Aleister Crowley, the Thelemic Tradition, and the Creative Arts (original) (raw)
Related papers
Esotericism Emergent: The Beginning of the Study of Esotericism in the Academy
It has taken a long time for esotericism to be recognized as a valid, legitimate field of scholarly research. Although the perception of the phenomenon from a historical point of view dates back at least to the seventeenth century, for a long time a polarized, biased attitude, split between supporters and detractors, prevailed. There was clearly something about esotericism that made it a difficult subject to handle within an academic context. Theologians often perceived it as a dangerous threat to true, pure religion, while Enlightenment thinkers saw it as a typical form of superstitious behavior that had to be cast away so that the new age of rationality and science could kick in. Some esotericists, especially starting with the nineteenth century, began to develop a certain critical distance that allowed them to be interested in the historical dimension of the tradition they claimed to represent. Their work, however, even when it may have deserved attention, remained limited and, even then, obscure and uncredited in a scholarly context. With the twentieth century interest in subjects that were not part of either mainstream religious traditions or Western rationality began to increase. After the Second World War, this trend was further boosted by movements developing in society at large, such as the counterculture of the 1960s. Alternative forms of religion and spirituality, new religious movements, and nonconformist intellectual traditions attracted scholars more and more and prompted the creation of new institutional academic space for them. In this context, the study of Western esotericism emerged as a distinct scholarly field, especially after the early 1990s. Since then, a large scholarly community has grown that is now organized through various international networks and associations. If the study of esotericism was long impeded by the limitations that Western culture had imposed on itself, its growing institutionalization attests to the depth of the changes that have occurred in Western culture since the early 1990s.
Approaching Religion, 2018
Western esotericism appears to be a field most precarious in terms of positioning. This article will highlight the divide between ‘critics’ and ‘religionists’ from a pre-Enlightenment position by discussing René Descartes’ role within esotericism. The study attempts to show that a pro-Enlightenment predilection tends to blur its object of research as to the kinds of knowledges that are under scrutiny. The conclusions drawn from the case of Descartes suggests that the perception of what the ‘esoteric’ in modern studies is generally agreed upon being, is reversed.
Contemporary Esotericism, edited by Egil Asprem and Kennet Granholm, New York: Routledge, 2013
Contemporary Esotericism, edited by Egil Asprem and Kennet Granholm, New York: Routledge, 2013, ix + 448 pp. ISBN 978 1 908049 32 2, US$120.00 (hardback); ISBN 978 1 13 885611 0, US$49.95 (paperback), "Religion", 2015, vol. 45, iss 3. , 2015
Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Religion, 2008
Among spiritual developments that overlap with Spiritualities of Life and are of growing interest is that of esotericism. This article examines the changing relationship between esotericism and Christianity from the nineteenth century. Under the impact of secularisation, this relationship changed from one in which esotericists identified themselves as Christians and made use of Christian symbolism and terminology to one in which many esotericists, influenced by secular modes of thinking and eventually free to express themselves as they saw fit, sought to expound their philosophy and beliefs in 'scientific' language. The historical study of Western esotericism would be greatly enriched by sociological studies; and sociological studies of New Age spirituality, neo-paganism, contemporary magic, New Religious Movements, and so forth, would be greatly enriched by making use of the insights gained in the historical study of Western esotericism.
Western Esotericism in a Brave New World
Delivered at the American Academy of Religion Conference, San Francisco 2011. The entrance of Western Esotericism into academe and the development of related disciplines such as Pagan Studies hold wider implications on a number of levels. The popularity of these subjects, whether in academia or popular culture, is far more than just some fad. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the modern rediscovery of these subjects, their new-found respectability and the increased availability of both academic and good quality mass market literature have burgeoned in response to a growing social need for alternatives to tried, tested, and failed approaches to critical social questions. Within the history of Western Esoteric currents, and the worldviews belonging to them, are embedded models and ideas that we can learn from and which can offer practicable and pragmatic ways in which to counter the social, moral and existential crisis that we are all experiencing, whether from the eye of the storm or the sidelines. When they are so inclined, scholars in particular, have a duty to communicate, disseminate and discuss these models and their potential applications. The potential applications are infinite, from sustainable development to sustainable economies, and now more then ever, the world – not just the classroom – are in need of new models and ideas. For something like this to be considered on a practical scale, it has to start with awareness and dialogue. Scholars who have the privilege of understanding how these concepts work, need to leave their ivory towers and talk both to their more positivist colleagues, and their ‘objects’ of study. Practitioners need to root philosophical and enchanted ideals in modern reality. It is esotericism that can provide a common vocabulary and vision; from there on, we need fruitful dialogue. In this paper I will outline some of the main reasons for which we feel that both the methodological question, as well as that of the role of this area of study, must be constantly re-examined, and I will also attempt to propose potential ways of doing so.
Hermes Explains: Thirty Questions about Western Esotericism
Hermes Explains: Thirty Questions about Western Esotericism, 2019
Few fields of academic research are surrounded by so many misunderstandings and misconceptions as the study of Western esotericism. For twenty years now, the Centre for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents (University of Amsterdam) has been at the forefront of international scholarship in this domain. This anniversary volume seeks to make the modern study of Western esotericism known beyond specialist circles, while addressing a range of misconceptions, biases, and prejudices that still tend to surround it. Thirty major scholars in the field respond to questions about a wide range of unfamiliar ideas, traditions, practices, problems, and personalities that are central to this area of research. By challenging many taken-for-granted assumptions about religion, science, philosophy, and the arts, this volume demonstrates why the academic study of esotericism leads us to reconsider much that we thought we knew about the story of Western culture.
New Approaches to the Study of Esotericism
2021
This volume offers new approaches to some of the biggest persistent challenges in the study of esotericism and beyond. Commonly understood as a particularly “Western” undertaking consisting of religious, philosophical, and ritual traditions that go back to Mediterranean antiquity, this book argues for a global approach that significantly expands the scope of esotericism and highlights its relevance for broader theoretical and methodological debates in the humanities and social sciences. The contributors offer critical interventions on aspects related to colonialism, race, gender and sexuality, economy, and marginality. Equipped with a substantial introduction and conclusion, the book offers textbook-style discussions of the state of research and makes concrete proposals for how esotericism can be rethought through broader engagement with neighboring fields.