Differences and Sameness
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Theosophy and the Origins of the Indian National Congress
THEOSOPHY AND THE ORIGINS OF THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS By Mark Bevir Department of Political Science University of California, Berkeley Berkeley CA 94720 USA [E-mail: [email protected]] ABSTRACT A study of the role of theosophy in the formation of the Indian National Congress enhances our understanding of the relationship between neo-Hinduism and political nationalism. Theosophy, and neo-Hinduism more generally, provided western-educated Hindus with a discourse within which to develop their political aspirations in a way that met western notions of legitimacy. It gave them confidence in themselves, experience of organisation, and clear intellectual commitments, and it brought them together with liberal Britons within an all-India framework. It provided the background against which A. O. Hume worked with younger nationalists to found the Congress. KEYWORDS: Blavatsky, Hinduism, A. O. Hume, India, nationalism, theosophy. 2 REFERENCES CITED Archives of the Theosophical Society, Theosophical Society, Adyar, Madras. Banerjea, Surendranath. 1925. A Nation in the Making: Being the Reminiscences of Fifty Years of Public Life . London: H. Milford. Bharati, A. 1970. "The Hindu Renaissance and Its Apologetic Patterns". In Journal of Asian Studies 29: 267-88. Blavatsky, H.P. 1888. The Secret Doctrine: The Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy . 2 Vols. London: Theosophical Publishing House. ------ 1972. Isis Unveiled: A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology . 2 Vols. Wheaton, Ill.: Theosophical Publishing House. ------ 1977. Collected Writings . 11 Vols. Ed. by Boris de Zirkoff. Wheaton, Ill.: Theosophical Publishing House. Campbell, B. 1980. Ancient Wisdom Revived: A History of the Theosophical Movement . Berkeley: University of California Press. -
PDF SVA Handbook 2020–21
2020/2021 SVA Handbook SVA • 2020 / 2021 20 /21 SVA Handbook CONTENTS President’s Letter 2 The College 3 Academic Information 9 Student Information 23 Faculty Information 44 General Information 55 Standards, Procedures, Policies and Regulations 69 SVA Essentials 93 2020–2021 Academic Calendar 113 Index 119 SVA.EDU 1 THE SVA HANDBOOK provides faculty, students and administrative staff with information about the College, its administration, services and processes. In addition, the Handbook contains policies mandated by federal and state regulations, which all faculty, students and administrative staff need be aware of. In this regard, I would especially like to call your attention to the sections on attendance (pages 12 and 46), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (page 85), Student Disruptive and Concerning Behavior (page 74), Title IX procedures (page 84) and the SVA policy on alcohol and drugs (page 70). We look forward to the 2020–2021 academic year. Our students, this year from 45 states, one U.S. territory and 49 countries, will once again pursue their studies with the focused guidance of our renowned professional faculty. DAVID RHODES President August 2020 2 SVA HANDBOOK THE COLLEGE Board of Directors 4 Accreditation 4 SVA Mission Statement 4 SVA Core Values 4 History of SVA 5 Academic Freedom 6 First Amendment Rights 6 SVA Student Profile 7 SVA.EDU 3 BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Interior Design program leading to the Brian Palmer Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design is ac- Joseph F. Patterson credited by the Council for Interior Design Anthony P. Rhodes Accreditation (accredit-id.org), 206 Grand- David Rhodes ville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI Lawrence Rodman 49503-4014. -
Download 2017 Guide
The Department of Youth and Community Development will be updating this guide regularly. Please check back with us to see the latest additions. Have a safe and fun Summer! For additional information please call Youth Connect at 1.800.246.4646 EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS • STRENGTHENING FAMILIES • INVESTING IN COMMUNITIES T HE C ITY OF N EW Y ORK O FFICE OF THE M AYOR N EW Y ORK, NY 10007 Summer 2017 Dear Friends: It is a great pleasure to share with you the 2017 edition of the New York City Youth Guide to Summer Fun! From performances and events in our wonderful parks and green spaces to sun-filled trips to our beautiful beaches to the vibrant cultural festivals, concerts, and sporting events that take place across the five boroughs, there is so much for New Yorkers and visitors alike to look forward to as the summer season begins. Thanks to the efforts of the Department of Youth and Community Development and its partners, this guide ensures that young New Yorkers will have no shortage of exciting, educational, and memorable activities to experience with their families and friends this summer. The hundreds of low-cost and free events happening in our city in July and August are sure to pique the interest of any young scientist, athlete, bookworm, foodie, movie buff, or music lover. Every New York deserves the opportunity to participate in the many wonderful things the five boroughs have to offer, and we are determined to give our residents of all ages and backgrounds the chance to experience the energy and excitement that have long defined our city. -
