Dion Fortune's Biography(Books)(Photos)

Dion Fortune (December 6, 1890 - 1946), born Violet Mary
Firth, was a British occultist and author who was born at

Psychic Self Defence, a manual on how to protect one's self
from psychic attacks. Though some of her writings may seem

Bryn-y-Bia in Llandudno, Wales. Her pseudonym was inspired
by her family motto "Deo, non fortuna" (which translates as

"God, not fate").

characterised many of her forerunners and contemporaries.

She reported visions of Atlantis at age four and the
developing of psychic abilities during her twentieth year.

In 1922, after a falling out with Moina MacGregor Mathers
and with Moina's consent, Dion Fortune left the Alpha et

She attended courses in psychology and psychoanalysis at the
University of London, and became a lay psychotherapist at

Omega and formed the Fraternity of the Inner Light as an
offshoot of the Alpha et Omega. This brought new members to

the Medico-Psychological Clinic in Brunswick Square.

the Alpha et Omega. Fortune's group was later renamed "The
Fraternity of the Inner Light", and was, later still,

Her first magical mentor was the Irish occultist and
Freemason Theodore Moriarty. In 1919 she was initiated into

renamed "The Society of the Inner Light". This society was
to be the focus of her work for the rest of her life. Her

the London Temple of the Alpha et Omega before transferring
to the Stella Matutina order.

masterpiece, The Mystical Qabalah was first published in
England in 1935, eleven years before her death from

She wrote a number of novels and short stories that explored

leukemia.

various aspects of magic and mysticism, including The Demon
Lover, The Winged Bull, The Goat-Foot God, and The Secrets

Dion Fortune met and corresponded with Aleister Crowley,
whom she acknowledged in the introduction of The Mystical

of Dr. Taverner. This latter is a collection of short
stories based on her experiences with Theodore Moriarty. Two

Qabalah.

of her novels, The Sea Priestess and Moon Magic, became
influential within the religion of Wicca, especially upon

Dion Fortune claims to have participated in the "Magical
Battle of Britain", which was an attempt by British

Doreen Valiente.

occultists to magically aid the war effort and which aimed
to forestall the impending German invasion during the

Of her non-fictional works on magical subjects, the best
remembered of her books are; The Cosmic Doctrine, meant to

darkest days of World War II. The effort involved in this
endeavour is said to have contributed to her death shortly

be a summation of her basic teachings on mysticism, The
Mystical Qabalah, an introduction to Hermetic Qabalah, and

after the war ended. Her Society of the Inner Light
continues to function.