The Seymour Papers

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Colonel Charles "Griff" Seymour (1880-1943) was one of the most important esotericists of the twentieth century. He is almost unknown today. I am making available on this site a series of his lectures and articles from the 1930s. They are a useful resource, but they are hard to obtain today. They were published back in the 1980s by Aquarian Press in The Forgotten Mage, but that book is long out of print.

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 and unhappy figure, he was an Irish Protestant by birth, and he spent most of his career in the army. His approach to Paganism and other unorthodox spiritualities was eclectic. He had extensive knowledge of ancient religion, as well as practical experience of esoteric movements: specifically, Freemasonry and Dion Fortune's group, the Fraternity of the Inner Light.
 

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          The articles

          1. The Meaning of Initiation
 

          2. Magic in the Ancient Mystery Religions

                   Part 1. Magic, Myth, Mystery

                   Part 2. Religion

                   Part 3. The Lore of Persephone

                   Part 4. The Inhabitants of the Realm of Persephone

                   Part 5. The Bridal Song
                   Part 6. Les Ténèbres de l'Ignorance

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          3. The Esoteric Aspect of Religion
                   Part 1. The Grey Dawn of Religion
                   Part 2. The Living Past
                   Part 3. The Background of the Pagan Mysteries
                   Part 4. The Ritual Theurgy of the Mystery Religions
                   Part 5. The Egyptian Tradition

                   Part 6. The Cult of Isis and Osiris

                   Part 7. The Grecian Tradition
                   Part 8. The Chaldean and Roman Traditions

                   Part 9. General Conclusions and Summary

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          4. Meditations for Temple Novices
                  Foreword
                  Part 1. [Untitled]
                  Part 2. The Tools of the Mind
                  Part 3. The Universal Soul and the Soul of Man
                  Part 4. Forbidden Marches
                  Part 5. Summary and Retrospect

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          5. The Old Gods
                  Part 1. [Untitled]
                  Part 2. [Untitled]
                  Part 3. The Background of Paganism

                  Part 4. General Classification of the Gods
                  Part 5. The Gods and their Functions
                  Part 6. The Earth Mother

                  Part 7. The Door and the Bowl

                  Part 8. The Priest and the Moon Bowl
                  Part 9. The Moon Virgin and the Snake of Wisdom

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          6. The Ancient Nature-Worship

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          7. Eheieh Asher Eheieh [on initiation]

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          8. The Magna Mater [Great Mother]

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To be continued....