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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.
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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
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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.
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
(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
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
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.
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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.
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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
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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For more info on Theosophy
Try these
Cardiff
Theosophical Society meetings are informal
and there’s always
a cup of tea afterwards
The Cardiff Theosophical Society Website
The National Wales Theosophy Website
Dave’s Streetwise Theosophy Boards
This is for everybody not just people in Wales
Theosophy Cardiff’s Instant Guide to Theosophy
General pages about Wales, Welsh History
and The History of Theosophy in Wales
Teosofia en Cardiff (Página en Español)
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
The Spiritual Home of Urban Theosophy
The Earth Base for Evolutionary Theosophy
Classic Introductory Theosophy Text
A Text Book of Theosophy By C
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 Outstanding
Introduction to Theosophy
By a student of
Katherine Tingley
Elementary Theosophy Who is the Man? Body and Soul
Body, Soul and Spirit Reincarnation Karma
Preface to the American Edition Introduction
Occultism and its Adepts The Theosophical Society
First Occult Experiences Teachings of Occult Philosophy
Later Occult Phenomena Appendix
Ty Mawr (height approx 8 feet)
Near Holyhead, Anglesey, North Wales.
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
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
Hey Look! Theosophy in Cardiff
Try these if you are looking for a
local Theosophy Group or Centre
UK Listing of Theosophical Groups
Please tell us about your UK Theosophy Group
Worldwide Directory of Theosophical Links
General pages
about Wales, Welsh History
and The History
of Theosophy in Wales
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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website.