Josephin Péladan and the French Occult Revival with Sasha Chaitow

Sasha Chaitow, PhD, is a British-Greek cultural historian, author, artist, and lecturer whose work explores the rich intersections of esotericism, philosophy, and the arts. An internationally exhibited artist, she is the author of several books including her translation of The Hieroglyphica of Horapollon Niloos, and Atalanta Unveiled: Alchemical Initiation in the Emblems of the Atalanta Fugiens. This conversation will focus on her book Son of Prometheus: The Life and Work of Joséphin Péladan.

Here she focuses on the Occult Revival of the late nineteenth century in Paris, France. The period brings to mind such names as Eliphas Levi, Papus (Gérard Encausse), and Stanislas de Guaita. The Rosicrucian novelist Josephin Péladan also played a major role in this movement that has been largely forgotten. Sasha Chaitow has made a point of reviving memory of his particular genius.

00:00 Introduction
03:04 The French Occult Revival
12:55 Ceremonial magic
15:45 Josephin Péladan
20:22 Kaloprosopia
28:02 The Salon de la Rose + Croix
37:49 The end of Western Civilization
43:20 Esoteric system of self-initiation
51:20 Péladan and William Blake
57:15 Conclusion

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. He currently serves as Co-Director of Parapsychology Education at the California Institute for Human Science.

(Recorded on June 12, 2025)

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