William G. Gray (25 March 1913 – 1992) was an English ceremonial magician, Hermetic Qabalist and writer, who published widely on the subject of

western esotericism Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

and the

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

. Gray founded a magical order known as the Sangreal Sodality. The historian

Ronald Hutton Ronald Edmund Hutton (born 19 December 1953) is an English historian who specialises in Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and Contemporary Paganism. He is a professor at the University of Bristol, has written 14 bo ...

described him as "one of Britain's most famous ritual magicians". Born to a working-class family in Harrow,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, Gray moved around in his childhood, living in various locations across England, and also in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he took a particular interest in the rituals of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Developing an early interest in western esotericism from his mother, who was a professional fortune teller, he met a number of famous occultists in his youth, including Victor Neuburg, Aleister Crowley and Dion Fortune. Eventually taking an Austrian named Emile Napoleon Hauenstein to be his magical teacher, he joined the British Army and served for several years, fighting in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Returning to Britain, he befriended and performed rituals with members of many different occult currents in Britain at the time, including Robert Cochrane, and published a number of books on the subject of the esoteric. 1975 saw the publication of ''The Rollright Ritual'', a book about the rituals and alleged spiritual interactions which he had experienced at the

Rollright Stones The Rollright Stones are a complex of three Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monuments near the village of Long Compton, on the borders of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. Constructed from local oolitic limestone, the three monuments, now known ...

, a Neolithic stone circle in the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...

. The life and work of Gray is referenced in the works of various occultists and academics studying western esotericism, while in 2003 the writers Alan Richardson and Marcus Claridge published a biography of him, entitled ''The Old Sod''.

Gareth Knight Sir Gareth (; Old French: ''Guerehet'', ''Guerrehet'') is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He is the youngest son of King Lot and Queen Morgause, King Arthur's half-sister, thus making him Arthur's nephew, as well as brother to ...

, who was acquainted with Gray, referred to him as a "redoubtable old occultist".

Childhood: 1913–1925

Gray was born on 25 March 1913 in Harrow,

. His mother, Christine Ash Gray (née Christine Chester Logie) was an American with a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

background. But she took a great practical interest in Western esotericism and associated with other occultists, believing herself to be the

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

Marie-Noémi Cadiot Marie-Noémi Cadiot (; 12 December 1828, Paris – 10 April 1888, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat), also known as Noémi (or Noémie) Constant and her literary pseudonyms Claude Vignon and H. Morel, was a French sculptor, journalist and writer of the 19t ...

(1832–1888), the wife of the influential French occultist

Eliphas Lévi Eliphaz is one of Esau's sons in the Bible. Eliphaz or Eliphas is also the given name of: * Eliphaz (Job), another person in the Bible * Eliphaz Dow (1705-1755), the first male executed in New Hampshire, for murder * Eliphaz Fay (1797–1854), fo ...

(1810–1875). William's father on the other hand, John McCammon Trew Gray, was from a " Low Church" background and took little interest in the esoteric. The couple had married on 26 August 1910 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where John had been managing a theatrical touring company and Christine had been working as an actress; both of them had been previously married, with John being a 44-year-old divorcee and Christine a 27-year-old widow at the time. When the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out in 1914, the United Kingdom allied itself with France to fight Germany, leading John Gray to lie about his age to enlist in the British Army, believing it to be his patriotic duty; joining the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry, he served in France and then India, where he took charge of a prisoner of war camp at

Elephanta Island Elephanta Island (also called Gharapuri (literally "the city of caves") or Pory Island) is one of a number of islands in Mumbai Harbour, east of Mumbai, India. Tourist attractions and accessibility This island is a popular tourist destinati ...

near

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. With her husband away at war, Christine Gray took up employment with the British War Office, eventually being posted to the London American Headquarters. She sent her young son William to live with his elderly grandmother and Aunt Lella in

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...

, where (he would later relate) he was "badly behaved, disobedient, nduntidy". Eventually, Aunt Lella fell ill and William was sent to live with his Aunt Will and Aunt Florence, a couple who were active in the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...

