The occult federation of 1888

Social reformer and feminist Josephine Butler.
Portrait by George Richmond (1851).
Source: Wikipedia.

1888 was a crucial year in the history of Swedish occult revival. At the centre stood lecturer and author doctor Carl von Bergen (1838-1897) and his network, not least within Josephine Butler's (1828-1906) International Abolitionist Federation. And London became the capital of Swedish occultism.
    In 1888, the Three Graces of Swedish Theosophical movement, Carin Scholander (1830-1912), Amelie Cederschiöld (1853-1934) and Ellen Bergman (1842-1921) travelled to London to meet the Theosophical leader madame Blavatsky. The year after they initiated the Swedish branch of T. S. Bergman and Cederschiöld were also Butler Federationists. Within von Bergens network were also the two important translators of Theosophical and occult literature baron Victor Pfeiff (1829-1901) and A. F. Åkerberg (1833-1901) who were among the founders of Swedish branch of T. S.
    von Bergen visited SPR and spiritualist circles in London in summer of 1888 and became an associate of SPR later in the year. In 1890 he created a Swedish version of SPR - Svenska samfundet för psykisk forskning (SSPF). It seems he travelled with author Huldine Beamish (1836-1892) - pen name Edelweiss - who later founded spiritualist circle Edelweissförbundet (Edelweiss Society) in 1890 where she was the main medium. Her visions were recorded in four bound volumes. von Bergen and Beamish was very close. They developed what seems like a cult of the Catholic saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), who was also one of Josephine Butler's interests. In von Bergen's words it almost seems Bemish was considered Catherine's reincarnation.
    Of interest here is also that Edelweissförbundet fostered the spiritualist/occult circle De fem (The Five) where Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) and her friends held spiritualist seances (1890s), from which came the first impulses for her pioneering abstract art. Part of Edelweissförbundet was also artist and photographer Bertha Valerius (1824-1895) who was also a medium and mediumistic artist, and central in the early Swedish spiritualist and psychical research movement from 1870s. She created the famous Christ painting which became popular among spiritualists the world over. Åkerberg was a close friend of hers and also member of Edelweissförbundet.

In sum: From 1888 we can trace several important occult institutions and movements in Sweden in the coming decades: the Theosophical movement, Edelweissförbundet (with The Five) and SSPF. All within or in connection with von Bergen and his Federation network.