Shadow Worlds: A History of the Occult and Esoteric in New Zealand - A review

Bronwyn Rideout - 25 December 2023

Author: Andrew Paul Wood

Publisher: Massey University Press

ISBN: 9781991016379

Date published: 13 July 2023

Pages: 424

Format: Paperback

RRP: $55.00

_“A vigorous strand of interest in the occult, the spooky and the mysterious has been part of our history since 1840.

Shadow Worlds takes a lively look at communicating with spirits, secret ritualistic societies, the supernatural, the New Age - everything from The Golden Dawn and Rosicrucianism to Spiritualism, witchcraft and Radiant Living - and introduces the reader to a cast of fascinating characters who were generally true believers and sometimes con artists. It’s a fresh and novel take on the history of a small colonial society that was not quite as ploddingly conformist as we may have imagined.”_ - Back Cover blurb

Shadow Worlds is a fascinating look at Occult and Esoteric practices in New Zealand from the 1800s through to the early 21st century. This is not a compendium of fringe sects or cults, but rather takes a net of select threads - Theosophy, The Golden Dawn, Spiritualism - and pulls in all the schisms and breakaway groups that eventually made their way to these Antipodean shores. So, this is not a book that explores Centrepoint, Gloriavale, ISTA/Highden, or Adidam, but that is not to its detriment. The attention given to Steiner, Builders of the Adytum, and all the goings-on in Havelock North are demonstrative of Wood’s commitment to telling a very New Zealand story, albeit a very pākehā one. Wood acknowledges his inclusion of Māori beliefs and practices is limited to Māori who were involved in western occult/esoteric practices, and where Māori tikanga was appropriated by said practices; he similarly acknowledges that the supernatural beliefs of Chinese immigrants who arrived with the Otago gold rush are best written by a culturally appropriate writer.

As a lay-researcher in this field, I see Shadow Worlds as a worthy companion to Robert S. Ellwood’s Islands of the Dawn: The Story of Alternative Spirituality in New Zealand. While Wood’s work on Theosophy and the Havelock North legacy strongly overlaps with Ellwood’s writing, Wood continually surprises with insight into uniquely kiwi stories about intentional communities and groups like Zenith Applied Philosophy (ZAP). The true standouts are the last four chapters, which explore the diversity of new age practices and the incursion of right-wing nationalists such as Kerry Bolton into neopagan practices and the modern revival of the OTO.

Wood’s writing is accessible and, when needed, effective in translating the dense and over-elaborate prose of new age writers. Fortunately, the author doesn’t get stuck in the weeds of doctrine and dogma, sticking instead to dates, events, and the movers and shakers in between. Interspersed are numerous historical photos and documentary evidence, which help enhance the multiple stories Wood’s weaves together.

Whether you are a devotee of the strange or a neophyte trying to make sense of the colonial spiritual milieu, Shadow Worlds is a worthy addition to any skeptic’s bookshelf.

That is, if you can keep yourself from sharing it with all and sundry.