Blavatsky and neo-theosophy (3/3) Myth Theory, Philosophy of History, Sociology of Pop Culture

Part 1

 

HBO’s  Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God, Docuseries was the 8^th most watched show on Max in its first of three episodes (and the second episode reached #3) . It is the tragic story of Amy Carlson and an alternative spirituality group with an eclectic mix of beliefs and practices with some questionable elements that have raised eyebrows. The theology of Love Has Won has been described as fluid, combining New Age spirituality, conspiracy theories, and elements from mainstream Abrahamic religions.

 

In the first two parts, I examined how certain concepts of esoteric cyclical history may have filtered down into the Love Has Won 'Galactic A-Team' chart in a more modern mass media pop culture form. In this post, I'd like to take a brief look of how these original ideas have been developed along more rational lines. It begins with a passage from H. P. Blavatsky’s Isis Unveiled I, ch. 1, p. 34, about the doctrine of cycles:

‘’Thus, all those great characters who tower like giants in the history of mankind, like Buddha-Siddartha, and Jesus, in the realm of spiritual, and Alexander the Macedonian and Napoleon the Great, in the realm of physical conquests, were but reflexed images of human types which had existed ten thousand years before, in the preceding decimillennium, reproduced by the mysterious powers controlling the destinies of our world.’’ (34)

William Q. Judge elaborates on this notion in The Ocean of Theosophy, chapter 4, 1893; (he further elaborates on the subject in his first essay on the Bhagava Gita, 1895:

‘’In these cycles we can include mixed characters who have had great influence on nations, such as King Arthur, Pharaoh, Moses, Charlemagne reincarnated as Napoleon Bonaparte, Clovis of France reborn as Emperor Frederic III of Germany, and Washington the first President of the United States of America where the root for the new race is being formed.’’

Without getting into the complexities of it, there is a notion of the esoteric role of prominent historical figures, who are involved in the cyclical repetition of archetypal patterns. This concept has actually received one of the more serious studies in the recent academic interest in Theosophical history with a notion that Garry W. Trompf terms 'Macrohistory: Trompf, G. (2013). Theosophical Macrohistory. In Olav Hammer, Mikael Rothstein (Eds.), Handbook of the Theosophical Current, (pp. 375-403). Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004235977_019

In the second and best of three papers on Theosophical Macrohistory, he outlines a general overview of the concept in Blavatsky’s writings and the main continuations in other Theosophical writers. As a critical survey, it ambitiously aims to intertwine a historiography, theoretical study, and biography. The critical aspects fail mainly because of the limited space for such an extensive, pioneering undertaking and the limited availability of consistent materials in a burgeoning field of study. It is remarkable that the paper almost succeeds in this, before faltering with superficialities and inaccuracies. It does manage to succeed in touching upon most of the essential problems of the topic and as such can be considered a solid basis for future developments.  He does for example, cite the Blavatsky and Judge passages noticed above, seeing them as more or less consistent and connected (380-81; 390-91). Whatever one thinks of Blavatsky’s ideas, the paper does convincingly establish that her views are intelligible, hence amenable to rational analysis according to academic concepts of macrohistory.

Jeffery Lavoie, despite mixed motives and retaining familiar tired academic misconceptions, has undertaken a solid study of the Theosophical doctrine of cycles, benefiting from the more advanced state of scholarship since Trompf’s paper. Jeffrey D. Lavoie, “Saving Time: Time, Sources and Implications of Temporality in the Writings of H. P. Blavatsky” (PhD diss., University of Exeter, 2015). https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10871/25014/LavoieJ.pdf?sequence=3

It’s a rather complex subject and as been indicated in the first two posts, the idea has been developed variously in different neo-Theosophical currents. The general notion of individual agency in a context of archetypal history has been developed by several comparative mythology scholars, in considering the relation of myth and history. Mircea Eliade elaborates how historical accounts have a complex interaction with mythology, how poetic historical sagas and even local legends have a tendency to become mythologized: 'A series of contemporary events is given an articulation and an interpretation that conform with the atemporal model of the heroic myth.' (Cosmos and History: , The Myth of the Eternal Return, 1958. Chapter 1, 'Myths and History')

