In the early twentieth century, after the
rationalising forces of the Enlightenment had
supposedly recast spiritual life through reason,
curious advertisements began to appear in
popular periodicals ranging from Popular
Mechanics to Weird Tales, offering arcane occult
knowledge sent directly to the reader’s door.
Typical of their genre, a 1902 notice in the Chicago
Tribune introduced the De Laurence Institute of
Hypnotism, which promised to “[unfold] the
mysterious law of all personal magnetism, occult
force, and influence”, while, elsewhere, the Occult
Digest announced the services of the Los Angeles–
based Brotherhood of Light, who had on offer
“correspondence courses in all branches of occult
science” by return of post.1 Sending away for the
secrets of the ages was, it seemed, disarmingly
simple, part and parcel of the colossal mail-order
Read the full article