A FREE INTRO TO THEOSOPHY
Let’s Start With What
Theosophy Is
The actual word Theosophy is a Greek
derivative meaning Divine Wisdom but that doesn’t mean much to the enquirer.
In the Theosophical Society the word has a
more specific meaning in relation to the work of Society co-founder Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky and later writers. H P Blavatsky’s mission was to interpret
Eastern Esoteric ideas for Western Society.
H P Blavatsky’s remit was to describe a
scheme for the existence of the Universe and to define man’s place within that
scheme. Her remit also encompassed study of the hidden dimensions of man and
his potential and also the Laws of Nature.
But It’s Not a Religion
H P Blavatsky presented her work as ideas
for consideration and not as dogma. This format has been upheld by the Theosophical
Society and everything is negotiable.
Members of the Theosophical Society are
simply required to agree with its 3 objects (outlined below)
Objects of the Society
1. To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of
Humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.
2. To encourage the study of Comparative
Religion, Philosophy and Science.
3. To investigate unexplained laws of
Nature and the powers latent in man.
How The Theosophical
Society Began
It all began in
The Theosophical Society was
founded by
Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott who was an American
Civil War Colonel, journalist and lawyer and William
Quan Judge who was a New York lawyer.
The headquarters were
subsequently moved to their present location in
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The Secret Doctrine
H P Blavatsky wrote a voluminous amount of
Theosophical Literature but The Secret Doctrine, published 1888, is the big one
she is remembered for, and the major reference work for Theosophists. The book is divided into two sections,
Cosmogenesis (the coming into being of the Universe) and Anthropogenesis (the
coming into being of Mankind).
The Secret Doctrine is usually a rather
difficult work for beginners to tackle and we have provided some material on this
site which should make the way in to Theosophy much easier. But please don’t
give on the idea of reading The Secret Doctrine, you will probably move on to
it when you feel you are finding your feet with Theosophy.
________________________
And Now,
A Quick Tour of
Theosophical Ideas
The overview of Theosophical ideas offered
her was written by mainstream Theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater. The work
is divided into short soundbites and Leadbeater has
an accessible journalistic style.
An Outline of Theosophy
By
Charles Webster Leadbeater
Advantage
Gained from this Knowledge
______________________
The Rationale for Theosophy
A Rough
Outline of Theosophy by Annie Besant is a concise round up of Theosophical
principles which also examines the claims made by Theosophy. In addition, Annie
Besant summarizes the Theosophical position and approach;
“We, who are Theosophists,
allege that there exists a great body of doctrine philosophical, scientific and
ethical, which forms the basis of, and includes
all that is
accurate in, the philosophies, sciences, and religions of the ancient and
modern worlds.”
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Karma and Reincarnation
Theosophy postulates that Reincarnation or
the cycle of Death and Rebirth is an integral part of our evolution and that we
will all ultimately evolve beyond the need for further lives. For most of us
this is rather a long way off but in the meantime we can help ourselves along
and make the process a whole lot easier by studying the subject and striving to
exercise some personal control over our destiny. We have more control than we
might at first think.
In each life we have something to learn and
our teacher is the law of cause and effect or Karma. Karma is a correcting
process that pervades every level of existence without which the Universe would
simply be unworkable.
In Life and Life After Death, Annie Besant
covers the mechanics of the cycle of death and rebirth and what it means to the
end user. She outlines how the period between physical lives is a full
programme of events which can be difficult or easy depending on the life
previously lived and gives encouragement and warnings regarding the Karmic
consequences of our actions.
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Man’s Seven Principles
If you are reading this then you will
probably at least accept the possibility that there is more to us than our
physical bodies.
Theosophy postulates that we have seven
principles, sometime referred to as bodies.
Here is an outline of them with their Sanskrit
names and a brief description of their function.
Atma – The piece of the divine in everybody
sometime referred to as the Divine Spark.
Buddhi – Our individual spiritual identity.
This acts as a vehicle for the Atma
Manas – The Mind principle divided into
Higher Manas – spiritual ideals
Lower Manas – concrete and rational
thought.
There is a bridge between the two called
the Antahkarana. This is represented as Jacob’s
Ladder in the Christian Bible.
