"why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?"
What is it about England that seems to breed magicians? Is it the immediate connection to history? The memory of world domination? Or perhaps something in the constant drizzle? (Might be onto something there - as a Vancouverite I can safely say that misty, damp days do feel sort of liminal.) God forbid, is there actually some ancient potion in that
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As for Brits and occultism, i'e a strong feeling a lot of it has to do with Victorian empire building and us getting our greasy fingers on so any other cultures. At first it was probably brought back as interesting oddities, look at what those funny foreigners think kind of thing, which sparks interest into the unknown knowledge, interesting artifacts and weird tales. And lets face it, what up and coming rich and bored upper-class socialite wouldn't want to get in to that kind of thing? Not to mention the genuine scholars getting whole new dimensions opened up to them. And when you're already part of the social elite, why not go even further and become part of a hidden and secret society?
From this there would also come a renewed interest in traditional home practices (wicca/druids/hedge witch/green magick), as well as building on collective themes running through the various disciplines being brought into the culture from the east, as well as those gleaned from the ancient world of the Mediterranean (greece, rome, egypt).
All this provides a rich, hereditary history, couple that with a more relaxed religious attitude in the modern age than you might find through much of North America, makes for a ripe ground to grow weird crazyness in!
That or our brains are poisoned through the tannin deposited by the huge amount of tea we consume...
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Yeah, true. England was at the forefront of "we've got loads of leisure time."
So basically, you're saying the fundies are ruining America for occultists?
That too.
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