The Occult and Lovecraft

We’re back and we’re wondering why all these robed figures around us are chanting the name of Cthulhu? Don’t they know that Lovecraft made him up? What do they expect to get out of this? Can they really call upon his power? And, if so, how can we get in on this sweet racket? Main Topic: The Occult and Lovecraft This is the second part of our look into the relationship between Lovecraft’s work and real occult practices. Last episode, we looked into how Lovecraft drew upon his superficial knowledge of the occult to add verisimilitude to his stories. This time, we’re exploring something far weirder: occultists who have incorporated Lovecraft’s work into their own practices. That’s one weird-looking D20. Once again, Mike Mason joins us on our journey into mystery. His knowledge as line editor for Call of Cthulhu comes in especially handy when we delve into the gaming aspects of our topic. Which Call of Cthulhu scenarios draw upon occult traditions? What is the difference between the Occult and Cthulhu Mythos skills? How might we use the occult in our own games? And why is Mike chanting and pulling out that obsidian dagger? Links Things we discuss in this episode include: Cthulhu Mythos Occultism * Kenneth Grant * Austin Osman Spare * The Magical Revival * Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God * Cults of the Shadow * The Typhonian OTO * Strange Eons by Robert Bloch * The Laundry Files * Michael Bertiaux and The Voudon Gnostic Workbook * Chaos magic * Phil Hine * Chaos International * The Pseudonomicon * Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan * The Satanic Rituals * The Simon Necronomicon