Atlantis and the Cycles of Time by Joscelyn Godwin
Posted on June 24, 2026
I have read Atlantis and the Cycles of Time – Prophecies, Traditions, and Occult Revelations by the eminent Joscelyn Godwin. In the book, the author presents various theories from “schizos” (i.e. authors who blend myth with their own fanciful yet evocative interpretations) as well as more reputable scholars regarding Atlantis and similar esoteric matters. The theories stem from the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th century.
The book contains the following chapters:
- Atlantis and the Rationalists
- The French Esoteric Tradition
- H. P. Blavatsky and the Early Theosophists
- Later Theosophists
- Germanic Atlantology
- Two Traditionalists
- The Britons
- Some Independents
- Channeling in the New World
- Channeling in the New Age
- The Four Ages
- The Precession of the Equinoxes
The Oera Linda Book
In the chapter titled Germanic Atlantology, the author discusses the Oera Linda book – which some claim is a forgery and some claim is a legitimate source. I have yet to read it myself, so I will not pronounce judgement on it. Real or not, I found these passages (which appear in this book as well) from William Sandbach’s 1876 translation epic:
‘Before the bad time came our country was the most beautiful in the world. The sun rose higher, and there was seldom frost… The years were not counted, for one was as happy as another.
On one side we were bounded by Wralda’s Sea on which no one but us might or could sail; on the other side we were hedged in by the broad Twiskland, through which the Finda people dared not come on account of the thick forests and the wild beasts.
Eastward our boundary went to the extremity of the East Sea, and westward to the Mediterranean.’
First, good times, then came the bad times:
‘During the whole summer the sun had been hid behind the clouds, as if unwilling to look upon the earth. There was perpetual calm, and the damp mist hung like a wet sail over the houses and the marshes. The air was heavy and oppressive, and in men’s hearts was neither joy nor cheerfulness. In the midst of this stillness the earth began to tremble as if she was dying. The mountains opened to vomit forth fire and flames. Some sank into the bosom of the earth, and in other places mountains rose out of the plain. Aldland, called by the seafaring people, Atland, disappeared and the wild waves rose so high over hill and dale that everything was buried in the sea. Many people were swallowed up by the earth, and others who had escaped the fire perished in the water.’
Again, real or not, it speaks of a golden age before a great catastrophe – a theme that is found in many mythologies. Perhaps they speak of the Younger Dryas Period – as proposed by Graham Hancock (i.e. his theory of an advanced civilisation that was lost following a time of great cataclysm). Whichever might be the case, it is always interesting to analyse myth. And when doing so, it is good to focus on the overall narrative, and not on the details.
The Lord of Shambhala
In the chapter titled Two Traditionalists, the author discusses the insights of René Guénon and our esteemed Julius Evola. Related to the teachings of Guénon, the author discusses various Theosophist views on esoteric matters. According to the Theosophist Alice Bailey, the Lord of the World resides in Shambhala – which, as the author notes, sounds similar to Guénon’s King of the World, who rules an initiatic center hidden somewhere in the Himalayan region. Guénon’s King of the World does not rule over Shambhala but over the underground kingdom Agartha. Although two different places, Shambhala and Agartha are connected and sometimes the names are used interchangeably – such is often the case with mythical locations.
What does any of this mean? Perhaps not much at all. Perhaps it is only the speculations of early 20th century occultists who searched for higher spiritual truths. Whichever the case might be, it sparks the imagination at least!
In the same chapter, the author discusses Evola’s Pagan Imperialism (that we have discussed elsewhere), which is a lot more tangible than many of the more esoteric books of the time (example below).
The Degeneration of the Atlanteans
A rather amusing theory regarding the downfall of the Atlantean civilisation appears in the book:
‘The main fault of the Atlanteans was that they were too philosophical and unworldly. When immigrants came from less evolved lands they became interested in the Atlanteans’ psychic powers and learned occult secrets. They conjured evil spirits from the lower astral and did terrible things. Black magic spread, and the people became debauched.’
Joscelyn Godwin – Atlantis and the Cycles of Time. Page 195.
The Kali Yuga and the Doors of Valhalla
In the chapter titled The Four Ages, the author notes that the number of warriors that will issue forth during Ragnarök is the same as the number of years in the Kali Yuga – 432 000 years to be precise.
‘There Valgrind stands, the sacred gate,
The Poetic Edda
And behind are the holy doors;
Old is the gate, but few there are
Who can tell how it tightly locked.
Five hundred doors and forty there are,
I ween, in Valhall’s walls;
Eight hundred fighters through one door fare
When to was with the wolf they go.’
Quite an interesting coincidence. If it is indeed a coincidence.
