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Teachers, Disciples and Students, Friends and Enemies - Against the Light by Kenneth Grant
MichaelStaley - May 05, 2008 - 01:43 PM
Post subject: Against the Light by Kenneth Grant
I consider Against the Light to be one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Every time I reread it (the last time was a few months or so ago) it strikes me as deeper than it struck me before. The first part of the novel is straightforward, in the sense that there is a sequential story-line. Then when moving through parts 2 and 3, one is going through dreams within dreams. The imagery is absolutely gorgeous - I think that Grant is under-rated as a writer - but there is a lot going on behind or beyond or beneath the imagery.
Against the Light differs from Grant's other novels because it was originally written as a precursor to The Ninth Arch, and is woven around several themes picked out from OKBISh. There's a substratum to Against the Light that I have not been able to quite articulate. The grimoire appears to be at root the child's adventure book which he has coloured, the suggestion being perhaps that our later life is a playing out, expression or elaboration of something that starts a lot earlier. The phrase "the child is father to the man" springs to mind.
I'd be interested to know what others have made of this book.
FraterIxaxaar - May 05, 2008 - 02:24 PM
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Hello, Michael,
I strongly second your evaluation of Against the Light. It remains one of my favourite books of all time. (I say "book" rather than "novel" because I do not believe that AtL can be categorized so tidily.)
While I can appreciate some of the criticism I've seen regarding Mr. Grant's prose (the most common points being that it is antiquated or obfuscatory), I regard these elements as merits rather than flaws. The author's selection of words that are beyond the pale conversational tone of so much contemporary fiction immediately propels the reader into a different state of mind while reading the book.
Mr. Grant's is prose that exists, if you'll pardon the expression, Outside the Circles of Time. The book's prologue has all the ambiance of a 19th Century parlour story, yet we the reader know that what is captured on the page is hardly a cozy glimpse into a quiant past. The Nightside Current is subtly present from page one, and it grows increasingly powerful as the narrative continues; unhinging all the contrivances of mundane fiction.
The combination of what seems to be a partial autobiography of the author, along with Machenesque/Lovecraftian narrative tone, and the principles of Crowley, Spare and Black Eagle, et al. makes Against the Light a truly potent book.
By the time one reaches the third portion, "The Destiny of the Unslept", one is disoriented, swept up in the Current that informs the book. The Serpent behind the words is by then fully aroused.
My view is that the Typhonian Trilogies seem to serve as explorations of, meditations upon, and reports about the various forms of primordial magick that have been Worked upon this planet, both past and present. They are footnotes on the timeless Work of many Initiates of the Unseen.
Against the Light, by contrast, is a living reification of the Typhonian Current itself. It is a vivid, potent glimpse into the Reality of Kenneth Grant's lifelong Art.
~93~
Frater Ixaxaar
DNA - May 05, 2008 - 06:53 PM
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As I've only read the book once, I can't post a commentary as detailed or insightful as the first two! I will however say that, once I'd reached "Mirroriel" I actually felt as though I were dreaming: almost as though I didn't didn't know whether I was Grant, taking part in his visions, or narrating them. It's also quite mind-boggling in that there is so much information.
It is very profound and much deeper than I'd originally anticipated- it's much more than just a novel with little bits of History and Occult lore interwoven. I don't think I've ever come upon an author who induces a feeling of traversing the Mauve Zone with a book. As I said, it really is profound. Isn't that the same with all KG books though?
ParrachF - May 05, 2008 - 07:37 PM
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I too read Against the Light for the first time quite recently, in fact before reading The Ninth Arch and I agree to what has been said. Specially with DNA's view. I too felt reality bend around me as I progressed to it. All the parallel realities and the comings and goings between them sort of were transposed to my own mind as I tried to weave all the threads.
By the time I reached the end my mind was completely shattered. And was (very) slowly reconstructed by The Ninth Arch. But in no way do I pretend to have understood it.
In fact I finished reading Snakewand today and the first thing I noticed is how different the style is. The same perichoretic ideas appear in both novels, the same occult facts are interspersed with the action, and maybe the style doesn't look that different on the paper, but when transposed to the mind of the reader they are completely different!
