Theosophical Society

The word "Theosophy" comes to us from the Greek word, "Theosophia," which derives from the words; "Theos" (God) and "Sophia" (Wisdom); literally, "God Wisdom," "Wisdom of the Gods," "Wisdom in Things Divine," or "Divine Wisdom."

Theosophy may refer to the endeavor of direct realization and gnosis (experience) of the esoteric (inner), supra-conscious, spiritual, mystical, or divine,... it may refer to the "Ancient" or "Ageless" Wisdom that is shared throughout time, place, and culture,... or it may refer to the body of teachings that were interpreted by H.P. Blavatsky and other Theosophical writers.



The Theosophical Society was founded on November 17, 1875, in New York City, by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, and a number of other individuals interested in the philosophy expounded by Madame Blavatsky.

"The Society is dedicated to promoting the unity of humanity; to foster religious and racial understanding by encouraging the study of religion, philosophy and science; and to further the discovery of the spiritual aspect of life and of human beings. The Society stands for a complete freedom of individual search and belief, while promoting in its members a willingness to examine any concept and belief with an open mind, and a respect for other people’s understanding."



The Theosophical Society has a long record of humanitarianism, philanthropy, charity, ethical activism, and environmentalism. Theosophists have been at the forefront of minority and women's rights throughout the world. The T.S. even played a vital role in the struggle for India's independence. The Theosophical Order of Service has contributed to the aid of orphanages, food distribution, natural disaster relief, veteran assistance, Native American reservation aid and assistance, as well as taking an active role in dog, cat, and animal shelters and programs.

Hinduism, Buddhism, Occultism, and Esoterism were introduced to the masses of western culture primarily by the Theosophical Society. Mahatma Gandhi was a non-member supporter of the T.S., and the Dalai Lama currently holds a close amity with the Society. Rosicrucianism and Co-Freemasonry were also popularized by prominent Theosophists.


Theosophy is not Aryanism, Satanism, or Luciferianism

Contrary to the allegations of anti-Theosophists and erroneous conspiracy theorists, the Theosophical Society does not enforce any belief, doctrine, or dogma, nor does it promote any racial superiorities. It is an organization founded upon human brotherhood, unity, and the absolute freedom of individual thought and belief. In fact, the Theosophical Society arose during the struggle for African-American and Women's rights, suffrage, and liberty, with many Theosophists lobbying and championing these causes. Theosophists hail from all religious, cultural, and racial backgrounds.

"All men have spiritually and physically the same origin."

"Mankind is essentially of one and the same essence."

"The Aryan races, for instance, now varying from dark brown, almost black, red-brown-yellow, down to the whitest creamy colour, are yet all of one and the same stock -- the Fifth Root Race -- and spring from one single progenitor."

- H.P.B., "The Secret Doctrine"

Theosophy is not Satanic nor Luciferian in the sense of Christian doctrine, Dante Alighieri's, "Divine Comedy", or John Milton's, "Paradise Lost". H.P.B. did not promote the worship or deification of any concept, principle, nor anthropomorphic God or Devil. Instead, she endorsed existential unity, wholeness, and oneness. H.P.B. uses the terms Lucifer and Satan according to their literal etymological meanings in a symbolical, allegorical, and esoteric sense; thusly, Lucifer (Light, Knowledge, Mind, Consciousness, Higher Self) and Satan (Adversary, Barbarism, Ignorance, Insensible, Lower Self) represents a dualistic view of psychological and universal archetypes.

The Theosophical Society does not dictate any standardized practices, ceremonies, or rituals. Such expressions of belief are left up to the individual. Lodges mainly focus on study groups, lectures, and book readings. Depending on the membership backgrounds and demography of individual Lodges, discretion is used in determining group activities. Depending on the specific instructor or lecturer, it is not uncommon that Lodges may occasionally practice some form of meditation, such as mindfulness, relaxation, healing, quieting of the mind, sound meditation, etc. Some Lodges also host classes and sessions in Reiki, Astrology, Tarot, Numerology, and Psychicism.

The writings of some Theosophical authors may be outdated, lacking, in need of revision, or erroneous, and there may be controversies associated with Blavatsky, Olcott, Charles W. Leadbeater, and Annie Besant, but the beauty of the Society is that one needs not to agree with the teachings of any Theosophist. One may disagree with H.P.B. and other writers, yet still be a Theosophist and member of the T.S., as long as one is sympathetic to the "Three Objects".

