What do you think?
Rate this book
Mystic Christianity
Followers of the New Thought movement of the early 20th century sought to find God through explorations of the metaphysical. Here, one of the most influential thinkers of this early "New Age" philosophy takes a fresh look at the life and teachings of Jesus Christ through a New Thought lens.
In this series of "lessons" originally published as a series of monthly missives in 1907 and 1908, we discover the previously hidden esoteric meanings behind much of the story of Jesus, from the foretelling of his birth to the strange mysteries of his healing of the sick to the occult ceremony of the Last Supper.
This is an eye-opening reinterpretation of a familiar story.
American writer WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON (1862-1932)—aka Theron Q. Dumont—was born in Baltimore and had built up a successful law practice in Pennsylvania before professional burnout led him to the religious New Thought movement. He served as editor of the popular magazine New Thought from 1901 to 1905, and as editor of the journal Advanced Thought from 1916 to 1919. He authored dozens of New Thought books—including Arcane Formula or Mental Alchemy and Vril, or Vital Magnetism—under numerous pseudonyms, some of which are likely still unknown today.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1908
165 people are currently reading
399 people want to read
About the author
William Walker Atkinson
2,485 books398 followersPseudonyms: Theron Q. Dumont, Yogi Ramacharaka, Swami Bhakta Vishita & Swami Panchadasi
William Walker Atkinson (December 5, 1862 – November 22, 1932) was an attorney, merchant, publisher, and author, as well as an occultist and an American pioneer of the New Thought movement. He is also known to have been the author of the pseudonymous works attributed to Theron Q. Dumont, Swami Panchadasi and Yogi Ramacharaka and others.
Due in part to Atkinson's intense personal secrecy and extensive use of pseudonyms, he is now largely forgotten, despite having obtained mention in past editions of Who's Who in America, Religious Leaders of America, and several similar publications—and having written more than 100 books in the last 30 years of his life. His works have remained in print more or less continuously since 1900.
William Walker Atkinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 5, 1862, to William and Emma Atkinson. He began his working life as a grocer at 15 years old, probably helping his father. He married Margret Foster Black of Beverly, New Jersey, in October 1889, and they had two children. The first probably died young. The second later married and had two daughters.
Atkinson pursued a business career from 1882 onwards and in 1894 he was admitted as an attorney to the Bar of Pennsylvania. While he gained much material success in his profession as a lawyer, the stress and over-strain eventually took its toll, and during this time he experienced a complete physical and mental breakdown, and financial disaster. He looked for healing and in the late 1880s he found it with New Thought, later attributing the restoration of his health, mental vigor and material prosperity to the application of the principles of New Thought.
Some time after his healing, Atkinson began to write articles on the truths he felt he had discovered, which were then known as Mental Science. In 1889, an article by him entitled "A Mental Science Catechism," appeared in Charles Fillmore's new periodical, Modern Thought.
By the early 1890s Chicago had become a major centre for New Thought, mainly through the work of Emma Curtis Hopkins, and Atkinson decided to move there. Once in the city, he became an active promoter of the movement as an editor and author. He was responsible for publishing the magazines Suggestion (1900–1901), New Thought (1901–1905) and Advanced Thought (1906–1916).
In 1900 Atkinson worked as an associate editor of Suggestion, a New Thought Journal, and wrote his probable first book, Thought-Force in Business and Everyday Life, being a series of lessons in personal magnetism, psychic influence, thought-force, concentration, will-power, and practical mental science.
He then met Sydney Flower, a well-known New Thought publisher and businessman, and teamed up with him. In December, 1901 he assumed editorship of Flower's popular New Thought magazine, a post which he held until 1905. During these years he built for himself an enduring place in the hearts of its readers. Article after article flowed from his pen. Meanwhile he also founded his own Psychic Club and the so-called "Atkinson School of Mental Science". Both were located in the same building as Flower's Psychic Research and New Thought Publishing Company.
Atkinson was a past president of the International New Thought Alliance.
