The Interregnum was a high point in the history of English spiritualism. Seekers, Ranters, Diggers and Quakers all emphasised an ‘experimental knowledge’ of God and appealed to the spirit within. The impact of occult thought can be found throughout the writings of these spiritualists, and occasionally a specifically Behmenist influence can be discerned. This milieu also provided the environment in which English Behmenism was to grow, and the ideas of Boehme's English disciples may owe something to the non-Behmenist aspects of spiritualist thought. It is therefore important both to assess the extent of Boehme's impact in this sphere, and to provide a brief survey of spiritualist thought on gender.

Ever since Rufus M. Jones's study of Spiritual reformers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it has been widely assumed that Boehme's influence in English radical circles was pervasive. In a closely argued contribution to the subject, Nigel Smith has recently given some support to this view. Nevertheless, the area remains one of confusion. The evidence which led Rufus Jones to regard Behmenism as fundamental to the genesis of Quakerism also permitted Geoffrey Nuttall to deny that there was any influence at all. T. Wilson Hayes confessed his inability to identify any specifically Behmenist influences on Winstanley, but proceeded to assume such influence occurred. While the extent of Boehme's appeal in radical circles is widely recognised, the few attempts that have been made to specify the nature of this appeal are generally inadequate. Particular doctrines are given a Behmenist provenance without being related to Boehme's ideas as a coherent body of thought. Little effort is expended on distinguishing what is peculiarly Behmenist (such as the three Principles and the seven fountain-spirits) from what Behmenism shared with its wider occult culture (such as a tendency for dialectical thinking).