Ep343: The Mystic Arthur Machen - R.B. Russell
R.B. Russell, author and founder of Tartarus Press, takes us on a deep dive into the life and works of Welsh author and mystic Arthur Machen.
Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Ray traces the religious life of Machen, his involvement with the occult society the Golden Dawn, and his friendship with famed occultist A.E. Waite.
Ray details Machen’s fascination with the esoteric symbolism of the Grail mythology; his role in originating and spreading the supernatural, urban myth of the Bowman; and impact of his notorious horror-fantasy novella ”The Great God Pan”.
Ray also shares his reflections on literary theory, the various interpretations of Shakespeare, and the prevalence of psychoanalytic readings of classic genre fiction.
00:00 - Intro
01:07 - First encounter with the works of Arthur Machen
05:25 - Hill of Dreams and an abiding interest
06:21 - Mysteries of Machen
07:12 - Life of Arthur Machen
09:29 - Involvement with occultism
17:11 - The Great God Pan
22:19 - Machen, Lovecraft, and the mystical
26:17 - Reflections on literary theory
27:26 - Why so many psychoanalytic readings of horror?
29:13 - Historicism vs textualism
31:40 - Shakespeare and classic vs modern productions
34:38 - The Great God Pan needs to be Victorian
35:25 - Machen’s involvement in the Golden Dawn
38:43 - Grail Myth as a spiritual path and an early Welsh church
39:26 - Friendship with occultist A.E. Waite
40:05 - The Great Return and the evolution of awe
43:41 - Why were so many writers fascinated by the Grail Myth and King Arthur?
46:15 - Esoteric symbolism of the Grail
48:52 - Links to Roman Britain
49:58 - Machen’s Oxford disappointment and subsequent work
53:05 - The Bowmen and urban myths
57:28 - Reading vs collecting books
01:02:27 - Ray’s prized item and Machen collection
01:03:34 - Tartarus Press and Machen publishing projects
01:05:28 - Friends of Arthur Machen society
01:07:06 - Faunus journal
01:07:22 - Where to start with Machen for those interested in the occult and mysticism
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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James