Shadow Worlds

A history of the occult and esoteric in New Zealand

Andrew Wood, Andrew Paul Wood

• Publisher: Massey University Press
• eBook ISBN:
  9781991016515
• Year: 2023

A vigorous strand of interest in the occult, the spooky and the mysterious has been part of New Zealand's history since 1840. Shadow Worlds takes a lively look at communicating with spirits, secret ritualistic societies, the supernatural, the New Age — everything from The Golden Dawn and Rosicrucianism to Spiritualism, witchcraft and Radiant Living — and introduces the reader to a cast of fascinating characters who were generally true believers and sometimes con artists. It' s a fresh and novel take on the history of a small colonial society that was not quite as ploddingly conformist as we may have imagined.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. The not-so-secret doctrine
• 2. Children of the Golden Dawn
• 3. The Empire Sentinels
• 4. The Golden Dawn: A Coda
• 5. Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy
• 6. Gomorrah on the Avon
• 7. Bumps in the night
• 8. The women of the Beast
• 9. In science’s robe
• 10. The Age of Aquarius
• 11. Witchcraft and neopaganism
• 12. The Rosy Cross and the OTO
• 13. The Devil rides out
• Epilogue
• Notes
• About the author
• Acknowledgements
• Copyright