In this episode I am once again joined by Duncan Barford, occult practitioner, counsellor, and author of “Occult Experiments in the Home”.
Duncan on his training as a counsellor and the difficulties in sharing his occult interests in that context; his deep appreciation of Freud and Jung; and the links between psychoanalysis and mythic figures such as such as Uranus, Oedipus, and Narcissus.
Duncan considers whether Buddhism is merely a useful fiction, offers advice for those interested in learning how use mythology to gain insight into life, and explains why the emphasis of his spiritual practice has shifted from awakening to psychological wellbeing.
Duncan also talks about his new magical novel, “The Going Down”, describes its plot and messages, and reveals why he believes the practice of Pragmatic Dharma can accrue a profoundly dark karmic debt.
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Video version: www.guruviking.com
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
00:59 - Duncan’s therapist hated the occult
02:58 - Misconceptions about Jungian therapy
04:19 - Psychopomp as therapist
04:25 - Freud, Jung, Skinner, Piaget, Rogers, and Carlyle
08:48 - Duncan was a fervent Freudian
09:35 - Freud vs trauma therapy
13:13 - What Freud did
15:58 - Buddhism’s useful fiction
19:47 - Where Freud went wrong
21:50 - The castration complex
26:37 - Castration myths
27:58 - Freud and Duncan’s childhood
30:40 - Universal or culturally specific?
32:15 - Oedipus, myth, and psychoanalysis
37:29 - Duncan’s novel
38:36 - Writing “The Going Down”
41:11 - Plot summary
43:07 - A life-changing ancestor working
44:22 - Duncan’s hope for the book
45:53 - Fiction and the occult
48:40 - Alan Chapman’s dismay at the novel
49:22 - The dark, karmic debt of Pragmatic Dharma
54:38 - Meeting a Dark Goddess
56:15 - The myth of Persephone
59:49 - A change in Duncan’s meditation practice
01:00:43 - This is the Underworld
01:02:34 - Bailey’s and Steve’s problems
01:03:55 - The Franklin’s Tale
01:05:30 - How occultists interpret their life situations
01:09:12 - Is everyone psychotic?
01:10:45 - Using depression and panic as portals
01:12:16 - Duncan believes in everything
01:14:00 - Internal vs external integration
01:19:30 - Why you need mythic literacy
01:20:57 - How to learn more about myths
01:22:55 - Should you read myths?
01:25:07 - The myth of Narcissus
01:28:25 - Scholar vs poet
01:32:22 - Finishing a novel
01:34:06 - Narrative fashions in fiction
01:36:01 - Haunting quality
01:37:43 - A companion in the Underworld
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Watch previous episodes with Duncan Barford:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=barford
Read “The Going Down”:
- https://godsandradicals.squarespace.com/bookstore/p/the-going-down-by-duncan-barford
To find our more about Duncan Barford, visit:
- https://www.duncanbarford.uk/
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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- https://www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James
Ireland