The Meaning of the Word
Theosophy means Divine Wisdom. It comes from the Greek words theos (divine) and sophia (wisdom). When the Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott, William Judge and others, they used the word to describe not a new religion, but an ancient stream of truth that runs through all the world’s great philosophies and faiths.
Blavatsky explained that Theosophy is “the accumulated Wisdom of the Ages” — a way of understanding life that reaches beyond dogma or superstition. It invites us to look deeper into ourselves and the world around us, to see how everything is connected and governed by just and universal laws.
At its heart, Theosophy asks a few timeless questions:
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What is the purpose of life?
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What is our place in the universe?
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How can we live in harmony with one another and with nature?
It encourages people to search for answers not by blind belief, but by study, reflection, and compassionate living.
What does a Theosophist do?
Above all else, a theosophist questions and investigates.
Theosophists share with modern science the belief that truth can be discovered and that the universe follows knowable laws.
But while science focuses on the physical side of life, theosophists also attempt to understand the inner or meta-physical side, proposing that consciousness or spirit is fundamental to nature and not merely an effect of matter.
Theosophists seek to bring these two aspects of knowing together — exploring both the outer world and the inner life to understand the whole of existence.
The Aims of the Theosophical Movement
When Blavatsky and Olcott created the Theosophical Society, they gave it three main aims. These aims still describe what Theosophy is about today:
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To form a nucleus of Universal Brotherhood — to recognize that all human beings are part of one great family, no matter their race, religion, gender, or social position.
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To encourage the study of wisdom traditions — to explore the world’s religions, philosophies, and sciences, ancient and modern, and discover the truths they hold in common.
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To investigate the hidden laws of nature and the inner powers of humanity — to look beyond surface appearances and learn about the deeper forces that shape both the universe and our own lives.
These aims are not abstract ideals; they are meant to be lived. They call for kindness, open-mindedness, and curiosity — a balance of head and heart.
Core Ideas Behind Theosophy
1. The Oneness of All Life
Theosophy teaches that all beings — human, animal, and even the smallest atom — share a common life and purpose. We are not separate from one another, but parts of a single living whole. When we harm others, we harm ourselves; when we help others, we help the world. The first step in Theosophy is realizing this unity and acting from it in daily life.
2. The Search for Truth
Theosophy sees truth as universal — no single religion or culture owns it. Every tradition holds a piece of the greater picture. Theosophy invites people to study broadly, compare ideas, and discover wisdom wherever it may be found.
3. Self-Knowledge and Growth
Each person is seen as more than just a body or a bundle of thoughts — there is a deeper, spiritual Self within us, a spark of the same life that fills the universe. The purpose of life is to unfold that inner divinity through learning, compassion, and self-discipline.
4. Practical Compassion
Blavatsky called true Theosophy “the great renunciation of self.” It’s not about theories or secret powers, but about living for the good of others. The most direct way to grow spiritually, she said, is through unselfish service and sincere concern for the welfare of all.
5. Freedom of Thought
The founders were clear that Theosophy is not a dogma. Members are free to think for themselves and to accept or reject any idea. The goal is understanding, not conformity.
What Theosophy Hopes to Inspire
In simple terms, Theosophy tries to awaken three things in people:
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A sense of unity: to see beyond divisions of nation, creed, or race and to act as brothers and sisters in one human family.
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A sense of wonder: to look at life and nature as sacred, intelligent, and interconnected, rather than mechanical or meaningless.
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A sense of purpose: to live ethically, help others, and grow wiser with each experience.
Theosophy aims to bridge the old and the new, the East and the West, science and spirituality. It reminds us that truth is not something handed down from authority, but something we must discover for ourselves — through study, reflection, and compassionate living.
In Short
Theosophy is a movement of spiritual inquiry and human unity. It asks us to look beneath the surface of things — to find the same light shining in every person, every faith, and every part of nature.
It is not a set of beliefs to memorize, but a way of life to practice:
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Think independently.
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Live kindly.
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Seek truth wherever it can be found.
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Recognize that all life is one.
As Blavatsky wrote in The Key to Theosophy, “Theosophy is altruism, and Altruism is action.”
Further Details
Theosophy (Greek: θεός theos + σοφία sophia), “Divine Wisdom,” or “Wisdom of the gods.”
