Gareth Knight

Basil Leslie Wilby, known professionally as Gareth Knight, was a British occultist, ritual magician, author, and publisher who lived from 1930 to 2022. He developed an early interest in magic, becoming initiated into Dion Fortune's Society of the Inner Light in 1954. Knight was active in the Society for a decade, serving as librarian and editor of its periodical, New Dimensions. He co-founded the Helios Book Service to publish and distribute occult literature.

Knight later diverged from the Society, feeling it was becoming too religious, and began to explore Christian occultism, influenced by esoteric Anglican priest Anthony Duncan. This led him to found his own esoteric order, the Gareth Knight Group, in 1973. The group was known for its annual conventions which featured lectures and rituals, and was studied by anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann. Knight's extensive writings covered topics such as Christian esotericism, tarot, Arthurian legends, and Celtic mythology, often interpreting magical practice through a Christian lens. He rejoined the Society of the Inner Light in 1998 and became Dion Fortune's biographer.

Born Basil Leslie Wilby in Colchester, Essex, he developed an early interest in magic. After a period in the Royal Air Force, where he was reassigned due to his political views, Wilby encountered the works of Dion Fortune at age 23. This led him to seek and gain initiation into her Society of the Inner Light in 1954. He pursued studies in teaching but ultimately left to focus on writing. Around 1959, he became the Society's librarian and married Roma. In 1961, he adopted the pseudonym Gareth Knight for introductions to Dion Fortune's books published by Llewellyn Publications, a name he would become best known by. He also began editing the periodical New Dimensions, which featured a wide range of occult topics and attracted submissions from prominent occultists.

In 1965, Knight resigned from the Society of the Inner Light, feeling alienated by its increasing religious focus. He and his wife moved, and he took on conventional employment. During this period, he published his first book and several more in the late 1960s. He began collaborating with esoteric Anglican priest Anthony Duncan, whose influence led Knight's work to focus on a syncretic Christian occultism. His book 'Experience of the Inner Worlds' (1975) is noted for its explicitly Christian interpretation of magic and spiritual practice, contrasting with earlier works.

In 1973, Knight established the Gareth Knight Group, an esoteric order known for its open annual conventions held at Greystone manor in Wiltshire. These events included lectures and rituals and attracted a diverse occultist audience, being documented in Tanya Luhrmann's anthropological study 'Persuasions of the Witch's Craft'. Knight's published works explored a variety of occult subjects, including Christian esotericism, tarot, Arthurian legends, and Celtic mythology. He rejoined the Society of the Inner Light in 1998, taking on the role of Dion Fortune's biographer and compiling her unpublished works. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 91.