Aleister Crowley and Dion Fortune

Book excerpt: Aleister Crowley and Dion Fortune were two of the most controversial and powerful occultists of the 20th century. Crowley was regarded by many as a creature of the night, albeit one whose soul was streaked with brilliance; Fortune was viewed as one of the Shining Ones, who nevertheless wrestled with her own darkness. Between them they produced some of the best books on magick ever written, and their influence upon contemporary magicians has been profound. Written by occult scholar Alan Richardson, this unusual and provocative book draws upon unpublished material to reveal little-known aspects of Crowley and Fortune's relationship, and their role as harbingers of sweeping cultural changes--foreshadowing the women's movement, the sexual revolution, and 1960s counterculture--as well as other surprising influences upon our present culture.