. It was there that William first learned about the esoteric, although he would always associate Theosophy somewhat derogatorily with "elderly ladies of both sexes and genteel behaviour whose ideas of

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

centred around mysterious Oriental Masters who directed the destiny of all mankind from a secret spot in Tibet." When he was eight, he began his education at primary school, which he despised, and soon after was sent back to live with his parents, who had settled into Forest Hill, London after the war. His mother took him to

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

at a local

Church, which he enjoyed very much. He developed a lifelong appreciation of ritual and decided he would one day like to be ordained as a Catholic priest. In 1922, he and his mother moved to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

in Canada, where she was hospitalised for a serious chest infection. He was put under the care of his Aunt Leslie and her husband Bruce, a wealthy stockbroker. In

, he continued to attend

, but lost his desire to become a priest because the rituals at the Canadian church were less impressive than those in England.

Involvement in the occult: 1926–1935

Returning to Britain after his mother's recovery, William and his parents moved into a flat in East Park Terrace in

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. Due to problems in the couple's relationship, Christine and John slept in different bedrooms and William shared with his father, with whom he had a strained relationship. Because the family struggled with financial problems, Christine worked as a professional fortune teller and William shared his mother's interest in

, reading books on

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

from the local library. Later relating that he experienced several visions at this time, he devised several magical rituals using the kitchen as a temple, based upon what he had read in books and his own innovation. He attended lectures given by the

and also met a number of famous occultists who were friends of his mother; these included Arthur Wilson, who later tried to found a commune in Canada, and Victor Neuburg (1883–1940), whom Gray would always remember as "one of the gentlest men I ever met". "Once or twice" he briefly met the infamous ceremonial magician Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), founder of the religion of Thelema and a pariah figure in the British press. An old friend and magical partner of Neuburg's, Crowley made Christine feel uneasy; she later told her son that Crowley was "not a very nice man" and burned the signed copy of his book ''

777 777 may refer to: * 777 (number), a number * AD 777, a year of the Julian calendar * 777 BC, a year in the 8th century BC * Boeing 777, a commercial jet airliner :* Boeing 777X, the newer generation of the Boeing 777. Art and entertainment Alb ...

'' that he gave her. By the age of 14, Gray was intent on finding a magical teacher from whom he could learn more about Western esotericism and the practice of ceremonial magic. On a visit to an uncle in London, Gray travelled to the home of Dion Fortune (1890–1946), the noted ceremonial magician and leader of the

Fraternity of the Inner Light The Fraternity of the Inner Light is a magical society and Western mystery school founded by Dion Fortune in 1924. It operates from London and accepts pupils. History In 1922, after a falling-out with Moina Mathers and with Moina's consent, Dion ...

. She spoke to him briefly, but informed him that no one under the age of 21 would be admitted to the Fraternity, and simply wished him well before sending him away empty handed. An eager reader of the ''

Occult Review ''The Occult Review'' was a British illustrated monthly magazine published between 1905 and 1951 containing articles and correspondence by many notable occultists and authors of the day, including Aleister Crowley, Meredith Starr, Walter Leslie ...

'', Gray also wrote a letter to the paper discussing his views on

Rosicrucianism Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking its ...

, which was subsequently published, leading another occultist to get in touch with him. This man was Emile Napoleon Hauenstein (1877–?), an Austrian esotericist who ran a newspaper shop in

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

where he lived with his daughter. Hauenstein, whom Gray usually referred to as "ENH", had formerly been a

Martinist Martinism is a form of Christian mysticism and esoteric Christianity concerned with the fall of the first man, his state of material privation from his divine source, and the process of his return, called 'Reintegration'. As a mystical traditio ...

and an associate of the French occultist

Gérard Encausse Gérard Anaclet Vincent Encausse (July 13, 1865 – 25 October 1916), whose esoteric pseudonyms were Papus and Tau Vincent, was a French physician, hypnotist, and popularizer of occultism, who founded the modern Martinist Order. Early li ...

