The Wisdom Religion of Zoroaster
“The primeval religion of Iran,” says Sir William Jones, “if we rely on the authorities adduced by Mohsan Fani1 was… Read More »The Wisdom Religion of Zoroaster
Article
Articles from various theosophical authors.
“Children of Light”: A Commentary
This present blog might be seen as an extension of a topic previously posted, “The Voice (of Conscience) and the… Read More »“Children of Light”: A Commentary
Reincarnation—The Hidden Doctrine
Writing of reincarnation, Lessing, dramatist and philosopher of the eighteenth century enlightenment in Germany, summed up the meaning of this… Read More »Reincarnation—The Hidden Doctrine
The Teachings of Plato
“‘Eagle! why soarest thou above that tomb?To what sublime and starry-paven homeFloatest thou?’‘I am the image of great Plato’s spiritAscending… Read More »The Teachings of Plato
The Planes of Consciousness
There are three conditions of consciousness in ordinary daily experience, that of ordinary wakefulness, that of sleep with dreams, and… Read More »The Planes of Consciousness
A Chapter on Jainism
The Jain religion never spread beyond the limits of India. Being thus much less widely known, it has never stood… Read More »A Chapter on Jainism
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
My sister, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, nee de Hahn, better known in our country under the nom de plume of Radha-Bai, which she adopted… Read More »Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
Egyptian Symbolism and Animal Worship
The sincere and unprejudiced student of comparative religions comes at last to see that without the help of symbology no… Read More »Egyptian Symbolism and Animal Worship
The Ethics of the Vedanta
A system of philosophy is generally tested by its ethical doctrine. Though a criticism of life, philosophy is judged by… Read More »The Ethics of the Vedanta
The Popol Vuh
The Popol Vuh was composed by a native of Guatemala in the 17th century from traditions handed down by the… Read More »The Popol Vuh
From Plato to the Neoplatonists
During the lifetime of Plato there was little if any dissension among his pupils. But after his death in 347… Read More »From Plato to the Neoplatonists
India—“The Alma-Mater”
I: The Eternal Religion Forty years ago, expounding Theosophical tenets, W. Q. Judge called them “Echoes from the Orient.” His… Read More »India—“The Alma-Mater”
[Septenary Division in Different Indian Systems]
We are in a position to state that Mr. Sinnett never intended to maintain that Buddhism, as popularly conceived, is… Read More »[Septenary Division in Different Indian Systems]
Introduction to the Gathas of Zarathustra
What are the Gathas? The Gathas are the hymns composed by Zarathushtra, the Prophet or the founder of the religion… Read More »Introduction to the Gathas of Zarathustra
Alchemy and the Alchemists
The word Alchemy is a combination of Al and Chemi—Al, like the Hebrew El, meaning the Mighty Sun, Chemi meaning… Read More »Alchemy and the Alchemists
Was Writing Known Before Panini?
I am entrusted with the task of putting together some facts which would support the view that the art of… Read More »Was Writing Known Before Panini?
Roger Bacon
Wherever thought has struggled to be free, there the great Theosophical Movement is to be discerned. The twelfth century is… Read More »Roger Bacon
Brotherhood
A great deal has been recently written in regard to the Brotherhood of Man. It is a frequent theme in… Read More »Brotherhood
Intellect and Intuition in Sankara’s Philosophy
Philosophy is not a matter of dialectics and intellectual jugglery, but a product of life and meditation on it. It… Read More »Intellect and Intuition in Sankara’s Philosophy
Kama-Loka and the Bearings of the Esoteric Doctrine on Spiritualism
Students of the information lately obtained from Eastern sources for the elucidation of what is known as the Esoteric doctrine,… Read More »Kama-Loka and the Bearings of the Esoteric Doctrine on Spiritualism
Plato and Aristotle
When Socrates was sixty years old, Plato, then a youth of twenty, came to him as a pupil. When Plato… Read More »Plato and Aristotle
Plotinus
Ammonius Saccas, like many other great Teachers, never committed anything to writing. Following the custom of the ancient Hierophants, he… Read More »Plotinus
Alexandria and Her Schools
The little island of Samothrace in the Aegean Sea, today barren and sterile, was once the home of great Adepts,… Read More »Alexandria and Her Schools