The Mortal & Immortal
Principles
Atma, Buddhi and higher Manas form the
immortal part of man. The four principles below are dumped at the end of your
physical life and you get new ones for your next life.
Kama – The desire principle
Prana – The life energy principle
Linga Sharira
– The model body or template for your physical body.
Sthula Sharira – Physical body – we are all familiar with this
one.
The sevenfold
constitution of man is covered in depth by the following articles;
(From a Textbook
of Theosophy)
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Evolution
The Theosophical concept of evolution is
very different from that of Charles Darwin who focused principally on the
physical and mental
development of ourselves and the animal
kingdom and the physical development plant kingdom.
The Theosophical model of evolution is very
complex and far reaching and a basic description is given here to give new
enquirers a handle on the subject.
Theosophy postulates that everything in the
universe is evolving but to simplify the explanation, the description here is
limited to the evolution of humanity and our planet.
The Earth is evolving just as we are and as
we are part of our planet, our evolution and the Earth’s evolution are
inseparable and interdependent. Theosophists refer to this interdependence of
Earth and human evolution as “Rounds and Races”
The Earth evolves through cosmic eras known
as Rounds made up of smaller cosmic eras known as Globes.
The term globe refers both to the Earth
that we recognize and six currently dormant companion Globes which function on
other planes of nature. These Globes are known as the Planetary Chain or Chain
of Globes.
A driving force composed of spiritual
entities known as the Lifewave passes through each Globe of the Chain one at a
time. This tour of the Globes is known as a Planetary Round. Our spiritual
entities are part of the Lifewave and we are on the fourth Globe of the Fourth
Round.
Seven Rounds or Tours of the Globes
complete the cycle known as a Planetary Manvantara. The Earth Chain and the
Lifewave then go into a period of rest known as the Planetary Pralaya.
(There are smaller Pralayas
between each Globe and each Round)
Humanity evolves through mass reincarnations
known as Root Races. There are seven Root Races per Globe and we are the fifth
on the current Globe.
In each phase of evolution there is
something to learn or develop.
This is a very basic outline and to move
forward with this topic here are W Q Judge’s article “Rounds and Races” and
“The Planetary Chains” by C W Leadbeater in which the subject is covered in
much more depth.
For more information on the Theosophical
model of Evolution here is a link to a website dedicated to the subject.
The Earth Base for Evolutionary Theosophy
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Involution and Evolution
(The Descent into Matter)
This explanation is applied
to Human Evolution but please note that everything in the Universe is evolving
on the same principle.
Theosophy postulates that
evolution is spiritual as well as physical whereas Darwin just dealt with the
physical.
We start out as Spiritual
Entities but you don’t get any experience for your evolution if you remain
spirit. Spirit can’t get its hands dirty so you need a vehicle and in our case
this is a physical body.
Spirit effectively descends
into matter in the form of the human body it enters and then having gained
experience (hopefully) will then rise out of it. The general idea is for us to
evolve by continually dropping down into matter (taking physical form) and then
coming back up again. This process is known as Involution and in Theosophy this
is an integral part of evolution.
Of course progress will be
made and this is on an upward spiral in which although we descend into matter,
both our Spiritual Entities and even the physical bodies we inhabit will slowly
evolve.
Involution
and Planetary Rounds
The progress of the Lifewave
through the Chain of Globes begins with passage through three increasingly more
physical Globes to our own, which is the most physical of all the Globes,
operating on the most physical cosmic plane. The Lifewave will then move up
through three less physical Globes to complete the Round.
In “The Earth Chain”, W Q Judge explains
the descent into matter of both the Earth and Humanity as an integral component
of the evolutionary process.
______________________
The Moon is our Parent
Theosophy maintains that prior to engaging
in its journey through the Earth Chain of Globes, the Lifewave completed the
process with the Moon. The Moon like our Earth has a Chain of Globes and the
passage of the Lifewave has now completed its cycle. The Moon we can now see is
the moribund shell of the equivalent Globe to our own which operated on the
same plane of nature.
W Q Judge covers the subject of the Lifewave’s passage from the Moon in “The Earth Chain” (link
above) and also gives an excellent explanation in
“On Evolution” in response to a question
from an enquirer.
