The Occult Review

The Occult Review
Title	The Occult Review
Frequency	Monthly
Publisher	John Lane (initial)
Firstdate	1905
Finaldate	1951
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Occult Review was a British monthly periodical devoted to esotericism, spiritualism, mysticism, and paranormal investigation. It drew contributions from figures associated with Theosophical Society, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Society for Psychical Research, and independent occultists across Europe and North America. The magazine served as a nexus for debates involving personalities connected to Arthur Conan Doyle, Aleister Crowley, Madame Blavatsky, Rudolf Steiner, and a wider network of writers, scholars, and practitioners.

History

Founded in 1905 under the aegis of publisher John Lane, the journal appeared amid contemporaneous publications such as Light and Psychic Science. Early years coincided with public interest stirred by events like the Dreyfus Affair and cultural movements associated with Aestheticism, while overlapping with organizations such as the Society for Psychical Research and personalities like William James. The magazine navigated controversies involving figures from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and litigations tied to séances popularized by proponents connected to Arthur Conan Doyle and critics linked to Harry Houdini.

Editorial Leadership and Contributors

Editors and proprietors reflected networks tied to publishers and occult circles including John Lane, with contributors ranging from established authors and mystics to investigators connected to Society for Psychical Research; notable names appearing in its pages included Aleister Crowley, Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudolf Steiner, Madame Blavatsky, William Butler Yeats, Dion Fortune, W. B. Yeats (as collaborator with esoteric groups), Florence Farr, S. L. MacGregor Mathers, A. E. Waite, Francesca Arundale, Annie Besant, James H. Hyslop, F. W. H. Myers, Oliver Lodge, Eleanor Sidgwick, Sir William Crookes, Ernest Rutherford (critic contexts), Edgar Cayce (later references), Arthur Edward Waite, Israel Regardie, E. Nesbit, G. K. Chesterton (cultural commentary), Margaret Murray, D. H. Lawrence (esoteric interest), Hubert Parry (musical-spiritual ties), Augustus Knapp, Madeline],Florence Farr]. The roster also featured lesser-known investigators and occult correspondents associated with London, Paris, New York City, and Berlin.

Content and Themes

Content spanned research reports, ritual descriptions, case studies of séances, analyses of mediumship, reviews of esoteric literature, and polemics engaging figures from Theosophical Society and Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Recurring themes included clairvoyance debates intersecting with work by F. W. H. Myers and William James, interpretations of symbolism related to Kabbalah scholars and commentators like G. R. S. Mead, explorations of Rosicrucianism and connections to writers such as Thomas Carlyle in broader cultural essays, and experimental accounts resonating with laboratories associated with Sir William Crookes and apparatus used by investigators in the Society for Psychical Research. The magazine juxtaposed mystical exegesis by figures connected to Rudolf Steiner with skeptical analyses echoing critics like Harry Houdini and rationalists in Cambridge and Oxford circles.

Publication Details and Format

Issued monthly, the periodical typically featured serialized essays, correspondence columns, review sections, and occasional illustrations. It mirrored pagination and advertising practices of contemporaneous magazines such as The Strand Magazine and Harper's Magazine (US), while maintaining masthead conventions common to London publishers. Editions were bound annually for libraries and collectors, and special issues sometimes coincided with conferences and lectures held by groups like the Theosophical Society and public appearances of figures such as Arthur Conan Doyle.

Reception and Influence

Reception ranged from endorsement by esoteric networks, including members of Theosophical Society and Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, to criticism from scientific skeptics associated with Royal Society affiliates and entertainment skeptics like Harry Houdini. The periodical influenced later occult movements and writers who referenced its archives, including proponents of New Thought, Chaos magic precursors via figures like Austin Osman Spare, and mid‑20th century revivalists linked to Aleister Crowley's disciples and Dion Fortune. Academic interest grew with studies by scholars of religion, such as E. P. Thompson (social contexts) and historians who traced networks involving Cambridge and Oxford intellectuals.

Notable Articles and Serializations

Noteworthy contributions included essays and serialized treatments by individuals tied to Aleister Crowley, analyses of mediumship referencing Florence Cook and investigations connected to Sir William Crookes, and reviews engaging publications by Madame Blavatsky and contemporaneous works from Rudolf Steiner and Arthur Conan Doyle. The magazine serialized accounts that later circulated in pamphlets and books used by occult lodges, and published early expositions by writers who later appeared in works linked to Dion Fortune and Israel Regardie.

Cessation and Legacy

Publication ended in 1951 amid changing cultural tastes and the postwar decline of periodicals devoted to prewar occult networks concentrated in London and Europe. Its archive remains a resource for researchers of esotericism, spiritualism, and the intersection of literature and occult practice; materials have been cited in studies of Theosophical Society, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Society for Psychical Research, and the biographies of figures such as Aleister Crowley, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Rudolf Steiner. The journal's influence persists in modern occult scholarship, museum collections, and digital repositories maintained by institutions in London, Cambridge, and New York City.

Category:Magazines established in 1905 Category:Magazines disestablished in 1951