Brief Guide to Secret Religions- A Complete Guide to Hermetic, Pagan and Esoteric Beliefs

This wide-ranging book explores the diversity of esoteric and occult beliefs. Neo-Paganism is one of the fastest-growing new religions in the western world where witchcraft or Wicca, Druidry, and Urban Shamanism are thriving. Alongside this there has been an upsurge in New Age ideas of an even wider variety, including astrology, Tarot, numerology, and many others. And then there are members of various schools of occult science, practising High Magic. Why this new interest in old beliefs? Why are millions of educated people today abandoning both the established religion of their parents and 21st century scientific rationalism and turning to magic and esoteric teachings? In their search for spirituality those who follow these paths claim to be applying ancient wisdom to the modern world. The Brief History of Secret Religions, a companion book to The Brief History of Secret Societies, looks at the history and variety of these esoteric movements, where they came from and what they tell us about the world today. Praise for The New Believers: 'an excellent guide to fringe religions that juxtaposes "respectable" movements and those conventionally dismissed as cults.' The Telegraph. 'no-nonsense, comprehensive survey packed with non-judgmental information about the beliefs, aims and activities of such movements. Daily Mail. Cover Title Page Dedication Table of Contents What I Believe ... ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION Part One: New Age Movements THEOSOPHY ANTHROPOSOPHY ALICE BAILEY BENJAMIN CREME, MAITREYA AND SHARE INTERNATIONAL G.I. GURDJIEFF SUBUD INDEPENDENT EPISCOPAL CHURCHES AND THE APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION I AM MOVEMENT CHURCH UNIVERSAL AND TRIUMPHANT EMISSARIES/EMISSARIES OF DIVINE LIGHT FINDHORN SIR GEORGE TREVELYAN AND THE WREKIN TRUST TEMPLATE NETWORK (FORMERLY EMIN) UFO GROUPS AND MILLENNIAL EXPECTATIONS AETHERIUS SOCIETY RAELIAN MOVEMENT ALTERNATIVE HISTORY. OTHER NEW AGE AND HOLISTIC GROUPSPERSONAL DEVELOPMENT MOVEMENTS Part Two: Hermetic, Occultor High Magic Groups KABBALAH TAROT ROSICRUCIAN GROUPS FRATERNITAS ROSAE CRUCIS AMORC CHURCH OF LIGHT ROSICRUCIAN FELLOWSHIP LECTORIUM ROSICRUCIANUM HERMETIC ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DAWN ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS AND THELEMA SCHOOLS OF OCCULT SCIENCE BUILDERS OF THE ADYTUM SOCIETY OF THE INNER LIGHT SERVANTS OF THE LIGHT FRATERNITY OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE TEMPLE OF STARLIGHT AVALON GROUP LONDON GROUP CHAOS MAGIC SATANISM SATANIC RITUAL ABUSE Part Three: Neo-Paganism SHAMANISM WITCHCRAFT. WICCAOTHER VARIETIES OF WITCHCRAFT CLAN OF TUBAL CAIN AND 1734 CHURCH OF ALL WORLDS DRUIDRY FELLOWSHIP OF ISIS HEATHENRY/NORTHERN TRADITION PAGAN FEDERATIONS Coda THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY: AN ESOTERIC MOVEMENT? BIBLIOGRAPHY A, B, C INDEX D, E, F G, H, I J, K, L M, N, O P, Q, R S, T, U V, W, X Y, Z About the Author Highlights from the series Copyright. 'New' religions are as old as time. Every period of history has produced a crop of cults with their messiahs, faith healers, charlatans, gurus, preachers and prophets. The human religious impulse almost demands that such characters be thrown up from the teeming mass of searching souls. The book combines all the current religions that derive from Christianity - from mainstream faiths such as Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Science and Opus Dei to, the Family, The Jesus Army and Alpha Course - as well as a full survey of the occult and pagan groups - Satanism, Choas Magic, Shamanism.;Cover; Title Page; Dedication; Table of Contents; What I Believe ... ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; INTRODUCTION; Part One: New Age Movements; THEOSOPHY; ANTHROPOSOPHY; ALICE BAILEY; BENJAMIN CREME, MAITREYA AND SHARE INTERNATIONAL; G.I. GURDJIEFF; SUBUD; INDEPENDENT EPISCOPAL CHURCHES AND THE APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION; I AM MOVEMENT; CHURCH UNIVERSAL AND TRIUMPHANT; EMISSARIES/EMISSARIES OF DIVINE LIGHT; FINDHORN; SIR GEORGE TREVELYAN AND THE WREKIN TRUST; TEMPLATE NETWORK (FORMERLY EMIN); UFO GROUPS AND MILLENNIAL EXPECTATIONS; AETHERIUS SOCIETY; RAELIAN MOVEMENT; ALTERNATIVE HISTORY.