First of all... What's this Mr. Regardie shit? My name is Francis.
From Wikipedia : "Israel Regardie (Francis Israel Regudy) (born on November 17, 1907 in London, England, died March 10, 1985 in Sedona, Arizona) was one of the 20th century's most significant occultists and a renewer of occult literature."
Here is a wonderful exerpt from "Francis and Me"
By: Donald Michael Kraig
Francis Israel Regardie died in 1985. He was perhaps the last and most important link between modern occultism and the powerful occult revolution...
As a young kid, Regardie’s books were truly magickal to me. Much of his writing reminded me of Dion Fortune and Aleister Crowley, ranging in style from contemporary to archaic Victorian...
..I was able to communicate with Regardie, receiving polite and precise answers to my young questions. Then, one day, I received a call. I was invited to drive from my home in San Diego to the home of a friend in Los Angeles and actually meet the man himself! I was so excited I couldn’t believe it. Even though I hadn’t met him before, I had studied his work for so long that he seemed like a second father to me. Naturally, I dressed up in a suit and tie to honor him and show my respect.
When I finally met him, I approached almost tentatively. He was small in stature and elderly. Small hoses from an oxygen tank ran to his nose (for his asthma), he was drinking a martini (long before it became a “hip†drink), and he peered at me from behind thick glasses. Shaking, I held out my hand to shake his. “Hello, Dr. Regardie,†I said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.â€
“What’s this ‘Dr. Regardie’ crap?†He responded. “My name is Francis.†Except he didn’t use the word crap, he used a different word that I won’t repeat here. That broke the tension I was feeling. Off came my tie. Off came my jacket. We talked for a long time. We continued to write and met several times more. He moved from L.A. to Sedona, Arizona, and he invited me to visit him. Unfortunately, events prevented me from doing so, and he died there. He is buried at an L.A. cemetery beneath a tree with a trunk that splits in two directions. I always thought this was appropriate, as Regardie was always of this world and the spiritual world.
Regardie Is for All.
If you have any interest in magick and the occult, studying Regardie’s books is not an option, it is a must. In his works are the philosophy, theory and practical techniques of the Western Esoteric Tradition, especially the path of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Once, while talking with Regardie about his early mentor, Aleister Crowley, he told me that he’d rather discuss the methods of the Golden Dawn. “I’m just an old Golden Dawner,†he said."
