“Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels”: Western Esotericism, Yoga, and the Discourse of Authenticity
New Approaches to the Study of Esotericism December 3, 2020 Keith E. Cantú
Applying dichotomies like 'authentic' vs. 'inauthentic' to entire fields of study—such as Western occultists who engaged with Asian traditions—is problematic, because labeling something inauthentic implies a standard of authenticity that may not exist. This chapter examines how the 'discourse of authenticity' operates in Western esotericism and yoga studies, showing that the drive to preserve a pure, premodern 'East' often overlooks the innovative contributions of South Asians who adapted their teachings for new audiences. The analysis covers figures like H.P. Blavatsky, Henry Olcott, Aleister Crowley, Theodor Reuss, and Franz Hartmann, who integrated Indian, Buddhist, Daoist, and Sufi ideas into occult literature and teachings.