I am really looking forward to reading all of Grant's novels and then going back to Against the Light
FraterIxaxaar - May 05, 2008 - 07:52 PM
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DNA wrote: › ... once I'd reached "Mirroriel" I actually felt as though I were dreaming: almost as though I didn't didn't know whether I was Grant, taking part in his visions, or narrating them. It's also quite mind-boggling in that there is so much information.
It is very profound and much deeper than I'd originally anticipated- it's much more than just a novel with little bits of History and Occult lore interwoven. I don't think I've ever come upon an author who induces a feeling of traversing the Mauve Zone with a book. As I said, it really is profound. Isn't that the same with all KG books though?
Hello, DNA,
I know precisely what you mean when you say that you felt as though you were dreaming while reading Against the Light. It truly is one of the few oneiric books. Countless tales deal with dreams and magick, but there are precious few Dream books.
Perhaps the reason why readers so seldom feel that they are "traversing the Mauve Zone with a book" is because there are very few authors who are cognizant of exactly what it is they are channeling into their book. Kenneth Grant is one of the only authors in this age who is deeply aware not only of the material he is discussing, but also of the transcendental source of Art. It is as though he willingly becomes the mirror off of which the ineffable can reflect into precise images and forms.
In terms of how Kenneth Grant's other writings compare to Against the Light; I consider AtL to be utterly unique within the Typhonian canon. It is an experience unto itself.
~93~
Frater Ixaxaar
DNA - May 05, 2008 - 08:30 PM
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FraterIxaxaar,
In terms of the content of your post, I agree with everything.
I like to think of Kenneth Grant as a channel for everything he describes in his books. This, combined with the fact (in my humble opinion) that he's an absolute genius, is what I think accounts for many not being able to accept the majority of his work- because it is directly channeled from the "extraterestrial" sources he mentions a number of times throughout his works (Nu-Isis Lodge etc.)
Iskandar - May 05, 2008 - 08:38 PM
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I have read recently all of Kenneth Grant's fiction available in the book format and I utterly enjoyed it. The first cut is the deepest and for that reason my favourite is "Gamaliel" but the truth is that the books are at the same time very different and very similar to each other (seems I'm reaching new levels of platitude today). Blurring of the distinction between the wake world and dream world is one of Grant's great achievements. In some weird way, I find his fiction more easy to relate to: it somehow makes more sense. All in all, Grant's writing in general seems to be governed by the logic of a dream and I agree with people who claim that to read his material is somewhat equivalent to the experience of initiation. At least, it is an entry into a very strange world.
FraterIxaxaar - May 06, 2008 - 12:32 AM
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Gordan wrote: › I have read recently all of Kenneth Grant's fiction available in the book format and I utterly enjoyed it. The first cut is the deepest and for that reason my favourite is "Gamaliel" but the truth is that the books are at the same time very different and very similar to each other (seems I'm reaching new levels of platitude today). Blurring of the distinction between the wake world and dream world is one of Grant's great achievements. In some weird way, I find his fiction more easy to relate to: it somehow makes more sense. All in all, Grant's writing in general seems to be governed by the logic of a dream and I agree with people who claim that to read his material is somewhat equivalent to the experience of initiation. At least, it is an entry into a very strange world.
Hello, Gordon,
Regarding Gamaliel: Hear, hear! It is my second favourite of all the Nightside Narratives.
While I certainly appreciate your statement about Typhonian principles *perhaps* being more lucid and digestable in a fictive guise, I would question the notion that Kenneth Grant's writing is "governed by the logic of a dream." I see where you're coming from, but to my way of thinking these narratives unfurl like Controlled Dreams. They are strange and rife with glimpses into the Neither-Neither, but they are also very intricate in their design and richly complex. I tend to regard works that are governed by the logic of a dream to be more stream-of-consciousness works that haemorrhage disjointed images. The Nightside Narratives are much more exacting.
