Yoga: The Art of Transformation

The Theosophical body, from The Chakras: A Monograph
1927
by Charles W. Leadbeater (British, 1854–1934)
Book; Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House

General Collections, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, BP573.C5 L4 1972

Charles W. Leadbeater was a leading proponent of Theosophy, a movement that championed the connections between Western esoteric beliefs and Asian spiritual and religious knowledge. He makes the case that the energy centers of the body can be perceived by anyone who develops the proper tools of “clairvoyance” or yogic visualization. The body itself (right) correlates chakras and physical organs; its glowing vortex (left) is echoed in recent New Age imagery.