A few definitions given by H. P. Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society:
“Theosophia (Gr.). Wisdom-religion, or ‘Divine Wisdom.’ The substratum and basis of all the world-religions and philosophies, taught and practised by a few elect ever since man became a thinking being. In its practical bearing, Theosophy is purely divine ethics; the definitions in dictionaries are pure nonsense, based on religious prejudice and ignorance of the true spirit of the early Rosicrucians and mediæval philosophers who called themselves Theosophists.”—Theosophical Glossary
Enquirer: Theosophy and its doctrines are often referred to as a new-fangled religion. Is it a religion?
Theosophist: It is not. Theosophy is Divine Knowledge or Science.
Enquirer: What is the real meaning of the term?
Theosophist: “Divine Wisdom,” Θεοσοφια (Theosophia) or Wisdom of the gods, as Θεογονία (theogonia), genealogy of the gods. The word theos means a god in Greek, one of the divine beings, certainly not “God” in the sense attached in our day to the term. Therefore, it is not “Wisdom of God,” as translated by some, but Divine Wisdom such as that possessed by the gods. The term is many thousand years old.
Enquirer: What is the origin of the name?
Theosophist: It comes to us from the Alexandrian philosophers, called lovers of truth, Philaletheians, from φιλ (phil) “loving,” and ἀλήθεια (aletheia) “truth.” The name Theosophy dates from the third century of our era, and began with Ammonius Saccas and his disciples, who started the Eclectic Theosophical system.—The Key to Theosophy
“Theosophy, in its abstract meaning, is Divine Wisdom, or the aggregate of the knowledge and wisdom that underlie the Universe―the homogeneity of eternal GOOD; and in its concrete sense it is the sum total of the same as allotted to man by nature, on this earth.”—The Key to Theosophy
“Theosophy is the shoreless ocean of universal truth, love, and wisdom, reflecting its radiance on the earth.”—The Key to Theosophy
“. . . true Occultism or Theosophy is the ‘Great Renunciation of SELF,’ unconditionally and absolutely, in thought as in action. It is ALTRUISM, and it throws him who practises it out of calculation of the ranks of the living altogether. ‘Not for himself, but for the world, he lives,’ as soon as he has pledged himself to the work.”—“Occultism Versus the Occult Arts,” Lucifer, May, 1888
“The Secret Doctrine is the accumulated Wisdom of the Ages, and its cosmogony alone is the most stupendous and elaborate system: e.g., even in the exotericism of the Purânas. But such is the mysterious power of Occult symbolism, that the facts which have actually occupied countless generations of initiated seers and prophets to marshal, to set down and explain, in the bewildering series of evolutionary progress, are all recorded on a few pages of geometrical signs and glyphs. The flashing gaze of those seers has penetrated into the very kernel of matter, and recorded the soul of things there, where an ordinary profane, however learned, would have perceived but the external work of form. But modern science believes not in the “soul of things,” and hence will reject the whole system of ancient cosmogony. It is useless to say that the system in question is no fancy of one or several isolated individuals. That it is the uninterrupted record covering thousands of generations of Seers whose respective experiences were made to test and to verify the traditions passed orally by one early race to another, of the teachings of higher and exalted beings, who watched over the childhood of Humanity. That for long ages, the “Wise Men” of the Fifth Race, of the stock saved and rescued from the last cataclysm and shifting of continents, had passed their lives in learning, not teaching. How did they do so? It is answered: by checking, testing, and verifying in every department of nature the traditions of old by the independent visions of great adepts; i.e., men who have developed and perfected their physical, mental, psychic, and spiritual organisations to the utmost possible degree. No vision of one adept was accepted till it was checked and confirmed by the visions—so obtained as to stand as independent evidence—of other adepts, and by centuries of experiences.”—The Secret Doctrine, Volume 1, p. 272-73
For more on Theosophy from H. P. Blavatsky, see:
What is Theosophy?
What are the Theosophists?
