Astral Karate as a Phenomenon of Late-Soviet Esoteric Underground

Astral Karate was a late-Soviet eclectic spiritual movement that blended esoteric interpretations of martial arts and yoga. The term spread in the 1980s thanks to spiritual leader Valery Averianov, who called himself Guru Var Avera. The movement reflected global interest in Eastern cultures and spirituality, yet developed in isolation from European and American esoteric currents under unique ideological and legal pressures in the USSR. This combination produced original late-Soviet esoteric currents, making Astral Karate a valuable subject for understanding Soviet spirituality and its later developments in post-Soviet states.

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Abstract

The article concentrates on the history of Astral Karate, its doctrine and sources. Astral Karate was a late-Soviet eclectic spiritual movement based on esoteric interpretations of martial arts and yoga. The term “Astral Karate” had spread in the 1980s thanks to spiritual leader and underground esoteric author Valery Averianov who called himself Guru Var Avera. On one hand, the movement reflected global tendencies, such as growing interest in Eastern cultures and spirituality, that characterized esoteric groups in the USSR as well as in the USA and Europe during this period. On the other hand, esoteric groups in the Soviet Union developed in isolation from European and American esoteric currents and under unique ideological and legal pressures. The combination of these factors contributed to the originality of late-Soviet esoteric currents and therefore makes Astral Karate an important object of academic inquiry, which helps us to understand the specifics of Soviet spirituality and its further developments in post- Soviet states