The Fraternity of the Inner Light is a
magical society and
Western mystery school founded by
Dion Fortune
Dion Fortune (born Violet Mary Firth, 6 December 1890 – 6 January 1946) was a British occultist, ceremonial magician, novelist and author. She was a co-founder of the Fraternity of the Inner Light, an occult organisation that promoted ph ...
in 1924. It operates from London and accepts pupils.
History
In 1922, after a falling-out with
Moina Mathers
Moina Mathers, born Mina Bergson (28 February 1865 – 25 July 1928), was an artist and occultist at the turn of the 20th century. She was the sister of French philosopher Henri Bergson, the first man of Jewish descent to be awarded the Nobel Pri ...
and with Moina's consent, Dion Fortune left the
Alpha et Omega
The Alpha et Omega was an occult order, initially named the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, co-founded in London, England by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers in 1888. The Alpha et Omega was one of four daughter organisations into which the ...
to form an offshoot organization. This indirectly brought new members to the Alpha et Omega.
[King, 1989, page 143] Fortune's group was later renamed "The Fraternity of the Inner Light", and was, later still, renamed "The Society of the Inner Light".
Teachings
Fortune gave her followers preliminary training by means of correspondence courses, on successful completion of which aspirants were
initiated
Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...
into the ''Lesser Mysteries'', then onto ''Greater Mysteries''.
[King, 1989, page 156] These lesser mysteries were roughly equivalent the Outer
Order of the Golden Dawn
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ( la, Ordo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae), more commonly the Golden Dawn (), was a secret society#Europe, secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics during the late ...
, and the greater mysteries were roughly equivalent to the old Inner Order of the Rosae Rubae et Aureae Crucis ("Ruby Rose and Golden Cross", or the RR et AC).
During its early years, the Fraternity of the Inner Light used many unchanged versions of the Golden Dawn initiation rituals which, as
Francis King notes, had a "semi-amicable relationship" with the
Stella Matutina.
[King, 1989, page 157] However, alterations were introduced and eventually the ceremonies used bore no resemblance to those of the Golden Dawn, with the exception that they were constructed on the same principles.
The name ''Fraternity....'' referred to the inner plane group, and the word ''Society....'' referred to the physical plane group and those members currently incarnated. Thus the group considered 'Fraternity' to be the more senior than the 'Society'.
See also
*
Divine light
In theology, divine light (also called divine radiance or divine refulgence) is an aspect of divine presence perceived as light during a theophany or vision, or represented as such in allegory or metaphor.
The term "light" has been widely used ...
*
Margaret Lumley Brown
*
Magical organization
A magical organization or magical order is an organization created for the practice of ceremonial or other forms of occult magic or to further the knowledge of magic among its members. Magical organizations can include Hermetic orders, Wicca ...
*
Israel Regardie
Francis Israel Regardie (; né Regudy; November 17, 1907 – March 10, 1985) was a British-American occultist, ceremonial magician, and writer who spent much of his life in the United States. He wrote fifteen books on the subject of occultism.
Bo ...
*
Secret Chiefs
In various occultist movements, Secret Chiefs are said to be transcendent cosmic authorities, a spiritual hierarchy responsible for the operation and moral calibre of the cosmos, or for overseeing the operations of an esoteric organization that ...
Notes
References
* King, Francis (1989). ''Modern Ritual Magic: The Rise of Western Occultism''.
External links
*
Magical organizations
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