John Osborne Varian (1863 – January 9, 1931) was an American poet and amateur musician who was one of the early members of the Temple of the People and a leader within the theosophist utopian community of Halcyon, California.

[2] Born in Ireland, John Varian and his wife, Agnes became members of the Theosophical Society in Dublin where the movement attracted literary figures such as W. B. Yeats, James Cousins, and others.

[3] There, John Varian became a leader of the Temple of the People,[1] simultaneously working with Dower as a chiropractor and masseur,[1][4] while Agnes was the first Halcyon storekeeper and postmistress.

[4] Russell and Sigurd became the co-founders of Varian Associates, an early Silicon Valley firm noted for production of the klystron tube,[5] while Eric remained in the Halcyon area and had a career in the central California coast as an electrical contractor,[4] and assisted the work of his daughter, Sheila Varian, who became a noted horse breeder.

[8] In 1917, Cowell wrote the music for Varian's stage production of his Irish mythical poetry cycle, The Building of Banba.