Claire Fanger

Dion Fortune, born Violet Mary Firth, was a prominent British occultist, ceremonial magician, and author active in the early 20th century. She co-founded the Fraternity of the Inner Light, an organization that disseminated her spiritual teachings, which she attributed to entities called Ascended Masters. Fortune was a prolific writer, producing numerous books and articles on occult subjects, as well as seven novels that often explored esoteric themes. Her early life included experiences with poetry and psychology before she became deeply involved in esoteric studies through organizations like the Theosophical Society and the Alpha et Omega. She developed a system of channeling spiritual entities and believed in a coming spiritual age, though her life was cut short by leukemia shortly after World War II. Fortune is recognized for her significant contributions to occultism and ceremonial magic, with her teachings and novels influencing later Pagan and occult movements like Wicca.

Born Violet Mary Firth in North Wales to a prosperous English family, Dion Fortune's early life remains somewhat obscure due to her deliberate reticence about personal details. By her teenage years, she had relocated to the West Country of England. Her formal education included horticultural studies, followed by psychology and psychoanalysis at the University of London, where she worked as a counselor. During World War I, she served in the Women's Land Army and initiated a business selling soy milk products. Her introduction to esotericism came through the Theosophical Society, which sparked a deeper interest that led her to join occult lodges and organizations, including one led by Theodore Moriarty and later the Alpha et Omega.

Fortune came to believe she was receiving messages from spiritual entities she identified as Ascended Masters, particularly Master Rakoczi and Master Jesus, through trance mediumship. In 1922, she and Charles Loveday published 'The Cosmic Doctrine,' a text they claimed was channeled from these Masters. Dissatisfied with the Theosophical Society's perceived lack of focus on Christianity, Fortune split from it to establish the Community of the Inner Light, later renamed the Fraternity of the Inner Light. Alongside Loveday, she established centers in Glastonbury and London, disseminated a magazine, and lectured publicly, fostering the growth of her organization. During World War II, she organized meditations aimed at protecting Britain, anticipating a post-war 'Age of Aquarius'.

Fortune's engagement with occultism included study under Theodore Moriarty, an occultist and Freemason, whose teachings influenced her and who she later fictionalized. She was initiated into the Alpha et Omega, an order stemming from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, where she gained a foundation in Hermetic Qabalah. This period also saw her adopt the motto 'Deo, non Fortuna,' derived from her family's crest. Her experimental work in trance mediumship led to claims of contacting entities and discovering the ancient druidic significance of Glastonbury. Fortune's literary output, encompassing both non-fiction works on occultism and novels exploring esoteric themes, had a lasting impact, particularly influencing modern Pagan traditions such as Wicca.