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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. -
Harry Collison, MA – Kingston University Working Paper ______
Harry Collison, MA – Kingston University Working Paper __________________________________________________________________________________________ HARRY COLLISON, MA (1868-1945): Soldier, Barrister, Artist, Freemason, Liveryman, Translator and Anthroposophist Sir James Stubbs, when answering a question in 1995 about Harry Collison, whom he had known personally, described him as a dilettante. By this he did not mean someone who took a casual interest in subjects, the modern usage of the term, but someone who enjoys the arts and takes them seriously, its more traditional use. This was certainly true of Collison, who studied art professionally and was an accomplished portraitist and painter of landscapes, but he never had to rely on art for his livelihood. Moreover, he had come to art after periods in the militia and as a barrister and he had once had ambitions of becoming a diplomat. This is his story.1 Collisons in Norfolk, London and South Africa Originally from the area around Tittleshall in Norfolk, where they had evangelical leanings, the Collison family had a pedigree dating back to at least the fourteenth century. They had been merchants in the City of London since the later years of the eighteenth century, latterly as linen drapers. Nicholas Cobb Collison (1758-1841), Harry’s grandfather, appeared as a witness in a case at the Old Bailey in 1800, after the theft of material from his shop at 57 Gracechurch Street. Francis (1795-1876) and John (1790-1863), two of the children of Nicholas and his wife, Elizabeth, née Stoughton (1764-1847), went to the Cape Colony in 1815 and became noted wine producers.2 Francis Collison received the prize for the best brandy at the first Cape of Good Hope Agricultural Society competition in 1833 and, for many years afterwards, Collison was a well- known name in the brandy industry. -
A REFLECTION on the SECRET DOCTRINE, No. 1
January 2012 A REFLECTION ON THE SECRET DOCTRINE , No. 1 The word doctrine may be defined as set of principles or as a body of teachings related to a particular subject. One example from the field of religion would be the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. In the realm of jurisprudence, the doctrine of self-defense is well established. Economists often refer to Marxist or Keynesian doctrines. The military has its doctrines relating to warfare which are studied at West Point and other military academies. A doctrine is something more than a mere idea, or even a concept. For these to be elevated to the status of doctrines, they need to be subjected to a period of intense critical analysis by scholars and experts in that particular field. The principles articulated by Mme. Blavatsky in The Secret Doctrine qualify as doctrines because they are part of a wisdom tradition extending back centuries in time. In his historical introduction to the 1979 edition, Editor Boris de Zirkoff dispenses with the notion that The Secret Doctrine is nothing more than a “syncretistic work wherein a multitude of seemingly unrelated teachings and ideas are cleverly woven together to form a more or less coherent whole” (1:74). It is not difficult to see how a novice reader might arrive at this superficial but erroneous conclusion, given the non-linear style of writing employed by Blavatsky in her magnum opus. To the student possessing a measure of intuitive capacity, deep and sustained consideration will reveal The Secret Doctrine to be “a wholly coherent outline of an ageless doctrine, a system of thought based upon occult facts and universal truths inherent in nature and which are as specific and definite as any mathematical proposition” (1:74). -
The Early Days of Theosophy in Europe by A.P
The Early Days of Theosophy in Europe by A.P. Sinnett The Early Days of Theosphy in Europe by A.P. Sinnett Theosophical Publishing House Ltd, London, 1922 NOTE [Page 5] Mr. Sinnett's literary Executor in arranging for the publication this volume is prompted to add a few words of explanation. There is naturally some diffidence experienced in placing before the public a posthumous MSS of personal reminiscences dealing in various instances with people still living. It would, however, be impossible to use the editorial blue pencil without destroying the historical value of the MSS. Mr. Sinnett's position and associations with the Theosophical Society together with his standing as an author in the Theosophical movement alike demand that his last writing should be published, and it is left to each reader to form his own judgment as to the value of the book in the light of his own study of the questions involved. Page 1 The Early Days of Theosophy in Europe by A.P. Sinnett CHAPTER - 1 - NO record could truly be called a History of the Theosophical Society if it concerned itself merely with events taking shape on the physical plane of life. From the first such events have been the result of activities on a higher plane; of steps taken by the unseen Powers presiding over human evolution, whose existence was unknown in the outer world when their great undertaking — the Theosophical Movement — was originally set on foot. To those known in the outer world as the Founders of the Theosophical Society — Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott — the existence of these higher powers, The Brothers as they were called at first, was more or less imperfectly comprehended. -