______________________
A Word About Sanskrit
A brief
look at Theosophical writings will reveal that Theosophy uses Sanskrit terms to
describe many of its concepts
Theosophists
have good business and esoteric reasons for using Sanskrit terms. Sanskrit is
not just a language in the sense of verbal communication, it has other
dimensions and attributes that go far beyond practical everyday language.
Sanskrit
is the ancient religious, philosophical and scientific language of India
through which learning has been handed down in written form since at least 1000
BCE. Before the written form arrived, Sanskrit must have been the basis of a
phenomenal oral tradition. Despite being the most successful world language,
English as we can understand it only goes back about as far as the works of
John Skelton 1525ish.
By its
esoteric nature and rarified use, Sanskrit has also been protected from
distortion and pollution by other languages. English has the problem that some
words vary in meaning around the world.
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Theosophy Cardiff separated from the
Welsh Regional Association
in March 2008 and is now a stand alone group affiliated
to the Adyar Theosophical Society.
High
Drama & Worldwide Confusion
as Theosophy Cardiff Separates from
the
Welsh Regional
Association (formed 1993)
Dave’s
Streetwise Theosophy Boards
This is for
everybody not just people in Wales
Theosophy Cardiff’s Instant Guide to Theosophy
Article
describing Tekels Park and its much
cherished
wildlife by Theosophist and long
term Tekels Park Resident Madeleine Leslie Smith
General pages
about Wales, Welsh History
and The History
of Theosophy in Wales
Welsh Regional Association (Formed 1993)
Letter of
Separation, March 2008
Teosofia en Cardiff (Página en Español)
A Study in Synthetic
Consciousness
One Liners & Quick Explanations
The Most Basic Theosophy Website in the Universe
If you run a Theosophy Study Group you can use
this as an introductory handout
The
South of Heaven Guide to
Theosophy and Devachan
The
preparation of this Website
Your Own Theosophy Group Starts Here
A Guide to starting your own Theosophy Group
The
Theosophy Cardiff Nirvana Pages
The Spiritual Home of Urban Theosophy
The Earth Base for Evolutionary Theosophy
Theosophy Birmingham (England)
The Birmingham Annie Besant Lodge
________________________________
Theosophy
Cardiff Glastonbury Pages
The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
The Terraced Maze of Glastonbury Tor
Glastonbury and
Joseph of Arimathea
The Grave of King Arthur & Guinevere
Views of Glastonbury High Street
The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
________________________
Camberley Surrey
England GU15 – 2LF
Tekels Park to be
Sold to a Developer
Many feel that the sale of a
sanctuary for
wildlife to a
developer can
only mean disaster
Future
of Tekels Park Badgers in Doubt
The Sale of
Tekels Park to a Developer
Confusion as the Theoversity moves out of
Tekels Park to Southampton, Glastonbury &
Chorley in Lancashire while the leadership claim
that the Theosophical Society will carry on
using
Tekels Park despite its sale to a developer
Theosophy
talks of a compassionate attitude
to
animals and the sale of the Tekels Park
sanctuary
for wildlife to a developer has
Future of Tekels Park Badgers in
Doubt
Tekels Park &
the Loch Ness Monster
A Satirical view
of the sale of Tekels Park
in Camberley,
Surrey to a developer
The Toff’s Guide to the Sale of Tekels Park
What
the men in top hats have to say
about the
sale
of Tekels Park to
a developer. It doesn’t
require
a Diploma in Finance or indeed a
Diploma
in Anything to realize that this is a
bad time economically to sell Tekels Park
Party On! Tekels
Park Theosophy NOT
St Francis Church at Tekels Park
__________________________
Quick Explanations with Links to More Detailed Info
What is Theosophy ?
