* Examines the significant figures and groups of Finland's occult world, including their esoteric practices and the secret societies to which they were connected * Investigates the relationship of nationalism and esotericism in Finland as well as the history of Finnish parapsychology and the Finnish UFO craze * Looks at the unique evolution of Freemasonry in Finland, showing how, when Finland was still part of Russia and the Masonic order was banned, adherents created a number of other secret societies Finland has long been viewed as the land of sorcerers and shamans. Exploring the rich history of Finnish occultism, Perttu Hakkinen and Vesa Iitti examine the significant figures and groups of Finland's occult world from the late 19th century to the present day. They begin with Pekka Ervast, known as the Rudolf Steiner of the North, who was a major figure in Theosophy before starting a Rosicrucian group called Ruusu-Risti, and they look at the Finnish disciples of G. I. Gurdjieff and the grim case of the cult of Tattarisuo. Investigating the relationship of nationalism and esotericism in Finland, the authors tell the stories of Sigurd Wettenhovi-Aspa, who thought that Finns were the root of all Western civilization, and of Yrjoe von Groenhagen, who became a close friend of Heinrich Himmler and Karl Maria Wiligut. They also explore the history of Finnish parapsychology, the Finnish UFO craze, and the unique evolution of Freemasonry in Finland, showing how, when the Masonic order was banned, adherents created a number of other secret societies, such as the Carpenter's Order, the Hypotenuse Order, and the Brotherhood of February 17--which later became hubs for the OTO and AMORC. Unveiling both the light and dark sides of modern esotericism in Finland, the authors show how, because of its unique position as partially European and partially Russian, Finland's occult influence extends into the very heart of left-hand and right-hand occult groups and secret societies around the world.

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486 1535) was a controversial Renaissance theologian and writer who published work on the occult and magic, and his writings influenced later leading literary figures such as Goethe. Agrippa, although born near Cologne, spent his life travelling around Europe, to Italy, Spain, France, England, Switzerland and the Netherlands. He wrote his De occulta philosophia in 1511 (though it was not published until twenty years later) and its three volumes are the best-known works on Renaissance magic, though Agrippa tried to distance himself from the occult side and instead stress more metaphysical aspects. In Henri Corn lis Agrippa, published in 1911, writer Joseph Orsier examines Agrippa's life. The first part of the work discusses Agrippa's travels, writings, thoughts and controversies. The second part is a translation collection of seventy of his letters, dating from 1509 to 1532, to and from a range of correspondents, including Erasmus.

'Spiritual knowledge is not given to us as in ancient times. By spiritual means it must be struggled and striven for against a host of demons...We must therefore get to know the powers that would cover up and obscure all spiritual knowledge.' - from the Preface 'The world seems to be standing within a demonic storm that threatens to overwhelm it', states T.H. Meyer at the outset of this rousing call for a wide-ranging, spiritual-scientific knowledge of the world. Appeals to traditional religious belief will no longer pacify this storm, and neither will 'good will' suffice. Building on Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy, In the Sign of Five tackles the central task of our epoch: the epistemological struggle with evil, and presents the five most important spiritual events since the beginning of the Age of Michael: 1879 - the rise of Michael to the rank of Time Spirit; 1899 - the end of Kali Yuga; 1933 - the appearance of Christ in the Etheric; 1998 - the assault of Sorath, 'one of the greatest ahrimanic demons'; The present - the incarnation of Ahriman. These events are linked to the five main tasks of the Age of Michael, the great challenge of inner knowledge and spiritual consciousness posed by the epoch as a whole. In the light of world history, and within the context of 'the sign of five', we stand today at the fifth place - at the point of the incarnation of Ahriman. Is humanity prepared for this decisive event? Have we recognised the phenomena of evil that surround us on a daily basis? Have the tasks corresponding to the five events been identified, and to what extent have they been carried out? How is evil related to 'the good' that guides the world, and specifically to the Christ impulse? Meyer provides a vital, pithy, aphoristic handbook for our apocalyptic times.