Plato
One night in the year 407 B.C., Socrates had a dream. He saw a graceful white swan flying toward him… Read More »Plato
The Prehistoric Greeks
On a blustery February afternoon in 1874 the German-American archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann climbed the hard steep road leading to the… Read More »The Prehistoric Greeks
The First Object of the Theosophical Society
The three principal objects of the Theosophical Society as laid down in the books are: First, “To form a nucleus of a… Read More »The First Object of the Theosophical Society
A.L. Rawson and H.P.B.’s World Travels
Albert Leighton Rawson is famous in theosophical history for two things; first, he is a major witness of HPB’s travels… Read More »A.L. Rawson and H.P.B.’s World Travels
The Neoplatonic Revival
In the year 527, when the Emperor Justinian closed the Neoplatonic School in Athens and banished the last seven great… Read More »The Neoplatonic Revival
The Kabala and the Kabalists
The Theosophists of the Middle Ages drew their occult knowledge from two streams of thought which, long before, had sprung… Read More »The Kabala and the Kabalists
The Hermetic Philosophy
Fragments of the Ancient Wisdom Religion have come down to us from the remotest past, through many channels, and in… Read More »The Hermetic Philosophy
Some Clarifications Regarding H. P. Blavatsky
Blavatsky herself, I find was quite articulate in stating her case and a lot of the common critiques and misconceptions… Read More »Some Clarifications Regarding H. P. Blavatsky
Zoroastrian Ethics
If the spirit of Vedanta singing through the Gita endeavors to bring the world to Dharma-Duty, the theme which Zoroastrianism… Read More »Zoroastrian Ethics
Paracelsus: Physician
It is an interesting fact, and one which should be carefully noted by all students of occultism, that many of… Read More »Paracelsus: Physician
Paracelsus: Philosopher
The transition from the fifteenth to the sixteenth century accomplished one of the most remarkable changes ever recorded of human… Read More »Paracelsus: Philosopher
The Universal Brotherhood of Man
This ideal when first approached from an intellectual standpoint presents no great encouragement for the realization of its truth; its… Read More »The Universal Brotherhood of Man
Astrology
[Note: it is not certain who the author of this article was. It is included in the Collected Writings of… Read More »Astrology
Pythagoras
Twenty-five centuries ago the island of Samos was one of the garden spots of Ionia. Colonized hundreds of years before… Read More »Pythagoras
Zoroaster, The Father of Philosophy
Seven cities are named as claiming to have been the birthplace of Homer. His great poem is the classic above… Read More »Zoroaster, The Father of Philosophy
Sources of Early American Civilization
What is the origin of the American Indian? The civilizations of Persia, China and Egypt had their roots in the… Read More »Sources of Early American Civilization
Zoroastrian Cosmo-Genesis
If the Orientalists, through their peculiar method of reading Zend, Pahalvi and Pazand, have disfigured the import of Zoroastrian texts,… Read More »Zoroastrian Cosmo-Genesis
Visions by William Stainton Moses
I think the search is on for the lost Blavatsky/Moses letters – so allow me to introduce a thread on… Read More »Visions by William Stainton Moses
Notes on the Mādhyamika Philosophy
The Mādhyamika School is known in China as the “Three Çāstra Sect” which was first introduced by Kumāra-jīva in A.D.… Read More »Notes on the Mādhyamika Philosophy
Anton Mesmer
Mesmerism was from the philosophical standpoint the most pregnant of all discoveries, even though for the moment it propounded more… Read More »Anton Mesmer
Short Survey of the Vedanta System
1. Introductory. Fundamental thought of the Vedanta § 1. The fundamental thought of the Vedânta, most briefly expressed by the Vedic… Read More »Short Survey of the Vedanta System
Historical Difficulty—Why?
6. Is there not some confusion in the letter quoted on p. 62 of Esoteric Buddhism, where “the old Greeks… Read More »Historical Difficulty—Why?
Egyptian “Immortality”
Had nothing remained to us of the Book of the Dead but the Judgment Scene, it alone furnishes abundant evidence… Read More »Egyptian “Immortality”
Lieh Tzu
What Mencius was to Confucius, that Lieh Tzu and Chwang Tzu were to Lao Tzu. Lieh Tzu endeavored to draw… Read More »Lieh Tzu