Fighting Nazis with magick – Saul Ravencraft

During World War II, nations allied to fight a battle that still resonates today more strongly than any war since. Popular culture still looks back with a great deal of nostalgia on this era and the amazing achievements of all who were involved.

Not all of the battles were fought with guns, though. We’ve heard of the battle at home, as citizens worked to conserve and supply the war effort. But, did you know about the magickal battle that was happening in the background? In her article, The Magical Battle of Britain, Sable Aradia brings up an interesting point.

“ Something happened in World War II that doesn’t really make any sense, and nobody really seems to give a lot of thought as to why it happened outside of military academies. Germany never invaded Britain.” [sic]
From The Magical Battle of Britain by Sable Aradia

There are a number of military possibilities given for this, but it all coincides with something that was happening behind the scenes of the war. A group of wizards and witches, led by Dion Fortune, quietly impressed their will through a series of rituals aimed at protecting the British continent.

Painting by Yuri Leitch commissioned by Paul Weston : avalonian aeon

When war broke out, Dion Fortune began to contact her own circle, members of the Fraternity of the Inner Light (which still exists after a fashion). Her allies included some serious players in the magick community of that time, including Dennis Wheatley, Aleister Crowley, Gerald Gardner, and writer and British Intelligence operative, Ian Fleming (who created James Bond and wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). They called upon the ancient spirits of Britain for protection, inlcuding King Arthur, Merlin, St. Michael and St. George.

On the anticipated launch night of Operation Sealion, a planned invasion of Britain by Hitler’s forces, a group of magicians were said to have gathered in the New Forest and the cliffs of Dover to perform a ritual to stop them. In a sort of volunteer draft, Fortune also removed many of the restrictions to participation, inviting all who wanted to support the cause to learn their secrets of mind-working.

As Aradia points out, magick is not about fireballs and bolts of lightning. It is about influence, nudging circumstances into one’s favor. One can look at this piece of history and say that everything was just a flow of events and that these practitioners made no difference. But, those who are more connected with the nature of magick can read between the lines here.

Aradia goes further, to talk about how modern practitioners can band together and call upon ancient spirits to bolster us against the modern social battles. It’s not a bad idea.

If you want to learn more, check out Gareth Knight’s book, The Magical Battle of Britain. It contains a narrative of events along with the correspondence that Dion Fortune sent to her team.

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