People, Ideas, and Movements That Shaped New Thought
Chronological development and evolution of the New Thought movement.
This article traces how the New Thought movement, born in mid-19th-century New England, crossed the Atlantic to Britain through publications, lectures, and personal correspondence, shaping a global spiritual and psychological movement.
This article traces the transatlantic journey of the New Thought movement, focusing on its institutional consolidation through the International New Thought Alliance and the vibrant London scene that became a hub for its teachings, publications, and international congresses in the early twentieth century.
This article explores the pivotal roles of women who organized the early New Thought conventions, from the formation of the International New Thought Alliance to the 1915 San Francisco Congress, highlighting figures like Ursula Gestefeld and Annie Rix Militz.
The New Thought movement, known for its emphasis on the power of the mind, traces its lineage back to Franz Anton Mesmer’s 18th-century theory of animal magnetism. This article explores how a discredited medical theory about an invisible universal fluid evolved into the metaphysical principles that shaped New Thought, from Phineas Quimby’s mental healing to modern law of attraction teachings.
Explore the intertwined yet distinct histories of New Thought and Christian Science, from shared roots in 19th-century idealism and mental healing to their divergent paths, key figures, and lasting impact on American metaphysical religion.
This article explores how homeopathy and other alternative medical practices shaped the New Thought movement, from Phineas Quimby’s mental healing to Warren Felt Evans’s published works, and traces the evolution of the movement’s core belief in the mind’s power to heal.
Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802–1866) developed a system of mental healing that, though he never published or founded a church, was carried forward by his patients and students—including Warren Felt Evans, the Dresser family, and Mary Baker Eddy—into the New Thought and Christian Science movements. This article traces the network that spread Quimby’s ideas and shaped the mind-cure tradition.
An examination of the foundational texts—from Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health to Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s The Heart of the New Thought—that defined the New Thought movement’s spiritual philosophy, distinguished it from scientific claims, and influenced modern self-help culture.
Religious Science, also known as Science of Mind, is a New Thought spiritual movement founded by Ernest Holmes in the 1920s. It emphasizes the power of the mind to shape reality and achieve healing, blending metaphysical principles with religious teachings. The movement has grown into a global network of centers and churches, influencing modern self-help culture.
Divine Science is a New Thought religious movement formalized in the 1880s by Malinda Cramer and Nona Brooks, emphasizing the omnipresence of God and the power of affirmative prayer. This article traces its origins, key figures, doctrinal evolution, and lasting influence on modern metaphysical spirituality.
