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This is just a very brief summary of Theosophy. For more information on the history of Theosophy, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and other founders, try the following links which are direct expansions of this site:
History before Theosophical Society This link gives a summary of other Ancient Wisdom groups and explains how Theosophy, as a set of concepts, grew into a powerful and influential religion in America.HPB,Olcott and Important Dates This link summarizes Helena Petrovna Blavatsky's life and her connections to Olcott and the Theosophical Society. It also summarizes the important events and dates connected to Theosophy and the Theosophical Society.
The controversy surrounding Theosophy has played a large role in its history. For more information, visit the Controversy link, which is another direct expansion of this site. This link summarizes the controversy which surrounded Helena Petrovna Blavatsky for the last half of her life.
Theosophy is the study of Divine Wisdom. Through the study of Theosophy, one will begin to find the answers to life's deepest, most significant questions: What is the meaning of life and death, why is there evil, what is the point in suffering, is there a God, why are some people lucky and others unlucky? Theosophy provides pointers and insights which will allow one to answer those questions (and many, many more), and ultimately, see the truth (Ellwood,1994:26). The motto often used by theosophists is appropriately, "There is no religion higher than the truth" (Ellwood,1994:14). One must not take the teachings of Theosophy word for word, for it is a timeless religion, and the times have changed meanings of words. Rather, it must be taken as a set of beliefs which will point one in the right direction, and give instruction on finding the truth. One of Theosophy's greatest strengths is its adaptability. If one is serious about learning the truth, it is possible to fit the teachings of Theosophy into an existing lifestyle. In many cases, Theosophists are members of other churches. Theosophy is not meant to contradict existing religions. Rather, it is meant to shed light upon and make further sense out of areas that may not be that clear. It is not a new interpretation of an existing religion, nor is it a completely new idea. It is a thoughtful mixture of Eastern religion, Western religion, philosophy, science and other practical knowledge which seems to have escaped most current religions (Campbell, 1980:19).
According to Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine, there are three fundamental principles of Theosophy.
- The first states that there is an omnipresent, omnipotent, infinite "power" which exists but cannot be described or understood by the limited human mind. To call it a being, a God, or even to try and give it a name is to do a great injustice. There is no word to describe it, but "power" will be used from now on. To know this "power" is to know the truth, and it is the truth that we seek. It is only through our many lives and stages of consciousness that we will begin to comprehend the "power."
- The second principle deals with eternity and the infinity of the "power." It is boundless, and because we are part of it, we are also boundless. For now, it will suffice to say that man and all matter is immortal in the greater scheme of things.
- The third principle deals with wholeness and completeness. EVERYTHING is part of a whole, which we can not fully comprehend, but we can be sure exists. All that we think, feel, and do is not only part of who we are, but part of the universe. Even the universe is part of something greater. It is limitless and infinite. All matter and spirit is a piece of the "power." Because we are all part of a whole, there is justice in everything that takes place, regardless of whether we understand the reasons or not. Justice is distributed by means of karma (Ellwood, 1994:20 and Leadbeater, 1903:16).
Theosophy is complex, and not meant to be understood by reading about it in a few papers. To understand it as it is meant to be understood, it is necessary to "live Theosophy." Only through a lifetime of devotion and study can one fully appreciate the lessons taught and the insights shown through Theosophy (Leadbeater, 1903:). Thus, it is not possible to summarize a life time of study in a few paragraphs. But it is possible to summarize a few key concepts of Theosophy. To avoid confusion, it is important to keep Theosophy and the Theosophical Society separate. They are, of course, very similar, but the Theosophical Society has some objectives which apply only to itself, and not to all of Theosophy. Most of the books, WebPages and articles aimed at "novice Theosophists" are based on the ideals of the Theosophical Society. This is true mainly for two reasons: The Theosophical Society was institutionalized and it was the founding group. Because it is so closely related to the general ideals of Theosophy, it is important to mention the objectives of the society. The objectives are: (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 the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in man." (Edgar,1906:16)
I turn next to a more detailed examination of some key principles. The reader may choose to jump directly to specific concepts:
For more detailed discussion of these key concepts, consult the links and the print bibliography at the bottom of this page.
