{"title":"Gary Lachman","description":"\u003cp\u003eGary Lachman's works explore the intricate connections between spirituality, history, and the human psyche, offering deep insights into the esoteric and occult traditions. His books invite readers to reflect on how these hidden forces shape both personal growth and wider cultural narratives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBlending biography with philosophical inquiry, Lachman delves into the lives of remarkable figures and the subtle landscapes of consciousness. His writing is illuminating for those interested in self-development, the mysteries of the mind, and the transformative power of myth and belief.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"aleister-crowley-by-gary-lachman-9780399161902","title":"Aleister Crowley","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the mystic, occult magician, poet, and founder of the religious philosophy of Thelema, Aleister Crowley died in an obscure boarding house in Hastings, England, on December 5, 1947, at the age of 72, few knew he was to become one of the most enduring pop culture figures of the next hundred years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this definitive work, Gary Lachman traces both the arc of the occultist's strange and controversial life, and his influence on rock-and-roll giants from the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, to Black Sabbath and Blondie, of which Lachman was a founding member.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTwenty years after his death, in the middle of the Swinging Sixties, Crowley was more popular than he ever was in his lifetime. In 1967, the Beatles put him on the cover of \u003cem\u003eSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band\u003c\/em\u003e. The Rolling Stones became, for a time, serious devotees, their music and image being groomed by one of Crowley's most influential disciples, the avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHis libertarian philosophies informed generations of notable heavy metal groups like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Metallica, and others, while these same beliefs form the subject of scholarly theses. His image hangs in goth rock bars, occult temples, and college dorm rooms alike, and he's turned up as a character in pop cultural environments from Batman comic books to PlayStation video games.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut \u003cem\u003eAleister Crowley\u003c\/em\u003e is more than just a biography of this continually compelling and divisive figure—it's also a portrait of his influence on modern pop culture and rock music. Lachman paints the first truly thorough portrait of one of the most famous occult figures of all time. \u003cem\u003eAleister Crowley\u003c\/em\u003e shows readers not only who \"The Great Beast\" was and where he came from, but also why he's still on our minds nearly one hundred years later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Ingram Book Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46541809156332,"sku":"9780399161902","price":50.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780399161902.jpg?v=1749699634"},{"product_id":"maurice-nicoll-by-gary-lachman-9781644119914","title":"Maurice Nicoll","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA biography of the influential teacher of the Fourth Way\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTraces the life of Maurice Nicoll, who left a successful career as a psychiatrist in 1922 to study with G.I. Gurdjieff and P.D. Ouspensky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExplores newly uncovered diaries from Nicoll, revealing his mystical sex practices, his shadow self, and new understandings of his unorthodox teachings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExamines the influence of psychiatrist Carl Jung and Swedish scientist and philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg on Nicoll’s work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1922, Maurice Nicoll (1884–1953) abandoned his successful London psychiatry practice and his direct studies with Carl Jung to move his family just outside of Paris to the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, a centre recently opened by philosopher, mystic, and spiritual guru G. I. Gurdjieff, the founder of the esoteric system that became known as the “Fourth Way.” Nicoll went on to become one of the most passionate teachers of the Fourth Way, committing the final three decades of his life to teaching “The Work” in his own unorthodox style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this revealing biography, Gary Lachman draws on recently uncovered diaries to explore the unusual, syncretic approach Nicoll brought to his teaching of the Fourth Way. He shows how Nicoll is unique in having Jung, Gurdjieff, and Ouspensky as teachers and to have known each of these important figures in esoteric history personally. Yet—as Lachman reveals—Nicoll was not a blind devotee by any stretch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLachman shows how Nicoll incorporated elements of Jungian psychology and Emanuel Swedenborg-inspired mysticism into his exploration and teaching of both Gurdjieff’s and Ouspensky’s ideas, as well as into his own best-known work, \u003ci\u003ePsychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLachman reveals the unorthodox side of Nicoll in fuller detail than ever before through excerpts from recently shared diaries, in which Nicoll included detailed accounts of his own solitary “self-sex” erotic experimentations to reach visionary states, along with recordings of his dreams and other personal and mystical reflections. The social details of Nicoll’s life are also examined, including vivid portraits of the occult scene in the early-to-mid-twentieth century and the communal living situations in which Nicoll sometimes resided.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on his familiarity with hermetic practices and his own experiences with “The Work,” Lachman comprehensively explores the significance of Nicoll and the novelty of his thought, offering a profound, needed, and sympathetic but critical study of this man so instrumental to the development and legacy of the Fourth Way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46627982803180,"sku":"9781644119914","price":54.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10103473482773.jpg?v=1751895596"},{"product_id":"the-return-of-holy-russia-by-gary-lachman-9781620558102","title":"The Return of Holy Russia","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA history of how mystical and spiritual influences have shaped Russia’s identity and politics and what it means for the future of world civilization.