The Bride Who Ran Away [Hardcover]

This is one of the earliest popular books on new religious movements, and although of course it's now vastly out of date (it was published in 1976, and I don't think it was ever updated) it's still one of the best. Annett covers some of the well-established forms of alternative spirituality, including the Quakers, the Mormons and Christian Science, and he has a full chapter on Eastern movements (the Hare Krishna movements, the Divine Light Mission (now Elan Vital), Rajneesh (now Osho) and many more). But the subtitle of the book is "A Guide to Spiritual Groups and Growth Centres in Britain", and its main focus is on esoteric, New Age and personal development movements -- and here the breadth of his coverage, along with his non-judgemental approach, make this book a joy to read.

In his Introduction he writes that his book has two purposes: "to give a broad picture of the extraordinary ferment that makes up the non-establishment spiritual state of Britain; and to help people to make contact with groups that they might find sympathetic." There are 30 pages of addresses at the end of the book, though of course many of them are no longer valid. He goes on:

"I would not be so foolish as to suggest that I have been entirely objective in compiling 'The Many Ways of Being', but I have at least been as fair to all the groups as I am able. I have tried to restrict myself to facts without being colourless, and I apologise in advance to anyone who feels that my prejudices and feelings have succeeded in creeping into the text in any particular cases."

It's that sort of open and honest attitude that makes this book so worthwhile and still so readable. For good and for bad, "sects and cults" and assorted alternative spiritualities exploded in Britain in the late-60s and early-70s -- hence this book at that time. But most of the movements and beliefs and practices that Annett covers are still with us today in one form or another, and although sadly they still sometimes attract the pejorative attention of the tabloid press, many of them are now more accepted as Britain has become a more spiritually pluralistic society.

For anyone interested in alternative spirituality The Many Ways of Being is still worth reading nearly 35 years on, for several reasons. First, as an historical record this is a superb snapshot of alternative spirituality in Britain in the early-70s. Second, of course, all the factual information about the origins and history of groups up to that point is still valid, whatever may have occurred in the years since then. And third, but by no means last, this is how it should be done, and the very fact that this book still stands up so many years later is proof of that. As a writer on alternative religions myself, I am proud to follow in the footsteps of this book.