My research proposal was granted funding from the National Science Centre (Poland) in SONATA 19 program. 

Here is a popular science abstract of the project: 

The 19th century, the era of the Industrial Revolution, the age of steam and mechanisms, is associated with the development of technology – something most tangible, material, and measurable. Conversely, in the history of ideas, the beginning of the 19th century marks the epoch of romanticism, succeeded by, on the one hand, 
a turn towards positivism, and simultaneously, the so-called Occult Revival. From the mid-century onwards, there was an intensifying interest in Spiritualism and Spiritism, which evolved into a fever for table-turning, rapidly engulfing Europe and both Americas. Interest in distant cultures, the religious-philosophical systems of the East, as well as Egyptomania, served as a backdrop—both ideologically and aesthetically—not only for newly emerging marginal magical groups but also for initiatory organisations of global reach. Occultism found its place in salons, and discussions about magic ceased to revolve around the context of illusion. 

In numerous studies, propositions arise suggesting that this turn towards spirituality acted as a sort of counterbalance to scientific paradigms, rigid scientific principles, and facts—a striving to preserve a spiritual worldview within an increasingly pluralistic ideological reality. Undoubtedly, interests of this nature could have served such a purpose; however, considering them as antithetical to scientific advancements is not entirely accurate. Not only esoteric ideas but also scientific discourses emerged within a particular social context. 

The 19th century also witnessed the harnessing of electricity—from the presentation of the first battery in its early years to the establishment of the first public utility power station in 1882. From the 1830s, experiments with various telegraphs, including electromagnetic ones, enabled the transmission of words over distances without paper. In 1887, Heinrich Hertz discovered the existence of radio waves and microwaves. The late 19th century brought another scientific achievement, a ground-breaking discovery—Marie and Pierre Curie's identification of radioactive elements in 1898. Once again, energies emitted by inanimate objects proved to have an extraordinary impact on the environment, including the human body. The 19th century was a period of exploration, harnessing, and practical application of invisible energies. 

The occult can be understood in various ways. In the intellectual history and research on esotericism, distinctions are made, including the concept of occult forces—namely, invisible factors acting within objects or organisms—and the immersed in hermetic worldview occult philosophy, describing the operation of such forces in both the macrocosm, i.e., the universe, and the microcosm, represented by the human being. Phenomena like telepathy, telekinesis, or clairvoyance were considered techniques for directing energy in a manner not yet explained by science. According to some occultists, these phenomena were not only subject to investigation but were deemed necessary to explore. Many such topics intersected with, or preceded, scientific research, as seen in phenomena like animal magnetism often referred to as mesmerism, which laid the groundwork for hypnosis. Nonetheless, numerous proposed theories turned out to be dead ends in scientific exploration, and many hypotheses collapsed under experimental scrutiny. It was only with the emergence of the theory of relativity in the 20th century that the concept of the aether fell out of scientific discourse. Aether, which had aligned perfectly with both scientific and occult worldviews a decade earlier, and was believed by physicists not only to facilitate the movement of light through space but also, according to esoteric beliefs, to be a space of one of the subtle bodies, was eradicated from scientific consideration. Some researchers in the 19th century delved into the peculiar, while others ventured into more unconventional realms. There is also no doubt that many scientists had interests in occultism, and numerous occultists, through their ideas, inspired others to conduct serious research. Hence, the boundaries between scientific and occult discourses blurred significantly in some aspects. 

Many well-known individuals centred these two aspects in their biographies—having a good education, sometimes pursuing scientific careers, alongside their interests in phenomena commonly regarded as supernatural. However vast this topic may be, it requires examination through a selected example that brings together diverse perspectives, areas of experimental research, branches of knowledge, and various intellectual circles. The proposed study centres on the case of a Pole, Julian Ochorowicz (1850-1917) who at the end of the 19th century was one of the most renowned figures nationally and internationally—a talented scientist and inventor, an experimental psychologist, but also a poet, advocate of positivism, and editor of journals. He earned his doctorate in Leipzig, worked in Lvov, was a recognised and respected figure in Paris, and collaborated closely with Charles Richet. While he was never a spiritualist, he conducted experimental research on phenomena surrounding mediums, which brought him numerous challenges, such as denial of professor title.  