From Shirley MacLaine's spiritual biography "Out on a Limb" to the teenage witches in the film "The Craft, " New Age and Neopagan beliefs have made sensationalistic headlines. In the mid- to late 1990s, several important scholarly studies of the New Age and Neopagan movements were published, attesting to academic as well as popular recognition that these religions are a significant presence on the contemporary North American religious landscape. Self-help books by New Age channelers and psychics are a large and growing market; annual spending on channeling, self-help businesses, and alternative health care is at $10 to $14 billion; an estimated 12 million Americans are involved with New Age activities; and American Neopagans are estimated at around 200,000. "New Age and Neopagan Religions in America" introduces the beliefs and practices behind the public faces of these controversial movements, which have been growing steadily in late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century America.

What is the New Age movement, and how is it different from and similar to Neopaganism in its underlying beliefs and still-evolving practices? Where did these decentralized and eclectic movements come from, and why have they grown and flourished at this point in American religious history? What is the relationship between the New Age and Neopaganism and other religions in America, particularly Christianity, which is often construed as antagonistic to them? Drawing on historical and ethnographic accounts, Sarah Pike explores these questions and offers a sympathetic yet critical treatment of religious practices often marginalized yet soaring in popularity. The book provides a general introduction to the varieties of New Age and Neopagan religions in the United States today as well as an account of their nineteenth-century roots and emergence from the 1960s counterculture. Covering such topics as healing, gender and sexuality, millennialism, and ritual experience, it also furnishes a rich description and analysis of the spiritual worlds and social networks created by participants.

In communities throughout precontact Mesoamerica, calendar priests and diviners relied on pictographic almanacs to predict the fate of newborns, to guide people in choosing marriage partners and auspicious wedding dates, to know when to plant and harvest crops, and to be successful in many of life's activities. As the Spanish colonized Mesoamerica in the sixteenth century, they made a determined effort to destroy these books, in which the Aztec and neighboring peoples recorded their understanding of the invisible world of the sacred calendar and the cosmic forces and supernaturals that adhered to time. Today, only a few of these divinatory codices survive. Visually complex, esoteric, and strikingly beautiful, painted books such as the famous Codex Borgia and Codex Borbonicus still serve as portals into the ancient Mexican calendrical systems and the cycles of time and meaning they encode.

In this comprehensive study, Elizabeth Hill Boone analyzes the entire extant corpus of Mexican divinatory codices and offers a masterful explanation of the genre as a whole. She introduces the sacred, divinatory calendar and the calendar priests and diviners who owned and used the books. Boone then explains the graphic vocabulary of the calendar and its prophetic forces and describes the organizing principles that structure the codices. She shows how they form almanacs that either offer general purpose guidance or focus topically on specific aspects of life, such as birth, marriage, agriculture and rain, travel, and the forces of the planet Venus. Boone also tackles two major areas of controversy-- the great narrative passage in the Codex Borgia, which she freshly interprets as a cosmicnarrative of creation, and the disputed origins of the codices, which, she argues, grew out of a single religious and divinatory system.

Given the upsurge of interest in complementary therapies and treatments, medical researchers are gradually being pressured to reassess and expand existing knowledge about the structure and organization of the human body. But in spite of the advances in modern technology, there are vast areas of human physiological activity, which continue to remain undetectable. Such processes, indicates Rudolf Steiner, are connected to spiritual forces. In these revealing lectures Steiner concentrates on the relationship of such forces to the physical organs. In particular, he discusses the organs, which make up our digestive and respiratory systems; the significance of 'warmth' in the function of the blood and its effects upon the ego; and the evolutionary process implicit in the formation of the spinal column and brain. All are dealt with in a scientific manner that will appeal equally to doctors and therapists, as well as students of Steiner's spiritual philosophy. At the same time they are remarkably accessible to the general reader.

Nobody quite knew what to make of them. Were they simply fun-loving thrillseekers leaping from surfboards and roaring motorcycles to hang gliders, and then on to the most advanced rocket-propelled jetpacks on the planet? Or were they a genuine menace to religious traditionalists who were outraged when the Order began taking over churches, cathedrals and temples for their fiery flying rituals?

Bets swung both ways, but as the self-styled revolutionaries swelled in number and the media culture exulted, zealots turned violent and the press immediately warned of dogfights in the sky, street battles, mind games and soul wars.

Behind the scenes, the Powers That Be were strangely silent. But then word began filtering out that the secret elite were playing the two sides off against each other and there were whispers of a hidden agenda that could shift global power, profits and the future of the world itself.

