Alternative belief systems and spiritual worldviews Books

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Book SynopsisFrom the time of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, people of British origin have shared the area of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, traditionally called Acadia, with Eastern Canada's Algonkian-speaking people, the Mi'kmaq. This title presents an analysis of colonial Acadia from the perspective of symbolic and mythic existence.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisDavid G. Robertson is Co-Editor-In-Chief of the Religious Studies Project and a committee member of the British Association for the Study of Religion. He teaches at the University of Edinburgh and has published widely on new religions, millennialism, conspiracy theories and critical theory. He recently guest-edited a special issue of Nova Religio and is the co-editor of After World Religions: Reconstructing the Introductory Course in Religious Studies (2016).Trade ReviewThis fascinating book is an important contribution and a delight to read. * Religious Studies Review *David G. Robertson’s book offers a welcome new perspective on the significance of the UFO in the Anglophone world and the different meanings that these symbolically resonant objects have assumed in the post-Cold War period. With its concise prose and engaging style, Robertson’s book offers not only a compelling analysis of contemporary millennialism, but an equally compelling model of critical rigor. * Nova Religio *Robertson does an excellent job unpacking and narrating the complicated story of the emergence of the “2012 phenomenon,” as well as demonstrating how [David] Wilcock has engaged the rhetoric of science in order to marshal epistemic capital… I hope this book is read by more than just specialists in these fields, since Robertson is fundamentally correct: we should take millennial conspiracism seriously as a form of religious discourse. -- Benjamin E. Zeller * Reading Religion *David Robertson’s UFOs, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age is both engaging and highly accessible … In addition to expanding on the existing literature in a novel new way, this book also holds substantial theoretical value, not only for the study of contemporary fringe movements, but also for the field of Religious Studies as a whole. * British Association for the Study of Religions Bulletin *An academic but easily readable book, with a good description of the development of the UFO myth and subsequent analysis of the worldview as expressed by the author and abduction-“experts” Whitley Strieber, David Icke (yes, it is he who believes that the members of the British royal family are disguised reptiles!) and David Wilcock, an alleged Edgar Cayce reincarnation. This rather colourful threesome might well inspire more to study the many aspects of the UFO myth. * UFO-Mail newsletter [Bloomsbury translation] *David Robertson's UFOs, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age: Millennial Conspiracism is a highly original and compulsively readable study of conspiracy beliefs, popular millennialism, and the emergence of an alternative history of the post-war world generated by a 'counter-elite'. Robertson details the epistemic strategies of these champions of rejected knowledge, in which a Gnostic flavoured theodicy is united with transformative millennialism, promising a new world once individuals have awakened and the malevolent forces of Government, Big Pharma, and the 'Establishment' are defeated. The teachings of the three figures examined in detail, UFOlogist Whitley Streiber, prophet of the 'reptilian thesis' David Icke, and 2012 millennialist and alleged reincarnation of Edgar Cayce, David Wilcock, exemplify what Robertson terms a 'theodicy of the dispossessed', in which the disenfranchisement of the counter-elite is explained by the existence of a powerful malevolent enemy. While there is little in Robertson's study that could be traditionally understood as 'religion' or 'religious studies', the book is ultimately highly relevant to this discipline, and will act as an encouragement to scholars to more deeply interrogate notions such as theodicy, eschatology, prophecy, and belief, all phenomena that are equally relevant to traditional religions and ostensibly non-religious UFOlogical and millennial groups. -- Carole M. Cusack is Professor of Religious Studies Studies in Religion at The University of Sydney, AustraliaDavid Robertson’s splendid book significantly illuminates our understanding of contemporary millennialism and conspiracism. * Michael Barkun, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Syracuse University, USA *Long confined to the lunatic fringe, narratives about UFO conspiracies gained a wider audience through the New Age movement. Robertson' timely book shows