Throughout his subsequent career, Atkinson wrote and published under his own name and many pseudonyms. It is not known whether he ever acknowledged authorship of these pseudonymous works, but all of the supposedly independent authors whose writings are now credited to Atkinson were linked to one another by virtue of the fact that their works were released by a series of publishing houses with shared addresses and they also wrote for a series of magazines with a shared roster of authors. Atkinson was the editor of a
William Walker Atkinson (December 5, 1862 – November 22, 1932) was an attorney, merchant, publisher, and author, as well as an occultist and an American pioneer of the New Thought movement. He is also known to have been the author of the pseudonymous works attributed to Theron Q. Dumont, Swami Panchadasi and Yogi Ramacharaka and others.
Due in part to Atkinson's intense personal secrecy and extensive use of pseudonyms, he is now largely forgotten, despite having obtained mention in past editions of Who's Who in America, Religious Leaders of America, and several similar publications—and having written more than 100 books in the last 30 years of his life. His works have remained in print more or less continuously since 1900.
William Walker Atkinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 5, 1862, to William and Emma Atkinson. He began his working life as a grocer at 15 years old, probably helping his father. He married Margret Foster Black of Beverly, New Jersey, in October 1889, and they had two children. The first probably died young. The second later married and had two daughters.
Atkinson pursued a business career from 1882 onwards and in 1894 he was admitted as an attorney to the Bar of Pennsylvania. While he gained much material success in his profession as a lawyer, the stress and over-strain eventually took its toll, and during this time he experienced a complete physical and mental breakdown, and financial disaster. He looked for healing and in the late 1880s he found it with New Thought, later attributing the restoration of his health, mental vigor and material prosperity to the application of the principles of New Thought.
Some time after his healing, Atkinson began to write articles on the truths he felt he had discovered, which were then known as Mental Science. In 1889, an article by him entitled "A Mental Science Catechism," appeared in Charles Fillmore's new periodical, Modern Thought.
By the early 1890s Chicago had become a major centre for New Thought, mainly through the work of Emma Curtis Hopkins, and Atkinson decided to move there. Once in the city, he became an active promoter of the movement as an editor and author. He was responsible for publishing the magazines Suggestion (1900–1901), New Thought (1901–1905) and Advanced Thought (1906–1916).
In 1900 Atkinson worked as an associate editor of Suggestion, a New Thought Journal, and wrote his probable first book, Thought-Force in Business and Everyday Life, being a series of lessons in personal magnetism, psychic influence, thought-force, concentration, will-power, and practical mental science.
He then met Sydney Flower, a well-known New Thought publisher and businessman, and teamed up with him. In December, 1901 he assumed editorship of Flower's popular New Thought magazine, a post which he held until 1905. During these years he built for himself an enduring place in the hearts of its readers. Article after article flowed from his pen. Meanwhile he also founded his own Psychic Club and the so-called "Atkinson School of Mental Science". Both were located in the same building as Flower's Psychic Research and New Thought Publishing Company.
Atkinson was a past president of the International New Thought Alliance.
Throughout his subsequent career, Atkinson wrote and published under his own name and many pseudonyms. It is not known whether he ever acknowledged authorship of these pseudonymous works, but all of the supposedly independent authors whose writings are now credited to Atkinson were linked to one another by virtue of the fact that their works were released by a series of publishing houses with shared addresses and they also wrote for a series of magazines with a shared roster of authors. Atkinson was the editor of a
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 28, 2019
Another great Atkinson work that explains so much that you must know about early Christianity and Jesus. You can find the best edition here: https://www.amazon.com/Mystic-Christi...
June 13, 2023
William Atkinson è uno degli esponenti più interessanti della Teosofia, un movimento filosofico e spirituale di fine ‘800. Avvocato, ricercatore, grande studioso della filosofia orientale e delle pratiche esoteriche connesse.
Il suo pseudonimo più famoso fu Yogi Ramacharaka che utilizzò dal 1900 al 1912 per pubblicare testi sul pensiero e le scienze orientali ancora oggi di grande attualità e importanza.
Cristianesimo Mistico è forse una delle sue opere più importanti e porta uno sguardo “nuovo” sulla vita e l’insegnamento di Gesù.
