Satanism, Magic and Mysticism in Fin-de-Siecle France

In response to the growing influence of Republicanism, science, and secularism, turn-of-the-century France witnessed a powerful movement toward mysticism, magic, and Satanism. Serious occultists, declaring themselves heirs of Hermes Trismegestius, published works fueling interest in spiritualism, as [...]
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In response to the growing influence of Republicanism, science, and secularism, turn-of-the-century France witnessed a powerful movement toward mysticism, magic, and Satanism. Serious occultists, declaring themselves heirs of Hermes Trismegestius, published works fueling interest in spiritualism, astral travel, and spell-casting. Capitalizing on church concerns over the spread of devil-worship, Leo Taxil propagated the stunningly intricate hoax of Palladism, declaring that the Freemasons had established in Lodges throughout the world a cult of Lucifer devoted to sexual debauchery and mass murder of the faithful. Disenchanted with religion that preached reason and moderation, fin-de-siecle Catholics turned increasingly toward mystical beliefs extolling the value of personal suffering that would help to hasten the fervently hoped-for apocalypse. Examining the cultural determinants accounting for this flourishing of the supernatural, this volume examines the emergence in France of the mystic, the Magus, and the malefactor.