This date in 1890 was the birthdate of Dion Fortune, famous author, occultist, and ritual magician.
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| Ruin by the Sea, oil painting by Arnold Böcklin, 1881 |
She was born in Llandudno, North Wales and her parents gave her the name Violet Mary Firth.
The name Dion Fortune was inspired by the family motto, Deo, Non Fortuna – “God, Not Fortune”, which was coined by her grandfather.
She was having visions concerning the lost city of Atlantis by the age of four.
She went to agricultural college and initially did quite well. Her proficiency with poultry led her to become a staff member at the college, but a bad relationship with her boss led to a nervous breakdown, so she left. At this time she became interested in psychotherapy, especially Freud and Jung.
She became a psychotherapist and it was during this career that she became interested in the occult, thanks to the work of Dr. Theodore Moriarty.
During the First World War she joined the Women's Land Army and established a company selling soy milk products.
In 1927, Fortune married Tom Penry Evans—a Welsh doctor, at Paddington Registry Office. They spent their honeymoon in Glastonbury. Their marriage was initially happy, although Evans may have been perturbed at having to immerse himself in occultism to a greater extent than he had planned. The couple had no children.
During the 2nd World War she made a magical contribution to the war effort by organising an extended meditation group. She continued to operate during The Blitz despite a bomb bringing down the roof of her headquarters in 1940.
She was a co-founder of the Fraternity of the Inner Light, an occult organisation that promoted philosophies which she claimed had been taught to her by spiritual entities known as the Ascended Masters. She 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.
She died in 1946 from leukaemia at the age of 55. She is buried in the municipal cemetery at Glastonbury.
A Very Variant Christmas
Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.
The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?
Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.
Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.
Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.
Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.
Themes Christmas; superheroes; reunions; parties; life choices; shocking surprises; mistaken identity; kidnap and rescue.
Reasons not to read it
- It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
- Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
- It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
- There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
- Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
- Superheroes. Again.
- Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.
- It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
- Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
- It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
- There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
- Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
- Superheroes. Again.
- Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.
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