All Articles

ATTENTION has been focused recently on the question of whether, according to the Theosophical tradition, we are conscious in the after-death state.

At the recent South Indian Theosophical Conference held at Adyar during the Easter week-end, the three words c ' Beliefs," Work " and " Wisdom " figured both in the titles in the program and in the speeches. When the word belief" is used, it is apt to assume in some minds a connotation which sets it in contradistinction to reason; because belief in matters of religion, at least in the past,…

THERE is a very interesting statement by Krishnaji in his Ojai and Sarobia talks for 1940. Someone had asked him to define the difference between awareness and introspection. His answer was very illuminating. There is a certain danger in watching thoughts and feelings. People have become nervous wrecks trying to do that. Perhaps the Master's advice to C. W. Leadbeater to " forget yourself, but…

IN view of the obvious fact that the " lesser" can never contain the greater," the statement in the Stanzas that the Breath (Man) needs a Mind that can embrace the Universe demands some analysis to be understood. A familiar optical experiment, in physical terms, may assist.

It is a strange fact that life exists only in that elusive moment which is the present, not in the past or in the future. The future is really a thought from the standpoint of -the present, and the past, even the event of the past instant, is only a memory. But in between is that intangible hardly discernible moment which we call the present.

Each man is a continuing body of consciousness with a coat of matter which in a simple view  s his physical body.  I call it a body of consciousness because tt has its contents in a particular form which varies for each individual, and this is a continuing body, being modified every instant particularly, but never wholly until it is dissolved by death.

Imagine you are standing on one side of a river and you want to reach a spot on the other side. You dive in and start swimming but you have forgotten to take the river’s current into account.

Well known theosophist Pedro Oliveira investigates the mystery of C. W. Leadbeater's (CWL) clairvoyance. He takes an in-depth approach to this study looking at the early days of CWL, his meeting with H. P. Blavatsky and letters from the inner founders of the Theosophical Society - the Elder Brothers or Masters of Wisdom.

Today there is a lot of material available on meditation, much of which is seemingly conflicting. One feels at a loss to try and sort it all out. There exists, however, among the writings of the East, a classic text on meditation which gets to the heart of the matter, stating clearly and concisely just what meditation is. This text is held by tradition to contain the very essence of the…

The present tendency of education is to make them [Indians] materialistic and root out spirituality.With a proper understanding of what their ancestors meant by their writings and teachings, educationwould become a blessing whereas now it is often a curse. . . . This changed attitude toward the olderphilosophy would influence native Princes and wealthy men to endow normal schools for the…

It is easier to say what the Theosophical Society is not, rather than what it is, because the Society has a character which is a synthesis of a number of different elements.

Extracted from https://theohistory.org/issue-archive/volume-iii/vol-iii-no-3/

My research in the Tibetan Buddhist texts has allowed me to make some observations regarding the alleged Tibetan source of Alice Bailey’s writings which may be of interest to readers of a magazine described by its editor as, “dedicated to promoting a vigilant attitude among its readership through a love of Truth.”

T. Subba Row is regarded by Theosophists as an authority on the esoteric teachings that constitute the Wisdom Tradition now known as Theosophy. However great his knowledge of the esoteric teachings may have been, his writings show a strange confusion regarding the exoteric or known teachings of his own tradition, Advaita Vedånta.

According to H. P. Blavatsky, the Brotherhood of Adeptsto which her teachers belong, known as the Trans-Himalayan Brotherhood, makes an attempt during the last quarter of every century to bring to the Western world some of the teachings of the Wisdom Tradition preserved in the East. The Theosophical Society founded by her in 1875 is said to be that attempt for the nineteenth century

The Secret Doctrine, H. P. Blavatsky’s 1888 magnum opus, is based on stanzas allegedly translated from a secret “Book of Dzyan.” In 125 years, not a single one of these stanzas has been traced in any known book. On the expectation that a Sanskrit or Tibetan original would become available in my lifetime, I have devoted the past few decades to preparing for this. In the course of doing so, I…

1. Technical Terms in Stanza I (1995-1999)

Most people today have heard of the Druids, at least in the parts of the world where the Druids once thrived, namely England,

When Does Man Become Responsible for his Actions? A look at references from the letters of the Mahatmas on Karma.

Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) was the founder of the Gelugpa or “Yellow Hat” order of Tibetan Buddhism. This soon became the dominant order in Tibet, making Tsongkhapa Tibet’s most influential teacher. Not only was this great reformer the leading teacher of the known or exoteric teachings, but according to Theosophical sources, he was also the leading teacher of the secret or esoteric teachings, the…

It has now become possible to identify the specific school or tradition of Buddhism in Tibet that represents the doctrinal position of the Wisdom Tradition known today as Theosophy. Itis the “Great Madhyamaka” or “Great Middle Way” (in Tibetan, dbu ma chen po) school or tradition. This tradition, preserved for the last millennium in Tibet, has only become known to us in recent years.

