MEMORIALS TO THE FOUNDERS OF THE ORDER OF THE CUBIC STONE
A TRIBUTE AND MEMORIUM TO ROBERT TURNER
When I first met Robert Turner, we instantly gelled and found we both had a total fascination with the occult. In those days there was little availability of books on the subject and we travelled the length and breadth of England looking for works such as The Golden Dawn, The Clavicule of Solomon, Abramelin the Mage and similar. During this time we met and corresponded with many other devotees including the author Colin Wilson and one particularly fascinating character, Cecil Williamson who was the original owner of the well known witchcraft museum in Cornwall. I still have a vivid impression of Cecil wearing an advertising billboard and tramping the village streets. When we visited his house perched on the cliffs overlooking one of the most scenic areas of the neighbourhood, it was one of the most expensive properties in the area.
Robert became involved in Gardnerian Witchcraft, while I hovered on the outer fringes of The Society of The Inner Light. I must apologise for including references to myself, but in those days our lives were very inter linked. That apart, Robert also travelled independently and made other contacts both in London and with the witch cult on the Isle of Man.
We began experimenting together with our own form of ritual magic. I always had total confidence in Robert both then and for the rest of his life. I liked to feel he had similar feelings about me, for there were times when some of our ceremonies conjured up entities better left untouched. We survived, had fun, learnt a great deal, in the process becoming much wiser.
Robert and I went our own ways periodically, dipping into different aspects of the occult to suit our own temperaments. During one of these periods, Robert met Theodore Howard (now deceased) who introduced him to the Enochian System of Dr John Dee. From then onwards this became, outside of the Order of the Cubic Stone, Robert’s main interest, involving many trips to the British Museum and similar, studying original mss and eventually writing and publishing books on Elizabethan Magic and John Dee. Since this website already includes details of Robert and the OCS, I make no apology for little mention here, other than to say many hours were spent arranging lectures, ceremonies and writing magazines and booklets.
Robert met and married Patricia Shore, another accomplished initiate and psychic who became very involved with the OCS. One of their children, is very involved sorting out the vast selection of books stored in their house and selling many of these on the internet.
Unfortunately, some years ago, Robert was attacked and badly injured in Wolverhampton one evening. He spent four days on a life support system and his world changed drastically for the worse. Despite this, his interests never altered, although in some of our regular phone calls we talked more about broad beans, which he grew in his garden, than the occult. Robert also possessed a photographical memory and was frequently critical of other so-called authorities and the inaccurate details in their books. Robert was a worthy contributor to occult lore and tradition. His works and achievements remain for future generations.
Robert Turner will be missed by all who knew him and particularly by his family and those associated with The Order of the Cubic Stone. I shall miss Robert for who he was – my friend.
David Edwards May 2013
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To The Memory of Patricia Turner
On May 31st,2020, Robert's wife, Patricia Turner, who headed the OCS since Robert's death, died in hospital, leaving a son and a daughter. She was a particular authority both on Ritual Magic and magical alphabets, such as that of the blue and gold primarily, but also that of the green emerald alphabet. She had strong psychic powers and often received mystical communications from inner plane forces. Pat was more involved with modern occultism than Robert with his searches into traditional magic. Unfortunately Pat had progressively become more deaf with the passage of time and normal communications were made more difficult because of this. On a more humorous aspect, Pat was always the first sender of my Christmas cards each year, often posting them in mid November.
She has served the OCS as much as her husband, but because of Robert's published works over a long period of time, It has been only his apparent authority that drew attention. Yet Pat with her strong knowledge, psychicism and inner plane contacts was a very useful source of wisdom and knowledge for the Order of the Cubic Stone. The physical side of the OCS is indeterminate at the moment, but its history and evolution have a great tradition and egregore.
David Edwards June 2020
