Theosophy and Theosophical Lines. Gwendolyn Reece

Transcription

1 Theosophy and Theosophical Lines Gwendolyn Reece

2 O Hidden Life: Annie Besant O Hidden Life, vibrant in every atom; O Hidden Light, shining in every creature; O Hidden Love, embracing all in Oneness; May all who feel themselves as one with Thee Know they are therefore one with every other.

3 Session Goals General understanding of what Theosophy is IntroducHon to history of Theosophy and Theosophical lines ConsideraHon of major Theosophical concepts Analysis of what Theosophy can offer Contemporary Pagans SuggesHons for further reading

4 Who Am I? Reincarnated Hellene Witch since mid- 80 s in Ohio Early 90 s access to books! Early 90 s crisis of purpose Discovered Theosophy EvoluHonary concepts RelaHonship of Whole & Part Teaching in DC Lodge since late 1990 s

5 What is Theosophy? Theo / Sophia = The Divine Wisdom Perennialism and Idealism (in the Platonic sense) Quest or Project for Discovery of the Truth There is no religion higher than Truth ComparaHve approach look for the facet of brilliance Good method for interfaith Good method for interpersonal compassion Good method for encouraging wonder

6 Theosophical Society Founded in 1875 in New York by a group of interested people, including Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcod, and William Quan Judge Under the guidance of Blavatsky s Masters (aka Teachers)

7 HPB Minor Russian noblewoman Wildly psychic and very accomplished prachcal occulhst Travelled all over the world, largely alone, studying occulhsm Fallible temper, kind of crass, but immensely courageous, especially moral courage Teachers: Bodhisadvas, including Western

8 3 Objects of the TS 1. To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without dishnchon of race, creed, sex, caste, or color. To encourage the comparahve study of religion, philosophy and science. To inveshgate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity.

9 A touch of Theosophical History Begun in New York City, because of the deshny of the U.S.A. Quickly numerous lodges internahonally InternaHonal Headquarters moved to Adyar, India Bridges Eastern and Western Esoteric TradiHons TranslaHons of Buddhist and Hindu texts Concepts (karma, dharma, chakras, subtle physiology) Looking in the West for suppressed knowledge/ wisdom

10 Theosophical History The Secret Doctrine Annie Besant Charles Leadbeater Jiddu KrishnamurH Rudolf Steiner Anthroposophy Maria Montessori

11 Theosophical History Alice Bailey and the Arcane School TreaHse on the Cosmic Fire Dion Fortune/W.B. Yeats/William Wynn Wescod Ouspensky and Gurdjieff The influence (especially if we include the arhsts, scienhsts, and thought- leaders) is extraordinary

12 Theosophy: the Literature There is an extensive body of literature Isis Unveiled;The Secret Doctrine; Voice of the Silence; Vol. XII Collected WriHngs Besant / Leadbeater Ernest Wood, Geoffrey Hodson, Geoffrey Barborka The works of those menhoned earlier

13 The Three Fundamental ProposiHons There are three proposihons upon which all Theosophical speculahon and inquiry are based. One: Fundamental Unity / The Causeless Cause Two: Periodicity / Cycles Three: EvoluHon

14 First ProposiHon An Omnipresent, Eternal, Boundless, and Immutable PRINCIPLE on which all speculahon is impossible, since it transcends the power of human concephon and could only be dwarfed by any human expression or similitude. It is beyond the range and reach of thought in the words of Mandukya, unthinkable and unspeakable.

15 First ProposiHon: ConHnued Monism Absolute and RelaHve Reality MysHcism Outside Hme and space (KanHan categories) Ineffable and blissful EmanaHon the metaphor of the sun and its rays RelaHonship between SubjecHve and ObjecHve EmpHness / Interdependence / Bornless Presence Taxonomic hierarchy

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20 Second proposihon The Eternity of the Universe in toto as a boundless plane; periodically the playground of numberless Universes incessantly manifeshng and disappearing, called the manifeshng stars, and the sparks of Eternity. The Eternity of the Pilgrim [monad] is like a wind of the Eye of Self- Existence (Book of Dzyan).

21 Second proposihon ConHnued The Law of Periodicity Cycles Periodic alterahons between waking and rest, passivity and achvity Pralaya / Manvantara Breath - Pneuma Rhythm ReincarnaHon Expansion and IntegraHon

22 Third proposihon The fundamental idenhty of all Souls with the Universal Over- Soul, the lader being itself and aspect of the Unknown Root; and the obligatory pilgrimage for each Soul a spark of the former through the Cycle of IncarnaHon (or Necessity ) in accordance with Cyclic and Karmic law, during the whole term.

23 Third proposihon conhnued In other words, no purely spiritual Buddhi (divine Soul) can have an independent (conscious) existence before the spark which issued from the pure Essence of the Sixth principle,- - or OVER- SOUL,- - has (a) passed through every elemental form of the phenomenal world of that Manvantara, and

24 Third proposihon, conhnued (b) acquired individuality, first by natural impulse, and then by self- induced and self- devised efforts (checked by its Karma), thus ascending through all the degrees of intelligence, from the lowest to the highest Manas, from mineral and plant, up to the holiest archangel (Dhyani- Buddha).

25 Third proposihon conhnued EvoluHon Panpsychism Consciousness is in all things Hylozoism Everything is alive InvoluHon and EvoluHon or maybe all just evoluhon Dharma

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29 What is a human? A human being is any being in any Hme, in any place, wearing any body in which highest spirit and lowest mader are joined at the plane of mind. Julia Rogers

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31 ImplicaHons for development Growth gaining control of our vehicles requires use; pay adenhon to what you are feeding your vehicles Sat, Chit, Ananda: Will, Love/Wisdom, Thought/AcHvity Pay adenhon to the dual nature of mind Think in a larger context

32 A standard for ethics Does x course of achon (including thought) help or hinder evoluhon? Watch the effect on yourself. Does it make you more tolerant, more compassionate, more kind? Able to have a bigger perspechve? Universal brotherhood is not a theory, it is a fact in nature.