Occultists and the disrepute of Atlantis
It is said that at one time occultists brought the topic of Atlantis into disrepute. Please explain this and provide sources.
The idea of Atlantis, a legendary lost civilization, has been a topic of fascination and speculation for centuries. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the topic of Atlantis became associated with occult and esoteric movements, particularly in the writings of the Theosophical Society and its founder, Helena Blavatsky.
Blavatsky claimed to have received secret knowledge from ascended masters, and she incorporated the idea of Atlantis into her cosmology, describing it as a highly advanced civilization that existed in ancient times and possessed supernatural powers and technologies. Blavatsky's ideas were influential in the development of the New Age movement and other esoteric and occult traditions.
However, the claims made by Blavatsky and other occultists regarding Atlantis were not based on historical or archaeological evidence, and their associations with mysticism and esotericism led many mainstream scholars to dismiss the idea of Atlantis as a myth or legend. This association with occult and esoteric movements contributed to the disrepute of the idea of Atlantis among academic and scientific circles.
In recent decades, however, there has been renewed interest in the possibility of a lost civilization that may have inspired the legend of Atlantis, and some scholars have suggested that the story of Atlantis may have been based on real events or ancient civilizations that have been lost to history. However, the idea of Atlantis as a highly advanced civilization with supernatural powers remains a topic of controversy and debate.
Sources:
Feder, K. L. (2010). Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology: From Atlantis to the Walam Olum. ABC-CLIO.
Goodrick-Clarke, N. (2008). The Western Esoteric Traditions: A Historical Introduction. Oxford University Press.
Posnansky, M. (1970). The Atlantis Problem. Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
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