~93~
Frater Ixaxaar
Iskandar - May 06, 2008 - 03:17 AM
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I appreciate your comments, Frater Ixaxaar. I am quite certain that Grant's books unfold through many layers and on may dimensions. I was, for example, totally surprised by the ending of "Gamaliel," because the story is rather dark and messy and transgressive, but it has a Buddhist finale: that all this swirl of desires is impermanent, painful and void of the self (I'm paraphrasing). The non-fiction is for me somewhat more difficult to digest, because in a sense (perhaps not very wisely) magical non-fiction calls for an implementation of its principles in one's everyday life, and I think that Grant's message is occult: hidden and dark in the literal sense, but not to be taken literally itself. Fiction allows you to voluntarily suspend your disbelief more easily. I'm turning myself in a rhetorical pretzel but all I'm trying to say is that to me Grant's writing truly is magical, although I cannot say that I always catch his meaning.
FraterIxaxaar - May 06, 2008 - 11:35 AM
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Gordan wrote: › I appreciate your comments, Frater Ixaxaar. I am quite certain that Grant's books unfold through many layers and on may dimensions. I was, for example, totally surprised by the ending of "Gamaliel," because the story is rather dark and messy and transgressive, but it has a Buddhist finale: that all this swirl of desires is impermanent, painful and void of the self (I'm paraphrasing). The non-fiction is for me somewhat more difficult to digest, because in a sense (perhaps not very wisely) magical non-fiction calls for an implementation of its principles in one's everyday life, and I think that Grant's message is occult: hidden and dark in the literal sense, but not to be taken literally itself. Fiction allows you to voluntarily suspend your disbelief more easily. I'm turning myself in a rhetorical pretzel but all I'm trying to say is that to me Grant's writing truly is magical, although I cannot say that I always catch his meaning.
Hello, Gordan,
Perhaps part of the Nightside Narratives' worth is that they not only introduce magickal and mystical principles, but also offer a kind of demonstration (for lack of a better term) of said principles unfurling within the storyline?
Regarding your grasp of Kenneth Grant's meaning: The Grant canon is very rich, but also very demanding. I wouldn't lose heart over missing key points after your first reading. One could conceivably study the Typhonian Trilogies for an entire lifetime and still find new gems contained therein. I've been studying and Working with them for years and I still feel as though I've only scratched the surface.
It seems apparent to me --- judging by the fact that you were able to appreciate the transcendental aspect of Gamaliel --- that your understanding might be deeper than you realize. I fear that many people were simlpy turned off (or worse, turned on!) by the "dark and messy" story elements to understand the book's mystical intent.
~93~
Frater Ixaxaar
N.O.X - May 06, 2008 - 12:13 PM
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I too am a fan of this book. I'm very glad to have obtained this book before they went out of print. Congrats on that, Michael. I've noticed that I never see a used copy of this book for sale on ebay. I can understand why.....who would want to sell such a wonderful work. I'm definitely never selling mine! It seems that, during the course of the narrative, that Grant is magickally uncovering sub-conscious impressions from his childhood.....or something like that. I can hardly wait for Monolith A Further Nightside Narrative to be released. I'm also looking foward to the Nightside Tarot. Any news on these, Michael?
hawthornrussell - May 06, 2008 - 06:08 PM
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What i found really deep was that Grant's style of writing was making a point in itself in Against the Light. The writing made no distinction between the various states of being/awareness encountered by the author and Margaret Leesing when they started to scry. I think this is intentional on Grant's part, in that he is making a point that when you get to a certain point in Magick or mysticism there is no discrimination between waking conscious states and the deeper levels of being. Grant raises this in his book "At the Feet of the Guru" in the chapter The Admantine Way, where the concept of Shushupti ( dreamless sleep) is discussed. So by the time Uncle Phineas is introduced to the story his presence is just has "real" and "solid" has the protagonist and Leesing. To the casual reader this might be awkward to grasp but when you get into a deep level of awareness such has Shushupti there is no separation since there is nothing to separate in the first place.
In that sense Grants writing is more like a cipher than a piece of fiction, in showing what the protagonist has to experience just to navigate beyond waking consciousness.
