H. P. Lovecraft and the Black Magickal Tradition: The Master of Horror's Influence on Modern Occultism

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Weiser Books, Sep 1, 2015 - Body, Mind & Spirit - 304 pages

 Modern practicing occultists have argued that renowned horror writer H. P. Lovecraft was in possession of in-depth knowledge of black magick. Literary scholars claim that he was a master of his genre and craft, and his findings are purely psychological, nothing more. Was Lovecraft a practitioner of the dark arts himself? Was he privileged to knowledge that cannot be otherwise explained?

Weaving the life story of Lovecraft in and out of an analysis of various modern magickal systems, scholar John Steadman has found direct and concrete examples that demonstrate that Lovecraft’s works and specifically his Cthulhu Mythos and his creation of the Necronomicon are a legitimate basis for a working magickal system.

Whether you believe Lovecraft had supernatural powers or not, no one can argue against Lovecraft’s profound influence on many modern black arts and the darker currents of western occultism.

 

Contents

1 The Purposes and Methodologies of Black Magick
1
Prophet of the Aeon od the Great Old Ones
27
3 The Spurious Necronomicons
71
4 The SimonSchlangekraft Necronomicon
93
5 The Great Old Ones
117
6 Lovecraft and the AfroHaitian Vodou Cults
145
7 Lovecraft and the Wiccan Religion
169
8 Lovecraft and the Typhonian OTO
201
9 Lovecraft and the Church of Satan
223
10 Lovecraft and the Chaos Magick Pacts
243
11 Conclusion
263
Notes
267
Index
280
About the Author
285
Backcover
287
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About the author (2015)

John L. Steadman is a scholar of H. P. Lovecraft and western occultism and has been a magickal practitioner for more than thirty years. He is currently a college English professor at Olivet College in Michigan. Visit him at www.johnlsteadman.com.

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