Between the Worlds: Part I: Hermetic Regeneration

Rooted in Hermeticism, the esoteric tradition mythically founded by the god-sage Hermes Trismegistus, Matthew Vaughn’s Between the Worlds is animated by visions of paradox and mystery, plurality and plenitude, of a universe transfused with life and mind. It draws on surrealist, anarchist, and ecological thought to articulate a non-dual pagan cosmovision that may serve as a gateway to marvelous worlds of freedom, dreams, ecstasy, and love. Traversing the history of the Hermetic tradition, from its Graeco-Egyptian roots to its modern revival, Between the Worlds searches for resonances and interconnections across a range of sources, philosophy to anthropology, art history to weird fiction, academic studies to underground culture. The first of a two-part work, Hermetic Regeneration lays out the foundations of the work, establishing a basic occult language of symbol and image and exploring the philosophy and wider implications of magickal, alchemical, and astrological practice. Seeing the nature of the human being in terms of body, spirit, and soul, it projects an image of humanity founded on the power of the imagination and our interdependence with all beings. It adopts an apocalyptic view of the disenchanted and alienated world of late capitalism, global crisis, and ecological destruction, which it balances with an optimistic exploration of the potential of Hermetic thought and practice to contribute to the work of radical transformation. Between the Worlds divines the traces of radiant possibility within the crisis and collapse of our age, reads the signs and omens that foretell a future of freedom and renewal. It is a magickal working for the liberation of all beings on all planes—for the healing and regeneration of human and non-human worlds alike. Read more