Category: Uncategorized
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Charity on Maundy Thursday – Some old reports
Here are some old newspaper reports – from 1735, 1790 and 1833 – of the customs observed by the British monarch on Maundy Thursday. The day was traditionally an occasion for the king or queen to give gifts and money to the poor. —– Newcastle Courant, 12 April 1735 This Day being Maunday Thursday, the…
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The Seymour papers 6 – The ancient nature-worship
This is the latest in my series of posts republishing the writings of Colonel Charles Seymour, one of the most important esotericists of the twentieth century. Summary: In this brief piece, Seymour contrasts (his vision of) the joyous nature-worship of antiquity with the ascetic traditions of Judaism and Christianity. Regrettably, he expresses contemporary racial ideas…
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Lenten fasting in the nineteenth century
This is the pastoral address that was sent by John MacHale, the Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, to his clergy in Lent 1835. DEAR AND BELOVED BRETHREN. — We are about to enter into that holy season which has been set apart, from the time of the Apostles, for the salutary exercises of penance. This is…
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The last British pogrom
Originally posted on 4 April 2025. This is a slightly edited version of the paper that I delivered last Sunday at the Contemporary Antisemitism 2025 conference in London. The last outbreak of mass anti-Jewish violence in Britain took place in August 1947. It is almost entirely forgotten today. It is virtually never mentioned in public…
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A ghost liturgy – David Williams’ evensong (1776)
I’ve just uploaded the text of a Deist Evensong rite from 1776. It was composed by the Welsh clergyman David Williams, in collaboration with Benjamin Franklin. It is essentially a rite for worshipping the rationalist God of the Enlightenment. I’m calling it a “ghost liturgy” because it reflects a kind of religiosity that came and…
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The Seymour papers 5 – The old gods
This is the latest in my series of posts reproducing the writings of Colonel Charles Seymour, one of the least known but most important esotericists of the twentieth century. October 1936 to September 1937 Part 1 Who or what were the Old Gods? Pause for a moment and reflect on this, then note what pictures…
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Modern British pogroms
Originally posted on 14 March 2025. I will be delivering a paper on Sunday 30 March at the Contemporary Antisemitism: London 2025 conference. This article is a preliminary to that. It was originally posted on my Substack here. Britain does not have a good history when it comes to antisemitism. The middle ages saw Nazi levels…
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The Seymour papers 4 – Meditations for temple novices
This is the latest in my series of posts making available the writings of Colonel Charles ‘Griff’ Seymour, one of the most important esotericists of the twentieth century. March 1936 to September 1937 Foreword This work aims at inducing a hidden knowledge from the deeper strata of the subconscious minds of certain of its readers…
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The Seymour papers 3 – The esoteric aspect of religion
This is the latest in my series of re-publications of the esoteric writings of Colonel Charles “Griff” Seymour, a leading collaborator of Dion Fortune and a member of what was then the Fraternity of the Inner Light. The Esoteric Aspect of Religion June 1935 to September 1936 Summary. This is a series of articles by…
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Fräulein Sprengel’s pronouns
This article has also been posted on my Substack. I’ve posted a couple of articles recently – here and here – dealing with surprising claims that someone has discovered a lost sacred text. I want to finish this series by looking at a final story which fits broadly into the same category. It is an interesting example of how…
Dr Robin Douglas 