The Arch of Haven (Gareth Knight)

Gareth Knight News & Ideas

Monday, December 30, 2013

THE ARCH OF HEAVEN

First bright spark in my new year comes in the form of a little book by R J Stewart entitled

The Arch of Heaven. The subject of the book and its contents will not be unfamiliar to

anyone who has worked with RJS over the years, who has read his books The Underworld

Initiation or Living Magical Arts, where they are quoted, or indeed has attended any of his

workshops, or worked with him in a magical capacity. It concerns that most evocative of

openings to any transcendental work that begins:

In the Name of the Son of Light The Son of Maria Foster-son of Brighd in Avalon

Keystone of the Arch of Heaven Who joins as One the Forks upholding of the Sky.....

And concludes with:

.....Do you see us here Oh Son of Light? Says the Son of Light: I See!

There are many of us who can vouch for the evocative power of these lines to the point

that imitation being the sincerest form of flattery a number of us have used them

within our own workings on various occasions. What this little book does is to give a run

down on how these evocative lines came about, and to what use this opening can be put in

the wider field of esoteric working.

As a prayer it provides a simple and effective means for liberating those who are trapped

after physical death, and may be unable or unwilling to move on. It also offers a method of

attuning a location, typically a room or a house (room by room). It can be recited aloud

from the printed page, although is best learned by heart.

As a meditative practice, undertaken daily, it provides the means of attuning to deep

spiritual forces and consciousness of liberation, redemption, beauty and harmony. It

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gently brings us into balance not only in our consciousness but simultaneously within our

bodies.

As a ceremony, it can enable a group or an individual to consciously attune a dedicated or

chosen space to compassionate spiritual forces.

Many of us had assumed The Arch of Heaven to be of ancient Celtic provenance, it certainly

has that feel to it, along with the unique ability to be at one with those of a Christian or a

pagan religious persuasion, and it is thus usable in a variety of circumstances and with

mixed groups. However, its origins are far from what anyone might have expected, as is

revealed in the first part of the book, describing the origin of the verses and their content.

Quite an instructive little ghost story in itself!

The second part of the book describes various ways of working with it and, to my mind,

includes some very perceptive and relevant remarks and guidelines on the dynamics of

inner plane contact and those assumed to be communicating from there. A lot of this

ought to be compulsory reading for a whole host of those who aspire to or who claim to be

working along these lines.

As R J Stewart says in his Introduction It has taken more than thirty-five years to write

this book. Rather than being solely a development of text, it has been a deep current

within my life, and in more recent years within the lives of others trained to work with The

Arch of Heaven. As the main text affirms, you can use the verses beneficially in many ways

without the special training that such deeper levels require. Anyone can open The Arch of

Heaven when spiritual aid is truly necessary; please read on to discover why and how, and

what happens when you do so.

Amen to that! This is certainly a little gem of a book indeed a potential classic that

deserves a place on anybodys bookshelf of even handbag or back pocket!

Published by R.J.Stewart Books, printed in USA and UK, contact www.rjstewart.net

ISBN 978-0-9856006-1-7 $14.95 10.00

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Christ and Qabalah

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BookReviewChrist&QabalahbyGarethKnightwithAnthonyDuncan

December23,2013byPeregrinWildoakonhisblogmagicoftheordinary.HappyChristmaseveryone!

Iwasluckyenoughtoreadthemainsubjectofthisbook,thelateRev.AnthonyDuncan,waybackintheday,whenIfirststartedoutonthisesotericcaperinfactbeforeIreadanyGarethKnight.ThiswasduetothelocalTheosophicalSocietyLibraryholdingacopyofhisTheChrist,PsychotherapyandMagic.EventhoughIwasimmersedinandespousingmynewlyadoptedPaganfaith,thebooktouchedmedeeplyandIdaresayheldmefastduringmanyyearsoftheologicalspeculationandconfusion.

FarfrombeinganordinaryvillageorcityAnglicanvicar,theRev.Duncanwasalsoamysticofgreatdepth,aloveroffaeries,apart-timeghost-buster,anaturalpsychicandawonderfulexponentoftheesoterictruthsbehindChristianity.TheChurchofEnglandoccasionallythrowsupsuchasoul,butrarelydotheyflourishwithinandoutsidetheboundsoftheChurchasRev.Duncandid.

OntheouterreachesoftheChurchoneonlyhastolookathisclassicTheElementsofCelticChristianitywhichhadwideappealbackinthe90s,eventoaPerthPaganaudience Withinthechurchonecanlookathislongcareerasaparishpriest,therespecthegarneredandoneortwomoreouttheremoments.Takeforexample,hisauthorshipoftheclergy-onlydocumentThePsychicDisturbanceofPlacesdescribingarationaleforpsychicdisruptionsofplaces,ghostsandplacememoriesandhowapriestmayassistintheirresolution(whichsomehowmadeit pastthechurchsDoctrineCommission).

Christ&Qabalah,bytherespectedelderofEnglishMagic,GarethKnight,tracesthemeetingandesotericinteractionofideasandworksbetweenhimselfandRevDuncan.Onecanimaginethattwoinnovatorswithintheirrespectivespiritualfieldswouldhavemuchtosaytooneanother,muchtosparkoffeachotherandmuchtogainfromeachothersdepth.Withoutbeingundulyintimate,GarethKnightssharingofcorrespondence,diaryentriesandpoemsallowsthereadertoenterawonderfulandintenselypersonalrelationship.Ashedescribes,eventhoughthetwolivedinthesametownforonlyashorttimeasyoungmen,afterwardstheywereseldomoutofeachothersheads.

Knightrecountstheirrelationshipinalargelychronologicalmanner,allowingthedevelopmentofideasandworks,therefinementofbeliefsandpracticesofeachothertobeclearlyshown.ThisbookisfarmorethanasimplesketchofthelifeofRev.Duncan;Knightdrawsout,placesincontextandshowshoweachinfluencedtheotherandtheramificationsoftheirworkforthegreateresotericandpost-Churchworlds.Hiswriting,asalways,isclear,engagingandattractive,herewiththeadditionofpersonalelementsandanecdotes,astheauthorisquitehappytopresentthedifferencesbetweenhimselfandRev.Duncanwhentheyarose.



ThegreatstrengthofthebookisthesnapshotintothediversityanddepthoftheworkofRev.Duncan,andalso(whenheelaboratesonit)theworkofGarethKnight.Duncanisrevealedasamanofgreatdepthandmysticawareness,a(literally)inspiredwriterandproficientpoet.

