How to Magically Edify Nation: The Rise and Fall of Universalia, The Society of Czech Hermetics

0545178 - EÚ 2022 eng A - Abstract
Horák, Pavel
How to Magically Edify Nation: The Rise and Fall of Universalia, The Society of Czech Hermetics.
[18th Annual Conference of the European Association for the Study of Religions. IAHR Regional Conference. 29.08.2021-03.09.2021, Pisa]
Institutional support: RVO:68378076
Keywords : esotericism * magic * Czechoslovakia * occultism * East-Central Europe
OECD category: Religious studies

The Czech lands are well-known among Western esotericism scholars, especially for their significant role in the early modern period with regards to alchemy, magic, and astrology. Nevertheless, the relatively more recent esoteric phenomena from the 20th century Czechoslovakia are less known due to the Iron Curtain and language-barriers. The paper introduces the biggest and most important esoteric society “Universalia” in the Czechoslovak and later the Czech Republic. The society emerged during the 1920s, was dissolved by the Nazi regime in 1942, and subsequently revived in the 1990s. The paper focuses on its interwar activities. By embracing various esoteric means, together with the rigorous education of its members, Universalia was undertaking a bold mission to enhance the nature of the Czech nation. Universalia’s leadership wanted to edify the Czechoslovak nation and thus contribute to its spiritual resilience in an atmosphere of the upcoming war. The paper explains Universalia’s role in the broader socio-historical context of the time, presents its aims, activities, and the most important representatives. The paper focuses on society’s nationalist impulses through analysing its educational vision to change the Czech nation’s nature by magical means.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0322171