A Short Introduction to

Great Female Magical Writers

with copious reference to their works

as requested by numerous Sisters of the Order

on International Woman’s Day 2013 e.v.

by Very Illustrious Bro. Rodney Orpheus

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky is a giantess among female occultists. It is hard to convey today just how important an impact H. P. Blavatsky had on her generation. The entire occult “revival” of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was a direct result of Blavatsky’s influence, and just about any occultist of any standing in the Western world had been a member of the Theosophical Society that she founded, whose membership dwarfed that of any other esoteric society to this day. Her works were very much a product of their time but still have much to offer the modern reader, particularly her visionary text The Voice of the Silence which was reprinted by Aleister Crowley in his journal The Equinox along with his commentaries on it, and which remains an essential work for all students. The Book of Dzyan by Ordo Templi Orientis initiate Tim Maroney is also well worth reading.

Mabel Collins was an intriguing and passionate (some would say scandalous) English author whose Egyptian-themed occult novel The Idyll of the White Lotus was a sensation in its time. She was for many years a leading member of the Theosophical Society and editor of its journal Lucifer. She produced several visionary works, most famous of which was Light on the Path, a beautiful and meditative small book that has been almost continually in print for over a century. Another of her novels, The Blossom and the Fruit is included on the reading list for students of Crowley’s A.A. Magical Order. A tremendously under-rated author who will repay study.

Ida Craddock was a pioneer in the field of woman’s rights, particularly in the field of sexual health. Unfortunately this was highly frowned upon by the prevailing Christian mores of 19th century America, leading to her facing many years of persecution, and ultimately to her tragic death. Despite one of her works, Heavenly Bridegrooms, receiving a rave review from Aleister Crowley in the pages of The Equinox, her works remained unpublished for over a century. Happily she is now receiving the attention she deserves mainly thanks to the efforts of several members of Ordo Templi Orientis. most notably O.T.O. Treasurer General Vere Chappell, whose Sexual Outlaw, Erotic Mystic is an essential work.

Florence Farr was a leading member of the Golden Dawn, the second member to be initiated into the Adeptus Minor grade, later taking over as Chief Adept of the Order in England; as well as being an accomplished and successful actress and musician, and a vocal proponent of women’s rights. She worked closely with G.D. members such as W. B. Yeats and Annie Horniman on theatrical productions in the outer world and was apparently an extremely talented ritualist within the borders of Order. Much of her magical writing was circulated privately as Flying Rolls for members of the Golden Dawn, but her Egyptian Magic was one of several works that were published as part of the Collectanea Hermetica series, and is well worth reading, as are her Egyptian-themed plays The Beloved of Hathor and The Shrine of the Golden Hawk.

Dion Fortune is probably the best-known female magical writer of the 20th century. Originally a member of the latter-day Golden Dawn under Moina Mathers, she later founded her own magical order, the Fraternity of the Inner Light. Her book The Mystical Qabalah is justifiably considered a classic, however her other non-fiction has not weathered the sands of time quite as well, with most seeming extremely dated to the modern reader. Some, like the risible Psychic Self-Defence, can be safely avoided altogether. On the other hand, in her novels she gave full rein to her imagination and in my opinion they contain far more interesting occult knowledge than her more formal works, as well as being far more fun to read. The Sea Priestess and Moon Magic are essential reads, along with The Winged Bull, The Goat-foot God and my personal favourite The Demon Lover. Her collection of short stories, The Secrets of Dr. Taverner, contains an interesting attempt to marry occult theory with psychoanalysis, which was arguably more successful than Crowley’s similar attempt with the Simon Iff stories.