The authorship of these files on cults has his or her own motivations for providing them a

    [Fredric Rice, The Skeptic Tank:  The authorship of these files on
    cults has his or her own motivations for providing them and will
    contain his or her own bias.  What I find typical is that
    individuals and organizations which report on cults are usually
    themselves a competition cult yet like to think of themselves as
    "a religion, not a cult."  In actual fact, _ALL_ religions are
    cults by the primary, secondary, and terciary usage definition of
    the term.  Some of the information you find here is inaccurate and
    contains urban legend -- take what you find with a grain of salt.
    If you wish to acquire a copy of the Law Enforcement Guide on
    Occult Crime, contact myself at frice@stbbs.com or at The Skeptic
    Tank (818) 335-9601 and I'll forward the address and information
    you need.]

Qabalah

Small New Age religions wanting to root themselves within a
mystical tradition often weave interpretations of the Qabalah
into their belief systems. It is a 'timeless' body of esoteric,
complicated and magical doctrines that are supposed to have been
revealed to Adam by the Archangel Gabriel. From Adam they were
passed down orally until a 13th-century Spanish rabbi Qabalist
transcribed some of them in an interpretation of the Book of
Moses.

Those who study the Qabalah (which takes about four years) believe
that it can be used to evoke benign and demonic spirits. One New
Age group to take up the Qabalah in a particularly big way is the
International Gnostic Federation, a highly secretive organisation
who recruit interest by giving free lectures. According to the
Cult Information Centre, some enthusiasts (particularly students)
become so obsessed with the Federation's teaching of the Qabalah
that they become alienated from their friends and family. They
attend further lectures and courses (which are not free) and even
participate in special training sessions at the organisation's
headquarters near Barcelona.

The Gnostics have British bases in south London and Cardiff, which
are run by a man named V M Rabulin. The figurehead of the movement
is a Spaniard called Samael Aun Weor, who is author of the seminal
book, Manual of Practical Magic.

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