Three Objects

• To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color.

• To encourage the comparative study of religion, philosophy, and science.

• To investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity.

Mission

The Theosophical Society in America has a Vision of wholeness that inspires a fellowship united in study, meditation, and service.

Its Mission is to encourage open-minded inquiry into world religions, philosophy, science, and the arts in order to understand the wisdom of the ages, respect the unity of all life, and help people explore spiritual self-transformation.

Its Ethic holds that our every action, feeling, and thought affects all other beings and that each of us is capable of and responsible for contributing to the benefit of the whole.

Philosophy of the Society

The Society is dedicated to promoting the unity of humanity; to foster religious and racial understanding by encouraging the study of religion, philosophy and science; and to further the discovery of the spiritual aspect of life and of human beings. The Society stands for a complete freedom of individual search and belief, while promoting in its members a willingness to examine any concept and belief with an open mind, and a respect for other people’s understanding.

Any person in sympathy with the "Three Objects" can join the Theosophical Society. The Society maintains the right of individual freedom of thought for every member, and nobody is asked to give up the teachings of his own faith, if he has any.

Among a plethora of academics, scholars, and professionals, some famous Theosophists include;

• Thomas Edison (Inventor)

• Carl Gustav Jung (Psychologist)

• Elvis Presley (Musician)

• Lyman Frank Baum (Author of "The Wizard of Oz")

• Charles Lutwidge Dodgson [Lewis Carroll] (Author of "Alice in Wonderland")

• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Author "Sherlock Holmes")



Theosophical Society in America

a reply to: Sahabi
That's very nice!
Can I have some cake now, please? *__-

I remember that I had a Beloved and well read copy of 'Isis Unveiled', but when I was captured by Xtians, they made me burn it, along with a wonderful collection of occult materials.
Some rather valuable...

I had no idea Elvis Presley was a Theosophist. I love his Gospel music above all gospel music. Everything he did was sort of special, back up singers, musicians and all.

a reply to: Sahabi

Very nice and informative introductory article!

I do have some questions, if I may...

Does the Theosophical Society have dogma or is it more about enlightened fellowship where people work together to find truths?

Does it teach something or is it more an organized study group?

As a Freemason and student of magick, I often have people approach me with various interests who are keen on joining societies, and I normally direct them in one direction or another depending on their needs. For example, one might summarize the societies below as follows:

Freemasonry:
Ritual based - founded on Hermetic principles
What it teaches: The practice of moral and social virtues; spiritual development.

Rosicrucianism:
Ritual based/study of scholarly texts - founded on Hermetic principles
What it teaches: Esoteric truths of the ancient past.

Golden Dawn:
Ritual based - founded on Hermetic principles
What it teaches: Magic, theurgy and spiritual development.

If you had to add the Theosophical society to this list, how would it look?

a reply to: Saurus

Fraternal greetings, and thank you for the interest and kind words! As a Freemason, I can attest to the fact that the Theosophical Society is aligned with the overall ideals of Masonry.

The Theosophical Society serves as a study group to investigate comparative world religion, philosophy, and science. Truth is the ultimate goal, but all individuals are free to their own personal, relative, and subjective understandings of the Truth. The intention of discovering Truth is to uplift, empower, and enlighten the individual, thereby positively benefitting all of mankind by way of love, empathy, and compassion.

There is no set or enforced dogma, as freedom of thought and belief are essential to discovery and realization. However, H.P. Blavatsky did produce a great body of work detailing her interpretations of the Ancient and Ageless Wisdom. Some follow H.P.B.'s teachings to the letter, while others agree and disagree with her on a point-by-point basis. H.P.B. taught Monism and existential oneness, describing all as incremental emanations of the immanent Absolute. She also propagated the idea that all of the world's religions share a common origin, and taught such concepts as Karma (Cause and Effect), Reincarnation, and even described a complete esoteric cosmogony and evolutionary history of the universe and mankind.

1. There is an omnipresent, eternal, boundless, and immutable reality of which spirit and matter are complementary aspects.