their surprisingly large influence on the contemporary subculture of alternative spirituality. It also makes for enjoyable reading. * Massimo Introvigne, Professor of Sociology of Religion, Pontifical Salesian University, Italy *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements Prologue: ‘And the Truth Shall Set You Free’ 1. Introduction: Aquarian Conspiracies 2. Approaching Millennial Conspiracism 3. ‘Trust No-One’: UFOs, Conspiracism and Popular Millennialism during the Cold War, 1947–87 4. Occulted Histories: Whitley Strieber and the Abductee Narrative 5. ‘Problem-Reaction-Solution’: David Icke and the Reptilian Thesis 6. ‘The Science of Oneness’: David Wilcock and ‘2012’ Millennialism 7. The Counter-Elite/A Theodicy of the Dispossessed Notes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe enigmatic and richly illustrative tarot deck reveals a host of strange and iconic mages, such as The Tower, The Wheel of Fortune, The Hanged Man and The Fool: over which loom the terrifying figures of Death and The Devil. The 21 numbered playing cards of tarot have always exerted strong fascination, way beyond their original purpose, and the multiple resonances of the deck are ubiquitous. From T S Eliot and his 'wicked pack of cards' in "The Waste Land" to the psychic divination of Solitaire in Ian Fleming's "Live and Let Die"; and from the satanic novels of Dennis Wheatley to the deck's adoption by New Age practitioners, the cards have in modern times become inseparably connected to the occult. They are now viewed as arguably the foremost medium of prophesying and foretelling. Yet, as the author shows, originally the tarot were used as recreational playing cards by the Italian nobility in the Renaissance. It was only much later, in the 18th and 19th centuries, that the deck became associated with esotericism before evolving finally into a diagnostic tool for mind, body and spirit. This is the first book to explore the remarkably varied ways in which tarot has influenced culture. Tracing the changing patterns of the deck's use, from game to mysterious oracular device, Helen Farley examines tarot's emergence in 15th century Milan and discusses its later associations with astrology, kabbalah and the Age of Aquarius.Trade Review`Deeply researched and elegantly written, Farley’s is by far the most important contemporary contribution to the academic study of the Tarot. No serious work in the history of Western Esotericism will be able to ignore the author’s ground-breaking study. Engrossing and fascinating’ - Philip C Almond, Emeritus Professor of Studies in Religion, University of Queensland, 'Helen Farley takes the reader deep into the diverse worlds of late Renaissance Italy, Enlightenment France, Victorian England and New Age America - and a host of other milieux - in her impressive study of tarot symbolism. She offers a comprehensive yet detailed study of the changing imagery in the cards as they emerged from their evolving historical contexts. Rarely does a book offer such a wealth of information over such a broad span of time in a way that does justice to its subject: but Farley accomplishes her task with thoroughness and diligence. A Cultural History of Tarot makes a welcome and valuable contribution to the body of recent scholarship on the history of esotericism. More than that, it provides a roadmap to show how scholars of art and culture can engage meaningfully with the fascinating esoteric strands of Europe's past.' - Christina Oakley Harrington, Proprietor, Treadwell's Bookshop, LondonTable of ContentsIntroduction Origins and Antecedents Renaissance Italy and the Emergence of Tarot An Alternative Explanation of Tarot Symbolism The Transformation of Tarot into an Esoteric Device Across the Channel to England Tarot and the New Age Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn "Stations of the Sun" and "The Triumph of the Moon", Ronald Hutton established himself as a leading authority on the historian of Paganism. His wealth of unusual knowledge, complemented by a deep and sympathetic understanding of past and present beliefs that are often dismissed as strange or marginal, and an ability to write lucidly and wittily, gives his work a unique flavour. The essays which make up "Witches, Druids and King Arthur" cover elegantly and entertainingly a wide range of beliefs, myths and practices.Trade Review ‘essential reading for anyone interested in the history, recent or older, of paganism.' ~ David CohenTable of ContentsIllustrations; Introduction; Acknowledgements; 1 How Myths are Made; 2 Arthur and the Academics; 3 Glastonbury: Alternative Histories; 4 The New Old Paganism; 5 Paganism in the Missing Countries; 6 A Modest Look at Ritual Nudity; 7 The Inklings and the Gods; 8 The New Druidry; 9 Living with Witchcraft; Notes; Index.

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