Myself(ofwhichImakesogreat

afuss)isamere,brittlespike

ofconsciousnessonthecircumferenceofbeing;

atinyterminalofunplumbeddepth.(ME,p.7)

and

Ourbeingfallstowardsthispoint

Whereallthelinesconverge(NIRVANAPOINT,p.35)

Orinamoreelementalmood:

Spritsofwoodandwater,stoneandfield,

whommysophisticationdisallows,yetabide

andcreepbeneathmycarapace.Iknowyouwell;(DEVELOPMENT,p152)

TherearemanyaspectstoDuncansworkandideasthatcouldeasilybelabelledPagan,hisdeepfaerieandlandconnectionforinstance.AndtheinfluenceofGarethKnight,steeringhimtowardstheQabalah,producedmaterialwhichmayeasilybecalledmagicalbysomepeople.However,thebookshowsthatthroughoutitallDuncanwasclearandinsistentontheneedforaChristocentricviewoftheoccultandthehiddendimensions.Hewasdevoutinonlythewaythosewhohavegonetotheverydepthoftheirtraditions,seeingtheMysteryclearly,eyetoeye,canbe.ForDuncan,naturerevealedthegrandeurofGod(asKnightaptlysummeditupinthewordsofthepoet,GerardManleyHopkins)butwasnotGodintoto.Andasformagicandesoterictheories:

magic,theartofmakingconsciousnessinaccordancewiththewill,isalowerpyramidexerciseonly.ItsfulfilmentisinChristbutthenitisnolongermagic!(p.93)



Posted by Gareth Knight at 8:00 am No comments:

and

Christiansbelieve,notinavatarsorincarnations,butinTheIncarnation.TheWordbecamefleshanddweltamongusasaPersonofthatOneCreature,Mankind.TheintegrityoftheoneandthemanyandtheOneareallboundupinextricably.MankindisaLoveAffairWehavehardlybeguntothinkabouttheimplicationsofTheIncarnationforMankind.Itiseasiertowaffleonabouttheology,orincarnationsorvaguecosmicsofonesortoranother,whileGodheadlies,likeatime-bombinourmidst.(p.139)

ThebookrevealshoweverthatRevDuncanfullyandfirmlyacceptedtherealityoftheinnerworlds,thefaeries,reincarnation,psychicpowerandothermainstaysoftheoccult.HealsosimplyacceptedthecoreChristiandoctrinethatdespiteourbesteffortswesin(moveawayfromtheOne)andonlywiththegraceoftheOne(throughChrist)canwehopetobegintowanttowantGod.Ourownefforts,suchashisdefinitionofmagic,describedinquotationabove,areboundtofail.TheseandotheraspectsoftheChristiantradition,whichremainedcoretohisunderstandingoftheworld,aredescribedandexploredwellinthebook(andinsomeofGarethKnightsotherworks).Theyremainbothachallengeandanopportunityforallmodernstudentsofwesternmagic,andassuchthisbookisideallysuitedforanyoneinterestedinmagic,theoccultorthedeepersidesofChristianity.Itisasuniqueasthetwomen,thetwosoulfriends,whoproducedit.Highlyrecommended.

Christ&Qabalah:Or,theMindintheHeart.GarethKnightwithAnthonyDuncan.SkylightPress.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Three facets of the Faery Melusine

AtChristmastimethetraditionalroleforafaeryseemstobeperchedontopofaChristmastree,possibly,inasecularage,standinginforoneoftheangelswhoscaredthepantsofftheshepherdsastheywatchedtheirflocksbynight.AlthoughthefaeryMelusineofLusignan,whoknewallaboutmeetinghumansmorethanhalfway,insistedthatshewasagoodChristian,alongwiththebeliefthatabitofmagicneverdidanyoneanyharm.Notthatallendeduprosesforherbutthatwaslargelybecauseofherhusbandsfault.Trustahumantomuckthingsup!



AnyhowherstorycomestomindformethisYuletidewiththereissue,bySkylightPress,ofmyfirstbookabouther:MelusineofLusignanandtheCultoftheFaeryWoman,anditmaybehelpfultodistinguishthisapproachtoMelusineascomparedtomyothertwobooksaboutherTheRomanceoftheFaeryMelusineandTheBookofMelusineofLusignaninHistory,LegendandRomance.Eachoneshowsadifferentfacetofthelady.

IwassostruckbythelegendofMelusinethatwhenIfirstcameuponitIwasmovedtowriteoutherstoryformyselfincludingthatofheramazingrelationsherfaerymotherPressine,whohailedfromScotland(asQueenofAlbany)andwasonclosetermswithMorganleFayandhermagicislandthatoneonlyfindsbychancehersistersMeliorandPalastine,respectiveguardiansofaninitiatorytestofthehawkeachmidsummersday,andofagreattreasurehiddeninamountainguardedbyagiant-andhertensons,mostofthemmarkedinsomewayasaconsequenceoftheirfaeryoriginonewithoneallseeingeye,anotherwiththree.FourofthemweregreatheroesandrescuedrichdamselsindistresstobecomekingsofSwitzerland,Bohemia,ArmeniaandCyprus.Theyhadayoungerbrother,GeoffreyGreat-tooth,whowasagiantkillerbutsubjecttoboarlikeragesandkilledhisbrotherFromondafterhehadbecomeamonkbyburningdowntheabbeyalongwiththerestofthecommunity.ThentherewastheaptlynamedHorrible,andthelesssaidabouthimthebetter.Evenhismothersuggestedhavinghimputdownininfancybeforehegrewuptobecompletelyuncontrollable.Therecanbequiteasavagesidetothoseofthefaerykingdomstheyarenotallsugarandspiceandflimsydraperies.TothesestoriesIaddedalittleofmyownexperienceofcontactswithfaeryandmodernfacetsofthetraditionwithachapteronMelusinetoday.AllthishasbeensupplementedintheneweditionofMelusineofLusignanandtheCultoftheFaeryWoman,withafabulousfrontcoverofthepictureofthefaeryflyingroundhercastlefromtheDukedeBerysBookofHourshebeingalordofLusignaninhisday.

ButforthosewhowanttobetransportedbythestoryofMelusinebyamasterstorytellercandonobetterthanimmersethemselvesinTheRomanceoftheFaeryMelusine,whichismytranslationofthestoryastoldbythebrilliantFrenchnovelistAndrLebeyandIcandonobetterthanquotefromareviewatthetimefromthelibrarianoftheSocietyoftheInnerLight:

Ilovedthisbook.Ireaditwiththemusic

ofFrenchfolkiesMalicorneplayinginthebackground,andIsavouredeveryword.

Yes,thedescriptionsaresoevocativethatonecanalmosttastethem!Lebey/Knight

haveachievedahyperrealismthroughanalmosthallucinatorypageantofminutiae

whichbuildandheightenthesenseoftimeandplace,ofmood,ofemotion,creating

fromthebarebonesoflegendaworldentire.Anditsactionpacked!Allhumanlifeis

there,loveandloss,bravery,betrayalThepeoplearereal,thoughdistantinspaceand

time;weareshown,asitwere,amyththroughaseriesofmasquesortapestriesthat

dazzleanddelightthesenses.Comparisonsareodious,butifyouarethinkingto

yourselfthereviewerlovesit,butwillI?thenifyoulikewhatEvangelineWaltondid

withCelticmyth,youprobablywill.ThereisinLebey/Knightsbookaparticularly



Posted by Gareth Knight at 10:32 am 8 comments:

Frenchsensibilitywhichmakesitunique,ofcourse.Hereisamasterofstoryweaving

hismagicandbringingthelovelyladyMelusinebacktousoncemore,impressingthe

legendfirmlyintoourmindseye.

SufficetosaythatitisoneofthebestsellingSkylightfictiontitlesandonethatIamveryproudof,totheextentofattemptinganothertranslationofaLebaytitleallaboutdruidsbutmoreofthatlater.