Theosophy in Action by Roy Mitchell Theosophy in Action
Theosophy in Action by Roy Mitchell Theosophy in Action by Roy Mitchell This work of 1923 was published by the Blavatsky Institute of Canada as a memorial to Mr. Roy Mitchell who was the Founder and guiding genius of the Institute. FOREWORD Theosophy in Action deals with problems with which Theosophical students are particularly concerned and for this reason it may have a more limited appeal than the two books of Mr. Roy Mitchell which were published earlier by the Blavatsky Institute. The Exile of the Soul presented an ancient, but now seldom discussed, approach to the mystery of the duality of man's being. The far-reaching implications of the ideas presented there by Mr. Michell have not as yet been fully explored but later psychologists may acknowledge that in The Exile, Mr. Mitchell had anticipated some of their fondest theories and had suggested a basic clue to the understanding of the dichotomy of man's nature. Through Temple Doors :Studies in Occult Masonry was, as the title implies, an approach to Masonic symbolism in terms of the universal language of symbolism. Both these books have interested many readers who have little or no concern in Theosophy or the Theosophical Society. In Studies Mr. Mitchell sets forth the original idea behind the founding of the Theosophical Society in 1875. Its work was to be that of an 'interpreter'; it was not to impose any new creed or dogma upon mankind; its members were to be students who were concerned with 'studying and explaining with sympathy, with kindliness and with insight' those basic ideas which they had found had survived through the ages and which were of the essence of world religions and philosophies. -
Painting the Masters. the Mystery of Hermann Schmiechen
Painting the Masters The Mystery of Hermann Schmiechen Massimo Introvigne (UPS, Torino, Italy) Besançon’s Forbidden Image One of the first books where sociology of religion met history of art was L’image interdite. Une histoire intellectuelle de l’iconoclasme, published by French social historian Alain Besançon in 1994 Iconoclasm vs Iconodulism The controversial book argued that Western art history is defined by opposition between iconoclasm (i.e the idea that the sacred should not be represented visually) and iconodulism (i.e support for sacred images) Although the terminology dates back to the Byzantine iconoclastic riots of the 8th century (right), modern Western iconoclasm originated with John Calvin (1509-1564) and became culturally dominant after the Enlightenment Iconoclasm: not against art, but against an art representing God or divine spirits Besançon’s definition of iconoclasm is not identical with some dictionary definitions of the same word. For him, iconoclasm is not against art and may even promote it. It only excludes from the field of art the representation of God and divine spirits or beings Image of Byzantine Emperor Leo III (685-741) on a coin: Leo, a leading iconoclast, was obviously not against representing himself Abstract Art as Iconoclasm Besançon* also argued that: 1. Iconoclasm is a distinctive trait of modernity, and abstract art is its most mature fruit 2. Symbolism, at first sight anti-iconoclastic, by substituting the Christian foundations of sacred art with a very different esoteric spirituality, in fact prepared the way for abstract iconoclasm 3. Several abstract painters, including Piet Mondrian (1872- 1944) passed at one stage through symbolism (Evolution, 1910-1911, left) * … with whom I do not necessarily agree Besançon and Theosophy Besançon claimed to be among the first social historians to devote serious attentions to Madame Blavatsky (1831-1891) and other Theosophical classics. -
Christianity and Theosophy
Christianity and Theosophy “Theosophy is an Eastern religion, isn’t it—sort of like Hinduism or Buddhism?” That question is wrong in two important ways. First, Theosophy is not a religion at all, but a way of viewing human nature and the world that is compatible with the nondogmatic aspects of any religion. Second, Theosophy is no more Eastern than it is Western—it seeks for what is in common to all cultures and religions and attempts to complement East and West with each other. Theosophists belong to many different religions: among them, Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity; and within Christianity to churches such as the Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and many others. Theosophy presents the wisdom of the West to the East and the wisdom of the East to the West. Theosophy within Christianity The word Theosophy, meaning “divine wisdom,” designates an ancient outlook that recognizes within the many outward forms of religion an inner core shared by all of them. Theosophy and Christianity agree in their essence. Christianity provides a unique way of expressing the Wisdom Tradition of Theosophy, and Theosophy can enrich an understanding of the inner side of the Christian Way. The New Testament itself frequently alludes to profound religious truths lying underneath the outer words of the biblical text. Frequently we come across such passages as “I speak God’s hidden wisdom.” We read that some things are beyond human comprehension, but “these it is that God has revealed to us through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:7-10). The Apostle Paul goes on to tell recently converted Christians that he is unable to impart such wisdom because “indeed, you are still not ready for it, for you are still on the merely natural plane” (1 Corinthians 3:2). -
