Seven rays

The seven rays is a concept that Theosophists claim has appeared in several religions and esoteric philosophies in both Western culture and in India. In various contemporary perennialist traditions it is claimed that the rays can be seen throughout occidental culture, such as in early Western mystery traditions, such as Gnosticism and Mithraism, and in texts and iconic art of the Catholic Church as early as the Byzantine Empire. The seven rays concept was a novel perennialist reading of world religions and spirituality introduced in the teachings of Theosophy, first presented by Helena Blavatsky. The Theosophical concept of the seven rays was further developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the writings of Theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater, and by other authors such as Alice Bailey, Manly P. Hall, and others. As the New Age movement of the mid-to-late 20th century developed, the seven rays concept appeared as an element of metaphysical healing methods, such as Reiki and other modalities, and in esoteric astrology.