Non è un libro sulla religione, poiché la religione è nata dopo di lui, ma è un libro sulla spiritualità dei suoi insegnamenti che vengono riletti alla luce delle antiche conoscenze rimaste “occulte”, ovvero disponibili solo a pochi iniziati.
Il grande valore della Teosofia è stato proprio questo, rendere disponibili a tutti gli "studiosi dello Spirito" questi antichi insegnamenti per avere delle chiavi di lettura che portano ad una comprensione nuova e più profonda.
Yogi Ramacharaka è un autore di grande spessore e conduce con delicatezza in profondità.
In questo testo guida il lettore all’interno dell’aspetto esoterico del cristianesimo, con tante citazioni e rimandi anche al cristianesimo delle origini.
Un testo bellissimo da leggere e meditare con calma.
Il suo pseudonimo più famoso fu Yogi Ramacharaka che utilizzò dal 1900 al 1912 per pubblicare testi sul pensiero e le scienze orientali ancora oggi di grande attualità e importanza.
Cristianesimo Mistico è forse una delle sue opere più importanti e porta uno sguardo “nuovo” sulla vita e l’insegnamento di Gesù.
Non è un libro sulla religione, poiché la religione è nata dopo di lui, ma è un libro sulla spiritualità dei suoi insegnamenti che vengono riletti alla luce delle antiche conoscenze rimaste “occulte”, ovvero disponibili solo a pochi iniziati.
Il grande valore della Teosofia è stato proprio questo, rendere disponibili a tutti gli "studiosi dello Spirito" questi antichi insegnamenti per avere delle chiavi di lettura che portano ad una comprensione nuova e più profonda.
Yogi Ramacharaka è un autore di grande spessore e conduce con delicatezza in profondità.
In questo testo guida il lettore all’interno dell’aspetto esoterico del cristianesimo, con tante citazioni e rimandi anche al cristianesimo delle origini.
Un testo bellissimo da leggere e meditare con calma.
October 5, 2012
A decent book. nothing new here though makes references to "the unknown life of Christ" and other books about ST Issa in India aka Jesus the Nazarene . i was hoping for more insight into the hidden mysteries of christinaity but its only tid bits and crumbs , which is good. the point of gnosis is for you to do the work. anyway for example in the chapter "the secret doctrine" he quotes early church fathers about the hidden christian Gnostic mysteries than says we go into this more in our book advanced course in yogi philosophy and 14 lessons in yogi philosophy etc. it seems yogi ramacharaka peppered the hidden knowledge in all his works its up to the reader to put the pieces together like a jig saw puzzle. i would recommend buying his complete works to get a full picture. i just bought most of ramacharaka/Atkinson work ( Atkinson met and worked with ramacharkas student Baba Bharata and they both wrote under ramacharaka's name in honor of him and to distribute his wisdom) And i plan to read them all to get a complete picture. there is a whole slew of works on Jesus in India some from the late 1880s to modem writers still publishing books about it. I suggest you look more into it this work peaks your interest
November 21, 2014
While I disagree with a lot of the theology (most of it), the spirit of this book holds strong throughout religion and should be considered. By this, I mean the desire to be Christ Like and not legalistic. I am Roman Catholic, and I he speaks out against the legalistic traditions of orthodox Christianity. The lesson I took away from this book is to go beyond the legalism, the rules, and develop the desire for Christ. If you're strong in your Faith and not threatened by some "bad" theology, ironically enough this book will bring you closer to Christ and a better understanding of living a Catholic life.
July 12, 2009
Not for the faint of heart. It really helps to have a good working knowledge of Bible history and church doctrine. Yogi Ramacharaka asserts that by ignoring the mystical teachings of the Orient, todays Christians are missing out on the true essence of the teachings of Jesus. An interesting read, but come with an open mind.
January 25, 2010
Good Theosophy can put such an interesting, agreeable spin on Christianity. It almost makes me want to be a Christian.
February 25, 2018
I thought this book would have some supporting documentation. Nope. Just someone brainstorming tangent thoughts. I gave up finishing the book.