, the founder of the Qabalistic Order of the Rosy Cross. The two struck up a correspondence and then a friendship, with Hauenstein becoming Gray's magical mentor, teaching him various exercises designed to develop his concentration and ability to perform ceremonial magic rituals.

Armed Forces from 1936

Gray had gone through a series of temporary jobs since leaving school, and eventually decided to join the British armed forces. After receiving the blessing of Hauenstein, who informed him that he could continue his magical training while in the army, he duly did so, being admitted into the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

, and fought in the

. Gray underwent a series of nocturnal meditations at the

, a prehistoric site in the

, in which he hoped to commune with spiritual energies that he believed existed there. He published his subsequent ideas as ''The Rollright Ritual'' in 1975. In this book, he described a ritual that occultists could perform at the site which drew heavily upon the practices carried out by Cochrane. Gray worked with Robert Cochrane. Cochrane's letters to Gray survive and are a key source for understanding his beliefs. In 1982, Gray met with the California-based Wiccans Dave and Ann Finnin, who were then visiting England to learn more about Cochrane. He gave them a ritual cord in his possession that had once belonged to Cochrane and put them in contact with Cochrane's fellow Clan member, Evan John Jones.

Sangreal Sodality

The Sangreal Sodality is a spiritual brotherhood of the Western Inner Tradition founded by William G. Gray and Jacobus G. Swart, and was officially launched by them on 19 November 1980 on the occasion of the official inauguration of the first Sangreal Sodality Temple named "Domine Dirige Nos" in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the induction of the first initiated member of this brotherhood. Chapters and Temples of the Sangreal Sodality have been established in South Africa, Latin America, North America, Britain and Europe. The designation “Sangreal Sodality” speaks of spiritual principles and ideals which prompted its foundation. The term "

Sangreal The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miracul ...

" is understood in this brotherhood to be "Sang" ("blood") and "Real" ("authentic)". the basic premise being the "True Identity" and "Inner Values" within each single human individual. The term '' sodality'' derives from a Latin root referring to a "Comradeship." Since the Sangreal concept means bringing out the very best in everyone which their own "Inner Identities" can offer, "Sangreal Sodality" is open to all those intent on a process of personal spiritual development, here considered the most ideal path to Self-discovery and service to our fellow humankind. Members of the Sangreal Sodality gather in Temples, Lodges or Chapters. These are operated independently of one another. Individuals who agree with, or feel inspired by, the teachings and practices expounded in the basic textbooks of the Sangreal Sodality, may set up a Temple, Lodge or Chapter. Such a working circle is deemed an autonomous grouping, which may link with other such groups, or remain independent in accordance with preference. As such, each group is responsible for its personal self-government, financing, and organisation. Sangreal Sodality is not a religion, nor does it oppose any valid religion of any denomination whatsoever. The Sangreal Sodality allows a focus for willing individuals to articulate their approach to divinity — without external dictates or interference of hierarchical structures.

Personal life and death

In their biography of Gray, Richardson and Claridge noted that he held to "many of the prejudices of his class, age and locale". He was openly

racialist Scientific racism, sometimes termed biological racism, is the pseudoscientific belief that empirical evidence exists to support or justify racism (racial discrimination), racial inferiority, or racial superiority.. "Few tragedies can be more e ...

, and Richardson and Claridge claimed that he was also

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

, because he used the word "

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

" as a euphemism for the derogatory term "

nigger In the English language, the word ''nigger'' is an ethnic slur used against black people, especially African Americans. Starting in the late 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been progressively replaced by the euphemism , notably in cas ...

". Despite these views, they related that he was neither sexist nor

homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

, getting along well with women and taking no issue with several homosexual occultists that he knew. Richardson and Claridge 2003. p. 10. Gray died in 1992 at the age of 79.

