The Valley of the Dawn, a Brazilian new religious movement founded in the 1960s by clairvoyant medium Neiva Chaves Zelaya (Aunt Neiva), is examined through the intellectual contributions of her partner Mário Sassi. Sassi, an early convert and intellectual seeker, selectively drew on esoteric ideas from theosophical and spiritist texts to interpret and systematize Aunt Neiva's visions, shaping the movement's Doctrine. This collaboration produced a Brazilian form of Western esotericism, now an international movement with over 600 affiliated temples across Brazil and worldwide.
The concept of the tulpa, a being that starts in imagination but becomes real and sentient, is commonly attributed to Tibetan Buddhism but actually owes more to Theosophy. The article traces the idea's murky origins to a dialogue between East and West, where Theosophical metaphysics merged with terms borrowed from Tibetan Buddhism, beginning with Alexandra David-Néel's 1929 book.