Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854–1934)
Author of The Chakras
About the Author
C. W. Leadbeater (1854-1934) was a bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church and the author of Ancient Mystic Rites, The Chakras, and The Inner Life, among many other books.
Image credit: Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854-1934, photo from 1914,photographer unknown. Source: (via Wikipedia) www.spiritwritings.com/cwleadbeater.jpg
Works by Charles Webster Leadbeater
Occult Chemistry: Investigations by Clairvoyant Magnification Into the Structure of the Atoms of the Periodic Table and Some Compounds (1996) 85 copies, 1 review
Talks on At the feet of the Master 7 copies
The Christian Creed 3 copies
El Perú y la Caldea antiguos 3 copies
C. W. Leadbeater Collection Vol: 2 (4 Books) Invisible Helpers, The life After Death, The Christian Creed, An Outline of Theosophy. (2016) 3 copies
C. W. Leadbeater Collection Vol: 1 (4 Books) Clairvoyance, The Chakras, Textbook of Theosophy, The Astral Plane. (2016) 3 copies
The Forsaken Temple 2 copies
Starlight 2 copies
CWL speaks : C. W. Leadbeater's correspondence concerning the 1906 crisis in the Theosophical Society (2017) 2 copies
Nuestra relación con los niños 2 copies
LUZ EN EL SENDERO: Pláticas Sobre el Sendero del Ocultismo - Tomo III (Spanish Edition) (2018) 2 copies
Maestros y discípulos 2 copies
On the Liberal Catholic Church: Extracts from letters of C.W. Leadbeater to Annie Besant, 1916-1923 (1952) 2 copies
O lado oculto das coisas (Esgotado) 2 copies
La vida eterna 2 copies
Das Leben im Jenseits.: Auf Grund wissenschaftlicher Forschungen genau und gemeinverständlich dargestellt. (2009) 1 copy
EL PLANO MENTAL: El Mundo Celestial, Sus Características y Habitantes (Spanish Edition) (2018) 1 copy
Gems of Thought 1 copy
Some Occult Experiences 1 copy
LA VOZ DEL SILENCIO: Pláticas Sobre el Sendero del Ocultismo - Tomo II (A LOS PIES DEL MAESTRO) (Spanish Edition) (2018) 1 copy
A Mônada 1 copy
Spiritualism and Theosophy 1 copy
The Power and Use of Thought 1 copy
To Those Who Mourn 1 copy
Teosofi : en kort översikt 1 copy
Om logemt̲en 1 copy
I maestri e il sentiero 1 copy
O credo cristão 1 copy
Okkulttinen elämä 1 copy
El plano astral y el devachn 1 copy
The Inner Life [vol. 2] 1 copy
The Inner Life [vol. 1] 1 copy
Precis de theosophie 1 copy
Textbook of Theosophy The Astral Plane Its Scenery, Inhabitants and Phenomena (2 Books) (2016) 1 copy
De Planeetketens 1 copy
Our relation to children 1 copy
claivoyance 1 copy
O plano astral (Esgotado) 1 copy
Os Chakras 1 copy
telepathy and mind cure 1 copy
To those who mourn 1 copy
Il Lato Nascosto Delle Cose 1 copy
Los chakras 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Leadbeater, Charles Webster
- Legal name
- Leadbeater, Charles Webster
- Birthdate
- 1854-02-16
- Date of death
- 1934-03-01
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- Clergyman,
author
Clairvoyant
Theosophist - Organizations
- Theosophical Society
- Short biography
- C. W. Leadbeater (February 16, 1854 Stockport, Cheshire, England - March 1, 1934 Perth, Western Australia), was an English clergyman, author, clairvoyant, and an early member of the Theosophical Society. His interest in occultism was stimulated by A.P. Sinnett's book, "Occult World", and he joined the Theosophical Society in 1883. The next year he met Helena Petrovna Blavatsky when she came to London. "When she accepted him [as a pupil], he gave up the church, became a vegetarian, severed all ties with England, and followed her to India." At this time he was the recipient of a few Mahatma letters which influenced him to go to India, where he arrived at Adyar in 1884. In India he wrote that he had received visits and training from some of Blavatsky's Masters. This was the start of a long career in the Theosophical Society.
NOTE: Leadbeater's date of birth of February 16, 1854 was given in the English census of 1861, 1871 and 1881. After his mother died, in May 1882, his date of birth was given as 17 February 1847 and it appears in the 1891 census. This was also the date he used in his passport. His reason for using a different date of birth is not known, although research about it continues. - Nationality
- UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- UK
Members
Reviews
There's holes in Leadbetter's ideas and there's holes in the footnotes correcting Leadbetter's holes. The nice thing about Theosophy is that it never expects you to accept anything on faith. There's certainly some great ideas here, along with the questionable ones.
I picked up this book supposing it to offer a Theosophical perspective on angels and fairies. It turns out that while those topics are mentioned in passing, the focus of the book is on the charitable work allegedly undertaken by living humans in their "astral" vehicles. It was first published in 1896, but my copy is a reprint of the 1928 third (a.k.a. "First Adyar") edition, which was expanded with much additional material. It appears that the original edition was very much a promotional show more tract for the Theosophical Society, describing esoteric ways in which Theosophists benefit humanity, and offering a sketch of the system of attainment engaged by practitioners. The added material expands the range of anecdotes about "invisible helpers," including much concerning "the war" -- which is presumably World War I.
Leadbeater is surprisingly forgiving of Spiritualism, although he points out its "dangers" from a Theosophical perspective (74, 148). He has no similar softness toward Protestantism, which he repeatedly and appropriately condemns (12, 135-6). One of the most interesting portions is Chapter XVI "Work Among the Dead," which offers a quasi-scientific theory of the post-mortem state, coming close to a redux of a hypothetical Theosophical Book of the Dead.
