0:06

Am I gotta say not to brag, but I think we have the coolest jobs ever because we get to sit here every week and talk about all things magical and mystical.

First of all, we could not have done this job a few decades ago, there’s that Trend where it’s like, try telling a pilgrim, what life is like today.

0:22

Oh no, I couldn’t imagine having to tell somebody that we get to talk about all the spooky things.

All of the occult, all the spiritual stuff.

Tough.

And by the way, not get burnt at the stake for it.

Exactly.

Exactly.

Yeah.

So it’s hard to imagine, like you said that, it wasn’t that long ago, wasn’t even Pilgrim era, but more recently, when information about spiritualism was pretty hard to come by.

0:43

We’re lucky we live when we do.

Oh, 1000%.

Well, today we’re learning about a woman who did her part to bring magic to the masses.

And this is before the internet before podcast Believe It or Not, There was such a world.

Whoa.

And this was at a time when Gatekeepers abound even more.

0:59

So So than today, I think we can all imagine a lot of times those, especially at that time.

We’re men.

Hmm.

And this woman, she did it with flair.

How could she not with the named Dion Fortune?

You know, I love when someone does something with flair and she could have done it all without having been dramatic about it, but she went, no, no, I know another way to get around this.

1:24

Why do it?

Plain and simple.

When you can do it with flair, that’s the truth.

1:41

Hi everyone and welcome to rituals a Spotify original from podcast.

I’m Christine Chief.

And I’m M Schultz and every week, we’ll explore the evolution of spiritualism and the Occult through stories practices and the impact on Modern culture.

Today, we’re talking about the classic Dion fortune and all of the wonderful Wonderful.

2:01

Spiritual gifts, she brought to the table.

Very, very excited.

I feel like with the name.

Dion Fortune.

I know I’m in for a good story this week.

Absolutely.

I know something wild is about to happen.

I’m here for it.

Well, let’s crack into it.

2:27

I have one question for you.

I love when these talking points are included in the outlines because it’s things that I should have thought to ask you before but have not.

And what I want to know about, um, is have you ever had your aura read?

First of all?

I also love the talking promise because all of a sudden, I feel like we’re new friends again.

2:44

Yeah.

It’s like a 20 questions, like ice breaker game, but for people who talk to each other every single day, It’s part of the adventure I guess, but have I had my aura read know I’ve had people like approached me in like claim to be able to read auras and they’re like they say one person, said my aura was orange, I have no idea what that means.

3:05

Someone else said my aura was blue and I don’t know if they even change or if they stay and two different people work and change.

Yes, I can change.

Okay, well, I really don’t know how accurate they were.

It really was just like random people who felt a little braggy, so I don’t know how real it was.

3:21

Was but it’s never been professionally.

Read to me know how about you may.

I ask where that was like, I’m just so intrigued.

It was like in college.

I feel like it was like someone who thought they developed a super power overnight.

And there are like, now I can read auras like, okay, it really sounds like a pick-up line.

3:36

Like, what’s your sign?

Oh, I wish I knew that then I maybe would have responded differently that’s gonna say you might have been getting hit on, but I guess that’s besides the point.

Good to know.

I took a or a reading class once how course I did.

But I didn’t get to Have my aura read but we got to practice on people.

3:55

What’s like the first thing, they teach you in, how to read someone’s aura.

So I think it’s to trust your mind’s eye, or your eye, so to speak because they have you kind of soften your gaze as you’re looking at someone and sort of see the kind of fuzzy outline that people have and kind of just try and develop the ability to see what color that is.

4:15

And then to kind of trust your gut and go with it.

And, I mean, it was a very cool experience but it was only like a A 60-minute class something like that.

So like a quick masterclass.

Yeah it was a very quick like intro to auras and so I don’t really remember that much.

4:30

It was very long ago, but I would like to ask.

If anyone knows more about that, I’d love to know what kind of Aura I have orange blue.

I don’t know.

I don’t know what it means, but it sounds kind of cool based on your gut even though you don’t know what the colors mean based on your gut.

Do you have a feeling what your or is today?

4:48

What mine is?

I mean, I kind of want to lean Like orange, but I don’t know.

I feel like, I just immediately want to lean always into my favorite colors.

I’m just like, oh, well purple what is your favorite color?

I know is glow-in-the-dark, so that would be pretty damn cool if you’re or I like to think once you’re a ghost your whole Aura is glow-in-the-dark for sure.

5:11

Yeah.

I feel like that would fit you and you alone.

Yeah.

Can imagine if someone had a tie-dye Aura that’s like now that the master aura Well, speaking of kind of colors and how they align with our bodies, do you know much about chakras at all?

5:28

I don’t know any more than like the average uneducated person.

I know that picture of someone sitting crisscross applesauce and then I’ve got like a line of different colored spots in their body that if all of them are meditated on well, or if you treat them well, in some way in your chakras aligned, if you’re in a good spiritual place than you’d like and my mind you at you.

5:51

Are you are of the highest version of yourself or maybe just spiritually healthy, maybe it’s sure.

Okay.

Yeah.

I think the goal is definitely to have them aligned and healthy and but, you know, you say more than the average uneducated person.

But I will say you, you and I both lived in La for a long time.

6:07

Not sure.

