American Gnosis
Political Religion and Transcendence
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:21st Dec '23
Should be back in stock very soon
The Greek word "gnosis," defined as direct spiritual knowledge or insight, has its origins in historical offshoots of Christianity in late antiquity. But the terms “Gnosticism” and “gnosis” have become widespread in many other contexts. They are common in contemporary scholarship on religion and in popular usage among magical, religious, and spiritual practitioners. And they have entered popular usage in contemporary society, with applications in numerous political, religious, and cultural contexts. Gnosis and Gnosticism have become leitmotifs in popular culture, in films such as The Matrix and Dark City, as well as in anime and other popular art forms. In American Gnosis, Arthur Versluis explores the fascinating connection between the Gnostic tradition and contemporary American spirituality, politics, and popular media. Versluis surveys themes of Gnosticism and gnosis in American culture, both within the United States and in global contexts. Versluis shows that gnosis is key to understanding a wide spectrum of global syncretic religious and intellectual movements-some sensational, even wild, but all fascinating. American gnosis, he argues, is a defining feature of hybrid new religious forms in the twenty-first century. Versluis provides case studies of major contemporary figures and texts that are emblematic of neo-gnosticism, offering a comprehensive framework of gnosis and an understanding of gnostic trends in modernity. He explores how neo-gnostic memes recur in social media and shows how American gnosis has manifested as spiritual independence, reflecting the ever-growing demographic category “spiritual but not religious.” In delving into the intersection of contemporary American spirituality, politics, and literature, American Gnosis uncovers the remarkable prevalence of neo-gnostic elements today.
In this compelling book, Arthur Versluis looks at many aspects of modern America in terms of the neo-gnostic world view. In it, we encounter multidimensionality, hyperspace, immortal avatars, sexual magic, Tibetan Buddhism, Shambhala, psychedelic drugs and much else. American Gnosis is a heady rollercoaster journey that leaves the reader pondering profound questions about the struggle for freedom of the human spirit and the challenges that it faces in the present age. * Christopher McIntosh, Author of The Rosicrucians, Beyond the North Wind and Occult Russia *
In American Gnosis, Versluis searches the modern Americas for the paradoxes and syncretisms of gnosis freed from its ancient roots. Versluis is the Sherlock of contemporary Gnosticism, and his sleuthing has paid off! * April DeConick, Author of The Gnostic New Age: How A Countercultural Spirituality Revolutionized Religion From Antiquity to Today *
Versluis's new book bursts the bounds set by more timid scholarship, with a cast of characters at the limits of respectability-as some Gnostics have always been. Its exhibition of neo-gnostic attitudes in politics, philosophy, and popular culture is a feast of curiosity and erudition, anchored by a sense of what true gnosis could mean in a desperate age. * Joscelyn Godwin, Author of The Golden Thread: The Ageless Wisdom of the Western Mystery Traditions *
The material is rich, including many lesser known names. Although the topic is America, Versluis provides a very wide comparative framework, with comparisons ranging from Communism to Tibetan Buddhism. This is an instructive book for students of esotericism, gnosticism, and different aspects of modern culture. * Nemanja Radulović, Religious Studies Review *
In American Gnostics, Arthur Versluis gives us another fascinating tour through some of the more obscure byways of American spirituality, and it is a worthy addition to his previous volumes exploring this terrain. * Brian C. Wilson, Nova Religio *
ISBN: 9780197653210
Dimensions: 163mm x 226mm x 46mm
Weight: 544g
296 pages