On Fiction Esoteric and Philosophical

I’m faced with a problem when attempting to describe my work.

Sometimes I will tell a straighforward story, as I did in Apocalypse Cow and The Garden, to name just two; but sometimes, as I do in my most recent Horror to Culture offering The Vampyre and the God, or my proem The Fool and the Harlequin, I’m using archetypical language and symbols to express something beyond everyday human experience, but which I nevertheless hold to be true of the human psyche—both mine individually as well as the way it interfaces with the collective.

I find it can be accessed either way and was delighted when Novel Allen asked me to write a piece for her Savages challenge, as tapping back into the impression made by the works of Franz Kafka led to further rumination on the subject.

Kafka’s work is quite accessible. I would say it is an example of the straightforward story which indicates the esoteric, because it deals most directly with the inner experience of the human (yes, even in the case of poor Gregor from Metamorphosis); but what might I put forth as works of esoteric and/or philosophical fiction?

Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathustra, and Aleister Crowley’s The Vision and the Voice all come to mind. All of these are, in some or another way, like religious treatises. Crowley, in fact, claims to have received many of his works from preterhuman intelligences.

I would then recall also that the great literary works that many consider to be sacred texts are, after all, esoteric fiction. From the Bible to the Bhagavad Gita to the poems of Homer, whatever history these works may indicate is not strictly and accurately recorded therein, though it may have some correlation with genuine events; but, more importantly, whatever truth they may reveal to the individual reader is not literal but figurative, symbolic, philosophical, and it should be no surprise if the resonance is more palpable when it comes from the culture in which one has been most immersed.

Anyone who thinks seriously on the matter will plainly see that literal belief in any of these works has resulted in atrocities and seems to be mostly utilized for the oppression and subjugation of the masses by those who use such works to justify endless war.

We find similar results have come from secular works like those of Marx. I’ll leave it to astute readers who look beyond the façade of political divides to work out the connection.

Again, this does not mean there is no spiritual, or if you prefer, psychological value to be culled from these works. They are all syncretized from wisdom of the ages, a process which I believe Kahlil Gibran attempts to demonstrate in these lines from The Life of Love:

"Let us go and gather the grapes of the vineyard

For the winepress, and keep the wine in old

Vases, as the spirit keeps knowledge of the

Ages in eternal vessels."

But fermentation is also a process of decay, isn’t it? The dross falls away when we syncretize wisdom, yet some of us would rather eat the dregs than sup the wine.

As Jung surmised, these symbols we share through our stories have a connection to something more profound, something beyond this world, which is nevertheless entirely interconnected with it.

Of course, you are free to doubt me on this. In fact, I encourage you to do so. Anyone who asks you to have faith in something you cannot verify through your personal experience is likely either being misled or intending to mislead, and if you should doubt that too, then you have only proven my point, for you have acquiesced that my words here are not enough for you to believe me, and have wisely decided to allow your own experience to inform you in the matter as time goes on!

Again, I can call to mind secular examples. When 20th century marketeers first advertised cigarettes, they did so under all sorts of pretenses, from feminism to commercials stating that cigarettes were doctor approved. They were jacking into and taking advantage of the human willingness to trust authority or ideology without verification.

I can think of far more recent examples from both sides of the political divide… but I see no need to open wounds which are still perhaps too fresh, though I would ask that we all ruminate on the matter at length, as I’m sure each of us knows deep down what we can't allow ourselves to become.

In any event, dear reader, what I should like to draw to your attention about esoteric fiction is that you should not disregard it out of hand as nonsense. Of the books I’ve mentioned, I think Gibran’s The Prophet the most recommendable to general audiences, while Crowley’s work might be somewhat beyond the scope of most people’s ability—or desire!—to assimilate, though, like Nietzsche, its influence, positive and negative, is far greater than a glance might first divulge.

As far as my own work goes, I admit that what I most cherish about the written word is eloquence and cleverness, which is why Poe resonates with me. The Masque of the Red Death is a work of esoteric fiction I’ve revisited many times, finding something new and profound with each read. Poe’s influence on the French symbolists bears me out on this interpretation of his works.

With that I leave you links to the four stories of mine I’ve mentioned, should you wish to contrast and compare, as well as an essay from The Cynickal Art on Jim Morrison, Philosopher and Shaman; but even if you don’t read those, I would love to hear any recommendations or thoughts you have on the subject!

Are there works of esoteric or philosophical fiction, your own or another’s, which you would like to share?

Thanks for taking the time to read my work, dear reader, and fare thee well!