theosophy - The three objects, Basic Theosophical beliefs, A brief history of Theosophy

Any system of philosophical or theological thought based on the direct and immediate experience of the divine. It has been used to describe any developed system of mystical thought and practice, and especially the principles of the Theosophical Society founded in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky (1831–91) and H S Olcott (1832–1907) in New York City.

Theosophy, literally "knowledge of the divine", designates several bodies of ideas. 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 in 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 relations, esp. 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."

The three objects

There are three objects to which one must assent in order to join the Theosophical Society (Adyar).

Basic Theosophical beliefs

Consciousness is universal and individual

According to Theosophy, nature does not operate by chance. Blavatsky's Theosophy is non-theistic, however some of her followers seem closer to theistic attitudes.

Man is "provisionally" immortal

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.

Reincarnation is universal

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 the birth of life on earth. However, Theosophy differs from the exoteric belief that regression is possible. 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.

Karma

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.

Universal brotherhood

Theosophy teaches that every thing of whatever kind is from one divine source.

Evolution

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.

The Septenary

Theosophy, as well as many other esoteric groups and occult societies, claims that the universe is ordered by the number seven. The reincarnating unit, the monad, consists of the two spiritual constituents of a sum of seven human bodies:

The first body is called sthula-sarira (Sanskrit, from sthula meaning coarse, gross, not refined, heavy, bulky, fat in the sense of bigness, conditioned and differentiated matter + sarira to molder, waste away). The physical form is the result of the harmonious coworking on the physical plane of forces and faculties streaming through their astral vehicle or linga-sarira, the pattern or model of the physical body. The second body is called Linga-Sarira, (Sanskrit, from linga meaning characteristic mark, model, pattern + sarira, from the verbal root sri to moulder, waste away). It is the astral model around which the physical body is built, and from which the physical body flows or develops as growth proceeds. In theosophy, the breath of life. Prana is "the radiating force or Energy of Atma -- as the Universal Life and the One Self, -- its lower or rather (in its effects) more physical, because manifesting, aspect. During incarnation the lowest aspects of atman take on attributes, because it is linked with buddhi, as the buddhi is linked with manas, as the manas is linked with kama, etc.

See: Encyclopedic Theosophic Glossary

A brief history of Theosophy

Background

Theosophists trace the origin of Theosophy to the universal striving for spiritual knowledge that existed in all cultures. Some relevant quotations:

The Theosophical Society

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. 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. Yet another international theosophical organization, the United Lodge of Theosophists, was formed by Robert Crosbie.

Rudolf Steiner created a successful branch of the Theosophical Society Adyar in Germany. — 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. After the death of William Quan Judge, another society, the United Lodge of Theosophists, emerged, recognizing no leader after Judge;

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.

Influence

At its strongest in membership and intensity during the 1920s the parent Theosophical Society (or Theosophical Society Adyar) had around 7,000 members in the United States. The largest section of The Theosophical Society , the Indian section, at one time had more than 20 000 members, now reduced to around 10 000.

Theosophy was closely linked to the Indian independence movement; The Indian National Congress being founded during a Theosophical conference, and many of its leaders, including M. Gandhi being associated with theosophy.

The present-day New Age movement is to a considerable extent based on the teachings originating with H.

Artists who investigated Theosophy, aside from the musicians listed below, include Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Franz Kafka, W.

Music

Composers such as Ruth Crawford-Seeger, Dane Rudhyar, and most famously Alexander Scriabin were Theosophists whose beliefs influenced their music, especially by providing a justification or rationale for their dissonant counterpoint.

20th-century literary references to Theosophy

In E.M. Forster's novel, Howard's End (1910), there are several references to the Schlegel siblings' study and participation in Theosophy, as well as a mention of Madame Blavatsky. Theosophy is mocked in several episodes of James Joyce's Ulysses (1922). In the play Juno and the Paycock (1924) by Sean O'Casey, which is set in pre-independence Dublin, one of the secondary characters is a Theosophist. This character is quite shallow, and through him O'Casey parodies theosophy as an intellectual fad. Lost Lemuria and altered Theosophical ideas in his short story, "The Call of Cthulhu (1928)." Mahatma Gandhi met Madame Blavatsky and Annie Besant in India in about 1893, shortly after Besant had joined the Society. He mentions this, and his further study of Theosophy during 1903 as published in his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth (1927–29). Mark Frost utilizes Theosophy as a plot point in his novel The List of 7 (1993) and features Madame Blavatsky as a minor character. The novel Little, Big by John Crowley includes a minor character who is a Theosophist. A 1997 film called FairyTale: A True Story includes a Theosophist as a main character.