Download or read book Mystery Cults of the Ancient World written by Hugh Bowden and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A richly illustrated history of antiquity's secret religious rituals This is the first book to describe and explain all of the ancient world's major mystery cults--one of the most intriguing but least understood aspects of Greek and Roman religion. In the nocturnal Mysteries at Eleusis, participants dramatically re-enacted the story of Demeter's loss and recovery of her daughter Persephone; in the Bacchic cult, bands of women ran wild in the Greek countryside to honor Dionysus; and in the mysteries of Mithras, men came to understand the nature of the universe and their place within it through frightening initiation ceremonies and astrological teachings. These cults were an important part of life in the ancient Mediterranean world, but their actual practices were shrouded in secrecy, and many of their features have remained unclear until now. By richly illustrating the evidence from ancient art and archaeology, and drawing on enlightening new work in the anthropology and cognitive science of religion, Mystery Cults of the Ancient World allows readers to imagine as never before what it was like to take part in these ecstatic and life-changing religious rituals--and what they meant to those who participated in them. Stunning images of Greek painted pottery, Roman frescoes, inscribed gold tablets from Greek and South Italian tombs, and excavated remains of religious sanctuaries help show what participants in these initiatory cults actually did and experienced. A fresh and accessible introduction to a fascinating subject, this is a book that will interest general readers, as well as students and scholars of classics and religion.
Download or read book A Brief Guide to Secret Religions written by David V. Barrett and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2011-05-26 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Ancient Mystery Cults written by Walter Burkert and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1989-10-15 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The foremost historian of Greek religion provides the first comprehensive, comparative study of a little-known aspect of ancient religious beliefs and practices. Secret mystery cults flourished within the larger culture of the public religion of Greece and Rome for roughly a thousand years. This book is neither a history nor a survey but a comparative phenomenology, concentrating on five major cults. In defining the mysteries and describing their rituals, membership, organization, and dissemination, Walter Burkert displays the remarkable erudition we have come to expect of him; he also shows great sensitivity and sympathy in interpreting the experiences and motivations of the devotees.
Download or read book Cults Conspiracies and Secret Societies written by Arthur Goldwag and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2009-08-11 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Did you know? • Freemasonry's first American lodge included a young Benjamin Franklin among its members. • The Knights Templar began as impoverished warrior monks then evolved into bankers. • Groom Lake, Dreamland, Homey Airport, Paradise Ranch, The Farm, Watertown Strip, Red Square, “The Box,” are all names for Area 51. An indispensable guide, Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies connects the dots and sets the record straight on a host of greedy gurus and murderous messiahs, crepuscular cabals and suspicious coincidences. Some topics are familiar—the Kennedy assassinations, the Bilderberg Group, the Illuminati, the People's Temple and Heaven's Gate—and some surprising, like Oulipo, a select group of intellectuals who created wild formulas for creating literary masterpieces, and the Chauffeurs, an eighteenth-century society of French home invaders, who set fire to their victims' feet.
Download or read book Members Only written by Julie Tibbott and published by Zest Books ™. This book was released on 2019-08-01 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout human history, people have banded together to pass on traditions, climb the social ladder, and often just have a good time. And sometimes, keeping other people out is part of the fun. (Every hot club needs a velvet rope, after all.) But some of these groups have proved so exclusive and secretive that we on the outside can't resist some speculation. Wouldn't you like to know what they're really up to? No need for secret handshakes or passwords—Members Only is your all-access guide to the secret societies, clandestine cults, and exclusive associations that you've always wondered about.
Download or read book Deadly Cults written by Robert L. Snow and published by Praeger. This book was released on 2003-11-30 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do seemingly "normal" or "ordinary" citizens suddenly find themselves committed to a group whose leader promotes criminal activities and isolation from families and friends? What should you do if a loved one becomes indoctrinated by a potentially dangerous cult? By providing specific accounts of dangerous cults and their destructive acts, Snow illustrates how seemingly innocent groups can turn pernicious when under the sway of a charismatic leader with an agenda, or when members take things too far. He offers advice on how to identify cults, how to protect yourself and your family, and what to do if a loved one is ensnared by such a group. Annotation. Snow, a veteran Indianapolis police officer in the homicide branch, does not bother with groups that are demonized as cults merely because they diverge from someone else's idea of truth or proper deportment, but focuses on those that are responsible for major crimes such as murder and torture. They include religious, occult, millennial, new-age, UFO, doomsday, and suicide cults. He also discusses their danger, appeal, recruitment, and indoctrination and how to combat them.