Georges Dumézil, in "From Myth to Fiction: The Saga of Hadingus", (1970) further elaborates on the complex inter-connection between myth, history and fiction. He considers how the early mythology of a people can be creatively transposed into the epic of their origin or the "history" of their kings, or the source of their fiction. The Saga of Hadingus, written by twelfth-century Danish "historian," Saxo-Grammaticus, provides an instance of this kind of transposition, demonstrating how the saga can be seen as a literary structure derived from the religious structure of the myth. https://www.amazon.ca/Myth-Fiction-Saga-Hadingus/dp/0226169723

Joseph Campbell further considers Freudian and Jungian psychological concepts: archetypal patterns found in mythology are found to appear subjectively in dreams. Therefore patterns of mythical heroes have individual applications.: 'Moreover, if we could dredge up something forgotten not only by ourselves but by our whole generation or our entire civilization, we should become indeed the boon-bringer, the culture hero of the day-a personage of not only local but world historical moment (The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 1949).

Moreover, Eliade furthermore mentions how forms of mythical, archetypal patterns are present in modern mainstream mass media popular culture via novels and films: 'The cinema, that 'dream factory', adopts and uses innumerable mythical motifs: the combat of the hero and the monster, combats and trials of initiation, exemplary figures and images (the 'Young Girl', the 'Hero', the land of paradise, 'Hell', etc.) Even reading has a mythological function (The Sacred and the Profane, 1957, Chapter 4, 'The sacred and the profane in the modern world',p. 174).

Edgar Morin posits the heavy mythologizing power present in the Hollywood star system: 'Thus the stars, patterns of culture in the literal sense of the term, give shape to the total human process which has produced them. The star is indeed a myth: not only a daydream but an idea-force. The characteristic of the myth is to insert itself or incarnate itself somehow within life. If the myth of the stars incarnates itself so astonishingly within reality, it is because that myth is produced by that reality, i.e., the human history of the twentieth century. But it is also because the human reality nourishes itself on the imaginary to the point of being semi-imaginary itself. (The Stars, An account of the star system in motion pictures, 1957) p, 183.

So with a recent article on Robin Williams, this notion of how popular culture figures become viewed as historical figures of some transcendent historical significance takes us full circle, as it where. Whether the archetypal structures appear after the historical events or are coeval with them is debatable, suffice to point out that there is a noticeable tendency in human nature to view historical figures in an archetypal, idealized way (The celebrity worship of "Love Has Won": Why Robin Williams may have resonated with a cult. Melanie McFarland December 4, 2023 https://www.salon.com/2023/12/04/love-has-won-robin-williams-culture/ ).

Blavatsky and neo-theosophy (2/3) (spiritualism)

HBO’s  Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God, Docuseries was the 8^th most watched show on Max in its first of three episodes (and the second episode reached #3) . It is the tragic story of Amy Carlson and an alternative spirituality group with an eclectic mix of beliefs and practices with some questionable elements that have raised eyebrows. The theology of Love Has Won has been described as fluid, combining New Age spirituality, conspiracy theories, and elements from mainstream Abrahamic religions.

 

A striking collage entitled ‘The Galactic A-Team’ featuring modern western pop culture celebrities from film and music and the ascended master version of the Count of Saint-Germain. In reading a few articles on the subject, a few more neo-theosophical elements could be glimpsed among the Christian, millenialist, QAnon and New Age elements. Among this rather baroque appearance, I happened to recognize a few discernible elements, and so I thought it would be feasible to attempt a brief analysis as it could give some insight into how theosophical influences figure in contemporary new religious movements.

Since much of the Galactic A-Team has to do with recently deceased pop culture celebrities, it would seem useful to touch upon the question of spiritualism in new religious movements. I don’t know if there is much awareness of how big a movement spiritualism was in the late 19^th century. The striking phenomena that was occurring was attracting considerable attention, including from the scientific field, there were millions of followers, with various magazines, and mediums giving séances and demonstrations. Theosophical Society founder Henry Olcott had a strong interest in the movement, and was interested in the scientific investigation of the phenomena. His first book, People from the Other World, details his reports on this and recounts his first encounter with H. P. Blavatsky.  A.P. Sinnett  also had a strong interest in studying these phenomena. Although much dismissed today, the accounts of deceased people physically manifesting in front of people garnered a lot of attention, similar to the phenomena of UFOs and crop circles today, perhaps.

