Dion Fortune (the pen-name of Violet Mary Firth Evans) was an inspired adept who worked with such esoteric luminaries as MacGregor Matthers and Theodore Moriarty. She is also credited with inspiring both Diana Paxton and Doreen Valiente during the Wicca renewal. In 'Through the Gates of Death', the author describes the process of dying: how the soul severs its connection with the physical body, and what awaits the disembodied personality on 'the other side'. Ghosts, earth-bound spirits and traditional customs for helping the dead are all given surprising esoteric explanations, and Fortune also offers an intriguing occult perspective on such concepts as Heaven, purgatory and communication with the departed.