what they are now. As the Earth devel...
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The Beginnings Of The London Group Part Two

By Celtic Fire -
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This post follows on from my last post on "The Beginnings Of The London Group Part One". The date is now Wednesday 23rd April 1975. The venue Caxton Hall, Westminster, London. The speaker is Alan Adams (pictured below).  From previous posts, readers will know that Alan Adams had previously been the Vice Warden of the Society of the Inner Light, founded by Dion Fortune. Some readers will be aware of his work through references  in the writings of Gareth Knight, for example, in his biography of "Dion Fortune & the Inner Light", in the letters contained in "Yours Very Truly Gareth Knight" and also, the autobiography "I Called It Magic".  Alan's own public writings are still available under his nom de plume “Charles Fielding” ("The Practical Qabalah", and "The Story of Dion Fortune").  The following presents a summary of the London Group’s second public lecture. Details of further lectures will continue to be presented...
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