Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age (Numen Book Series, 90)

CONTENTS......Page 11
Preface......Page 17
The Plan of This Study......Page 19
Note......Page 20
Acknowledgments......Page 21
An Encounter......Page 23
The Enlightenment Revolution......Page 24
Esotericism, Occultism, Esoteric Tradition......Page 27
Modernity and its Phases......Page 30
Further Delimitations......Page 36
Previous Research......Page 38
Studies of the Esoteric Positions Surveyed......Page 39
Studies of the Discursive Strategies Surveyed......Page 44
The Cultic Milieu......Page 49
Discourse and Position......Page 51
Secularization......Page 52
Globalization......Page 54
Tradition, Continuity and Innovation......Page 56
Spokespersons......Page 58
Movement Texts......Page 59
Time-lines......Page 63
Emic Epistemology, Rhetoric and Religious Creativity......Page 64
Three Discursive Strategies......Page 66
Introduction......Page 69
The Modernization of Esotericism: An Overview......Page 70
Some Themes of the Modern Esoteric Tradition......Page 75
The Mesmerist Tradition......Page 78
Theosophy......Page 81
Three Post-Theosophical Positions......Page 84
Modern Psycho-Religion......Page 89
The Rise and Transformation of the New Age......Page 95
An American Lineage......Page 100
The Choice of Positions and Texts......Page 102
Theosophy as a Starting Point......Page 103
The Multiplicity of Positions......Page 104
The Choice of Sources......Page 105
Emic and Etic Historiography......Page 107
Imaginative History and Sacred Geography......Page 111
Case Study—Constructing the Chakra System, Part I......Page 113
Questions of Tradition......Page 119
Some Significant Others of Esoteric Historiography......Page 120
Imaginary Utopias......Page 121
Egypt......Page 131
India......Page 141
Tibet......Page 152
Native Americans......Page 156
The New Age Blend of Traditions......Page 161
The Role of Christianity......Page 163
Christianity as a Significant Other......Page 176
Constructing a Tradition......Page 177
Stages of Invention......Page 179
Stages of Appropriation......Page 180
Reduction......Page 181
Pattern Recognition......Page 182
Synonymization......Page 186
The Time-line of Esoteric Historiography......Page 188
The Perennial Philosophy......Page 192
Esoteric Exegesis of Myth......Page 198
Source Amnesia......Page 202
Case Study—Constructing the Chakra System, Part II......Page 203
Concluding Remarks: Structurally Radical Globalization......Page 220
Science as a Significant Other......Page 223
Scientism: A Definition......Page 227
An Outline......Page 230
Historical Background......Page 232
The Rise of Positive Scientism......Page 233
Ambivalent Scientism in the Esoteric Tradition......Page 240
Terminological Scientism......Page 258
Paratechnology and Parascience......Page 261
Technological Ritual Objects......Page 263
Calculations and the Rhetoric of Rationality......Page 265
Struggles With Opponents......Page 272
Scientism and Esoteric Evolutionalism......Page 275
Evolution and the Esoteric Tradition......Page 276
Scientism and Esoteric Cosmology......Page 282
The Scientistic Cosmology of The Secret Doctrine......Page 283
Atomic Metaphysics......Page 289
Quantum Metaphysics......Page 293
Case Study: Scientific Miracles and the Creolization of Faith......Page 325
Miracles Within the New Age......Page 328
Modern Miracles......Page 342
Final Remarks: Re-enchanting Science......Page 343
Introduction......Page 353
The Problematic Nature of Personal Experience......Page 355
On the History of Religious Experience......Page 356
Toward a Constructivist Model of Religious Experience......Page 365
Third-Person Narratives: Vicarious Experience......Page 373
Healing Narratives and the Construction of a Worldview......Page 375
Divination Narratives and the Construction of Personhood......Page 382
Spiritual Experience as Social Praxis......Page 388
Prophecy, Spiritualism, Channeling......Page 391
The Status of Privileged Experience in the Esoteric Tradition......Page 395
The Source of Wisdom......Page 401
The Nature of the Channeled Messages......Page 415
The Source and the Message......Page 418
The Recipient of Wisdom......Page 423
Handling Contradiction......Page 434
Second Person Narratives: The Democratization of Privileged Experience......Page 437
The Explicit Epistemology of Rudolf Steiner......Page 441
Do-it-yourself Channeling......Page 449
Discovering Synchronicity......Page 452
Gaining Paranormal Powers......Page 454
Experiencing What We Already Know......Page 456
Archetypes: Jung and the Jungians......Page 459
Elements of the Self as Experience Cues......Page 462
Case Study: A Course In Miracles......Page 463
Cueing Experience......Page 467
Schucman as Prophet and Exemplum......Page 470
Testimonies and Commentaries......Page 472
Introduction......Page 477
Western Reincarnationism Before Blavatsky......Page 478
Reincarnation in Pre-Theosophical Esotericism......Page 483
The Road to Theosophy......Page 486
A Discourse is Born......Page 487
Reincarnation and Christianity......Page 492
From Abstract Myth to Personalized Legends......Page 495
Client-Centered Legends......Page 501
The Bridey Murphy Case......Page 502
Past Life Therapy......Page 504
Do-it-yourself Methods......Page 508
Reincarnation as Rational Belief......Page 510
Reincarnation as a Modern Doctrine......Page 514
On Belief and Evidence......Page 517
Tradition......Page 519
Science......Page 523
Experience......Page 525
The Construction of a Modern Worldview......Page 528
Anthroposophy......Page 531
New Age......Page 532
List of Esoteric Movement Texts......Page 533
References......Page 541
B......Page 557
E......Page 558
H......Page 559
L......Page 560
P......Page 561
S......Page 562
W......Page 563
Z......Page 564
C......Page 565
K......Page 566
P......Page 567
T......Page 568
Z......Page 569