Theosophy
 

Divine Wisdom (or theosophy) is timeless, but it does have eras when it is more public than others. In 1875 the Theosophical Society was formed by Helena Blavatsky. Blavatsky laid the philosophical and ethical foundation for Interfaith relations and well as much of the "New Age" teachings.

Here is a link to get one started: http://davidpratt.info/

Theosophy: any number of philosophies maintaining that a knowledge of God may be achieved through spiritual ecstasy, direct intuition, or special individual relations, especially the movement founded in 1875 as the Theosophical Society by Helena Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott.

ORIGIN: mid 17th Century, from medieval Latin "theosophia", from late Greek, from "theosophos" 'wise concerning God', from "theos" 'God' + "sophos" 'wise'.

thanks Skull for the link that has a wealth of information.

You are very welcome Gracey.

Here is Pratt's short compilation on modern Theosophy and the Theosophical Society: http://davidpratt.info/theos-ts.htm

Basic Ideas of Theosophy
 

Geoffrey Farthing's short list of key ideas of original Theosophy as taught by Blavatsky's Adept gurus:

http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/2scope.htm

interesting I've always wanted to look more in depth at this, thank you! will read it!

Adepts, Masters, Brothers, Initiates
 

G de Purucker's expounds on the theosophical notion of humans who have, over many lives, become Masters of their lower nature. They now radiate from their True Nature. Some are in bodies of flesh, some in subtle bodies. All are bodhisattvas - enlightened beings who live to help other beings advance spiritually.

http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/...gdp.htm#reader

new forum
 

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Another theosophical site that has both noble content and beautiful pages:

http://www.philaletheians.co.uk/

Has anyone actually read The Secret Doctrine?

Yes, I have. Here it is online:

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/sd/sd-hp.htm

Fashion plays a big part. I've heard of Blavatsky because of my interests in OBEs. Fashion comes and goes.

Spirituality and all it encompasses seems to be the theme of the day. :wink:

Christianity (at least in the UK) is taking a huge back seat for the time being (hurrah)...but no doubt it will return.

Cycles. Even bicycles. :smile:

WQ Judge Writings in ebook PDF
 

Volume one, with 2 & 3 to follow soon, are now available for free from Theosophical University Press. Judge was a disciple of Blavatsky and his theosophical writings are an excellent introduction to Theosophy.

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/wqj-echoes/wqj-echoes-hp.htm

I am happy to announce that all volumes of Dara Eklund's compilation, Echoes of the Orient, are now online as PDF eBooks. These three volumes of WQ Judge's teachings, plus the Index, are freely available thanks to the hard work and generosity of Theosophical University Press.

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/...-echoes-hp.htm

William Quan Judge
 

One of the best teachers of Theosophy was WQ Judge. Fortunately, much of this writings are still in print after 100 plus years:

http://www.iswara.com/wqj.html

To my knowledge Theosophy places an extreme emphasis on gurus. For example Hoot Koomi allegedly tutored Blavatsky.Annie Bessant, a former atheist leader was very prominent in London, later to gain high Theosophist status. Krishnamurti was designated to become god, or at least high priest of the movement; he declined.

Theosophists hold some strange notions regarding our genisis in Atlantas, Lumeria and other places......root races. Their Heaven, Devachan, is said to offer souls a review of past life and some opportunity to have input relevant to the next.................:confused:

Saspian,

Study The Ocean of Theosophy by WQ Judge, it is in PDF form at several sites.

Thanks Skull, will check it out.:wink:

I have and I quote it in my book which comes out this Fall/Autumn!

Have you heard what Krishnamurti said on the day he was supposed to take the reigns of a new Theosophical Society branch?

He told the story of a man walking along with the devil. They come across another man crying as he was bending down to pick something up. The man walking with the devil asked; What is that guy doing? The devil answered he found a piece of truth! Following this, man enquired of the devil, so why is he crying? The Devil answered; I am putting him in charge of organizing it!

I think this speaks quite clearly with regards to Krishnamurtis objections to become tied down to a particular group's beliefs!

Thanks m.s. a very pertinent point, well worth remembering......

Not according to what it says here:

Krishnamurti was considered by Theosophists to be the new World Teacher, the Maitreya.

Are their notions regarding the origin of our species which appeared in five different places on this planet (white, brown, red, yellow, and black) any stranger than that we were 'seeded' by aliens? It is certainly much more likely than being descended from one man and one woman. We would all be drooling idiots if that were the case, that is if we survived that long.

The Theosophists' Devachan or heaven (what's in a name?) sounds much like what I read in NDEs.

