Gary Lachman - The Roots (and Future) of Western Spirituality

Gary Lachman, author and expert on the history of consciousness and the Western esoteric traditions in philosophy, the occult, and spirituality, returns to EnlightenNext for this in-depth interview with EnlightenNext founder Andrew Cohen and executive editor Carter Phipps. Since the year 2000, Lachman has penned a remarkable number of books exploring the major contributors to the esoteric traditions, including In Search of P.D. Ouspensky, the recently published Into the Interior: Discovering Swedenborg, and a soon-to-be-published biography of Rudolf Steiner. In the conversation presented here, ostensibly a discussion about Ouspensky (and Swedenborg—and Steiner...) this erudite former rock musician ends up covering great swaths of arcane terrain in an open exploration of the mystical underpinnings and sheer outrageousness of the characters and history of Western esoteric thought. The conversation begins with a fascinating overview of the life and work of esoteric philosopher and educator Rudolf Steiner. And it ends with a powerful investigation of the roots and future of spirituality in the West in light of the impact of esoteric philosophy and its progenitors on the development, present-day status, and future of modern spirituality and culture.

BIO

Gary Lachman is the author of several books on the history of consciousness and western culture, including Turn Off Your Mind: The Mystic Sixties and the Dark Side of the Age of Aquarius; A Secret History of Consciousness; A Dark Muse: A History of the Occult (UK edition: The Dedalus Book of the Occult: A Dark Muse); In Search of P.D. Ouspensky; The Dedalus Occult Reader: The Garden of Hermetic Dreams; Into the Interior: Discovering Swedenborg; and Rudolf Steiner: An Introduction to His Life and Work.

As Gary Valentine he was a founding member of the rock group Blondie and wrote some of the groups early hits and he was also a guitarist with Iggy Pop. New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation is an account of his years as a musician in New York and Los Angeles in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His CD Tomorrow Belongs to You collects his work with own bands the Know and Fire Escape. In 2006 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He is a regular contributor to The Guardian, Independent on Sunday, Fortean Times, Quest, and other journals in the UK and US and frequently lectures on the meeting ground between consciousness, the occult, popular culture and the arts. He lives in London.