Theosophy
Theosophy is a religious and philosophical system established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by Russian mystic and spiritualist Helena Blavatsky, and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Gnosticism and Neoplatonism and Indian religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
Modern Theosophy emphasizes mystical experience and holds that there is a deeper spiritual reality that can be reached through intuition, meditation, revelation, or some form of transcending normal human consciousness. Theosophists also maintain an esoteric doctrine that all world religions contain a universal inner teaching that must be deciphered, and that knowledge of this divine wisdom gives access to the mysteries of nature and humankind’s inner essence.
Although many adherents maintain that Theosophy is not a religion, it is variably categorized by religious scholars as both a new religious movement and a form of occultism from within Western esotericism.
Etymology
The term "theosophical" originally appeared in the works of early Church Fathers, as a synonym for theology. It is derived from the Ancient Greek: θεός, romanized: theós ("god") and Ancient Greek: σοφῐ́ᾱ, romanized: sophíā ("wisdom"), meaning "god-wisdom", "divine wisdom", or "wisdom of God."
Its esoteric meaning emerged during the Renaissance period, possibly originating in the 1575 Arbatel De Magia Veterum, a Latin grimoire and the first work to draw a dualism between what it calls "anthroposophia" (human knowledge) and "theosophia" (divine knowledge).
At a meeting of the Miracle Club in New York City on 7 September 1875, Blavatsky, Olcott, and Judge agreed to establish an organisation, with Charles Sotheran suggesting that they call it the "Theosophical Society."
Beliefs
Although the writings of prominent Theosophists lay out a set of teachings, the Theosophical Society itself states that it has no official beliefs with which all members must agree. It therefore has doctrine but does not present this as dogma. The Society stated that the only tenet to which all members should subscribe was a commitment "to form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color."
Ascended Masters
Central to Theosophical belief is the idea that a group of spiritual adepts known as the Ascended Masters not only exist but were responsible for the production of early Theosophical texts.
For most Theosophists, these Masters are deemed to be the real founders of the modern Theosophical movement. In Theosophical literature, they are perceived to be a fraternity of human men who are highly evolved, in terms of having both moral development and intellectual attainment. They are said to have achieved extra-long life spans, and to have gained supernatural powers, including clairvoyance and the ability to instantly project their soul out of their body to any other location. These are powers that they have allegedly attained through many years of training.
The Masters are believed to preserve the world's ancient spiritual knowledge, and to represent a Great White Brotherhood or White Lodge which watches over humanity and guides its evolution. The most prominent Ascended Masters to appear in Theosophical literature are Koot Hoomi (sometimes spelled Kuthumi) and Morya, with whom Blavatsky said to be in contact.
Other individuals whom the early Theosophists revered as Ascended Masters were figures as diverse as Asian philosophers, Biblical prophets, and modern alchemists such as:
- Abraham
- Moses
- King Solomon
- Jesus Christ
- Gautama Buddha
- Confucius
- Franz Mesmer
Ancient religion
According to Blavatsky's teachings, many of the world's religions have their origins in a universal ancient religion, a "secret doctrine" that was known to Plato and early Hindu sages and which continues to underpin the center of every religion. She promoted the idea that ancient societies exhibited a unity of science and religion that humanity has since lost, with their achievements and knowledge being far in excess of what modern scholars believe about them.
Blavatsky also taught that a secret brotherhood has conserved this ancient wisdom religion throughout the centuries, and that members of this fraternity hold the key to understanding miracles, the afterlife, and psychic phenomena, and that moreover, these adepts themselves have paranormal powers.
She stated that this ancient religion would be revived and spread throughout humanity in the future, replacing dominant world religions.
Theology and cosmology
Theosophy promotes an emanationist cosmology, promoting the belief that the universe is an outward reflection from the Absolute. Theosophy presents the idea that the world as humans perceive it is illusory, or maya, an idea that it draws from Asian religions. Accordingly, Blavatsky taught that a life limited by the perception of this illusory world was ignorant and deluded.
