They made a significant contribution to the development of "secret knowledge", which has always retained its seclusion, but at the same time directly influenced world processes.
Saint-Yves d'Alveidre
The life of Joseph Alexander Saint-Yves d'Alveidre (1842-1909) changed radically after his marriage to the Russian Countess Maria Vouctoire Keller. A former petty official, Saint-Yves left the service and began to develop his socio-esoteric teaching. At the same time, he bought the title of Italian Marquis d'Alveidra.
It was Saint Yves who first used the term Agartha in literature, by which he meant the initiatory center of ancient culture, hidden from modern people underground. Later, the idea of Agartha was closely intertwined with the teaching of Shambhala. For Saint-Yves, Agarta was, above all, an ideal state with a synarchic structure. Saint Ives died shortly before the outbreak of the First World War. In the last years of his life, he not only wrote about the utopia of the synarchic structure of the world, but also decisively made appeals to the "anarchist" rulers of the world, which he considered the French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau and the Russian Emperor Alexander III.
Helena Blavatsky
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) called herself "the chosen one of the great spiritual principle." She received a good education, her cousin was Sergei Witte himself. Madame Blavatsky traveled a lot and in her wanderings traveled all over the world, getting acquainted with various spiritual teachings. Blavatsky's literary activity began with travel notes, continued with works of an occult nature, which made her name. Her most famous works are Isis Unveiled (1875-1877) and The Secret Doctrine (1884-1891). In 1875, Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society in the United States. At the time of her death, it had over 60 thousand members. This organization had a great influence on public thought, it consisted of prominent people of their time, from the inventor Thomas Edison to the poet William Yates.
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The attitude towards Blavatsky was far from ambiguous, both during her lifetime and after her death. The success of her teachings was attributed to the magnetic charm that Blavatsky herself possessed, and her "phenomena" were called fraud. However, it cannot be denied that her philosophy has influenced the work of many writers, artists and musicians. After the death of Blavatsky, her body was burned, and the ashes were divided into three parts: one part remained in London, the other in New York, and the third in Adyar. The day of remembrance of Blavatsky is called the Day of the White Lotus.
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) is perhaps the most famous magician and occultist of the 20th century. He founded the doctrine of Thelema (Greek "will"), was initiated into several occult Orders. In terms of his fame and the resonance that Crowley has produced on culture, he can be compared to rock stars. In his community (the Abbey of Thelema), he promoted absolute liberation from bodily and spiritual bonds, members of the community performed magic rituals, indulged in promiscuous sex, and used drugs. In his teachings, Crowley combined the teachings of various cultures, and even the Russian Khlystovism had a serious impact on his worldview and system. Crowley has been to Russia more than once and admitted that Russian culture has expanded his consciousness.
It was widely believed that one of Crowley's loyal fans was Adolf Hitler. The influence of the magician's teachings on Hitler was undeniable, but one cannot call him a direct follower. Crowley himself has repeatedly denied involvement in Hitler, calling him a magician who did not understand the true meaning of the sacrament. Crowley was fond of books by Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, which is today one of the most influential social movements in the world.
Fabre d'Olivet
Antoine Fabre d'Olivet (1767-1825) was an extraordinary scientist and mystic philosopher of the 19th century. He started out as a revolutionary, was a Jacobin, but in 1791 retired from politics, devoting himself to the study of Pythagoreanism, art and the knowledge of the secret meanings of ancient languages. D "Olivet was a famous hoaxer, since 1797 he published the magazine" Invisible ". In total, 107 issues of the publication were published, the basis of his materials was pure fiction: Antoine claimed to have a ring that makes him invisible and allows him to be present at meetings of the Legislative Assembly and in the Palais Royal. Not everything in the literary activity of the mystic original developed successfully, not all of his books were published. D'Olivet blamed everything on Napoleon, although their fates are largely similar. They both went through the rejection of Christianity, and then returned to it,both went through the fascination with the revolution towards the ideology of the Empire.