I’m but at least half a decade and I feel like that does automatically give us more insight into chakras than the average person in the world.

I guess I meant I don’t know more than the average uneducated like granola.

Hola a hipster exactly.

6:23

Yeah.

You and I are probably on the same page with that but as far as where auras and chakras in these Concepts actually originated from they, come from Eastern religions, like Hinduism and tantric Buddhism while Western occultus adopted them in the late 1800s Dion.

Fortunes work made them even more popular with Western spiritualist.

6:41

So we can thank her for our granola, California understanding, thanks girls.

So here’s my next talking point in the get to know.

Exercise that I do every time we record rituals and that is, have you ever heard about the Glastonbury Music?

Festival heard of it.

6:58

Yes.

But again, I don’t know much about it.

It’s like circus-themed or something.

It’s supposed to be like a really huge festivity, man.

I just feel so out of the loop, like usually I feel uneducated based on just historical literature, we talked about but I don’t think I knew anything about the Glastonbury music festival.

7:15

And then of course I went into a little deep, not a deep dive but you know a little rabbit hole looking into To it.

And I was like, oh my God, this thing is huge.

It’s supposed to be like a fair or like the craziest Music Festival.

Well, they’re insane.

I mean, they had Paul McCartney Billy.

7:31

I’m not even start listing them because it was like last year’s lineup was just like long and insert every a-lister, every person you can think of it was just so wild, but so I’ve heard of Glastonbury before as a place.

But I really didn’t know much about it.

Do you know anything about Glastonbury like in any other context, besides a music festival?

7:52

I’m going to say no, but I’m sure I’m making myself look very foolish.

No, I don’t.

I don’t think, I know, I guess we’ll both be foolish together because I only know of Glastonbury Connecticut and that’s about as far as my knowledge and I imagine it was probably named after the real one, the original as most things in this country are.

8:12

Yeah.

And also, no cool music, festival to speak of.

So I’m fully out of the loop.

So the legend of the Holy Grail.

Is set here in Glastonbury.

It’s actually thought to be where King Arthur is buried.

So, there are a lot of cool kind of mythical or a lot of lore that comes from Glastonbury.

8:32

It’s one of the settings actually, for D, on fortunes rise to prominence, oh, she kind of fits into the fold.

Okay, hey, I’ll take it.

So let’s get into D on Fortune’s background.

She was born Violet Mary Firth in 1890 in North Wales and her mother was a Christian Science healer and There was a lawyer.

8:52

Oh, wow.

Very different people.

Okay.

Like those dinner conversations.

Must have never gotten boring person.

It’s literally you and your husband.

Oh, wait.

Yeah, Yuri fare to yes, that.

Okay, fair.

9:08

I will argue that unlike many Christian Science practitioner ’s.

I do believe in modern medicine.

So.

Okay.

I do appreciate and accept the help of modern medicine.

Let’s put it that way, which I know can be.

Be kind of an iffy subject in the world of Christian Scientist, but the kind of Christian Scientist belief is that you can achieve healing through a childlike faith in God and through prayer.

9:31

So as much as the opposing careers match blazes and my kind of same Dynamic that’s about as far as it goes because I’m sure he doesn’t know much about the law.

And I certainly don’t know much about God.

Okay.

9:46

You know what, sure I feel like we could delve into the fact that you definitely know way too much about God from.

Your upbringing but 100% you have rejected quite a lot of it is getting a little too defensive about this guy.

Like I know nothing good.

It’s like, I don’t believe you just listen to the episode on the sacraments and you may not believe me ever again.

10:09

Oh boy.

So violets mother, who was the Christian Scientist practitioner and healer.

Believed Violet herself was a changeling.

Whoo, no.

Pressure Violet.

Okay, I know how do you You know, much about changelings.

I’ve actually wanted to cover changelings for a while now on, and that’s what we drink.

10:26

But I know there’s a lot of history there.

I want to make sure I get it right because I think it’s actually a pretty sacred creature and some spaces.

I think especially in like Irish folklore.

I think it is that it’s, are you about to tell me that I’m totally wrong way?

No, but it’s not exactly a creature.

10:44

It’s more that they’re fairies, right?

The theory or the belief was that fairies had switched the child.

At Birth, and given back to the parents, a, like, a duplicate, like, not the original child.

That’s why I haven’t covered it yet because I know that there’s some controversy about it because fairies are so sacred that it’s yes, it makes them look bad.

11:04

There’s a whole story to it.

I think interesting.

Well, you know, I shouldn’t have even said anything at all because to par cast shows mythical monsters and tales have done their own episodes about changeling.

So I don’t even know why I’m trying to like go on a rant explaining what they are, what they are not because I have No prior knowledge to do so.

11:23

But well I’ll probably use both of those episodes for my own research on your tricks.

Okay good.

Let’s listen to those before we go into it too far.

But sure, the idea is there malevolent fairies, who take the place of kidnapped, human children if you do believe this and so it’s I imagine not a good place to be.

11:42

If you’re I think we can probably all agree.

Not a good place to be if your parents think you are a changeling, because it means you’re not the real child or your The original one or you’ve been somehow replaced.

I mean think of the crisis you’d have with yourself all the time of I’m not good enough, I’m wrong, I’m not meant to be here, They Mourn.

12:01

Someone that isn’t me.