The Texts of Alice A. Bailey: an Inquiry Into the Role of Esotericism in Transforming Consciousness
THE TEXTS OF ALICE A. BAILEY: AN INQUIRY INTO THE ROLE OF ESOTERICISM IN TRANSFORMING CONSCIOUSNESS I Wightman Doctor of Philosophy 2006 University of Western Sydney. IN APPRECIATION This thesis would not have been possible without the care, support, enthusiasm and intellectual guidance of my supervisor, Dr Lesley Kuhn, who has followed my research journey with dedicated interest throughout. I also acknowledge the loving kindness of Viveen at Sydney Goodwill, who has continuously praised and encouraged my work, and provided me with background material on the kind of activities that the worldwide community of Alice A. Bailey students are involved in. I sincerely appreciate the role my husband, Greg, played, as my cosmic co-traveller. Without him this thesis would never have materialized, his tireless engagement throughout these years has bolstered my drive to proceed to the very end. Finally, I acknowledge my children, Victoria and Elizabeth, for tolerating my reclusive behaviour, and giving me the space I have needed to write. Philosophy, in one of its functions, is the critic of cosmologies. It is its function to harmonise, refashion, and justify divergent intuitions as to the nature of things. It has to insist on the scrutiny of ultimate ideas, and on the retention of the whole of the evidence in shaping our cosmological scheme. Its business is to render explicit, and –so far as may be – efficient, a process which otherwise is unconsciously performed without rational tests (Alfred North Whitehead 1938:7). TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Letter Code for the Bailey Texts v Abstract vi Chapter 1 Researching the work of Alice A. -
Blavatsky the Satanist: Luciferianism in Theosophy, and Its Feminist Implications
Blavatsky the Satanist: Luciferianism in Theosophy, and its Feminist Implications PER FAXNELD Stockholm University Abstract H. P. Blavatsky’s influential The Secret Doctrine (1888), one of the foundation texts of Theosophy, contains chapters propagating an unembarrassed Satanism. Theosophical sympathy for the Devil also extended to the name of their journal Lucifer, and discussions conducted in it. To Blavatsky, Satan is a cultural hero akin to Pro- metheus. According to her reinterpretation of the Christian myth of the Fall in Genesis 3, Satan in the shape of the serpent brings gnosis and liberates mankind. The present article situates these ideas in a wider nineteenth-century context, where some poets and socialist thinkers held similar ideas and a counter-hegemonic reading of the Fall had far-reaching feminist implications. Additionally, influences on Blavatsky from French occultism and research on Gnosticism are discussed, and the instrumental value of Satanist shock tactics is con- sidered. The article concludes that esoteric ideas cannot be viewed in isolation from politics and the world at large. Rather, they should be analyzed both as part of a religious cosmology and as having strategic polemical and didactic functions related to political debates, or, at the very least, carrying potential entailments for the latter. Keywords: Theosophy, Blavatsky, Satanism, Feminism, Socialism, Ro- manticism. In September 1875, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831–1891) co-founded the Theosophical society in New York City. Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (1832–1907), lawyer and journalist, was elected its first president. Blavatsky, however, became the chief ideologist, drawing authority from the com- munications concerning esoteric matters she claimed to receive from the mysterious ‘Mahatmas’ (or ‘Masters’). -
Theosophy Intro.Pdf
THEOSOPHY AN INTRODUCTORY STUDY COURSE FOURTH EDITION by John Algeo Department of Education THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA P. O. Box 270, Wheaton, IL 60189-0270 Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2007 by the Theosophical Society in America Based on the Introductory Study Course in Theosophy by Emogene S. Simons, copyright © 1935, 1938 by the Theosophical Society in America, revised by Virginia Hanson, copyright © 1967, 1969 by the Theosophical Society in America. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission except for quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA For additional information, contact: Department of Information The Theosophical Society in America P. O. Box 270 Wheaton, IL 60189-0270 E-mail: [email protected] Web : www.theosophical.org 2 CONTENTS Introduction 4 1. What Is Theosophy? 7 2. The Ancient Wisdom in the Modern World 17 3. Universal Brotherhood 23 4. Human Beings and Our Bodies 30 5. Life after Death 38 6. Reincarnation 45 7. Karma 56 8. The Power of Thought 64 9. The Question of Evil 70 10. The Plan and Purpose of Life 77 11. The Rise and Fall of Civilizations 92 12. The Ancient Wisdom in Daily Life 99 Bibliography 104 FIGURES 1. The Human Constitution 29 2. Reincarnation 44 3. Evolution of the Soul 76 4. The Three Life Waves 81 5. The Seven Rays 91 6. The Lute of the Seven Planes 98 3 INTRODUCTION WE LIVE IN AN AGE OF AFFLUENCE and physical comfort. We drive bulky SUVs, talk incessantly over our cell phones, amuse ourselves with DVDs, eat at restaurants more often than at home, and expect all the amenities of life as our birthright. -