2. There is a universal law of periodicity or evolution through cyclic change.

3. All souls are identical with the universal oversoul which is itself an aspect of the unknown reality.

Theosophists helped to found and develop the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, modern orders of Rosicrucianism, the Arcane School, the "I AM" Activity, Agni Yoga, as well as having a direct influence on the overall New Age Movement, the O.T.O., and Wicca, amongst others. There are Theosophists within all religions, disciplines, and esoteric groups, societies, and organizations.



Theosophy:
• Study of religion, philosophy, and science.
• Founded on the mutual, Ancient and Ageless Wisdom of the Vedas, Buddhism, Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, Kabbalism, Eastern Mysticism, Western Esoterism, and Greek & Egyptian mythology, amongst others.
• What it teaches: Open-mindedness, acceptance, universal brotherhood, intelligent study, esoteric truths of the ancient past, and spiritual development.

Very well written and sourced Original Post, AboveTopSecret could certainly benefit from more posts like this which cover a very interesting topic so clearly.

a reply to: Voyager1

In addition to his Christian faith, Elvis was a seeker and student of esoteric (inner) and occult (hidden) writings, and was known to travel with a copy of H.P. Blavatsky's "Isis Unveiled".

I know, personally, Christians of varying denominations who are members of the Theosophical Society. The T.S. does not ask anyone to change or abandon their beliefs. However, many Christians of the T.S. follow esoteric and mystical interpretations of the Bible.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Fraternal greetings to you AugustusMasonicus. Thank you for the encouraging reply!

I was inspired to create this thread to counter the disinformation, misinformation, and ignorance about the Theosophical Society, as there is little to no work on ATS to present the facts of Theosophy. Much like Freemasonry, many of the allegations against the T.S. are unfounded or based upon limited and out of context understandings of the subject.

a reply to: Sahabi

I wish you the best. I think it is always to the best course to get first hand information instead of relying on rumors and innuendo.

a reply to: Sahabi

Fraternal greetings! This post seems to attracted the Mason's of ATS equally. Very nice post; there is some good information here.

a reply to: Sahabi

I happen to have a copy of Blavatsky's 'The Secret Doctrine' but have never gotten around to reading it because of the overwhelming 1500-odd pages. You have just inspired me to get started!

Thanks for starting a great thread, Sahabi. I hope it gets a good discussion going...

Blavatsky, this great lady, imo is one of the most important persons in the modern era responsible for merging the West with eastern esoteric studies that has always been there just under the surface beyond the reach of the average Westerner.

Breaking down religious and racial divisions was one of her and the TS’s great achievements.

Seeking knowledge is a universal virtue and should be shared and offered to all equally.

In today’s world where dark forces from the east and the west are turning up in order to rent asunder the kind of developments that the society and its founders worked so hard to foster in our world is a reason for highlighting the great work of the society and Blavatsky and alerting this generation to a fabulous Jewel of knowledge which is timeless.

Great OP!

In the spirit [pun intended] of equal billing, one must also expose the charlatans of the Theosophic Era. One of those who interested me was BrotherXII.

In the spring of 1926, following a remarkable Egyptian epiphany in the south of France, Wilson began to communicate with a disembodied entity that identified itself as one of the twelve Masters in the Great White Lodge. Since Wilson was the chela or disciple of this twelfth Master, he took the name Brother XII.

Writing in trance for extended periods of time, Wilson produced the teachings upon which the new spiritual movement would be based. He quickly recruited followers in England and the United States and in the spring of 1927 established a settlement in British Columbia, claiming that it would become “THE center of spiritual energy and knowledge for the whole continent of North America—for the whole world in the not distant future.” In his book The Three Truths, he proclaimed:

“I am the Messenger of the Fire, the Messenger of the Whirlwind, the Messenger of the Day of Adjustment. By the Wind ye shall mount to the Heavens—if ye be the children of discernment. But as for the stubborn and the deaf and the blind, the Wind of Destruction shall carry them away.”

www.brotherxii.com...

He was the originator of the Aquarian Foundation

Sound familiar?

When he ‘disappeared’, his flock wondered what happened to the 43 jars of gold BrotherXII collected from his followers.

I can guess.

a reply to: masqua

“I am the Messenger of the Fire, the Messenger of the Whirlwind, the Messenger of the Day of Adjustment......"