Exactly.

I feel like there must be a lot of psychological pressure.

At the very least be on that position.

So when Violet was for whether or not this had anything to do with it, she began having visions of a former life, which is also the stage that I can’t wait for with my child.

12:21

I’m Just waiting for her to tell me, you know, I know what kind of airplane that is or my yeah.

Dad used to be a fireman.

I don’t know.

You’re really good fat.

Thank you.

That’s why I’m gonna wait for her to tell me cause clearly, I’m not, I’m not in the right head space, but she started having visions of what seemed to be a former life.

12:42

And she actually believed, she had been a priestess in an ancient civilization called Atlantis, mhm.

Mhm, FYI, there, Is little evidence that such a place ever existed, but, you know, there are definitely beliefs and speculations.

If you are looking for a quite literal Atlantis, there is an Atlantis that does exist, but it is actually a massive Resort in the Bahamas.

13:04

My mother has a timeshare there.

Of course, I knew Linda with somehow have some connection to the real-life Atlanta.

You say, Atlantis Bahamas, my mom will find a way to insert herself into that conversation.

So love it, love that for her.

13:20

Hmm.

Well, when she was 20, Violet went to college in England to study Horticulture.

But unfortunately this experience did not go well for her.

She claims she was verbally abused by the warden, which led to a nervous breakdown that took her three years to recover from.

Jesus.

Oh my gosh, Violet, then started training to be a psychoanalyst at an Innovative clinic in London and at this Clinic, they were experimenting with new ways to treat soldiers, who returned from World War one with PTSD, which I believe at the time was known as shell.

13:51

Rock.

And so this was something they were experimenting with, which I think is pretty cool.

That was pretty early days for studying PTSD.

Yeah, it was during that time that she claimed to have had her first experience with thought transference, AKA mind reading.

14:06

Hmm.

Well, interesting, yeah, thought transference was that because of the experiments she was doing with the soldiers?

Well, no, she said, it was actually during a theosophical meditation class.

Okay.

So I assume She was in some sort of, maybe meditative State when she realized she could read minds.

14:27

Okay.

Pretty cool.

And we did touch on it briefly in our astral projection episode.

Theosophy claims, that we have an eternal self that exists on a high mental plane, but can travel to different planes using different bodies.

So this kind of idea of our self leaving our body and right elsewhere, right?

14:46

Right, right.

So, Violet started experimenting with thought transference techniques on her And came to believe it was a much more efficient way to get at the root of their issues.

And I’m intrigued by this, I know we love to say it, but I think it’s probably kind of a slippery slope to say.

15:03

I can heal people’s PTSD with mind reading.

It seems like a noble Endeavor, I guess, but it does.

And also, I wonder, I mean, it does feel like one of those things where people can gradually slip out of reality where if the only way to help with PTSD is through, I work in.

15:22

This is a different type of mental work.

I could see how someone could fall into that realm of.

Oh this is different but also kind of the same and is rude somewhere in reality.

That’s a great point that they’re kind of not concrete Sciences in the way that like physics or chemistry, especially then especially back then, especially then, exactly.

15:41

So yeah, it seems a little iffy to me, especially looking at it now, but, you know, this is what she believed.

Would be helpful and she believed it was much more efficient to The root of her patients issues.

And so she left the clinic without getting any formal qualifications, okay?

15:57

And by the time she left the clinic World War one was underway and violet helped out the effort by joining the women’s land Army.

Cool.

So the women’s land Army put her to work alone.

In a research lab where she started having astral Visions.

16:14

The imagine having a whole research lab to yourself and you start having visions and people hate like, what are you doing in that lab?

What’s going on also?

So you’re not in the lab because you’re having an astral vision and you’re just leaving.

Imagine if you’re in the middle of a very serious experiment and then you just check out like by, I’m going to Atlantis in the Bahamas.

16:35

You can stay here and do whatever the heck you’re doing.

I feel like you’re just leaving your your body there.

You know, seems like a dangerous.

It’s like the hall monitor.

It’s like, I guess they’re there in case an emergency but no, it won’t be able to respond.

I feel like it’s like the fairest.

16:51

Euler like putting somebody under the covers like, well, there’s somebody there.

They’re not really doing anything useful or paying attention to the surroundings.

I just hope she never liked woke up from her visions and like the whole place was on fire and like the midst of some.

Yeah, some really important experiment.

17:07

I mean, it seems like quite a place to have an astral Vision, but I guess she never gets a bowl times multiple times.

And at this point she was trying to get to the bottom of this as I can understand.

And so Violet went to the library of the esophageal Society to see if she could find an explanation for her Visions.

17:26

Okay.

Something she read caught her attention.

So theosophy teaches that there are ascended masters, who are at the highest level of spiritual hierarchy, for example, people like Jesus and Buddha who have just reached that Pinnacle of understanding and that experiencing a connection or some sort of contact with the master can be a life-changing experience.

17:49

Okay.

So Violet became CEST with trying to contact the Masters and wouldn’t, you know it, she’s pretty talented because it took her only 10 days for her to have a dream that she met, two of the Masters on a plateau of the Himalayas.

18:05

What like, it’s hard.

Yeah.

I know, it makes me feel like an idiot.