Ancient India is considered to be the spiritual motherland of our planet. According to The Secret Doctrine, it was the home of the once universal Wisdom Tradition. From ancient India, called Åryåvarta, the wisdom teachings went forth into all the religions and philosophies of the world. H. P. Blavatsky writes:
For Åryåvarta, the bright focus into which had been poured in the beginning…

Sankaracarya, the preceptor (åcårya) ̨ Sankara, is regarded by Blavatsky as a great teacher of the Wisdom Tradition, or the esoteric Philosophy. In her primary work, The Secret Doctrine, he is referred to as “the greatest Initiate living in the historical ages,” and as “the greatest of the Esoteric masters of India.” The philosophy promulgated by him, the Advaita or non-dual school of Vedånta…

Does Christianity believe in reincarnation? Of course, it does not. Yet, students of the Wisdom Tradition may seek to find evidence that early Christians did accept reincarnation. Similarly in Buddhism. Does Buddhism believe in the åtman, the permanent self? Certainly, the Buddhist religion does not. Yet, there is evidence that the Buddha when teaching his basic doctrine of anåtman, no-self,…

The existence of the once universal Wisdom-Religion was made known to the modern world by H. P. Blavatsky, who called its modern form Theosophy. She early on described its original form as “pre-Vedic Buddhism.” Today, no one knows of any pre-Vedic Buddhism. Buddhism is thought to have originated with Gautama Buddha around 500 B.C.E., while the Vedas are much older than that.

Theosophy is the modern name given by H. P. Blavatsky to what is described by her as the once universal but now hidden Wisdom-Religion, the parent source of all known religions.

The view of the Maha Chohan on the T.S. Reported by K. H. to A. P. Sinnett, 1881

The Arhats of the "fire-mist" of the 7th rung are but one remove from the Root-Base of their Hierarchy -- the highest on Earth, and our Terrestrial chain.

The Blavatsky Lecture - 1935

Among the many works that Madame Blavatsky brought before the public, The Voice of the Silence was unique in its appeal to the heart and spirit of humanity.

The books of Kiu-te, as most Theosophists know, are said to be the source from which the Stanzas of Dzyan in The Secret Doctrine were translated. We are told that besides the secret books of Kiu-te from which the Stanzas of Dzyan were translated, there exist public books of Kiu-te, found in the libraries of Tibetan monasteries.1 Yet these public books of Kiu-te remained, for all practical…

ADEPT is a word that comes from the Latin adeptus, meaning "obtained, attained". It is commonly used to describe a highly skilled person; an expert in a particular discipline.

In Theosophical literature this term is employed in connection with the Occult Science and the Esoteric Philosophy. The word is used to define a wide variety of degrees of knowledge of Occultism, from relatively…

In the world of many people, each is different in many different ways – internal and external.  Some people seem more intellectually oriented, focussed on thoughts and reasoning, others more creative, focussed on and sensitive to feelings.  Yet others are action oriented, the direction of their action determined by thoughts or feelings – whichever is more dominant.

Most of us have had the experience of hearing beautiful music that can make the heart take flight. We smile, sway, dance, or just close our eyes with a deep breath to take it all in. It is as if, in that moment of time, all is well, life is wonderful. The harmony from the composition engenders a feeling of harmony with all.

During the past two centuries, both science and religion have experienced revolutionary change. In the sciences, discovery of the properties of the atom have led to theories of light, electricity and magnetism that have produced our modern technology.

Alexander Pope said: “The proper study of mankind is man.” The teachings of Theosophy enable us to follow Pope’s advice with fullness and completeness, for Theosophy teaches not only about the physical, material person, but also of the emotions, intellect and spiritual nature.

Theosophy embodies both ancient and modern expressions of the Ageless Wisdom and it has been entrusted to theosophists as a heritage for preservation and dissemination. This body of knowledge can be archived in virtual reality and human memory; it can be accessed for interpretation; and it could serve as an agenda of action.

How well I remember John Algeo pronouncing in his sonorous voice the difference between a labyrinth and a maze. Both, he said, are meanders that one walks through hoping to achieve the centre goal.  The difference is that if one continues pressing onward in a labyrinth, no matter how many crooks and turns, one will finally reach the goal. A maze is an entirely different matter.

Much of our understanding of Gnosticism comes from a Christian perspective which may be conditioned because the Gnostics were branded as heretics by Christianity and condemned. Irenaeus, a Greek and early Church father in the late second century, famously wrote Adversus Haeresus (Against Heresies) attacking Gnosticism.

Dogma? Faith? These are the right and left pillars of every soul-crushing theology. Theosophists have no dogmas, exact no blind faith. Theosophists are ever ready to abandon every idea that is proved erroneous upon strictly logical deductions; let Spiritualists do the same. Dogmas are the toys that amuse and can satisfy but unreasoning children.

"A few days after Madame Blavatsky died, H.P.B. awoke me at night. I raised myself, feeling no surprise, but only the sweet accustomed pleasure. She held my eyes with her leonine gaze. Then she grew thinner, taller, her shape became masculine; slowly then her features changed, until a man of height and rugged powers, stood before me, the last vestige of her features melting into his, until…

OUR subject this evening can scarcely fail to be of the greatest interest and importance to every one of us; for who is there among us who has not been called upon to experience the pain of bereavement, who has not felt a desire to know where the loved ones have gone, to know something of the conditions of the life after death into which they have entered and upon which we must all embark when…

GEOFFREY HODSON was born on the 12th of March 1886 at Wainfleet, Lincolnshire, England at 6:55 am. He was the eldest of five children, three boys and two girls.

His occult experiences began when he was about five or six years old. He had dream experiences in the half waking state and this seemed to be connected with Kundalini. Here are Mr Hodson’s words describing that event.