"There are so Many Ways of Spiritual Development”: Shmuel Hugo Bergmann’s Interests in Western Esoteric and Alternative Spiritual Currents

In 1958,ShmuelHugo Bergmannwrotetohis IndianfriendIndraSen:Thereare so manywaysofspiritualdevelopmentoffered to mentoday. Thereis RudolfStein-er,towhomIamvery muchindebted, thereis Uspansky,whomIdo notknow,thereisR.GuenonwhomIhave studiedthisautumn,thereis Sivanandathereis Krishnamurti–andthereis Pondicherry. Howcanonewhohas hadno personalexperiences andwhoseekshis way, decidefor himselfwhichwayisthe right way?¹ThisshortpassagerevealsBergmann’sdeepinterest in esotericismandalternativespirituality,aswell as his uncertaintiesregardinghis ownspiritualquest.Bergmannstartedhis spiritualquestas ayoungmanand continuedsearchingfortherestof hislife.He foundmuchinterest in variousesotericandspiritualteachings, in whichhe believed onecouldfindthekeyfor anew metaphysicalsci-encebasedon alternative formsof consciousness,andlaterhadan importantrolein introducingmodernesotericteachingstoIsraelipublicandin theformationofmodernalternative spiritualmovementsin Israel.In thefollowing,IwilldiscussBergmann’sesoteric andalternative spiritualinterests,his callfor a“courageous”philosophicrevolutionthat wouldexpandhuman consciousness,and hisimpacton esotericandalternative spiritualcultureinIsrael