The Entangled Imagination: W.B. Yeats’ “Moods” and the Psychologization of Magic
Entangled Religions April 14, 2023 D. Johannsen
William Butler Yeats, a poet and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, developed a concept of 'immortal moods' to reconcile supernatural and naturalistic views of magic. He argued that symbols in rituals or poems could evoke these moods, which would descend into people's minds and cause great changes in the world. Through theoretical writings, poetry, and ritual practice, Yeats explored how his own imagination intertwined with past imaginations. By 1901, he condensed these ideas into doctrines of a 'great mind and great memory,' showing how his fusion of literary and folkloristic theorizing connected magical and poetic practice to emerging psychological discourse.