 

As well as communication from the deceased, there were also mediumnistic communications from spiritual beings produced via automatic writing, known today as channelling. Theosophist T. Subba Row gave a critique of one such text, from William Oxley, a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita from an entity named Busiris, whose interpretations Row was not much impressed with. 

Theosophy and Spiritualism

 

Blavatsky and Olcott began early on writing to spiritualist magazines and eventually began to introduce elements of esoteric philosophy and occultism, which contradicted the spiritualist beliefs. Eventually Blavatsky would introduce theosophical views on reincarnation which explained that communications with departed souls are really with discarded astral bodies of the deceased and not the spiritual essence of the person, which could generally not be contacted. Moreover she considered that attempts to contact the deceased was undesirable and that séances were harmful and problematic. 

 

Moreover, she maintained that various mischievous entities from the astral plane were wont to impersonate famous historical figures, and thus most communications from such beings were false and unreliable. See, for example,Theosophy and Spiritism, 1883. Additionally, early theosophists also pointed out the dangers and pitfalls of psychic practices related to the astral plane. See for example,  Astral Intoxication - William Q. Judge 1887, and a Judge letter concerning the Oahspe writings, November 28, 1890.

 

Also, it is be noted that Blavatsky never claimed to engage in such practices^[a]  and gave comparatively few explanations as to the nature of her own methods of communications with adepts and mahatmas, but explained that the occult training required to do so, makes it differ considerably from spiritualism. Occult communication with living adepts, who are human beings, is a difference process than communication with beings of an astral or spiritual nature. 

 

However, many people in the mainstream, especially those who reject the possibility of living spiritual adepts, don’t care to make the distinctions that Blavatsky proposed and tend to conflate her with spiritualism and call her a medium, taking special pleasure, it would seem, in retroactively attributing the more mediumnistic term of ‘ascended masters’ to her, a term which belongs to a much later time with very different people and organizations.

 

Complications

 

There are, however, some difficulties that could be pointed out in the problem of distinguishing theosophy from spiritualism. In Isis Unveiled, Blavatsky does not totally reject spiritualist practices, making a distinction between mediumship and mediatorship, where one can communicate with more spiritual beings proper. 

Moreover, there were some cases where the adepts did try to use mediumnistic methods to communicate. Four such cases can be cited, William Stainton Moses, Mabel Collins, Anna Bonus Kingsford, and Laura Holloway. Indications are given in the literature about how difficult it was to find a suitable person and how delicate the process was. Despite having produced one text each with Moses, Kingsford, and Holloway, and three texts from Collins, all four attempts ultimately failed and communication had to be broken off. There is also the intriguing case of Emma Hardinge Britten, a prominent spiritualist who was also a founding member of the Theosophical Society, whose book, Art Magic, was favorably mentioned in the Mahatma Letters.

Strangely, there might even be a kind of adept prototype for the Galactic A-Team, with the mysterious beings communicating to William Stainton Moses, who were composed of seven circles of seven spirits, said to be the souls of prominent historical spiritual and philosophical figures, who were related to functions that might be a more accurate depiction of the seven rays, so developed in neo-theosophy. Note that the seven rays doctrine was not so elaborately detailed in Blavatsky’s writing, with T. Subba Row only giving out rough indications, stating that the first two rays could not really be mentioned,  see The Occultism of Southern India.

 

First circle of seven spirits:

1-Imperator Servus Dei, chief of a band of forty-nine spirits ( 7 x 7)

2-Rector, deputy and lieutenant, control manifesting spirits

3- Doctor, the Teacher, superintendence of spirits of wisdom and knowledge

4-5- Two Guardians of the earth

6-7- Two guardians of the spheres

 

Each member of the first circle presiding over one the next six circles:

 

Circle 1- Guardians and inspiring spirits Supervision of the whole band.

Circle 2- Spirits of love. Religion, love to God; charity, love to man; gentleness, tenderness, pity, mercy, friendship, affection.

Circle 3- Intuition, perception, reflection, impression, reasoning and the like.

Circle 4- Knowledge–of men, of things, of life, whose charge is caution and comparison, of causality and eventuality, and the like.

