There was a lot of overlap in the very early 20th century between occultism, the natural-living movement, and what was then called "physical culture" and we now call exercise. On the one hand, a lot of occultists recognized that if their material bodies were as strong and healthy as possible, that gave them many advantages in occult work; on the other hand, a lot of people who were into natural living and exercise realized that basic occult methods could be used to improve their capacity to overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams. This is Joe Greenstein, a Polish-American Jew who became one of the major figures on the strongman circuit under the stage name The Mighty Atom; he used Cabalistic incantations and meditations to amplify his considerable strength. This is a guy who could, and repeatedly did, tie a #2 iron horseshoe into an overhand knot with his bare hands. This is Genevieve Stebbins, the Jane Fonda of women's exercise at the beginning of the 20th century. She was also a very high-ranking adept in the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, one of the leading occult orders of the time.
These are the two figures on the interface between occultism and exercise that I know most about. There were thousands of others. Most of them weren't famous; they were ordinary men and women who decided that being strong and healthy beat the bejesus out of the alternative, and used the power of their minds as well as their bodies to get there. A lot of them lifted weights -- free weights, please note, so they could develop the little stabilizer muscles all through their bodies. They liked kettlebells, dumbbells, and Indian clubs: It was good robust stuff and I hope to see it revived someday.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2024-10-28 07:51 pm (UTC)This is Joe Greenstein, a Polish-American Jew who became one of the major figures on the strongman circuit under the stage name The Mighty Atom; he used Cabalistic incantations and meditations to amplify his considerable strength. This is a guy who could, and repeatedly did, tie a #2 iron horseshoe into an overhand knot with his bare hands.
This is Genevieve Stebbins, the Jane Fonda of women's exercise at the beginning of the 20th century. She was also a very high-ranking adept in the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, one of the leading occult orders of the time.
These are the two figures on the interface between occultism and exercise that I know most about. There were thousands of others. Most of them weren't famous; they were ordinary men and women who decided that being strong and healthy beat the bejesus out of the alternative, and used the power of their minds as well as their bodies to get there. A lot of them lifted weights -- free weights, please note, so they could develop the little stabilizer muscles all through their bodies. They liked kettlebells, dumbbells, and Indian clubs:
It was good robust stuff and I hope to see it revived someday.