Theosophy Defined
(More Detail)
Three
Fundamental Propositions Key
Concepts of Theosophy
Cosmogenesis Anthropogenesis
Root Races
Ascended Masters After Death States
The
Seven Principles of Man Karma Reincarnation
Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky Colonel
Henry Steel Olcott
The Start of the Theosophical Society
History of the Theosophical Society
Theosophical
Society Presidents
History of the Theosophical Society in Wales
The Three Objectives of the Theosophical Society
Explanation of the Theosophical Society Emblem
The Theosophical Order of Service (TOS)
Glossaries of Theosophical
Terms
Index
of Searchable
Full
Text Versions of
Definitive
Theosophical
Works
H P Blavatsky’s Secret Doctrine
Isis Unveiled by H P Blavatsky
H P Blavatsky’s Esoteric Glossary
Mahatma Letters to A P Sinnett 1 - 25
A Modern Revival of Ancient Wisdom
(Selection of Articles by H P Blavatsky)
The Secret Doctrine – Volume 3
A compilation of H P Blavatsky’s
writings published after her death
Esoteric Christianity or the Lesser Mysteries
The Early Teachings of The Masters
A Collection of Fugitive Fragments
Fundamentals of the Esoteric Philosophy
Mystical,
Philosophical, Theosophical, Historical
and Scientific
Essays Selected from "The Theosophist"
Edited by George Robert Stow Mead
From Talks on the Path of Occultism - Vol. II
In the Twilight”
Series of Articles
The In the
Twilight” series appeared during
1898 in The
Theosophical Review and
from 1909-1913
in The Theosophist.
compiled from
information supplied by
her relatives
and friends and edited by A P Sinnett
Letters and
Talks on Theosophy and the Theosophical Life
Obras Teosoficas En Espanol
Theosophische Schriften
Auf Deutsch
Reincarnation
This guide has been included in response
to the number of enquiries we receive on
this
subject at Cardiff Theosophical Society
From A Textbook
of Theosophy By C W Leadbeater
How We Remember our Past Lives
Life after Death & Reincarnation
The Slaughter of the Battle of the Somme
1916 leads to
a great demand by the public for
lectures on Reincarnation
What Theosophy Is From the Absolute to Man
The Formation of a Solar System The Evolution of Life
The Constitution of Man After Death Reincarnation
The Purpose of Life The Planetary Chains
The Result of Theosophical Study
An Outline of Theosophy
Charles Webster Leadbeater
Theosophy - What it is How is it Known?
The Method of Observation General Principles
Advantage Gained from this
Knowledge
The Deity The Divine Scheme The Constitution of Man
The True Man Reincarnation The Wider Outlook
Death Man’s Past and Future Cause and Effect
Quotes from the Writings of
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
The Secret Doctrine , Volume 2, Page 100
It is only by the attractive force of the contrasts
that the two opposites — Spirit and Matter — can be cemented together on
Earth, and, smelted in the fire of self-conscious experience and suffering, find
themselves wedded in Eternity.
The Secret Doctrine , Volume 2, Page 108
It is the motive, and the motive alone, which makes
any exercise of power become black, malignant, or white, beneficent Magic. It is impossible
to employ spiritual forces if there is the slightest tinge of selfishness
remaining in the operator .... The powers and forces of animal nature can
equally be used by the selfish and revengeful, as by the unselfish and the
all-forgiving; the powers and forces of spirit lend themselves only to the
perfectly pure in heart — and this is Divine Magic.
Isis Unveiled, Volume 1, Page 36
The Secret Doctrine , Volume 3, Page 14
Even ignorance is better than
Head-learning with no Soul-wisdom to illuminate and guide it.
The
Voice of the Silence, Page 43
Annotation - The Path, May, 1888
The Secret Doctrine , Proem [Volume 1], Page 35
Isis Unveiled, Volume 1, Page 210
The Secret Doctrine , Volume 1, Page 134
incarnation of
his God; and when the sense of personal responsibility will be so
Isis Unveiled,
Volume 2, Page 374
It is the
motive, and the motive alone, which makes any exercise of power become
The Secret Doctrine , Volume 2, Page 498
Isis Unveiled, Volume 1, Page 36
From strength to
strength, from the beauty and perfection of one plane to the
greater beauty
and perfection of another, with accessions of new glory, of fresh
knowledge and
power in each cycle, such is the destiny of every Ego, which thus
becomes its own saviour in each world and incarnation.
