Edmund B. Lingan
The unseen leaves traces
I write nonfiction about the occult. My work reveals the ephemeral traces and physical artifacts that remain in the wake of esoteric belief, ritual, and magic.
Forthcoming book: Occult Midwest
3 Fields Books, an imprint of University of Illinois Press, will be publishing Lingan’s second book, Occult Midwest.
The book is a fun read that will show how and why the Midwest became a site for spiritual and religious experimentation starting with the Northwest Land Ordinance of 1787. The ordinance's first article states that "No person, demeaning himself in a peaceable and orderly manner, shall ever be molested on account of his mode of worship or religious sentiments, in the said territory." This article, by the way, provided a model for the 1st Amendment of the American Constitution. Religious innovation and spiritual creativity are essential characteristics of Midwestern culture.
The Theatre of the Occult Revival
A study of alternative spiritual performance from 1875 to the present, tracing how theatrical practices shaped modern occult and spiritualist traditions.
Alternative Spiritual Performance from 1875 to the Present