Theosophy An Introduction by H.P. Blavatsky Compiled & edited by Daniel H. Caldwell Blavatsky Study Center http://hpb.cc 2012 ii Table of Contents H.P. Blavatsky and Theosophy: An Introduction. 1 Who Is Helena Petrovna Blavatsky?: A Sketch of Her Life and Work. 5 H.P.B. Speaks . 17 Theosophy Defined by W.Q. Judge. 27 An Epitome of Theosophy by W.Q. Judge. 35 From Long-Sealed Ancient Fountains: The Origin of Modern Theosophy. 59 Great Adepts and Trained Seers: Knowledge of Spiritual Facts by Personal Experience and from Actual Observation. 65 “Isis Unveiled:” Adepts and The Secret Doctrine. 71 “Isis Unveiled:” Spiritual Identity. 79 “Isis Unveiled:” Evolution of the Soul. 91 “Isis Unveiled:” Pre-Existence, Metempsychosis, 105 Reincarnation. “Isis Unveiled:” Magic and Magical Powers. 109 “Isis Unveiled:” Adeptship & Mediumship. 119 “Isis Unveiled:” Spiritualism. 131 “Isis Unveiled:” Spirits of Various Kinds. 139 “Isis Unveiled:” Magical Phenomena – Modern & Ancient. 149 “The Secret Doctrine:” Preface. 165 “The Secret Doctrine:” Three Fundamental Propositions. 169 “The Secret Doctrine:” The Stanzas of Dzyan. 177 Cosmic Evolution in Seven Stanzas. 183 “The Secret Doctrine:” Summing Up. 195 iii “The Secret Doctrine:” The Evolution of Mankind and the Four Pre-Historic Continents . 205 Anthropogenesis in the Secret Volume: Stanzas from the Book of Dzyan. 209 Plutarch on the Fate of the Three-fold Human Being after Physical Death. 219 The Sevenfold Constitution of a Human Being. 223 Dreams. .. 231 Psychic versus Initiate Visions & Knowledge. 251 At the Solemn Moment of Death: Dying & Soon After. 269 Reincarnation and Karma. 275 On the Kama-Loka and Devachan. 303 On the Mysteries of Reincarnation. 337 Spiritual Progress. .. 367 Occultism versus the Occult Arts. 375 The Voice of the Silence. 383 Master K.H. on Concentration and Union with the Higher Self. 495 On Pseudo-Theosophy & Pseudo-Adepts . 399 H.P. Blavatsky's Occult Status & the Claims of Latter-Day Messengers of the Masters . 407 Theosophy Glossary 437 iv H.P. Blavatsky and Theosophy An Introduction The most basic fact of our existence is our awareness of self. We know we are alive but we see that people around us shift and change. Some are born; others die. But does death annihilate our consciousness, as well as destroy the body? Is there some kind of life after death? Why were we born in the first place? And having been born, why do we live? Many are asking, "What's it all about?" Yet in our modern world, reliable answers to such important questions are hard to discover. Many of us cannot find really satisfying answers from materialistic science, academic philosophy, or orthodox religion (Christian or otherwise). There is also a great proliferation of occult, metaphysical, Eastern and New Age groups offering their own "answers" to these perplexing questions. For the seeker with a genuine hunger for truth, the task of choosing among these conflicting authorities and contradictory answers can be difficult and confusing. "But surely somewhere," our minds cry out, "there must be available satisfying answers to these questions. Surely somewhere there must be preserved a true universal knowledge concerning humanity and the world in which we live. Surely somewhere there is such a source of wisdom." During the late 19th century, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) pointed to that Source of Wisdom. She called it the Ancient Wisdom and gave to it the Greek name of Theosophia or Theosophy ("Divine Wisdom" or "the wisdom of the gods"). H.P. Blavatsky stated that there is an ancient school of Adepts or Masters who know directly, inwardly and truly this Divine Wisdom. Madame Blavatsky said that she was taught Theosophy by some of these Adepts. Madame Blavatsky was the chief founder of the modern Theosophical Movement which was established to form the nucleus of a worldwide association of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color. She is also the author of The Secret Doctrine, the great sourcebook on Theosophy. This work in two large volumes shows the universality and the great age of the Theosophical system of thought. H.P.B. promoted a greater Western acquaintance with Eastern religions and philosophies and brought the teachings of reincarnation and karma into common knowledge in the Western world. A forceful and gifted individual, H.P. Blavatsky wrote in a forthright and powerful style challenging the confusion and absurdities of religious orthodoxy, exposing some of the fallacies of materialistic science, and assailing some of the claims of 19th century Spiritualism. She presented ideas and teachings which seemed like pretentious nonsense to her orthodox contemporaries. Furthermore, H.P.B. demonstrated psychic powers of a startling character, and said she was in contact with certain highly evolved Masters. It was inevitable that H.P.B. should make enemies on every hand who published slanderous untruths as to her dishonesty, the fraudulence of her psychic phenomena, the 2 non-existence