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. -
Theosophy Is Religion Itself and Sublime Code of Ethics
Theosophy is Religion itself and sublime code of Ethics Theosophy is Religion itself and sublime code of Ethics v. 14.13, www.philaletheians.co.uk, 4 July 2018 Page 1 of 53 THEOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHISTS SERIES THEOSOPHY IS RELIGION ITSELF AND SUBLIME CODE OF ETHICS Contents and train of thoughts 1 The “Original Programme” of the Theosophical Society Introductory notes and documents by Boris de Zirkoff 3 Letter from Madame Blavatsky to Mr. W.Q. Judge 4 Letter from Madame Blavatsky to Mr. and Mrs. A.P. Sinnett 6 Chatterji and Gebhard on theosophical organization 8 The “Original Programme” Manuscript 12 Theosophy first and organization after 25 Some words on daily life by a Master of Wisdom 28 The majority of the public Areopagus is generally composed of self-appointed judges, who have never made a permanent deity of any idol save their own personalities, their lower selves. 28 There is no religion higher than Truth There is, and can be, but one absolute truth in Kosmos. 31 To the Readers of Lucifer 31 Theosophy is Religion itself, and sublime code of Ethics He who believes his own religion on faith, will regard that of every other man as a lie, and hate it on that same faith. 35 Theosophy is not a religion. It is Religion itself, a Divine Science embracing every science in life, moral and physical, and a sublime code of Ethics. 36 Theosophy is Religion and the Theosophical Society the Universal Church. 36 The Theosophical Movement is the great moral but silent force Human life, devoid of all its world-ideals and beliefs, becomes deprived of its higher sense and meaning. -
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’). -
Eclectic Theosophist Ns V21 N1 Spring 1992
A Quarterly Journal of the Wisdom Tradition Following the Blavatsky/ Point Loma Tradition IN THIS ISSUE Essential Wholeness: Transformation through Self-Becoming Helen Tocld Compassion, Poetry, and Paradox: Insights on Blavatsky’s “Voice of the Silence” Bhikshu Sangharakshita Theosophy and Buddhism Christmas Humphreys The Whole and its Parts Henry T. Edge Ayurvedic Healing Depak Chopra Poem: The Meditations of Ssu-k’ung T’u Kenneth Morris The Path of Heart Wisdom from “The Voice of the Silence”, Helena Blavatsky Story: The Last Adventure of Essential Wholeness: Don Quixote Kenneth Morris Transformation through Universal Perspective: Self Becoming What Am I? W. Emmett Small Helen Todd Moreover, the Secret Doctrine teaches:—"The fundamental iden philosophy admits no privileges or special gifts in man, save those tity of all Souls with the Universal Over-Soul, the latter being itself won by his own Ego through personal effort and merit throughout an aspect of the Unknown Root; and the obligatory pilgrimage for a long series of metempsychoses and reincarnations." every Soul—a spark of the former—- through the cycle of the In —The Secret Doctrine 1-17 carnation (or "Necessity") in accordance with Cyclic and Karmic law, during the whole term. In other words, no purely spiritual The above quotation constitutes the third of the three Buddhi (divine Soul) can have an independent (conscious) existence before the spark which issued from the pure Essence of the Universal fundamental propositions which H.P. Blavatsky sets forth Sixth principle,) or the OVER-SOUL,—has (a) passed through every in the Proem of her great work. In its broad sweep it is elemental form of the phenomenal world of that Manvantara, and a magnificent description of the doctrine of emanational (b) acquired individuality, first by natural impulse, and then by evolution—the only genuine evolution the Esoteric Phi self-induced and self-devised efforts (checked by its Karma), thus losophy recognizes. -
The Secret Doctrine Symposium
The Secret Doctrine Symposium Compiled and Edited by David P. Bruce THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA P.O. Box 270, Wheaton, IL 60187-0270 www.theosophical.org © 2011 This page was intentionally left blank. Introduction In creating this course, it was the compiler’s intention to feature some of the most com- pelling and insightful articles on The Secret Doctrine published in Theosophical journals over the past several decades. Admittedly, the process of selecting a limited few from the large number available is to some extent a subjective decision. One of the criteria used for making this selection was the desire to provide the reader with a colorful pastiche of commentary by respected students of Theosophy, in order to show the various avenues of approach to Mme. Blavatsky’s most famous work. The sequence of the articles in the Symposium was arranged, not chronologically, nor alphabetically by author, but thematically and with an eye to a sense of balance. While some of the articles are informational, there are also those that are inspirational, historical, and instructional. It is hoped that the Symposium will encourage, inspire, and motivate the student to begin a serious and sustained exploration of this most unusual and important Theosophical work. Questions have been added to each of the articles. When referring to a specific quote or passage within the article, the page number and paragraph are referenced. For instance, (1.5) indicates the fifth paragraph on page one; (4.2) indicates the second paragraph on page four. A page number followed by a zero, i.e ., (25.0) would indicate that something is being discussed in the paragraph carried over from the previous page, in this case, page 24. -
