Thu, 25 Jul
|London
Left-Hand Path in Western Occultism – Lecture & Soirée
The first of Phil Hine's lectures on the history of an idea. Dark lords, black lodges, Russian occultists and edgy erotics feature.
Time & Location
25 Jul 2024, 19:00 – 21:00 BST
London, 33 Store St, London WC1E 7BS, UK
About The Event
The terms 'left-hand' and 'right-hand path' pervade Western occultism, appearing in the works of Dion Fortune, Aleister Crowley, Kenneth Grant and many others.
In this in-person lecture at Treadwell's, Phil Hine explores how the idea of two opposing magical ‘paths’ developed. Beginning in India, he traces its movement through Europe via orientalist scholars and missionaries, to be taken up by Madame Blavatsky's Theosophy. He then examines its adoption into Thelema, Typhonian magic and other contemporary magical paths. The academic discourse around this pervasive and seductive concept is also considered. After the lecture, everyone is invited to take part in an audience Q&A, and a soirée on the shopfloor with complimentary drinks follows.
Please note: the second lecture in the series – Left-Hand Path and Tantric Traditions – will be held on 8 August.
Phil Hine is a magician and researcher with a strong interest in occultism as a cultural formation. While his earlier well-known works are on chaos magic, his work of the last decade focuses on South Asian philosophies in the West, from Tantra to chakras to Theosophy. This longstanding friend of Treadwell's is a popular speaker whose talks always sell out.