Universalia
Universalia or Univerzalia is a Czech hermetic society. Members of Universalia were the most significant Czech hermeticists, occultist and occult writers.
History
It was established as the Free association of occult workers with Pierre de Lasenic as leader in the age between world wars one and two. It's next leader was Karel Mach. In the year 1927 it was it established as Universalia, with Jan Řebík as chairman. In later years the chairman was Dr.Jan Kefer.
In years of the First republic Universalia published many books about hermeticism and the occult, including the works of Eliphas Lévi, Pietro d'Abano and many others.
Universalia's greatest publication was the "Encyclopedia of Occult, Mythology and Philospohy", though it was never completed.
On the 9th day of June 1941 Jan Kefer was aressted by gestapo and Universalia was disestablished by German police. After the end of the communist era in Czechoslovakia, Universalia was reestablished with Milan Nakonečný as a chairman. In 1998 the society was renamed to Univerzalia.
Known members
- Jan Kefer (theurgist, astrologist and occult writer)
- Pierre de Lasenic (considered as the greatest Czech hermeticist)
- Franz Bardon (world known occult writer)
- Lída Baarová (actress and spiritist)
- Jiří Arvéd Smíchovský (theurgist and inconsistent [...] collaborator)
- Oldřich Eliáš (famous cabbalist and occult writer, that meet Aleister Crowley)
- František Kabelák (cabbalist, occult writer and cooperated with Fraternitas Saturni)
- Karel Weinfurter (world known occult writer and mystic)
- Josef Šimánek (decadent poem and dramatist)
- Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic (poem, writer and representative of Czech decadence)
- Emanuel Lešetický z Lešehradu (theosopher,hermeticist and friend of Gustav Meyrink)
- Otakar Zachar (alchemist)
- Felix De la Cámara (Spanish aristocrat, nacionalist, writer and producent)
- Theophanus Abba (alchemist and writer)
- Emanuel Hauner (writer, hermeticist and translator)
- Ladislav Klíma (philosopher)
- Pavel Ludikar (Czech operatic bass)
Source
Prof. PhDr. Milan Nakonečný, Novodobý český hermetismus (1995) ISBN 80-85255-85-5
References
cs:Universalia