Circle 5- Art, science, literature, culture, refinement, poetry, paintings, music, language.

Circle 6- Mirth, wit, humour, geniality and joyous conversation.

Circle 7- Physical manifestations.

Spiritualism today

Additionally, I think that it would be good to consider that Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, arrived in an alternative spirituality movement that had already been quite active since about 1850, with the Spiritualism movement being the dominant current, therefore, it would be quite difficult to make a mark in an already effervescent field. Therefore, even though the early theosophical writings discourage spiritualism, many theosophists did pursue such practices. 

A little known part of theosophical history is the relationship of A.P. Sinnett with Maude Boyle-Travers, whom he used as a medium to supposedly contact the Mahatmas after communications were broken off with him, as described in The Mahatma Letters. Considering the major influence that he had on C. W. Leadbeater, one could even consider him the godfather of the new age, in which the little known figure of Maude Boyle-Travers, who later married William Scott-Elliot,  could be considered a more specific godmother of the new age.

Ultimately, I don't think that Blavatsky had much success in changing the beliefs of the spiritualists. However, considering that a program from a local annual spiritualist conference that I've seen was almost entirely comprised of activities based on esoteric practices and world spiritual traditions, one could say that the spirit world has virtually adopted the theosophical charter. Therefore, the new age movement could be better described as the result of the  spiritualist movement absorbing the theosophical world view into their practices, with the related esoteric and new thought philosophies. Personally, I think that many people find the surrounding materialistic society too stifling, and so come to depend on any kind of other-worldly experience for reassurance. Blavatsky was aware of the problem of weird spiritual beliefs.

 

In the case of the Love Has Won group, without having watched the documentary series, I would then say that it seems to be a case of advanced absorption of the theosophical current by spiritualistic practices. One pertinent reason why I consider this historical excursion useful is because I noticed that in more recent works, such as Graham Nicholls' Navigating the Out of Body Experience: Radical New Techniques, which mentions related techniques of astral healing, the author surveys the literature  on astral projection, including theosophical texts, but only goes as far back as CW Leadbeater, and seems unaware of the more cautionary explanations found in the earlier literature.

Part 1 

Still have some backlog for a 3rd post, which I couldn't fit it - more mainstream ramifications of 1st Blavatsky quote, myth theory, philosophy of history, sociology- Stay tuned...

Part 3 

Blavatsky, American Feminist & Civil Rights Movements

You Say You Want a Revolution—in Consciousness?

Martin Luther King tapped into a mystical East-West lineage, one that can guide us in divisive times

Christopher Naughton Jan. 1, 2020

Gandhi, Blavatsky and King shared a common root: Transcendentalism. Gandhi admitted that “Thoreau’s ideas greatly influenced [his] movement in India.”[7] In April 1959, Reverend King made a long-awaited pilgrimage to that country where he hoped to learn more about Mahatma Gandhi’s use of non-violence in his own civil rights battle against the British Empire. After leaving India, King’s interest in this kind of revolution became an irrepressible passion. His clear decision to employ “non-violent resistance to oppression” would not only keep him emotionally nurtured during the personal struggles that followed, but also lay a crystal clear guideline for the hundreds of thousands of informal followers he would attract.

https://medium.com/@cwnaughton33/you-say-you-want-a-revolution-in-consciousness-b83958b88dff

Gandhi Learned Hinduism From Blavatsky’s Occult Theosophy

Gaia Staff | January 24, 2018

History textbooks will tell you that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a.k.a. Mahatma Gandhi, is one of the most revered names in Indian history for his achievements in ending British imperialism through non-violent, civil disobedience. What they won’t tell you is that there is a strong occult connection to his life of social justice, due to the efforts of Madame Helena Blavatsky and Annie Besant of the Theosophical Society.

https://www.gaia.com/article/blavatsky-theosophy-gandhi  

 

Marianne Williamson and the religion of "spirituality"

Williamson unapologetically infuses her interest in spirituality into her political campaigning

Galen Watts

October 10, 2019

In "Spiritual but not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America," religious historian Robert Fuller sheds light on the various metaphysical movements that emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries in America.

