John Thomas (1826–1908) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

mystic and astrologist of the late 19th century. He used the professional name Charubel to practice, claiming to be an

clairvoyant Clairvoyance (; ) is the claimed ability to acquire information that would be considered impossible to get through scientifically proven sensations, thus classified as extrasensory perception, or "sixth sense". Any person who is claimed to ...

occultist The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mystic ...

and

herbalist Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...

. He was the co-author of the 1898 handbook ''Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolised''.

Early years

John Thomas was born in 1826 in Wales. As a young man, he studied for the

Christian ministry Christian ministry is the vocational work of living and teaching about faith, in the hopes of increasing the population of God's people done by the church, church officials, congregational members, and Jesus followers. The '' Cyclopedia of Bib ...

, but ultimately followed

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

and

psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use powers rooted in parapsychology, such as extrasensory perception (ESP), to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance; or who performs acts that a ...

interests. He was a curative Mesmeraist and claimed he had second sight and the ability to see ''Submundanes'' or ''Elementals'', which he described as terrifying figures.

Writings

Thomas founded a shortlived organisation called ''The Celestial Brotherhood'' which was also known as the ''British and Foreign Society of Occultists'', first mentioned in 1884. Members included

John Yarker John Yarker (17 April 1833 – 20 March 1913) was an England, English List of Freemasons, Freemason, author, and occultist. He was born in Swindale, Shap, Westmorland, in the north of England. He moved with his parents to Lancashire and on to ...

and Major Francis George Irwin, keen observers of the occult. Adopting the pseudonym "Charubel", he published numerous books and was editor of several

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...

periodicals. He published a monthly magazine initially called ''The Seer and Celestial Reformer'' but soon renamed ''The Occultist''. Thomas first met the astrologer

Alan Leo Alan Leo, born William Frederick Allan, (7 August 1860 – 30 August 1917) was an English astrologer, author, publisher, astrological data collector and theosophist. He is often referred to as "the father of modern astrology". His work stimula ...

in person in 1889. ''The Symbols of the Degrees of the Zodiac'' was first published as a series of articles in Leo's ''Astrologer's Magazine'' over a three-year period starting in December 1890. Thomas's book, ''Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolised'' was first published in 1898. A subsequent edition of 1907 included separate material written by the much younger mystic and

astrologer Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

Sepharial (Dr. Walter Gorn Old). In 1906, Thomas published ''The Psychology of Botany, Minerals and Precious Stones''.

Personal life and death

Thomas became very ill in 1891. Penniless, he relied on the care of others and was visited by occultists who travelled from all over the world to study with him. He died in 1908 in Manchester.

Legacy

The

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales (, ) in Aberystwyth is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and the l ...

holds a collection of papers relating to Thomas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charubel Welsh occultists 1826 births 1908 deaths Clairvoyants