Spiritus Mundi: Writings Borne From the Occult

”The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out / When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi / Troubles my sight … “

—WB Yeats, “The Second Coming”

Announcing Spiritus Mundi: Writings Borne From the Occult. This strange book is a compendium of writings generated via occult means; whether the ideas were airborne, unconscious, or carried over from some other layer of reality is yours to decide. I started Spiritus Mundi as an online literary magazine, a vertical of Cunning Folk. Every so often I’d give writers unusual occult prompts, where they’d need to go away and scry into water, consult tarot cards, or search for synchronicities. I suppose I do something similarly oracular with my own work, and many writers throughout the history of writing have. The resulting works, from emerging and established writers, felt to me authentic and non-contrived. Allegories slipped out naturally, without force, because they existed in this murky realm of the unconscious, or whatever moniker we wish to use for it.

I edited this book and wrote introductory essays to each chapter, giving a brief overview of the different techniques employed by writers, because without context many of the stories within might seem like any other story. But given the time constrictions and theme, these introductory essays were in a way also channelled, I didn’t plan what I was going to write. More could certainly be said but strange conclusions were sometimes drawn. I don’t feel particularly responsible for it, even if it draws from things I have read, but here it is. The title comes from WB Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming". The poet conceived of the Spiritus Mundi as the source of poetic inspiration. The book is beautifully illustrated by Cunning Folk art director Kaitlynn Copithorne and features original occult-derived writings from the following authors:

Jen Campbell

CAConrad

Leon Craig

Ella Duffy

Yasmina Floyer

Emma Glass

Nikita Gill

Pam Grossman

Camilla Grudova

Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

Naomi Ishiguro

Callum James

Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ

Leone Ross

Alice Slater

Rebecca Tamás

Sharlene Teo

Stephanie Victoire

The book is out on August 22nd in the UK and the US, and is available to pre-order direct from the publisher, Liminal 11, and all good bookshops.