These include Swedenborgism, Transcendentalism, Spiritualism, Mesmerism, Theosophy and New Thought, each of which — despite being relatively unknown to most people — have significantly shaped the “spiritual but not religious” trend.

These movements were certainly theologically different, but nevertheless, like Williamson and her followers, they postulated the existence of unseen forces and championed the importance of both mystical experiences and individual freedom. If channelled appropriately, those forces could purportedly lead to self-empowerment.

Schmidt observes that many of the leaders and spokespeople of these movements were ahead of their time, both socially and politically.

For instance, Margaret Fuller, an early Transcendentalist and confessed mystic, was also a staunch advocate for women’s rights in the early 19th century. So was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a women’s suffrage activist who sought to claim the privilege of autonomy for the female sex in The Woman’s Bible , published in 1895.

https://www.salon.com/2019/10/09/marianne-williamson-and-the-religion-of-spirituality_partner/

Suffragettes, Gnostics, and the Divine Feminine

October 5, 2018 by Philip Jenkins

Theosophical works had a special appeal to feminist thinkers, who found validation for ideas about women’s suppressed role in early Christianity. Many of the leading occult thinkers in this vein were women, including Helena Blavatsky, Annie Besant, and Anna Kingsford. Feminist Bible criticism dates from the 1890s, with the appearance of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Woman’s Bible (1895). While it did not seek to revise the scriptural text, the Woman’s Bible offered a thorough-going feminist commentary that pointed out the inconsistencies in Scripture, and stressed the egalitarian nature of Jesus’ teachings.

Other Victorian women, however, took more extreme positions than Stanton, feeling that Christianity was too closely related to patriarchy to be worth saving in anything like its present form. This was the message of Matilda Joslyn Gage’s Woman, Church and State (1893), which argued that ancient society was obviously matriarchal in nature. Gage was also an early adherent of the Theosophical Society, an association that she described as the “crown blessing” of her life. One of her recruits into the movement was her son-in-law L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, among many other titles.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2018/10/feminists-suffragettes-and-gnostics/

Matilda Joslyn Gage

What a Forgotten 19th Century Suffragist Can Teach Us About Women’s Rights vs. The Religious Right

By S. Brent Rodriguez Plate March 8, 2017

If America is currently being “taken back” and made “great again” we seem to be landing somewhere in the late 19^th century. It’s easy to say that great strides have been made toward racial and gender equality in the last 150 years, yet one can’t help being struck by the parallel discourse surrounding human rights between then and now. Nowhere is this more evident than in the battles between women’s rights and the religious right. And nowhere is it more clear than in reviewing the works of Matilda Joslyn Gage.

It’s not the bible per se that is the problem, but the interpretation of it, and she appealed to the Protestant principle of individual scripture interpretation: the priesthood of all believers extends to women, who should “be guided by her own reason.” She plays Protestantism against itself to find new approaches to the ancient myths. At the same time the new religious movements of Spiritualism and Theosophy, both founded by women, gave her new channels to understand a revived sense of the sacred.

https://religiondispatches.org/what-a-forgotten-19th-century-suffragist-can-teach-us-about-womens-rights-vs-the-religious-right/

for a good general bibiliography of the American 19^th century Feminism-Theosophy connection see:

http://wlh-wiki.law.stanford.edu/index.php/The_Woman%27s_National_Liberal_Union_Convention

Some prominent names in the American Feminism/theosophy connection: Josephine Cables, Emily Coues, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Matilda Joslyn Gage, Susan B. Anthony, Elia B. Peattie

 

Interestlingly, black abolitionist Frederick Douglass' celebrated 1952 Fourth of July speech was sponsored by the Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester, where organizer's such as woman's rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton would go on to be involved in the Theosophical movement.