The Key to
Theosophy, Page 105
The Secret Doctrine , Volume 1, Page 69
The mind
receives indelible impressions even from chance acquaintance or persons
Isis Unveiled,
Volume 1, Page 311
The Key to Theosophy, Page 228
A Student of Katherine Tingley
Katherine Tingley (1847
-1929)Was the founder & President
of the Point Loma Theosophical Society 1896 -1929
She and her students produced a series of informative
Theosophical works in the early years of the 20th century
Elementary Theosophy Who is the Man?
Body and Soul
Body, Soul and Spirit Reincarnation
Karma The Seven in Man and Nature
The Occult World
By
Alfred Percy Sinnett
The
Occult World is an treatise on the
Occult
and Occult Phenomena, presented
in readable style, by an early giant of
the
Theosophical Movement.
Preface to the American Edition Introduction
Occultism and its Adepts The Theosophical Society
First Occult Experiences Teachings of Occult Philosophy
Later Occult Phenomena Appendix
Preface
Theosophy and the Masters General Principles
The Earth Chain Body and Astral Body Kama – Desire
Manas Of
Reincarnation Reincarnation Continued
Karma Kama Loka
Devachan
Cycles
Arguments Supporting Reincarnation
Differentiation Of Species Missing Links
Psychic Laws, Forces, and Phenomena
Psychic Phenomena and Spiritualism
Quick Explanations with Links to More Detailed Info
What is Theosophy
? Theosophy Defined (More Detail)
Three Fundamental Propositions Key Concepts of Theosophy
Cosmogenesis Anthropogenesis Root Races
Ascended Masters After Death States
The Seven Principles of Man Karma
Reincarnation Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott William Quan Judge
The Start of the Theosophical
Society
History of the Theosophical
Society
Theosophical Society Presidents
History of the Theosophical Society
in Wales
The Three Objectives of the
Theosophical Society
Explanation of the Theosophical
Society Emblem
The Theosophical Order of
Service (TOS)
Glossaries of Theosophical Terms
by
Annie Besant
THE BUDDHIC AND
NIRVANIC PLANES
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Annie Besant Visits Cardiff 1924
Karma Fundamental Principles Laws: Natural and Man-Made The Law of Laws
The Eternal Now
Succession
Causation The Laws of Nature A Lesson of The Law
Karma Does Not Crush Apply This Law
Man in The Three Worlds Understand The Truth
Man and His Surroundings The Three Fates The Pair of Triplets Thought, The Builder
Practical Meditation Will and Desire
The Mastery of Desire Two Other Points
The Third Thread Perfect Justice
Our Environment
Our Kith and Kin Our Nation
The Light for a Good Man Knowledge of Law The Opposing Schools
The More Modern View Self-Examination Out of the Past
Old Friendships
We Grow By Giving Collective Karma Family Karma
National Karma
India’s Karma
National Disasters
Annotated Edition Published 1885
Preface to the Annotated Edition Preface to the Original Edition
Esoteric Teachers The Constitution of Man The Planetary Chain
The World Periods Devachan
Kama Loca
The Human Tide-Wave The Progress of Humanity
Buddha Nirvana The Universe The Doctrine Reviewed
Writings of Ernest Egerton Wood
Theosophy and the Number Seven
A selection of articles
relating to the esoteric
significance
of the Number 7 in Theosophy
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky 1831 – 1891
The Founder of Modern Theosophy
Index of Articles by
By
H P Blavatsky
Is the Desire to Live Selfish?
Ancient Magic in Modern Science
Precepts Compiled by H P Blavatsky
Obras Por H P Blavatsky
En Espanol
Articles about the Life of H P Blavatsky
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Worldwide Directory of Theosophical Links
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Theosophy in Wales
The hut circles of the ancient
settlement in Porthdafarch,
which is believed to
date back 4000 years
Porth Dafarch is on the coast road between Treaddur Bay and Holyhead.
Holyhead is on Holy Island
off the north west of the Island of Anglesey
which is off the North
Wales Coast
Off Holy Island about 3 miles from Holyhead
Wales is a
Principality within the United Kingdom
and has an eastern
border with England. The land
area is just over 8,000
square miles. Snowdon in
North Wales is the
highest mountain at 3,650 feet.
The coastline is
almost 750 miles long. The population
of Wales as at the
2001 census is 2,946,200.
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