Conclusion
The book is 357 pages long and the subject is quite niche, so it is perhaps not a book I would recommend more generally. But for those who are interested in schizo-theories and the esoteric tradition in the West over the last 150 years, I can recommend it. I enjoyed reading it.
Epic Glorfindel Description
Posted on March 9, 2026
“Glorfindel was tall and straight; his hair was of shining gold, his face fair and young and fearless and full of joy; his eyes were bright and keen, and his voice like music; on his brow sat wisdom, and in his hand was strength.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
The Metaverse of Consciousness by Shelli Renée Joye
Posted on January 12, 2026
I have had the pleasure of reading The Metaverse of Consciousness – Mapping the Multiple Dimensions of Reality by Shelli Renée Joye. As the title suggests, the author discusses the vast and intriguing topic of consciousness and the fabric of reality itself. The book combines science and religion in a compelling way – it is written with the former in mind, but does not shy away from the more esoteric nature of reality. A scientist always runs the risk of losing credibility by exploring these topics; thus, it is greatly appreciated when someone is willing to do so!
The Metaverse
First and foremost, one might wonder – what is the Metaverse? The author describes it thus:
‘The term metaverse (meta as in transcending the universe) is a more accurate and useful term than universe, which is conventionally taken to be everything in the four dimensions of space and time. The term metaverse, however, includes the entire reality of conscious dimensions at every level, beyond and within space and time.’
Shelli Renée Joye – The Metaverse of Consciousness. Page 37.
Carl Jung – Angels and Demons
The author shares plenty of insights from the great Carl Jung. She notes that Jung sees the individual human psyche as being influenced by a cosmos filled with psychoids of various kinds who reside in multiple dimensions beyond space and time. Psychoids can be summarised as follows: Basic elemental centers of consciousness, unrepresentable entities, building blocks of the greater psyche. The following passage is particularly interesting:
‘However, there are also dangerous psychoids that can influence the human psyche in dark and destructive ways. In a sense, the traditional religious view that there are “angels and demons” is perhaps quite fitting as an acknowledgement of an experienced reality.’
Shelli Renée Joye – The Metaverse of Consciousness. Page 35.
In my humble opinion, there are indeed angels and demons. Speaking of which, I recently listened to an interesting interview regarding something similar: Narrativerry Radio Episode 6 Demitasse Jerry Marzinsky Demons, Evil Spirits, And Mental Illness. I will return to this topic later on.
Blood Memories and Morphic Resonance
Under the title of Archetypal Forms and the Metaverse, the author discusses the archetypes as envisioned by Jung as well as the idea of morphic resonance by molecular biologist Rupert Sheldrake. For those seeking to gain a deeper understanding of blood memories, Sheldrake’s theory of morphic resonance is of great interest.
‘Sheldrake’s theory of morphic resonance supports the idea that there exists a collective memory not stored in material traces within the brain, but exists separately elsewhere as an energy force field, acting as an information template to guide the development and behaviour of an organism as it grows and evolves. The template (archetype) itself is affected by developments in the organism as it evolves in space and time and through resonance transfers new information back into the archetypal source template.’
Shelli Renée Joye – The Metaverse of Consciousness. Page 34.
Pictured below: A Knowledgeable Mystic absorbing ancestral blood memories from a Rune Stone.
Resonance – Why We Like Certain People
Under the title of Networks of Consciousness, the author shares something that made me think of an interesting aspect of human interaction; namely that you indeed resonate or ‘vibe’ better with some humans than with others. Note, this is not what she is writing about in this chapter, it is just what I immediately thought of. She notes the following:
‘Resonance occurs when two systems vibrate at the same frequency; when they are thus “tuned into” one another, they then merge frequency vibrations into becoming a single resonant system, sharing information dynamically. Human sensory systems also operate though resonance.’
Shelli Renée Joye – The Metaverse of Consciousness. Page 42.
She goes onto rhetorically ask if it is not also likely that frequency resonance is involved in consciousness and communication with hidden dimensions of the metaverse. Here she is treading a fine path between science and mysticism – great stuff! On a similar note, the Austrian mystic Rudolf Steiner elaborates on the communication with higher worlds in his books. This is a topic I have touched upon and which we will return to at a later stage.
Emanuel Swedenborg
Speaking of communicating with conscious entities that are beyond normal human perception, the author refers to the legendary Swedish scientist, philosopher, and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg. Swedenborg claimed to be able to communicate with angels and spirits (to use two widely accepted terms). Perhaps he did, perhaps he did not; I am inclined to believe him (Swedish gentlemen are truthful, after all!).
