Ebook362 pages10 hours
The Place of Enchantment: British Occultism and the Culture of the Modern
By Alex Owen
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
()
About this ebook
By the end of the nineteenth century, Victorians were seeking rational explanations for the world in which they lived. The radical ideas of Charles Darwin had shaken traditional religious beliefs. Sigmund Freud was developing his innovative models of the conscious and unconscious mind. And anthropologist James George Frazer was subjecting magic, myth, and ritual to systematic inquiry. Why, then, in this quintessentially modern moment, did late-Victorian and Edwardian men and women become absorbed by metaphysical quests, heterodox spiritual encounters, and occult experimentation?
In answering this question for the first time, The Place of Enchantment breaks new ground in its consideration of the role of occultism in British culture prior to World War I. Rescuing occultism from its status as an "irrational indulgence" and situating it at the center of British intellectual life, Owen argues that an involvement with the occult was a leitmotif of the intellectual avant-garde. Carefully placing a serious engagement with esotericism squarely alongside revolutionary understandings of rationality and consciousness, Owen demonstrates how a newly psychologized magic operated in conjunction with the developing patterns of modern life. She details such fascinating examples of occult practice as the sex magic of Aleister Crowley, the pharmacological experimentation of W. B. Yeats, and complex forms of astral clairvoyance as taught in secret and hierarchical magical societies like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Through a remarkable blend of theoretical discussion and intellectual history, Owen has produced a work that moves far beyond a consideration of occultists and their world. Bearing directly on our understanding of modernity, her conclusions will force us to rethink the place of the irrational in modern culture.
“An intelligent, well-argued and richly detailed work of cultural history that offers a substantial contribution to our understanding of Britain.”—Nick Freeman, Washington Times
In answering this question for the first time, The Place of Enchantment breaks new ground in its consideration of the role of occultism in British culture prior to World War I. Rescuing occultism from its status as an "irrational indulgence" and situating it at the center of British intellectual life, Owen argues that an involvement with the occult was a leitmotif of the intellectual avant-garde. Carefully placing a serious engagement with esotericism squarely alongside revolutionary understandings of rationality and consciousness, Owen demonstrates how a newly psychologized magic operated in conjunction with the developing patterns of modern life. She details such fascinating examples of occult practice as the sex magic of Aleister Crowley, the pharmacological experimentation of W. B. Yeats, and complex forms of astral clairvoyance as taught in secret and hierarchical magical societies like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Through a remarkable blend of theoretical discussion and intellectual history, Owen has produced a work that moves far beyond a consideration of occultists and their world. Bearing directly on our understanding of modernity, her conclusions will force us to rethink the place of the irrational in modern culture.
“An intelligent, well-argued and richly detailed work of cultural history that offers a substantial contribution to our understanding of Britain.”—Nick Freeman, Washington Times
Related to The Place of Enchantment
Related ebooks
Occult Paris: The Lost Magic of the Belle Époque Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Occulture: The Unseen Forces That Drive Culture Forward Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Aleister Crowley: The Beast in Berlin: Art, Sex, and Magick in the Weimar Republic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Aspects of Occultism Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Esoteric Secrets of Surrealism: Origins, Magic, and Secret Societies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5John Dee and the Empire of Angels: Enochian Magick and the Occult Roots of the Modern World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Queen’s Conjuror: The Life and Magic of Dr. Dee Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Saw Water: An Occult Novel and Other Selected Writings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Greater and Lesser Worlds of Robert Fludd: Macrocosm, Microcosm, and Medicine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Aleister Crowley And the Practice of the Magical Diary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Politics and the Occult: The Left, the Right, and the Radically Unseen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Modern Occult Rhetoric: Mass Media and the Drama of Secrecy in the Twentieth Century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRites of the Mummy: The K'rla Cell and the Secret Key to Liber AL Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5The Golden Door (The Pattern Volume 2 Serialization Part 4) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDaemons Of Pleasure: Selected Writings On Art And Magick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Aleister Crowley in America: Art, Espionage, and Sex Magick in the New World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Occult Mind: Magic in Theory and Practice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Winged Bull Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thelema: An Introduction to the Life, Work & Philosophy of Aleister Crowley Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Life With The Spirits: The Adventures of a Modern Magician Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Truth About Magic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mirror of Magic: A History of Magic in the Western World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Weiser Concise Guide to Aleister Crowley Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Interview with the Magus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Secrets Of Dr. Taverner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Modern Occultism in Late Imperial Russia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMagic: An Occult Primier Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Overthrowing the Old Gods: Aleister Crowley and the Book of the Law Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Body, Mind, & Spirit For You
The Element Encyclopedia of 20,000 Dreams: The Ultimate A–Z to Interpret the Secrets of Your Dreams Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shadow Work: Face Hidden Fears, Heal Trauma, Awaken Your Dream Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inner Child Work: 20 Exercises for Healing Your Inner Child Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is The Beginning & End Of Suffering Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Game of Life And How To Play It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Power of Your Subconscious Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trust Your Heart: Lead Your Journey to Self-Discovery From Within Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Course in Miracles: Text, Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need: Twenty-First-Century Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom (Hardcover Gift Edition): A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Energy Codes: The 7-Step System to Awaken Your Spirit, Heal Your Body, and Live Your Best Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Starts with Self-Compassion: A Practical Road Map Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Feeding the Soul (Because It's My Business): Finding Our Way to Joy, Love, and Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost Books of the Bible: The Rejected Texts, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises from the Power of Now Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Linda Goodman's Love Signs: A New Approach to the Human Heart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Emotional Detox: 7 Steps to Release Toxicity and Energize Joy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Experiencing God (2021 Edition): Knowing and Doing the Will of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gospel of Mary Magdalene Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Conversations With God, Book 3: Embracing the Love of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holistic Herbal: A Safe and Practical Guide to Making and Using Herbal Remedies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Be Here Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Secret Language of Your Body: The Essential Guide to Health and Wellness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Secret History of the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for The Place of Enchantment
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
The Place of Enchantment - Alex Owen
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1