Download or read book Greek Mysteries written by Michael B. Cosmopoulos and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-08-18 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by an international team of acknowledged experts, this excellent book studies a wide range of contributions and showcases new research on the archaeology, ritual and history of Greek mystery cults. With a lack of written evidence that exists for the mysteries, archaeology has proved central to explaining their significance and this volume is key to understanding a phenomenon central to Greek religion and society.
Download or read book Things Bright and Beautiful written by Anbara Salam and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2018-04-05 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A claustrophobic compelling read that'll suck you into its heart of darkness' Independent Advent Island in the South Pacific, with its coconut palms and thick green jungle, should be Eden for missionary Max and his young wife Bea. But plagues of insects and rats, sweltering heat and local 'devil chasers' soon turn paradise into hell on earth. Just as Bea begins to adapt to island life, an unexpected guest arrives and Advent Island turns against its would-be saviors. Trapped in the jungle with her increasingly unhinged husband, Bea must fight tooth-and-nail for her freedom, and for her life. 'Lyrical, suspenseful, darkly comic' Observer 'Excellent, blackly funny. A novel whose growing environmental and psychological horrors you can feel crawling across your skin' Daily Mail 'Phenomenally disturbing' Spectator 'Oozing with vivid descriptions and a deeply claustrophobic atmosphere . . . quite unlike anything else you'll read this year' Heat
Download or read book The Secret World of Cults written by Sarah Moran and published by Quadrillion Media LLC. This book was released on 1999 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents insight into the beliefs, activities and followers of the some of the most unusual organizations on the fringes of society.
Download or read book Cults written by Charles Gordon Waugh and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the past fifteen years, public interest in cults has grown enormously. From Jonestown to Reverend Moon, the Pied Piper-like appeal cults have exerted on society has become commonplace. But long before Jim JOnes and Sun Myung Moon, cults were a subject of fascination. In this collection, cults are examined through the special insight of some of the twentieth century's ablest writers.
Download or read book The Immortality Key written by Brian C. Muraresku and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2020-09-29 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER As seen on The Joe Rogan Experience! A groundbreaking dive into the role psychedelics have played in the origins of Western civilization, and the real-life quest for the Holy Grail that could shake the Church to its foundations. The most influential religious historian of the 20th century, Huston Smith, once referred to it as the "best-kept secret" in history. Did the Ancient Greeks use drugs to find God? And did the earliest Christians inherit the same, secret tradition? A profound knowledge of visionary plants, herbs and fungi passed from one generation to the next, ever since the Stone Age? There is zero archaeological evidence for the original Eucharist – the sacred wine said to guarantee life after death for those who drink the blood of Jesus. The Holy Grail and its miraculous contents have never been found. In the absence of any hard data, whatever happened at the Last Supper remains an article of faith for today’s 2.5 billion Christians. In an unprecedented search for answers, The Immortality Key examines the archaic roots of the ritual that is performed every Sunday for nearly one third of the planet. Religion and science converge to paint a radical picture of Christianity’s founding event. And after centuries of debate, to solve history’s greatest puzzle. Before the birth of Jesus, the Ancient Greeks found salvation in their own sacraments. Sacred beverages were routinely consumed as part of the so-called Ancient Mysteries – elaborate rites that led initiates to the brink of death. The best and brightest from Athens and Rome flocked to the spiritual capital of Eleusis, where a holy beer unleashed heavenly visions for two thousand years. Others drank the holy wine of Dionysus to become one with the god. In the 1970s, renegade scholars claimed this beer and wine – the original sacraments of Western civilization – were spiked with mind-altering drugs. In recent years, vindication for the disgraced theory has been quietly mounting in the laboratory. The constantly advancing fields of archaeobotany and archaeochemistry have hinted at the enduring use of hallucinogenic drinks in antiquity. And with a single dose of psilocybin, the psychopharmacologists at Johns Hopkins and NYU are now turning self-proclaimed atheists into instant believers. But the smoking gun remains elusive. If these sacraments survived for thousands of years in our remote prehistory, from the Stone Age to the Ancient Greeks, did they also survive into the age of Jesus? Was the Eucharist of the earliest Christians, in fact, a psychedelic Eucharist? With an unquenchable thirst for evidence, Muraresku takes the reader on his twelve-year global hunt for proof. He tours the ruins of Greece with its government archaeologists. He gains access to the hidden collections of the Louvre to show the continuity from pagan to Christian wine. He unravels the Ancient Greek of the New Testament with the world’s most controversial priest. He spelunks into the catacombs under the streets of Rome to decipher the lost symbols of Christianity’s oldest monuments. He breaches the secret archives of the Vatican to unearth manuscripts never before translated into English. And with leads from the archaeological chemists at UPenn and MIT, he unveils the first scientific data for the ritual use of psychedelic drugs in classical antiquity. The Immortality Key reconstructs the suppressed history of women consecrating a forbidden, drugged Eucharist that was later banned by the Church Fathers. Women who were then targeted as witches during the Inquisition, when Europe’s sacred pharmacology largely disappeared. If the scientists of today have resurrected this technology, then Christianity is in crisis. Unless it returns to its roots. Featuring a Foreword by Graham Hancock, the NYT bestselling author of America Before.