Finally,forthosewholiketobuttressthemselveswiththefactualisTheBookofMelusineofLusignaninHistory,LegendandRomanceasaconsequenceofmyownvisittoLusignanfromwhichIhaveculledthestoryofMelusineasrecountedbyalocalparishpriest;adefinitiveessayonMelusinebytheFrenchacademicLouisStouffwhoeditedtheoriginaltextofherromance;somephotographsanddescriptionsofthechurchandtownofLusignan,whichthefaerywasalsosaidtohavebuilt,alongwithacribofthefirstEnglishtranslationoftheMelusinestoryofc.1500-1520.AlltoppedoffwithacoupleofchaptersofmyownresearchesintoahistoricaloutlineoftheLordsofLusignan(acoupleofwhomwereKingsoftheCrusaderKingdomsofCyprusandJerusalem)andofFaeryTraditionandJerusalem.Asoneofmyreaders,theAvalonianIanRees,hasremarked:AssomeonewholivesinGlastonburyandwhoworksregularlyinJerusalemIseemuchpotentialinwhatisbeingofferedtousinwhatcanseemlikeaquaintstoryoffaeryancestry.ThejuxtapositionoftheapparentlyetherealworldoftheFaeriewiththebloodandgutsandancienthatredsandholinessofJerusalemmightseematrivialthingabitlikecallingonTinkerBelltosavetheworld,buttrustme,Faeriecanhandleit.TheencounterwiththeChristianmysterywithFaeryisattheheartoftheGrailandArthuriantraditionsandinthesebooksitseemstomeweareseeinganewunveilingofthemystery.

Formoreinformationonallthisandmore,takeatriptotheSkylightPresswebsite.

Saturday, November 23, 2013



Testing the Limits!

Mylatestbook,CHRIST&QABALAH,thatappearsappropriatelyapproachingAdvent,stretchesthelimitsofbothmagicandmysticism.ItcomesasaconsequenceofafortyyearruninwithamostremarkablemanandpriesttheReverendCanonAnthonyDuncanfromourmeetingatTewkesburyAbbeybackin1964tohispassingonin2003.SomethingofthisstoryisrecordedinachapterofmyautobiographyICALLEDITMAGICaswellasoneortwolettersquotedinYOURSVERYTRULY,GARETHKNIGHT.However,thisisthefullMonty,therecordofafriendlyknockdowndragoutcontestbetweenanoccultistandachurchman,inwhichbothlearnedagreatdealabouteachotherandthemselvesandalsowhattheystoodfor.Muchtestingofthelimits,whetherasmysticormagician.

Afirstconsequencesofthisappearedinacoupleofbooksweproducedearlyoninthecontest.OnmypartEXPERIENCEOFTHEINNERWORLDSuponwhichItrainedallsubsequentstudentsinwhatisnowtheAvalonGroup,andonhispartbyTHECHRIST,PSYCHOTHERAPYANDMAGIC,hisfirstreactiontobeingintroducedtotheQabalah,whichwasgreetedinthenationalpresswiththecommentNowatleastoneclergymanhasgotthepointandinthisbookurgeshisfellowChristiansnottodismissoccultismeitherasacrankyfadorasablackart....awhollyfascinatingbookwhichshouldberequiredreadingforallchurchpeople.

AndafterarevelatoryweekendontheholyislandofIonathatopenedupTonyDuncanspsychicandmysticalfaculties,itwascloselyfollowedbyTHELORDOFTHEDANCEaninyourfacerevelationofcontemporarymysticismthatrockedmeonmyheelsandthenTHESWORDINTHESUNahighlypersonalconversationwithaHolyGuardianAngel,chattingaboutreincarnation,fairycontactsandothersundrymattersthatweretoohottopublishuntilColestonBrown,alivelytransatlanticmemberofmygroup,producedaneditiontwentyyearslaterwithhisSunChalicepressinCaliforniaalasnowdefunct.

Nothingloth,however,everamanofintegrity,AnthonyDuncanalsopushedhisideasintheologicaljournalsandelsewhere,asforexampleinNewFireThereappearstobe,intherisinggeneration,aconsiderableincreaseinwhatwemaydescribeaspsychicalawareness.Inaddition,thereisaveryrealandgrowingdesireforGod.Thereis,however,amassiveimpatiencewithinstitutionalism,andarealquestioningastotherelevanceoftheinstitutionalChurchtothingsofthespiritatall.Ourpublicpreoccupationwithrelevancehasnothelpedus,butfarworsehasbeenthelongtraditionofignoranceinmattersofaninteriornature,ourmistrustofmysticismandourrejectionwithoutverymuchattemptatcomprehensionofthepsychic...ThegreatChristianheritageofmysticismandcontemplationisgoingbydefaultthroughsheerignoranceofit.

Followingthroughfromallthis,aswediscovered,wastheneedtodifferentiatebetweenthemysticalandthemagical.Muchofmagicalpracticeisintermsofthepsychicandintuitive,whichmaynotnecessarilybeanapproachtoGod,butrathertoourowninteriorstates,thecollectiveunconscious,ortodenizensoftheinnerplanes.WeoftentendtothinkoftheTree



ofLifeintwodimensionaltermsandheavingourselvesupthegradesuntil,eventually,asIpsissimi(shouldwelivesolong!),wecanbeonnoddingtermswithGod.ActuallyitisaloteasierthanthatifwerememberthedoctrineoftheFourWorldsoftheQabalists.Thatistosayinathreedimensionaldiagram,wherethewholeTreeisavailabletousasMaterialWorld,FormativeWorld,CreativeWorld,andSpiritualWorld.

WeallknowallabouttheMaterialWorld,wearewellmiredwithinit,andwecanasoccultistsoperatewithintheFormativeandCreativeworldsbyelementalorangeliccontacts.TheSpiritualworldistheonewhereGodImminentistobefoundandquiteaccessibletoo.AstheearlyQabalistIsaacLuriahtaught,weandthewholecreationare,literally,INGod.Andnotfornothingisthepresentbooksub-titledTHEMINDINTHEHEART,whichisamuchsuperiororganofperceptionthanisgenerallyrealised.

AndasTonyDuncan,whoputmuchofhisperceptionsintoverse,expresseditinBalaamsDog:

TheLord,whomadeanassarticulateinHolyWrithas,intheselatterdaysinspiredmydogwho,noticingmystateobserved:YouseekourLordinmanyways;youmeditateforhours,breatheYogabreath,contortyourselfinposturesandawakeyourinnerdepthstonightmareandnear-death,performtheDhikr,andcontemplate,andmakeaninnerTantricsound,andgotobedexhaustedandtormentedinthedark.YoumakeofLovesuchheavywork!shesaid.Withallthesearrows,doyouhitthemark?OurLordishere,shesaid.Canyounotsee?OurLordisLove,andloving,Justlikeme!

Notthathismessageisallsimpleevangelism.Itextendstothefriendshipoffaeryforexample.Andnotethetoneofrespect.

ShallIreturntofairylandwhosawthemdancingthere?ShallIreturnandparttheveilthathangsacrossthinair?ShallIintrudeupontheirpeacewhooncedidwelcomeme?OrmightourblessedfriendshipceaseshouldI,intruding,see?Truemagicisagiventhing,itsmysteriesarenotsought;itsunexpectedlightandlovenotstolenare,norbought.Anopenheart,atruerespectforbrethrenyetunseen,shallyieldwhatnomancanexpect,whocomeswhereLovehasbeen.

Whilsthisinsightsintohighmysticalstatescanbequitemindblowing.

HowmanyheavensdoesthisEarthcontain?Whatsubtletiesofwavelengthandwhatboundsareset?Whatfrequenciesaretuned,whatlivesareliveduponanotherplane?ForIhavefeltthempassingby,intentupontheirbusiness,andhaveseen,haveglimpsedtheirpresence,knownthemnear,befriendedinthecornerofaneye.Alllifeisone.Weriseorfall,eachpersonsofonecreature:Man.Ourmysteryproceedstoplan,oneInnerSpacecontainsusall.



