"The mystical, the mysterious and the macabre have attracted and repelled people from the beginnings of the human race. There was a time when witches were hunted and burned at stakes and people who were thought to be possessed by demons were shunned or stoned. But in our time--the Aquarian 70s--there has been a dramatic shift in attitude toward those who experience the occult world or are in some way 'spiritually different.' Maxine believes she was alive in Rome during the time of Julius Caesar and that one day in the Forum she killed her husband. Ronald speaks in tongues as a higher form of praying: '...calamandro...kuboosh...haykya...' Lisa, a witch, says, 'There are doctors and businessmen and scientists and people from every walk of life who belong to covens.' Mrs. Faber 'talks' through automatic writing to her deceased husband who has been to other planets. Spiritualists, revivalists, astrologers and exorcists were all challenges to veteran reporter Robert T. Smith. Mr. Smith's 25 years of journalistic experiences have taught him to be skeptical. During his numerous interviews there were events that he said, 'Couldn't be explained naturally.' One reviewer reported, 'Cult & Occult is like a catalog covering all of the unexplainable mystical and spiritual experiences you've heard about in a lifetime. Believers will find in it an affirmation of what they already believe. Others will be fascinated by the diversity.' Cult & Occult is a revealing book. It includes true reports about individuals following paths toward religious rituals, the stars, God, the Devil, peace with nature and the open door to the unknown."--back cover.