People, Ideas, and Movements That Shaped New Thought
From its metaphysical roots in the 1830s to its institutional flowering in the 1890s, the New Thought movement spread through a network of teachers, periodicals, and healing centers, leaving a lasting imprint on American spirituality and self-help culture.
Explore how Chicago emerged as a pivotal hub for the New Thought movement, from Emma Curtis Hopkins’s seminary to influential publications and the formation of the International New Thought Alliance.
Explore the origins of the New Thought movement through the lens of the Metaphysical Club, a pivotal early gathering that helped shape the spiritual revolution of the late 19th century. This article traces its people, ideas, and lasting influence.
Mental healing, pioneered by Phineas Quimby and popularized by Warren Felt Evans, provided the foundational ideas of the New Thought movement. This article traces how Quimby’s therapeutic methods, Evans’s publications, and later figures like Emma Curtis Hopkins transformed an obscure practice into a major religious and philosophical movement.
The Mind Cure movement was a late 19th-century American healing movement that used metaphysical mind-over-matter techniques to treat illness. It emerged from mesmerism and metaphysical philosophies, shaped early psychotherapy, and birthed the New Thought movement.
The term ‘New Thought’ emerged in the late 19th century as a label for a diverse mind-healing movement rooted in the teachings of Phineas Quimby. This article traces its origins, key figures, and the historical process by which the name became standard.
Ernest Holmes (1887–1960) was an American New Thought leader who founded Religious Science and authored The Science of Mind. His teachings blended Christian Science, transcendentalism, and practical metaphysics, influencing modern self-help and spiritual movements.
Thomas Troward, a British judge in colonial India, brought legal precision to metaphysical inquiry, producing works like the Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science that shaped New Thought, influenced William James, and inspired early Alcoholics Anonymous.
William Walker Atkinson was an American attorney who became one of the most prolific and influential writers in the New Thought movement, authoring over a hundred books under multiple pseudonyms. His work shaped modern self-help, yoga, and prosperity teachings, leaving a lasting legacy in metaphysical literature.
Elizabeth Towne was a writer, editor, and publisher who shaped the New Thought movement through her magazine The Nautilus, her leadership in the International New Thought Alliance, and her prolific self-help writings. This article explores her life, influence, and lasting legacy.