DNA - May 06, 2008 - 07:35 PM
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hawthornrussell wrote: › What i found really deep was that Grant's style of writing was making a point in itself in Against the Light. The writing made no distinction between the various states of being/awareness encountered by the author and Margaret Leesing when they started to scry. I think this is intentional on Grant's part, in that he is making a point that when you get to a certain point in Magick or mysticism there is no discrimination between waking conscious states and the deeper levels of being. Grant raises this in his book "At the Feet of the Guru" in the chapter The Admantine Way, where the concept of Shushupti ( dreamless sleep) is discussed. So by the time Uncle Phineas is introduced to the story his presence is just has "real" and "solid" has the protagonist and Leesing. To the casual reader this might be awkward to grasp but when you get into a deep level of awareness such has Shushupti there is no separation since there is nothing to separate in the first place.
In that sense Grants writing is more like a cipher than a piece of fiction, in showing what the protagonist has to experience just to navigate beyond waking consciousness.
Thank you for that post hawthorn. Very insightful.
Your point that Grant's writing denotes no seperation or disparity of conciousness is what I was trying to convey with " he (Grant) gives the feeling of traversing the mauve zone with a book"
Tiger - May 10, 2008 - 07:50 PM
Post subject: for purposes of study and appreciation only
Multifaceted aspects and their time lines of multiple possibilities and outcomes, hidden alternatives existing along with an observed out come; interpenetrate, overlapping, seething and seeping, a bizarre web of future and past aeons into the dream we call living.
Filaments and fibers of tangled light, dancing shadows flirting, pullulating from the depths of the Naga-centre, gain ingress opening an influx from the strange starry distant beyond, transporting terrestriall preoccupations.
Things that resonated with me
"A fisherman piloting a lone craft through iridescent waters" pg 74
"those who may cross the threshold hold back. Others, who are not ready, plunge headlong into an abyss and the door closes behind them." pg 84
"to abrupt an opening of the Magical Eye, effected by a persistent perversion of the will and craving for new sensations, and new worlds" - "In such fashion are the unwary... flushed out.." pg 70
me - fascinated sometimes on the verge of obsession but don't consider it craving.
"In my endeavor to free myself from the thraldom of this onslaught, I knew that my only course was to surrender totally to the Current that was sweeping me to destruction. In a sudden spasm of terror I screamed aloud the Word..." pg 93
"they may stray in the tunnels until they are swept out of earshot of the word of the aeon. Which is a dire calamity, for the Word is due to change around the year two thousand. Those in the tunnels will not hear it; they will be flushed out..." pg 66
me not understanding the importance of the word and having a hard time with the changing of it.
DNA - May 13, 2008 - 07:08 AM
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I was just reading the book last night, and I was wondering, what is the creature that attacks Margaret Leesing in the cave?? Is it some form of sea monster?
I was also, completley surprised (and confused) when Grant's uncle (Black) is seen talking to a "squat individual" who turns out to be the "Yellow Man"; does this mean they were actually talking? Or were they talking on some other dimension? I love the way the book poses so many questions.
magispiegel - May 13, 2008 - 10:48 AM
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DNA,
If it is some kind of sea monster in the narrative, then Grant is somehow arousing in his reader the ophidian symbolism/mythos, being an allegorical suggestion of the magickal radiations which seep through Daath from outside, and into this planetary round from the lens of Andromeda.
On Pg. 160, Kenneth Grant, Outside the Circles of Time (1st Edition), there is an interesting paragraph on the symbolism of the sea-monster (fish-goat), which is described as a secret formula of the Aeon of Maat. He also mentions the magickal mirror etc.
On a personal note I am studying, contemplating and doing much work with these 'potent termina' which Andahadna mentions in the Maat Complex. It would be interesting to read this part of the book you mention again.
I am just responding to your post in a reflexive fashion, as I do not have ATL to hand at the moment.
Best Wishes
Charles
FraterIxaxaar - May 13, 2008 - 12:26 PM
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magispiegel wrote: › DNA,
On a personal note I am studying, contemplating and doing much work with these 'potent termina' which Andahadna mentions in the Maat Complex. It would be interesting to read this part of the book you mention again.
Your endeavors sound fascinating, magispiegel. If there are any results or insights that you feel comfortable sharing, I for one would be very interested in seeing them.