Papus
Papus (real name Gerard Anaclet Vincent Encausse) (1865-1916) was one of the most influential occultists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Martinist Order founded by him aroused great interest in political circles. One of the followers of Papus' teachings was the Russian emperor Nicholas II. Their acquaintance took place in 1900 in Compiegne. The august couple showed special favor to Papus and invited him to visit Russia. The mystic did not refuse, in 1901 he first arrived in Russia.
At the same time, Nicholas II was consecrated to the Martinist Lodge. In the spring of 1901, the emperor was already presiding over the Lodge, which received the name "Cross and Star". Nicholas II and the Empress had high hopes for the spiritualistic abilities of Papus. In 1905, in Tsarskoe Selo, a French mystic held a communication session with the late Emperor Alexander III. Through the mouth of Papus, the former emperor warned Nicholas II: “You must at all costs suppress the beginning revolution. But, alas, it will still be reborn, and disaster is inevitable. Whatever happens, cheer up, my son. Don't stop fighting. " The last time Papus came to Russia was in 1906, during this visit he read the Tarot cards to Nicholas II and advised the Russian emperor to prepare for war with Germany. The correspondence of the august couple with Papus continued until the day of his death. Upon learning of the death of the occultist in 1916, Alexandra Fyodorovna wrote to her husband at the front: "Papus is dead, which means we are doomed."
Ficino
Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499) was one of the most prominent philosophers of the Renaissance. He became famous as a translator of Plato, Plotinus, works attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Ficino did not distinguish between philosophy and religion. According to him, both are based on ancient mystical teachings. According to Ficino, both ancient philosophy and Christianity emanate from one Divine source - the Logos, and all religious teachings are a manifestation of "universal religion." The most important category for Ficino is the soul, he calls it "the center of nature, the mediator of all things, the cohesion of the world, the face of everything and the bundle of the world." Ficino was also known for his fascination with magic.
However, he did not see the contradiction between magic and Christianity. Fascinated by Pythagoreanism, Ficino, with the help of magical music and Orphic hymns, wanted to hear the secret "harmony of the spheres", was engaged in alchemy and astronomy.
Ficino's influence on the worldview of the Renaissance can be considered significant, if only on the basis of the fact that Giordano Bruno, lecturing at the University of Oxford, presented Ficino's work "On Life" as his own. This work is devoted to the problems of magic and magic.
Rudolf Steiner
The influence of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) on the development of philosophical thought at the beginning of the 20th century was enormous. Maximilian Voloshin, Mikhail Chekhov, Andrei Bely, Bruno Walter, Albert Schweitzer were his admirers and followers of the doctrine. He himself called the teachings of Rudolf Steiner anthroposophy (anthropos - man, sophia - wisdom) and defined it as Goetheanism of the 20th century. Steiner was also the founder of the still operating Waldorf School and a pharmaceutical company (today it is the Weleda brand of medicinal cosmetics).
After the outbreak of the First World War, influential European politicians turned to Rudolf Steiner for advice: the nephew of the Bavarian envoy to Berlinegraf Lerchenfeld, as well as the brother of the head of the Austrian cabinet, Count Polzer-Khoditz. Steiner outlined his views on solving political problems in the Central European Program and in a memorandum that he sent to politicians in Austria and Germany in 1917. The views of Steiner, who denied the relevance of the concept of a single state and advocated the nation's right to self-determination, caused a sharp rejection among the ideologists of Nazism and personally Adolf Hitler. The persecution of Steiner began, the main emphasis in propaganda was placed on the allegedly Jewish origin of the philosopher. However, in 1923, Steiner founded the School of Spiritual Science, whose students studied applied disciplines (from agriculture to medicine),and also through meditative practices went “from the spiritual in man to the spiritual in the Universe.
After Steiner's death in 1925, his teachings were not forgotten. The Waldorf School is still functioning, and people engaged in spiritual searches are still turning to Steiner's occult ideas.