Iv'e heard wilder claims made on ATS


However I take a more Theosophical view and keep an open mind.
Automatic writing should not automatically be dismissed ... The value or non value of the words is what matters

But yes indeed Charlatans abound but I do not know enough about this guy to make any judgement

Great thread btw

a reply to: Sahabi

Thanks! I've tried several times to read Blavatsky's Isis unveiled and a bit of The Secret Doctrine online but have never owned the books. Its hard to read that many pages on line as often times there are no pages. I have very little time to endeavour into such adventures anyhow. All I do is drive, work, come home, eat, study automotive stuff, drink a beer and sleep 5 hours (if I'm lucky) over and over and over.

I'm more interested in working on transmissions than spiritual stuff now and don't know that the desire will ever return for church, religion, spiritual or anything in the sub category.

a reply to: masqua

Brother XII, aka Edward Arthur Wilson, aka Amiel de Valdes, aka EA Chaylor

Anyone who fills out an application and pays the yearly dues can become a member of the Theosophical Society. Although he was a member of the T.S., he never left an impact on the Society. He never served as President or Officer of any Lodge, nor did he ever hold Presidency or Office of the American or International Headquarters. He did not contribute any writings or articles to the T.S., and his known books were never carried by the Theosophical Publishing House or Quest Books.

Brother XII's Messiah Complex is evident even before he joined the T.S. on January 6, 1913, as he professed the start of his spiritual mission by his "Ceremony of Dedication" in 1912.

Brother XII used the T.S. society for his own personal gain, and then denounced the Society altogether:

"You know that my Brother H.P.B. [Helena P. Blavatsky] founded an esoteric school, which was to have been the Chalice into which the Knowledge and Power of the Masters would have been poured. For reasons well known, that school was dissolved, and the present E. S. [Esoteric Section] is not its successor. In this present Work, . . . it is the purpose and intention of the Masters to restore that inner and sacred heart of Their Work. This Work is the real Esoteric heart of True Theosophy, and much more."

- Brother XII, "Letter XV: True Theosophy" (November 1926)

Brother XII left the T.S. prior to establishing his Aquarian Foundation colony at "Cedar-by-the-Sea" in 1927. He rejected the T.S. and prominent Theosophists, claiming that he himself was the true disciple of the Hidden Masters, the torch-bearer of Ageless Wisdom and Universal Brotherhood, and rightful heir of H.P. Blavatsky's teachings.

I would agree that Brother XII was a charlatan and fraud. He demanded that his followers convert the worth of their belongings to gold and surrender the precious metal to himself, and made the failed claim that he was the incarnation of Osiris, his future child would be the incarnation of Horus, and that either he or his future son would be the long-awaited World Teacher, Krishna, Maitreya, and Christ.

Although Brother XII's work was influenced by Theosophy, Theosophy was not influenced by him.

a reply to: Dizrael

Greetings Brother. It is of no surprise that any Freemason may find interest in H.P.B., the T.S., or Theosophy. Theosophy often examines the greater and lesser mysteries. Many Theosophists have belonged to either Regular or Continental Lodges, and have created great architecture dedicated to Freemasonry.





a reply to: Saurus

Hello Brother. The size and spectrum of H.P.B.'s, "The Secret Doctrine", is substantial. I'm currently engaged in its study at the moment. If your time is limited, read selected chapters that appeal to your current interests.





a reply to: Willtell

May Peace be upon you. I agree with your very great post.

H.P.B. was a prolific writer, being witnessed as writing for up to 12 hours continuously, for days on end. She disseminated a lot of ground breaking and insightful work. We may sometimes take for granted the ease we find in the Internet & Information Age, but many of the esoteric and mystical unveilings of our age were directly seeded by her, through her influence, or through her legacy.

Which book is better The Secret Doctrine or Isis unveiled? I might try to squeeze reading one of them in, I'd rather buy the book than reading it on computer though. Its too hard to keep track of where you left off on books with that many pages online. There should be a book mark system. Some have that set up and some do not.

a reply to: Voyager1

Both great works, but if I had to choose only one, I'd go for "The Secret Doctrine". Reason being, it further expounds on "Isis Unveiled" and is a more organized and detailed dissemination of H.P.B.'s interpretation of the Ageless Wisdom.

If "The Secret Doctrine" and "Isis Unveiled" are too lengthy, I would suggest "The Key to Theosophy".

a reply to: Sahabi

Thank you for bringing Helena Blavatsky to my/our attention
I had always dismissed her without ever having researched her ... due to negativity put out by others

We live and learn as the saying goes