| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Asprem, Egil, 1984-
(author)
-
Esotericism and the Scholastic Imagination : The Origins of Esoteric Practice in Christian Kataphatic Spirituality
- 2016
-
In: Correspondences: Online Journal for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism. - 2053-7158. ; 4, s. 3-36
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Scholars agree that the imagination is central to esoteric practice. While the esoteric vis imaginativa is usually attributed to the influx of Neoplatonism in the Italian Renaissance, this article argues that many of its key properties were already in place in medieval scholasticism. Two aspects of the history of the imagination are discussed. First, it is argued that esoteric practice is rooted in a broader kataphatic trend within Christian spirituality that explodes in the popular devotion literature of the later Middle Ages. By looking at the role of Bonaventure’s “cognitive theology” in the popularization of gospel meditations and kataphatic devotional prayer, it is argued that there is a direct link between the scholastic reconsideration of theimaginative faculty and the development of esoteric practices inspired by Christian devotional literature. Secondly, it is argued that the Aristotelian inner sense tradition of the scholastics left a lasting impression on later esoteric conceptualizations of the imaginative faculty. Examples suggesting evidence for both these two claims are discussed. The article proposes to view esoteric practices as an integral part of a broader kataphatic stream in European religious history, separated out by a set of disjunctive strategies rooted in the policing of “orthopraxy” by ecclesiastical authorities.
|
|
| 3. |
- Cejvan, Olivia
(author)
-
Initiatory Materials : An Ethnography of Contemporary Alchemy in Sweden
- 2018
-
In: Correspondences. - 2053-7158. ; 6:1, s. 25-45
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article is an ethnographic study of spagyric alchemical practice, sometimes referred to by my informants as “the wet path,” which is centred on the making of elixirs. This article begins with an ethnographic vignette of how alchemy was taught in a group setting and then describes how the author became an alchemist’s apprentice during the course of an evening. Analytical perspectives on this ethnographic material lead to a discussion of the benefits of an ethnographic approach to esotericism. Finally, methodological issues pertaining to the qualitative study of contemporary esotericism are discussed. The article’s main argument is that the ethnography of contemporary esotericism can discern the practical aspects of esotericism that cannot be discovered or studied through textual studies alone, which is why ethnography can be a fruitful complement to the dominant historical focus on esotericism.
|
|
| 4. |
- Crockford, Susannah, et al.
(author)
-
Ethnographies of the Esoteric : Introducing Anthropological Methods and Theories to the Study of Contemporary Esotericism
- 2018
-
In: Correspondences. - 2053-7158. ; 6:1, s. 1-23
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this article, we introduce the ContERN special issue on ethnographies of the esoteric. While the study of esotericism has been dominated by historical-philological scholarship, recent years have seen an increase in anthropological approaches to contemporary esotericism. We argue that this development provides the field not only with new tools, but also fresh perspectives on long-standing theoretical challenges. What are the implications of situating esotericism in particular ethnographic fieldsites? How does anthropological theory reflect on deep-rooted assumptions in the field? We address these questions using examples from the articles in the present special issue as well as other recent ethnographies of esoteric subject matter.
|
|
| 5. |
- Fitger, Malin, 1978-
(author)
-
The Tetractys and the Hebdomad : Blavatsky’s Sacred Geometry
- 2020
-
In: Correspondences. - 2053-7158. ; 8:1, s. 73-115
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article traces essential sources behind the Western reception of Sanskrit terminology on the concept of subtle anatomy, focusing on the late nineteenth-century when the Theosophical Society and its forefront, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, first presented it to a Western audience. A doctrinal change took place around 1880–81 in an interaction between American, European, and Indian Theosophists, distinguishing Blavatsky’s major works Isis Unveiled (1877) and The Secret Doctrine (1888). The subject of how and why the first doctrine of three human principles (body, soul, and spirit) developed into her later version including seven human principles is carefully examined. A new hypothesis on why the number seven became the backbone of Blavatsky’s entire cosmology is also presented. According to this, the seven-fold subtle anatomy was there since the grounding of the Theosophical Society (1875) and was rooted in specific numerological, mathematical, and geometric speculations which Blavatsky shared with several other contemporary authors. The article explores Blavatsky’s interpretation of some related arithmological themes in nineteenth-century American literature such as the Pythagorean tetraktys, “the tetrad,” “the pyramid,” “the cube,” and “the hexagram.”
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Gregorius, Fredrik, 1975-
(author)
-
Children of Baldur : Understanding the Construction of Masculinity within Göthicism and the Manhem Society
- 2022
-
In: Correspondences. - 2053-7158. ; 10:1, s. 167-198
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The article focuses on how a nineteenth-century Swedish nationalistic movement, Göthicism, understood masculinity. The primary example used is Manhemsförbundet (the Manhem Society), an initiatory and educational organization active between 1815–1823. Most of its material was produced by the author Carl Jonas Love Almqvist (1793–1866). The society was at the center of cultural trends and debates in Sweden, notably those about education and how young males can best be of service to the nation. Göthicism and the Manhem Society urged Swedes to look inwards and develop their own national character, arguing that foreign influences made Sweden decadent and weak. Göthicism then sought answers to Sweden’s problems in the pre-Christian past. The Manhem Society attempted to further put Göthicism into practice. The Society developed a structure similar to freemasonry with degrees based on Old Norse mythology, where the candidate was to follow a mythical narrative of the story of Baldur that led from darkness to light. The degrees also included physical training and exercises to shape a manly character. The article argues that the initiations of the Manhem Society were used to create a form of masculinity that was an expression of middle-class ideals about character.
|
|
| 8. |
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
|
|
