We’re excited to now offer Medicine, Mysticism and Mythology: Garth Wilkinson, Swedenborg and Nineteenth-Century Esoteric Culture from the UK-based Swedenborg Society in our online bookstore!
Swedenborgian and homeopathic practitioner James John Garth Wilkinson (1812–1899) lived at the intersection of a number of crucial social movements in the nineteenth century. Author Malcolm Peet explores how Wilkinson influenced some of the leading figures of his time. He helped William Blake publish some of his most famous works; he was a regular correspondent of transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson; his understanding of the unconscious mind influenced the foundational works of hypnotist James Braid and psychologist William Carpenter. His approach to homeopathy became the standard after being popularized by fellow Swedenborgian James Tyler Kent. Although he is relatively unknown today, his many interests provide a fascinating insight into how these movements convened.
This book is not only a sketch of Wilkinson’s life and interests, but a snapshot of the early Swedenborgian church in England—the different ways in which Swedenborg’s writings were read and interpreted by his followers, and how those ideas in turn filtered out into the broader culture and helped shape our modern society—a must-read for people who want to better understand Emanuel Swedenborg’s far-reaching influence!
Medicine, Mysticism and Mythology is available in hardcover for $24.95. If you’re a Swedenborg Foundation member, you’ll enjoy 20% off your order with your code at checkout! If you aren’t a member, it’s not too late to join and take advantage of this exclusive discount.
More from the Swedenborg Society in Our Bookstore
An Angel Speaks: Selected Poems by Homero Aridjis
Rendered in Spanish with a facing-page English translation, this title offers seventeen poems that introduce readers to renowned Mexican poet Homero Aridjis and his moving vision of life, death, and the spaces between. Learn more >
New Jerusalem: The Good City and the Good Society by Ken Worpole
A landscape and culture expert examines the long history of utopian communities, including those whose founders drew inspiration from Emanuel Swedenborg, and what that body of thought can teach us about urban design today. Learn more >
Distant Voices: Sketches of a Swedenborgian World View by John S. Haller, Jr.
Swedenborg’s legacy permeated widely throughout nineteenth-century literature, art, and social reform movements. Discover a sampling of the many nearly-forgotten ways in which Swedenborg shaped this fascinating era. Learn more >
Imaginal Landscapes: Reflections on the Mystical Visions of Jorge Luis Borges and Emanuel Swedenborgby William Rowlandson
A leading British scholar explores Swedenborg’s influence on Argentine Jorge Luis Borges, and Borges’s interest in parallel existences, the infinite, and the mystery of language. Learn more >
We offer a broad selection of the Swedenborg Society’s most popular titles. Visit the Swedenborg Society page in our online bookstore to see them all! Keep in mind, all Swedenborg Society books are imported and contain British spelling, punctuation, and word usage.
