Carl Henrik Andreas Bjerregaard (1845-1922) was born in Denmark in 1845. Graduating from the University of Copenhagen in 1863, he went on to become a professor of botany. In 1873 he came to America for political reasons in 1873 from his native Denmark (he had been a spy for the Danish army)and in 1879 became Librarian at the Astor Library, which later merged with the Lenox Library to form the Reference Division of the New York Public Library, eventually becoming Chief of its Main Reading Room. His interest in the spiritual life can be seen in the books and articles he wrote.
While engaged as the chief librarian of the main reading room of the New York City Public Library, C.H.A. Bjerregaard's book "The Inner Life and the Tao-Teh-King" (published by The Theosophical Society in 1913) was reviewed in the February 16, 1913 edition of the New York Times daily newspaper. While cautioning that Bjerregaard's translation of the great Chinese classic was comparable to that of other writers, the N.Y. Times' review notes that Bjerregaard departed from conventional thinking by suggesting that "the only way of [properly] reading the book [was] in the light of mysticism...[as] it [was] not possible to handle it as a Confucian document is handled." As further explained in the N.Y. Times' review, Bjerregaard held the view that there was a "revelation in the Tao-Teh-King of a wonderful life of simplicity in the pre-ethical period -- a life of mystical character...those who followed it did not dream mysticism or theosophy but actually lived the mysteries."
Of particular interest to note is the contribution C.H.A. Bjerregaard made in scholarly fields that differed from his own. One such example is the "Anthropological & Ethnographic" Introduction that he wrote for Rev. J.G. Wood's "Illustrated Natural History" book published in 1886 by George Routledge & Sons Company. Later, in July of 1900, C.H.A. Bjerregaard published a review of Henrik Isben's play, "When We Dead Awaken" in The Ideal Review with the prefare that "...if the winter season had been before us, I would not review Ibsen's [last] play, "When We Dead Awaken," because the impressions made by it would correspond too well with the dreariness of the cold. But summer is before us and we are full of the rising life and fruitfulness..." (New York City's Moonstruck Dramastore).
Weltmer's Magazine - March 1901 issue -
C.H.A. Bjerregaard's essay "The Hypnotic"
Here
C.H.A. Bjerregaard's published books:
The Great Mother; a gospel of the eternally feminine.. (1913)
The Inner Life and the Tao-teh-king (1912)
Lectures on mysticism and nature worship (1897)
Sufism : Omar Khayyam and E. Fitzgerald (1915)
Sufi Interpretations of the Quatrains of Omar Khayyam and Fitzgerald (1902)
All who seek the roots of life dig in solitude for them. ~ C. H. A. Bjerregaard
DEACONESSES IN EUROPE AND Their Lessons for America
BY JANE M. BANCROFT, Ph.D(1890)
• Acknowledgments are also due to Mr. Gillett, Librarian of the Union Theological Seminary, and to Mr. C. H. A. Bjerregaard, of the Astor Library, for putting not only the facilities of the library, but their personal assistance, at the service of the writer. Jane M. Bancroft. New York city, June 5, 1889.
Carl Henry Andrew Bjerregaard was regarded as one of the leading advanced thinkers of the country in all esoteric teachings related to mysticism.
Following his immigration to the U.S. and prior to his death on January 28, 1922, Carl Henry Andrew Bjerregaard published a great number of lectures, essay, and books that firmly established his standing as a Theosophist.
There are notes on Christian Science Lessons from classes attended in Chicago. Also, Personal Files are there too.
Notably among his first cases was the son of a well-known clothing merchant of Sedalia, Missouri, who was healed of locomotor ataxia in the remarkable short period of seventeen days; and another equally astounding case was that of a nine year old, afflicted with infantile paralysis, whose restoration was accomplished in less than six weeks.
After Weltmer died medical mesmerism waned and was pretty much forgotten. Later healing methods were introduced which adopted Eastern, Theosophical connotations. The terms ‘Medical mesmerism’ and ‘animal magnetism’ were replaced by ‘chakras’ and ‘energy’ and the emphasis on healing shifted from inside to outside.
PROFESSOR SIDNEY A. WELTMER, began the study which developed into his lifetime work, from borrowed medical books, which he read at night and at every other available moment he could spare from his duties as the oldest son of a family trying to dig a living on an eighty acre farm in Central Missouri.
Dr. B. F. Bye's "down-town" office and laboratory, as represented in his booklets, surrounded by broad lawns and shade trees which existed in Dr. Bye's mind only. (From "Great American Fraud.")
Dr. B. F. Bye's office as it actually was at 301 North Illinois Street, Indianapolis. The brick building in the rear is a hotel, in no way connected with Dr. Bye's establishment. (From "Great American Fraud.")