Every solar system in the universe is the expression of what is termed a "Logos" or "Solar Deity." Ranked below this Solar Deity are seven ministers or planetary spirits, with each of these celestial beings being in control of evolution on a particular planet. In The Secret Doctrine, Blavatsky stated that each planet had a sevenfold constitution, known as the "Planetary Chains;" these consist not only of a physical globe but also of two astral bodies, two mental bodies, and two spiritual bodies, all overlapping in the same space.
Theosophy teaches that human evolution is tied in with a wider planetary and cosmic evolution.
Personal development and reincarnation
The purpose of human life is the spiritual emancipation of the soul. The human individual is described as an "Ego" or "Monad" and believed to have emanated from the Solar Deity, to whom it will also eventually return.
The human being is presented as composed of seven parts:
- the Body (Rupa)
- Vitality (Prana-Jiva)
- the Astral Body (Linga Sarira)
- the Animal Soul (Kama-Rupa)
- the Human Soul (Manas)
- the Spiritual Soul (Buddhi)
- the Spirit (Atma)
According to Theosophical teaching, it is the latter three of these components that are immortal, while the other aspects perish following bodily death. The Spiritual Soul and the Spirit do not reside within the human body alongside the other components, but that they are connected to it through the human soul.
In Isis Unveiled, Blavatsky stated that on bodily death, the human soul progresses through more spiritual planes. Two years later, she introduced the idea of reincarnation into Theosophical doctrine, using it to replace her metempsychosis doctrine. In The Secret Doctrine, she stated that the spirit was immortal and would repeatedly incarnate into a new, mortal soul and body on Earth.
Morality
Theosophy does not express any formal ethical teaching, a situation that generated ambiguity. However, it has expressed and promoted certain values, such as brotherhood and social improvement.
During its early years, the Theosophical Society promoted a puritanical attitude toward sexuality, for instance by encouraging chastity even within marriage.
History
Theosophy was established in New York City in 1875 with the founding of the Theosophical Society by Blavatsky and Americans Henry Olcott and William Quan Judge. In the early 1880s, Blavatsky and Olcott relocated to India, where they established the Society's headquarters at Adyar, Tamil Nadu. Blavatsky described her ideas in two books, Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine, which became key texts within Theosophy.
Following her death in 1891, there was a schism in the Society, with Judge leading the Theosophical Society in America (TSA) to split from the international organization. Under Judge's successor Katherine Tingley, a Theosophical community named Lomaland was established in San Diego, California. At its height in 1895, there were 102 American branches with nearly 6,000 members. The Adyar-based Society was later taken over by Annie Besant, under whom it grew to its largest extent during the late 1920s, before going into decline after the Great Depression.
Modern era
Membership of the Theosophical Society reached its highest peak in 1928, when it had 45,000 members. The Lodge in Auckland, New Zealand, was one of the world's largest, with over 500 members in 1949.
From its foundation until 1980, Theosophy had gained tens of thousands of adherents. In 1980, there were about 35,000 members of the Adyar-based Theosophical Society spread out across the globe:
- 9,000 in India
- 5,500 in America
- 1,500 in Pasadena
- 1,200 elsewhere
Legacy
The formation and early history of the Theosophical Society was a pivotal chapter of religious history in the West. The Theosophical Society had a significant impact on religion, politics, culture, and society. In the Western world, it was a major force for the introduction of Asian religious ideas.
Theosophical ideals have influenced many later new religious movements of the 20th century, including the Afro-Brazilian religion of Umbanda.
Many important figures, in particular within the humanities and the arts, were involved in the Theosophical movement and influenced by its teachings. The Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi developed much of his interest in Hindu culture after being given a copy of the Bhagavad Gita by two Theosophists.
Other prominent individuals who were involved with the Theosophical Society or who espoused its teachings include:
- W.B. Yeats
- Nicholas II
- Grigori Rasputin
- Dion Fortune
- Samuel L. MacGregor Mathers
- Papus
- Frederick Santee
- Israel Regardie