Lou Reed & Theosophy

Oliver Hall recently wrote an illuminating article for Dangerous Minds entitled "The Occult Book that Inspired the Velvet Underground's 'White Light/White Heat'."  Hall's 2-12-15 article details the surprising extent to which Theosophy may have inspired some of Lou Reed's earliest work.  Here's a brief excerpt from the article:

As it turns out, not only was Reed genuinely interested in [Alice] Bailey’s [Theosophical] work, but the Velvets’ “White Light/White Heat” was inspired by Bailey’s A Treatise on White Magic. That “white light goin’ messin’ up my mind” wasn’t just the rush of speed; Lou was singing about some heavy astral shit! Rock historian Richie Unterberger developed the Reed/Bailey connection while researching his White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day-by-Day.

To read Hall's entire post, simply click HERE.

On a related note:  On the day of his death, I wrote about my one and only encounter with Lou Reed in a Cryptoscatology post entitled "Lou Reed R.I.P."  You can read my previous Lou Reed post by clicking HERE.

The cover of Alice Bailey’s 1934 book.