I’m like, I’ve been practicing lucid dreaming for years and I never met anyone on a plateau anywhere.

Well, it sounds like, if she’s just accidentally like blinking into Asheville versions, you know, how hard could it be to meet Jesus and of week and a half?

18:21

Have its sheets like predisposed to being able to succeed and I wouldn’t be clear.

I’m not laughing at her.

I’m just like in awe of how quickly she seems to just be able to pick up these things.

That so many of us wish we could Master, I’ve strived for centuries for ya.

18:41

I’d like if she were around today, in 10 days, we could have figured out of Christianity was worth the fuss.

Oh, yeah.

She could have just, like, checked exorcism or anything.

Yeah.

She could have talked to any of them been, like, Get JC on the horn.

We got to ask him a couple questions, you know, give it a week.

She’ll be back with some answers.

Yeah.

18:57

So, during his time, after meeting the Masters on a plateau of the Himalayas, she also had her Visions.

Again, these visions of Atlantis, from her childhood began to return to her, which is pretty interesting.

Okay.

It’s already been a wild ride but coming up.

19:14

How Violet first became known by the much cooler sounding named Dion, Fortune setting.

The stage for Or her career in Magic.

Mmm, the flare I’ve been looking for this whole time.

You promised me Flair.

I am getting my Flair now.

In a world of deep fake technology, fake news and revisionist history.

19:40

How do we know the difference between what’s official?

And once, just fishy, that’s where we come in.

Hi, it’s Molly and Carter from the Spotify original from par cast, conspiracy theories, every Monday, and Wednesday, we examine the most controversial events in history because maybe there’s so much more to the truth than we’ve been led to believe.

20:04

Eve from the mysteries of outer space to the secrets, lies and possible.

Cover-ups occurring, right under our noses, we explore every angle in search of the actual truth.

We’re not Skeptics or theorists.

20:19

We’re curious rigorous.

And in the end, we let you decide catch new episodes of conspiracy theories each week, follow and listen for free, only on Spotify.

20:40

As World War one came to an end.

Violet, first met her first Mentor dr.

Theodore Moriarty, a Freemason magician and a cultist who had a strong interest in Psychology and healing.

Wow, they were very Kismet.

Yes, I was gonna say really meant for each other and even more.

20:58

So because Moriarty believe that you could treat all illnesses, whether physical or mental by delving into the patient’s, previous lives.

Oh my God.

And wouldn’t, you know it?

He himself remembered Lives as a priest in Atlantis.

21:13

That’s almost a little too on the nose.

I wonder if he had done some Recon on her and like I know what she needs to hear, you know.

It makes me wonder too though.

I mean, we’ve talked about how there’s a belief that Souls kind of reincarnate with one another and sort of cycles and have different relationships throughout different lives.

21:31

So it makes you wonder, maybe they did know each other in the past and had a different relationship and then found each other.

Again, I love that or maybe he did Recon.

I don’t know, could be either one of realistically.

It Probably Recon, but I like to imagine, it’s a fanciful world where they are from the Same Soul bubble and just re met each other in the Social Circle.

21:48

Okay, I’m going to go with the cool bubble version and you can go with the haters, okay?

Shirt.

Since we always have to butt heads, I guess, and not just like totally fall into delusion with each other Moriarty train Violet in the western mystery tradition, which is kind of another term for esotericism Scholars, use the term to describe a wide range of ideas and movements that were becoming popular.

22:10

You learned the West distinguishing it from Eastern spirituality, which was growing in popularity, for example, Moriarty believed in astrology, read auras practiced, astral projection.

And could apparently make objects appear by Magic, which this kind of where I am.

Like, I gotta see it to believe that.

22:27

I’m not super sure about that part, but if it’s real, why aren’t people like this just floating around today.

I’d love to bump into one of these people.

I mean make objects appear, I mean, the power sounds great.

She can talk to Jesus.

He can whip up some nachos, lunch, sit on your belly and five seconds.

22:45

Of course, we both go to Food immediately.

Yep, we’re back on the same page.

We both know you’d find a way to sync your little claws into him.

The second you found out that he could just like make your wine glass keep refilling it’s you know filling, I love it but guess, who else can do that mr.

JC himself.

23:00

So you know what right?

Well he’s made of wine or something but you got multiple options.

So quick side note in 1926, Violet actually wrote a book called The Secret It’s of dr.

Taverner about Moriarty and she obviously changed his name but she insisted that the Fantastical stories were not just true but actually toned down like you’re too powerful.

23:23

Yeah.

Yeah, like no one’s going to believe it if I tell what actually happens.

So we got a tone it down in. 1919 Violet joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

A secret society dedicated to the occult and to metaphysical exploration.

And this order combines several ancient philosophies and Cluding hermeticism, the Jewish Kabbalah Christian mysticism and rosicrucian magic.

23:45

And I imagine all of, you know, all of that information already because you have listened to every single episode of rituals if not go back and check out our past episodes because we have talked extensively about all of the above.

I was going to say that was such a complex and educated sounding sentence.

24:01

And I think for the first time in my life, I knew every word.

You said, yeah.

It’s like wait a minute, doesn’t it feel good?

It feels good to know that I could finally keep up on those kind of stuff.

Remember when all those episodes came out and you’re like, have you ever heard of this?

And I had to go.