December 5, 2020
This book was certainly entertaining. I dived into it after downloading for free on Amazon. It was interesting to read a different interpretation of Jesus life than I have read before.
However, I finally stopped at the point where the author begins talking about reincarnation. I have read enough of the Bible to know there is nothing that resembles a teaching of reincarnation in it, and I wanted to find out more about the author and the mysterious source material in the Dead Sea Scrolls he frequently cites. I didn’t find anything. At that point I lost the desire to continue further. There is too much literature out there by other authors who at least try to back up their claims for religion, for me to spend time reading some flight of fancy.
However, I finally stopped at the point where the author begins talking about reincarnation. I have read enough of the Bible to know there is nothing that resembles a teaching of reincarnation in it, and I wanted to find out more about the author and the mysterious source material in the Dead Sea Scrolls he frequently cites. I didn’t find anything. At that point I lost the desire to continue further. There is too much literature out there by other authors who at least try to back up their claims for religion, for me to spend time reading some flight of fancy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2025
"The God within you is like the fabled Hindu god who descended into the body of a pig and then forgot Himself. It is to bring you to a realization that you are a god and not a pig, that Jesus, the Master, is working within your soul as the Christ Principle.
Have you never heard His voice, crying from within your soul, 'Come out—come out of your pig-nature and realize the god that you verily are!' It is this 'recognition, realization and manifestation of the god within you' that constitutes 'salvation' and 'redemption.'"
Life altering book for sure.
Have you never heard His voice, crying from within your soul, 'Come out—come out of your pig-nature and realize the god that you verily are!' It is this 'recognition, realization and manifestation of the god within you' that constitutes 'salvation' and 'redemption.'"
Life altering book for sure.
June 11, 2019
Disappointed
I have studied mysticism for many years and I find this book to be vague and in many cases the author misses the true insight of Jesus's teaching or could have elaborated in much more detail.
I have studied mysticism for many years and I find this book to be vague and in many cases the author misses the true insight of Jesus's teaching or could have elaborated in much more detail.
June 4, 2020
Wonderful read
These gems come when you're ready and open to the message. If you find yourself called to read this book be ready to have prior knowledge confirmed and your soul touched and ready to dive deeper into understanding 'SELF' peace and blessings
These gems come when you're ready and open to the message. If you find yourself called to read this book be ready to have prior knowledge confirmed and your soul touched and ready to dive deeper into understanding 'SELF' peace and blessings
September 1, 2020
Seems like I left this book from a past life to be read in the present. Much of it is echoed in my own manuscript "The Star of Bethlehem". Well worth a read, if you want to see how Universal Jesus' life and teaching were/are.
September 15, 2020
I highly recommend this book to those who seek the path to understand the unedited teachings of Jesus, the early Church and what St Clement, Origen, Plato, etc. were talking about.
Profound.
Profound.
December 31, 2021
Interesting takes on scripture. I found it interesting but it also seemed to restate itself like many books of theology do.
August 31, 2022
DNF. Garbage.
November 11, 2013
Grāmata ir ļoti laba. Pieļauju domu, ka nedaudz ķecerīga attiecībā pret baznīcu tādu, kāda tā bija viduslaikos un vēl ir mūsdienās, bet sarakstīts ļoti patiesi.
Jābrīdina, ka ir jādomā līdzi, jo ir lietas, kurām nevajadzētu akli ticēt, taču padomāt par tām vajag :)
Jābrīdina, ka ir jādomā līdzi, jo ir lietas, kurām nevajadzētu akli ticēt, taču padomāt par tām vajag :)
April 11, 2014
I am in awe of this book. It explains questions I have had for a long time in a straightforward and matter-of-fact way. It is called Mystic Christianity, which probably deters people. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Get it free on Kindle!
September 8, 2012
This book is blowing my mind... maybe I am finally starting to understand Jesus???
Written in 1908, it is available as a FREE download from Kindle........
Written in 1908, it is available as a FREE download from Kindle........
April 26, 2013
very insightful! Gives a much clearer picture of the way Jesus intended us to live. Helpsmake since of all the "gaps" before!!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews