At the turn of the 20th century 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 the 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, inspiring Vladimir Putin to envision a new 'Eurasian' civilization with Russia as its leader.

In his latest book, The Return of Holy Russia, our guest Gary Lachman discusses this 'occult revival' with a look at Rasputin’s prophecies, Blavatsky’s Theosophy, Roerich’s Red Shambhala and the philosophies of Berdyaev and Solovyov.

The book explores the 'Silver Age' in Russian society and culture and looks at Russian Rosicrucianism, the Illuminati Scare, Russian Freemasonry and the rise of other secret societies in Russia.

Gary Lachman is the author of over twenty books on culture, consciousness and the western esoteric tradition, including Lost Knowledge of the Imagination, The Secret Teachers of the Western World, Jung the Mystic and A Dark Muse: A History of the Occult. He has also written about the influence of esotericism on politics and society in his Dark Star Rising: Magick and Power in the Age of Trump and his latest offering, The Return of Holy Russia. You can find a full list of his titles here. 

Gary writes for several journals in the UK, US, and Europe, and his work has been translated into several languages. A founding member of the rock band Blondie, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. 

He lives in London.

Review:

“Gary Lachman is a writer with an elegantly readable style, a passionate interest in aspects of the world that history normally neglects, and a profound understanding of psychology. In The Return of Holy Russia he has found his ideal subject. It’s an intoxicating examination of the intense and distinctive relationship between Russian culture and religious feeling, of the kind that flowered into exotic cults and occult beliefs in the late nineteenth century, seemed to go underground during the Soviet Union, and may now be emerging again in Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime. I read it with delight.” – Philip Pullman, award-winning author of the trilogy His Dark Materials

image: Madame Blavatsky

This talk is part of our Fantasy February - Folklore and Customs Festival of talks to promote the large Folklore and Customs Collection held by Kensington Central Library.

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