~93~
Frater Ixaxaar
DNA - May 13, 2008 - 02:52 PM
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magispiegel wrote: › DNA,
If it is some kind of sea monster in the narrative, then Grant is somehow arousing in his reader the ophidian symbolism/mythos, being an allegorical suggestion of the magickal radiations which seep through Daath from outside, and into this planetary round from the lens of Andromeda.
On Pg. 160, Kenneth Grant, Outside the Circles of Time (1st Edition), there is an interesting paragraph on the symbolism of the sea-monster (fish-goat), which is described as a secret formula of the Aeon of Maat. He also mentions the magickal mirror etc.
On a personal note I am studying, contemplating and doing much work with these 'potent termina' which Andahadna mentions in the Maat Complex. It would be interesting to read this part of the book you mention again.
I am just responding to your post in a reflexive fashion, as I do not have ATL to hand at the moment.
Best Wishes
Charles
Thank you so much for your reply Charles- you sound as though you could be the translator for some of Grant's more obscure aspects of magick!
I second FraterIxaxaar: I would love to hear of your experiences, that's if of course, you wish to divulge.
MichaelStaley - May 14, 2008 - 12:22 AM
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DNA wrote: › I was just reading the book last night, and I was wondering, what is the creature that attacks Margaret Leesing in the cave?? Is it some form of sea monster?
I had the impression from reading Against the Light that it was a bird-like creature. In The Ninth Arch (if my recall is correct) Grant refers to the "Qrixkuor-bird".
Iskandar - May 14, 2008 - 03:03 AM
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Grant writes in this novella, "I realised that his [i.e., Crowley's] Choronzonic Working in the desert of Bou-saada, and the later invocation of Belial, were further attempts to force open the Outer Gateways" (71-2). I was not aware that Crowley ever invoked Belial. Fact or fiction? Anybody?
ErichZann333 - May 14, 2008 - 09:13 AM
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When I read 'Against the Light' I was reminded of the Polish writer 'Bruno Schulz' I am also deeply fond of.
Schulz's mythmaking served as a rebellion against the banality of the everyday, searching for a truth which underlies appearances, or as his biographer Jerzy Ficowski puts it, "the mythological ascension of the everyday." This mythic existence which is hidden in the cracks of our reality, in the subjective time of what Schulz calls the"thirteenth freak month" that grows on the calendar, reminded me somewhat of Kenneth Grant's 'Nightside Narratives'.
The Nightside which is a personal realm of fantasy and dream which Schulz also called 'Regions of the great heresy'.
It seems to me that the purpose of mixing biographical facts with fiction (both writers are doing this) is the blurring of the boundary-line of these 2 apparently contrasting domains and eventually maybe even all dualistic principles. This is also a main interest in Surrealism, but the core of its philosophy already thrived for centuries before Breton discovered it.
DNA - May 14, 2008 - 02:52 PM
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MichaelStaley wrote: ›
DNA wrote: › I was just reading the book last night, and I was wondering, what is the creature that attacks Margaret Leesing in the cave?? Is it some form of sea monster?
I had the impression from reading
Against the Light that it was a bird-like creature. In
The Ninth Arch (if my recall is correct) Grant refers to the "Qrixkuor-bird".
There is a note at the side of the Grimoire from "Against the light" that indicates the word "Qrixkuor", so I think you may be right.
MichaelStaley - May 14, 2008 - 05:42 PM
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Gordan wrote: › Grant writes in this novella, "I realised that his [i.e., Crowley's] Choronzonic Working in the desert of Bou-saada, and the later invocation of Belial, were further attempts to force open the Outer Gateways" (71-2). I was not aware that Crowley ever invoked Belial. Fact or fiction? Anybody?
I think that Crowley did undertake such a Working. There is an entry in the record of the Amalantrah Working for March 9th, 1918 which discusses such a Working; there's also something in Crowley's sex-magical diary for this period.
lashtal - May 14, 2008 - 06:52 PM
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Crowley's poem "Excelsior" (from "The Book Of Oaths") is also interesting:
Was it for such shameless scenes
That I handed Belial beans?
If he should come, I shall
Treat him as a trusted pal.
