The Training & Work of an Initiate

Dion's work is well known among old school Wica as well as people looking into occult and Mystery Tradition seekers, but I venture to say that she is not as well known among the majority of the modern Pagan and Wiccan community today. One can get into the mind set that since Dion is most well known for her book on Qaballa published well over half a century ago therefore she might not be relevant to today's pagans, and here I strongly disagree. This work is a quick read but one of great depth in understanding the fundamentals of working with a mystery tradition, of which Wicca is one. The reason that Wicca is one is because it is one that must be practiced and taught, preferably by another Wiccan. It is not a religion that you can grasp by just reading a book, it must be experienced to understand it. With that in mind Dion goes into the different steps of how one cam prepare the mind for such an initiation. Don't pick up the book looking TO be initiated because you read it, but rather pick it up to understand what the mind goes through when such a thing does happen. The one small thing that I could warn people about is that she does come to this book as more of an occult Christian mystic then a pagan one, but as both stem from the same mystery traditions of the past it's a small gripe at best. Pick this book up to know where the generation that is writing now got their information and make your own conclusions about things.

This gives the reader a true insight into how the early neo-pagan and 'traditional' witchcraft paths were evolved. Dion Fortune was both a person of her times, powerful woman in a predominately male world and quasi Christian/pagan in a world were only Christianity existed. Her work in so many areas was to have a profound effect upon today, if she knew I would imagine she would have been surprised but pleased, her correspondence with Aliester Crowley shaped the Thelemic and OTO traditions as, when you read their letters, he wasn't adverse to incorporating others work into his own and her interest in the Golden Dawn was to produce some of the most influential books on how the circle/coven system and ritual would continue, her work on Kaballah is still the most profound which was to also influence the way modern tarot is perceived. Although she was raised a Christian and never lost that faith she redefined it into it's most early beliefs back to the days of Gnostic Christianity when the belief in what we see and what we are able to see if we believe in more than what we are told we see. If one wants to understand today one has to look at the past, these books by Violet Firth allow us to understand who we are from the glossed over 'quasi traditions' we were supposed to have inherited from the past.

Dion Fortune remains one of the foremost gaurdians of western esoteric tradition, sadly forgottem in today's new age mentality.

In this very readable work, Dion Fortune deals with the tradition of initiation in the Western Esoteric Tradition and explains the principles of these esoteric systems. An interesting foreword by Gareth Knight discusses Fortune's place in metaphysical thought, declaring her a great synthesist ever holding a balance between the strands of hermetic occultism, devotional mysticism and nature mysticism. Knight even refers to Tolkien's account of creation in The Silmarillion as reflecting Fortune's approach to certain metaphysical questions! The book provides information on how the initiate prepares the mind, spirit and body for the journey on the esoteric path and what the path of initiation looks like. The book is divided into three parts: Ethical, Theoretical and Practical. It details the way of initiation, preparations and daily life upon the path and provides a ground plan of illumination. There is also valuable information on the training of the mind and the body. I found the discussion of the relationship between natural and esoteric science very insightful and her division of what she terms "illuminism" into two branches - mysticism and occultism, very informative. According to the author, mysticism aims at the speediest possible attainment of the divine union of the soul with its source and in order to achieve this it eliminates all that causes separation. Occultism on the other hand, aims to organise and master phenomena and bring them into harmony with the eternal law of the real. Ultimately, the difference is only a matter of temperament. Fortune then proceeds to classify religions and movements like Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Theosophy, Spiritualism, Christian Science and New Thought into these two branches. The chapter on the Western Esoteric Systems deals with the Qabalistic, Greek and Egyptian traditions, claiming that they all contributed to modern Western esotericism that in addition, also draws on Eastern thought. The book contains a Tabular Classification of Illuminism demonstrating the mystical/occult division in detail as well as an index and a short biography and portrait of Fortune. This is a well written book explaining most of the important points of the occult path and the practice of sane occultism. Highly recommended.

Jesus of Nazareth was taught in mystical schools. Back then, we know that there were many. On my spiritual quest I had studied some of Alice Bailey's books, including those on initiation. I had wondered - am I being trained by a master? Am I an initiate? Reading this book and _Esoteric Orders and Their Works_, also by Dion Fortune, has answered my personal questions, and let me understand that this work is going on now. Those two books also differentiated the mystic from the occultist - a fine point to the novice, but important in understanding yourself and others. I'm reading the rest of her books. If you are studying the Ageless Wisdom, shamanism, and/or the occult, you will love Ms. Fortune's books. You MUST READ her _Cosmic Doctrine_. Very deep.