Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind

Cosmic Consciousness (A Study in Evolution of the Human Mind), by Richard Maurice Bucke was originally published in 1901. The work attempts to be a scientific-theosophical study of illuminated individuals, whom he deems to be examples of 'cosmic consciousness'. There are many well-known religious and artistic figures included in the book, however, also included are histories of individuals contemporaneous to Buckle himself. Bucke believed that enlightened figures come in evolutionary jumps, and are primogenitors of a more advanced species.