Unity of Matter and Spirit: One of the most important, yet most abstract, things to learn about Theosophy is the concept describing the unity of Matter and Spirit. Everything (humans, animals, flowers, planets and stars, etc.) is made not only of matter as the scientific world knows it, but also of spirit (Ellwood, 194:13). This is hard to prove because the whole idea behind spirit belongs with the irrational: it is just a feeling. When one takes time out to ponder difficult questions, it seems like there is something more to life than simple physical matter. It doesn't quite seem right to allow science explain everything that we know in this world: although we can't put our finger on it, we just feel like science misses something. But it is something intangible and mysterious. That missing "something" is spirit, or to use Blavatsky's word, consciousness. The idea behind the unity is backed up by simple observation. Everything that we know in this world exists as pairs: a thing and its opposite (hot and cold, finite and infinite, love and hate, ect.) All of our descriptions of objects can be explained with direct definitions, as well as by defining what the thing is not. Consciousness follows along this train of thought. Simply put, consciousness is what matter is not. The two exist in unity (usually in the form of tension) even though we may not realize it (Ellwood, 1994:23). As a society, we seem to have forgotten that there may be more to life than what is here on earth in the form of matter. In this materialistic age, consciousness (Consciousness, in this case, is not referring to a sense of morality, as it is commonly used.) seems to have been pushed aside. Theosophy tries to teach ways to become more involved with consciousness and put less value into material things. It stresses the triviality and uselessness of material things in terms of the overall picture (Ellwood, 1994:27).
Karma: The karma associated with Theosophy is much the same as the karma of eastern religious traditions. Karma is the justice of the universe (Leadbeater,1903:84). It goes hand in hand with reincarnation. Described generally; with karma, you get what you deserve. During one's present life, one will experience either good or bad karma, depending on what "they" did in their past life ("they" refers to matter and consciousness [i.e. body and soul].) It is common to have both good and bad karma during the same life-time. Karma is not determinism, however it does not force an action, it simply forces a situation. It is still up to the individual to make the best of a situation. By doing the best one can in the current life, they will produce good karma for the next life (Ellwood, 1994:45-46).
Death and Reincarnation: One of the most significant aspects of Theosophy is the concept of death. Because death is not seen as an end point, it is not viewed in a negative light. Rather, death is seen as an initiation, or a right of passage. It is through dying that the spirit can evolve and make progress towards understanding the ultimate truth. By dying, the materialist world is left behind, and the true lessons are taught(Ellwood,1994:110-113). Theosophy teaches that everything will eventually evolve to know the truth (to become divine.) Each life moves the spirit in a direction either towards or away from the truth, and the spirit is reincarnated into another body to learn new lessons. It takes some people longer than others to evolve. Some people, who did not learn from the karma of the life recently past, will have to repeat some of the same lessons. Just like a child who does poorly in school may have to repeat a grade or two, a human spirit may have to repeat a life or two (Leadbeater,1903:53). But here is the key: a human life, when put in context of the complete evolution of the spirit, is nothing more than a blink of an eye. To find the truth takes an endless amount of time, yet it will be obtained. (This is where Theosophy gets confusing, because even time is treated as both matter and consciousness. Time is evolving as well as people.) Life (and death) is not thought of in a traditional sense by theosophists. Life exists on many different planes, in many different worlds. Human life, here on earth, is only a partial stage of one plane of evolution (Ellwood,1994:56).
Planes of Existence: Matter and spirit evolve through different planes and get closer and closer to the truth, or the Divine. Blavatsky names seven different planes of existences, and within each plane, one may have a different intensity, or be focused on one of three different aspects of existence. As with many other religions, the numbers three and seven appear throughout the literature and the teachings. The three aspects of life (the trinity) are Will, Wisdom and Activity. The seven planes of existence are Etheric (or physical), Astral (or feeling), Mental, Intuitive, Mind (activity and bliss) Consciousness (wisdom) and essence (being) (Ellwood, 1994:68).
As humans on earth, theosophy tries to teach us how to understand more than just etheric and astral means of existence. For many people, it is not too difficult to live partially inside the mental and intuitive plane. However, very few people can evolve completely past the first two planes, and give up feelings towards material things (Ellwood, 1994:68). The progression of the consciousness/matter unity through the levels of existence is very complicated. It is not like climbing a social ladder, in which one starts at the bottom, and over time, through hard work and dedication, makes his way to the top. Unfortunately, the upper level planes are just too far advanced to comprehend, and even if we could understand, the journey to such a level is not a straight forward climb (Ellwood,1994:71).