Iskandar - May 14, 2008 - 06:52 PM
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Thanks for the info Michael.
djinn888 - May 29, 2008 - 12:38 PM
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I too experienced the dizzying spectral splash of confusion that one may unleash when traveling the pages of Against The Light for the first time with unconditioned eyes. My second reading through however proved more fruitful. From my perspective there were 4 very potent underlying threads weaving throughout which assisted me in grasping some of the ideas and dreamscapes presented in the book :
1) At some point a boy (which perhaps is KG, can't recall) awakens from sleep and for a split second he recognizes 'a' Self. He soon after recognizes or becomes aware of 'his' self.
All is but the Self in the play of Maya. As someone mentioned this idea is gone over excellently in At the Feet of the Guru.
2) The idea that past, present, & future are or can be viewed as merely reactivations of memory occurring in the Now.
When in the center of the web of time/space; in the spoke of the wheel of time/space; in the Now; Outside the Circles of Time; one is potentially able to travel through past,present, & future dimentions effortlessly and even experience overlapping dimensions.
3) The practical magick found in realizing & harnessing the potential catalytic nature of certain books, statues, words/names, sigils, paintings, etc.. which are able to activate memories or open doorways to dimensions both within and outside of time/space.
4) Uncle Phin says : "To dance happy with nightmares one must have transcended all dreams."
One risks the violent overthrows of the Old Ones (subconscious hells) without this ability of dissolving dream when traveling in the Nightside & Tunneled realms.
To be continued..... The Throes of Time press their weight upon me.
Kenneth Grant wherever you are out there.....
Thank you so much for such a Magickal gem/doorway that is
Against the Light.
B
defile959 - May 29, 2008 - 01:08 PM
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It's interesting to hear others' interpretations of and experiences with this book. I just procured a copy this week, and sat down to start reading it last night. I read about half of the book. Perhaps it was my physical state (exhausted mentally and physically from my "real" job, working outside, and donating blood) or something more, but my dream-space was extremely active and unusual last night. Like Djinn mentioned, Uncle Phin's quote about nightmares was in the fore of my mind when I awoke this morning....
~ j
DNA - May 29, 2008 - 08:02 PM
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Well I'd say Against the Light -as it's a book written by Kenneth Grant- probably stirs unexplored realms/archetpyes of our conciousness and therefore, when we access the "fourth dimension", these new images filter into our dreams. That's my interpretation anyway.
djinn888 - May 30, 2008 - 03:50 AM
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To finish up my last post..... My current perception of the underlying storyline, which is sure to transform with further readings, is that the Grimoire was magickally linked with Awryd & the Grant bloodline stemming from her. The Grimoire in my opinion contained the keys to properly handling, in all respects, the energies of the Old Ones/Nightside.
Awryd is alluded to as being the first of the known Grant line having contacted or to have been contacted by such energies. In my opinion Uncle Phin while 'living' had at some point possesion of the Grimoire. It is plausible that Phin himself may have hidden the Grimoire within Clandestine for the young KG to find later on in life when he was 'ready.'
Later after Uncle Phin has passed, Phin seems to return using the now older KG as an instrument or vehicle, for guiding KG back to the Grimoire with the help of certain magickal syncronicities involving objects, actions, and personalities; some of whose actions & consequences seem to reverberate forwards and backwards throughout time.
At the very end of the book we learn of the child KG's Sphinx book and his ability, per Uncle Phin, to use the right colors; hinting perhaps at Uncle Phin's confidence that a future KG will be suitable for handling the Grimoire. Also we learn of the potent jingle within the Sphinx book which alluded to the many magickal paths masked by the multi-flavoured zoötypes, that KG would later encounter in life. This revelation coming ironically at the end of the book to me is again a subtle lesson veiled : That which we may seek as outside and beyond may also be found to be housed within all along.
Although it's not overly apparent to me yet, and I believe Michael may have hinted at this, the Sphinx book may in fact have been the Grimoire itself. After KG's mom visited the wastebasket, Uncle Phin most certainly could have glided through the Qlippoth to retrieve the hidden gem.
Another moment which I felt was very powerful and significant of the time/space travel, found throughout the book, was at the end when the child KG describes himself crying to his father when he learns that Robin has died within the story and his father subsequently revealing the power of "eternal recurrence."
