Madeline Montalban (1910–1982)
Motto “Accept nothing. Question everything”
Madeline Montalban (1923-1999) was a British occultist and astrologer known for her work in the fields of astrology and esoteric spirituality. She gained some notoriety for her involvement in what is often referred to as “Luciferian” practices, though her approach was quite distinctive and complex.
Key aspects of Madeline Montalban’s work and beliefs:
- Astrology and Occultism: Montalban was primarily an astrologer, and her work often intertwined with occult practices. She wrote several books and was known for her detailed and esoteric interpretations of astrological charts.
- Luciferian Influence: Montalban’s association with Luciferianism is a bit nuanced. Luciferianism, in this context, often refers to a belief system that venerates the figure of Lucifer not as a devilish entity, but as a symbol of enlightenment, personal empowerment, and the pursuit of knowledge. Montalban’s version of this belief system was more about personal spiritual development and enlightenment rather than traditional Satanism.
- Teachings and Practices: Her teachings were influenced by a range of esoteric traditions, including elements of Theosophy, Gnosticism, and ceremonial magic. Montalban was known for her emphasis on personal empowerment and spiritual growth through her unique blend of astrology and occult practices.
- Legacy: While she might not be as widely known as some other occult figures, Montalban’s work has had a lasting impact on those interested in astrology and the more mystical aspects of spiritual practice. Her approach to astrology was often deeply intertwined with her esoteric beliefs, and she left behind a body of work that continues to be studied by those interested in occult traditions.
History
Born Madeline Sylvia Royals in Blackpool, Lancashire, on the 08th January 1910.
According to her biography (published in 2012 by Julia Philips), during bouts of illness and while bedridden and convalescing, she took to reading literature and enjoyed the works of Bulwer Lytton, H. Rider Haggard and E.T.A. Hoffman. She also read the Bible, particularly texts from the Old Testament, and was convinced they contained secret messages, a theme that became central to her later Luciferian beliefs.
Madeline Montalban (also known as Dolores North) is the person who proofread, edited and typed the original manuscript of Gerald B. Gardner’s famous book High Magic’s Aid, 1949.
Madeline was an accomplished occultist and ceremonial magician, an astrologer, writer, journalist and teacher. Although she was initially favourable to and worked with Gerald B. Gardner, later she became hostile towards him considering him to be a showman and a charlatan with deviant sexual motives.
In 1952 she met Nicholas Heron, with whom she entered into a relationship. An engraver, photographer and former journalist for the Brighton Argus, he shared her interest in the occult, and together they developed a magical system based upon Luciferianism, the veneration of the deity Lucifer, or Lumiel, whom they considered to be a benevolent angelic deity. In 1956, they founded the Order of the Morning Star, or Ordo Stella Matutina (OSM), propagating it through a correspondence course.
Describing herself as a “pagan”, Montalban’s personal faith was Luciferian in basis, revolving around the veneration of Lucifer, or Lumiel, whom she considered to be a benevolent angelic being who had aided humanity’s development. Within her Order, she emphasised that her followers discover their own personal relationship with the angelic beings, including Lumiel.
Montalban considered astrology to be a central part of her religious worldview, and always maintained that one could be a good magician only if they had mastered astrology. Her correspondence course focused around the seven planetary bodies that were known in the ancient world and the angelic beings that she associated with them: Michael (Sun), Gabriel (Moon), Samael (Mars), Raphael (Mercury), Sachiel (Jupiter), Anael (Venus) and Cassiel (Saturn). Each of these beings was in turn associated with certain days, hours, minerals, plants, and animals, each of which could be used in the creation of talismans that invoked the angelic power. Montalban disliked the theatrical use of props and rites in ceremonial magic, such as that performed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, preferring a more simplistic use of ritual.
It is my personal opinion, that while Madalyn strived to venerate Lucifer in her magical workings, it was the association with the Angelics which did not prove to be successful in her magical workings. It is important to understand that she passed away relatively poor. A lifelong smoker, Montalban developed lung cancer, causing her death on 11 January 1982. The role of sorting out her financial affairs fell to her friend, Pat Arthy, who discovered that despite her emphasis on the magical attainment of material wealth, she owned no property and that her estate was worth less than £10,000. (1)
Although she made the acquaintance of many of London’s leading occultists such as Aleister Crowley, Austin Osman Spire, Kenneth Grant and of course Gerald Gardner among others, she decided not to follow any particular path or leader and develop her own system of magic based on the Hermetic magic of the Italian Renaissance and the likes of Marsilio Ficino, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Cornelius Agrippa, Dr. John Dee and others. Her research sources included: the Picatrix and Corpus Hermeticum, the Heptameron of Peter d’Abano, the Key of Solomon, the Sacred Magic of Abramelin and Agrippa’s Occult Philosophy.
Read http://www.the-cauldron.org.uk/Resources/MagusStGiles.pdf
Readers interested in Madeline Montalban’s teachings are recommended to read The Pillars of Tubal Cain and the Book of Fallen Angels by Michael Howard, published by Capall Bann and Julia Phillips’ Madeline Montalban, The Magus of St. Giles, published by Neptune Press.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeline_Montalban