Pilgramage: Blavatsky often described the evolution of society as a pilgrimage -- we are the pilgrims continually searching and discovering. We are on a journey in search of the truth, and although we may not be aware of it, we are slowly advancing as a whole (Ellwood,1994:43). Society on earth is but a small part of a whole, and we do not know the grand scheme of things. However, we can trust that things are moving forward, and that justice is being served. This understanding helps to explain suffering and evil, because it shows us that we may not see or understand why things are happening, but we know that it is just (Ellwood, 1994: 152). The journey is not a constant and gradual climb. Rather, it is a rough roller-coaster ride, which goes up only over long periods of time (Ellwood, 1994:70). Because consciousness and matter are often in tension with each other, when one goes up, the other goes down. This creates the impression of instability and chaos. But it is only an illusion. Reality, as we understand it, is but an image created by ourselves for ourselves (Ellwood, 1994:26). We need not look hard at our world today to see that what we value the most is often not worth much at all. Only a very few people in the world today seem to know true peace: the peace that comes from wisdom and insights into the truth. These are the people that may become Masters (Campbell,1980:55).
The Masters: It is believed that there are those who possess full, or at least extraordinary, knowledge of the Divine Wisdom, and have devoted their existence to showing us the way to the truth. They are called by many names, most commonly the Masters, the Mahatmas or the Adepts (Campbell,1980:53-54). Blavatsky insisted that the Masters not only existed, but were also present here on Earth, and able to communicate with her in person. The Masters have evolved to the highest levels of existence. They have complete control over their lives. They are not controlled by karma, for they can surpass it. They can exist in spirit (consciousness) or in matter, or in a combination of the two. They are as close to the Divine as possible, and they know the truth.
The Masters are often described as belonging to
an elitist group called the "Great White Brotherhood." (White refers to purity, not race) (Campbell,1980:54).
The significance of their existence is that they provide examples and a sort of proof that
Theosophy is real, and that there is a higher level in life than our present existence here
on Earth. Masters often take on "students" who show promise of evolving quicker than the
rest of society. These students must be pure, moral and compassionate; untainted by any
negative thoughts or feelings (Campbell,1980:55). Blavatsky claimed to be a "student" of the
Masters, and this was a subject of
controversy.
Exploring Theosophy
Key to Theosophy
The Blavatsky Study Center
Theosophy
The Theosophical Society American Section
Theosophy Library Online
Theosophical Theosophical Press Online
Theosophy-Blavatsky Net
The Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society
The Watchman Fellowship:Theosophy
III. Links to Theosophy Web Sites
This site has extensive explanations and definitions of Theosophy and its concepts. It is
broken up and indexed, which makes it helpful for looking up specific things. There is also
an extensive bibliography and documentation on each page.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/homepage.htm
This is a comprehensive site based on one of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky's books: The Key
to Theosophy. The site contains easy to understand explanations of Theosophy in the
form of questions and answers. Much of the site is based on excerpts from Blavatsky herself,
so it is, to a considerable extent, a primary source.
http://www.eu.spiritweb.org/KeytoTheosophy/index.html
This is a site based around Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. It contains a great deal of information
on Blavatsky, including a complete biography and it has a large selection of readings.
Much of Blavatsky's writings can be accessed very easily through this page.
http://www.azstarnet.com/~blafoun
This site has all of the general
information that the other sites have. It is broken up into small, easy to navigate groups.
This site has the most extensive list of links (at the bottom of the page.)
http://theosophycompany.org
This is a homepage of the Theosophical Society American Section. It provided a very detailed
description of the basic ideas of Theosophy (reincarnation, karma, planes of existence, ect.)
in a very easy to access format. Some of it is still under construction.
http://www.greenheart.com/amsec/index.html
This link takes you directly to an index of the major writings of Theosophists. It is a
simply laid out site, and very useful if you are looking for a specific book or article.
http://theosophy.org/Library.htm
Perhaps an even more extensive online offering of the writing of the founders of Theosophy as well as many other leaders.
http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/tup-onl.htm
This site has a mixture of many things and specializes in nothing in particular. If you can't
find what you're looking for at other sites, it is worth checking out, but the layout is
more confusing than most.
http://blavatsky.net/index.htm
This site offers opinion based writing and excerpts from theosophical Text. It offers a
few good links to significant sites. It is a homepage site, and most of the important
information is located at the bottom of the page. A link off of this site has the appearance
of an official Theosophical Society site, which it is not.
http://www.garlic.com/~rdon/MyPage.html
This site has a few links to other Theosophy sites, and it provides easy access to basic
information. It is not as comprehensive as some of the other links, though.
http://www.theosophical.org
This is a large counter-cult site which offers access to a great deal of counter-cult
information. This link takes you to a brief summary of Theosophy and the ideals of the Theosophical Society. From this page you can access the homepage and gain access to more information of Theosophy and other cults. If one is researching the controversy of Theosophy and other new age cults, it could be a helpful resource.
http://www.watchman.org/theosphy.htm
IV. Bibliography
Created by Stewart Hawkins
For Soc 257: New Religious Movements
Fall Term, 1998
University of Virginia
Last modified: 07/24/01