The Work of Kenneth Grant with Chris Giudice

8 snips

Feb 14, 2024

In this episode, Chris Giudice, an academic researcher focusing on fin de siècle occultism and the link between cinema and occultism, discusses the work of Kenneth Grant. They cover topics such as Kenneth Grant's connection with Aleister Crowley, the controversy surrounding his works, and his influence on art, music, and religion. They also explore Grant's relationship with Lovecraft, Sax Rohmer, and his influence on comic book art and television, including references to Alan Moore and David Lynch.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Introduction

00:00 • 4min

Exploring Kenneth Grant and the Western Esoteric Tradition

03:54 • 28min

Time, Eons and Celestial Intelligences

31:37 • 10min

The Controversy Surrounding Kenneth Grant's Works

41:51 • 10min

The Relationship Between Aleister Crowley and Kenneth Grant

51:55 • 6min

The Influence of Kenneth Grant Today

57:59 • 6min

Discussion on Kenneth Grant and Early 20th Century Occultism

01:03:40 • 2min

Christian Giudice is an academic researcher, focusing, among other subjects, on fin de siècle occultism in France and Italy, the development of post-Crowley Thelema, and the link between cinema and occultism. A Ph.D. scholar at Gothenburg University, he holds a BA in Literae Humaniores from Oxford University and an MA in Western Esotericism from Exeter University. He has published academic articles and reviews in journals such as Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism and The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies. In this episode we discuss the work of Kenneth Grant.

Starfire Publishing: http://www.starfirepublishing.co.uk/

Inaccuracies in the discussion (courtesy of Michael Staley):

14:00 – Kenneth first came across Magick in Theory and Practice not in Watkins, but on a stall outside Schwemmers, a surrealist bookshop in the Charing Cross Road, just a few yards away from Watkins.

15:16 – Kenneth's father was not a clergyman, but a banker. Kenneth's mother's maiden name was Wyard, and many of the family male ancestors on that side had been clergymen.

31:17 – Achad believed not that the Aeon of Horus had ended, but that it continued but was augmented by that of Maat. A bit later in the interview, Chris does reflect this view.
39:50 – The transplutonic planet was called Isis, not Nuit. I think though that the confusion comes from Kenneth's naming of the Lodge as Nu-Isis, and he talks somewhere of Nuit-Isis.

44:25 – reference to Mike Magee's allegation that the first three volumes of the Typhonian Trilogies were fiction, Staley states he never heard anything like this. 59:55 – David Curwen, not Joseph Curwen, the latter being a character in Lovecraft's novel The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

Become part of the Hermitix community:

Hermitix Twitter - https://twitter.com/Hermitixpodcast

Support Hermitix:

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpod Hermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2 Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLK Ethereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74