ISSN 1567-9896
15 papers in the library · 5 citations · publishing 2010-2026
Aries July 27, 2026 Kevin Korczyk
Karl von Eckartshausen (1752–1803) is usually remembered for his short book on Christian mysticism— The Cloud Upon the Sanctuary (1802)—that inspired many later esoteric thinkers in Britain and the continent. Although mostly known during his lifetime as a popular Catholic author, Eckartshausen was also discussed by his German Romantic contemporaries—including Hamann, Novalis, Goethe, and...
Despite undergoing a visible yet ambiguous reception in the field of philosophy, contemporary realisms remain understudied as objects of esotericism. This ambiguity points to the realist movement’s partial divergence from the canonical understanding of intellectual history, prompting an investigation into its possible comparison with the conceptual framework of esotericism. In this article, I...
Aries July 27, 2026 James von Orelli
The veil of Isis is a central image in the history of western esotericism, used by the Freemasons, Rosicrucians and Theosophists. At the turn of the nineteenth century, there was an uptick in interest in the veil from German philosophers, especially in its aesthetic dimension: with the veil, Schiller poetically considers the limits of subjectivity, Goethe explores the representation of nature,...
Aries July 27, 2026 Alonzo Heino
The article conducts a philosophical analysis of a selection of theosophical writings pertaining to art. The first grouping consists of shorter contributions, by figures like Franz Evers, published in the German magazine Sphinx during the 1890s. The article then analyzes Annie Besant’s and Charles Leadbeater’s views, focusing on their book Thought-Forms (1905), which is often mentioned as...
Aries June 4, 2026 Dell J. Rose
Abstract This article discusses the reception and adaptation of Swedish visionary Emanuel Swedenborg’s thought in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Japan. It situates this reception in the context of Japanese esoteric thought during the Meiji era. Japanese intellectuals called Swedenborg the world’s greatest theologian, even the Buddha of the North. Yet his importance to Meiji-era...
Aries September 17, 2025 Mikheil V. Kakabadze
Abstract This article analyses Ernst Bloch’s (1885–1977) discourse on occultism in the interwar period and its reception among Marxist intellectuals. In particular, it draws attention to Bloch’s sustained treatment of “occultism” in Heritage of Our Times (1935), and illustrates how Bloch did not merely equate but rather negotiate various links between occultism, irrationalism, and fascism in a...
Aries September 3, 2025 Elly Moseson
Abstract This article concerns a Hasidic homily describing a technique for lucid dream cultivation. The homily outlines a worldview in which fantasy and reality merge, and thoughts, both positive and negative, have real cosmic and personal consequences. To counter the allure of sexual fantasy, the homily recommends a form of Neoplatonic contemplation widely taught within early Hasidic circles....
Aries August 14, 2025 P. Horák
Occultism significantly shaped European society, culture, and politics during the fin de siècle and interwar periods. While scholarship has extensively examined Western European and global occult movements, Eastern Europe—particularly Slavic countries—has only recently gained attention. This article compares Czech and Austrian occultism to analyze how race, ethnicity, and nationalism were...
Aries July 15, 2025 Julian Strube
Abstract This article analyzes the New Right’s engagement with esotericism and its impact on far-right politics since the postwar period. While dismissing “New Age” esotericism, the New Right holds Traditionalism in high esteem, particularly Julius Evola (1898–1974). Evola’s relevance is largely due to new translations and framings of his works since the 1990s and their active dissemination in...
Aries March 19, 2024 Mattias Gori Olesen
While the intertwinement of Indian anti-colonial politics and Theosophy is well-known, the entanglement of esotericism and anti-colonial endeavors in the modern Arab world remains understudied. The article contributes to this area of research by demonstrating how certain strands of “Western” and “Eastern” esotericisms found resonance among early twentieth-century Arab intelligentsia and...
Aries October 10, 2023 Steven Engler, Mark Q. Gardiner
This article moves past discussing definitions of esotericism to clarifying the nature of definition itself. After reviewing different approaches to definition, we argue that rigid definitions (which propose necessary and sufficient conditions) are problematic, and that fluid definitions (which seek to clarify, explain, teach etc.) are a better alternative. We then discuss homeostatic property...
Aries January 30, 2023 G. Szönyi
Since the early 2000s the study of (Western) esotericism has gone through a great development, partly boosted by the establishment of ESSWE in 2005. In East-Central Europe an upsurge in interest started with the changing of the communist regimes in 1989–1991 and scholars became liberated to enhance their studies in fields previously at best tolerated in those countries. Scholars from our region...
Aries November 22, 2021 Z. Kostićová
Carlos Castaneda has been studied mostly as a fraud anthropologist, novelist/philosopher and a contributor to the emerging phenomenon of neo-shamanism. Instead, this article focuses on Castaneda’s individual philosophy and religious system as developed in his written works. A threefold classification is proposed—early, transitional, and late works, complete with chief characteristics of each....
Aries December 14, 2020 Manon Hedenborg White 1 citation
hedenborg white Aries -Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism 21 (2021) 1-11
Aries 2010 Antoine Faivre 4 citations
Book Reviews / ARIES . () – © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, DOI: 10.1163/156798910X520647 Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, The Western Esoteric Traditions : A Historical Intro- duction , Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press . pp. and illustrations. ISBN ----. This is not the first book devoted to a comprehensive presentation of the subject, but among...