The Astral Plane: Its Scenery, Inhabitants and Phenomena

Charles Webster Leadbeater (16 February 1854 - 1 March 1934) was a prominent early member of the Theosophical Society, author on the occult and co-founder with J. I. Wedgwood of the Liberal Catholic Church. Originally a clergyman in the Church of England, his interest in spiritualism led him to give up the Church in favour of the Theosophical Society, where he became a protege of Annie Besant. Leadbeater's talents as a prolific author on occult subjects kept him at the forefront of the Theosophical Movement until his death in 1934. With Annie Besant, starting in 1895, Leadbeater is reputed to have made "...occult investigations together into the cosmos, the beginnings of mankind, chemistry and the constitution of the elements, as well as frequently visiting the Masters together in their astral bodies." Leadbeater remains well-known and influential in his work through his reputed clairvoyance with, for instance, his books The Chakras and Man, Visible and Invisible dealing with the human aura and chakras. Leadbeater's reputed clairvoyance, however, was not without grave errors. In his book The Inner Life he wrote that there is a population of human-like beings on the planet Mars. His writings on the sacraments and Christian esotericism remain popular to this day, with a constant stream of new editions and translations of his opus magnum 'The Science of the Sacraments'. His Liturgy book is still in use by many Liberal and Independent Catholic Churches across the world.