The Re-Enchantment of the West Volume II This page intentionally left blank The Re-Enchantment of the West Volume II Alternative Spiritualities, Sacralization, Popular Culture, and Occulture Christopher Partridge t&t clark Copyright © 2005 T&T Clark Internationa] A Continuum imprint Published by T&T Clark International The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX 15 East 26th Street, Suite 1703, New York, NY 10010 www.tandtclark.com © Christopher Partridge 2005 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Partridge, Christopher H. (Christopher Hugh), 1961- The re-enchantment of the West: alternative spiritualities, sacralization, popular culture, and occulture / Christopher Partridge. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-567-04123-9 -- ISBN 0-567-04133-6 (pb.) 1. Cults -- Western countries. 2. Western countries -- Religion. I. Title. BP603.P35 2006 200'.9182'l--dc22 2005047129 Typeset by Tradespools, Frome, Somerset Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Cornwall For Tom, Sam, and Jordan This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Acknowledgements xi Introduction 1 Chapter 1 4 WELLBEING: SUBJECTMZATION, THE HOLISTIC MILIEU, AND HEALTHCARE 4 The Subjective Turn 6 Spirituality, Religion, and Secularization 8 The Holistic Milieu and Wellbeing Culture 13 Well Blacon 20 Nursing and the Mainstreaming of Holistic Healing 22 Nursing, Healing, and Spirituality 27 Ayurvedic Healing 30 Nursing and Spiritual Development 31 Quantum Healing 34 Concluding Comments 38 Chapter 2 42 ECO-ENCHANTMENT 42 Disenchantment, Re-Enchantment, and Ecology: Some Historical Notes 43 The Problem with Christianity 51 The Deepening of Ecology 54 Mother Earth, Goddess Gaia 61 Re-Enchanted Resistance 65 Eco-Paganism 73 Concluding Comments 80 Chapter 3 82 CLEANSING THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION: THE CONTEMPORARY SACRALIZATION OF PSYCHEDELICS 82 Pre-Modern and Indigenous Psychedelia 83 The Modern Spiritual Psychedelic Revolution: Phase One 85 The Modern Spiritual Psychedelic Revolution: Phase Two 94 The Modern Spiritual Psychedelic Revolution: Phase Three 104 viii Contents Contemporary Psychedelic Shamanism 111 Contemporary Entheogenic Religions and Networks 120 Psychedelic Spirituality and Religious Experience 126 Concluding Comments 132 Chapter 4 135 CYBERSPIRITUALITY 135 Cyberspace and Cyberculture 136 Multiple Selves, Virtual Worlds, and Separate Realities 140 Cyber-Sociability 144 Cyberia and Soul Space 150 Techgnosis and Technopaganism 155 TOPY 159 Concluding Comments 161 Chapter 5 165 THE SACRALIZATION OF THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL 165 UFO Belief, Occulture, and Re-Enchantment 167 The Emergence of Contemporary Ufology 170 Ufoism as Theosophical Religion 172 Ufoism as Physicalist Religion 183 Passing Through Heaven's Gate: UFO Belief, Apocalypticism, and Violence 189 Abduction Spiritualities 194 Crop Circles 201 Concluding Comments 204 Chapter 6 207 DARK OCCULTURE: CONTEMPORARY WESTERN DEMONOLOGY 207 Judaeo-Christian Demonology 208 Belief in the Devil in the Contemporary Western World 216 Satanic Panic 218 Contemporary Satanism 221 Contemporary Vampire Culture 230 The Demonic as Iconic: Satanism in 1960s and 1970s Films 239 Satanism and the Heavy Metal Subculture 246 Demonizing the Extraterrestrial 255 Counselling and Myth Construction 261 Something Worth Screaming About 263 Demonizing the Extraterrestrial in Religious Discourse 263 The Reptilian Agenda 270 Concluding Comments 276 Chapter 7 279 THE END: ESCHATOLOGICAL RE-ENCHANTMENT 279 Apocalypticism, Millennialism, and Millenarianism 281 The Appeal of the Apocalypse 283 ix Contents Millenarian Adventism, Failed Prophecy, and Semiotic Promiscuity 288 When Prophecy Fails 295 Apocalypticism and Violence 299 Popular Millenarianism 306 Millenarianism and Conspiracy Occulture 315 Concluding Comments 325 Notes 328 Bibliography 392 Index 445