LuciferA Theosophical Magazine

The New Mithraeum

Lucifer: A Theosophical Magazine was a monthly journal founded in London by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky in 1887 and initially edited by Blavatsky and Mabel Collins. Conceived as a forum for the emerging Theosophical movement, it published articles on comparative religion, philosophy, occultism, symbolism, mythology and the esoteric interpretation of ancient traditions, alongside correspondence, reviews and discussions of contemporary scholarship. Its title reflected the original Latin sense of Lucifer as the “light-bringer” or morning star, and the magazine described its purpose as bringing “to light the hidden things of darkness”.

Published monthly from September 1887 to August 1897, Lucifer ran to twenty volumes and 120 issues. Its editorship changed over the decade, eventually passing to Annie Besant and G. R. S. Mead. In 1897 the journal continued under a new title, The Theosophical Review. During its ten-year run, Lucifer became an important venue for the Theosophical engagement with ancient religions and the Mysteries, including early esoteric interpretations of Mithraic material.