I recently had the great pleasure of being interviewed by Jeffrey J. Kripal about my new book The Secret Teachers of the Western World for the Reality Sandwich website. For those of you who don’t know, Jeffrey is one of the most exciting and thought provoking academic thinkers working in the ‘alternative’ milieu today; among his many books are Mutants and Mystics, Authors of the Impossible, and most recently, The Super Natural, co-written with Whitley Strieber. I am flattered and honored that Jeff took the time to read and think about my book and to ask the kinds of questions writers like to answer. Here’s a link to the interview.
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The Secret Teachers at Aeon Byte
Have a listen to a conversation about all things secret and gnostic with Miguel Connor and me at Aeon Byte.
Secret Teachers and a New Dawn: An Interview with Richard Smoley
Here’s a link to an interview I did for New Dawn magazine with the writer and scholar Richard Smoley about my new book The Secret Teachers of the Western World. We cover quite a lot of ground, exploring among other things the idea of secrets, and not only those known by teachers.
Secret Teachers at the New York Journal of Books
Here’s a review of The Secret Teachers of the Western World at the New York Journal of Books. I am glad the reviewer pointed this out: “This narrative of the history of these ideas could be stultifying or confusing for non-specialists and the curious. Luckily Mr. Lachman creates a history of ideas that fascinates and excites.” That’s what a good history of ideas should do.
Legalise Consciousness: A Secret Interview at Legalise Freedom
Here’s a link to an interview I did recently with Greg Moffitt at his Legalise Freedom website. I’ve done interviews with Greg before; they’re always a pleasure because he always reads the books and asks intelligent questions. This time its about The Secret Teachers of the Western World, the rivalry between our two modes of consciousness and their possible collaboration.
Speaking Hermetically at Rune Soup
Here’s a link to a recent interview I did with Gordon White at his excellent website RuneSoup. Gordon did his homework and our talk covered a great deal of ground. We focused on my new book The Secret Teachers of the Western World but our conversation ranged far and wide with much in between. Check it out when you can and be sure to listen to some of Gordon’s other chats.
An Interview for the Jean Gebser Society
Here’s a link to a recent interview I did with Aaron Cheak for the Jean Gebser Society. Gebser is one of the most important philosophers of the last century, and as you most likely know, I write about him in several of my books: A Secret History of Consciousness, The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus, Revolutionaries of the Soul and my most recent book, The Secret Teachers of the Western World. The theme of the interview is the link between western philosophy and esotericism, but as you’ll see we cover a lot of ground, from my first introduction to these ideas to my latest approach to them. Aaron Cheak has done some very interesting work on Gebser, digging into his biography and associations with people like the poet Frederico Garcia Lorca, and he is currently translating more of Gebser’s work into English. I will certainly be happy to see this, as Gebser is so far under-translated and we can use as much of him as we can get.
A Review of The Secret Teachers of the Western World from Golgonooza
Here is a thoughtful review of The Secret Teachers of the Western World by Nicholas Collof, from his excellent website, Golgonooza, named after William Blake’s mythical city of art and the imagination. Like Blake, Nicholas “shall not cease from mental fight” and his followers are the better for it.
A Quick to Listen Interview about the Secret Teachers
Here’s a link to a recent interview with Grant Valdes at the Quick to Listen website. We talk about my new book, The Secret Teachers of the Western World, as well as a few other things, such as philosophy, split-brain theory, Jean Gebser, Colin Wilson, esotericism, Blondie, music and the demise of free time, peace, and quiet. Quick, now listen.
Secret Teachers Interview
Here’s a link to an interview I did recently with Chris Flisher at his Turning the Wheel website. We discuss some of the basic ideas of my new book, The Secret Teachers of the Western World, how the history of western consciousness has been informed by an often fierce rivalry between the two sides of the brain and what this has meant for the western esoteric tradition. Chris brings in the cosmic aspect, but I try to keep the conversation focussed on what is going on inside our heads and what this might mean for our future.
And if anyone feels inspired to disagree with the first review of the book on amazon, I won’t stop you. Evidently the reader was expecting something different.
And not to forget: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Gary Lachman 