The New Thought Magazine: A Century of Spiritual Journalism

Introduction

The New Thought magazine was not a single publication but a lineage of periodicals that carried the movement’s core ideas of mental healing, practical idealism, and self-culture across the United States and beyond. From the spiritualist-infused New Thought of Moses Hull in the 1880s to the influential Chicago-based New Thought edited by William Walker Atkinson and the remarkably long-lived Nautilus of Elizabeth Towne, these journals served as the movement’s nervous system—connecting scattered practitioners, standardizing vocabulary, and broadcasting metaphysical teachings to a growing readership. This article traces the century-long arc of New Thought spiritual journalism, examining its key publications, editors, and the ideas that transformed an esoteric healing practice into a mass self-help phenomenon.

Historical Context

The New Thought movement emerged in the late nineteenth century from a fertile confluence of Transcendentalism, mesmerism, Swedenborgianism, and the mind-cure traditions pioneered by Phineas Quimby and others. The period was marked by a growing fascination with the power of the mind over the body, fueled by the popularity of hypnotism, suggestive therapeutics, and the early writings of Mary Baker Eddy. As the movement coalesced, its adherents needed a means to share insights, case studies, and practical techniques. Periodicals became the primary vehicle for this exchange, evolving from small spiritualist newsletters to professionally produced magazines with national circulations. The New Thought magazine, in its various incarnations, reflected and shaped the movement’s transition from a loose network of healers to a structured spiritual philosophy with its own institutions, rituals, and literature.

Main Narrative

Origins: From Hypnotic Magazine to New Thought (Chicago)

The most direct ancestor of the Chicago New Thought was a chain of periodicals beginning with Hypnotic Magazine (August 1896–December 1897), followed by Journal of Medical Hypnotism, Suggestive Therapeutics, and Journal of Magnetism. In January 1901, this lineage culminated in the launch of New Thought as a monthly journal based in Chicago, later moving to New York in 1904. Published by the Psychic Research Company and later the New Thought Publishing Company, the magazine ran from 1901 to 1910, with issues typically ranging from 20 to 42 pages. Its editors included Sydney Blanshard Flower, who founded the journal; William Walker Atkinson, who took over in 1903 and brought a dynamic, practical focus; poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox, who co-edited with Atkinson in 1905; and later Franklin L. Berry and Louise Radford Wells. The journal’s subtitle, “Monthly Journal for the Psychic Club,” reflected its early ties to psychic research, but it quickly embraced the broader New Thought philosophy of mental science and positive thinking.

The Nautilus: A Long-Running Voice

While the Chicago New Thought was influential, the most durable and widely circulated New Thought periodical was The Nautilus, founded by Elizabeth Towne in 1898. Beginning as a small monthly in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, it moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and then to Portland, Oregon, where it remained until its final issue in 1951. Towne, along with her husband William E. Towne and managing editor Chester Holt Struble, crafted a journal that combined practical self-help advice with metaphysical teachings. The Nautilus’s subtitle evolved from “Journal of Practical Ideality” to “Self-Help through Self Knowledge” and later “Magazine of New Thought,” reflecting its focus on everyday application. With a circulation that at times exceeded 100,000, it was arguably the most influential New Thought publication, bridging the gap between esoteric philosophy and mainstream American self-improvement culture.

New Thought (Massachusetts): An Early Affective Journal

Before the Chicago journal, a different New Thought had already appeared in Melrose, Massachusetts. Edited by M.J. Clarkson and her associate Lida Clarkson, this monthly ran from August 1894 to August 1898, with a revival in San Francisco in 1902. The journal succeeded the Clarksons’ earlier Silent Circle and was characterized by a gentle, affective approach—emphasizing peace, harmony, rest, and inner calm. Its content, largely written by M.J.C., offered “Helps to Right Living” and focused on healing through quietude rather than the more aggressive mental assertion found in some later New Thought writings. The journal’s title, The Secret of Successful Healing and Habit of Inner Quiet, encapsulates its philosophy. This Massachusetts magazine represented the softer, more devotional side of New Thought, contrasting with the pragmatic and sometimes magical approaches of other wings.

Moses Hull’s New Thought: A Spiritualist Precursor

The term “New Thought” first appeared in a periodical context in the 1880s through the spiritualist journal edited by Moses Hull. Published weekly or semimonthly from 1885 to 1889 in Maquoketa, then Des Moines, Iowa, and finally Chicago, this New Thought was devoted to spiritualism and general religious and political reform. Hull, a former Methodist minister turned spiritualist, used the journal to advocate for radical causes, including women’s rights and free thought. The journal was the organ of the Mississippi Valley Association of Spiritualists and frequently excerpted in the anarchist journal Fair Play. Although its focus was spiritualist rather than metaphysical in the later New Thought sense, it established the name and provided a bridge between the earlier spiritualist movement and the mental-science revival that followed.

