Lauron William de Laurence (31 October 1868 – 11 September 1936) was an American hypnotist, occult author and publisher, and a self styled spiritual authority who gained notoriety in the early 20th century as both a cult leader and promoter of esoteric teachings. He was arrested multiple times over the course of his career, most notably in 1912 for operating the Order of the Black Rose, a cult accused of physically and mentally abusing its members, distributing narcotics, and engaging in trance induced orgies, ritual whippings, and hypnotic domination. Despite these controversies, de Laurence became a prolific occult author and mail-order publisher and salesman. His works, particularly his widely circulated edition of the ''Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses'', had a lasting influence on magical practices throughout the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean.
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Lauron William de Laurence (31 October 1868 – 11 September 1936) was an American hypnotist, occult author and publisher, and a self styled spiritual authority who gained notoriety in the early 20th century as both a cult leader and promoter of esoteric teachings. He was arrested multiple times over the course of his career, most notably in 1912 for operating the Order of the Black Rose, a cult accused of physically and mentally abusing its members, distributing narcotics, and engaging in trance induced orgies, ritual whippings, and hypnotic domination. Despite these controversies, de Laurence became a prolific occult author and mail-order publisher and salesman. His works, particularly his widely circulated edition of the ''Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses'', had a lasting influence on magical practices throughout the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean.
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