The Sea Priestess

The Sea Priestess is probably the chief of Dion Fortune's novels. It furnishes occult instruction from one of the most significant authors on ceremonial magic from the first half of the twentieth century, in the context of a story about a Mary Sue named "Morgan Le Fay," the reincarnation of a priestess of Atlantis. But that sort of synopsis really doesn't do justice to what is actually a tremendously entertaining book.

Nor would the original readers have been likely to identify Fortune with Morgan. For one thing, Violet Firth's pen name "Dion" left her gender uncertain. As she writes amusingly in her foreword, "It has often been said of me that I am no lady, and I have myself had to tell the secretary of a well-known club which craved show more my membership that I am no gentleman." Also, the book is written in the first person from the perspective of Wlifred Maxwell, an asthmatic "mother's boy" in early middle age, a fairly prosperous estate agent, enmeshed in a terminally staid English bourgeois culture. Wilfred's voice was so distinctive, so unaffectedly droll and engaging, that it was the highlight of the book for me, and a reader without other knowledge of the author would surely conclude that if there were a character with autobiographical traits, it was Wilfred.

There are a couple of fine pieces of ceremony in this story, but it is more focused on the visionary aspects of magical practice, as well as their effects on artistic creativity and interaction with libidinal expression. I have read other reviewers take the book to task for an overlong denouement, but when the essential plot of the book is viewed as a magical operation, it would hardly do to give any briefer treatment to what is, at least from Wilfred's perspective, the real result of the work.

I didn't expect to enjoy this book half as much as I actually did, and I think it makes an admirable sort of pagan alternative to the occult novels of Charles Williams. In fact, it could probably be said without too much distortion, that The Sea Priestess is to Fortune's Hermetic outlook what Descent into Hell is to Williams' Christian spiritual reflection. show less

Oh dear, after reading this book I can only hope that Dion Fortune was a more accomplished occultist than she was an author. The characters were wooden, one dimensional constructions with very little to recommend them. The whole premise of the story was the usual sentimental story of a long dead priesthood saving modern humanity from itself, originating in Atlantis (naturally). There are one or two acceptable passages of poetry as invocation but not worth wading through the book to find, and certainly poor imitations of the magnificent invocations of the Homeric Hymns, for example.

Fortune was a good writer, and I enjoyed this book, despite its getting bogged down periodically by overlong expositions of esoteric philosophy. When that happens, she loses her characters and their stories somewhat; when she gets back on track she is dead on.

This is not a complaint against the philosophy, just the tendency to try to make a book both a novel and a treatise. The good writing, and good story, however, outweigh this flaw, and when she gets going, Fortune is really something.

This 1938 'novel of the occult' by the well-known psychic Dion Fortune (born Violet Firth), was initially self-published, which, I have to admit, gave me some serious doubts about its quality - but after reading it, I would have to say that her difficulty in finding a publisher was probably indeed due to its subject matter, not her ability as a literary stylist (the book has stayed in print, posthumously, until the present day.)
This however, is not to say that a modern reader will find any of the events in this book particularly racy or shocking - standards have certainly changed over time.

The story deals with Wilfred, a young man in a strait-laced small British town, who feels oppressed by his family, his job, his sickly constitution, show more and his situation in general. But when his position as an estate agent (realtor) leads him to meet a beautiful and mysterious woman of uncertain age, he not only falls in love, but is led to a spiritual awakening, as the woman who calls herself Morgan Le Fay recreates the spiritual rites of Atlantis, communing with the moon and the sea and bringing Wilfred to the realization that life has more to offer than he knew.

This book reminded me a bit of Aleister Crowley's 'Moonchild,' (1929) although it's a bit less 'flashy' as far as its occult elements - but it has the same element of showing social non-conformists against a background of a restrictive society. show less

See the full review here-- http://diamondlovestoread.blogspot.com/2013/04/rihanna-music-video-review-of-sea...

