"The drawing and painting of the thought-forms observed by Mr. Leadbeater or by myself, or by both of us together, has been done by three friends--Mr. John Varley, Mr. Prince, and Miss Macfarlane."--Page [v].

Thought-Forms by Annie Besant and CW Leadbeater is both a classic of theosophy and an explanation of how, for those attune to it, those thoughts present themselves.

While I am not fully convinced (because I haven't experienced it rather than denying the possibility) of the ability to see thoughts in quite this way, I also accept that we emit far more than most of us realize. This book offers some guidance for what we might see/look for. As for how one opens oneself to the possibility of seeing these I don't know, though I would be interested in finding out.

This work, along with the excellent illustrations and explanations, took me in a slightly different direction because of my interests. I think it would be interesting to reread both works of fiction and biographical books (especially autobiographies and memoirs) and pay close attention to how people are portrayed. Perhaps without conscious realization writers known for wonderful descriptions are in fact seeing some elements of these thought-forms. Again, just the direction my mind took, I may in fact be misusing these ideas.

I would recommend this to readers who like intellectual history as well as those seeking ways to better exist in the here and now.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )