Pagan Resurrection: A Force for Evil or the Future of Western Spirituality?

This controversial study of the rise of paganism suggests that the pagan god Odin and not Christ is the single most important spiritual influence in western civilization.The author, an anthropologist, makes the claim that paganism, far from being a New Age fad, is fast becoming a major spiritual, intellectual, ecological and political force across the globe. Our civilization, our belief systems and indeed our psyche have been formed by the pagan god Odin. The influence of Christ, he says, has been relatively recent and shallow.Rudgley takes the reader through the strange world of modern pagan cults, the beliefs that underpin important parts of modern culture, such as The Lord of the Rings and the highly pagan counterculture that sprang up in the sixties and which now offers an attractive alternative spiritual vision to the millions who feel alienated from Christianity. Paganism, like Christianity, can be a force for good or evil. At this turning point in history, he says, we need to choose between the dark and destructive paganism that gave rise to Nazism and modern right-wing movements in America and, on the other hand, the green paganism of ecology and alternative spirituality. As with other controversial works of alternative history/spirituality such as The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, the time is now just right for Pagan Resurrection.From the Hardcover edition.

Politics & Social Sciences

RUDGLEY, Richard

Archaeology

Arrow

Challenging conventional mythology on the subject, this informative illustrated guide to psychoactive drugs explores the wide and wacky world of psychodelics, from the age-old practice of poppy growing, to the morphine craze of the nineteenth century, to the recent popularity of Ecstasy.

The Encyclopaedia of Psychoactive Substances

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Reference

St Martins Pr

For all those who might like to believe that drug use has been relegated to the suburban rec rooms and ghetto crack houses of the late twentieth century, The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances offers shocking, yet thoroughly enlightening evidence to the contrary. In fact, from Neolithic man to Queen Victoria, humans have abused all sorts of drugs in the name of religion, tradition, and recreation, including such "controlled substances" as chocolate, lettuce, and toads. From glue-sniffing to LSD to kava, The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances provides the first reliable, comprehensive exploration of this fascinating and controversial topic. With over one hundred entries, acclaimed author Richard Rudgley covers not only the chemical and botanical background of each substance, but its physiological and psychological effect on the user. Of particular value is Rudgley's emphasis on the historical and cultural role of these mind-altering substances. Impeccably researched and hugely entertaining, The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances will appeal to anyone interested in one of the most misunderstood and yet also most widespread of human activities - the chemical quest for an altered state of consciousness.

The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances

Encyclopedias & Subject Guides

St. Martin's: Griffin

A British scholar challenges the conventional view of the Stone Age as minimally civilized, pointing out the many advances of its peoples, from their maps of the constellations to their innovations in boat building

The Lost Civilizations of the Stone Age

History

Ancient Civilizations

Free Press

An authoritative, eye-opening look at Stone Age civilizations that explodes traditional portrayals of prehistory The rise of historical civilization 5,000 years ago is often depicted as if those societies were somehow created out of nothing. However, recent discoveries of astonishing accomplishments from the Neolithic Age -- in art, technology, writing, math, science, religion, medicine and exploration -- demand a fundamental rethinking of humanity before the dawn of written history. In this fascinating book, Richard Rudgley describes how * The intrepid explorers of the Stone Age discovered all of the world's major land masses long before the so-called Age of Discovery * Stone Age man performed medical operations, including amputations and delicate cranial surgeries * Paleolithic cave artists of Western Europe used techniques that were forgotten until the Renaissance * Prehistoric life expectancy was better than it is for contemporary third-world populations Rudgley reminds us just how savage so-called civilized people can be, and demonstrates how the cultures that have been reviled as savage were truly civilized. The Lost Civilizations of the Stone Age shows the great debt that contemporary society owes to its prehistoric predecessors. It is a rich introduction to a lost world that will redefine the meaning of civilization itself.