Monsters werewolves witches and fairies remain a strong presence in our stories and dreams. But as Claude Lecouteux shows their roots go far deeper than their appearance in medieval folklore; they are survivors of a much older belief system that predates Christianity and was widespread over Western Europe. Through his extensive analysis of Germano-Scandinavian legends as well as those from other areas of Europe Lecouteux has uncovered an almost forgotten religious concept - that every individual owns three souls and that one of these souls the Double can - in animal or human form - leave the physical body while in sleep or a trance journey where it chooses then re-enter its physical body. While there were many who experienced this phenomenon involuntarily there were others - those who attracted the unwelcome persecution of the Church - who were able to provoke it at will: witches. In a thorough excavation of the medieval soul Claude Lecouteux reveals the origin and significance of this belief in the Double and follows its transforming features through the ages. He shows that far from being fantasy or vague superstition fairies witches and werewolves all testify to a consistent ancient vision of our world and the world beyond.

Based on media reports, it appears that there has been an exponential gain in religious cults throughout the world. But who are these ersatz religions and what are they up to. This important book illuminates their activities, backgrounds and aims. This work is most informative about cults, particularly about cult intrusions on the religious scene. The infiltrations are revealed in this book through an in-depth look at major areas of religious concern (i.e. fundamentalism, fanaticism). Many procedures seen in conventional religions have been adopted by cults. The search for remedies to the cult problem finds scarce resources available. Individual case histories are presented and offer a measure of hope in breaking free from a cult. Among a number of disturbing issues the disruption engineered between the recruits and their families continues to be of paramount concern.

The astrologer-physician Richard Napier (1559-1634) was not only a man of practical science and medicine but also a master of occult arts and a devout parish rector who purportedly held conversations with angels. This new interpretation of Napier reveals him to be a coherent and methodical man whose burning desire for certain, true knowledge contributed to the contemporary venture of putting existing knowledge to useful ends. Originally trained in theology and ordained as an Anglican priest, Napier later studied astrological medicine and combined astrology, religious thought, and image and ritual magic in his medical work. Ofer Hadass draws on a remarkable archive of Napier’s medical cases and religious writings—including the interviews he claimed to have held with angels—to show how Napier’s seemingly inconsistent approaches were rooted in an inclusive and coherent worldview, combining equal respect for ancient authority and for experientially derived knowledge. Napier’s endeavors exemplify the fruitful relationship between religion and science that offered a well-founded alternative to the rising mechanistic explanation of nature at the time. Carefully researched and compellingly told, Medicine, Religion, and Magic in Early Stuart England is an insightful exploration of one of the most fascinating figures at the intersection of medicine, magic, and theology in early modern England and of the healing methods employed by physicians of the era.

An exploration of the traditional rites of auspicious building and crafting * Explains the ceremonial beginnings and Hermetic principles in the laying out of foundations not only for sacred buildings like temples but also for homes and barns * Examines the principles and ceremonies of electional astrology and details how to compute natural time, as opposed to clock time * Shares examples from ancient Egypt, Iran, India, and Europe that range from the Stone Age to the Renaissance and include secret societies When we make things--whether a building, a sacred space, or a magical object--there is a precise moment when the artifact comes into being as a separate entity. That moment in time possesses its own unique quality, and because of this, there is a right time to do something and a wrong time. And, as Nigel Pennick reveals, we have the power to select favorable moments for our creations, just as our ancestors did. Illustrating ancient principles of divination, chronomancy, and electional astrology, Pennick examines all the factors behind the ancestral art of geomancy: the auspicious creation and alignment of sacred buildings as places of power. Sharing examples from ancient Egypt, Iran, India, and Europe that range from the Stone Age to the modern day, including secret societies like the Rosicrucians and the Freemasons, he explains how many cities were constructed on specially selected sites and founded ritually at precise, predetermined moments. Looking at the traditional rites of creating places of power, Pennick explains the ceremonial beginnings and Hermetic principles in the laying out of foundations as well as the use of sacrifice in the building of many notable structures. Examining the role of sacred geometry in geomancy, Pennick explains the Hermetic meaning assigned to each direction in traditional European cultures as well as the principles of natural measures and the science of understanding lucky and unlucky days. Revealing how geomantic principles are rooted in the structure of the world and the cosmic patterns of space and time, the author shows how they transcend the ages and are just as meaningful today as they were to our ancestors.

