ABSTRACT
Fritjof Schuon, the Swiss-born leader of the neo-Sufi Maryamiyya order, received divine mystical powers through a vision of the Virgin Mary. The precise contents of that vision were long shrouded in mystery. It appeared, however, that the Holy Mother had shown herself unclad to Schuon. Henceforth Schuon would also prefer to go naked as often as possible. Ritual nudity was also observed, and the leader of the order was frequently seen embracing nude women in order to impart some of his spiritual powers. To conservative suburbanites of Schuon’s hometown of Bloomington, Indiana, Schuon seemed to be more like a dirty old man than a true spiritual leader. There were also charges that Schuon had performed his nude rituals with minors. He was tried in court, but was freed of all charges. Schuon’s reputation may have been tarnished, but he remained a free man until his death on 5 May 1998. He had by then long lost any links with other Sufi masters. Even his former mentor, who was also a European who had adopted a highly idiosyncratic form of Sufism, had repudiated Schuon.