The popular view that Stone Age Man was primitive and ignorant is shattered as the author reveals the remarkable accomplishments made before the dawn of history. The journey begins in ancient Egypt, where excavations at Abydos have unearthed hieroglyphs belonging to an age before the pharaohs. It continues to stone circles and burial chambers in Ireland which carbon dating proves pre-date Stonehenge by two millennia, to the world's first town, 9,000-year-old Catal Huyuk in Turkey, and to startling new research on the Ice Man, the 5,000-year-old mummy found in an Alpine glacier. The author discusses 11,000-year-old writing unearthed on the banks of the Euphrates, awe-inspiring cave paintings of Ice Age France, and the discovery of stone tools in Indonesia that proves that pre-Neanderthal man undertook sea voyages 700,000 years before the Kon Tiki.

Secrets of the Stone Age

World

RANDOM HOUSE UK

Far from being just a New Age fad, paganism is fast becoming a major spiritual, intellectual, ecological, and political force across the globe. This study puts forward a fascinating and controversial idea—namely that it is the pagan god Odin and not Christ who is the single most important spiritual influence in western civilization. This study investigates the strange world of modern pagan cults and the beliefs that underpin important parts of modern culture, such as Lord of the Rings and the highly pagan counterculture that sprang up in the 1960s that now offers an attractive alternative spiritual vision to millions alienated from Christianity. It explains the ancient idea of the Web—a cosmic field of energies that encompasses time, space, and the hidden potentials of the human organism—and shows that this is a pagan equivalent to the eastern tradition of the Tao. Our civilization, our belief systems and attitudes, and indeed our psyche have been formed by Odin, whereas the influence of Christ has been relatively recent and shallow.

The popular view of Stone Age man as a primitive and ignorant forerunner of ourselves is shattered as an eminent scientist reveals the remarkable accomplishments made before the dawn of history. Illustrated with 150 color photos.

Secrets of the Stone Age: A Prehistoric Journey

Century

From opium in Stone Age Europe to petrol sniffing in aboriginal Australia, intoxicants have always featured prominently in societies all over the world. In this study, the author shows how "magic mushrooms" in Siberia and New Guinea, the mysterious "haoma" plant in ancient India and Iran, and "yaje", peyote and tobacco in the New World have all played a central role in the religious or social life of the community, and that altered states of consciousness produced by each intoxicant are shaped by cultural values. The book also explores the use of psychoacvtive substances in European witchcraft, and the way that scientists, poets and artists introduced new hallucogens, such as mescaline and LSD into the West. A final chapter examines the social aspects of milder stimulants such as coffee, tea, betel, qat, cola, coca and kava and the rituals surrounding them, showing that their significance extends beyond the simple pleasure of the individual to the religious, legal, economic, political anmd sexual life of communities. This book is the 1991 winner of the Prometheus award, made for the most outstanding synopsis for a first book by a young unpublished author in the field of archaeology, ethnography or ancient history.

The alchemy of culture: Intoxicants in society

Social Sciences

British Museum Press

This exploration of the use of intoxicants in society reveals how drugs have had a central role in the religious and social life of a wide range of cultures around the world, from Stone Age Europe and Classical Greece to the New World and New Guinea. Rudgley looks at the use of psychoactive substances in European witchcraft, the role of scientists, poets and artists in introducing new hallucinogens into the West, and the social use of milder stimulants such as alcohol, tobacco and tea.

The Alchemy of Culture

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by RUDGLEY, Richard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by RUDGLEY, Richard

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by RUDGLEY, Richard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Pagan Resurrection: A Force for Evil or the Future of Western Spirituality?

The Encyclopaedia of Psychoactive Substances

The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances

The Lost Civilizations of the Stone Age

The Lost Civilizations of the Stone Age

Secrets of the Stone Age

Pagan Resurrection: A Force for Evil or the Future of Western Spirituality?

Secrets of the Stone Age: A Prehistoric Journey

The alchemy of culture: Intoxicants in society

The Alchemy of Culture