Theosophy
- At June 10, 2007
- By Betty
- In Mysticism, Religion
- 9
Theosophy, literally “wisdom of the divine” (in the Greek language), designates several bodies of ideas. Philosophers such as Emanuel Swedenborg and Jacob Boehme are commonly called theosophists. The word was revived in the nineteenth century by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky to designate her religious philosophy which holds that all religions are attempts by humanity to approach the absolute, and that each religion therefore has a portion of the truth. Together with Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, and others, Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. This society has since split into a number of organizations, some of which no longer use the term “theosophy”.
A formal definition from the Concise Oxford Dictionary describes Theosophy as “any of various philosophies professing to achieve a knowledge of God by spiritual ecstasy, direct intuition, or special individual revelation; esp. a modern movement following Hindu and Buddhist teachings, and seeking universal brotherhood.” Madame Blavatsky’s theosophy would, however, not fall under this definiton, as it is non-theistic.
Adherents of Theosophy maintain that it is a “body of truth” that forms the basis of all religions. Theosophy, they claim, represents a modern face of Sanatana Dharma, “the eternal truth,” as the proper religion.
The motto of the parent society is : “There is no religion higher than Truth.”
According to Theosophy, nature does not operate by chance. Every event, past or present, happens because of laws which are part of a universal paradigm. Theosophists hold that everything, living or not, is put together from basic building blocks evolving towards consciousness. H.P. Blavatsky’s Theosophy is non-theistic, however some of her followers seem closer to theistic attitudes.
Theosophists believe that all human beings in their “higher selves” are immortal, but their lower personalities are unconscious of the link with their eternal spiritual nature and will perish.
Like esoteric Buddhism, from which much of Theosophical thought springs, Theosophy teaches that beings have attained the human state through myriad reincarnations, passing through the mineral, plant and animal stages since before the birth of life on earth. However, Theosophy differs from the esoteric belief that regression is possible. Humans cannot reincarnate as animals or plants again except in the rare cases of disintegrating “lost souls.” Conversely, humans are considered only the epitome of physical life on Earth and not the end stage of evolution, which continues for further stages, including the form of the Dhyani Chohans or Buddhic beings.
Theosophy is similar to the beliefs of the Hindu Arya Samaj sect concerning karma, dharma and cosmogony. Theosophy teaches that evil and good are the result of differentiation of spirit/matter in a cycle of becoming. There is a natural involution of spirit into matter followed by an evolution of matter back into spirit. The purpose of the Universe is for spirit to manifest itself self-consciously through seven stages.
Theosophy teaches that every thing of whatever kind is from one divine source. All things are “monads” in reality. All monads potentially possess the same principles and their forms and natures are an expression of their present consciousness level.
Theosophists believe that religion, philosophy, science, the arts, commerce, and philanthropy, among other “virtues,” lead humans ever closer to “the Absolute.”
Planets, solar systems and even galaxies are seen as conscious beings, fulfilling their own evolutionary paths.
The spiritual units of the universe are the monads, which at different times may manifest as planets, angels, human beings or in various other forms.
Theosophists also believe that human civilization, like all other parts of the universe, develops through cycles of seven stages. Thus, in the first age, humans were pure spirit; in the second age, they are known as Hyperboreans; in the third as Lemurians; and in the fourth, Atlanteans. Since Atlantis was the nadir of the cycle, the present fifth age is a time of reawakening humanity’s psychic gifts.
Modern Theosophical esotericism, however, begins with Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) usually known as Madame Blavatsky. In 1875 she founded the Theosophical Society in New York City together with Henry Steel Olcott, who was a government investigator, lawyer and writer. Madame Blavatsky was a world traveller who eventually settled in India where, with Olcott, she established the headquarters of the Society. She claimed numerous psychic and spiritualist powers. Her first major book Isis Unveiled (1877) presented elements mainly from the Western wisdom tradition based on her extensive travels in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Her second major work The Secret Doctrine (1888), a commentary on The Book of Dzyan, is based on esoteric Buddhism and also Hinduism. These writings became the basic pillars of the Theosophical movement, together with The Mahatma Letters, purported to originate with highly evolved humans directing HPB and the Theosophical Society
Upon Blavatsky’s death in 1891, several Theosophical societies emerged following a series of schisms. Annie Besant became leader of the society based in Adyar India, while William Quan Judge split off the American Section of the Theosophical Society in New York which later moved to Point Loma, Covina, and Pasadena, California under a series of leaders: Katherine Tingley, Gottfried de Purucker, Colonel Arthur L. Conger, James A. Long, Grace F. Knoche, and in March 2006 Randell C. Grubb. The great pulp fiction writer Talbot Mundy was a member of the Point Loma group, and wrote many articles for its newsletter. Yet another international theosophical organization, the United Lodge of Theosophists, was formed by Robert Crosbie. He went to Point Loma in 1900 to help Katherine Tingley, left in 1904, and founded his society in 1909.
Rudolf Steiner created a successful branch of the Theosophical Society Adyar in Germany. He focused on a Western esoteric path that incorporated the influences of Christianity and natural science, resulting in tensions with Annie Besant. (cf. Rudolf Steiner and the Theosophical Society)- having already founded his own Anthroposophical Society a month earlier – after he refused members of the Order of the Star of the East membership in the German Section, opposing the theosophical principle of admitting members from all religious persuasions. The great majority of German-speaking theosophists, as well as several others, joined Steiner’s new society. (Steiner later became famous for his ideas about education, resulting in an international network of “Steiner Schools.”)
In North London, another splinter group split off to form the Palmers Green Lodge under the leadership of the occultist and colonial adventurer, Thomas Neumark-Jones. The Palmers Green Lodge published the journal Kayfabe which published, among others, Rainbow Circle writers like Hobhouse and Chiozza Money. After the death of William Quan Judge, another society, the United Lodge of Theosophists, emerged, recognizing no leader after Judge; it is now based in Los Angeles, California.
Other organizations based on the theosophical teachings include The Lucis Trust, Share International, Agni Yoga, The Bridge to Freedom, The Summit Lighthouse / Church Universal and Triumphant, and The Temple of The Presence.