During the archaic and classical periods, Greek ideas about the dead evolved in response to changing social and cultural conditionsOComost notably changes associated with the development of the polis, such as funerary legislation, and changes due to increased contacts with cultures of the ancient Near East. In "Restless Dead," Sarah Iles Johnston presents and interprets these changes, using them to build a complex picture of the way in which the society of the dead reflected that of the living, expressing and defusing its tensions, reiterating its values and eventually becoming a source of significant power for those who knew how to control it. She draws on both well-known sources, such as Athenian tragedies, and newer texts, such as the Derveni Papyrus and a recently published "lex sacra" from Selinous.Topics of focus include the origin of the "goes" (the ritual practitioner who made interaction with the dead his specialty), the threat to the living presented by the ghosts of those who died dishonorably or prematurely, the development of Hecate into a mistress of ghosts and its connection to female rites of transition, and the complex nature of the Erinyes. "Restless Dead" culminates with a new reading of Aeschylus' "Oresteia" that emphasizes how Athenian myth and cult manipulated ideas about the dead to serve political and social ends.

The seer ("mantis"), an expert in the art of divination, operated in ancient Greek society through a combination of charismatic inspiration and diverse skills ranging from examining the livers of sacrificed animals to spirit possession. Unlike the palm readers and mediums who exist on the fringe of modern society, many seers were highly paid, well respected, educated members of the elite who played an essential role in the conduct of daily life, political decisions, and military campaigns. Armies, for example, never went anywhere without one. This engaging book, the only comprehensive study of this fascinating figure, enters into the socioreligious world of ancient Greece to explore what seers did, why they were so widely employed, and how their craft served as a viable and useful social practice.

This book describes a transformation of the psyche. This is based in the alchemy in which an alchemical dream process is set into motion, acquiring highly resolute manifestation through phases of the opus. An intensive and lengthy occult praxis is entered in which dreams and dreaming practices are developed. Advanced levels of occult experience are attained in which ethereal energy becomes mastered, involving a purification. These attainments adhere to beliefs regarding this type of paranormal experience that include the authors interest in the work of Carlos Castaneda. The intricacies of a crucial alchemical image are describeda Vision of the Peacocks Egg, an accessible metaphysical anatomy. The spatiality of the rose garden, the alchemical death, and attainment of the lapis are then brought into the practice.

This may be Dr Lisiewski's finest work to date. For both the beginning and advanced students of occultism, it lays bare what practical magic is all about. A veritable modern magical 'grammar', Howlings takes the reader step-by-step through the mental, psychological and physical preparations required by the 'Fathers of the Grimoires', the authors of the classical books on ceremonial magic which include "The Heptameron", "The Lesser and Greater Keys of Solomon", "The Sword of Moses" and others. Dr Lisiewski clarifies dozens of technical points critical to successful magical operations, including the most feared and desired one: evoking a spirit to physical manifestation. Alchemy, mysticism and even modern Science of Mind and New Thought are all examined in their relationship to Medieval magic. In addition, Mark Stavish's editing and extensive commentary on the original text, places the material in the context of the magical and philosophical traditions of both East and West, thereby adding valuable insight into the nature of magic as a living tradition.