No, but now I can say yes to all of them.

Actually, I have thank you very much for asking during her time in the Golden Dawn.

24:22

Violet had a really great mentor named Maya tranche L Hayes Maya was very skilled in ritual, magic and trained Violet in trance mediumship.

So pretty cool because she has these mentors who are kind of teaching her these very big skills, like next level.

24:40

It’s just amazing.

How many people she’s running into that can just guide her to learn more magic and more magic and more skills.

She’s running in the right circles.

I mean she’s in the Golden Dawn.

I imagine if you’re entering an order like that that is a place to network to find the right people think so yeah this is also when Violet acquired her pen name, Dion Fortune, there’s glitter falling Glitz and Glam inflamed and Glam and lights camera action Sparkle.

25:10

Do we love it all?

So the named Dion Fortune came from her magical motto within the Golden Dawn Temple, which is a nickname.

You get when you are initiated into a secret society already.

I’m feeling jealous but I’ll move on violets magical.

25:27

Motto was Deo non Fortuna, which means, by God, not by luck, it was then adapted to become Dion Fortune.

So we’ll talk about Violet.

Now as you see on moving forward.

Sure, Dion.

25:42

Also, I worked on her trance medium skills with an archaeologist and psychic researcher in.

Glastonbury named Frederick Bligh Bond while working on Excavating.

The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey Bond claimed that he and a clairvoyant were able to contact dead monks and other deceased figures using automatic writing and that they use this information to decide where to excavate which is so cool.

26:08

Very cool but also feels risky, very risky.

You got to really trust that You are not just making this stuff up out of your head because if you’re digging on Ancient sites doesn’t seem like you’re you have much room.

Yeah getting really expensive grants to like go through with this like everyone has to be on board or you’re telling nobody that this is your method of figuring it out.

26:29

You just have a clipboard and you’re like, hang on it’s gonna be some automatic writing, figure out where to move the excavator.

Yeah, yeah.

You don’t really hear about people, like, archaeologists being also led by the spirits of dead monkeys.

Punks like then just such a strange like dichotomy.

26:45

I mean, it’s interesting, but I wonder how well that worked for him.

Who’s to say, I guess the people giving the research Grant maybe.

Oh yeah, they’re okay.

While in Glastonbury Dion also met up with a man named Charles Thomas loved a who would become a lifelong friend of hers and supporter of hers from everything we read, it sounds like Maya, her transmedia Mentor, Frederick the psychic or key.

27:13

Just and loved a her new BFF became Dion’s kind of spiritual Squad.

I love that how cool is that?

I would love a spiritual Squad.

I guess you’re my spiritual Squad.

Hey, I’m not a scientist.

I’m not in a cult expert but I will join as your, I will join.

27:33

Okay.

Well great.

So it sounds like this is off to a really solid start.

That’s like we’re gonna make waves not really during her sessions as a medium d.

John claimed to have made contact with a discarnate group, who called themselves the company of Avalon, and sidenote discarnate, meaning not having a physical body.

27:53

Oh, okay, so Spirits.

So exactly, purpose Spirits.

Okay, yeah, Dion understood.

Glastonbury to be Avalon.

So, this Avalon, they spoke of she understood that to be the current day or modern-day Glastonbury.

Okay, which was a former colony of Atlantis and K.

28:11

Just one more side note, I’m In the Atlantis that we know Under the Sea, not the one where Linda has a timeshare in the Bahamas.

Okay.

Okay.

Got it.

But it could also sink into the sea and then both would be similar.

I shouldn’t use that to differentiate them.

Maybe I’ll say, like, the mythical ancient land of Atlantis.

28:30

I got you.

I got you versus the current time share.

So for this reason, Dion considered Glastonbury, the most, holy place on Earth in 1923 Dion began to make contact with the Masters.

Or what are also known as inner plane adepts in occult circles, okay?

28:48

So let’s recall, our astral projection episode, where we discussed the different planes of Consciousness.

One might Loosely think of Masters or inner plane, a depths as Spirit guides Dion, would lie down surrounded by her friends and go into a trance traveling to an inner plane where she would then make contact and loved a her BFF would record all these Took the minutes.

29:14

Yes, he had the clipboard that day was.

Yes, secretary.

Yeah, Deon claims.

The Masters would go on to guide her in everything that followed throughout the rest of her life.

She even published books based on the channeled messages, which is pretty cool.

In 1925 following the instructions of her inner contacts, Dion, and her friends, joined a small offshoot group of the theosophical society Dion soon, became president.

29:40

But she had some issues with some of these societies senior Leadership.

And she also felt her other group.

The Golden Dawn was becoming obsolete.

So she said a screw it.

I’m finding my own group and it is called the community of the inner light.

Oh, okay.

And the community of the Inner Light later, became the fraternity of the Inner Light, boys were welcomed.

30:03

I guess so.

Yes, with love days.

Help Dion had already acquired real estate in Glastonbury and London that would serve as a hub for her new society.

And in 1920, 70 on married Thomas, Henry Evans, a medical doctor who was interested in Esoteric Healing but the two sides of this coin, the spiritual healing side, and the real sciency medical side seem to be too much of a conflict and the couple eventually went their separate ways.

30:31

Meanwhile, Dion’s new Society, flourished, with loved.