Download or read book Agents of Fortune written by Martin Popoff and published by . This book was released on 2016-05-06 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "[This book] examines the complicated early days of the band, graphically demonstrating the showbiz sweat that goes into making a a succeswsful act. [It] is centred around the ... quality of the songs - made entertaining by the band's psychotropic & ghoulish humour, its interest in all manner of conspiracy theories, cults, monsters, vampires, UFOs, fopul play, arcane spiritualism, alchemy, love lost & love buried, science fiction & friction. The author draws on hsi personal interviews with Roeser, Bloom, Albert & Joe Bouchard, along with drummer Bobby Rondinelli, ... band pproducer Murray Krugman and BOC expert Bolle Gregmar."--Back cover.
Download or read book Cults of the Shadow written by Kenneth Grant and published by Skoob Books Pub Limited. This book was released on 1994-05 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work explores techniques and traditions of the Left Hand Path, a complex magical system, retrieved from historic cultural dispesion. It discusses how this system aims to give access to, and mastery of, the subconscious mind's occult resources, and considers the system's Atlantean, voodoo, Chinese and tantric strands.
Download or read book Cthulhu s Dark Cults written by David Conyers and published by Call of Cthulhu Fiction. This book was released on 2010-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chaosium's "Call of Cthulhu" is an endless source of imagination of all things dark and mysterious. Here we journey across the globe to witness the numerous and diverse cults that worship Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones. Lead by powerful sorcerers and fanatical necromancers, their followers are mad and deranged slaves. The ancient and alien gods whom they willingly devote themselves are truly terrifying. These cults control real power, for they are the real secret masters of our world. This book is part of an expanding collection of Cthulhu Mythos horror fiction and related topics. Call of Cthulhu Fiction focuses on single entities, concepts, or authors significant to readers and fans of H.P. Lovecraft.
Download or read book A Guide to Cults New Religions written by and published by IVP Books. This book was released on 1983 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: MacCollam -- Evaluating cults and new religions / LaVonne Neff.
Download or read book Ancient Greek Cults written by Jennifer Larson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-05-07 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources; and incorporating current scholarly theories, this volume will serve as an excellent companion to any introduction to Greek mythology, showing a side of the Greek gods to which most students are rarely exposed. Detailed enough to be used as a quick reference tool or text, and providing a readable account focusing on the oldest, most widespread, and most interesting religious practices of the ancient Greek world in the Archaic and Classical periods, Ancient Greek Cults surveys ancient Greek religion through the cults of its gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines. Jennifer Larson conveniently summarizes a vast amount of material in many languages, normally inaccessible to undergrad students, and explores, in detail, the variety of cults celebrated by the Greeks, how these cults differed geographically, and how each deity was conceptualized in local cult titles and rituals. Including an introductory chapter on sources and methods, and suggestions for further reading this book will allow readers to gain a fresh perspective on Greek religion.
Download or read book Cults of Cthulhu written by Mike Mason and published by Chaosium Incorporated. This book was released on 2021-10-31 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sourcebook and scenarios for the Call of Cthulhu 7th edition roleplaying game.
