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Charles W Leadbeater
Charles Webster Leadbeater was born in February 1854, in Cheshire, England. During his life, he claimed to have been born in 1847, but there is a fairly good body of evidence to say the correct yea...view moreCharles Webster Leadbeater was born in February 1854, in Cheshire, England. During his life, he claimed to have been born in 1847, but there is a fairly good body of evidence to say the correct year was 1854.
His father — Charles — moved the family to London in 1861 because of a job with the railroad.
An uncle — W. W. Capes — got young Charles interested in the priesthood. He was ordained to the clergy by the Bishop of Winchester in 1979.
He met Helena P. Blavatsky in 1884. The well-known mystic got him interest in the occult side of religion. Father Leadbeater was so enamored by Madam Blavatsky that he became her disciple, mov-ing to Adyar, India shortly after meeting her. He renounced his priesthood and took up studies under Blavatsky.
In the early part of the twentieth century, he and James I. Wedgwood founded the Liberal Catholic Church. Their intent was to nourish esoteric liturgies, separate from the Anglican and Roman Rites of the church catholic.view less