Visions of the Heavenly Sphere: A Study in Shaker Religious Art

Voluntary Costly Signals in Religious Communities: A Political Interpretation

“…The Shakers also supply an interesting example of collective empowerment achieved through ecstatic signaling. During the Era of Manifestations, a revival movement within the sect in the late 1830s and early 1840s, a number of individuals claimed revelations coming from the group's deceased leaders (Ann Lee), historical figures (Napoleon, George Washington) and an assortment of other spirits (Andrews and Andrews 1969). These individuals -called "instruments" -were initially mostly girls and young women, as well as men from outside of the groups' power structures (Humez 1993).…”