A her friend playing an important leadership and financier role.

And yes, there are speculations that perhaps Is there was a little more romance in the air than we actually know about, but you know, it’s likely they were just colleagues but we can dream.

30:52

We know.

I love the drama.

I know I’ll make anything into a romantic situation just for my own Dazzle of it all.

Yeah.

You sure.

Good to know.

Good to know.

It was an option on the table.

It’s a theory but nothing is proven about that.

It’s more likely.

They were just two colleagues who are passionate about magic and not necessarily one another but you never know.

31:12

You never know, history.

Call them best friends as it currently is.

So exactly there was also a big age difference between the two of them with love day, being much older than Dion.

But you know that’s never stopped.

It stopped some people.

That’s not stopped everyone.

It’s not stopped everyone.

31:27

The fraternity published a magazine called the inner light and Dion.

Also wrote several esoteric novels which made a cult themes accessible even for those who didn’t practice which I think is pretty cool.

Then came World War Two and the group was unfortunately forced out of their Our headquarters temporarily because of a bombing.

31:46

That’s a big reason to leave.

Yeah.

You know, she’d already experienced World War One in a very real way.

So yeah.

It must have been not again so it’s time to roll out.

Yeah exactly.

So Dion actually was able to keep things going by sending out weekly letters and eventually paper rationing, put a stop to their magazine and book Publications and letters.

32:09

Went out monthly instead of weekly.

Okay, on January 8, 9 18:46 Fortune died of leukemia in London at the young age of 56 unfortunately.

So that’s too bad.

Yeah, very sad.

We may not have known her name before today, but spiritualism might not be what it is.

32:30

Now, if not for the wonderful Dion fortune and I will explain coming up, I feel like her life at this point has not been boring.

So I imagined her influence was not boring either.

So great way to put it.

Looking forward to seeing how she used her power for maybe the weird good.

33:01

Dion Fortune was an important figure in the occult world for a few reasons.

She worked to lift the veil on a lot of the closely guarded secrets of esoteric groups, which I think is just a really cool and Noble.

Endeavor, for example, she allowed members of the public to watch as her group performed certain rights at a converted church.

33:20

So, So basically taking the gatekeeping out of, so Tarik World, which you see it all the time on Tick Tock, like stop gatekeeping XYZ.

I think it’s a noble pursuit to say, you know what, this isn’t just for like the elite.

Let’s let everybody check it out, especially if she really is passionate about it.

33:38

And wants people to understand her side of it or where she’s coming from, or maybe to recruit new people.

It’s like, oh well, let’s make it accessible to everybody.

Exactly.

And her being a woman to at this time, you know, probably being surrounded by Mostly men in these kind of secret orders that could have been part of the reason why she wanted to make sure other people who normally wouldn’t have access to these worlds, were able to learn more about it.

34:02

So I thought that was a pretty cool Legacy.

She left so cool.

She hosted several public discussions of occultism and literature bringing in esteemed, researchers.

And folks from London’s literary scene, she was a feminist of course, which is just kick ass.

34:18

She worked to bring esotericism to women and the All classes, not just the elite men who were usually in these circles love that.

I know.

And her occult novels influenced, the development of goddess worship and feminist spirituality, which is just so kick ass.

34:33

And, you know, I’ve several books on feminist spirituality and that whole world and I just feel like, wow, thank you for making that happen.

McDonough, Paco, cool.

Oh my gosh.

Well, okay, so I’m glad I was on part of an earlier, we’re like, okay, she’s has her powers for good.

34:48

Great for weird, good.

Yes.

Yeah.

For weird.

And remember those weekly letters she sent out in the heat of World War Two.

They essentially served as material for a widespread.

Esoteric meditation group.

And like I just think that’s very cool because it’s hard enough nowadays to get anything to spread with the use of the World Wide Web.

35:11

Yeah, but the fact that her physical papers were able to create this kind of community, I think that’s pretty impressive.

Wow, so she had like the very first 10.

One packet, 101 packet.

Sorry I’m pack it up, boy.

35:27

Oh, I’m teaching people like being there and like giving them like help on how to do meditation and stuff.

Oh, oh!

Oh yes!

Yes, yes.

Sorry.

I was like, I thought you meant on, I don’t know.

I just lost my your brain did the tab thing I was talking about her blank tab.

35:42

The cursor was just like blinking.

I was like, I don’t know what’s up in 1997, a compilation of Dion’s articles from inner Light magazine was published as a book called an introduction to Ritual magic.

Huh?

So it really was a 101 manual or it’s a 10-1 intro to Ritual magic.

36:00

Very cool.

How cool is that the book included up-to-date commentaries and recent examples of contact with the Masters as experienced by people trained in her tradition?

Wow another book called Circuit of force came out in 1998 and this was made up of Dion’s articles about the aura originally published in 1939 and 1940.

36:21

Fortune described the aura as a manifestation of energies in the etheric body, the physical bodies magnetic field.

She believed higher forces flow through this field through chakras or centers of exchange of energies.

And as for the Society of the Inner Light, which was where these Works actually came from her original writings, the society actually still exists today, believe it or not fun.

36:44

Okay.

Cool.

Very, very cool.

Yeah, it’s a registered religious charity within the Western esotericism ssion and according to its Website.

