Mystic Christianity: The Inner Teachings of the Master - Softcover

"Yogi Ramacharaka" was actually one of many pseudonyms used by William Walker Atkinson (1862-1932), a prolific American writer who was a major force behind the "new thought" movement and published extensively in areas of yoga, the occult, eastern mysticism, personal development, and related subjects.

Atkinson is believed to have written over 100 books, but he worked from behind a series of pen names and published most of his work through two publishing companies which he owned and operated. It is impossible to know with any certainty how many of the "authors" to whom books were attributed were in fact Atkinson himself.

A successful businessman and attorney, Atkinson suffered what may have been a nervous breakdown in the late 1880's and, in the course of his recovery, became immersed in the "new thought" movement, eastern mysticism, and yoga. He relocated to Chicago, epicenter of the New Thought movement, became the editor of multiple New Thought magazines, and began publishing his books.

While the Ramacharaka persona may have been fictitious, Atkinson was in fact a serious and devoted student and practitioner of yoga, and was a major force in introducing yoga and Hindu philosophy and eastern religious mysticism to the United States. The Ramacharaka writings are still widely read and well-respected, and his Advanced Course in Yoga Philosophy and Oriental Occultism is still widely considered an excellent basic text for the western layman.