Lightbringers of the North

Reviews

“A pioneering work, well-written, insightful, and darkly humorous, Lightbringers of the North allows English language readers to delve for the first time into that shadow side of the Finnish soul, where they will find many marvelous, strange, and terrifying things--both tragic and majestic but perhaps also illuminations of the True North.” “In any old Scandinavian ghost story, there’s always the ‘scary old Finn’ with the power of second sight. This stereotype from Finland’s neighbors reveals an archaic thread in Finnish culture that has made Finland a great place for the occult notions of the last three hundred years to grow and mutate into something rich and strange. Until this wonderful volume we had no idea how rich, how strange, and (in contrast) how useful and practical. This is a volume for every serious occultist and scholar’s shelf.” “This well-researched and fascinating book is a real mind-opener— in many ways. Not only thanks to Finland’s unique history, containing so many larger-than-life individuals and events, but also on a general level in which we learn again and again that human beings will always gravitate toward the magical and miraculous in order to achieve genuine transformation. This particular Finnish prism or perspective is engaging as well as inspiring and provides a truly mesmerizing reading experience.” “Lightbringers of the North is among the rarest sorts of work a reader can expect to find. It reveals dark corners of knowledge and experience in a completely contemporary setting, yet one that is deeply embedded in the traditions of the Finnish north-world. The events described seem to stem from the most profound realm, yet the authors are able to bring this into the sphere of understanding of the discerning reader of today--a treasure trove of dark powers.” “Lightbringers of the North takes the reader on an informative, vivid, and exciting journey to the esoteric world that has often been forgotten in the Finnish history of religions and spirituality. The gallery of the lightbringers and their life stories are truly captivating. The book shows how the hunger for the spiritual and arcane knowledge can take various forms, expressing many aspects of human life, tragic, deep, sometimes even hilarious.” "The authors of Lightbringers of the North cover a tremendous amount of occult Finnish history. They even delve into the background of Freemasony there, back when Finland was still part of Russia and the Masonic order was banned, causing adherents to create a number of secret societies like the Carpenter’s Order, the Hypotenuse Order, and the Brotherhood of February 17, including how following Finland’s independence from Russia in 1917, lodges began to reappear once again. Being heavily into UFO personalities, stories, and groups for well over half a century now, I was especially interested in reading about Finnish Ufology." "The authors of Lightbringers of the North have an ambitious goal of providing a thorough account of Finnish esotericism, mainly through individual histories. While this is virtually impossible within one book, the authors offer an impressive contribution to the discourse on esotericism and New Age movements in Finland. Although the book is aimed at a general audience, it is also likely to be useful for scholarly researchers." Expand reviews