I view Against the Light not only as a magickally charged book but as a geniune practical magick engine veiled in a wonderful KG coat of many colors.
I suppose that's enough for now.
For those of you experiencing the vertigo of Against the Light, I recommend, in between readings, a thorough absorption in AOS, MB, or any other KG works. This seemed to work well for my own symptoms. 
Best wishes to All !
B
JohnS - May 30, 2008 - 11:58 PM
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Yep, well I found it a bit confusing. Twas, like a dream that you wish was yours but isn't, then again would you want to dream this ?? - no escape, I suppose.
Suggest you read the 'Stellar Load'. Now , there's a story !!!
N.O.X - May 31, 2008 - 04:40 AM
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Quote: ›
Another moment which I felt was very powerful and significant of the time/space travel, found throughout the book, was at the end when the child KG describes himself crying to his father when he learns that Robin has died within the story and his father subsequently revealing the power of "eternal recurrence."
I just wanted to say that this moment in the book was probably my favorite in the whole experience that is ATL. This book is indeed an EXPERIENCE. HMMMM, all this talk has made me decide to do another read through this book before Circles arrives!
MichaelStaley - Jun 02, 2008 - 02:15 PM
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There's been an extremely interesting diversity of views in this thread. Thanks to all who have so far contributed to this discussion.
At the launch for Outside the Circles of Time on Saturday evening, I read out a few paragraphs of appreciation of Grant's work by Henrik Bogdan, who as most will be aware has compiled an extensive bibligraphy. Henrik described Grant's work as surreal occultism. It reminded me of the front cover blurb for Snakewand, where he describes the characters therein as siderealised portraits:
Kenneth Grant wrote: › Many were the magicians and mediums who passed through the Lodge, and some of them feature in these tales. Their mundane personalities may not have appeared unusual to casual observation, but when elongated and siderealised by the unique perspectives which their magical roles created for them, they achieved an aoptheosis, an epiphany. This extraordinary phenomenon demonstrated the heights and the depths which human nature is capable of scaling, and of fathoming, in the delirious frenzy inspired by their art.
The tales are likewise orientated to the other side of a reality rarely glimpsed outside a magically charged Circle.
I remember when I first read this blurb, being struck by the analogy with the technique of siderealisation or attenuation most commonly associated with drawings and paintings by Spare. It is also perhaps akin to the technique which Grant mentions in the Introduction to The Ninth Arch, whereby scenes from novels (most commonly from Rohmer's Dope or Marsh's The Beetle) were dramatised in a ritual setting.
Best wishes,
Michael.
magispiegel - Jun 03, 2008 - 09:42 AM
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Hi Mick,
As you very well know, 'Faunesque' is a very interesting example of siderealisation. If you look at it from straight ahead, it looks as if the portrait of the satyrs head is elongated or stretched, reaching outwards or siderealising into the dimension of the aethereal phantasms encircling his head like a ghostly auric corona. However, Ben told me that if you stand about a foot above the picture and slightly to the right of it, looking downwards...you will see that the elongation of the head no longer exists, and the face looks like it is in proportion again?! Spare was a very clever draughtsman indeed...
Best Wishes
Charles
the_spurious_simon_iff - Jun 03, 2008 - 11:15 AM
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>>if you stand about a foot above the picture and slightly to the right of it, looking downwards...you will see that the elongation of the head no longer exists, and the face looks like it is in proportion again?!<<
Do you think he'd had a few drinks before he sketched it?
magispiegel - Jun 03, 2008 - 11:25 AM
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Could av?
Maybe at 'The Windsor Castle' 
ErichZann333 - Jun 05, 2008 - 04:36 PM
Post subject:
Interesting Michael, I especially like the description of Mr. Grant's work as surreal occultism.
I have never heard of the term 'siderealisation' but when reading the quite literal interpretation of of Charles I am reminded of anamorphosis, a technique that was developed and much used in the Renaissance, Holbein's 'The Ambassadors' being perhaps the most famous example.
I am familiar with the surrealist DErealization which also echoes through in Against the light and as can be noticed in the book Mr. Grant is also a great admirer of Salvador Dali and he also befriended the surrealist Ithel Colquhoun which in my opinion makes him indeed a surreal occultist.