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Brotherhood‖ and the theory of the one great master race might have played a significant
role in the early development of the Third Reich and what eventually became Nazi Germany.
Certainly, some of the roots of Adolph Hitler's philosophy came out of the spiritual
movement of these early teachers/mediums.
Also remiss in Melton‘s book is an analysis of how the spiritualism movement, characterized
by ―mediums‖ who ostensibly helped people communicate with the dead, made a quantum
leap to ―prophets and chosen teachers‖ or emissaries of ―cosmic masters.‖ Such a leap in
turn gave rise to new age groups at high risk of abuse because they required no
accountability from group leaders for personal behavior, ethics, financial payoffs, sexual
demands, psychological abuse, etc. The new age movement, while it has interesting roots
in social and psychological changes in our society, is not always the benign
sociological/philosophical movement that Melton portrays it to be. In this reviewer's opinion,
a number of the groups mentioned in his book could be called cults or could be accused of
coercing followers into conforming to the dictates of the leader(s).
Melton‘s Chapter 2, ―Altered States,‖ journeys into the realm of different states of
consciousness, covering everything from meditation to channeling to past life regression.
He focuses extensively on the notion of people searching for new experiences in
consciousness and ways in which this can be achieved. In Chapter 3, ―Mystery Theater,‖
Melton highlights new age topics ranging from alien abductions, to historical perspective on
Lemuria and Atlantis, to a rundown of the major arcana in the Tarot cards and their
symbolic meanings.
Perhaps the most useful chapters in the entire book are chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 4, ―On
The Road to Samadi,‖ touches on a wide variety of different types of yoga and meditation
techniques. Chapter 5, ―Positive States,‖ is devoted to homeopathic and naturopathic
healing techniques. Among the techniques Melton writes about are: chiropractic, applied
kinesiology, acupuncture, Bach flower remedies, biorhythms, Chinese medicine, Rolfing,
reflexology, cleansing, and herbal treatments. For anyone wishing to understand more
about natural healing techniques and their origins, this section of the book might be useful.
Chapter 6, ―Star Karma,‖ and Chapter 7, ―Temple of Cosmic Wisdom,‖ are devoted to the
new age activities of Hollywood stars and emerging new age groups. Among the new age
groups he includes in Chapter 7 are: the Aquarian Movement, Dianetics (aka Scientology),
the Great White Brotherhood, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, est, Wicca, Baba Ram Dass and Zen
Master Rama. Again, Melton doesn‘t scrutinize questionable activities that have taken place
in some of these groups. Also, because the book was originally published in 1991 new age
groups that emerged later in the 1990‘s such as Heaven‘s Gate are not included in the book,
as well as the demise of ―Zen Master Rama‖ (aka Fred Lenz) who committed suicide in
1998. One problem with documenting the activities of new age groups in a book like this is
that these groups are ever changing and reinventing themselves. Unlike Melton‘s
documentation of different religions of the world which have more stable foundations and
doctrines, new age groups change their modus operandi, doctrine, and public masks so
regularly that it becomes difficult to say what they are about or what their agendas might
be.
Chapter 8, ―Worldview,‖ concludes with a new look at the changing sociological and political
landscape of the times as influenced possibly by the new age. We read about communities
and organizations that define the ―new age social vision‖: The Farm, Findhorn Community,
Windstar Foundation, Bear Tribe, and Greenpeace. Melton finishes by discussing the idea
that man is moving toward raising consciousness in the social sense as well as the personal
sense, and that this in turn will lead to changes in planetary consciousness in the new age.
Melton's New Age Almanac is a samplinga smorgasbordof new age ideas, movements,
teachers, and methods. The book works best as a reference guide only. Because the scope

Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 17, 2000, Page 143
of the book is so enormous, most of it seems rather superficial. We get a snapshot of the
founder of a movement and where it started, not what a group stands for, where it is now,
or if it is still around at all. The book needs to be taken with a grain of salt because so-
called new age groups change and evolve according to the whims of the leader(s), and as
such they are always dynamic.
As a chronicle of new social and spiritual movements, Melton‘s book is an exhaustive
attempt at documenting the ever-changing world of new age groups. His bibliography of
suggested reading is 36 pages long and will be useful to anyone who seeks to study this
area in depth. This book could be handy as a reference tool, but, because it was published
before the Internet became accessible to the common person, its utility is limited. Before I
would use this book for a reference tool, I would use the Internet to obtain current
information about a group.
The book's utility is further limited because it failed to advise spiritual consumers about the
potential risks new groups might pose for them. Unfortunately, New Age Almanac remains
merely a cafeteria of new age samplings --interesting, but lacking in depth and insight.
Sharon Colvin
Westminster, Colorado
Prophetic Charisma: The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious
Personalities. L. Oakes. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1997, 246 pp.
Charismatic Cult Leaders. T. Streissguth. Minneapolis, MN: The Oliver Press,
1995, 160 pp.
The link between these two slim volumes is obviously the word ―charisma.‖ Oakes, a former
member of a communal cult in New Zealand, later studied the psychology of charisma as a
resident observer of the group for several years and then for his doctoral dissertation.
Streissguth, a journalist and sometime teacher, has singled out eight charismatic leaders
from John of Leiden (1509-1536) to David Koresh (1959-1993) to introduce cults and their
leaders to juvenile readers. He attempts to distinguish between those leaders who
exploited their followers and those who did not.
Looking first at the Streissguth book, the author‘s effort to show abuse of trust and power
by several leaders is apparent. The essence of ―charisma‖ is explained in the brief
introduction, but the word is mentioned only once more in direct connection with any of the
cult leaders. The ―magnetism‖ of a Father Divine or Sun Myung Moon tends to get lost in a
welter of other details, including how many of the leaders changed their names for various
reasons, as well as how their early beneficial community efforts were often downplayed
later as the leaders became more and more subject to narcissistic demands and growing
paranoia. In addressing a youthful audience, Streissguth should have recalled from his
teaching experience that a concluding chapter helps to summarize and synthesize the major
points made in a text. The absence of such a chapter here reduces the value of the facts
conveyed for too many of the book‘s young readers.
Oakes, writing for a more adult audience, mentions many of the same leaders – Hubbard,
Jones, Moon, Joseph Smith – as he develops a theory of the life cycle of messianic and
charismatic leaders. His own experience in a communal group plus his research on 20
groups in New Zealand gives him an unusual perspective.
Oakes defines a prophet as ―one who (a) espouses a message of salvation that is opposed
to conventional values, and (b) attracts a following of people who look to him for guidance
in their daily lives‖ (p. 2). Whether male or female, the group leaders and prophets who he
studied displayed a few common traits: enormous energy, grandiose self-confidence,
fixation on a revolutionary vision, ―phenomenal‖ rhetorical skill, and extreme