The Supernatural

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From the tender years of his youth, Yeats found himself ensnared by the mysteries of the supernatural. Residing with his grandparents in the enchanting locale of Sligo, he once encountered "a supernatural bird in the corner of the room," an apparition that both startled and intrigued him. One night, a vivid dream foretold the wreck of his grandfather's ship, only for reality to mirror his vision the very next day. These uncanny experiences led Yeats to ponder the existence of spirits and the possibility of realms beyond the ordinary, sparking a lifelong fascination with the mystical.

Encounters with the Unseen

The pages of Autobiographies brim with tales of the inexplicable, recounting events of spirit communications, séances, and otherworldly happenings witnessed not only by Yeats himself but also by those around him. Such encounters infused the folklore he passionately gathered, crafting a national narrative for Ireland. After an episode detailed in his essay, “Reveries Over Childhood and Youth,” where mysterious lights flickered across the countryside near his home, Yeats began to advocate for the acceptance of age-old beliefs, urging others to "accept as true whatever had been believed in all countries and periods and only reject any part of it after much evidence, instead of starting over afresh and believing what one could prove."

Immersion in Mystical Societies

In the mid-1880s, Yeats immersed himself in the world of mystical societies, including the illustrious Theosophical Society led by Madame Blavatsky. His inquisitive nature drove him to scrutinize and question their "esoteric teachings," eventually leading to his departure. In 1890, he joined MacGregor Mathers’s Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, where he delved deep into the power of symbols and their influence over the subconscious mind.

Yeats later credited his profound exploration of the supernatural with guiding him toward independence from his family, marking a pivotal transition to adulthood. "It was only when I began to study psychical research and mystical philosophy that I broke away from my father's influence," he reflected, underscoring the transformative power of his spiritual studies.

Nature

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In his autobiography, Yeats paints a vivid picture of himself as deeply intertwined with the natural world and the land surrounding him. He conveys an intense yearning for the tactile experience of nature, reminiscing about a period in his youth when he had "a literary passion for the open air." This longing drove him to such lengths as removing the glass from his window, inviting the rain to gently kiss his face as he slumbered. During his school years in London, Yeats ached for his beloved Ireland, yearning for "a sod of earth from some field I knew, something of Sligo to hold in my hand."

Despite being "delicate and lacking muscles," Yeats found immense joy in the outdoors. When his family relocated from London to Dublin, he frequently sought refuge in the Irish countryside, spending nights under the stars in caves or nestled in the woodland that embraced a nearby castle. His holidays were spent in Sligo, where his uncle George Pollexfen encouraged his explorations. Uncle George even adapted mealtimes to accommodate Yeats's unpredictable escapades. This "literary passion for the open air" was further ignited when his father introduced him to Thoreau's Walden. Inspired, Yeats aspired to mirror Thoreau's quest for wisdom through a solitary existence amidst nature's embrace.

Irish Nationalism and Literature

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Throughout his life, Yeats was consumed by the stirring theme of Irish nationalism, a passion that seemed at odds with his Anglo-Irish heritage—a lineage that often favored English allegiance in the 1800s. From his earliest days, the enchanting tales of Irish farmers, village life, and quirky relatives captured his imagination. Some...

(This entire section contains 446 words.)

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of his fondest childhood memories revolved around visits to his country kin, particularly his aunt Micky. Her land, "a shut-in mysterious place," was a realm where young Yeats could play and sense the imminence of something magical. In this rustic haven, he conversed with villagers and his aunt, delving into the lore of his family and the storied exploits of his forebears. Despite claiming in his autobiography that he "cared nothing as a child for Micky’s tales," this assertion seems contradicted by the vivid accounts he penned about his relatives. As he matured, Yeats found immense joy in the kinship with those who wielded influence in Ireland and with anyone, anywhere, known for their good service and modest bargaining.

Even in his youth, Yeats felt the pulse of his Irish identity sharply, despite residing in London. He recalls his schoolboy days in England, where anti-Irish sentiment was rampant, yet he felt "full of pride," for he believed there was romance in living in a land fraught with danger. This longing intensified his yearning for his homeland, strengthening his embrace of his Irish roots. He and his sister, swept by a tide of homesickness, nearly wept for a piece of Sligo soil. "It was some old race instinct, like that of a savage," he reflects.

As Yeats matured, his poetry and plays drew inspiration from diverse influences, notably John O’Leary, then president of the Young Ireland Society, of which Yeats was a part. O’Leary had once championed the Fenian cause, advocating Ireland's freedom from English dominion through force. The lively debates and discussions at Society meetings, along with the literature O’Leary shared, spurred Yeats to embrace the conviction that fostering Irish literature was integral to the nation's quest for independence. Yeats envisioned "a national literature that made Ireland beautiful in the memory and yet had been freed from provincialism by an exacting criticism” as a bridge uniting Ireland’s Catholic and Protestant communities. He pondered whether "all races had their first unity from a mythology that marries them to rock and hill."

Yeats embarked on a quest to weave Irish Gaelic language and history into his poetic tapestry. His time with Lady Gregory at Coole Park was spent traversing the Irish countryside, gathering tales from peasants and farmers—stories rich with fairies, midnight creatures, and mysterious lights flickering by the roadsides.

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