Thomas Moore Johnson

Letters to the Sage Thomas Moore Johnson

Thomas Moore Johnson, the Sage of the Osage, was a small town lawyer in western Missouri whose international correspondence was largely a result of The Platonist, a short-lived but influential journal he published intermittently from 1881 until 1888. Johnson rarely traveled far from Osceola, his birthplace, where he served as mayor for several terms, but through correspondence he became a key figure in the late 19th century American awakening of interest in Western esoteric traditions.

During the 1880s Johnson was instrumental in the nationwide expansion of two esoteric organizations, the Theosophical Society (TS) and the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. Although Theosophy had developed a primary interest in Indian spiritual traditions, Johnson's Platonist attracted the attention of TS leaders and members around the world. Johnson was a member of the American Board of Control of the TS as the Society began to establish branches throughout the United States. But within a short time he became more seriously committed to a secret society with a focus on Western rather than Eastern wisdom traditions, the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor.

Letters to the Sage, Volume One offers readers and scholars a rare glimpse into the relationships, organizational struggles, and intellectual and spiritual explorations of several of the key figures and locations in the early years of America's occult revival. Containing over 200 letters from dozens of American and international cities, as well as what is perhaps the earliest known evidence of the organized study of the Tarot, Yoga, and Sufism in the United States, this is an essential book for those interested in the history of the American Midwest, esotericism, religion, and philosophy.