Comparing Esoteric Practices from a Global Perspective

This volume is a collection of "tandem papers" co-authored by scholars from different disciplines and regions. Readers will be intrigued to discover unexpected parallels between contemporary practices across diverse cultural and religious contexts. These include, for example, the casting of lots in Chinese temple oracles and the African-Yoruba divination system; ritual consultations in Senegal and Brazil; the marginalization of ritual practices in Indonesia, Bhutan, and Nigeria; the crossroads of late Soviet and Western esotericism; and the spread of the lore of King Salomo in non-scriptural practices. These and many other examples offer rich opportunities for meaningful comparison.