Persuasions of the witch's craft : ritual magic in contemporary England

To find out why reasonable people are drawn to the seemingly bizarre practices of magic and witchcraft, Tanya Luhrmann immersed herself in the secret lives of Londoners who call themselves magicians. She came to know them as friends and equals and was initiated into various covens and magical groups. She explains the process through which once-skeptical individuals—educated, middle-class people, frequently of high intelligence—become committed to the ideas behind witchcraft and find magical ritual so compellingly persuasive. This intriguing book draws some disturbing conclusions about the ambivalence of belief within modern urban society.Contents:AcknowledgementsPart I — Speaking with a different rhythm: magicians in the modern world 1. What makes magic reasonable? 2. Initiation ritual: my introduction to the field 3. Journey to Aquarius: the sociological context of magical groups Recent history 4. The goat and the gazelle: witchcraft 5. Meditations on the Tree of Life: the Western Mysteries 6. Space between the worlds: ad hoc ritual magic 7. The Old Ways: non-initiated paganism Satanism 8. The ‘child within’: a portrait of the practitioners The novels Chaos and control in the practical literature Portrait of the practitionersPart II — Listening to the Goddess: new ways to pay attention to the world 9. Introduction: the magician’s changing intellectual habits The ideas behind magical practice 10. Drinking from Cerridwen’s cauldron: learning to see the evidence 11. Astrology and the tarot: acquiring common knowledge 12. Seeing patterns in the jumbled whole: becoming comfortable with new assumptionsPart III — Summoning the powers: the experience of involvement 13. Introduction: working intuitively Introduction 14. New experiences: meditation and visualization Meditation Mystical states Visualization 15. ‘Knowing of’: language and imaginative involvement The ritual Discussion group Discussion 16. Ritual: techniques for altering the everyday 17. The varied uses of symbolism The phenomenology of symbols The creation of mytho-poeic history Symbolism as a language of selfhood Secret knowledge Appendix: core texts in magical practicePart IV — Justifying to the sceptics 18. Introduction: coping with the dissonance 19. The magical plane: the emergence of a protective metaphor 20. In defence of magic: philosophical and theological rationalization The realist position Two worlds Relativist Metaphorical TheologyPart V — Belief and action 21. Interpretive drift: the slow drift towards belief 22. Serious play: the fantasy of truth 23. Final thoughts Why magicians practice magic: the romantic rationalist’s religion What we learn: anthropological approachesBibliographyIndex To find out why reasonable people are drawn to the seemingly bizarre practices of magic and witchcraft, Tanya Luhrmann immersed herself in the secret lives of Londoners who call themselves magicians. She came to know them as friends and equals and was initiated into various covens and magical groups. She explains the process through which once-skeptical individuals—educated, middle-class people, frequently of high intelligence—become committed to the ideas behind witchcraft and find magical ritual so compellingly persuasive. This intriguing book draws some disturbing conclusions about the ambivalence of belief within modern urban society. Contents: Acknowledgements Part I — Speaking with a different rhythm: magicians in the modern world 1. What makes magic reasonable? 2. Initiation ritual: my introduction to the field 3. Journey to Aquarius: the sociological context of magical groups Recent history 4. The goat and the gazelle: witchcraft 5. Meditations on the Tree of Life: the Western Mysteries 6. Space between the worlds: ad hoc ritual magic 7. The Old Ways: non-initiated paganism Satanism 8. The ‘child within’: a portrait of the practitioners The novels Chaos and control in the practical literature Portrait of the practitioners Part II — Listening to the Goddess: new ways to pay attention to the world 9. Introduction: the magician’s changing intellectual habits The ideas behind magical practice 10. Drinking from Cerridwen’s cauldron: learning to see the evidence 11. Astrology and the tarot: acquiring common knowledge 12. Seeing patterns in the jumbled whole: becoming comfortable with new assumptions Part III — Summoning the powers: the experience of involvement 13. Introduction: working intuitively Introduction 14. New experiences: meditation and visualization Meditation Mystical states Visualization 15. ‘Knowing of’: language and imaginative involvement The ritual Discussion group Discussion 16. Ritual: techniques for altering the everyday 17. The varied uses of symbolism The phenomenology of symbols The creation of mytho-poeic history Symbolism as a language of selfhood Secret knowledge Appendix: core texts in magical practice Part IV — Justifying to the sceptics 18. Introduction: coping with the dissonance 19. The magical plane: the emergence of a protective metaphor 20. In defence of magic: philosophical and theological rationalization The realist position Two worlds Relativist Metaphorical Theology Part V — Belief and action 21. Interpretive drift: the slow drift towards belief 22. Serious play: the fantasy of truth 23. Final thoughts Why magicians practice magic: the romantic rationalist’s religion What we learn: anthropological approaches Bibliography Index

to Find Out Why Reasonable People Are Drawn To The Seemingly Bizarre Practices Of Magic And Witchcraft, Luhrmann Immersed Herself In The Arcane World Of Londoners Who Call Themselves Magicians. Her Report Is As Fascinating As The Esoteric World Itself. Illustrated.

helen A. Berger - Contemporary Sociology

luhrmann Has Made A Major Contribution To The Study Of Magic, New Religions, And The Development Of The Irrational Within A Culture That Prides Itself On Rationality.