John Lowell Crow

1700 N. Monroe Street
Suite 11-264
Tallahassee, FL 32303
Email: jlcrow@fsu.edu

Education

Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 2009–Present
Doctoral Student, Department of Religious Studies

University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2007–2009
Research Master’s, Religious Studies, Cum Laude

Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia, 2003–2007
Bachelor of Arts in English, Summa Cum Laude

Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Monastery, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, July 2004
Humanistic Buddhism Monastic Life Summer Program

Southern Polytechnic State University, Marietta, Georgia, 1991–1993
Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences (uncompleted)

Professional Experience

• Instructor: Introduction to World Religions, Spring 2010
• Teaching Assistant: Introduction to World Religions, Fall 2009

Publications

• “Illuminati Controversy” and “New Age” in Religion and Politics in America, DiMare, Philip C., ed., Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, forthcoming.
• “Spiritualism” and “Ouija Board” entries in The Twenties in America, Tracy Irons-Georges, ed. Pasadena: Salem Press, forthcoming.
• “Accessing the Astral with a Monitor and Mouse: Esoteric Religion and the Astral located in Three Dimensional Virtual Realms” in Contemporary Esotericism, Granholm K. & Egil Asprem, eds. London: Equinox Publishing, 2012.
• “Thought-Forms” and “The Seal of the Theosophical Society” entries in Emblems, Magic, and Higher Knowledge: Western Esotericism in Images. Asprem, E. & Joyce Pijnenburg, eds. Seattle: Ouroboros Press, forthcoming.
• “Miracle or Magic? The Problematic Status of Christian Amulets,” in Van Discussie tot Beleving: Religiestudies aan de UvA (From Discussion to Experience: Religious Studies at the University of Amsterdam). ed. Jacqueline Braak and Deirdre Malone. Amsterdam: Ars Notoria/University of Amsterdam, 97-112, April 2009.
• “The Unity of All Life: Ananda Metteyya’s View of Nature,” in The Middle Way: The Journal of the Buddhist Society. Serialized in 83.3 (November 2008), 131-137, & 83.4 (February 2009), 195-202.
• “Allan Bennett & the Emergence of Buddhism in the West,” in Insight: The Journal of the Theosophical Society of England, 49.3 (Autumn 2008), 30-33.
• “Venerable Ananda Metteyya’s Buddhist Mission to the UK,” in Dharma to the UK: A Centennial Celebration of Buddhist Legacy. ed. Dr. Mahinda Deegalle. London: World Buddhist Foundation, 14-36, September 2008.
• “Epistemological Blinders: Constructivism and Mahamudra,” in Quinta Essentia: The Selected Proceedings of the 5^th Annual North Georgia Student Philosophy Conference, August 2007.
• “The Nature of Becoming: An Examination of Aleister Crowley’s Ontology and Map of Consciousness,” in Interplay: The Selected Proceedings of the 4^th Annual North Georgia Student Philosophy Conference, January 2007.

Journals

• Assistant to the Editors, Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture, 2010-2011, American Society of Church History
• Assistant to the Editor, Japan Studies Association Journal, 2008-2011, Japan Studies Association
• Assistant to the Editor, East West-Connections, 2005-2011, The Asian Studies Development Program of the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

Keynote Presentation

• “Spreading The Light of Asia To Europe: Ananda Metteyya’s Buddhist Message to the West.” World Buddhist Foundation “UK Buddhist Day Celebrations,” September 20, 2009, London, England.

Presentations

• “‘Can Females Become Adepts?’: Explicating the Complexity of Gender within the Theosophical Society.” Florida State University. “Women and Minorities: Past and Present,” Third Annual Southeast Regional History Graduate Student Conference, September 9, 2011, Tallahassee, Florida
• “Placing Western Esotericism on the Map: Exploring the Geographic Distribution of a Modern Occult Organization.” University of Toronto, “Religion: A Human Phenomenon,” 20th World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religion, August 15-21, 2010, Toronto, Canada.
• “A New Jerusalem in Cyberspace?” University of Strasbourg, “Capitals of European Esotericism and Transcultural Dialogue,” 2nd International Conference of ESSWE, July 2-4, 2009, Strasbourg, France.
• “Duncan’s Royal Arch Ritual as a possible framework for Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. ” University of Leiden, “The Expression of Freemasonry,” November 27-28, 2008, The Hague, Netherlands.
• “The Bhikkhu and the Magus: Exploring Allan Bennett’s Influence on Aleister Crowley.” CESNUR, ‘Twenty Years and More: Research into Minority Religions, New Religious Movements and ‘the New Spirituality’ April 16-20, 2008, London, England.
• “Miracle or Magic: The Problematic Status of Christian Amulets.” University of Amsterdam, “Emblems, Magic, and Hidden Knowledge,” March 25, 2008, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• “Epistemological Blinders: Constructivism and Mahamudra.” Kennesaw State University, 5^th Annual North Georgia Student Philosophy Conference, April 4, 2007, Atlanta Georgia.
• “The Nature of Becoming: An examination of Aleister Crowley’s Ontology and Map of Consciousness.” Kennesaw State University, 4^th Annual North Georgia Student Philosophy Conference, April 2, 2006, Atlanta Georgia.

Scholarships/Grants/Awards

• Best Philosophy Paper, Third Annual Southeast Regional History Graduate Student Conference, 2011
• FSU Department of Religion Presentation Grant, 2009 & 2010
• FSU Congress of Graduate Students Conference Presentation Grant, 2009 & 2010
• FSU Graduate Tuition Scholarship, 2009 & 2010
• Amsterdam Merit Scholarship, Graduate School of Humanities 2007-2009
• Georgia HOPE Tuition Scholarship 2004-2007

Work Experience

Infotank, LLC., Atlanta, Georgia
Information Technology Support EngineerAugust 2006 to July 2007

• Assist in the maintenance of all information technology for largest Presbyterian congregation in the United States
• Provide support of servers, network, and users on a day-to-day basis

TechDiscovery, LLC., Atlanta, Georgia
Information Technology ManagerSeptember 2000 to August 2006

• Designed, implemented, and managed Windows 2003 & Cisco based network infrastructure between Atlanta, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine, with satellite locations in Denver, Colorado, and Austin, Texas.
• Project management of multiple internal and client based projects
• Taught numerous internal courses to employees and management on software and network systems
  

GlobalDoc, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia
Localization ManagerJanuary 1999 to August 1999

• Managed projects for adapting software products and documentation for foreign markets for Fortune 500 companies
• Installed and managed internal local area network
• Updated and maintained company internet site in five languages

MB Consulting, Inc., Acworth, Georgia
PresidentFebruary 1996 to September 2000

• Installed & managed Windows & Macintosh based networks for graphics and publishing companies throughout Southeastern United States
• Sales & installation of non-English language fonts, graphics & design software, specializing in Asian languages
• Assisted Apple Computer, Inc., Adobe Systems, Inc. and DiamondSoft, Inc. in prerelease beta testing of non-English language software

Organizations/Memberships

• American Academy of Religion, 2010-2011
• Association for the Study of Esotericism (North America), 2006-2011
• European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism, 2008-2011
• The National Society of Collegiate Scholars
• Sigma Nu Fraternity, Iota Pi Chapter