Psychanodia: I. A Survey of the Evidence Concerning the Ascension of the Soul and its Relevance

by Ioan Petru Culianu

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Ioan Petru Culianu was a Romanian historian of religion, culture, and ideas, a philosopher and political essayist, and a short story writer. He served as professor of the history of religions at the University of Chicago from 1988 to his death, and had previously taught the history of Romanian culture at the University of Groningen.

An expert in gnosticism and Renaissance magic, he was encouraged and befriended by Mircea Eliade, though he gradually distanced himself from his mentor. Culianu published seminal work on the interrelation of the occult, Eros, magic, physics, and history.

Culianu was murdered in 1991. It has been much speculated his murder was in consequence of his critical view of Romanian national politics. Some factions of the Romanian political right openly celebrated his murder. The Romanian Securitate, which he once lambasted as a force "of epochal stupidity", has also been suspected of involvement and of using puppet fronts on the right as cover.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot to love in this scholarly historiography of the ascent of the soul through the heavenly spheres. For one it’s quite short. It’s also extremely dense, giving me many new paths of inquiry I may embark on. However, it is quite old and the scholarly debate of its time is not a primary interest of mine. Further all foreign texts (of which there is a lot) is left untranslated, quite a flex for the author, genius he may have been, but difficult for me. All in all it’s a mixed bag but I left with the desire to read more from the author who I understand was an expert in late antique religion and a disciple of the great Mircea Eliade. He also may have been murdered by the Romanian Securitate while teaching in Chicago, but his murder remains unfortunately unsolved. (It is Chicago after all)

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marginally more convincing than the Left Behind books.