Michael York is Principal Lecturer for the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at Bath Spa University College in Britain. He is director of the Bath Archive for Contemporary Religious Affairs, as well as co-director of the Academy for Cultural and Educational Studies in London and director of the Netherlands-based Amsterdam Center for Eurindic Studies. He is an Associate Editor for the Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature to which he has contributed articles on the New Age Movement, Shamanism, Magic, New Religious Movements, Pantheism, Polytheism, UFOs, Channeling, etc. He has trained in the Sociology of Religion with particular emphasis on the Sociology of New Religious Movements and has pursued an interest in alternative forms of spirituality for many years.