Customer Reviews

Mystical Meditations on the Collects

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It can be a little dated and even sexist in spots, but the overall scope of this little text can be very useful to those seeking a more metaphysical approach with their religious practices. It is a little more Christian-focused than much else of Ms. Fortune's works, but I found it to be a useful addition to my collection of her esoteric works.

If you are into spirituality at all, you absolutely MUST get a copy of this book. Dion Fortune has found the bridge between the Christian faith and the mystical traditions. Even the most fundamentalist Christian should be able to gleen treasures from every chapter of this book. I make it ritual every morning to meditate on one chapter, which is usually only about 1 1/2 pages long. Fortune's brilliant commentaries flow from nothing less than the mind of God Himself. After each reading, I almost inevitably say to myself "WOW!", and have to re-read the passage just to ingrain the words into my very being. There are very few books that I would give such an unqualified recommendation. Dion Fortune's reputation as an occultist is well known and I regard as equal, if not superior to, the greatest minds of the Hermetic Orders, including Aleister Crowley, Israel Regardie, Mme Blavatsky, Annie Bessant and Alice Bailey. This book, however, enlightens the very essence of what the Christian faith is all about. She has truly captured the love of our Lord Jesus Christ and his teachings; she was truly an enlightened being. I stumbled upon this treasure at a used book store, and I am going to get several more copies, if possible, for gifts for my spiritually minded friends. If you love to be inspired by great spiritual wisdom, I recommend that you make every effort to get this book!

Those who Know Dion Fortune will need to urging to buy this book. Often newer students of
the esoteric will not have learned the necessity for having all 3 branches of esoterica equally
balanced in their own work. Dion formulated, for the devotional aspect of the Society of Inner Light,
"The Guild of the Master Jesus." It contained the only Mass I have seen that includes Hermetic, Elemental,
and Devotional aspects. For those who lack a reliably constructed Devotional path, they could do no better
than to obtain the book on Dion Fortune's life by Chas. Fielding and Carr Collins. Having that book will
give the reader an ample start on how to do the work of The Guild of the Master Jesus. Having thus begun
such work, one must have this book so proper;y worded prayers are available to them.
It isn't a book to inform the intellect, rather a workbook. To be used over and over.

I picked up this book as the cover and title intrigued me. The introduction was a scant preamble to the thinking in the book. Frankly, however, I was hoping to find something more challenging and scholarly. The writing was short and cursory. As a teacher, I could find little that was useful to my adult students. Any person who spent some time with the collects could have written equal commentaries. I was also disappointed to note that the author is using outdated versions of the collects or perhaps collects from the Church of England. These have little utility for Americans. It would have been more helpful to use the collects from the Book of Common Prayer or the Lutheran Book of Worship.