The Society of the inner lights, Prime purpose is to maintain, and expand the bridge that exists between outer life in the world and spiritual forces upon the inner planes.

37:02

So been biddy, you know, I love a society that I could join about spooky stuff.

Well, you can actually become a member and this is not me pitching a timeshare.

As much as someone.

I imagined it to Linda, it sounds like there’s maybe a catch but no truly, you can become a member.

37:21

All you have to do is take a course which includes studying Dion’s books, developing a meditation practice.

And this part maybe you’re not going to love submitting papers every two weeks and my God, passing an interview.

And I think you and I are on board with everything except writing the papers we did grad school, we’re done with it.

37:40

I don’t think we ever want to do it again ever ever.

Especially like it’s not just a one-time thing because every two weeks like yeah, I do appreciate that.

She’s like, I’m gonna take this seriously and if Not taking it seriously and you’re not willing to do some basic tasks, like send in a paper every now and then, then you’re not welcome.

37:58

Yeah.

Like at least she’s keeping it pretty.

I don’t know.

There’s a lot of purists probably in that group.

Yeah.

I feel like you probably have to really prove that you’re committed to the actual work rather than you just want a cool nickname.

No offense.

Mm, that’s okay.

I know.

I dilly-dally I would like to dilly-dally and then also reap all of the benefits.

38:16

So I understand why I would not probably be welcome but I can respect what they’re doing.

I do too.

I absolutely do too, but I’m not feeling like I want to write another paper.

So, you know what?

I’ll just respect it from afar Dion’s writing.

Also influenced, many Pagan groups, such as Wicca and Dion Fortune herself is buried in the Glastonbury cemetery.

38:37

And her grave gets hundreds of visitors a year, which I think is really cool.

People still paying their respects, all these years later, you know?

Yeah.

Now that’s a story of Dion fortune and what a life she led.

I do want to know if you Think of anyone may be comparable in our generation, whose life story could be on the same track, maybe 100 years from now will say, wow, they really brought XYZ to the mainstream or changed.

39:04

How we thought of certain topics is there anybody you can think of, I know I’m putting you on the spot.

I can only really think about in terms of like politicians these days are like a tech person who’s going to create something that changes the world.

I can’t really think of anything in terms of spirituality, maybe honestly, I No, we’re going to hate this Zak Bagans, but we have said before, I like I know we give them a lot of Guff but that man, he runs the spiritual Empire these days.

39:31

I think like he in terms of ghosts and spookie ookie stuff, not like religion.

He is the only one in the game and there’s no competition for him.

And he really does do as many facets of things as possible and has his hand and everything.

And uh-huh.

He’s really made quite a Empire for himself.

39:48

So maybe I totally agree.

I mean, I think Once like Lorraine Warren died.

It was sort of like he, he took the mantle and became the next.

Yeah.

Big wake in that space.

I know he’s not like oh he also like helped with a religion and as a staunch feminist and did all these things.

40:04

I’m just trying to think and the world of like rituals in the occult.

Who would I put?

But dark bands would be it.

Maybe this is just a very narrow view but I like to think psychic medium, Tyler Henry maybe is changing the course because I just watched his recent Netflix show and I was very impressed.

40:21

Impressed with how they produced it in a more of like a storytelling way about his life and how his gifts affect his family and oh, wow, I just thought it was a very cool, you know, and him being queer to it’s like it feels like a new generation.

40:38

You know what I like about Tyler Henry.

As a someone who’s never met him.

You can tell in his eyes, he’s so nice.

He’s just a very gentle, Jenny.

Really just wants to help.

I think, I hope I’m right.

I get the vibe that Really just wants to be a helpful person.

Yeah.

So that’s what I like to think.

40:54

But you know that’s also me having just watched the special a few days ago.

So sure.

I think he definitely deserves a hundred years from now people talking about him but he also can connect from the other side.

He can show up in 100 years and be like, remember me?

Hey I’m back.

Yeah, I should ask him if he talks to Buddha and Jesus, I have a feeling, it’s a no but certainly worth asking, we probably would have heard about that by now.

41:16

Well, the fun thing that I like to also bring up at this point, is what?

If Dion Fortune had a podcast, imagine if she lived in a world where instead of writing during a paper ration, a monthly newsletter actually could host a podcast, think of the power, think of the power.

41:36

Also, if she’s a writer think of the blog era, mmm, wow, that girl would have had a xanga like, you wouldn’t believe but also in podcasting world she would have so many connections to work with but I also feel like she would, I mean, she already found a way back then.

Actually found a way to dip our toe and everything back then.

41:53

So I think she’d have like TB spot.

She’d be making donations and collaborating with big organizations and I think she would be a Powerhouse step.

Aside Zak Bagans.

Yeah, Zack would be shaking in his boots.

If you how, you know, you Nifty on was here.

Yeah, combat boots to be clear you and now, this is something that kind of, struck me at the start and stuck with me as we talk through these notes, which is nature versus nurture because this is a spiritualist, Are who had kind of a familiar childhood story to a lot of the other people we talked about.

42:26

She was a lonesome child who spent more time with adults than kids, she felt may be different or Outcast, because for example, her mother thought she was a changeling and so it makes you wonder like was it like a chicken and egg situation?

