W.B. Yeats Twentieth Century Magus: An In-Depth Study of Yeat's Esoteric Practices and Beliefs, Including Excerpts from His Magical Diaries

by Susan Johnston Graf

W.B. Yeats Twentieth Century Magus is a comprehensive study of his magical practices and beliefs. Yeats moved through many different phases of spiritual development, believing that his life was an intellectual, spiritual, and artistic questa quest greatly influenced by Celtic lore, Theosophy, Golden Dawn ceremonial magic, Swedenborg's metaphysics, the works of Jacob Boehme, and NeoPlatonism. For Yeats, writing poetry was an act of divine possession, and he believed that a perfected soul was the source of his inspiration, visiting him during times of superconscious awareness. Susan Johnston Graf meticulously documents and provides evidence that Yeat's poetry is brilliant, lyric narrative of realtiy captured through the mind of a practicing magician working in the Western Tradition.

Genres: Irish Literature, Biography

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2000

Reviews

[Judy Croome · Rating 5 out of 5]

A knowledgeable exploration of an often ignored, but fundamental, part of Irish poet WB Yeats' works: his spiritual beliefs, his participation in occult practices and how these influenced his poetry.

Graf begins by examining Yeats' connection to the Golden Dawn society, then proceeds to how his work has been perceived in literary circles and then seamlessly marries Yeats' poetry to his spiritualism and mystical practices. For a reader with knowledge of the esoteric practices that Yeats took part in, there may appear to be some repetition of the explanations of the traditions and symbols of Yeats' occult society. But, for those readers who have no exposure to these practices, this may help them grasp the complexity of thought and spiritual beliefs that drove Yeats to create the visionary poetry that he did.

Graf's calm acceptance of Yeats' occult beliefs, coupled with an intelligent and well-informed breakdown of how these motivate his poetry, is what makes this text a vital contribution to understanding Yeats as both poet and man.

The detailed exploration of Per Amica Silentia Luna (1916), as well as Yeats other works, makes for an absorbing read. Graf does not gloss over areas of intellectual doubt; rather she challenges them and seeks answers to Yeats' more obscure texts in his spirituality. The result is an inspiring and fascinating look into the soul of a great literary figure and a deeper understanding of his poetry.

[Terence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book puts forward the interesting thesis that Yeats had a lifelong interest in esotericism but came to disguise this interest after the early 1900s due to the public scandal associated with it. The last third of the book looks at some of the poems that reveal this esoteric interest. For me, this was the weakest part of the study. I was hoping for some real in-depth analysis, but it was not forthcoming. My tentative verdict is that the author is therefore probably right about Yeats, but that this may not represent such an earth-shattering literary insight as it initially seemed it would. I may look up the author’s second book just to make sure.

[Michael Matejka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember an undergraduate lecture on Yeats with Dr. Dillon, a masterful professor of literature. The poem being discussed was The Second Coming (the rough beast,) and Dr. Dillon wanted to give us a feel for the associations generated by Anima Mundi and the gyre. Symbols. Yeats worked in an uncommon way with the imagination. Dr. Dillon mentioned that Yeats had developed his own myth of time in a work called A Vision. To singlehandedly develop a myth was a monumental effort. He casually mentioned that we might give it a look should we get the chance. The comment was sly, suggestive, and it stuck with me for a decade before I finally took it up.

I found A Vision bewildering. My education had provided me with little contextual support.

Years later, at the Yeats exhibition in the National Library in Dublin, I found a glass case that reignited my interest. In the years since, I've been collecting fragments.

This book talks about everything about Yeats that we're not supposed to talk about. Repetitive, but revealing.

[Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book on W.B. Yeats' interest in magic, myth, and how it affected his poetry. He sought after the daimons of Ireland and bring them down to earth to give Ireland a national identity and himself a supernatural muse.