Quotes from Dion Fortune

This is the way of the mystic as distinguished from that of the occultist; it is swift and direct, and free from the danger of the temptation of unbalanced force that is met with in either pillar, but it confers no magical powers save those of sacrifice in Tiphareth and psychism in Yesod.

It is for this reason that it has been held that the magician pays in suffering for what he wins by magical means. This is true if his operation is performed in any of the lower spheres of nature; but if it starts in the Kether of Atziluth, he is drawing unmanifest force into manifestation; he is adding to the resources of the universe, and provided he keeps the forces in equilibrium, there need be no untoward reaction and no payment in suffering for the use of the magical powers.

But the adept who starts his work in the Kether of Atziluth, that is to say in spiritual principle, and works that principle downwards to its expression on the planes of form, employing power drawn from the Unmanifest for this purpose, has made his operation a part of the cosmic process, and Nature is with him instead of against him.

Complacency serves the old gods.

If, on the other hand, our prompting are awards a withdrawal on to the Mystical Path, let us ask ourselves honestly whether we are following that Path because the call of God in our hearts is so strong, or because we have found life so difficult that we want to escape for ever from its problems.

We hear a lot about Daniel in the lions' den, but we hear nothing at all about Daniel in his official capacity as Beltcshazzar, head magician to the king of Babylon and satrap of Chaldea. Another

Then there was the even odder incident of Melchisedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who went out to meet Abraham, bearing bread and wine after the fight was over and the kings were all sunk in the slime-pits. Who was this priest of a forgotten worship whom Abraham honoured? I

Enter ye in.

The old bookseller had learnt at the seminary that when it comes to conceiving transcendent things, minds vary enormously in their capacity, and the trained mind is a very different matter to the untrained; and the mind that is conditioned by music and incense and dim lights has very different capacities to the mind that goes at the job in cold blood.

These conclusions, however, can only be understood when we know what we mean by reality and have a clear line of demarcation between the subjective and the objective. Any one who is trained in philosophical method knows that this is asking a good deal.

You got the sea-priestess through the moon," she said, "for the moon rules the sea. They are not two separate experiences, but two consecutive parts of the same experience.

she was in this life, but not of it.

Well, you remember what Iamblichos said about the way they built up the god-forms in their imagination so as to get the invisible powers to manifest through them?

But she was not of those who believe in the sanctity of handwork, however crude. There is no particular point in doing by hand what can be done as well and better by machine.

No one can sacrifice for another. We each sacrifice ourselves, and thereby gain the power to give magical help to each other.

After that I went home and Sally put what was left of me to bed; next day, being a Christian family, we saluted the happy morn with the Hell and Hades of a row because I wouldn't get up and go to early service, my sister being quite determined that even if I didn't get up. I shouldn't sleep.

I can cope with Ambrosius," came Mona's voice from the shadows.

The seed-sentence then, which we cast into the subconscious mind of the reader, is this: "Kether is the Malkuth of the Unmanifest.

It is essentially the sphere of religious mysticism as distinguished from the magic and psychism of Yesod; for be it remembered, the Sephiroth of the Center Pillar of the Tree represent levels of consciousness, and the Sephiroth on the side pillars represent powers and modes of function.

He looked round at Mona, who looked back at him with non-committal eyes. She had better control of herself than either of the two men, and was like the core of calm at the heart of a cyclone.

Very interestingly do the four Tarot cards assigned to Netzach reveal the nature of the Venusian influence as it comes, down the planes. They teach us a very important lesson, for they show how essentially unstable this force is unless it is rooted in spiritual principle. The lower forms of love are of the emotions, and essentially unreliable; but the higher love is dynamic and energising.

Jelkes came to the conclusion that Mona knew exactly what she was doing, and that it was not the slightest use to speak to her.

More tears began to flow, but tears of rage this time. Mona was furious with herself, with Hugh, but above all, with Jelkes, whom she recognised as acting as a kind of conscience to the pair of them.

Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will.