In the wake of changing political attitudes and cultural values, it's time for a look at what can now be discerned as an equally new development, on the fringes of Western civilization, among what came to be known as "popular culture," during the so-called pre- and post-war eras: a new kind of spiritual teacher or "guru," one more interested in methods, techniques and results than in dogmas, institutions, or - especially - followers.

James O'Meara examines these "populist gurus" from a wide variety of different perspectives, featuring substantial chapters on well-known figures such as William Burroughs, Aleister Crowley, Colin Wilson, Alan Watts, Neville Goddard, and Julius Evola, as well as such fringe phenomena as Chaos Magick and even the origins of the Internet's 'meme magic.'

Could it be that those who have looked in vain for a revival of traditional spirituality, have been looking in the wrong place? Perhaps it has been here all along, but in a new form, more appropriate for the modern era.