ABSTRACT
The chapter continues the author’s study of Hegel’s esoteric influences first taken up at length in his Hegel and the Hermetic Tradition. In addition to Hegel, the chapter discusses Schelling’s similar background in mysticism and esotericism. The esoteric influences of both thinkers are deep, varied, and often quite openly expressed. The discussion treats three different themes: (1) the influence of Jacob Boehme and Christian theosophy, (2) the influence of Swabian “speculative Pietism” and Kabbalah, and (3) the interest in occult phenomena, such as “animal magnetism.”
