Difference between revisions of "Israel Regardie"

'''Francis Israel Regardie''' (/rɪˈɡɑːrdi/; né Regardie; November 17, 1907 – March 10, 1985) was an English [[occultist]], ceremonial [[magician]], and writer who spent much of his life in the United States. He wrote fifteen books on the subject of the [[occult]].

Born to a working-class Orthodox Jewish family in the East End of London, Regardie and his family soon moved to Washington, D.C. in the United States. Regardie rejected Orthodox [[Judaism]] during his teenage years and took an interest in Theosophy, [[Hinduism]], Buddhism, and Jewish mysticism.

It was through his interest in yoga that he encountered the writings of the occultist [[Aleister Crowley]]. Contacting Crowley, he was invited to serve as the occultist's secretary, necessitating a move to Paris, France in 1928. He followed Crowley to England before their association ended. Living in England, he wrote two books on the [[Kabbalah]], ''A Garden of Pomegranates'' and ''The Tree of Life''. In 1934 he then joined the Stella Matutina—a ceremonial magic order descended from the defunct [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]]—but grew dissatisfied with its leadership and left. He also studied psychology, being particularly influenced by ideas from Jungian psychology, and explored [[Christianity|Christian]] mysticism.