Bibliography

*''Lessons Learned from Occult Letters'' (1949/2018 rivately owned manuscript/Published Sangreal Sodality Press *''The Ladder of Lights, or Qabalah Renovata'' (1968/1981/2008 elios/Weisers/Sangreal Sodality Press *''Magical Ritual Methods'' (1969 elios/Weisers *''The Office of the Holy Tree of Life'' (1970/1986/2009 he Sangreal Foundation/Weisers/Sangreal Sodality Press, incorporated into ''A Beginners Guide to Living Kabbalah'' *''Inner Traditions of Magic'' (1970/1978 elios/Weisers *''Seasonal Occult Rituals'' (1970/1986 elios/Weisers ncorporated into ''The Sangreal Rituals and Ceremonies'' *''Magical Images: Ten Beautiful Lithographs of the Magical Images Together With a Booklet On their Purpose and Use'' (with Bruce C. Griffin) (1972/2009 he Sangreal Foundation/Sangreal Sodality Press, incorporated into ''A Beginners Guide to Living Kabbalah'' *''Exorcising The Tree of Evil: How To Use The Symbolism Of The Qabalistic Tree of Life To Recognise And Reverse Negative Energy'' (1974/1984/2002 elios/Weisers/Kima Global riginally ''The Tree of Evil'' *''The Rollright Ritual'' (1975/1990 elios/Llewellyns epublished as ''By Standing Stone and Elder Tree'') *''A Self Made by Magic'' (1976/ [Weisers/Llewellyns[republished as ''Attainment Through Magic'']) *''The Rite of Light: A Mass of the Western Inner Mystery Tradition'' (1976 [incorporated into ''The Sangreal Sacrament'']) *''The Talking Tree'' (1977/1991 [Weisers/Llewellyns][republished as ''Growing the Tree Within'']) *''An Outlook on Our Inner Western Way'' (1980/2008 eisers/Sangreal Sodality Press *''Western Inner Workings'' (Sangreal Sodality Series Volume I) (1983 eiser *''The Sangreal Sacrament'' (Sangreal Sodality Series Volume II) (1983 eisers *''Concepts of Qabalah'' (Sangreal Sodality Series Volume III) (1984/1990 eiserslater republished as ''Qabalistic Concepts'']) *''Sangreal Rituals and Ceremonies'' (Sangreal Sodality Series Volume IV) (1986 eisers *''The Novena of the Tree of Life'' (1987/2009

he Sangreal Sodality Press, incorporated in ''A Beginners Guide to Living Kabbalah'' He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

*''The Sangreal Tarot: A Magical Ritual System of Personal Evolution'' (1988 eisers *''Temple Magic: Building the Personal Temple Gateway to Inner Worlds'' (1988 lewellyns *''Between Good and Evil: Polarities of Power'' (1989 lewellyns *''The Simplified Guide to the Holy Tree of Life'' (1973/1989/2009 abrys/The Sangreal Sodality Press, incorporated into ''A Beginners Guide to Living Kabbalah'' *''By Standing Stone and Elder Tree: Ritual and the Unconscious''(1990 elios/Llewellynsrepublication of ''The Rollright Ritual'']) *''Evoking the Primal Goddess: Discovery of the Eternal Feminine Within'' (1990 lewellyns *''Attainment Through Magic: Evoking the Higher Self'' (1990

lewellyn Lewellyn may refer to: * Lewellyn Park, a public park in Troutdale, Oregon, United States * Lewellyn Christensen (1909–1984), American ballet dancer, choreographer and director See also * Llewellin * Llywelyn Llywelyn, Llewelyn or Llewellyn ...

epublication of ''A Self Made by Magic'' *''Growing the Tree Within: Patterns of the Unconscious Revealed by the Qabbalah'' (1991 eisers/Llewellyns epublication of ''The Talking Tree'' *''Qabalistic Concepts: Living the Tree'' (1984/1997 eisers epublication of ''Concepts of Qabalah'' *''Condensation of Kabbalah'' (eBook published by Jacobus G. Swart) *''A Beginners Guide to Living Kabbalah'' (2009 angreal Sodality Press *''Language of the Gods'' (2009 angreal Sodality Press, incorporated into ''A Beginners Guide to Living Kabbalah''

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

The Sangreal Sodality
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, William G. 1913 births 1992 deaths English occult writers Hermetic Qabalists People from Harrow, London British Army personnel of World War II Royal Corps of Signals soldiers