Sacred eroticism has been an important if neglected feature of Western esotericism from the early modern era down to the present day. Founded in Romania, the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute (MISA) turned sacred esotericism into the central feature of a mass movement, gathering some 30,000 students worldwide. Based on extensive fieldwork and interviews, the book explores the history of MISA from its origins to the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting in detail its ideas about Tantra and eroticism. It also discusses MISA’s approach to visual arts and cinema, including some of its members’ early incursions into the slippery world of adult movies. The study concludes with a look at hostile reactions to MISA, which have led to the issuing of arrest warrants against its founder amid a series of criminal accusations, which the movement rejects as fabricated by opponents.

Massimo Introvigne is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), and the author of some 70 books and more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, mostly in the field of new religious movements. In 2011, he has served as the Representative for combating racism, xenophobia and religious discrimination of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).