Posted by Gareth Knight at 4:29 pm 2 comments:

ThatInnerSpacebeingtheMindofGod,whichincludesawarenessofthewideruniversewhichthatDivineMindcreated.

Inhabitantsofotherspheresthanthisdrawnearthethresholdofmyconsciousmind.Astheyaresent,perhaps?OrIambidden?Somecometoseethepriest.Otherscollide,andweregardinmutualpuzzlementandgentlymoveourworldsoncemoreapart.Imustbevigilant.Four-squareImustabide;discernmentandcompassioninmyheart.

Ifoundevidenceofthiswhengoingthroughsomeofhisoldpapers.TheyincludedamanuscriptcalledTOTHINKWITHOUTFEARthattakesouterspaceintoaccount.Inthisextraordinarywork,shortlytobepublishedbySkylightPress,heincludeshisownexperiences,andfranklyexaminestheexperienceofpsychiccommunicationwith"extra-terrestrial"contactsandthetheologicalandotherimplications.

Fromthis,somemightconsiderhimtobeasnuttyasafruitcake.Letmeassurethemthathecertainlywasnot.AnthonyDuncanwasthemostdowntoearth,commonsensicalandpracticalofmen,assomeofhisdescriptionsofworkingasaparishpriest,movingly(andsometimesamusingly)revealwhichincludetakingtheblessedsacramentthroughthestreetstothedying,comfortingthesick,injuredordementedinhospitalwards,organisingavicaragegardenparty,anddevisingaBibleQuizfortheWomensFellowshipBeetle-Drive!WhileaspartofhislesserknownvocationasaDiocesanExorcist,producingonhisretirementaguidebookdealingwiththePsychicDisturbanceofPlacesabookletIwroteformysuccessorsasspooksministrymen.IthasthedistinctionofhavingpassedmusterwiththeChairmanoftheChurchofEnglandDoctrineCommission.Canoneflyhigher?Notthathewouldevertalkmuchaboutthiskindofwork,althoughaspectsofitfeatureinsomeofhispoems,andinhisnovelFAVERSHAMSDREAMandalsoinUNFINISHEDBUSINESS,whichhasyettocome.

However,forthemomentthereismorethanenoughtostimulate,educateandponderinourmutualeffortCHRIST&QABALAHSkylightPress.AndajollygoodChristmaspresenttoo!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Magical Novels and Magical Rites

WhatseemslikelytobethemostpopularesoterictitlesofarinthepublicationsofSkylightPressistherecentlypublishedDionFortunesRitesofIsisandofPancontainingscriptsoftheritesthatwerewrittenandperformedbyDionFortunebackinthe1930s.Theyhaveratherbeenkeptunderwrapseversince,



buttherecomesatimeforeverything,onthisoccasionsparkedwhenWendyBerg,outoftheblue,askedmeifDionFortunehadeverwrittenaRiteofPan,andifso,wasitlikelytobehangingaroundanywhere?

IpassedontheenquirytotheWardenoftheSocietyoftheInnerLight,feelingpromptedatthesametimetosuggestthat,iftherewas,itmightbeagoodideatopublishitalongwiththeRiteofIsis.Tomydelightananswerquicklycameback,notonlyintheaffirmativebutwithagreatdealofenthusiasm,alongwithcopiesoftheoriginalscripts.

ItremainedonlyformetoaddsomeresearchofmyownshowinghowtheriteslinkedtohernovelsTheWingedBull,TheGoat-footGod,TheSeaPriestessandMoonMagic.AndinreadingthesethroughagainIlearnedquitealotastotheircloselinksandmutualimportance.

AlongwiththisIwasabletoaddacoupleofarticlesthatDionFortunewroteabouthernovelsinTheInnerLightMagazineatthetime.AlsoanhistoricallyimportantarticleshewroteforTheOccultReviewin1933,entitledCeremonialMagicUnveiled,whichhailedtwonewbooksbytheyoungIsraelRegardie,whomshetookunderherwingandsupportedhisinitiationintoaBristolbranchoftheGoldenDawn,(fromwhichmuchupturningofapplecartswouldlaterensue!)However,hisTreeofLifeandGardenofPomegranateseffectivelyendedthecultureofsecrecythathadhithertosurroundedtheGoldenDawntraditionofmagic,andDionFortune'sownwork,TheMysticalQabalah,wassoontofollow.

ShehadbeenworkingonTheMysticalQabalahsince1931anditspublicationledinturntoherwritingandpubliclyperformingherRiteofIsisandRiteofPan,andillustratingtheirprinciplesinhernovels.Sexualpolarityplayedalargepartintheirformatalthoughthetopic,intheformofethericmagnetismismuchbroaderthanthis,asshewentontodescribeinaseriesofarticlescalledTheCircuitofForcein1939-40sincepublishedbyThothPublicationswithacommentarybymethatwasmuchhelpedbymycomingacrossanoldtextonethericmagnetismonabookstallinParis.Nicepieceofsynchronicity!

Inhernovelsshegivessomepracticalexamplesofthis,notablyinTheWingedBullwhereUrsulaBrangwynchargesupTedMurchisonwhenheisinaparticularlydepletedstate,andinthenovelsthatfollowedshebecameincreasinglyopenaboutitsapplicationinaritualcontext.

TheRiteofPanisalludedtoinTheGoat-footGodbutwithoutverymuchdetail,butthescriptoftheRiteofIsisisquiteextensivelyquotedinTheSeaPriestessandinMoonMagic.Whatisperhapsmoreimportant,andwhichcantendtobeoverlooked,areherdescriptionsofwhatparticipationinamagicalritualmayfeellikegiventherightconditionsandattitudetowhatisgoingon.Overthe



yearsshehadalsosetout,invariousarticlesinTheInnerLightMagazinevarioushintsaboutthetechniqueofritual,mostofwhichhavebeencollectedtogetherwithmatchingarticlesbyme,publishedbyThothPublicationsasAnIntroductiontoRitualMagicin1997.

Forexamplesheisatpainstopointout:

Ceremonial magic is not primarily designed to produce objective phenomena, but to operate

in the invisible kingdoms. The immediate results are not observed by the physical eye, but by

psychic vision, and the end results are diffused and indirect, but nevertheless very definite. If

we approach ceremonial magic from this point of view, we can learn a great deal, and we can

also do a great deal; but if we expect of it what it is not designed to perform, we shall be

disappointed...It must be clearly realised that magic can only be done effectually by a trained

person, and that results are not a foregone conclusion, but in proportion to skill and

experience. Natural aptitude also plays a part. The first requisite is the power to concentrate;

the second, the power to build up an image in the imagination with the same clarity as a

novelist visualises his characters; the third is the power to throw consciousness out of gear and

let the subconscious mind take over. ... The result of such an operation, if successful, is to

produce a profound psychological effect on all concerned and an extraordinary atmosphere in

the room where it is performed.

SuchistheaimoftheperformanceofscriptssuchastheRiteofIsisandtheRiteofPan.Butwhatisthepointofallthis?Shegoesontosay:

Now if temporary exaltation and nothing more were produced, ceremonial magic would rank

with alcohol as an intoxicant with possible medicinal uses and a definite entertainment value;

but such an exaltation extends consciousness, develops capacity, and affects character to a

marked degree. It will not change a persons character, making him something he is not, but it

will bring out anything of a corresponding nature that is latent in just the same way that

hypnotism will, and for the same reason that it touches the deepest levels of consciousness

and releases inhibitions. It is for this reason that ceremonial will do in an hour what can only be

done by meditation in months or years.