Publication History and Editions

The Chicago New Thought underwent several transformations. It succeeded the Hypnotic Magazine lineage and itself spawned successors: Neue Gedanken (1904–1907), Goldfield Gossip (1906–1908), Popular Therapeutics (which merged with New Thought in 1910), The Yogi (1910–1911), and later reincarnations such as New Thought (1920–1922) and Will-Power (1922). The Nautilus, meanwhile, remained a stable title throughout its half-century run, with only minor subtitle changes. The Massachusetts journal was succeeded by The Free Man in 1898. These publication histories reveal the fluid nature of New Thought periodicals—many merged, split, or renamed themselves as editors and audiences evolved.

Editors and Contributors

The editors of these magazines were often the movement’s most prolific writers and thinkers. William Walker Atkinson, a lawyer turned New Thought author, edited the Chicago New Thought from 1903 and later wrote dozens of books under his own name and pseudonyms. Elizabeth Towne, a self-educated housewife who became a bestselling author and publisher, edited The Nautilus for over five decades, mentoring countless readers through her “Nautilus Correspondence Course.” M.J. Clarkson, a healer and writer, brought a feminine, gentle perspective to early New Thought. Moses Hull, a radical spiritualist, used his journal for social commentary as much as metaphysics. Ella Wheeler Wilcox, a popular poet, lent her celebrity to the Chicago journal in 1905. These editors not only curated content but also shaped the movement’s priorities—whether emphasizing psychic phenomena, practical success, or quiet devotion.

Key Concepts and Arguments

Across these periodicals, several core concepts recurred. The Chicago New Thought emphasized the power of suggestion and mental healing, drawing on the hypnotic and suggestive therapeutics tradition. Atkinson, in particular, promoted the idea that thought creates reality—a concept later systematized in his “New Thought” and “Practical Mental Influence” writings. The Nautilus focused on practical application: affirmations, visualization, and the cultivation of a positive mental attitude. Elizabeth Towne’s editorials often argued that “self-help through self-knowledge” was the path to health, wealth, and happiness. The Massachusetts journal stressed inner quiet and surrender to a higher power, echoing Quimby’s idea that illness was a false belief. Moses Hull’s journal linked spiritualism to social reform, arguing that spiritual progress and political radicalism were intertwined. These varied emphases illustrate the movement’s diversity while sharing a common belief in the transformative power of the mind.

Reception and Influence

The reception of these magazines was enthusiastic, with subscriptions often passed hand-to-hand and letters from readers filling the correspondence columns. The Nautilus in particular reached a nationwide audience, influencing figures like Norman Vincent Peale and the later positive-thinking movement. The Chicago New Thought helped consolidate the movement’s identity, leading to the formation of the International New Thought Alliance in 1914. The Massachusetts journal contributed to the devotional and healing aspects that later found institutional form in Divine Science and Unity. Moses Hull’s journal, though short-lived, established the name and connected New Thought to the broader radical culture of the era. Together, these periodicals created a common vocabulary and community that transcended local groups, making possible the national and global expansion of New Thought ideas.

Where to Read

Today, many of these magazines are available through digitized archives. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals (IAPSOP) provides scans of the Chicago New Thought, The Nautilus, the Massachusetts New Thought, and Moses Hull’s journal at iapsop.com. These primary sources are invaluable for researchers studying the movement’s development, the evolution of its language, and the social networks that sustained it.

Why It Matters in New Thought History

The New Thought magazine was not merely a passive recorder of ideas; it was an active agent in shaping the movement. By publishing regular columns, letters, and serialized teachings, these periodicals created a sense of belonging among geographically dispersed readers. They standardized terminology—turning vague notions of “mind cure” into explicit doctrines of affirmation, visualization, and mental law. They also served as a marketplace for books, courses, and healing services, enabling figures like Atkinson and Towne to build substantial followings. The magazines bridged the gap between the esoteric world of spiritualism and the mainstream American culture of self-improvement, paving the way for the twentieth-century human potential movement. Without these journals, New Thought might have remained a scattered collection of local healers; instead, it became a cohesive, influential spiritual and philosophical current whose echoes continue in contemporary self-help literature.

Primary Sources

• New Thought (Chicago), 1901–1910, edited by Sydney Blanshard Flower, William Walker Atkinson, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, et al. Available via IAPSOP. Primary record of the movement’s practical and psychic phases.
• The Nautilus, 1898–1951, edited by Elizabeth Towne and William E. Towne. The longest-running New Thought periodical, showcasing the movement’s mainstream appeal.
• New Thought (Massachusetts), 1894–1898, edited by M.J. Clarkson. Documents the affective, healing-centered wing of early New Thought.
• New Thought (Moses Hull), 1885–1889, edited by Moses Hull. A spiritualist precursor that first used the title and linked New Thought to radical reform.
• Hypnotic Magazine, 1896–1897, the immediate predecessor of the Chicago New Thought, illustrating the transition from hypnotism to mental science.