The Philosophers of the Living Fire: The Dance of Life

The Philosophers of the Living Fire: The Dance of Life takes place in New York City during the 1950s and is a semi-autobiographical account of the author's spiritual journey. When the story begins, Robin Gordon has recently moved from Chicago to New York City in order to join his mentor, Mar Shimun. The teacher is secretly a member of a hermetic order called The Philosophers of the Living Fire, and publicly he is a bishop in an Eastern Orthodox church.

Robin is determined to forget his secular upbringing and seek the wisdom of the ancients. At first the stars seem to align in his favor. Upon his arrival to the city he has a place to live, finds a suitable job quickly, and makes several new friends. He also meets the first love of his life, Maria Borges.

Robin finds his mentor and begins the lessons which will set him on the ideal spiritual path. Throughout the story, Mar Shimun advises Robin in weekly meetings where they discuss aspects of hermeticism, cabbala, mysticism, and related topics. Mar Shimun also recounts stories from his own life and makes boldly prophetic claims about the future.

Maria is an ambitious artist and fabric designer who has spent little time considering spirituality outside of Catholicism. As their love grows, Robin opens Maria's mind to esoteric, mystical spirituality. Together they are swept into a battle over Mar Shimun's church, where occult practices are weaponized and threats are made.

While presented as historical fiction, this story is an account of Richard Porter Adair's experiences as a young man. The events recorded in this book took place more or less as described. Some names were changed, some people were omitted, and some events appear in a different order than how they occurred in reality. This true story is a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of the occult path.