Embracing the Dark by Kennet Granholm

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Embracing the Dark by Kennet Granholm. 

The Magic Order Of Dragon Rouge: Its Practice In Dark Magic And Meaning Making

Rare paperback. 347 Pages. Used condition, scuff marks on the cover.

Introduction

Dragon Rouge is a dark magical order, Dragon Rouge is a Left Hand Path order, Dragon Rouge is an alternative spiritual movement. What does all this mean? Not a lot to those unfamiliar with the field of esotericism, except that negative associations are likely to arise. Alternative spirituality then? Or the Left Hand Path? Again, these terms may not signify anything much to the reader not specifically fluent in the language of alternative religion. I use the term alternative spirituality for modes of religious thought and activity that differ pronouncedly from the forms of traditional religion. In fact, the differences may be so significant that using the word religion to describe the phenomenon might be ill suited. The Left Hand Path is one strand of alternative spirituality and dark magic is a form of Left Hand Path spirituality.

The present study focuses on Dragon Rouge and explores the forms and functions of the order. Dragon Rouge was a topic of discussion in the Swedish tabloid press in the mid 1990s, despite its relatively small number of members in comparison to the Swedish national church, and even to more formalized new religious movements. This fact alone motivates a study of the order. This is not, however, the only motivating factor for my research. Recent societal transformations have greatly affected the modes of religious life, and organizations such as Dragon Rouge are an expression of this development. Late modernity has led to a shift of focus away from authoritative institutions and directed it towards the individual. The postmodern spiritual seeker finds authority in him- /herself, and finds his/her own spiritual path to follow. The path of one individual is less and less likely to follow in the steps of another. Furthermore, the path is far more winding than the paths of the modern individual. Dragon Rouge provides material for a case study of alternative spirituality at the dawn of the 21st century.

Aim and Purpose of the Study

The main aim of the present study is to gain an insight into contemporary Western neopagan-magic spiritualities in general, and into Dragon Rouge in particular. The fundamental questions have been ‘What is Dragon Rouge?’ ‘How does Dragon Rouge operate and function?’ and ‘What is specific to Dragon Rouge, and in what way does this order fit into the Western alternative spiritual milieu?’. Dragon Rouge is a rather new alternative spiritual organization and very little study has been carried out on the group (see section 1.3.1). This is why a thorough introduction to the order is called for. In addition to this, very little research has been done on magical movements similar to Dragon Rouge. In the area of Western esotericism many forms of magico-occult spiritualities have been researched, but even so, very few studies on movements adhering to the Western Left Hand Path are to be found. Therefore I consider it a meaningful task to give Dragon Rouge a comprehensive presentation. A strictly descriptive account is not enough, however, since Dragon Rouge as a movement operates with concepts which might be unfamiliar to non-magicians, including academics not well acquainted with the field of Western esotericism. My investigation aims at providing a deeper analysis as well.