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Theosophy is a movement of religious philosophy originating with Helena Petrovna Blavatsky from the 1870s . It holds that all Religion s 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 . NAME See Also: Theosophy (history of philosophy) ''Theosophy'', literally "god-wisdom" ( Greek : θεοσοφία ''theosophia''), designates several bodies of ideas predating Blavatsky: The term appears in Neoplatonism . Porphyry ''De Abstinentia'' (4.9) menctions "Greek and Chaldean theosophy", Ἑλληνική, Χαλδαϊκὴ θεοσοφία. The adjective θεόσοφος "wise in divine things" is applied by Iamblichus (''De mysteriis'' 7.1) to the Γυμνοσοφισταί , i.e. the Indian Yogi s or Sadhu s. There was a group of , Paracelsus , Robert Fludd , and, especially, Jacob Boehme ; the Enlightenment theologian Emanuel Swedenborg was influenced by these. The OED defines ''theosophy'' as: "Any system of speculation which bases the knowledge of nature upon that of the divine nature", noting it is used in particular with reference to Boehme. THE THREE OBJECTS The three declared objects of the original Theosophical Society as established by Blavatsky, Judge and Olcott were as follows:
BASIC THEOSOPHICAL BELIEFS Consciousness is universal and individual 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 . Humans are "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 Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism , from which much of Theosophical thought springs, Theosophy teaches that beings have attained the human state through myriad Reincarnation s, 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. Human beings cannot incarnate as Animal s or Plant s again except in the rare cases of disintegrating "lost souls." Conversely, people 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 Dhayan 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. 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. Universality Theosophy teaches that every thing of whatever kind is from one divine source. All things are " Monad s" in reality. All monads potentially possess the same principles and their forms and natures are an expression of their present consciousness level. Evolution Theosophists believe that Religion , Philosophy , Science , the arts, commerce, and philanthropy, among other "virtues," lead people 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 of the cycle, the present fifth age is a time of reawakening humanity's psychic gifts. Blavatsky argued that humanity had descended from a series of " Root Race s", naming the fifth root race (out of seven) the "Aryan" Race. She thought that the Aryan s originally came from Atlantis , The Secret Doctrine, The Synthesis Of Science, Religion And Philosophy , Vol.II, p.249 and non-Aryan peoples were spiritually and intellectually inferior to Aryans, and would eventually die out. Ibid., p 421 She believed that Semitic peoples were an offshoot of Aryans who have become "degenerate in spirituality and perfected in materiality."Ibid., p.200 Guido Von List (and his followers such as Lanz Von Liebenfels ) later took up some of Blavatsky's ideas, mixing her ideology with nationalistic and fascist ideas; this system of thought became known as Ariosophy . "Ariosophy, like Theosophy, had relied on intellectual expositions of racial evolution. The Thule Society preached Aryan supremacy and acted to achieve it. It provides the final link between occult racial theories and the racial ideology of Hitler and the emerging Nazi party." 1 The Septenary Theosophy, as well as many other esoteric groups and Occult societies, claims in their Esoteric Cosmology 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 :
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. It is found in an unbroken chain in India but existed in ancient Greece and also in the writings of Plato ( 427 - 347 BCE ), Plotinus ( 204 - 270 ) and other Neo-Platonists , as well as Jakob Boehme ( 1575 - 1624 ). Some relevant quotations: : ''...we are imprisoned in the body, like an oyster in his shell.'' : — The Socrates of Plato, ''Phaedrus'' : ''To the philosopher, the body is "a disturbing element, hindering the soul from the acquisition of knowledge..."'' : ''...what is purification but...the release of the soul from the chains of the body?'' : — The Socrates of Plato, ''Phaedo'' 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 Lawyer and Writer . During the Civil War Col. Olcott worked to root out corruption in war contracts. Madame Blavatsky was a world traveler 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, along with her ''Key to Theosophy'' & ''The Voice of the Silence'' became the basic pillars of the Theosophical movement, together with the '' Mahatma Letters '', written by highly evolved humans to AP Sinnett and AO Hume. Upon Blavatsky's death in , 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, was expelled 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. Steiner was vehemently opposed to The Order of the Star of the East's proclaimation that the young boy, Krishnamurti , was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. 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 School s.") 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 of Besant and Leadbeater 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 USA . {Link without Title} 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. K. Gandhi being associated with theosophy. The present-day New Age Movement is to a considerable extent based on the teachings originating with H. P. Blavstky. Artists and authors who investigated Theosophy, aside from the Musician s listed below, include Aldous Huxley , Wassily Kandinsky , Piet Mondrian , Franz Kafka , W. B. Yeats , George William Russell (Æ), Owen Barfield , and T. S. Eliot , in Europe , and Arthur Dove , George Lucas , Robert Duncan , Marsden Hartley , Wallace Stevens , and James Jones Carter, Steven R. ''James Jones: An American Literary Orientalist Master''. Urbana and Chicago: U of Illinois P, 1998, ISBN 0-252-02371-4 in America. {Link without Title} Some prominent Hindu leaders, such as initially worked with Blavatsky & Olcott after they arrived in India, but soon afterwards accused Blavatsky & Olcott of lying on several different topics, and then all collaboration was stopped on a permanent basis. 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 . According to Rudhyar, Scriabin was "the one great pioneer of the new music of a reborn Western civilization, the father of the future musician." (Rudhyar 1926b, 899) and an antidote to "the Latin reactionaries and their apostle, Stravinsky " and the "rule-ordained" music of " Schoenberg 's group." (Ibid., 900-901) Scriabin devised a Quartal Synthetic Chord , often called his "mystic" chord, and before his death Scriabin planned a multimedia work, to be performed in the Himalayas, that would bring about the Armageddon , "a grandiose religious synthesis of all arts which would herald the birth of a new world." (AMG {Link without Title} ). This piece, ''Mysterium'', was never realized, due to his death in 1915. 20th-century literary references to Theosophy
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