An extensive look at the cartography and folklore of the afterlife worlds as seen by our ancestors * Examines how ancient European cultures viewed the beyond, including the Blessed Isles of early Greek and Celtic faith, the Hebrew Sheol, Hades from Homer's Odyssey, Hel and Valhalla of the Norse, and the Aralu of Babylon * Shows how medieval accounts of journeys into the Other World represent the first recorded near-death experiences * Connects medieval afterlife beliefs and NDE narratives with shamanism, looking in particular at psychopomps, power animals, the double, the fetch, and what people bring back from their journeys to the spirit realms Charting the evolution of afterlife beliefs in both pagan and medieval Christian times, Claude Lecouteux offers an extensive look at the cartography and folklore of the afterlife worlds as seen by our ancestors. Exploring the locations and topographies of the various forms taken by Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, he examines how ancient European cultures viewed the beyond, including the Blessed Isles of early Greek and Celtic faith, the Hebrew Sheol, the pale world of Hades from Homer's Odyssey, Hel and Valhalla of the Norse, and the Aralu of Babylon, the land where nothing can be seen. The author also explores beliefs in Other Worlds, lands different from our own that are not the afterlife but places where time flows differently and which are inhabited by fantastic or supernatural beings such as fairies or dwarfs. Sharing medieval tales of journeys into the beyond, Lecouteux shows how these accounts represent the first recorded near-death experiences (NDEs) and examines how they compare with modern NDE narratives as well as the work of NDE researchers like Raymond Moody. In addition, he also explores tales of out-of-body experiences, dream journeys, and travels made by a double or fetch and connects these narratives with shamanism, looking in particular at psychopomps, power animals, and what people bring back from their journeys to the spirit realms. Analyzing the afterlife beliefs of the Middle Ages as a whole, Lecouteux concludes with a collection of medieval afterlife-related traditions, such as placing polished stones in the coffin so the departed soul can find its way back to friends and family at those times of the year when the veil between the worlds grows thin.

"[An] important work"
--"Philadelphia Inquirer"

"Excellent book provides a lucid and often chilling guide."--"Journal of European Studies"

"Goodrick-Clarke writes with exceptional clarity, adroitly steeting his reader through the maze of changes and overlappings in the multifarious groups which he describes."
--"Quadrant"

"Given the extraordinarily dense amount of detail provided in such a wide-ranging series of chapters, Goodrick-Clarke writes with exceptional clarity, adroitly steering his reader through the maze of changes and overlappings in the multifarious groups which he describes."
--"Quadrant"

"Presents a troubling picture of the mindset of the modern Far Right."
--"Library Journal"

"Anyone who remembers the devastation wrought by Nazi fanaticism can only be astonished and dismayed by this book. Who could have foreseen that half a century after the defeat of the Third Reich the Jews would once again be perceived as a demonic power intent on destroying the 'Aryan race', or that Hitler would be imagined as a divine being who is about to return to earth to complete the Holocaust? For the matter, who could have foreseen that the preposterous 'pagan' cult developed by Heinrich Himmler would ever be revived? Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke shows not only that these things have indeed happened but how and why they have happened. He also suggests what dangers they may portend. Black Sun is both an enthralling and a deeply disturbing work. It deserves the most serious attention--and a wide readership."
--Norman Cohn, author of "The Pursuit of the Millennium and Warrant for Genocide"

"Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke has done pioneering work in the field of theoccult roots of Nazism. In the present volume he performs the same invaluable service with regard to the ideological fantasies of post war neo-fascism."
--Walter Laqueur

"This book is a thorough examination of neo-Nazi extremist group development in the United States through the twentieth century."
--"Multicultural Review"

.,."It is undeniably important and is sure to open your mind to shadowy worlds you never new existed."--"Fortean Times"

More than half a century after the defeat of Nazism and fascism, the far right is again challenging the liberal order of Western democracies. Radical movements are feeding on anxiety about economic globalization, affirmative action, and third-world immigration, flashpoint issues to many traditional groups in multicultural societies. A curious mixture of Aristocratic paganism, anti-Semitic demonology, Eastern philosophies and the occult is influencing populist antigovernment sentiment and helping to exploit the widespread fear that invisible elites are shaping world events.

Black Sun examines the new neofascist ideology, showing how hate groups, militias and conspiracy cults attempt to gain influence. Based on interviews and extensive research into underground groups, Black Sun documents the new Nazi and fascist sects that have sprung up from the 1970s through the 1990s and examines the mentality and motivation of these far-right extremists. The result is a detailed, grounded portrait of the mythical and devotional aspects of Hitler cults among Aryan mystics, racist skinheads and Nazi satanists, Heavy Metal music fans, and in occult literature.

Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke offers a unique perspective on far right neo-Nazism viewing itas a new form of Western religious heresy. He paints a frightening picture of a religion with its own relics, rituals, prophecies and an international sectarian following that could, under the proper conditions, gain political power and attempt to realize its dangerous millenarian fantasies.

Lord, teach us to pray . . . - Luke 11:1bDuring His earthly ministry, the disciples made this request of Jesus. He answered them with what has become known as the 'Lord's Prayer.' Today, nearly two thousand years later, do we, as followers of Jesus Christ, have a passion for prayer? Do we desire to speak with our heavenly Father? And are the prayers we utter effective? In this handy pamphlet, perfectly sized to slide into your Bible or notebook, Mark Bubeck offers twenty prayers, rich in doctrine, to help Christians triumph in their spiritual battles. Model prayers include those for: Revival, Repentance, Intercession, Protection from the Enemy, Unity in the Body, Wearing the Armor of God. Learn to pray like the disciples did - by example.

It is impossible to discuss what shamans are and what they do, contends Gregory G. Maskarinec, without knowing what shamans say. When Maskarinec took an interest in shaman rituals on his first visit to Nepal, he was told by many Nepalis and Westerners that the shamans he had encountered in the Himalayan foothills of western Nepal engaged in "meaningless mumblings." But in the course of several years of fieldwork he learned from the shamans that both their long, publicly chanted rituals and their whispered, secretive incantations are oral texts meticulously memorized through years of training. In The Rulings of the Night, he shows how the shamans, during their dramatic night-long performances, create the worlds of words in which shamans exist. Maskarinec analyzes several complete repertoires of the texts that the shamans use to diagnose and treat afflictions that trouble their clients. Through these texts, they intervene to manipulate and change the world, replacing its unbalanced, inexpressible chaos with orderly, balanced, grammatical, and eloquently expressible states. They negotiate the relations between language, action, and social realities, providing a well-constructed and thoroughly consistent intentional universe-and only in that universe can all shaman actions and beliefs be fully comprehended.

In 1968 University of California Press published an unusual manuscript by an anthropology student named Carlos Castaneda. The Teachings of Don Juan enthralled a generation of seekers dissatisfied with the limitations of the Western worldview. Castaneda's now classic book remains controversial for the alternative way of seeing that it presents and the revolution in cognition it demands. Whether read as ethnographic fact or creative fiction, it is the story of a remarkable journey that has left an indelible impression on the life of more than a million readers around the world.

Sir Hermann Gollancz (1852-1930) was an English rabbi, scholar and public figure whose distinguished career led to his becoming the first rabbi to receive a knighthood. Gollancz was Professor of Hebrew at University College London from 1902 to 1924 and published extensively on Jewish history as well as translating many Hebrew and Aramaic texts. This 1912 volume contains editions, with translations and notes, of three Syriac manuscripts (two from Gollancz' personal library and a third from Cambridge University Library) containing a collection of Eastern Christian charms and incantations. They range from antidotes to headaches, colic and 'teeth chattering' to prayers for controlling mad dogs, unruly cows and 'the gun of warriors', as well as for warding off the evil eye. They begin with the Trinitarian formula and often invoke specific biblical stories to add force. Illustrations from Codex A (dated to 1802 and from Turkish Kurdistan) are also included.

Inspired by the work of eminent scholar Richard Kieckhefer, The Sacred and the Sinister explores the ambiguities that made (and make) medieval religion and magic so difficult to differentiate. The essays in this collection investigate how the holy and unholy were distinguished in medieval Europe, where their characteristics diverged, and the implications of that deviation. In the Middle Ages, the natural world was understood as divinely created and infused with mysterious power. This world was accessible to human knowledge and susceptible to human manipulation through three modes of engagement: religion, magic, and science. How these ways of understanding developed in light of modern notions of rationality is an important element of ongoing scholarly conversation. As Kieckhefer has emphasized, ambiguity and ambivalence characterize medieval understandings of the divine and demonic powers at work in the world. The ten chapters in this volume focus on four main aspects of this assertion: the cult of the saints, contested devotional relationships and practices, unsettled judgments between magic and religion, and inconclusive distinctions between magic and science. Freshly insightful, this study of ambiguity between magic and religion will be of special interest to scholars in the fields of medieval studies, religious studies, European history, and the history of science. In addition to the editor, the contributors to this volume are Michael D. Bailey, Kristi Woodward Bain, Maeve B. Callan, Elizabeth Casteen, Claire Fanger, Sean L. Field, Anne M. Koenig, Katelyn Mesler, and Sophie Page.