People, Ideas, and Movements That Shaped New Thought
Literature and periodicals that document and spread New Thought.
Explore how the New Thought movement harnessed the power of print—from early pamphlets to mass-market magazines—to transform a disparate collection of metaphysical healers into a global spiritual force, shaping modern self-help culture.
The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel is a cornerstone of New Thought literature, often mistakenly attributed to William Walker Atkinson. This article clarifies the relationship between Haanel’s influential course and Atkinson’s own ‘Master Mind,’ situating both within the broader New Thought movement.
Published in 1917 after Thomas Troward’s death, ‘The Law and the Word’ is a cornerstone of New Thought literature, synthesizing Eastern philosophy and Western science to explore the creative power of thought. This article traces its historical context, key concepts, and lasting influence on the movement.
Warren Felt Evans’s 1873 treatise Mental Medicine stands as a pivotal yet often overlooked text in the New Thought movement, bridging earlier metaphysical traditions and the later mental healing schools. This article explores its historical context, core ideas, and enduring influence.
From the late 19th century onward, New Thought magazines served as the movement’s circulatory system, carrying its message of mental healing and idealist philosophy to a vast, decentralized network of readers. This article traces the rise of these periodicals, their key editors and publications, and their enduring impact on the movement’s growth.
From 1898 to 1953, Elizabeth Towne’s Nautilus magazine served as the most influential and widely read periodical of the New Thought movement, reaching a circulation of 90,000 at its peak. This article traces its history, key figures, and enduring legacy in American metaphysical religion.
Wallace D. Wattles’s 1910 classic The Science of Getting Rich distilled New Thought metaphysics into a practical guide for wealth creation. This article explores its historical roots, key concepts, reception, and enduring influence on prosperity theology and modern self-help culture.
Explore the history of Ernest Holmes’s 1926 classic ‘The Science of Mind,’ its roots in the New Thought movement, its core teachings, and its enduring influence on Religious Science and modern spirituality.
Thomas Troward’s 1909 Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science distilled the core principles of New Thought into a systematic framework, bridging spirit and matter through the power of subjective and objective mind. This article traces its origins, key concepts, and enduring influence on the movement.
Published in 1906, William Walker Atkinson’s Thought Vibration or The Law of Attraction in the Thought World crystallized New Thought principles into a practical guide, shaping modern self-help and the Law of Attraction movement. This article explores the book’s origins, key ideas, and enduring legacy within the New Thought tradition.