Secrets of the Typhonian Tantra: Kenneth Grant and Western Occult Interpretations of Indian Spirituality

Abstract

Kenneth Grant (1924–2011) was a British writer on occult subjects, who was primarily known for developing an idiosyncratic interpretation of the work of Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) and his magico-religious doctrine of Thelema.¹ Grant’s oeuvre has generated a small but devoted following and, in addition to his literary activities, he was also recognized as the Head of the magical fraternity known as the Typhonian Order.² In his body of work, Grant has created an unlikely mélange comprised of thematic threads that include both Eastern and Western esoteric traditions, in addition to consistent references to artistic and literary works infused with the aroma of the mysterious, fantastic, and uncanny, with a dominant place assigned to the fictional output of H. P. Lovecraft and the visionary creations of Austin O. Spare. Grant’s literary style is notorious for being hermeneutically opaque—those who are not put off by it maintain (for example, Bogdan, 2003: viii) that the immersion in its verbal and conceptual labyrinths amounts to a form of lesemysterien. In this chapter, the focus will be on the influence of Indian spiritual traditions on Grant’s opus and on his interpretation of their similarity with Western occultism.