The Key to Theosophy
In addition to definitions given by H. P. Blavatsky, the core meaning of Theosophy (especially in its practical application) is wonderfully explained by her co-worker William Q. Judge in several articles and books. For instance:
“Theosophy is that ocean of knowledge which spreads from shore to shore of the evolution of sentient beings; unfathomable in its deepest parts, it gives the greatest minds their fullest scope, yet, shallow enough at its shores, it will not overwhelm the understanding of a child. It is wisdom about God for those who believe that he is all things and in all, and wisdom about nature for the man who accepts the statement found in the Christian Bible that God cannot be measured or discovered, and that darkness is around his pavilion. Although it contains by derivation the name God and thus may seem at first sight to embrace religion alone, it does not neglect science, for it is the science of sciences and therefore has been called the wisdom religion. For no science is complete which leaves out any department of nature, whether visible or invisible, and that religion which, depending solely on an assumed revelation, turns away from things and the laws which govern them is nothing but a delusion, a foe to progress, an obstacle in the way of man’s advancement toward happiness. Embracing both the scientific and the religious, Theosophy is a scientific religion and a religious science.”—The Ocean of Theosophy
For more from W. Q. Judge on Theosophy, see:
Theosophy Generally Stated
The Criterion of Theosophy
An Epitome of Theosophy
Theosophy Defined
Theosophy Through the Ages
It’s important to understand that Theosophy is not restricted to the modern presentation of these ideas; it is as old as humanity. There is a oneness in fundamental teachings underlying the world’s major religious, philosophical and even scientific schools of thought. This “Wisdom of the Ages” points us towards the true nature of Theosophy. The Movements founded all over the world by history’s Great Teachers show us the unity of their insights. The world’s Sacred Texts provide us with visions of this “divine wisdom.” This is the heritage of humanity, and it is ours to explore.
Modern Theosophy
The founding of the modern Theosophical Movement is generally recognized as spearheaded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, with two main associates, Henry Steel Olcott and William Quan Judge. In 1875 they, and others, founded the Theosophical Society. The Society grew and flourished during their time, and since has spawned several distinct organizations, associations and lodges of theosophical students. There is a vast and ever-growing body of literature belonging to this movement, including translations of sacred texts, original works and countless articles.
Some Key Ideas related to the modern Theosophical Movement
The Original Objects of the Theosophical Society
1. Universal Brotherhood;
2. No distinction to be made by the member between races, creeds, or social positions, but every member had to be judged and dealt by on his personal merits;
3. To study the philosophies of the East—those of India chiefly, presenting them gradually to the public in various works that would interpret exoteric religions in the light of esoteric teachings;
4. To oppose materialism and theological dogmatism in every possible way, by demonstrating the existence of occult forces unknown to science, in nature, and the presence of psychic and spiritual powers in man; trying, at the same time to enlarge the views of the Spiritualists by showing them that there are other, many other agencies at work in the production of phenomena besides the “Spirits” of the dead. Superstition had to be exposed and avoided; and occult forces, beneficent and maleficent—ever surrounding us and manifesting their presence in various ways—demonstrated to the best of our ability.”
— H. P. Blavatsky, “The Original Programme of the Theosophical Society”
In the Key to Theosophy, Blavatsky gives the following three objectives:
(1.) To form the nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity without distinction of race, colour, or creed.
(2.) To promote the study of Aryan and other Scriptures, of the World’s religion and sciences, and to vindicate the importance of old Asiatic literature, namely, of the Brahmanical, Buddhist, and Zoroastrian philosophies.
(3.) To investigate the hidden mysteries of Nature under every aspect possible, and the psychic and spiritual powers latent in man especially.
See The Key to Theosophy, “The Working System of the T.S.”
For a history of the modifications to the Objects of the T.S., see The Golden Book of the Theosophical Society (1925), pp. 243-250.
For more, see: “Our Directives,” “The Theosophical Society: Its Origin, Plan and Aims,” “Foundation of the Theosophical Society,” etc.
Declaration of the United Lodge of Theosophists
[Note: the following—the declaration signed by associates of the United Lodge of Theosophists—was formulated from key quotes by H. P. Blavatsky and W. Q. Judge, and provides the spirit in which such associates work.]
The policy of this Lodge is independent devotion to the cause of Theosophy, without professing attachment to any Theosophical organization. It is loyal to the great Founders of the Theosophical movement, but does not concern itself with dissensions or differences of individual opinion.
The work it has on hand and the end it keeps in view are too absorbing and too lofty to leave it the time or inclination to take part in side issues. That work and that end is the dissemination of the fundamental principles of the Philosphy of Theosophy, and the exemplification in practice of those principles, through a truer realization of the SELF; a profounder conviction of Universal Brotherhood.
It holds that the unassailable basis for union among Theosophists, wherever and however situated, is “similarity of aim, purpose and teaching,” and therefore has neither Constitution, By-Laws nor Officers, the sole bond between its Associates being that basis. And it aims to disseminate this idea among Theosophists in the furtherance of Unity.
It regards as Theosophists all who are engaged in the true service of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, condition or organization, and
It welcomes to its association all those who are in accord with its declared purposes and who desire to fit themselves, by study and otherwise, to be the better able to help and teach others.
“The true Theosophist belongs to no cult or sect, yet belongs to each and all.”