Althoughalongwiththiscomesomecaveats:

The persons taking part must be carefully chosen, both for their own sakes and for the sake of

the success of the operation; they must be properly trained and know what they are about, and

they must gain experience with minor potencies and rites before they attempt the high-

powered ones. Some exponent s of occultism decry all ritual as dangerous, and no doubt it

would be so in their hands; but there is no reason why foxes who have got tails should cut them

off!

Forthisreasontherewasnodoubtadiscreteselectionprocessinherperformingtheseritesinpublic,butitwashertheorythatbeneficialresultswithouttoo



Posted by Gareth Knight at 11:58 pm 1 comment:

muchriskcouldbeachievedbyreadinghernovelsandidentifyingwiththecharacters.Notthatthiswasentirelyfoolproof,asshenotesin1936:

The Winged Bull was published last year with results that were to be expected the reviewers

passed by on the other side; a fair number of folk wrote to express unbridled admiration; and a

few let off screeches of agony and abuse which showed that their complexes had been trodden

on. In fact our library is enriched by a copy which was presented by a lady who was so horrified

at it that she not only would not keep it in the house, but would not place it in the dustbin lest

it corrupt the scavengers.

Nonetheless,heresotericnovelshaveremainedinprint,offandon,foroverseventyyearswhichisonecelebrateddefinitionofliteraryimmortality.TheyarecurrentlypublishedbyWeiserBooksintheU.S.A.

Withthisnewbook,discerningreaderscannowreadtheminthelightoftheactualRitesofIsisandofPan,alongwithsomeofherowncommentsonherintentionsinacoupleofcontemporaryarticlesTheNovelsofDionFortune(1936)andTheWingedBull:AStudyinEsotericPsychology(1938),towhichIhaveaddedanextractfromhermagicaldiaryof1931onTheEstablishmentoftheSphereofYesodintheAura;somenotesonTheCircuitofForcethatwascirculatedtomembersofherSocietyin1939(somewereabitnervousaboutit!);andfinallyatranscriptofatranceaddresstoseniormembersoftheSocietyoftheInnerLightinDecember1940onthesubjectsofmagicalandmysticalpolarity.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Dion Fortune's "novel approach" to Magic

In each of the novels that Dion Fortune wrote to illustrate principles

described in her textbook The Mystical Qabalah namely The Winged

Bull (1935), The Goat-foot God (1936), The Sea Priestess (1938) and its

sequel Moon Magic (1956), she described a magical working. The

circumstances varied but in each case the format was a three-handed

one, consisting of hero and heroine overseen by a senior third party.



In The Winged Bull Colonel Brangwyn, who is credited with being

a senior adept, is trying to save his niece Ursula from the clutches of

Frank Fouldes, who was formerly her fianc before he fell in with Hugo

Astley, an unsavoury figure with a penchant for even more unsavoury

rituals. The Colonel seeks to have Ursula form a more wholesome

liaison with somebody new, namely Ted Murchisan, an old army

comrade down on his luck, and in the process teaching him a species of

improvised ritual magic known as the Rite of the Winged Bull, as

opposed to the ghastly Astleys Rite of the Bull which owed something

to the legend of Pasiphae. If you dont know what that is dont ask!

After a number of alarms and excursions all is successful and ends with

the marriage of Ursula and Ted.

In The Goat-foot God, the leading figure is old Jelkes, who

makes no claims to being an adept but knows his way around, having

been a Jesuit novitiate in his youth before becoming an antiquarian

bookseller with a sideline in occult books. One of his customers is Hugh

Paston, a wealthy socialite who is toying with the idea of diverting

himself with a bit of black magic. Jelkes saves him from this

insalubrious course by introducing him to ancient pagan beliefs. This

leads to Hugh sorting out some of his hang-ups with the help of the

artistic and esoterically sympathetic Mona Freeman with whom he

performs a spontaneous Rite of Pan in a bosky grove on an ancient site

having preserved their respectability by getting married earlier in the

day.

In The Sea Priestess, the feisty adept Vivienne Le Fay Morgan

entices Wilfred Maxwell, a provincial estate agent, into helping her

locate and decorate a sea temple for her magical work, where she

performs with him a Rite of Isis. Here the third and senior party is an

inner plane being, a Merlin like figure who is referred to as the Priest of

the Moon. In this case, although Vivienne plays fast and loose with the

emotions of her occult apprentice there is no question of her becoming

involved in any physical relationship with him let alone marriage.

Apart from allegedly being 120 years old, she is totally dedicated to the

life of a lone adept. Although before she leaves the scene she instructs

a local girl, Molly Coke, in the functions of a moon priestess which

Molly, again overseen by the Priest of the Moon, puts into practice after

she and Wilfred have wed.



Dion Fortune never completed Moon Magic, which features the

same sea priestess, now resident in London and going by the name of

Lilith, so we do not know whether Dr Rupert Malcolm, her new

apprentice, might have gone on to find a suitable spouse or priestess.

But at least he learned a lot about magic and, a changed man, was in a

good position to get one.

So does all magical work of this nature end between the sheets

we might ask, along with the prospect of wedding bells and orange

blossom and holy matrimony? We might be led to think so, if we did

not take into account the genre in which Dion Fortune was writing.

That is to say, popular romantic fiction for the patrons of 1930s

circulating libraries a major institution in their day.

This novel approach (no pun intended!) to teaching occultism to

the wider world was a somewhat risky experiment and, as Dion Fortune

came to admit, did not come off quite as she had hoped. She

speculated on reasons why in a couple of articles in the Inner Light

Magazine (The Novels of Dion Fortune and The Winged Bull a Study in

Esoteric Psychology), both of which are included in a forthcoming book

from Skylight Press, Dion Fortunes Rites of Isis and of Pan, which gives

the rites in full, with cross references to the appropriate novels.

Whatever the outcome to characters in the books, a real life

occult group should not be regarded as a dating agency or marriage

bureau, let alone hive of debauchery. For as the sea priestess was at

pains to point out, her magical aims transcended the physical and

personal levels. Through the psychic tension of their magical working

she and Wilfred Maxwell were committed to bringing through the

godlike dynamics of a deep polar relationship, not just to themselves

but to all men and women via the group soul, the collective

unconscious, the astral light, or whatever one likes to call it. Thus in

magical work, if sex creeps into the door of the lodge then magic tends

to fly out of the window. For the sexual canoodling serves only to short

circuit the force, which runs to earth via the physical channels at best

a lightning conductor for those unable to handle the psychic pressure,

but with considerable risk of domestic collateral damage.

However, in real life Dion Fortunes Rites of Isis and Pan were

enacted in very different circumstances from the novels, for they took

place not in private but in public, before an invited audience. In 1936,



a new epoch had been announced in the growth and organisation of

the Fraternity, one consequence of which was leasing an old converted

church in Belgravia called The Belfry. And here, as well as in lecture

demonstrations with lantern slides and chanting at her Bayswater

headquarters, Dion Fortune and two or three of her senior colleagues

were able to present the Rites. In this respect she was by no means a

trailblazer, for a Rite of Isis had been performed in Paris by the Golden

Dawn founders S.L. and Moina MacGregor Mathers in 1899 when Violet

Mary Firth was still a schoolgirl back in Weston-super-Mare.