Off* for Visitors
Welcome to The best brands, the biggest selection, plus 1O% off* for visitors. Stop by Macy’s Herald Square and ask for your Macy’s Visitor Savings Pass*, good for 10% off* thousands of items throughout the store! Plus, we now ship to over 100 countries around the world, so you can enjoy international shipping online. For details, log on to macys.com/international Macy’s Herald Square Visitor Center, Lower Level (212) 494-3827 *Restrictions apply. Valid I.D. required. Details in store. NYC Official Visitor Guide A Letter from the Mayor Dear Friends: As temperatures dip, autumn turns the City’s abundant foliage to brilliant colors, providing a beautiful backdrop to the five boroughs. Neighborhoods like Fort Greene in Brooklyn, Snug Harbor on Staten Island, Long Island City in Queens and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx are rich in the cultural diversity for which the City is famous. Enjoy strolling through these communities as well as among the more than 700 acres of new parkland added in the past decade. Fall also means it is time for favorite holidays. Every October, NYC streets come alive with ghosts, goblins and revelry along Sixth Avenue during Manhattan’s Village Halloween Parade. The pomp and pageantry of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in November make for a high-energy holiday spectacle. And in early December, Rockefeller Center’s signature tree lights up and beckons to the area’s shoppers and ice-skaters. The season also offers plenty of relaxing options for anyone seeking a break from the holiday hustle and bustle. -
145 1 Empire and Occultism
NOTES 1 Empire and Occultism 1. Eric Mahoney, Religious Syncretism (London: SCM Press, 2006). 2. Quoted from Speech Genres, 2, by Joseph Roach, Cities of the Dead: Circum-Atlantic Performance (New York: Columbia University Press, 1996), 187. 3. For magic and the marvellous, Gordon in Valerie Flint, Richard Gordon, Georg Luck and Daniel Ogden, The Athlone History of Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, vol. 2, Ancient Greece and Rome (London: Athlone Press 1999), 168ff. 4. Roger Griffin, Modernism and Fascism: The Sense of a Beginning under Mussolini and Hitler (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007). 5. Griffin’s introduction to Ben Hutchinson, Modernism and Style (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), xii; idem, Terrorist’s Creed: Fanatical Violence and the Human Need for Meaning (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), 53, 73. Key terms from Griffin’s work will intermittently recur in this study. 6. Suzanne Marchand, German Orientalism in the Age of Empire: Religion, Race, and Scholarship (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010). 7. Ibid., 256 for the ‘reconvergence’ point. 8. Mahoney, Syncretism, 118. 9. Gary Lachman, Madame Blavatsky: The Mother of Modern Spirituality (New York: Tarcher/Penguin USA, 2012); Stephen Prothero, The White Buddhist: The Asian Odyssey of Henry Steel Olcott (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2012); Joscelyn Godwin, The Theosophical Enlightenment (Albany: SUNY Press, 1994). 10. Martha Shuchard, Restoring the Temple of Vision: Cabalistic Freemasonry and Stuart Culture (Leiden: Brill, 2002). There are Masonic ‘survivals’ and Cabalistic allusions in Theosophy, but these did not greatly impact on the art world. 11. Catherine Wessinger, Annie Besant and Progressive Messianism, 1874–1933 (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 1988); Gregory Tillett, The Elder Brother: A Biography of Charles Webster Leadbeater (London: Routledge Kegan Paul, 1982). -
In Theosophy's Shadow Vanity Whispers
In Theosophy’s Shadow Vanity Whispers In Theosophy’s Shadow Vanity Whispers v. 13.10, uploaded to www.philaletheians.co.uk, 7 August 2013 Page 1 of 9 THEOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHISTS SERIES IN THEOSOPHY’S SHADOW VANITY WHISPERS Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that unless we love the truth, we cannot know it. — Blaise Pascal 1 HIS ARTICLE IS INTENDED mainly for those attracted to the New Age books of Alice A. Bailey (AAB). Her claim that her teachings came from the same Oc- T cult Brotherhood that taught HP Blavatsky (HPB), the founder of the modern Theosophical Movement, is not valid. This short piece is not about whether Bailey’s writings are inspiring, wonderful or contain any truth; but simply whether HPB and AAB had the same mentors, as claimed by Bailey. Bailey’s guide professed to be the same Djual Khool that was one of HPB’s teachers. Bailey also declared that her guru was the same Master Koot Hoomi that Blavatsky knew. This paper will propose that the so-called Tibetan and the Hierarchy of Masters portrayed in Bailey’s books, were not Djual Khool and the Adept Brotherhood known to HPB. Bailey asserted that her teachings are grounded in and do not oppose in any funda- mental way Theosophy as lived and taught by HPB and her Gurus. This assertion is false. Her books are rooted in the pseudo-theosophy pioneered by CW Leadbeater (CWL). For example, one of CWL’s favorite revelations was the return to earth of “Maitreya” the Christ.