Hidden religion : the greatest mysteries and symbols of the world's religious beliefs

556 Pages·2014·6.36 MB·English

by  Main

Hidden Religion
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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
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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