Shamanic psyche of Malcom Lowry: an intercontinental odyssey

This article provides a multi-disciplinary framework for an ongoing inter-disciplinary research project analyzing the influence of social, linguistic, ethnographic, and shamanic forces on human psychology in Malcolm Lowry’s works, as evidenced by his ‘landscape of memory’ publications, such as Under the Volcano and Dark as the Grave Wherein My Friend is Laid. It investigates his perception of psychogeographic impact on the Aztec mind in the context of the Day of the Dead festival in Mexico and his fascination with different cultures and civilizations. It also scrutinizes his application of psychoanalysis and the Cabbala in his quest for spiritual and celestial harmony, considering ways in which the humanities, psychology, and anthropology may be bridged. An in-depth analysis of the cosmic significance of the symbol of Eridanus – as exemplified in The Forest Path to the Spring - is deemed crucial for a real appreciation of Lowry’s attempts at reconciliation of the achievements of the Enlightenment and those of European Romanticism and Modernism.