Podcast 27 - H.P. Lovecraft Roundtable Discussion
“That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons, even death may die.”
H.P. Lovecraft is considered by many, myself included, to be the ultimate supernatural and horror fiction writer. Joining me to discuss his work and life are Tracy R. Twyman, Kent Daniel Bentkowski, and Todd Campbell.
We talk about how we came to know and love his stories, their relevance, and their effects. Lovecraft’s work has inspired incredible creative energy over time, including artwork and grimoires. Join us for this fascinating conversation.
“Lovecraft1″ by Michael Whelan
“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.
“Theosophists have guessed at the awesome grandeur of the cosmic cycle wherein our world and human race form transient incidents. They have hinted at strange survivals in terms which would freeze the blood if not masked by a bland optimism. But it is not from them that there came the single glimpse of forbidden aeons which chills me when I think of it and maddens me when I dream of it.” - H.P. Lovecraft from “The Call of Cthulhu”
Lovecraft’s gravestone rubbing (courtesy of Todd Campbell) reads, “I AM PROVIDENCE“
relevant links:
The Kentroversy Papers & The Kentroversy Tapes
“H.P. Lovecraft” Wikipedia entry
“The Call of Cthulhu” by H.P. Lovecraft
“The Shadow Out of Time” by H.P. Lovecraft
“Necronomicon” Wikipedia entry
“Dead But Dreaming: The Great Old Ones of Lovecraftian Legend Reinterpreted as Atlantean Kings” by Tracy R. Twyman
“Plus Ultra Podcast, Episode 2 - Part II of Peter Levenda Interview” by Tracy R. Twyman
“The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre” by H. P. Lovecraft
“H.R. Giger’s Necronomicon” by H. R. Giger
“He who shall be spoken of” - Realm of Connections
The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival
“Edgar Allen Poe” Wikipedia entry
“Book of Dzyan” Wikipedia entry
intro music by HipGnosis
Technorati Tags: occult, fiction, horror, mythology, Lovecraft, Cthulhu, Magick, ancient civilizations, alternative history, spirituality, mysticism
The Podcast 27 - H.P. Lovecraft Roundtable Discussion by Occult of Personality, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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September 28th, 2007 at 8:23 am
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September 28th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
I really enjoyed the podcast, it was a lot of fun, but I have to disagree with one of the commentator’s speculations. I think it would be highly unlikely that H.P. Lovecraft had an interest in ceremonial magick for two reasons. First off, Lovecraft was a dyed-in-the-wool atheist. Secondly, he was also,unfortunately, anti-semitic. Despite being married to a Jewish gal for awhile, he would rant about that at length. It is hard not to notice that ceremonial magick borrows heavily from kabbalistic (Jewish Mysticism) thought. You guys point out that he might have been introduced to Theosophy, but it doesn’t really seem like it would be in his character to follow such a religion. Another magickal system that was around in those days, was the Thule Society, which influenced a lot of the Third Reich, but I doubt they had a Rhode Island office!
Recently, there has been a Necronomicon Tarot put out by occult author Donald Tyson. Your listeners and readers might enjoy it. I sure do. I speculate that Lovecraft would have HATED the idea of it, but who knows?
October 1st, 2007 at 11:56 pm
Amazing work Greg. Please keep up the balanced critical perspectives which avoid diving too deeply into the polar opposites of paranoid and panicked conspiracy and pollyanna-ish it’s all gravy so let’s eat without looking.
In response to Lovecraft and Magick (the poster), I wonder if Lovecraft would openly display his interest in Ceremonial Magick … if he were interested that is. One perspective argues that all self-transformational/psychological/magickal work should be kept hidden from others simply to avoid diffusing the energies created, and also to avoid the process whereby magickal practices are rendered less intense and significant by becoming associated with the mundane useless banter that comes with telling others about them.
Another perspective simply says to keep these things secret from others that think and judge things very differently. Afterall, one cannot predict what negative consequences may arise if others discovered you were interested in and involved in ceremonial magick.
Just my thoughts.
Regards,
Archibald Leach
October 2nd, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Thank you both for your thoughtful and interesting comments. I very much appreciate them.
The facts cited as reasons why Lovecraft may not have been a magician are worthy of consideration, yet his knowledge of the subject is such that I still wonder sometimes …
Archibald - I agree with your thoughts about keeping personal transformative work very private, especially knowing how it would be viewed (these type of descriptions fill his stories) at that time.
Ultimately, the man’s work is thought-provoking enough to keep it interesting after all these years.
November 21st, 2007 at 2:13 pm
I think you’re a little too credulous of your guests. For example, it would benefit you and your guests to seriously look into your subjects before agreeing with each other on the existence of the Necronomicon and immediate acceptance of Simon’s testimony in the 9.99$ Avon edition found at any major bookstore.
Of the lot, only Tracy Wyman seemed even moderately informed about Lovecraft’s background. Your other two guests were obviously fans, but their “research” did not seem to involve reading any biographies or critical texts about Lovecraft or his work.
To answer your above query, no, Lovecraft was not a practicing magickian, however, there were several people in his circle of friends who were – Arthur Machen immediately springs to mind.
Best of luck with future episodes.
November 21st, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Psyche- Thanks for listening and your feedback.
My recollection is that no one thought that the version of the Necronomicon we’ve seen is an “authentic” grimoire, and that it was in fact a new creation. If that wasn’t clear in the audio, let it be so here and now. The question was framed in the sense that Simon makes every conceivable effort to make it appear as if it were “authentic” material.