Theosophy's descendants
C. W. Leadbeater
A Theosophical writer whose purported clairvoyant investigations deeply shaped twentieth-century ideas about auras, chakras and subtle bodies.
- Dates
- 1854 – 1934
- Dating
- documented dates
Place in the tradition
Most of what a modern Western reader assumes about chakras comes from him rather than from any Indian source.
a note on the record
History and later legend
He presents these investigations as observation; historically, they remain religious claims rather than independently verified findings.
the written record
Principal works
-
1896
The Astral Plane
A systematic map of the supposed astral world.
-
1896
The Devachanic Plane
Describes a higher postmortem mental world.
-
1899
Clairvoyance
Attempts to categorise different kinds of extrasensory perception.
-
1902
Man Visible and Invisible
Describes subtle bodies and aura colours.
-
1908, with Besant
Occult Chemistry
Claims clairvoyant observation of atomic structures.
-
1925
The Masters and the Path
On the Masters and the stages of the spiritual path.
-
1927
The Chakras
An enormously influential Western reinterpretation of the Indian chakra system.