From the Miasma of the Florida Swamps

[militis]

Hi All,

I've been reading Kenneth Grant books since the late 70s , but understood little at first , each reading
adding many different insights.  My first book was Outside the Circles of Time which was far too
advanced for me at the and is still a struggle. Then I found Cults of the Shadow which set me the Path.
Grant's books are 'active' perhaps in a similar way to Spare's painting in that they seem to have something
of an interaction with the reader, but one that changes with each reading.

Militis

[Nalyd Khezr Bey]

Welcome to the site Militis.

I don't normally post welcomes but I just happened to be walking by as you posted this.

Yeah, KG's books are active in the way you describe because they're genuine Grammars of the Arte. I remember when his Convolvulus was first published and someone who knew I was into KG asked me if I thought it was worth getting because, unlike his trilogies, this one was "just a book of poetry". I remember asking this person "do you really think Kenneth Grant would put out 'just a book of poetry'?" and then I quoted part of a blurb about it at the time that described his poetry as evocations. That convinced him.

EDIT: Actually I think this is the blurb about the book from then. I'm not sure though but it seems right.

"Prose is a record of experience, whereas all real poetry is experience itself, for both poet and reader. Where prose achieves this quality it is no longer prose but poetry, regardless of its form or structure. These hauntingly beautiful and emotional poems, with titles such as 'Sorcery', 'Sigils', 'Words of Power' etc., offer a direct demonstration of ritual invocation/evocation as it should be performed."

Describes KG's writings in general.

[Invoke Often]

This interactive progressive quality of his books is one of the more exciting and provocative aspects of them which led me here to this forum. I'm very happy to hear others are experiencing this themselves. It's quite a rush when seemingly new passages appear in them that truly clear up a question one had!