Israel Regardie (1907-1985) was one of the best liked figures in twentieth century occultism. His publication of "The Golden Dawn" in 1937 opened up a vast field of study for the occult community in general, breaking the Golden Dawn tradition out of the torpor caused by its excessive secrecy, about which Dion Fortune and Aleister Crowley had also complained. He served as Aleister Crowley's secretary from 1928 to 1931 and had a life-long love/hate relationship with Crowley's work. This ambivalence did not prevent him from being its greatest popularizer, almost single-handedly awakening thousands of people to Crowley's potential in the 1960's and 1970's. Regardie's own original books on ceremonial magic and Qabalah are also regarded as minor classics in their field. Despite his achievements, Regardie never fell into the egotistical traps that plague many occultists in the Golden Dawn and Thelema; he never claimed exalted degree or became perversely judgmental of others. When he died in 1985 he was greatly mourned.
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