George Robert Stow Mead (22 March 1863 in

Peckham Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vil ...

, Surrey – 28 September 1933 in London) was an English historian, writer, editor, translator, and an influential member of the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...

, as well as the founder of the Quest Society. His scholarly works dealt mainly with the Hermetic and

Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized p ...

religions of

Late Antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English h ...

, and were exhaustive for the time period.

Birth and family

Mead was born in

, Surrey, England to

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

Colonel Robert Mead and his wife Mary (née Stow), who had received a traditional education at Rochester Cathedral School.

Education at Cambridge University

Mead began studying mathematics at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

. Eventually shifting his education towards the study of Classics, he gained much knowledge of Greek and Latin. In 1884 he completed a BA degree; in the same year he became a public school master. He received an MA degree in 1926.

Activity with the Theosophical Society

While still at Cambridge University Mead read ''Esoteric Buddhism'' (1883) by

Alfred Percy Sinnett Alfred Percy Sinnett (18 January 1840 – 26 June 1921) was an English author and theosophist. Biography Sinnett was born in London. His father died while he was young, as in 1851 Sinnett was listed as a "Scholar – London University", liv ...

. This comprehensive theosophical account of the Eastern religion prompted Mead to contact two theosophists in London named Bertam Keightly and Mohini Chatterji, which eventually led him to join

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, uk, Олена Петрівна Блаватська, Olena Petrivna Blavatska (; – 8 May 1891), often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian mystic and author who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875 ...

in 1884. When in 1887 Madame Blavatsky settled in London, the young Mead joined the company of her close associates. In her circle he learned of the profound mysteries of the Gnostics and of the votaries of Hermes, soon becoming a prolific translator of Gnostic and Hermetic writings. In fact, many of his translations were from other modern languages as he was not trained in Coptic. In 1889 he abandoned his teaching profession to become Blavatsky's private secretary, and also became a joint-secretary of the Esoteric Section (E.S.) of the Theosophical Society, reserved for those deemed more advanced. Mead received Blavatsky's ''Six Esoteric Instructions'' and other teachings at 22 meetings headed by Blavatsky which were only attended by the Inner Group of the Theosophical Society. He married Laura Cooper in 1899. Contributing intellectually to the Theosophical Society, at first most interested in Eastern religions, he quickly became more and more attracted to Western esotericism in religion and philosophy, particularly

Neoplatonism Neoplatonism is a strand of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a chain of thinkers. But there are some ...

Gnosticism Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

, and

Hermeticism Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical system that is primarily based on the purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus (a legendary Hellenistic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth). These teachings are containe ...

, although his scholarship and publications continued to engage with Eastern religion. He contributed many articles to the Theosophical Society's ''Lucifer'' (renamed ''The Theosophical Review'' in 1897) as joint editor. Mead became the sole editor of ''The Theosophical Review'' in 1907. As of February 1909 Mead and some 700 members of the Theosophical Society's British Section resigned in protest at

Annie Besant Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist. Regarded as a champion of human ...

's reinstatement of

Charles Webster Leadbeater Charles Webster Leadbeater (; 16 February 1854 – 1 March 1934) was a member of the Theosophical Society, Co-Freemasonry, author on occult subjects and co-initiator with J. I. Wedgwood of the Liberal Catholic Church. Originally a p ...

to membership in the society. Leadbeater had been a prominent member of the Theosophical Society until he was accused in 1906 of teaching masturbation to, and sexually touching, the sons of some American Theosophists under the guise of occult training. While this prompted Mead's resignation, his frustration at the dogmatism of the Theosophical Society may also have been a major contributor to his break after 25 years.

The Quest Society

In March 1909 Mead founded the Quest Society, composed of 150 defectors of the Theosophical Society and 100 other new members. This new society was planned as an undogmatic approach to the comparative study and investigation of religion, philosophy, and science. The Quest Society presented lectures at the old Kensington Town Hall in central London but its most focused effort was in its publishing of ''The Quest: A Quarterly Review'' which ran from 1909 to 1931 with many contributors.

Influence

Notable persons influenced by Mead include

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Fascism, fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works ...

W.B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include '' Demian'', '' Steppenwolf'', '' Siddhartha'', and '' The Glass Bead Game'', each of which explores an individual ...

Kenneth Rexroth Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth (1905–1982) was an American poet, translator, and critical essayist. He is regarded as a central figure in the San Francisco Renaissance, and paved the groundwork for the movement. Although he did not consider ...

, and Robert Duncan. The seminal influence of G.R.S. Mead on

Carl Gustav Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philo ...

, confirmed by the scholar of Gnosticism

Gilles Quispel Gilles Quispel (30 May 1916 – 2 March 2006) was a Dutch theologian and historian of Christianity and Gnosticism. He was professor of early Christian history at Utrecht University. Born in Rotterdam, after finishing secondary school in Dordrecht ...

, a friend of Jung's, has been documented by several scholars. The popularity of a 20th-century Theosophical or esoteric interpretation of "gnosis" and the "Gnostics" led to an influential conception among scholars of an essential doctrinal and practising commonality among the various groups deemed "Gnostic," which has been criticised by scholars such as Michael Allen Williams in his book ''

Rethinking Gnosticism Rethinking, reconsidering, or reconsideration, is the process of reviewing a decision or conclusion that has previously been made to determine whether the initial decision should be changed. Rethinking can occur immediately after a decision has b ...

'' and by Karen L. King in recent decades.

Works

''Address read at H.P. Blavatsky's cremation''
(1891)

(London: Theosophical Publ. Soc'y, 1892)
''The Word-Mystery: Four Essays''
(London: Theosophical Publ. Soc'y, 1895), revised a
''The Word-Mystery: Four Comparative Studies in General Theosophy''
(London: Theosophical Publ. Soc'y, 1907) *''Select Works of Plotinus'' (Lonson: George Bell, 1896)
''Orpheus''
(London: Theosophical Publ. Soc'y, 1896)

(London: J.M. Watkins, 1896; revised 2nd ed. 1921)
''Fragments of a Faith Forgotten''
(London: Theosophical Publ. Soc'y 1900)

(London: Theosophical Publ. Soc'y, 1901)
''Did Jesus Live 100 BC?''
(London: Theosophical Publ. Soc'y, 1903)

''The Theosophical Review'' (April 15, 1904), pp. 131–44 *''The Corpus Hermeticum'' (1905) *''Thrice Greatest Hermes: Studies in Hellenistic Theosophy and Gnosis'' (London: Theosophical Publ. Soc'y, 1906)

*Echoes from the Gnosis (11-part series published at London by The Theosophical Publ. Soc'y): **Volume I

(1906) **Volume II

(1906) **Volume III

(1907) **Volume IV

(1907) **Volume V

(1907) **Volume VI
''A Mithraic Ritual''
(1907) **Volume VII
''The Gnostic Crucifixion''
(1907) **Volume VIII

(1907) **Volume IX

(1907) **Volume X

(1907) **Volume XI
''The Wedding Song of Wisdom''
(1907)
''Some Mystical Adventures''
(London: John M. Watkins, 1910)
''Quests Old and New''
(London: Watkins, 1913)
''Doctrine of the Subtle Body in Western Tradition''
(London: J.M. Watkins, 1919)

(London: Watkins, 1924) COLLECTION *''G.R.S. Mead: Essays and Commentaries'' ed. S.N. Parsons (Adeptis Press, 2016)

Footnotes

External links

*
Extensive on-line collection of the writings of GRS Mead (at the Gnosis Archive)Later Picture with no text
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mead, G. R. S. 1863 births 1933 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge American Theosophists Christ myth theory English historians English Theosophists Esoteric Christianity Historians of Gnosticism People educated at King's School, Rochester People from Nuneaton Scholars of Mandaeism