Hidden religion : the greatest mysteries and symbols of the world's religious beliefs PDF
Preview Hidden religion : the greatest mysteries and symbols of the world's religious beliefs
Hidden Religion This page intentionally left blank Hidden Religion The Greatest Mysteries and Symbols of the World’s Religious Beliefs Micah Issitt and Carlyn Main Copyright 2014 by ABC-CLIO, LLC All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Issitt, Micah L. Hidden religion : the greatest mysteries and symbols of the world’s religious beliefs / Micah Issitt and Carlyn Main. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-61069-477-3 (print : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-61069-478-0 (e-book) 1. Mysteries, Religious. 2. Religions. 3. Art. 4. Symbolism. I. Title. BL610.I87 2014 200—dc23 2014014697 ISBN: 978-1-61069-477-3 EISBN: 978-1-61069-478-0 18 17 16 15 14 1 2 3 4 5 This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. Visit www.abc-clio.com for details. ABC-CLIO, LLC 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper ∞ Manufactured in the United States of America Contents Preface xi Introduction: History and Mystery xv ABRAHAMIC AND IRANIAN RELIGIONS 1 Judaism 3 Chai Symbol 6 Gematria 8 Kabbalah 11 Kiddush Cup 14 Menorah 16 Mezuzah 20 Sephirot 23 Star of David 25 Zionist Conspiracy Theories 29 Christianity and Catholicism 33 Christ-myth Theory 36 College of Cardinals 39 Cross 41 Dove 45 Eye of God 47 Fish 50 Freemasonry 52 The Knights Templar 57 Latter-day Saints 61 Olive Branch 64 Opus Dei 66 v vi | Contents Secrets of Fatima 69 Vatican Secret Archives 71 Gnosticism 75 Eight-armed Cross 77 Ouroboros 79 Secrets of the Naassenes 82 Islam 85 Ismaili Assassins 88 Rub-el-hizb 90 Shahadatain 93 Star and Crescent 96 Sufism 99 Women in Islam 102 Baha’i 107 Baha’i Calendar 109 Nine-pointed Star 111 Ringstone Symbol 113 Rastafarianism 115 Haile Selassie 116 Lion of Judah 119 Marijuana 122 Rastafarian Flag 125 Zoroastrianism 129 Faravahar 131 Firepot 134 The Life of Zoroaster 137 DHARMIC RELIGIONS 143 Hinduism 145 Hanuman 148 Kali Cults 151 The Kama Sutra 154 Om Symbol 157 Swastika 160 Contents | vii Tantrism 163 Trishula 166 Yantras 169 Buddhism 173 Ashoka and the Nine Unknown Men 176 Buddhist Demons and Monsters 179 Conch Shell 182 Dharmachakra 185 Eyes of Buddha 187 The Life of Buddha 190 Lotus 193 White Lotus Society 196 Zen and Chan Buddhism 199 Jainism 203 Jain Emblem 205 Jainism and Science 207 Time in Jain Cosmology 210 Sikhism 215 Ek Onkar 217 Khalsa Knighthood 219 Khanda 222 The Rehat Maryada 225 EAST ASIAN RELIGIONS 229 Taoism 231 Alchemy 234 The Celestial Bureaucracy 237 Eight Trigrams 241 Feng Shui 244 Traditional Chinese Medicine 247 Yin-yang Symbol 250 Shinto 255 Kagura 257 Kami 260 Tomoe 263 Torii Gate 266 viii | Contents Confucianism 271 Canonical Confucianism 273 Double Happiness Symbol 276 The Life of Confucius 279 Shui 282 Xiao 284 Falun Gong 289 Falun Gong Emblem 290 Qigong 293 AFRICAN RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS 299 Native Religions of Africa 301 Adinkra Symbols 303 Cattle in Maasai Spirituality 306 Kuba Masks 310 Zulu Divination 312 Ancient Egyptian Religion 317 Animals in Egyptian Religion 320 Ankh 325 Isis Worship 328 Loa and Orisha Worship 333 African Mermaid Myths 336 Animal Sacrifice 340 The Bizango and Zombification 343 The Haitian Loa 347 INDIGENOUS AMERICAN RELIGIONS 353 Mayan Religion 355 Jaguar 358 The Mayan Calendar 361 Aztec Religion 367 Human Sacrifice 369 Quetzalcoatl 373 Tenochtitlan 376 Contents | ix Incan Religion 381 Andean Mummification Rituals 383 Chakana 387 Water Spirits 389 Native American Religion 393 Coyote 395 The Ghost Dance Movement 398 Great Spirit Symbolism 402 Kokopelli 404 Medicine Wheel 407 Peyote Rituals 410 Rain Dance 414 Symbols of the Sun 417 Totem Pole 420 OCEANIC RELIGIONS 425 Australian Aboriginal Religion 427 Dreamtime 429 Kangaroo 432 The Rainbow Serpent 435 Uluru and Kata Tjuta 439 Polynesian Religion 443 The Moai 446 Ritual Tattooing 449 Tapu and Mana 452 Tiki 454 WESTERN PAGANISM 459 Ancient Greek and Roman Religion 461 Dionysus 465 Hellenism Symbol 469 Mithraic Mysteries 472 New Age and Neo-pagan Spirituality 477 Horned God Symbol 481 Mjolnir 484
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