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Kelpius

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The Philosopher's Stone in Philadelphia

Yesterday, I wrote about Johannes Kelpius and his group of mystic monks who moved to Philadelphia in the 1690s to wait for the end of the world. Though the group had Christian inclinations, they also dabbled in esoteric practices like astral projection, astrology and astronomy, and alchemy. Here's one weird

a drawing of an ouroboros superimposed over trees, with the words "a stone with curious carvings"
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An occult doomsday cult in 1690s Philly

In the 1690s, a Transylvanian-born mystic, occultist, musician, and writer named Johannes Kelpius led a group of forty Rosicrucian monks to colonial Philadelphia await the end of the world. Though Kelpius and his group of highly-educated mystics were disappointed when the day of revelation didn’t come, they made the

a green halftone photo of a cave in the woods with the text "a doomsday cult in philly"