Letters That Have Helped Me
 

A spiritual classic by William Q Judge:

http://www.phx-ult-lodge.org/Aletters.htm

Universal Theosophy
 

A fine site with many PDFs of ancient texts:

http://www.universaltheosophy.com/

Daily Theosophy
 

Another recent site on Theosophy:

http://www.dailytheosophy.net/

Theosophy Conference
 

This is the TS Pt Loma of Holland holding a two-day event on Spirituality. Each session is archived and has both Dutch & English speakers and translations.

http://new.livestream.com/isisfoundation

A quick survey and introduction to Divine Wisdom:

http://www.dailytheosophy.net/01-1-i...-to-theosophy/

In Theosophy's Shadow Vanity Whispers
 

A recently revised old polemic:

http://www.philaletheians.co.uk/Stud...Whispers.pd f

Self-reliance
 

From Purucker's Dialogues:

Student — Does not the aspirant himself have to make every effort to win the victory?

G. de P. — Certainly, he must walk every step along the pathway to victory. He is not carried there. Every step he himself must take. How could it be otherwise? Human adults are not fed like babes. We feed ourselves, we inform ourselves, we teach ourselves, we make our own way in the world; and if that is a necessity in ordinary human existence, I can tell you that it is tenfold the same necessity in the esoteric life. There we must ourselves win everything. And why? Because we are simply bringing out what is within us, our own will, our own consciousness, must become awakened, fully awakened, and by our own efforts.

You cannot see unless you use your own faculty of vision. You cannot understand by some one else's understanding. Is not that clear? You must gain everything you ever have in the esoteric training. And that is why, to those who do not understand, there are aspects of the esoteric training which may seem to be a little hard, because people in the Occident have been brought up with the idea that they must be carried to victory, saved by the "blood of the Lamb," and all that kind of tommyrot.

This reminds me of the teaching of the Blackies, of the Brothers of the Shadow, with the aim of sending you to sleep, trying to down the individual spiritual impulses of your own being!

No! The opposite is the truth. You cannot live by trusting to someone else to live for you. You yourself must awaken in your own soul the holy flame. And it is the same with every other step in spiritual and intellectual progress that you make. How can you experience the unspeakable delight of compassion, the ineffable feeling of being at one with the All, by hearing that some one else has thus achieved? You yourself must be the vehicle of the inner light, must gain it. It is both in you and above you, invigorating you and inspiring you. Be it!

thanks
 

i am agree

ugly Darwinism
 

It is small wonder indeed that the world is in the perilous state in which it now finds itself, if its shaky ethical sense is founded on no more stable and stronger foundation than that derived from a materialism which bases the loftiest and noblest intuitions of the human spirit upon appetites, impulses, and the beastly qualities which man shares with the most savage representatives of the animal kingdom!

The causes of such materialistic nightmares, for they are nothing but scientific nightmares, have arisen in a complete, and in certain cases it would almost seem in a willful, ignoring or turning aside from every noble quality and impersonal attribute which the human constitution contains. One might well ask the scientific gentlemen whether they have never known of other qualities, attributes, impulses, powers, and faculties in the human constitution, besides those beastly instincts which we share with the beast, and which, when unleashed, sink man to depths of depravity that even the beasts are incapable of reaching.

The argument becomes immediately preposterous, because it wilfully turns its face away from everything that the human constitution contains which makes man man, that has built the great civilizations of the past, that has brought about the efflorescence of all the activities of human genius, that has established the great works of moral splendor and intellectual light which have given hope and inspiration and inestimable comfort to the human race for ages past. On the basis itself that these materialistic evolutionists lay down, they fail to show any origins for such sublime qualities in the human soul as self-forgetful devotion, impersonal love, the strong ethical instinct of altruism, and the spiritual and intellectual fruits of its activity which the human spirit has produced in the world.

Purucker, The Esoteric Tradition, 1:291-2

The Secret Doctrine
 

Her magnum opus, The Secret Doctrine is now online for free in a handsome pdf by TS Pasadena:

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/sd-pdf/sdpdf-hp.htm

An excerpt from the new pdf of The Secret Doctrine:

Idyll of the White Lotus
 

A story of ancient Egypt that has lessons for modern spiritual aspirants:

http://www.philaletheians.co.uk/Stud...te%20Lotus.pdf

Charles Johnston
 

The collected writings of this Sanskrit scholar and Theosophist are now available. Here is a taste from one volume of the new series of books, Hidden Wisdom vol. III, p. 492:

This is some thread Skull...I'm glad you've kept it up!
Fantastic links...haven't seen Bluegreen forever.
Misplaced your email address, computer issues, if you read this BG.

Hello friends,

Thanks for this thread... Im new to the forum and have long been a big fan of the theosophical movement... this is the no-nonsense, honest spirituality that really inspires me... tales of miracles are boring by comparison!

Hugs,
Lucas

Here are all the Johnston series of translations & articles:

http://www.universaltheosophy.com/kshetra-books/

Katherine Tingley
 

One of the early leaders of the TS Point Loma used this Invocation based on theosophical notions: