A Brief Guide to Secret Religions

by Barrett, David V.

• ISBN13: 9780762441037
• ISBN10: 0762441038
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-28
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group

Summary

Every period of history has produced a crop of cults with their messiahs, faith healers, charlatans, gurus, preachers, and prophets. Expert David Barrett provides readers with a fully definitive work and examines the proliferation of esoteric and main-world religions on everything from Christian cults, Mormons, and Scientology, to Wicca, Chaos Magic, Satanism, and many more.

Author Biography

David V. Barrett has been writing about new religions and esoteric movements for many years. In A Brief Guide to Secret Religions he reveals a comprehensive and unbiased introduction to contemporary esoteric and occult beliefs and the allure of ancient wisdom in the modern world. This fascinating book offers an accessible overview of a large number of these movements and beliefs, getting to the heart of their practices and ideas.

Table of Contents

What I Believe …	p. x
Acknowledgements	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Notes	p. 16
New Age Movements	p. 19
Theosophy	p. 23
Anthroposophy	p. 34
Alice Bailey	p. 37
Benjamin Creme, Maitreya and Share International	p. 41
G. I. Gurdjieff	p. 44
Subud	p. 50
Independent Episcopal Churches and the Apostolic Succession	p. 56
I AM Movement	p. 65
Church Universal and Triumphant	p. 70
Emissaries/Emissaries of Divine Light	p. 82
Findhorn	p. 92
Sir George Trevelyan and the Wrekin Trust	p. 96
Template Network (formerly Emin)	p. 99
UFO Groups and Millennial Expectations	p. 113
Aetherius Society	p. 119
Raelian Movement	p. 127
Alternative History	p. 139
Other New Age and Holistic Groups	p. 142
Personal Development Movements	p. 147
Notes	p. 151
Hermetic, Occult or High Magic Groups	p. 163
Kabbalah	p. 165
Tarot	p. 175
Rosicrucian Groups	p. 179
Fraternitas Rosae Crucis	p. 183
AMORC	p. 186
Church of Light	p. 188
Rosicrucian Fellowship	p. 190
Lectorium Rosicrucianum	p. 192
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn	p. 195
Ordo Templi Orientis and Thelema	p. 212
Schools of Occult Science	p. 219
Builders of the Adytum	p. 220
Society of the Inner Light	p. 226
Servants of the Light	p. 231
Fraternity of the Golden Circle	p. 236
Temple of Starlight	p. 238
Avalon Group	p. 240
London Group	p. 242
Chaos Magic	p. 244
Satanism	p. 248
Satanic Ritual Abuse	p. 255
Notes	p. 265
Neo-Paganism	p. 275
Shamanism	p. 277
Witchcraft	p. 280
Wicca	p. 285
Other Varieties of Witchcraft	p. 299
Clan of Tubal Cain and 1734	p. 303
Church of All Worlds	p. 309
Druidry	p. 316
Fellowship of Isis	p. 328
Heathenry/Northern Tradition	p. 330
Pagan Federations	p. 341
Notes	p. 346
Coda	p. 355
The Church of Scientology: An Esoteric Movement?	p. 357
Notes	p. 366
Bibliography	p. 369
Index	p. 382
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