Three Eminent Theosophists
Three Eminent Theosophists Three Eminent Theosophists v. 10.21, www.philaletheians.co.uk, 30 May 2021 Page 1 of 13 THEOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHISTS SERIES Three Eminent Theosophists 1 by Boris de Zirkoff 2 Archibald Keightley 1859–1930 3 Julia Wharton Keightley 1851–1915 8 Bertram Keightley 1860–1944 11 1 Title page illustration by James White, NeoWave Series 3. 2 [Boris Mihailovich de Zirkoff (Борис́ Михайлович́ Цирков́ ), 1902–1981, Russian-born American Theosophist, editor, and writer. He was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, March 7th 1902. His father was Mihail Vassilyevich de Zirkoff, a Russian general; his mother, Lydia Dmitriyevna von Hahn, who was a second cousin to Helena Pe- trovna Blavatsky. The Russian Revolution forced his family to flee in 1917 to Stockholm across Finland. De Zirkoff studied in European universities, where he specialized in languages and classics. “At Baden-Baden in Germany, he met a Russian American, Nikolai Romanoff, and learned from him about the existence, at Point Loma, close San Diego in California, of the organization, named Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Socie- ty. He wrote a letter to Mrs. Katherine Tingley, then head of the Society, and when she visited Europe, they met in Finland. Mrs. Tingley, who had learned that Boris was Blavatsky's relative, invited him to come to the head- quarters at Point Loma and promised him all the necessary help in regard to his travel to America.” — Anton Rozman. Also consult “De Zirkoff recalls his formative years in Russia,” in the same Series. — ED. PHIL.] Three Eminent Theosophists v. 10.21, www.philaletheians.co.uk, 30 May 2021 Page 2 of 13 THEOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHISTS SERIES ARCHIBALD KEIGHTLEY 1859–1930 From Blavatsky Collected Writings, (BIBLIOGRAPHY) IX pp. -
De Zirkoff on the Dream That Never Dies V
Boris de Zirkoff The dream that never dies! De Zirkoff on the dream that never dies v. 19.10, www.philaletheians.co.uk, 17 February 2019 Page 1 of 5 THEOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHISTS SERIES THE DREAM THAT NEVER DIES A united mankind, a rebirth of esoteric wisdom, a world at peace. “The Dream That Never Dies!” was spoken by Boris Mikhailovich de Zirkoff (1902-1981) at the Cen- tenary World Congress of the Theosophical Society, New York, November 17th, 1975; it was first pub- lished in The Theosophist, January 1976, and subsequently included in W. Emmett Small. (Comp. & Ed.) The Dream That Never Dies: Boris de Zirkoff speaks out on Theosophy. San Diego: Point Loma Publications, Inc., 1983 — a compilation of fifty articles from the independent Theosophical Journal Theosophia, edited by de Zirkoff from its inception, in May 1944, until his death on the 4th March, 1981; pp. 30-33. Frontispiece by Richard Hoedl. LL OF US HERE, ASSEMBLED IN THIS HALL in ties of brotherhood, are a par- tial embodiment of a noble dream — a dream of ancient days, a dream living A in the hearts of men from ages past, a dream implanted in man’s mind by his original Guides and divine Instructors — the dream of a united mankind, of a rebirth of esoteric wisdom, and of a world at peace! From immemorial past, as far as tradition can tell, the noblest men and women of all times have dreamt that dream. From time to time, movements have arisen to bring about the realization of that dream, at least on some small scale. -
The Objects of the Theosophical Society No
Adyar Pamphlets The Objects of the Theosophical Society No. 132 The Objects of the Theosophical Society by Bertram Keightley An address to the Âryan T.S. New York, by Bertram Keightley; from The Theosophist, September 1890 Published in 1921 Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai [Madras] India The Theosophist Office, Adyar, Madras. India [Page 1] THE watchword of every true and earnest member of the Theosophical Society should be Brotherhood. This is the true meaning of our motto: " There is no Religion higher than Truth"; for Truth is One, and to grasp Truth is to lay hold on the essential unity of Life and Being, in other words, to consciously realise this unity, this universal, all-pervading principle of Brotherhood. That such is, indeed, the true ideal and purpose of the T.S., is shown by the fact that Universal Brotherhood not only stands first and foremost among its three Objects, but is also the only one whose acceptance is obligatory on all who join the ranks of the Society. In spite, however, of repeated declarations to this effect, many people, even within the Society, still regard its First Object as an empty name, a mere catchword adopted in order to work on the sentimentality of emotional people, and emphasised in order [Page 2] to give a colouring of universality and non-sectarianism to what many regard as an attempt to found a new religion, or at least to preach a new philosophy. This radical misconception of the purpose and scope of the Theosophical Society has been greatly fostered and augmented by the fact that the attention of the public has been mainly drawn to and centred upon its Second and Third Objects.