She seems to have been quite successful in her endeavours.

Bernard Bromage, a London University lecturer and researcher on

oriental esoteric systems, who witnessed her Rite of Isis was much

impressed. As he remarked in a retrospective article on Dion Fortune in

Light, (journal of the College of Psychic Studies, Spring 1960) it

remained in his memory one of the best attempts I have ever

witnessed to stimulate the subconscious by means of pantomime

drawn from the more ancient records of the hierophants art.

The use of the word pantomime may perhaps seem a little odd

in the circumstances but the good academic is obviously using it more

in the classical sense, rather than the modern, which was originally a

form of performance by a single mute dancer playing all the parts with

the help of masks backed up by a chorus of singers and instruments,

where the dancer literally played (mimed) all the parts (panta). This is

not quite the way Dion Fortune played it but a fair approximation if one

does not want to use the dread word magic.

But what of the depiction of rites in her novels? Although, to

conform to the conventions of popular fiction, the circumstances

surrounding the set up of the magical workings could be quite

unrealistic, there is considerable value in her description of what it can

be like to experience different levels of consciousness when

participating in a ritual. And this is where the value of Dion Fortunes

novels lies. She is describing from personal experience far beyond the

capacities of any popular writer whose knowledge is only theoretical or

at second or third hand and she also showed a gradually mounting

confidence in presenting the details of the invocations of a magical

working.



Thus it is quite unreasonable to think that in The Winged Bull a

beginner like Ted Murchison was capable of spontaneously improvising

the role of Priest of the Sun to Ursulas Priestess of the Earth, even to

the evocative violin playing of Colonel Brangwyn as High Priest. Indeed

the action seems more in the nature of an exotic tea dance than a

ritual working. But even if there was a formal Ritual of the Winged Bull

(and there is no evidence that Dion Fortune ever wrote one) she would

certainly not have published the script in the very secretive esoteric

culture of 1935. After all, she felt she had taken something of a risk by

publishing her innocuous textbook The Mystical Qabalah! Nonetheless

the The Winged Bull gives a very accurate account of the typical

feelings of a magical tyro about to be introduced to ritual working, and

also of the possible heights of experience which can at times be

reached.

In The Goat-foot God there is a similar unlikelihood of Hugh

Paston and Mona Freeman being able to perform a Rite of Pan by

making it up as they go along, however atmospheric the time and

place. And although there certainly was a written Rite of Pan composed

by Dion Fortune at the time of writing the novel, she did not feel it

appropriate to include any of it apart from a fragment disguised as a

song sung by Mona as she goes about laying the breakfast table.

Bowl of oak and earthen jar,

Honey of the honey-bee;

Milk of kine and Grecian wine,

Golden corn from neighbouring lea

These our offerings, Pan, to thee,

Goat-foot god of Arcady.

And so on for three verses. The performance of the rite itself comes

only after the last paragraph of the novel and is left entirely to the

readers imagination.

However, in The Sea Priestess Dion Fortune threw caution to

the winds and almost the whole of the Rite of Isis is to be found

scattered throughout its pages, which could perhaps be one reason why



Posted by Gareth Knight at 9:23 am 1 comment:

Williams & Norgate declined to handle it. She was obliged to publish it

herself, a year later, in 1938. It is generally accounted to be her best

novel although of course the plot is a highly unlikely one, and the sea

priestess herself a somewhat unlikely adept in real life. Nonetheless,

the accounts of what successful magical working feels like from the

inside are both accurate and revealing, as is also the case with Moon

Magic.

And although the emphasis of the working of the Rites rests

upon the priest and priestess, the scripts are more in the nature of a

four handed working, with High Priest and Lector taking up the other

positions in the accustomed well balanced four handed traditional

system. In a lodge the positions would logically be taken up by priest

and priestess in south and north respectively, and High Priest and

Lector in east and west, with any supernumerary members in a circle

round about. The Belfry performances took place on a stage with an

audience looking on.

Whatever the mode of working however, even reading the rituals

today can be a powerful experience, bringing through a considerable

surge of inspiration and energy and even healing. And this is probably

their best use for the most part, without need for all the ritual

trimmings. In other words, just as Dion Fortune hoped that reading one

of the novels would stir the subconscious mind of her readers,

particularly if they identified unconsciously with one of the characters,

so an imaginative reading the rituals today in a meditative state,

identifying with one of the officers, can be an invaluable exercise for

those who do not have the facilities for actual well run group working.

And this is all now quite possible through the publication, with

permission of the Society of the Inner Light, of Dion Fortunes Rites

of Isis and of Pan (Skylight Press), with links provided to the relevant

novels, together with a series of appendices of contemporary articles

by Dion Fortune from The Occult Review and the Inner Light Magazine

between 1931 and 1938.



Thursday, September 19, 2013

The Cosmic Doctrine - how it all began!

InGlastonburybackin30thJuly1923twofriends,VioletMaryFirthandCharlesThomasLoveday,wereabouttoembarkonapsychicexperimentthatsentreverberationsgoingintheesotericworldevendowntoourday.ItwasthefirstsessionofwhatcametobeknownasTheCosmicDoctrine.The33yearoldVioletFirthhadforsometimebeenintentonteachingherselftheartoftrancemediumshipthebasicsofwhichsheseemedtohavepickedupasacloseassociateofDrTheodoreMoriartywhomshehadmeteightyearsbeforeandwhohadmightilyimpressedher.Shebecameamemberofaco-masonicgroupthathefoundedin1919,attendedresidentialclassesgivenbyhim,inwhichhewas,byherownaccount(inhersemi-autobiographicalPsychicSelfDefence)adeptatthiskindofwork.

NotthatthiswastheonlystringtoVioletFirthsbowfor,apartfrombeingthedaughterofChristianScienceparents,shehadalsobecomeamemberoftheTheosophicalSociety,andofabranchoftheHermeticOrderoftheGoldenDawn.Allofwhich,forvariousreasons,shelatermovedonfrom,toformherownesotericgroup,theCommunity(laterFraternityandthenSociety)oftheInnerLight.

Shealsohadjournalisticambitionsandduring1922wrotesomeesotericstoriesfortheRoyalMagazine,laterpublishedinbookformasTheSecretsofDr.Taverner,thefirstofwhich,BloodLust,wascloselybasedonanincidentshehadobservedthatinvolvedMoriarty,andthathadsoimpressedherthatshegaveupherstudentshipasapsychologicalcounsellorwiththeMedico-PsychologicalClinictobecome,in1916,amemberoftheWomensLandArmy.Thiswasapatrioticgestureintimeofwarbutthemainreasonwasherconvictionthatpsycho-therapycouldnotmakemuchprogressifitdidnottakecognisanceoftheesotericfield.HerDrTavernerstorieswereaimedatbringingtopublicawarenessthepossibilitiesofpsychologicalproblemshavingtheirrootinpreternaturalcausesorlittleknownpowersofthehumanmindasshelikedtocallthem.ShewrotethesestoriesunderthepennameofDionFortune,bywhichhehassincebecomemoregenerallyknown.

ThefirstindicationwehaveofDionFortune(asweshallnowcallher)experimentingintrancetechniqueswasinJanuary1921withtheassistanceof



herGoldenDawnmentorandfamilyfriendMaiyaCurtis-Webb(laterTranchell-Hayes).Thiswasobviouslyapprenticework,butbySeptember1921shehadbecomesufficientlycompetenttoundertakesomeworkfortheGlastonburypsychicalresearcherFrederickBlighBond,theresultbeingwhatbecameknownastheGlastonburyScripttoherlaterfollowers.

