Religious Occults

In March 1997, 39 people in Rancho Santa Fe, California, ritually terminated their lives. To outsiders, it was a mass suicide. To insiders, it was a graduation. Benjamin Zeller not only explores the question of why the members of Heaven's Gate committed ritual suicides, but interrogates the origin and evolution of the religion, its appeal, and its practices. By tracking the development of the history, social structure, and worldview of Heaven's Gate, Zeller shows that the movement was both a reflection and a microcosm of larger American culture.

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 18th-century society of French home invaders, who set fire to their victims' feet.

These lectures were delivered in New York in 1921. The purpose was to present the testimony of science as to the relation of matter and of consciousness; to observe the identical manifestation of these relations and of certain basic laws in successively higher states of being, and thus to bring to them a realization of the universality of the evolutionary process and its actuality; and to deal somewhat with the nature of the expanded states of consciousness and the enlarged life toward which all mankind is traveling.

While belief in religious supernatural claims is waning throughout the West, evidence suggests belief in nonreligious supernatural claims is on the rise. What explains this contradiction? How can a society with a falling belief in God have a rising belief in ghosts, psychic powers, ancient astronauts, and other supernatural or pseudo-scientific phenomena? Taking the same anthropological approach he employed in his notable studies of religion, atheist author and activist David G. McAfee turns his attention to nonreligious faith-based claims.

Out of This World brings the unfathomable to life, thanks to an open-eyed and detailed analysis of the science, theology, and politics brought to our doorsteps by the real possibility that UFOs are manned by extraterrestrial beings that are likely much smarter and far more spiritual than earthlings. Or are they evidence of the unseen realm, fooling gullible humankind as we approach the prophetic end times?

In his wide-ranging new book, Francis Young explores the role of occult traditions in the history of the island of Great Britain: Merlin's realm. He argues that while the great magus and artificer invented by Geoffrey of Monmouth was a powerful model for a succession of actual royal magical advisers (including Roger Bacon and John Dee), monarchs nevertheless often lived in fear of hostile sorcery while at other times they even attempted magic themselves.

The first practical guide to applying the ancient healing art of Hawaiian shamanism to our modern lives. Uniquely suited for use in today's world, Hawaiian shamanism follows the way of the adventurer, which produces change through love and cooperation - in contrast to the widely known way of the warrior, which emphasizes solitary quests and conquest by power. Now, even if you can't get out into the wilderness or undertake a long apprenticeship with a shaman, you can learn to practice the art of shamanism.

Accounts of seemingly impossible phenomena abounded in the early modern era—tales of levitation, bilocation, and witchcraft—even as skepticism, atheism, and empirical science were starting to supplant religious belief in the paranormal. In this book, Carlos Eire explores how a culture increasingly devoted to scientific thinking grappled with events deemed impossible by its leading intellectuals.

Originally released in 1999, this best-selling guide to magickal practices - based on the experiences and successes of a third-degree working witch - has been revised and updated! Written for today's seeker, To Light a Sacred Flame contains techniques that unite divinity with magick, knowledge, and humor.

Despite how preposterous such questions might sound today, the world is being groomed to accept these very ideas as a plausible explanation for the supernatural events of Scripture. Each miracle Jesus performed in the New Testament, some folks say, was not as much an act of divine power and will as much as it was a demonstration of alien mastery over sciences we can't yet fathom. The ET gospel currently merging into mainstream theology seems to have an answer for every dilemma—most of which must ignore portions of Scripture to be true.

Levitation. Feats of superhuman strength. Speaking in tongues. A hateful, glowing stare. The signs of spirit possession have been documented for thousands of years and across religions and cultures, even into our time: In 2019 the Vatican convened 250 priests from 50 countries for a weeklong seminar on exorcism. The Penguin Book of Exorcisms brings together the most astonishing accounts. Fifty-seven percent of Americans profess to believe in demonic possession; after listening to this book, you may too.

The reception accorded to The Initiate has been at once gratifying, instructive, and curious. No less than three different people have claimed to be its author and confided this intelligence to one of my friends “in the know”, who, with considerable amusement, passed it on to me without, I may add, divulging their names; neither did he inform them of the identity of the real author.

A Place Called Ananda is a deeply meaningful story. If what you seek in life is greater inspiration and understanding, you will find here a fulfillment. The story is different, yes. In some ways it is highly unusual. Its underlying message, however, is universal.

Despite their centuries-old history and traditions, witchcraft and magic are still very much a part of modern Anglo-American culture. In Lucifer Ascending, Bill Ellis looks at modern practices that are universally defined as "occult," from commonplace habits such as carrying a rabbit's foot for good luck or using a Ouija board, to more esoteric traditions, such as the use of spell books. In particular, Ellis shows how the occult has been a common element in youth culture for hundreds of years.

After colliding with a semi-truck, Don Piper died and went to heaven. Ninety minutes later he returned to life on earth. After years of silence, he is now sharing his life-changing story.

For one brief moment, facing death, Jane Moe stepped into eternity. This incredible true story will take you on an enthralling journey as Jane sees God's plan for families and is taught how to recognize his church when she encounters it later in life. Take more steps into eternity with Jane and come to know what heaven - and mortality - is really about.

On April 28, 2006, as he lay in his hospital bed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, visions of celestial beauty were the last thing on Marv Besteman's mind. He had just had surgery to remove a rare pancreatic tumor. It was after visiting hours and his family had left for the day. Alone and racked with pain, Marv tossed and turned, wanting more than anything else to simply sleep and escape the misery and discomfort for a while. The retired banker, father, and grandfather had no idea he was about to get a short reprieve....

A fresh new approach to the topics of witchcraft and sorcery! This unique book deals with these issues from a religious perspective. Traditional church and Biblical teachings are emphasized rather than a source book for dabbling with witchcraft or sorcery. An informative eye-opener for both Christians and non-Christians!

Is there life beyond the grave? Is it reasonable to believe in the afterlife? If so, how should we act on those beliefs? Best-selling author Dinesh D'Souza undertakes an unprecedented voyage of intellectual discovery to reveal the truth about life, death and beyond.

This audiobook is one of the best guides ever made on how to achieve mental well-being by understanding and mastering this mysterious and powerful force. The mechanics of how it works are detailed here, as well as methods of gathering, conserving, and using its power. The exercises outlined are simple and easy, and they work.