‘All Men, all Things, all Space & Time & Life, are here at the depths of my Soul, are figments of my imagination, figments of consciousness.’
–Thane Walker
(Contributed by Marty Owens)
Figment origin:
late Middle English (denoting an invented statement or story): from Latin figmentum, related to fingere ‘form, contrive’. Compare with feign and fiction. The current sense dates from the early 17th century.
Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more
- Google AI on Thane Walker
Thane Walker (born c. 1890) was the co-founder of The Prosperos, a spiritual and philosophical organization established in Florida in 1956.
He was a prominent follower of the mystic G.I. Gurdjieff and developed a program of “transformative spiritual education” that integrated mysticism, psychology (Freudian and Jungian), astrology, and occult traditions.
Key Biographical Highlights
- Early Life & Military Service: Born in Nodaway County, Missouri, Walker claimed to be one of America’s first psychologists. He served as a Marine Corps officer and entertained American troops in Japan during the post-WWII occupation.
- Nazi Resistance Claim: He famously claimed to have been imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp after writing an article titled “I Saw Hitler Make Black Magic”.
- The Prosperos: Co-founded with Phez Kahlil, the group moved its headquarters to California in the 1960s. Its teachings focused on “waking” students from everyday sensory reality to a wider reality through stories and disorienting activities.
- Progressive Views: The organization was notable for its early openness to homosexuality, bisexuality, and androgyny, which was reflected in Walker’s writings.