A Species of Fire

Phenomenological Approaches to Occultural Gnosis

Howard, Jeff ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9077-1025 (2026) A Species of Fire. In: "Occulture as Method" (DVRK Symposium), September 10, Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract / Summary

In On the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians, Iamblichus (in the role of the Egyptian magician Anebo) declares that “a species of fire is seen by the recipient, prior to the spirit being received.” These words suggest an early form of occultural phenomenology: an attempt to describe the mystical experiences associated with a particular occult practice. Two millennia later, at Berlin Occulture 2023, Bernd-Christian Otto proposed a multi-step framework for the study of esoteric practices. Whilst the later steps of this process leverage standard social science methodologies and methods, such as autoethnography and predictive coding, the first step hearkens back to Iamblichus’ phenomenological approach, with phenomenology defined as the introspective study of experience.
Drawing upon both ancient and contemporary examples, the talk will explore how occultural phenomenology might illuminate practitioners’ experiences in relationship to the transcendent and the otherworldly. In so doing, the talk will explore early phenomenology in Heidegger, as well as the psychological work of William James in Varieties of Religious Experience. The talk will connect this early work to recent work by practitioner-scholars, such as Ian C. Edwards, whose tetralogy Being and Non-Being in Occult Experience gestures toward a future for phenomenological approaches in occulture. By working at the convergence of past and future, the talk will seek ways in which practitioners can rigorously reflect upon and communicate their experiences without compromising their transcendent aspects.
In pursuing this seemingly paradoxical goal, the talk will draw upon the proto-phenomenological meditations of Zen Buddhism through the Kyoto school, as well as the Western esotericist concept of gnosis: direct mystical experience constituting a form of knowledge. The quest will pose a central question: how can a phenomenological approach address mystical forms of knowledge without lapsing into “unverified personal gnosis”?

Item Type:	Conference Item (Lecture)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	occulture, method, occultism, phenomenology, gnosis, Gnosticism
Subjects:	Computing & Data Science > Game Design Philosophy & Psychology
Department:	Games Academy
Depositing User:	Jeff Howard
Date Deposited:	03 Nov 2026 11:50
Last Modified:	03 Nov 2026 11:50
URI:	https://repository.falmouth.ac.uk/id/eprint/6646

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