‘In his 1718 dissertation, “On the Mechanism of the Operation of the Soul and the Body”, Swedenborg developed a theory of vibrations or subtle movements – what he referred to as “tremulations” – as a way of understanding how thoughts, sensations, and psychic influences could affect the physical body.’
Shelli Renée Joye – The Metaverse of Consciousness. Page 276.
Incredibly interesting stuff! Pictured below: A Romantic Dreamer praying at the tomb of Emanuel Swedenborg in Uppsala.
The Neoplatonic Anima Mundi
Enjoyers of my content will be familiar with the Neoplatonic One. Per the profound teachings of the Hellenistic Neoplatonist philosopher Plotinus (AD 205–270) , the One (the original Being), emanates the nous – the archetype of all manifestations in the visible world of time and space. The author discusses this and similar matters in the chapter titled Hyperphysics: Speculative Physics beyond Material Science. In this chapter, she also elaborates on the insights of the French Catholic priest, scientist, and mystic Teilhard de Chardin.
‘This Neoplatonist nous is accessible to the human mind under certain conditions, and it is what the Neoplatonists termed the anima mundi, or “world soul,” which bridges the nous with the material world of time and space. The noosphere for Teilhard, as expressed in his numerous essays, corresponds more with the Neoplatonist anima mundi. Teilhard’s concept of the noosphere is indeed part of the phenomenal world while maintaining links to the transcendental; but it is specifically associated with the planets in general, and the Earth in particular, with human consciousness evolving within a planetary sphere.’
Shelli Renée Joye – The Metaverse of Consciousness. Page 153.
She continues by noting that Teilhard entertained the possibility of multiple, numerous noospheres that are associated with distant planets which might communicate with other noospheres. This is a huge topic, but what I want to direct the attention of my dear readers to is the connection between the planets and human consciousness. This is something to keep in mind when contemplating astrology and the Planetary Gods. As with so many other topics, we will return to this later on.
Pictured below: An Agent of European Civilisation receives the blessings of the Planetary Graeco-Roman Gods at San Ildefonso, Spain.
Conclusion
The Metaverse of Consciousness is a truly great book. The most interesting and thought-provoking one I have read in a good while (and I always read interesting books). I can highly recommend it for any aspiring mystic!
Samurai of the West by Dominique Venner
Posted on November 11, 2025
I have had the pleasure of reading Samurai of the West by the eminent Dominique Venner. I first encountered the teachings of Venner around ten years ago upon reading The Shock of History. Then, like now, his writings resonated deeply with me. Just as The Shock of History, Samurai of the West contains many beautiful passages and valuable insights. This review could have been much longer as there is much from the book I would like to share!
Dürer’s Knight
Cultured gentlemen will recognise the artwork adorning the cover of the book. Namely, Albrecht Dürer’s masterpiece Knight, Death and the Devil (Ritter, Tod und Teufel) from 1513. The author notes that he feels in harmony with this great rebel – a role model par excellence. The author describes our Knight in the following manner:
‘In those times, it was not good to ironize about Death and the Devil, the terror of good people and others, maintained byt those who profited from it. But he, Dürer’s solitary Knight, with an ironic smile on his lips, rides on, indifferent and calm. To the Devil, he does not even cast a glance. Yet this scarecrow is reputed to be formidable. The terror of the era, as so many dances of death and purchases of indulgences remind us, the Devil lies waiting in ambush to seize the deceased and throw them into the eternal braziers of Hell. The Knight mocks this and disdains this specter.’
Dominique Venner. Samurai of the West. Pages 4-5.
The beautiful passage goes on to describe the Knight’s fearless attitude towards Death. Inspiring stuff! On a personal note, I have always appreciated Dürer’s artwork. Our fine Legio Gloria t-shirt celebrating the Knight is currently out of stock – I will view this as a sign to bring it back!
Politics First – Mystique First
In an interesting and relevant passage that is worth contemplating, the author notes the following:
‘I will say for my part: “Mystique first.” Political action is inconceivable without the prerequisite of a mystique capable of directing it and responding to the “we are nothing.”
Dominique Venner. Samurai of the West. Page 11.
What mystique? That of the clan, of course, of sources and origins, in other words, of our traditions and our identity.’
Gentlemen involved in the metapolitical struggle for European civilisation will be intimately familiar with discussions regarding political involvement. My take is that both are needed, both an awakening of the European Soul as well as concrete political action. As I have noted many times, our political enemies (i.e. those who are against European civilisation) constantly attack our history. They do this because they know it is an effective way of weakening us. Thus, we have to become strong by understanding our history.
