Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Preface, Acknowledgments, and Apologies introduction Sex Magic, Modernity, and the Search for Liberation 1. the recurring nightmare, the elusive secret Historical and Imaginary Roots of Sex Magic in the Western Tradition 2. sex power is god power Paschal Beverly Randolph and the Birth of Sex Magic in Victorian America 3. the yoga of sex Tantra, Kama Sutra, and Other Exotic Imports from the Mysterious Orient 4. the beast with two backs Aleister Crowley and Sex Magick in Late Victorian England 5. the yoga of power Sex Magic, Tantra, and Fascism in Twentieth-Century Europe 6. the goddess and the great rite Sex Magic and Feminism in the Neo-Pagan Revival 7. the age of satan Satanic Sex and the Black Mass, from Fantasy to Reality 8. sexual chaos Chaos Magic, Cybersex, and Religion for a Postmodern Age conclusion The Lessons of King Lamus: Religion, Sexuality, and Liberation in a "Post-Orgy" World Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author

Hugh B. Urban is Associate Professor of Religious Studies in the Department of Comparative Studies at Ohio State University and author of Tantra: Sex, Secrecy, Politics, and Power in the Study of Religion (UC Press) and The Economics of Ecstasy: Tantra, Secrecy, and Power in Colonial Bengal.

Reviews

"This book offers a fascinating account of the development of Western sexual magic through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Urban focuses on an extraordinary set of historical figures, and his rich analysis illuminates the sexual - and supernatural - undercurrents that have shaped modernity." - Randall Styers, author of Making Magic: Religion, Magic, and Science in the Modern World"