Withinsixmonths,throughachancemeetingatChaliceWell,shemadetheacquaintanceofCharlesThomasLoveday,anesotericallyinclinedChristianmysticsomefifteenyearshersenior,withwhomsheformedacloseesoteric(andcompletelyplatonic)associationthatwastolasttherestoftheirdays.Heencouragedhertrancework,akeypointofwhich,inAugust1922,wasamoresustainedfollowuptotheGlastonburyscriptviaaninnerplanecontactwithagroupknownastheCompanyofAvalon.

However,thisdidnotlast,astheywerepassedonfromthemysticallybasedCompanyofAvalon,withitsmissionofanationalspiritualinfluxintothe

church,towardsamoreHermeticallyorientedhierarchy.Thisbeganon28thSeptember1922fromwhichtheredevelopedasystematicseriesofteachingsaboutthesevenplanesoftheuniversewhich,inpersonalterms,weremoreattunedtoDionFortuneslongstandingpsychological/sexualconcernsthanThomasLovedaysmystical/ecclesiasticalones.

ThisverysoondevelopedintoacontactwithsomespecificinnerplanecommunicatorswithwhomDionFortunewascloselyconcernedfortherestofherlife.Thefirst,knownasDavidCarstairs,becameevidentinOctober1922,a

somewhatcheekyinformalcontact,apparentlykilledinactioninthe1stWorldWar,whoactedasakindofintroductortoothermoreheavyweightcontacts.

Thefirstofthesecamethroughon15thNovember,apparentlytheoncefamouslawyerandLordChancellorThomasErskine,(1750-1823),andcloselyfollowedonNovember30thbyonereferredtoastheGreekmaster,lateridentifiedwiththeancientphilosopherSocrates.

Somethingoftheatmosphereofthetimeiswellcaughtinatranscriptofthetime,inthewordsofCarstairs:

Well,howareyougettingonwiththenewteacher?Heisfinishedfortonight.Hedoesnotfinditeasytodoyet.Hehasbeenoveralongtime.Hewas



aGreek.Yes,theonementionedbefore.Heisworkingfromaprettyhighplane,andtheresultisthatthevibrationsgetabitfaint.Notlikeme;justnextdoor.Hemaybeabitscrappy.Itwillwantsortingout.Heisfondofaphorisms.

LordErskinewasunusuallygood.Hewasusedtopublicspeaking.Thismanismoreusedtodealingwithpupilsbyquestionandanswer,astheydidinGreece.Hewouldgetonthestepofsomepublicbuilding,andyoungmenwouldcomeandaskhowmanyeggsmadefive,andhewouldtellthem.HewaslaterthanPythagoras.Hegotputtodeath,wasabittoomuchforthem.

MostoftheteachingreceivedatthistimewaswrittenupandsubsequentlypublishedasTheEsotericPhilosophyofLoveandMarriage,inmanywaysatransitionalbookthathasnotstooduptoowelltothepassageoftime.Itcombinedelementaryesoterictheory,withastrongemphasisonthetheoryofplanesasfeaturedinTheosophicalSocietyliterature,combinedwithsocialandsexualproblemsthathadconcernedVioletFirthinhertimeattheMedico-Psychologicalclinic.

Sothingscontinuedwithweeklymeetingsalongtheselinesuntilon28thMarch1923theywerewarnedbyadifferentcommunicator(simplyreferredtoasanAgentoftheLordsofKarma)that:ThisEasterwillproveaturningpointinmorewaysthanone.Youwillseeanewlifeopeningupbeforeyou,andnewwork.Yourfirstdutywillbetoequipyourselfforthenewworkthatwillopenupaheadofyou.Youmustbeequippedupontheouterandtheinnerplanes,bothworkingtogetherConditionsarebeingputinorderfortheworktogoforward.Tiesarebeingadjusted,andthefinancialpositionisbeingmadesecure.Allthingsarebeingharmoniouslyworkedout.Thereismuchworkahead,agreatworktobedoneforwhichconditionsarebeingmade.Youwillalwaysworkinobscurity,butyourinfluencewillbefeltfurtherthanyouyetdream.MeansarebeingprovidedtothisendYouwillfollowthestudymarkedoutforyou.Youwillbeinthehandsofcertainteachers.Trustthem,buttrustnoonewithconfidences.

OnthemundanesideofthingsthiscametopassthefollowingyearintheacquisitionofphysicalpremisesinwhichtoworkinbothGlastonburyandLondonandthefoundationoftheprototypeoftheSocietyoftheInnerLight.On

theinnersideofthingsitwaskickedoffbythearrivaloftheGreekon30thJuly1923tobeginaseriesofteachingsthatbecameknownasTheCosmicDoctrine.



Thefirstsixsessions,whichlastedoverthecourseofacalendarmonth

(30thJulyto30thAugust1923),soughtnothinglessthantodescribethegenesisoftheUniverseataspirituallevel.

Whoevertheinnerplanecommunicatorswere,anditappearstherewasagroupofthem,theyseemphilosophicallytobeNeoplatonists.Thatistosaytheirteachingalthoughtheyneversaidsoinsomanywordsfollowsclosely

thatofthe3rdcenturyphilosopherPlotinus(c.205-270A.D.)whowasinturnafollowerofPlato(429-347B.C.),astudentofthehistoricalSocrates.(469-399B.C.)

ItwouldseemthatDionFortuneandThomasLovedaywerequiteunacquaintedwiththetermsofNeoplatonicphilosophy(theOne,theDemiurge,theWorldSoul)sothetermsusedinTheCosmicDoctrinewerewhateverhappenedtobewithinthemediumssubconsciousmind.Thesewere

mostlybaseduponearly20thcenturypopularTheosophicalteachingtingedwithsomeoftheideasofTheodoreMoriarty.Itwas,therefore,aformidablechallengeforthecommunicatorstogettheirmessageacrosswithoutthebenefitofaclassicalphilosophicalvocabulary.HencemanyofthetermsinTheCosmicDoctrinehadtobemadeuporborrowedfromothersystemsofideas.

Neoplatonismisessentiallyareligiousphilosophy.AccordingtoNeoplatonicteachingstheprimeSourceofallBeingiscalledtheONEortheINFINITE.InCosmicDoctrinetermsitisthesourceofAll.InJudeo-ChristiantermsitcouldbeequatedwithGodTranscendent,theCreator,theElohim,theDoveoftheHolySpiritmovinguponthefaceofthePrimalWaters.InQabalisticphilosophyitcorrespondstotheAinSophAurtheLimitlessLightoftheThreeVeilsofNegativeExistence.InTheCosmicDoctrineitisthecreatorofthespiritualCosmos,fromwhichspringsalltherestinwhichweliveandmoveandhaveourbeing.

Theprocessofcreationissomewhatingeniouslydescribedintermsofamathematicaldiagram,startingfromaonedimensionalpointthatmovestoformaline,thatcurvestocreateatwodimensionalfigure,acircle,whichthenbeginstoturnuponitselfinathirddimensiontoformasphere.Fromthencethespheredevelopsaninternalorganisationorpatternofforcesintermsof7internalspheres(knownasPlanes)and12ovoidradialfigures(knownasRays).Thesein



turnproducewithintheirconvergingforcestangentialmovementsoreddieseachofwhichhasthepotentialtobecomeaspiritualbeinginitsownright.TheseinTheCosmicDoctrineare(somewhatconfusingly)calledAtomsalthoughtheyhavenothingwhatevertodowiththeatomswelearnaboutatschoolinchemistryclasses.Theyaretherootofallformsofspiritualbeingincludingourselves!

