Esoteric Orders and Their Work

by Dion Fortune

Esoteric Orders and their Work examines how and why esoteric schools have restricted admission to their secret societies and orders, and shrouded their practices in mystery. The knowledge guarded by these schools-passed down through the ages, and revised from time to time by great teachers-is a secret traditional science that studies the causes that lie behind observable phenomena.

Dion Fortune reveals every aspect of these secret organizations and the training they offer to initiates.

Revised edition contains a new introduction by Gareth Knight, and an index.

Genres: Occult, Spirituality, Magick, Magic, Mysticism, Esoterica

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 1961

About the author

Violet Mary Firth Evans (better known as Dion Fortune), was a British occultist and author. Her pseudonym was inspired by her family motto "Deo, non fortuna" (Latin for "by God, not fate").

From 1919 she began writing a number of novels and short stories that explored various aspects of magic and mysticism, including The Demon Lover, The Winged Bull, The Goat-Foot God, and The Secrets of Dr. Taverner. This latter is a collection of short stories based on her experiences with Theodore Moriarty. Two of her novels, The Sea Priestess and Moon Magic, became influential within the religion of Wicca, especially upon Doreen Valiente.

Of her non-fiction works on magical subjects, the best remembered of her books are; The Cosmic Doctrine, meant to be a summation of her basic teachings on mysticism; The Mystical Qabalah, an introduction to Hermetic Qabalah; and Psychic Self Defence, a manual on how to protect oneself from psychic attacks. Though some of her writings may seem dated to contemporary readers, they have the virtue of lucidity and avoid the deliberate obscurity that characterised many of her forerunners and contemporaries.

Reviews

[Araminta Matthews · Rating 2 out of 5]

My study into Esoteric Orders have revealed a few things. First, while Fortune is clearly the lesser of two evils when paired with Crowley, it is still an evil. This book alone is so peppered with casual racism that I even wonder is her work inspired some of the fascists of her day. Second, esoteric orders are designed to create a system of power and we all know the first order of anyone in power is to maintain that power. The term “Master” to apply to the Person guiding the initiate and the frequent use of actual torture to perpetuate it (I.e. Gardnerian Wicca, for instance, an esoteric order possibly inspired by Gerald Gardner’s work in The Golden Dawn, requires initiates to strip naked and be whipped forty lashes by the “master,” who then gets whipped in return.” Given that esoteric knowledge is supposed to enlighten us to a greater version of ourselves, don’t you find it suspect that these esoteric orders begin with subjugation—the very act that creates the enslaved mind in the first place? In the same breath, Fortune tells us “Beware Of the self-taught occultist; he is as unreliable as the self-taught healer” (32), and then “... it is possible to obtain access to the source of the secret wisdom by purely intuitional and meditative method” (56), and in that cheap linguistic trick manages to saw the lady in half before our eyes and retain that He is the only one able to reassemble her. Or, put more concretely, Fortune says you can’t trust people who train themselves because they weren’t chosen by someone else (which is classist at best, perhaps ableist and racist as well), and also that some special people actual CAN self-teach if they are first blessed by intuition (implying selected by God/dead Herself), so riddle me this, Fortune: who is whom? Because it is mighty convenient that we are to trust no one but the perpetrators of our abuse (initiations and torture) and that those perpetuators are perhaps selected intuitively... I’m the master because I’m the master—my intuition told me so—and you’re not because you are my slave.

No.

In my world, knowledge is power and we all have a right to power over ourselves but not over others. And furthermore, education and spirituality are rights and therefore should be accessible and free of hierarchy. You have no power over me, and what scares you most is that you see clearly the power I have over myself. I hold my power. I know it well. Even the allure of esoteric knowledge cannot make it waver. I’m as terrifying as a gorgon, aren’t I?

And oh-2 stars and not 1 because at least some of the philosophy (once cleansed if it’s tainted patriarchal hegemony and violent subjugation) still holds a little water.

[Myka · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a good general info read, I found this book to be a pain. Mostly because of how it describes other cultural spiritual traditions as lesser than Western Occultism and Western Occultism as the proper amalgam of all else. It borders on Eugenics and is disquieting to read given that she could’ve wrote this book simply describing how this particular practice functions as opposed to prioritizing it about all others. Just because Dion Fortune doesn’t understand the complex undertakings of Chinese Alchemy does not mean it’s not a complete system. Just because Dion Fortune’s perspective limits her understanding of African and African-diasporic spiritualities, does not mean that they are primitive. If she truly believes that there are as many paths to God as the breaths of the sons of man, then her perspective on the left hand path, cultural mysticism, crime, and race would not be so limited and critical.

[Vlad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on how Esotheric principles work. Very important is to get you’re sub-concious mind programmed so the author explains that music have frequencies and that interrupts you’re thinking. Also a word of Jesus spiritual had been said that it’s a symbol for love. You should concsider having a teacher in a esotheric way and don’t overmaster it

[Gerrit G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abstract (read: evading) description on how esoteric orders in different manners work, also some useful definitions. Not completely enlightening for me.

[James Hein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This provides a good overview of the esoteric world. Like all of these books the more you know the more they make sense but this does address a number if important issues for the Seeker. It gives you some hints on how to find a teacher, what to look for and what to avoid.

[Gwyndyllyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all occultists.

[Claire Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

5*

Good read. Informs how an adept journeys upon the path. Recommended reading for those already on the path. BrilliAnt Dion fortune