Inner Visions

First published in 1979, Inner Visions discussion the nature of contemporary magical thought - encompassing the Tarot and the Qabalah - and considers its impact on the creative imagination. The author presents a fusion of the creative, magical and mythological undercurrents which are part of the 'new consciousness', and traces the influence of surrealist art and the expansive psychedelic period on the art and music of the 1970s. He looks, for example, at the relationship of the fantasy art on record sleeves to the electronic inner-space music which it often accompanies, and shows that this form of modern music represents one facet of the contemporary reaction against scientism and of the search for what Roszak has termed the visionary sources of our culture. The author concludes that a major mythological impulse is emerging in our culture and that magical and surreal approaches represent a profoundly invigorating and inspiring attitude linking the individual to the cosmos. This will be a fascinating read for anyone interested in magic, mythology, art, music and literature.

Nevill Drury

Acknowledgements Introduction: Counter-culture, magic and the new consciousness Part One: Magic and Cosmos 1. The magical universe 2. Archetypes and belief systems - the relevance of C. G. Jung and John Lilly 3. The Tarot and transformation Part Two: Sound and symbol 4. Surrealism and the Qabalah 5. Magic and fantasy - the new visionary art 6. The rise of cosmic music Conclusion: Where is it all going? Notes Bibliography Index