The Best Fourth of July Speech in History

James West Davidsom, July 2, 2015

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/07/fourth-of-july-revisiting-frederick-douglasss-fiery-speech.html 

 

 

Blavastky & New Age Spirituality

Prayer beyond praying
Dr. Satish K. Kapoor
Prayer awakens the sixth sense-Faculty X-and shows one the path to success in whatever field one wants to operate. Madame Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society, wrote (Isis Unveiled, I): Prayer is desire, and desire develops into will.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/life-style/gyan-zone/prayer-beyond-praying/399967.html

Where the author got this Blavatsky anecdote, I do not know:
Joy of Sharing
Saturday, May 13, 2017
https://www.assamtimes.org/node/19023

Stop Studying Success Gurus. Do This Instead.
Michael Schein
Yet Blavatsky is responsible for the popularization of Eastern spirituality in the West, which led to mass interest in activities such as yoga and meditation. Today everyone from professional athletes to Silicon Valley billionaires to neuroscientists vouch for the benefits of these practices.
https://www.inc.com/michael-schein/stop-studying-success-gurus-do-this-instead.html

Blind Faith Has No Place In Witchcraft
May 4, 2017 by Mat Auryn
While I do not blindly believe in many of the things that she taught, Helena Blavatsky once wrote　that "I speak ‘with absolute certainty’ only so far as my own personal belief is concerned. Those who have not the same warrant for their belief as I have, would be very credulous and foolish to accept it on blind faith."
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/matauryn/2017/05/04/blind-faith-no-place-witchcraft/#PAyyWZaxKFspoOxy.99

Faith Healer insipired by Theosophy
https://goodmenproject.com/arts/dad-was-normal-then-he-punched-a-hole-in-a-cloud-with-his-mind-wcz/

Manly Hall gets a mainstream biography:
"Master of the Mysteries: New Revelations…" Review & Interview with Author Louis Sahagun
Tenebrous Kate June 14, 2016
https://heathenharvest.org/2016/07/29/master-of-the-mysteries-new-revelations-review-interview-with-author-louis-sahagun/

Blavatsky and Modern Occultism

And now for something completely different - This analyses Crowley’s commentary on the Voice of the Silence (among lots of other things… not as bad as the title suggests, I think, or maybe I had too much coffee)
Secrets of the Sex Magic Space Lamas Revealed! Tibetan Buddhist Aliens and Religious Syncretism
October 23, 2015 - Joffre
We know that Crowley regarded Blavatsky not merely as a fraud but as someone with real spiritual realization, so such analogies are about more than just debunking a skilled con-woman. Crowley here implies that historical cultural traditions are a means to an end, a strategic springboard for capturing and articulating a higher more transcendent Gnosis or Truth.
https://savageminds.org/2015/10/23/secrets-of-the-sex-magic-space-lamas-revealed-tibetan-buddhist-aliens-and-religious-syncretism/

Katy Perry will mess your mind, and it's all Blavatsky's fault, Miley Cyrus will wreck your mind like a wrecking ball (and it’s all Aleister Crowley’s fault)
Katy Perry SNL Performance Proves Crowley’s Eastern Mysticism has Invaded
By Emily -05/22/2017
The very founder of the new age movement created "the perfect blend of Hinduism and Buddhism." This is vital evidence in proving that the mixture of beliefs and practices we see in people like Katy Perry’s life aren’t incidental, they are following mystic leaders such as Blavatsky.
https://christiantruther.com/exposed/secret-societies/katy-perry-snl-performance-proves-crowleys-eastern-mysticism-has-invaded/

How St-Germain became a rock star… because of Blavatsky
The Immortal Ones
Posted on February 9, 2017 by Earth Energy Reader
The spiritual stories about him as an immortal didn’t really take off until Madame Blavatsky and the Theosophical movement got a hold of it. Between 1880 and 1900 it was admitted among all theosophists, that the Comte de Saint-Germain was still alive, that he was still engaged in the spiritual development of the West, and that those who sincerely took part in this development had the possibility of meeting him.
https://earthenergyreader.wordpress.com/category/ascension/

Sports section: The second biggest boxing match of all time inspired by Blavatsky:
The Secret That Led Conor McGregor to Fame, Fortune and Floyd Mayweather
Jeremy Botter MMA August 25, 2017 The first instance of the "law of attraction" phrase appearing in print came in 1877's　Isis Unveiled, a dense two-volume book by Russian occultist and theosophist Helena Blavatsky:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2728822-the-secret-that-led-conor-mcgregor-to-fame-fortune-and-floyd-mayweather

Not terribly accurate, but a positive appreciation:
No Religion Higher Than Truth; or, Why Theosophy Matters
June 30, 2017 by Philip Jenkins
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2017/06/why-theosophy-matters/