Romanticism, esoterism, and Christianity: Ideational inspirations in “Zbiór Pieśni” (Collection of Songs) by Hejnał Publishing House

Abstract

In the 1930s, a songbook entitled “Zbiór Pieśni” (Collection of Songs) was published in Cieszyn Silesia. It is unique for two reasons. First, it is the only Polish cantional related to spiritist meetings during which it was used. Second, an analysis of its content reveals three interesting sources of ideational inspiration. One can find influences of texts by romantics such as Juliusz Słowacki and Ignacy Krasicki, inspirations from Protestant revival songs, as well as the impact of texts written by people ideologically connected with the editorial office of Hejnał Publishing House. The latter were spiritual seekers reinterpreting Christianity in a non-confessional way, inspired by esoteric currents of culture, such as modern gnosis, theosophy, etc. The article analyses the content of the songbook as well as the editorial interference in the published texts, showing it as an example of an important but “suppressed” (Hanegraaff) area of culture in Poland at that time.