TherearehoweverdifferentdegreesofcomplexityintheseCosmicAtoms.Ifwejustfollowthedevelopmentofoneofthemorecomplexones,byreasonofitsgreaterspiritualweight(webeginheretomovefrompurelymathematicalanalogytooneakintophysicalmechanics)itbecomesaTravellingAtomwhichundertakesacompletetourofallaspectsoftheOne,throughalltheRaysandPlanestoendupattractedtotheverycentreofthings,calledinTheCosmicDoctrinetheCentralStillnesswhichmorepoeticallymightbecalledtheBosomofGod.

Then,afterassimilatingtheexperienceofGodheaditisshotforthdowntheCosmicPlanestotheperipheryoftheCosmoswiththeabilitytoprojectalessersystemofitsown.

AssuchitisknownasaGreatEntityorGreatOrganismor,asitisultimatelyinitsfullphysicalexpression,aStar,aSolarLogoscapableofproducingaSolarsystem.InclassicalNeoplatonismthiswouldhavebeenknownastheDEMIURGEortheNOUS,capableinitsturnofprojectingtheWORLDSOULwhichformstheessenceofthecorporealworldweknowwhereinwefindourselvesinphysicalbodiesonasolidplanetwiththeSolarLogosmanifestingphysicallyasaflamingnuclearfurnaceandimmediatesourceoflightandlifetoourplanet.

WhereTheCosmicDoctrinemakesanadvanceonclassicalNeoplatonismisthatitregardsallthestarsweseeintheskyinthesameterms,eachaDemiurgeforitsownparticularsystem.However,themainthrustofitsteachingisconfinedtoourownEarth,ourownSunandthesevenplanes(fromphysicaltospiritual)ofwhichtheyarecomprised.

TheCosmicDoctrinewasreckonedbyDionFortune,byherinnercontactsandbyherFraternitytobeoneofthemostimportantworksofmediationthatsheeverdid.Afteritsinitialreceptionin1923itbecamea



confidentialstudytextforseniormembersoftheFraternity.Despitefurtherpressurefromtheinnerplanesin1930todosomethingaboutgettingitpublished,owingtoitsabstrusecontentthiswaseasiersaidthandone,anditwasnotuntil1949thatiteventuallypubliclyappearedviaAquarianPress,editedbytheWardenofthetime,ArthurChichester.In1966thiswassucceededbyaslightlyrevisedandenlargededition,containingadditionalmaterialreceivedprincipallybyMargaretLumleyBrown,whohadlargelytakenoverDionFortune`smediumisticfunctionintheFraternityafter1946.DespiteaninterimreprintbyHeliosBookswhenAquarianPresslostinterestinthetitle,iteventuallywentoutofprint,until,in1995theSocietypublishedacompletelynewedition.

Thiswasparticularlyinterestingbecauseitrevertedtotheoriginaluneditedtextof1923,togetherwithexplanatorydiagramsdrawnupbyDionFortune`scolleagueC.T.Lovedaywhentheworkhadfirstbeenproduced.ThiseditionwastakenoverandrepublishedbytheAmericanpublisherSamuelWeiserin2000,althoughunfortunatelywithoutcorrectingsomeoftheidiosyncraticuseofapostrophesthathadbeensprinkledinbythelargelyamateureditingoftheSILedition.Howevertheseremainaminor,ifirritating,blemish.

Whatfollowsistheresultofmuchpersonalstudyofthetextoverthepastsixtyyears,takingaccountofvariationsintheeditions,forsomeofArthurChichester`srevisionsweretheresultofaremarkablegraspoftheprinciplesinvolved,anditwouldbealosscompletelytodiscardthem.Hehadaparticularlyprecisemindthatenabledhimtorefinesomeoftheoriginalterminologymoreaccurately,suchassubstitutingPlanetaryBeingforPlanetarySpiritandRayExemplarforStarLogos.Healsoomitted,forreasonsthatremainobscure,sectionsontheLawsofImpactationandPolaritythathoweverwererestoredinthelatereditions.

Moreunderstandably,heregrettedallowingthecontinueduseofthetermNegativeEvil,asitcouldbegreatlymisunderstood.Theproblemwas,andstillis,tofindanalternativetermatthislevelthatmeansoppositiontoGoodwithoutpejorativeconnotations.HeratherinclinedtothetermNegativeGood.

ThereisindeedmuchintheterminologyofTheCosmicDoctrinethatcanmislead,particularlyintheuseofthewordatoms,whensomethingverydifferentfromthecurrentscientificuseofthetermisintended.Againothertermswereborrowedfromvariousesotericsources,viaMoriarty,butusedwithanentirelydifferentmeaningfromtheoriginal.



However,suchproblemsweretobeexpectedgiventheinitialtaskofbringingthroughgroundbreakingmetaphysicalteachingofthisnature.Weatleasthavetheadvantageofbeingabletoreflectupontheworkatleisure,fillinginthegapsandponderingthedifficulties,andthereissufficientvaluewithintheworkforittoformthebasisformakinganintuitiveconnectiontothesourcefromwhencetheseteachingsissued.Orindeedrespectfullytotakeuptheroleofadevilsadvocate!

ThetermDevilsAdvocatereferredoriginallytoacanonlawyerintheRomanCatholicchurchwhosedutywastoargueagainstthecanonisationorbeatificationofapersonnominatedtobeasaint.Incommonparlanceitissomeonewhotakesapositionagainstanargumentinordertotestitsqualityandidentifyweaknessesinitsstructure,eithertoimprove,tocorrectoreventodisprovepartsofitifnecessary.

InthecaseoftheCosmicDoctrine,becauseofitsabstrusenessandthelessthanidealcircumstancesofitsreception,itseemstobeanecessarydiscipline,particularlyastherehasbeenatendencytoregarditalmostasinfallibleholywrit.DionFortunecanhardlybeblamedforsuchanattitudeassheplainlystatesatthebeginningofherintroductiontothework:

Ihopemyreaderswillbelievethatthesepagesaretheresultofhonestexperimentationandacquitmeofcharlatanryorattempteddeception.Ivouchforneitherthecompletenessoraccuracyofthecommunicationshererecorded;inmyopinion,noextraweightshouldbeattachedtoanyideasorteachingsbecauseanunusualoriginisclaimedforthem;anyvaluewhichtheypossessasacontributiontospeculativethoughtorscientificknowledgemustdependontheirintrinsicworth,notontheirsphereoforigin.Themanneroftheirobtainingisapsychologicalquestionandhasnobearingontheproblemoftheirtruth.

Withthisinmind,weshould,asamatterofduty,seektotestanystatementsthataremadewithintheteachingsandfaceuptothemandanypossibleerrors,misconceptionsormisuseoftermsthatwemayfind.Someoftheserelatetoquestionableterminology.Sometoerrorsofscientificfact.Yetotherstointernalcontradictionswithinthescript.Hencetherubricthatthecontentsareintendedtotrainthemindasmuchastoinformit.Thisincludesintelligentcriticalanalysis.ItisnotamatterofcryingthattheEmperorhasnoclothes!buttakingaccountofthefactthathemight,hereandthere,notbequiteproperlydressed!



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