Journeys in the Kali Yuga: A Pilgrimage from Esoteric India to Pagan Europe

Cederberg’s visceral, evocative memoir describes a whiskey-fueled pilgrimage from Finland to India that leads him to dive into the ancient magic of the community of the Shiva-emulating naked mystics knows as Naga Babas. The first half of Cederberg’s strange chronicle celebrates the chaos and noise of Indian culture from an utterly unsentimental outsider’s perspective. Cederberg ardently disdains romanticism and the escapist New Age approaches of Westerners, expressing particular ire for “the smug neohippies that sport a strange kind of hip arrogance and a steady stoned gaze and who often wander around scantily clothed and behaving in an inappropriate manner.” A section describing Cederberg’s visit to the erotic temples of Khajuraho feels more like a travelogue than a spiritual investigation, but when he eventually returns to his Nordic homeland he concludes that a reconnection with the tribal gods of peoples’ native lands—as opposed to universalism or exotic spiritual travel—may be what Western seekers actually need. In his rip-roaring English-language debut, Cederberg sets himself as neither guide nor guru, allowing readers to truly participate in his journey without worrying about what exactly they are supposed to learn. (Dec.)