Greetings!
>I've never figured out exactly why, but actual versions of some of
>Lovecraft's
>made-up books appeared, some, apparently, in the rare book collecting
>world,
>others in the general market. We can get a number of rather different
>versions
>of *The Necronomicon,* for example.
I get the impression that Kenneth Grant's approach is that Lovecraft
fiction is born of an intuitive glimpses, partially experienced in
nightmare of the occult mindspaces that inform his work. He and people
working in his footsteps are fully aware that Lovecraft was not an
occultist and regarded his writings as fantasy fiction. However, they
see the concepts he employs, such as the Necronomicon, as being
mindspaces shared by currents operating a particular occult current.
There have been various attempts to actualise these Lovecraftian
concepts. For some decades now various different people have operated
something called the Esoteric Order of Dagon in a manner they feel
accords with an occult interpretation of Lovecraftian ideas. Also
various people have written texts which they have identified as the
"Necronomican". Some may feel that the text exists in a mindspace and
they are channelling it. Other times their is a tongue in cheek
presentation of a deliberately invented text as an entertaining literary
device, thereby adding something the Lovecraftian corpus of fantasy
fiction. Also there has been some imaginative occult book publishing
intended to sell people a spooky looking book.
I think the occult realisation of the Necronomicon has affinities with
the grimoire in occult tradition. The authorship of the grimoires is
always falsely attributed, often to legendary figures. The text then has
an imaginary story as to how it came into the hands of the present
publisher or scribe. Lovecraft did this for the Necronomicon, he just
never wrote the text himself.
People say the Gods of the old religion are made the demons of the new.
This is true. Some pre-Christain deities turn up as demons and spirits
in the grimoires. But nowadays we see more of the demons of the old
religion being made the gods of the new. Crowley of course adopted the
Christian baddies, the Beast and Babalon, as his god-forms. And
generally people like the Lovecraftian entities because they are just so
delightfully naughty. Traditionally grimoires were attributed to King
Solomon, popes, saints and the like but we like our glamours to be
darker nowadays. The author of the Necronomicon was torn limb from limb
by invisible forces in a crowded market place as a consequence of his
magical endeavours. Great stuff!
I think with grimoires and the actualisation of Lovecraftian entities is
complex with some very different intents and approaches which may differ
from professed motives.
My best wishes
Ben
--
Ben Fernee
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