Do you think that that upbringing for her kind of started, this ability to contact her past lives and start seeing things or do you think it’s You know, she was already innately born with that, and that is kind of what made her this loner.

42:56

I mean, I know, it’s kind of a cop-out answer, but I think maybe bolts I think.

Yeah, maybe she could have been more imaginative because she was more alone and with her thoughts, and maybe she was able to come up with more creative theories about the world.

And no one was really around to, like challenge her on that.

43:13

Plus her mom claimed to have power since before Dion was born, right?

So true.

Yeah, maybe she was encouraged to think those things about herself.

Elf, but I think that would also then, like full circle, make her out to look somewhat like an outcast Iran from Social Circle.

43:30

So I think maybe it all didn’t start hot and it just kind of led to her being able to have these thoughts that made her seem weird.

Yeah.

I agree.

It almost feels like her environment nurtured.

What was already kind of there?

43:45

Yes.

I mean if you’re having past life memories at age four and also you’re being told to changeling like Yeah.

Why would you believe one and not the other.

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

So it seems like maybe this was all kind of gonna happen.

No matter what.

And we don’t have the full context, we know the basics of her parents, you know, their careers and kind of what the dynamic was there, but that’s about it.

44:08

So, for all, we know, there was much more context that could shed light journalist, part of her past.

And like you said, jion’s mom also had these eclectic spiritual leanings and was a Healer.

So, It makes you wonder how the moms beliefs may be played in to her beliefs.

44:25

And like you said, maybe she felt encouraged that she could trust these thoughts.

She was already having instead of rejecting them.

Yeah, I feel like her psyche.

It probably wasn’t helpful.

I mean, I guess they gave her.

I’m trying to come up with a positive spin that, at least it kept her from closing yourself off to curiosity.

44:44

That’s true.

I feel like in a lot of cases you hear about people saying as children, they believed XYZ.

They saw But they were told.

No, it’s all your imagination.

It’s not real.

Maybe this was a different environment where she felt like she actually could trust her gut or trust her Visions.

45:00

It does make, you wonder on the inverse to of if we weren’t told not to believe in certain things.

Would we be more powerful or connected spiritually?

Yeah.

Like does that close us off?

That’s a great Point.

Like when Leona tells me her, dad was a fireman or whatever.

I said earlier, I’ll be like cool.

45:18

I’m going to write it all down.

I’m gonna pry like, no one’s business, huh?

Like what was his name?

Tell me everything.

You’re gonna get a sketch artist in to draw a picture.

Yeah, I would, if my kids started implying any sort of reincarnation, it would probably upset others, how much I would be fine with it and maybe even enable it, try to figure out the whole story.

45:39

So I’d believe in Atlantis in a heartbeat.

I be like, sure.

Okay.

Yeah, you got it.

Of course.

And then we have to think about the kind of darker side of it.

I know you said you wanted to say something, positive to This idea that her mom thought she was a changeling and would tell her that I can’t.

45:56

Imagine that was the pressure for her psyche.

Like if you’re being told, you’re not my real child and there’s no way to fix it.

It seems like that would be really damaging.

I definitely think she probably had some, like, attachment problems of not being able to get close to someone.

If I imagine if the one person who’s supposed to like love you and take care of you is telling you the whole time.

46:15

You’re not mine or we’re not supposed to be together.

You are replacement in some way.

I mean, That’s for my real child.

Yeah.

It can’t be good on your future relationships.

Yeah.

It seems like it would be a be damaging but or your beliefs in yourself of like, oh our self, not worthy.

46:31

Yeah, but listen, she took it ran with it and made waves so Powerhouse.

Like you said absolutely.

46:49

Thanks so much for listening.

We’ll be back next week with another great episode information on today’s episode came from the life and spiritual Sex, Magic of Dion, Fortune by Nancy pullet, esoteric orders and their work by DN Fortune, Dan fortune and her inner plane contacts by John.

47:04

Selby encyclopedia.com, a cult world.com and the solitary working by Georgia Von ralt and Atlas obscura remember to follow rituals.

On Spotify to get a brand new episode every week and you can listen to this and all other episodes of rituals for free exclusively on Spotify.

47:22

And if you like the show, follow at Park asked on Facebook and Instagram and at podcast Network on Twitter, you can find me at the M Schultz and you can find me at Eckstein Schieffer.

Thanks again for listening and we will see you next week.

Rituals is executive produced by Max Cutler.

47:37

And as a Spotify original from par cast, it was created by Max color, sound design by Kristen Acevedo with associate sound design.

By Jamie Ryan research by Chelsea would fact-checking by shyam Lopez.

It’s produced by Chris and Acevedo and Jonathan Ratliff with production assistants by Ron Shapiro.

47:54

We’re your house, Christine cheaper and M Schultz.

Hi, it’s Carter and Molly from conspiracy theories.

This February.

Join us for to Stand Out specials.

First celebrate Super Bowl Sunday with a two-parter on one of the most dominant and dubious teams in history.

48:15

The New England Patriots, then a two-part Valentine’s special on the mysterious murder of Charles Walton Journey Back was as nearly 80 years as we comb through the details and rumors surrounding his.

F Pitchfork Witchcraft and all catch new episodes of conspiracy theories, every Monday and Wednesday, follow, and listen for free, only on Spotify.