Chapters XIX-XXII offer the overview of the initiatory process, which is a reasonably sober treatment, compared to some of Leadbeater's other writings on the topic. It should not be entirely without value to Thelemites and other esotericists. The fact that there are twenty-two chapters suggests a possible correspondence with qabalistic paths or Tarot trumps in the structure of the text, but such suspicions are not supported by the actual contents. show less
Leadbeater is surprisingly forgiving of Spiritualism, although he points out its "dangers" from a Theosophical perspective (74, 148). He has no similar softness toward Protestantism, which he repeatedly and appropriately condemns (12, 135-6). One of the most interesting portions is Chapter XVI "Work Among the Dead," which offers a quasi-scientific theory of the post-mortem state, coming close to a redux of a hypothetical Theosophical Book of the Dead.
Chapters XIX-XXII offer the overview of the initiatory process, which is a reasonably sober treatment, compared to some of Leadbeater's other writings on the topic. It should not be entirely without value to Thelemites and other esotericists. The fact that there are twenty-two chapters suggests a possible correspondence with qabalistic paths or Tarot trumps in the structure of the text, but such suspicions are not supported by the actual contents. show less
This book is a lot more peculiar than its rather generic Masonic title might suggest. It was written by Theosophist Leadbeater as a sequel to his Hidden Life in Freemasonry. In both that book and this one, he engages the postulate of a secret "Head of all true Freemasons" or H.O.A.T.F., which appears to be a metaphysical doctrine of Theosophical origin. For his references to contemporary Masonic work, Leadbeater focuses on the Theosophical strain of Co-Masonry.
In the first chapter, "Schools show more of Masonic Thought," he segregates Masonic historians and theorists into four camps: Authentic, Anthropological, Mystical, and Occult (or Sacramental). These distinctions are drawn clearly and seem useful enough; Leadbeater places himself in the Occult/Sacramental school, and thus concerned with the magic of ceremony, and the development of will and knowledge through ritual.
The author was clearly addressing himself to initiates, as the text presumes a familiarity with Masonic jargon and abbreviations. A reader who doesn't easily read Installed Master for "I.M." or know what a "s..n" is will likely be frustrated by the exposition. There is also fairly free use of Theosophical jargon such as "Rays" and "sub-races."
Possibly the most entertaining section of the book are those chapters dealing with the ancient mysteries: Egyptian, Cretan, Hebrew, Greek, and Mithraic. In all of these, the author sees the perpetuation of an Atlantean tradition of initiatic science, to be taken up in dilute form by Freemasonry. These accounts take into account the latest finds in archaeology in Leadbeater's day, but they are supplemented with his astral or visionary investigations of history, creating a more colorful (if less credible) story than would be otherwise available.
Later chapters treat in a similar manner the traditions of the medieval stonemasons and the genesis of modern Freemasonry, the development of the Scottish Rite, and the origins of Co-Masonry.
Appendix II is a "Table of Principal Masonic Events from 1717," which makes a convenient reference for dates, particularly in the development of the Memphis and Mizraim rites and Co-Masonic jurisdictions.
The Gramercy reprint lacks the illustrations of the original edition, which is something of a disappointment when the author references "a number of statuettes and votive figures found in Crete or in the outposts of Minoan civilization, which are represented in such indubitably Masonic attitudes that even the most sceptical student must acknowledge that no chance can explain this similarity." But the details are not described, and the promised plate is absent. show less
In the first chapter, "Schools show more of Masonic Thought," he segregates Masonic historians and theorists into four camps: Authentic, Anthropological, Mystical, and Occult (or Sacramental). These distinctions are drawn clearly and seem useful enough; Leadbeater places himself in the Occult/Sacramental school, and thus concerned with the magic of ceremony, and the development of will and knowledge through ritual.
The author was clearly addressing himself to initiates, as the text presumes a familiarity with Masonic jargon and abbreviations. A reader who doesn't easily read Installed Master for "I.M." or know what a "s..n" is will likely be frustrated by the exposition. There is also fairly free use of Theosophical jargon such as "Rays" and "sub-races."
Possibly the most entertaining section of the book are those chapters dealing with the ancient mysteries: Egyptian, Cretan, Hebrew, Greek, and Mithraic. In all of these, the author sees the perpetuation of an Atlantean tradition of initiatic science, to be taken up in dilute form by Freemasonry. These accounts take into account the latest finds in archaeology in Leadbeater's day, but they are supplemented with his astral or visionary investigations of history, creating a more colorful (if less credible) story than would be otherwise available.
Later chapters treat in a similar manner the traditions of the medieval stonemasons and the genesis of modern Freemasonry, the development of the Scottish Rite, and the origins of Co-Masonry.
Appendix II is a "Table of Principal Masonic Events from 1717," which makes a convenient reference for dates, particularly in the development of the Memphis and Mizraim rites and Co-Masonic jurisdictions.
The Gramercy reprint lacks the illustrations of the original edition, which is something of a disappointment when the author references "a number of statuettes and votive figures found in Crete or in the outposts of Minoan civilization, which are represented in such indubitably Masonic attitudes that even the most sceptical student must acknowledge that no chance can explain this similarity." But the details are not described, and the promised plate is absent. show less
There's holes in Leadbetter's ideas and there's holes in the footnotes correcting Leadbetter's holes. The nice thing about Theosophy is that it never expects you to accept anything on faith. There's certainly some great ideas here, along with the questionable ones.
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