A Lover of Europa
On a personal note, I feel a kinship with Dominique Venner. I understand his love for European civilisation, because I share it. This is a love that becomes clear when enjoying his insights. A good test which can determine whether someone is a true lover of Europa is his or her perspective on the origins of European civilisation. The correct answer is that Athens, not Jerusalem, is the ancient city that has played the most important role for our civilisation. Under the title of Athens of Jerusalem, the author shares the following interesting insight.
‘This is not a conflict between reason and faith, but a conflict between two different faiths, one in the rules of the ordered cosmos (the tradition of Athens), the other in the sole will of God (the tradition of Jerusalem).
Dominique Venner. Samurai of the West. Page 53.
For the family of thought to which Homer, Heraclitus, Plato, and Aristotle belong, the laws that govern the world are eternal (day returns after night, etc.) For that of Moses, Tertullian, and later Mohammed, they come from an eternal God who created the world arbitrarily, by pure will.’
He elaborates more on this dichotomy throughout the book.
The Celtic Spirit of the Middle Ages
As has become increasingly clear for many of us in recent years, the Middle Ages were not Christian; the dominant religion was rather a syncretic one which blended elements of Paganism with Christianity. The author notes the following Celtic spirituality during the Middle Ages:
‘In the Middle Ages, the animal is still frequently represented in religious statuary, where in principle it should have had no business. Romanesque art and then Gothic art still accorded it a non-negligible place. It is often transposed into a fabulous creature by Celtic imagination. Celtic legends indeed show that the faculty of communicating with sacred animality had not been lost. Overflowing with Celtic spirituality, the literature of the Middle Ages embroiders from the 12th century on the theme of the forest, a perilous universe, but also a source of purification for the soul of the knight, whether he be named Lancelot, Perceval, Tristan, or Yvain. By capturing a stag or a boar, the noble hunter appropriates its force and spirit.’
Dominique Venner. Samurai of the West. Page 46.
Later in the book, he shares the following related insight:
‘It has been said that the Renaissance had placed at the heart of Christendom a pagan civilisation that was its negation. In reality, this civilization, born in Greece on the Hellenic branch of the Western Indo-Europeans, then surviving in Rome, was never really uprooted. In the West, the Church poured itself into the imperial mold from which it drew its strength, the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle offering it its rational justifications. Its moral teaching was partly modeled on that of the Stoics. And to incorporate the immense people of the countryside, it tok over the ancient ritual festivals, the cult of sacred springs, and that of familiar divinities to which it gave the names of saints.’
Dominique Venner. Samurai of the West. Page 74.
Mediaeval Homeric Heroes
Reinforcing the point of a Pagano-Christian Middle Ages is the following example of a young knight named Jacques de Lalaing, who was killed during the Battle of Poucques in 1453. The epitaph written for him said:
‘He was the flower of knights; he was beautiful like Paris the Trojan; he was pious like Aeneas; he was wise like Odysseus the Greek. When he found himself in battle against his enemies, he had the wrath of Hector the Trojan.’
Dominique Venner. Samurai of the West. Page 137.
The standard of heroism was Homeric – not Biblical.
Boreans
The author says the following about the Iliad and the Odyssey:
‘These sacred poems are the Greek expression of a heritage common to all our European or Borean ancestors, whether Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, or Latin.’
Dominique Venner. Samurai of the West. Page 113.
The quote goes on:
‘I have just used the neologism Borean, which requires an explanation. I use it to avoid equivocations about the word “European,” sometimes put to dubious uses. “Boreans” designates Europeans of ancient stock. This term has a broader meaning than “Indo-Europeans,” which is used mainly in linguistics. It proceeds from the Greek myth of origins reported by Herodotus, Plutarch, and Diodorus of Sicily. For the Greeks, the mythical people of the Hyperboreans (those who live beyond the breath of Boreas, the North Wind) lived a blessed existence in the North.’
Dominique Venner. Samurai of the West. Pages 113-114.
The author goes on to note that the Boreans worshipped Apollo, and that they came with offerings each year at Apollo’s sanctuary in Delos. I must make a pilgrimage there; hopefully an opportunity will present itself in the years to come.
The Germanic Heirs of Rome
As I note myself in Demigod Mentality, the Germanic peoples did not destroy the Roman Empire; rather, they saved its essence and transformed it. Venner states it in the following way:
‘According to the statements of school history, Antiquity was undoubtably dead when Odoacer deposed the last emperor of the West in 476. But at the same instant was born medieval Europe, which implicitly took up the heritage of the Greco-Roman world.’
Dominique Venner. Samurai of the West. Page 83.
Conclusion
The overarching theme of the book is that European civilisation has a long and uninterrupted history – a great story that must go on!
Samurai of the West was an absolute joy to read, and I can recommend it to everyone. It is 200 pages long. I will reread it and discuss it at length in a future podcast episode. Onwards!
The Golden One 
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