Category: Uncategorized
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
The Seymour papers 2 – Magic in the ancient mystery religions
December 1934-March 1935 Part 1. Magic, Myth, Mystery Summary. Magic has to do with the mind making contact with the unseen spiritual side of the world. It involves the subconscious mind, and everyone’s subconscious mind has latent powers for magic. Work in a mystery school is about training these latent powers and accessing higher states…
-
The Seymour papers 1 – The meaning of initiation
Colonel Charles “Griff” Seymour (1880-1943) was one of the most important esotericists of the twentieth century. He is almost unknown today. Seymour was a close collaborator of the much more famous Dion Fortune, and he duly turns up in fictionalised form as the Priest of the Moon in Fortune’s novel The Sea Priestess. A formidable…
-
Voodoo in court
This article was originally published on 12 February 2025. It was also posted on my Substack. The Employment Tribunal has ruled on a harassment claim which involved the African Caribbean religious tradition of Vodun (generally known as ‘Voodoo’). The case is Wint v Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council 1306321/2023, and judgment was given at the end of…
Dr Robin Douglas 