When Occultism Went North: The Esoteric Environment in Sweden, 1880–1930

Lecture by Johan Nilsson, a postdoctoral researcher in the history of religion at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University.

Abstract

In the late nineteenth century, a new religious environment started to emerge in Sweden, influenced by international movements like Spiritualism and Theosophy. Swedish newspapers were writing about adepts in the Himalayas and the mysterious teachings of the Parisian magician Éliphas Lévi. The public’s interest was awakened and soon Swedes were doing things like trying to paint the spirit world, engaging in vegetarianism to avoid polluting the astral plane, and trying to convince the worker’s movement to adopt notions of karma and reincarnation. Although often associated with cultural figures like August Strindberg, most of the Swedish esoteric environment was made up of ordinary people in small towns like Eslöv and Helsingborg holding lectures and arranging meetings in their local chapters of organizations like the Theosophical Society. Drawing on recent research the lecture will present an overview of the history, worldview and practices of the Swedish esoteric environment in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Furthermore, the lecture will identify some remaining questions about esotericism in Sweden during the period and point in the direction of future research.

Bio

Johan Nilsson is a postdoctoral researcher in the history of religion at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University. His research focuses on esoteric currents and new religious movements active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He recently concluded a project studying the Theosophical movement’s participation in public debate in the early twentieth century funded by the Crafoord Foundation. Among his publications are Satanism: A Reader (co-edited with Per Faxneld, Oxford University Press 2023) and his PhD project As a Fire Beneath the Ashes: The Quest for Chinese Wisdom within Occultism, 1850-1949.