The discovery of the forgotten diary of Maurice Nicoll provides a gateway into the complex psyches of esoteric thinkers, primarily male, with an emphasis on both their conflicts and awakenings in the sexual realm. Gary also draws upon the investigations of Colin Wilson.

Here he weaves a fascinating tapistry involving the ferment in the early twentieth century, including the emergence of depth psychology and a burgeoning esoteric culture including theosophy, anthroposophy, ritual magick, and – particularly – the Fourth Way movement of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. Maurice Nicoll was in the center of this world.

Here he compares the standard, Newtonian view of time with other approaches. Einstein, for example, described the past and the future as stubbornly persisting illusions. Hermann Minkowski, who taught Einstein, referred to time as the fourth dimension. P. D. Ouspensky, the Russian philosopher who worked with G. I. Gurdjieff, postulated a six-dimensional universe with three [...]

Here he describes the fascinating precognitive dreams reported by J. W. Dunne in his 1927 book, An Experiment with Time. Lachman discovered he could replicate Dunne’s findings by examining the lengthy records he had kept of his own dreams. He maintains that this is a repeatable effect that can be tested by anyone who has [...]

Here he describes the many mystical threads that run through Russian history. He describes the interplay of Slavic and Mongol shamanism with the Orthodox Christian faith. He highlights many paradoxes associated with the Russian character, such as a penchant to fuse devout religious feelings with a violent temperament. He focuses on Russia’s unique geography that [...]

Here he maintains that Carl Jung always had an interest in the esoteric and occult, going back to his childhood. His own mother would, occasionally give voice to an alternative personality, as did Jung, himself, as a child. As an adult, his break with his mentor, Sigmund Freud, precipitated an emotional crisis that led him [...]

Here he suggests that, as a result of modernity, we have lost sight of the conscious poetic power of nature and reality itself. He focuses on the work of Goethe who claimed that the disciplined imagination of the poet can be applied to scientific questions. His argument centers on the work of philosopher and historian [...]

Here he points out that the Corpus Hermeticum originated in Alexandria, Egypt, during a period of fusion among Greek and Egyptian traditions. Hermes Trismegistus represents an amalgamation of the Egyptian god Thoth and the Greek god Hermes. The original literature is of unknown authorship and focuses on the attainment of higher stats of consciousness. Hermeticism [...]

Here he describes how, prior to meeting George Gurdjieff, Peter D. Ouspensky had achieved acclaim in Russia as a writer, journalist, and lecturer. He had been active in the Theosophical movement. His encounter with Gurdjieff changed his life. The relationship was not an easy one, and at one time Ouspensky suspected that Gurdjieff had gone [...]

Here he explains how, at the age of 11 following the death of his father, Aleister Crowley decided to turn toward a path of darkness. He rebelled against his rigid upbringing in the Plymouth Brethren community. This wide-ranging discussion focuses on Crowley’s activities with the Order of the Golden Dawn and his later involvement with [...]

Here he describes life in the eighteenth century as a time of both enlightenment thought and biblical reverence. Swedenborg’s father was a bishop who also attained a title of nobility. Swedenborg travelled widely and developed many scientific interests. From childhood he began developing breathing practices for purposes of concentration. He explored many nuances of the [...]

Here he shares his passion and personal interest in the life and work of Colin Wilson, who achieved worldwide fame at the age of 24 with the release of his first book, The Outsider. He was regarded as England’s “homegrown existentialist”. Subsequently, Wilson wrote over 100 books. His massive analysis, The Occult, received international acclaim [...]