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Return of Holy Russia\u003c\/em\u003e examines Russia’s spiritual history, from its pagan origins and Eastern Orthodox mysticism to secret societies, Rasputin, Roerich, Blavatsky, and Dostoyevsky. It explains the visionary writings of the spiritual philosophers of Russia’s Silver Age, which greatly influence Putin today. The book explores what Russia’s unique identity and its history of messianic politics and apocalyptic thought mean for its future on the world stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the turn of the 20th century, a period known as the Silver Age, Russia was undergoing a powerful spiritual and cultural rebirth. It was a time of magic and mysticism that saw a vital resurgence of interest in the occult and a creative intensity not seen in the West since the Renaissance. This was the time of the God-Seekers, pilgrims of the soul and explorers of the spirit who sought the salvation of the world through art and ideas. These sages and their visions of Holy Russia are returning to prominence now through Russian president Vladimir Putin, who, inspired by their ideas, envisions a new “Eurasian” civilization with Russia as its leader.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExploring Russia’s long history of mysticism and apocalyptic thought, Gary Lachman examines Russia’s unique position between East and West and its potential role in the future of the world. Lachman discusses Russia’s original Slavic paganism and its eager adoption of mystical and apocalyptic Eastern Orthodox Christianity. He explores the Silver Age and its “occult revival” with a look at Rasputin’s prophecies, Blavatsky’s Theosophy, Roerich’s “Red Shambhala,” and the philosophies of Berdyaev and Solovyov. He looks at Russian Rosicrucianism, the Illuminati Scare, Russian Freemasonry, and the rise of other secret societies in Russia. He explores the Russian character as that of the “holy fool,” as seen in the great Russian literature of the 19th century, especially Dostoyevsky. He also examines the psychic research performed by the Russian government throughout the 20th century and the influence of Evola and the esoteric right on the spiritual and political milieus in Russia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThrough in-depth exploration of the philosophies that inspire Putin’s political regime and a look at Russia’s unique cultural identity, Lachman ponders what they will mean for the future of Russia and the world. What drives the Russian soul to pursue the apocalypse? Will these philosophers lead Russia to dominate the world, or will they lead it into a new cultural epoch centred on spiritual power and mystical wisdom?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46869025521900,"sku":"9781620558102","price":54.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/27257463482764.jpg?v=1759781051"},{"product_id":"touched-by-the-presence-by-gary-lachman-9798888503119","title":"Touched by the Presence","description":"\u003cb\u003eA memoir of magic, rock and roll, and becoming who you are\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Traces the author’s journey from bassist and founding member of Blondie to writer on consciousness and the esoteric tradition\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Explores his involvement in Gurdjieff’s Fourth Way, Crowley’s Thelema, and his relationship with the bestselling author Colin Wilson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Reveals how an early love of comic books, science fiction, and fantasy led him to the esoteric tradition\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNot many members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are also recognized authorities on the Western inner tradition. Gary Lachman is. In 1978, Blondie released the top-ten hit “(I am Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear.” Gary Lachman (then Gary Valentine) had written the song for his girlfriend after the series of shared dreams and telepathic experiences they had. Thus started his lifelong obsession with the potentials of consciousness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this memoir, Lachman recounts how he went from being a successful rock and roller to a writer on consciousness and the Western inner tradition. He shares encounters with rockers such as the Ramones, New York Dolls, Patti Smith, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Iggy Pop and also his time with Timothy Leary, William Burroughs, and Allen Ginsberg. Living with Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein on New York’s Bowery, a block from CBGB, the birthplace of punk rock, Lachman discovered occultism via a follower of Aleister Crowley.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePost rock and roll, Lachman’s occult studies brought him to the Golden Dawn, Manly P. Hall, Gnosticism, and a stint in Crowley’s O.T.O. He details his time in the Fourth Way, including a visit to the site of Gurdjieff ’s Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man in France, and his years studying philosophy and literature and working as a science writer while managing a famous metaphysical bookshop at the height of the New Age movement. Excursions to Stonehenge, Avebury, and Glastonbury in search of ley lines and pilgrimages to Colin Wilson’s home in Cornwall are a few of the highlights of this introspective, often humorous account of a nascent writer’s struggle from rock and roll to individuation.","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47363258417388,"sku":"9798888503119","price":71.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/7184923488913.jpg?v=1772919419"},{"product_id":"politics-and-the-occult-by-gary-lachman-9780835608572","title":"Politics and the Occult","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe gritty business of politics is not something we usually associate with the occult. But esoteric beliefs have influenced the destiny of nations since the time of ancient Egypt and China, when decisions of state were based on portents and astrology, to today, when presidents and prime ministers privately consult self-proclaimed seers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePolitics and the Occult\u003c\/i\u003e offers a lively history of this enduring phenomenon. Author and cultural pundit Gary Lachman provocatively questions whether the separation of church and state so dear to modern political philosophy should be maintained.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA few of his fascinating topics include the fate of the Knights Templar and the medieval Gnostic Cathars, the occult roots of America and the French Revolution in Freemasonry, Gurdjieff and the swastika, Soviet interest in UFOs, the CIA and LSD, the Age of Aquarius, the millenarian politics that inform the struggle with Islamic terrorism, fundamentalism, and more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47607385882860,"sku":"9780835608572","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9387d81b72995b1023d2d389ba5beb45.jpg?v=1778189822"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/gary-lachman.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}