Dion Fortune

Dion Fortune, born Violet Mary Firth in 1890 in Wales, is one of the major figures of Western occultism in the 20th century. Trained as a psychologist, novelist, and specialist in esoteric traditions, she developed an approach combining Qabalah, esoteric Christianity, ceremonial magic, and the study of the human psyche. Her pseudonym comes from the family Latin motto Deo, non fortuna, meaning "God, not chance." After studying psychology and psychoanalysis in London, she joined the Theosophical Society and then the circles stemming from the Golden Dawn, before founding her own initiatory organization: the Fraternity of the Inner Light, later known as the Society of the Inner Light. This esoteric school, still active today, is based on the study of Qabalah, Western rituals, and Christian spirituality.