Contents:
Definition
Objects of the TS
Basic Ideas of Theosophy
What Is Theosophy?
What are the Theosophists?
Seal of The Theosophical Society
On Theosophy and Madame Blavatsky
Notes on Madame Blavatsky's Baboon
The Theosophical Society
The Thesophical Society is a worldwide association dedicated to practical realization of the oneness of all life and to independent spiritual search. It was founded in New York City in 1875 by Helena P. Blavatsky, Henry S. Olcott, William Q. Judge, and others. Blavatsky (1831 1891) is the primary force behind the modern theosophical movement. Her works and those of her teachers express the principal concepts of its philosophy. A Russian by birth, she traveled for twenty years in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Near East studying mysticism and occultism. More about her life and work can be found in such biographies as HPB: The Extraordinary Life and Influence of Helena Blavatsky, Founder of the Modern Theosophical Movement by Sylvia Cranston (Tarcher/Putnam) and H. P. Blavatsky and the Theosophical Movement by Charles J. Ryan (Theosophical University Press).
The Theosophical Society has several objectives. Firstly, to demonstrate that the oneness of all life is a fact in nature, and to form a nucleus of a universal brotherhood. This, according to Blavatsky, is because:
(a) All men have spiritually and physically the same origin, which is the fundamental teaching of Theosophy. (b) As mankind is essentially of one and the same essence, and that essence is one — infinite, uncreate, and eternal, whether we call it God or Nature — nothing, therefore, can affect one nation or one man without affecting all other nations and all other men. This is as certain and as obvious as that a stone thrown into a pond will, sooner or later, set in motion every single drop of water therein. The Key to Theosophy, p. 41
To help promote better understanding among all people and recognition of the essential unity of life, another objective encourages the study of ancient and modern religions, sciences, and philosophies:
it is only by studying the various great religions and philosophies of humanity, by comparing them dispassionately and with an unbiassed mind, that men can hope to arrive at the truth. It is especially by finding out and noting their various points of agreement that we may achieve this result. For no sooner do we arrive —either by study, or by being taught by someone who knows — at their inner meaning, than we find, almost in every case, that it expresses some great truth in Nature. — Ibid., 59
Further objectives encourage investigating and sharing these natural truths — the spiritual, psychological, and material laws and powers found in the cosmos and in the human being. Each person, being a portion of the whole, contains, latent or expressed, all the qualities and attributes of the cosmos. Thus, to know oneself fully is to understand the universe and everything in it. The Society, however, cautions against deliberately seeking psychic powers, by products of evolution which will in time arise naturally. Cultivating such powers distracts from the deeper goals of human growth and can lead to imbalances in development and consciousness.
The primary purpose of the Theosophical Society is to encourage altruism and compassion. Beyond supporting its objectives, those wishing to join need not accept any particular beliefs, and members may belong to any religion or to none. While members may pursue whatever activities they wish, the Society itself is unsectarian and non political, open to all people regardless of race, nationality, class, creed, or gender. Its endeavor is to aid humanity rather than promote or strengthen the self interests of its members.
What is a theosophist? In addressing this question, Blavatsky held that "the very root idea of the Society is free and fearless investigation." To be a theosophist, she continued:
one need not necessarily recognize the existence of any special God or a deity. One need but worship the spirit of living nature, and try to identify oneself with it... Be what he may, once that a student abandons the old and trodden highway of routine, and enters upon the solitary path of independent thought — Godward — he is a Theosophist; an original thinker, a seeker after the eternal truth with "an inspiration of his own" to solve the universal problems. The Theosophist, October 1879, p.6
In 1877, two years after forming the Theosophical Society, Blavatsky published her first major work, Isis Unveiled — two volumes showing the universality of theosophic ideas in ancient and modern religions, and their basis in nature. The following year Blavatsky and Olcott left America for India, where they worked for recognition of the value of Oriental religions and philosophies, especially among the educated classes who were rejecting their own traditions in the face of modern Western materialistic education. They also sought to expose religious superstition and dogmatism. At the same time, Blavatsky encouraged the study of Western mystical traditions such as Gnosticism, Kabbala, Freemasonry, and Rosicrucianism.
At that time Blavatsky's fame in the West, however, rested largely on accounts of the paranormal phenomena she had produced privately over the years. In 1885 the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) published a report — since repudiated by further research published by the SPR see: H. P. Blavatsky and the SPR — declaring Blavatsky and her phenomena frauds. Earlier that year Blavatsky had moved to Europe, finally settling in London. There, in 1888, she published her masterwork, The Secret Doctrine, which presents a comprehensive view of cosmic and human evolution, bringing together mythic, religious, and scientific material from many cultures to illustrate the universality of theosophy's basic concepts. In response to questions from inquirers, she issued The Key to Theosophy and, for those seeking to practice theosophy's altruistic ideals, The Voice of the Silence, aphorisms embodying the heart of Mahayana Buddhist teaching. Blavatsky also founded and edited the magazine Lucifer ("lightbearer") and before her death in 1891 revitalized the theosophical work in the West.
Over the last hundred years, the modern theosophical movement has divided into several separate organizations, each of which seeks to fulfill the Society's objectives in its own way and with its own emphasis. A few years after Blavatsky's death, the Society split into two organizations: the Society following H. S. Olcott and Annie Besant which retained the international headquarters at Adyar, Madras, India; and the Society following W. Q. Judge, with international headquarters first at New York Citv, then in California — successively at Point Loma, Covina, and since 1950 at Pasadena. In 1909 a group spearheaded by Robert Crosbie formed another major theosophical organization, the United Lodge of Theosophists, based in Los Angeles, California.
The Theosophical Society at Pasadena, California, pursues its original program under its leader, Grace F. Knoche. Toward this end the headquarters and its national sections sponsor library centers, public discussions, and study groups on theosophic and allied themes. They also offer a series of correspondence courses for anyone wishing a more structured approach to theosophic studies. The Society's publishing facility — Theosophical University Press with its overseas agencies — features theosophic classics. It also publishes the bimonthly magazine, SUNRISE: Theosophic Perspectives, which promotes better understanding among all peoples by exploring a wide range of themes in the light of ancient and modern theosophy and its application to daily experience.
