Dr Robin Douglas

This is the penultimate part of my republication of the writings of Colonel Charles Seymour, an important Irish esotericist of the twentieth century. November 1937 to April 1938 Part 1 Notwithstanding the scanty nature of the records that have escaped the iconoclastic zeal of past ages, in most of the Mystery systems it is still…

Hardly anyone even tries to look at the story of Fatima from a relatively dispassionate standpoint – the commentary tends to consist of either Catholic devotional writing or sceptical debunking. So I thought I’d try a different approach. The feast of Our Lady of Fatima is coming up on 13 May. Now is a good…

I’ve uploaded the text of two rites of passage intended for use by British socialists: a child’s naming ceremony and a wedding ceremony. We meet in this public manner in order to testify our conviction that every child born to our race, of whatever nation or colour, should be honoured as a new member of…

Originally posted on 27 April 2025. Also posted on my Substack. Since cardinals and conclaves are in the news at the moment…. How do you become a cardinal? Perhaps the most surprising thing is that, in principle, you don’t need to be a priest. Back in history, so-called ‘lay cardinals’ were sometimes appointed. In spite…

This is the latest in my series of republications of the writings of the important 20th century Irish esotericist Colonel Charles Seymour. October 1937 When Moses the Egyptian initiate on the barren, sun-smitten wastes of Horeb, the Holy Mountain of God, asked the Spirit of the Burning Bush for his name, he got the curious…

This piece was originally posted on 21 April 2025. It was also posted on my Substack. There is an old story that the death of a pope is verified by striking him on the head three times with a gold or silver hammer while calling him by his baptismal name, the name that his mother…

Competitive egg rolling is a traditional Easter Monday custom in Britain, particularly in northern England and Scotland. The rolling of the eggs was undertaken by children and teenagers. It seems that they would try to smash the eggs of other participants – presumably the eggs were hard-boiled. In at least some cases, the eggs were…

From the Evening Standard, 14 April 1865: The English people do not observe many anniversaries, but they are faithful to the few. They never forget Christmas, or Eastertide, or Good Friday. This morning, of solemn memory, is one which recalls the marvellous vicissitudes of Christian history and a thousand strange traditions, all symbolising some quaintly…

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…

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…