John Thomas (1826–1908) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

mystic of the late 19th century. He used the professional name Charubel to practice, claiming to be a clairvoyant, occultist and

healer Healer may refer to: Conventional medicine *Doctor of Medicine *Health professional Alternative medicine * Faith healer * Folk healer * Healer (alternative medicine), someone who purports to aid recovery from ill health * Spiritual healer F ...

Early years

As a young man, John Thomas studied for the

Christian ministry In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith, the prototype being the Great Commission. The '' Encyclopedia of Christianity'' defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", in ...

, but ultimately followed

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

and psychic interests.

Writings

Adopting the pseudonym "Charubel", he published numerous books and was editor of several esoteric periodicals. He co-authored ''Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolised'' with the much younger mystic and

astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...

Sepharial (Dr Walter Gorn Old). He developed a set of

occult symbols The following is a list of symbols associated with the occult. This list shares a number of entries with the list of alchemical symbols as well as the list of sigils of demons. __TOC__ List See also *Iconography *Planet symbols References {{ ...

that he is known for; these were first published in Alan Leo's ''Astrologer's Magazine'' in 1893. Welsh occultists 1826 births 1908 deaths Clairvoyants {{occult-stub