Ochorowicz, who left behind extensive unprocessed archives, serves not only as a focal point encapsulating many intriguing aspects of the boundaries of late 19th-century science but also as a missing link in numerous studies concerning the mediumship at the turn of the 20th century. Ochorowicz’s career in Poland has been forgotten for long, and his interest in phenomena labelled “occult” contributed to his disappearance from works on the history of Polish psychology, which, in turn, impacted his scant presence in any foreign language publications.  The project aims to comprehensively analyse Ochorowicz’s research scope and his involvement in international circles, as well as the reception of the studied topics concerning the intersections of science and occultism, approached from religious studies and academic research of esotericism. 

Our thematic issue Occultism and Politics in Central and Eastern Europe of the  Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series was just published. The journal can be read HERE.

I am pleased to announce that together with Dr. Pavel Horák we are organizing another conference of the ESSWE local network: Central and Eastern European Network for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism (CEENASWE) - which will take place this fall in Krakow, Poland on October 11-12. More information coming soon.

I am pleased to announce the publication of two important articles. The first of them is "From the Universal Brotherhood to the Lodge of Soldiers. Theosophical Ideas of Service and Their Implementation in Poland" in the thematic issue of Aries. Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism devoted to the study of esotericism in Central and Eastern Europe (Vol.23 (2023): Issue 1 (Jan 2023), edited by the invaluable professors György E. Szöny and Rafał Prinke. You can view the entire issue HERE.

The second paper written together with dr. Zbigniew Łagosz and Tomasz Krok focuses on the methodological aspects of examining intelligence files - the communist apparatus of oppression - towards esotericists after World War II and until 1989. The paper (in Polish) Komunistyczny aparat represji wobec ezoteryków i ugrupowań ezoterycznych – zagadnienia metodologiczno-źródłoznawcze, Przegląd Religioznawczy 1 (287)/2023, ss. 203-218. DOI: 10.34813/ptr1.2023.14 can be downloaded from HERE.

Since the nineteenth century, Central and Eastern Europe has experienced rapid social, political, and economic changes, which caused transformation and upheavals in local societies. Rising nationalism culminating in the Revolutionary year 1848, echoes of the Romantic movement, ongoing industrialisation, First World War, the emergence of national states and disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, later followed by World War Two and the establishment of the socialist regimes represent some of the key milestones the region went through. New sciences emerged, and intellectuals of the region also tried to cope with the impetus of new discoveries in the Orient. Since mid-nineteenth century, the rise of occultism and its further spread throughout Europe represented a peculiar reaction to these conditions. Central and Eastern European states dealt with these occult and esoteric movements in various ways, from suppression to silent support, and the movements themselves had various ideas about the meaning and aims of the nation. We wish to investigate the links between state, power, and occult and esoteric ideas, movements, and key figures.

Focusing on occultism and esotericism in Central and Eastern Europe since the mid-nineteenth-century until now, we invite scholars to share their articles in a special issue of the Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. 

The scope of the issue includes the following topics: 

• Tensions between or calls for nationalism and/or transnationalism in the occult and esoteric movements;

• Attitudes of various state bodies (republics, empires or totalitarian regimes) to occultism and esotericism, from suppression to support; 

• Practising occultism or esotericism under socialist regimes;

• Case studies of influential movements, persons, or ideas either originating or being adopted in Central and Eastern Europe;

• Critical reflection of the scholarship concerning occultism and esotericism in Central and Eastern Europe.

The guest editors of the issue are Dr. Karolina Maria Hess (Centre for Comparative Studies 

of Civilisations, Jagiellonian University) and Dr. Pavel Horák (Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy 

of Sciences). The editors will consider all manuscripts prepared according to the following criteria: 

Length: 20 000 – 40 000 characters with spaces

​Language: English 

​Deadline: November 15th, 2022 

Please send your proposed contribution to: 

karolina.maria.hess@uj.edu.pl and horak@eu.cas.cz

For further guidelines see: https://www.ejournals.eu/PJACNS/menu/574/  

Get PDF version from Academia.edu  or CEENASWE blog