of her Masters, and the worthlessness of Theosophy. But how much of truth is there in these accusations? Careful, detailed research into the primary source documents clearly shows that the attacks on H.P.B. lack a solid basis. And though it is still fashionable in some circles to write disparagingly about Madame Blavatsky, the fact is that many of the things she said, that were incomprehensible to 19th century scholarship and science, have been confirmed by scholars and scientists in the last 100 years. Recent developments and advances in parapsychology and transpersonal psychology make it clear that the psychic and spiritual faculties H.P. Blavatsky wrote about and that she herself manifested are actual powers and abilities of the human psyche and spirit. In order to present the Theosophical or Occult Philosophy to the world, Madame Blavatsky wrote Isis Unveiled (1877), The Secret Doctrine (1888), The Key to Theosophy (1889), The Voice of the Silence (1889) and other works. What did H.P. Blavatsky teach? She outlined the fundamental principles of Theosophy which deal with (1) the unity of LIFE, (2) the law of cycles, and (3) the progressive unfoldment of consciousness in all kingdoms of nature (both visible and invisible). H.P.B. taught the origin and development of the universe and the origin and evolution of humanity. She described the birth, growth and death of planets and solar systems, and set forth humanity's evolution and history on this planet. H.P.B. outlined the tree and its branches: the original Esoteric Teaching or Primordial Tradition and some of its branches extant in the various world religions, ancient mythologies, and metaphysical philosophies. 3 She gave out the truth in detail about the complex sevenfold nature (spiritual and psychological) of a human being and about life after death. She taught the twin doctrine of karma and reincarnation. Madame Blavatsky also set forth a clear and comprehensive rationale for psychic and spiritualistic, mystical and spiritual phenomena and experiences. Madame Blavatsky taught that self- responsibility, ethics and altruism (service to others) are essential to true spiritual unfoldment. She pointed towards humanity's future destiny and evolution and showed the Path which each of us must travel in order to awaken our latent spiritual powers and abilities and to realize our essential identity with the UNIVERSAL SELF. What of the influence of Madame Blavatsky and her teachings? During her lifetime, H.P.B.'s brilliant conversations, profound knowledge of occult subjects, and reputation for psychic powers drew worldwide attention to her work. Since her death in 1891, her teachings have influenced the thinking of inquiring minds throughout the world. The writings of H.P. Blavatsky and her Masters furnish suggestions, clues and guidance for the study of Nature and Humanity, such as few other existing sources can supply. [The above introduction was compiled from various sources.] 4 Who Is Helena Petrovna Blavatsky? A Sketch of Her Life and Work H. P. Blavatsky (1831-1891) was one of the most extraordinary and controversial figures of the 19th century. The influence of her life, writings and teachings on world thought has been significant. The following three quotations may help to indicate the extent of Madame Blavatsky’s influence: "... Madame Blavatsky ... stands out as the fountainhead of modern occult thought, and was either the originator and/or popularizer of many of the ideas and terms which have a century later been assembled within the New Age Movement. The Theosophical Society, which she cofounded, has been the major advocate of occult philosophy in the West and the single most important avenue of Eastern teaching to the West." J. Gordon Melton, Jerome Clark and Aidan A. Kelly, editors, New Age Almanac, Detroit, Michigan, Gale Research Inc., 1991, p. 16. __________ "Theosophy occupies a central place in the history of new spiritual movements, for the writings of Blavatsky and some of her followers have had a great influence outside of her organization. ... The importance of Theosophy in modern history should not be underestimated. Not only have the writings of Blavatsky and others 5 inspired several generations of occultists, but the movement had a remarkable role in the restoration to the colonial peoples of nineteenth century Asia their own spiritual heritage." Robert S. Ellwood and Harry B. Partin, Religious and Spiritual Groups in Modern America, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice Hall, 1988, pp. 63, 79-80. __________ "...Helena Petrovna Blavatsky... is surely among the most original and perceptive minds of her time ... Buried in the sprawling bulk of her two major books ... there lies, in rudimentary form, the first philosophy of psychic and spiritual evolution to appear in the modern West ... With all criticisms weighed up against her, HPB stands forth as a seminal talent of our time ... Above all, she is among the modern world’s trailblazing psychologists of the visionary mind.