Review: I loved this book. After thinking of my feelings of this beautiful novel I kept having trouble in a way I hadn't before. This novel causes a lot of introspection and it's very spiritual and New Age. I had to continually remind myself it was written in the 1930s. So if I were to write a review about how this book made me feel and what it did to me-- I'd be revealing the most intimate aspects of my soul. And well, I love you all but I'm just not comfortable with that. Suffice it to say that I found the ideas presented as nothing short of amazing. I am in love with Dion's hero, Wilfred Maxwell. She mentions in her show more introduction that she wrote him with flaws because her characters are more real that way. I loved him with his flaws, his temper and funny way of dealing with things endeared me to him quite a bit. He was magnetic. His love for the sea priestess, Morgan Le Fay was so heartbreaking and enchanting. She reminded me of myself a bit. Their dynamic and relationship can be summed up in a song that has been playing in my mind ever since I finished the book. It perfectly matches what their relationship is and I just find it actually jives really well with the book in general. Now I have never simply played a song and the lyrics for a review before, but it seems like a cool idea and it's my blog so I can do these fun things. I'm so glad I picked this book up at the library bookstore. Ill forever cherish it and read it again. If you want a book that is provides insight about spirituality and the duality dynamic between male and female, and speaks of goddesses-- while all the while establishing the origins of what we call New Age now..read this book. 5/5 stars. A new favorite.

Music video-- Rihanna's Stay feat. Mikky Ekko
Here's the link it's not letting me embed the video--- http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=plpp&v=JF8BRvqGCNs




Oh, and you know what's super crazy? This song Stay, resonated so much with me and the meaning of this book. Then I looked at the cover image on iTunes for her album, and see a magnificent photo of Rihanna showing the Goddess Isis under her breast. I was like HOLY CRAP no way! Coincidence? I don't know. Then again who has a tat of Isis, and sings a song that corresponds with a book based on the Goddess Isis and her embodiment in all women? One major point the book made was that as a woman if we channel the connection we have to ALL women, well...that's where the magic happens. Seems like this could be more than a coincidence. I swear I didn't know she had the tattoo when I linked the book to this song. I'm not too into rihanna before this. I like her, now I love her. Here are some pics of the amazing tattoo. 











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The Sea Priestess is the best known of Dion Fortune’s novels, said to combine a good story with magickal teachings. I came to it anticipating an interesting read, and on the whole wasn’t disappointed.

The main character, Wilfred Maxwell, is pretty much physically and emotionally disabled, having asthma and being somewhat under the domination of his mother and sister. The drugs he’s given to alleviate the asthma cause strange visions and lead him to experiment with achieving these in a waking state. When the strange and fascinating Morgan Le Fay arrives in the small town on the south west coast of England he recognises the sea priestess he saw in one of these visions. Morgan Le Fay draws him to her for purposes of her own and show more brings about a change in Wilfred that will have far-reaching consequences, both for himself and, (it is implied), for mankind in general.

The mores of the era in which the book was written were quite different from ours; this is very noticeable in Wilfred’s attitudes, and as the book progresses this makes him less than likeable. At times he’s downright crass if not petulant, yet when he’s waxing lyrical about his visions and the sea he seems like a different man. I found parts of the long sections dealing with ritual and esoteric theory somewhat preachy teachy, and irritating too. And it seemed odd that Morgan would have chosen Wilfred for her purpose (whatever that was), since he seemed lacking in sensitivity, but I guess that was all part of his emotional repression. Dion Fortune’s male main characters do tend to be odd – I noticed it with Ted Murchison in The Winged Bull as well. There’s a forward by the author in which she goes to great pains to explain this away as part of the restrictions of first person narrative, and leaving some of the work to the reader, as well as liking characters who are flawed, yet my own instinct is that, as a woman, she’s not quite under the skin of the opposite sex. Still, who the heck is? show less

An interesting read. Written by one of the foremost names in the occult tradition this reflects some of her own practices and activities. I had read Moon Magic years ago and liked Vivien Le Fay Morgan but I didn't like her quite as much in this book. I would have a sneaking suspicion that the rituals and what happens to Wilfred after Vivien disappears is the meat of the book and most of the rest is just padding.
Wilfred is a strange character and I'm not sure that Dion really gets a good grasp of a male character here. The treatment of his asthma in that period was interesting to see.

Not great as a fiction read but interesting as a look into the mind and mindset of one of the members of the Order of the Golden Dawn and turn of the 20th show more century magical working. show less