Tag Archives: Western esotericism

Screened: Spock as Space Wizard, and Magus

July 14th, 2011 | Posted in Magus, science fiction, Space Wizard, Star Trek, Western esotericism

Screened recently featured an interesting and insightful article by Andrew Gray titled “Mr. Spock, Space Wizard.” The piece begins with an often ignored or overlooked function of technology in science fiction that is akin to magic. Gray then takes this a step further: Science-fiction films and television have an odd relationship with magic. They dance […]

Also tagged in: , , , | 0 Comments

Creativity, Evolution, Psychedelics: Richard Doyle and Altered States

June 22nd, 2011 | Posted in Altered States, gnosis, psychedelics, science fiction, Western esotericism

Through a Facebook post by Christopher Knowles, previously interviewed here at TheoFantastique, I was made aware of a piece titled “Creativity, evolution of mind and the ‘vertigo of freedom.’” This is a “A DIALOGUE BETWEEN JASON SILVA AND TECHNO-ECOLOGIC SCHOLAR RICHARD DOYLE.” The exchange is interesting as the topics of evolution and psychedelics are brought […]

Also tagged in: , , , | 0 Comments

Satanism, Exorcism and Social Horror Trends

April 7th, 2011 | Posted in demonic, demonology, devil in film, possession, Satan, Satanism, Western esotericism

An article that ran in The Telegraph on 7 April titled “Rise in demand for exorcism recalls horror trend,” caught my attention, not only for its connection of concerns over the demonic and contemporary horror films, but also for some of the provocative claims it made. Looking back at The Exorcist (1973) and an increase […]

Also tagged in: , , , , , | 2 Comments

Donald Tyson: The Dream World of H. P. Lovecraft

March 21st, 2011 | Posted in H. P. Lovecraft, horror, hyper-real spiritualities (or fiction-based), occult, occulture, Western esotericism

H.P. Lovecraft is one of the most influential writers on contemporary horror. As such, he has been the focus of a number of biographies, including H. P. Lovecraft: A Life by S. T. Joshi (Necronomicon press, 1996), and the documentary Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown, directed by Frank Woodward. More recently, a new biography has […]

Also tagged in: , , , , | 4 Comments

Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies: Lovecraft and Occultism

March 4th, 2011 | Posted in H. P. Lovecraft, horror, Western esotericism

The latest issue of the online Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies is available, #9 (February 2011). One of the worthwhile essays includes a piece that considers the impact of one of the most significant horror writers on Western esotericism, in an article titled “The Influence of H.P. Lovecraft on Occultism,” by K. R. […]

Also tagged in: , | 1 Comment

Jeffrey Kripal – Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred

March 2nd, 2011 | Posted in comics, Jeffrey Kripal, paranormal, UFOs, Western esotericism

In my research on the paranormal I was fortunate to come across the work of Jeffrey J. Kripal. Kripal is the J. Newton Rayzor Professor in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University. He is the author of a number of books, which are mentioned below, including Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the […]

Also tagged in: , , , | 7 Comments

Christopher Knowles: Gods, Esotericism, and Comics

October 5th, 2010 | Posted in comics, paranormal, Western esotericism

Comic books and graphic novels are not only popular sources for television and Hollywood films. They are also increasingly the object of academic and critical scrutiny. Christopher Knowles has made his own contribution in this area with his book Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes (Weiser Books, 2007). As the […]

Also tagged in: , | 4 Comments

The Mummy (1932): Zita Johann and the Esoteric Tradition

September 29th, 2010 | Posted in 1930s, horror, mummy, Western esotericism

A recent visit to my local library to peruse the shelves for horror and science fiction DVDs revealed a few treasures the other day, including a copy of The Mummy (1932) Special Edition. This is part of the Universal Legacy Series that I have yet to add to my collection. This 2-disc set includes bonus […]

Also tagged in: , , | 3 Comments

“I Am the God of Everything:” Esotericism, Youth Culture, and Violent Video Games

September 15th, 2010 | Posted in video games, Western esotericism

I received a notification today from the Center for Studies on New Religions that some of the papers presented at their 2010 conference in Torino were available online. One of them caught my eye, and after reading it I recognized that it dovetails with the subject matter of TheoFantastique. The paper is by Melanie J. […]

Also tagged in: | 2 Comments

Carrol L. Fry – Cinema of the Occult: New Age, Satanism, Wicca, and Spiritualism in Film

May 4th, 2009 | Posted in demonic, demonology, devil in film, ghost, Harry Potter, horror, occult, Othering, Satan, Satanism, Western esotericism, Wicca, Witchcraft

Various aspects of the occult, or as it is more commonly referred to today in academic circles, Western esotericism, have long been facets that have informed storytelling and fear in horror films. A recent book by Carrol Fry touches on this topic, titled Cinema of the Occult: New Age, Satanism, Wicca and Spiritualism in Film (Rosemont […]

Also tagged in: , , , , | 3 Comments
RSS for Posts RSS for Comments