Psychology of Ancient Egypt
In issue no. 14 of Le Lotus there is an article by Franz Lambert, translated from The Sphynx, containing the… Read More »Psychology of Ancient Egypt
Article
Articles from various theosophical authors.
Reply to Madame Blavatsky’s Observations on Christian Esotericism
I. There are some men whom nothing can discourage and nothing cast down, because they have faith, faith critically examined,… Read More »Reply to Madame Blavatsky’s Observations on Christian Esotericism
H. P. Blavatsky and Theosophy
H. P. Blavatsky, speaking of those numerous well-intentioned critics who sought to explain her mission to the world, said that:… Read More »H. P. Blavatsky and Theosophy
The First Object of the T.S.
When the Parent Theosophical Society was formed at New York, U.S.A., in 1875, by H. P. Blavatsky, associated with William… Read More »The First Object of the T.S.
The Second Object
“The study of ancient and modern religions, philosophies and sciences, and the demonstration of the importance of such study.” On… Read More »The Second Object
The Relation of Colour to the Interlaced Triangles, or The Pentacle
Colour registers grades of vibration. Vibration registers grades of life. Life, esoterically considered, is ascent towards its source—the great First… Read More »The Relation of Colour to the Interlaced Triangles, or The Pentacle
The Language of the Buddhist Scriptures: Pali
Pali is the name that has been given to the language spoken in the north of India, from and before… Read More »The Language of the Buddhist Scriptures: Pali
Resurrecting the Dead
There is a doctrine which has prevailed in Western lands for many centuries, known as “The Resurrection of the Dead.”… Read More »Resurrecting the Dead
Reply to the Mistaken Conceptions of the Abbé Roca Concerning My Observations on Christian Esotericism
In the February issue of Le Lotus [see “Reply to Madame Blavatsky’s Observations on Christian Esotericism”], the Abbé speaks of… Read More »Reply to the Mistaken Conceptions of the Abbé Roca Concerning My Observations on Christian Esotericism
Is Theosophy a Religion?
“Religion is the best armour that man can have, but it is the worst cloak.”—Bunyan It is no exaggeration to… Read More »Is Theosophy a Religion?
The Illusion of Tomorrow
The boy so long delights in his play, the youth so long pursues his beloved, the old so long brood… Read More »The Illusion of Tomorrow
The Modifications of the Thinking Principle
If, as Patanjali tells us, this universe exists for the purposes of the soul, there must be one general evolutionary… Read More »The Modifications of the Thinking Principle
The Theosophical Society, Its Mission and Its Future
[AS EXPLAINED BY M. EMILE BURNOUF, THE FRENCH ORIENTALIST] “It is another’s fault if he be ungrateful; but it is… Read More »The Theosophical Society, Its Mission and Its Future
Forlorn Hope
“Should a wise man utter vain knowledge and fill his belly with the east wind?” (Eliphaz, in Job xv. 2.)… Read More »Forlorn Hope
William Q. Judge and the Theosophical Movement
It would require a greater knowledge and more skill than the writer possesses, to portray truly the nature of the… Read More »William Q. Judge and the Theosophical Movement
Three Fundamental Propositions of the Secret Doctrine
There are three fundamental conceptions upon which the Secret Doctrine (Theosophy) rests. They stand—as all truth stands—upon their inherent reasonableness.… Read More »Three Fundamental Propositions of the Secret Doctrine
Theosophy and Buddhism
Note: the original of this article—“Théosophie et Bouddhisme”—was published a month after the English article “The Theosophical Society, Its Mission… Read More »Theosophy and Buddhism
A Paradoxical World
Open your ears . . . when loud rumour speaks!I, from the Orient to the drooping West,Making the wind my… Read More »A Paradoxical World
Henry Steel Olcott and the Theosophical Society
To the mentally lazy or obtuse, Theosophy must remain a riddle; for in the world mental as in the world… Read More »Henry Steel Olcott and the Theosophical Society
William Q. Judge
WILLIAM Q. JUDGE departed from his body on the 21st of March, 1896; so it is eminently fitting that this… Read More »William Q. Judge
Thoughts on Karma and Reincarnation
“In man there are arteries, thin as a hair split a 1000 times, filled with fluids blue, red, green, yellow,… Read More »Thoughts on Karma and Reincarnation
The Sleeping Spheres
He came to me, calling me out of the form in which I dwell, and showed me the sleeping Spheres.… Read More »The Sleeping Spheres
To the Man in the Street
Unless Theosophy has something definite to offer to the man in the street it may as well disappear from the… Read More »To the Man in the Street
Some Unavoidable Deductions
Twenty-One years ago, the last message from Madame Blavatsky was written to the American Theosophists. At that time there was… Read More »Some Unavoidable Deductions
Learned Barbarism
The March issue of Theosophy contained the reprint of an article by H. P. Blavatsky which was based on a… Read More »Learned Barbarism
On Pseudo-Theosophy
“The more honesty a man has, the less he affects the air of a saint. The affectation of sanctity is… Read More »On Pseudo-Theosophy
Is Denunciation A Duty?
Condemn no man in his absence; andwhen forced to reprove, do so to his face, but gently,and in words full… Read More »Is Denunciation A Duty?
First Principles
One has to be thoroughly impressed with an idea, which I have in vain endeavored to impart to Theosophists at… Read More »First Principles
Roots of Ritualism In Church and Masonry
I. Theosophists are very often, and very unjustly too, accused of infidelity and even of Atheism. This is a grave… Read More »Roots of Ritualism In Church and Masonry
The Third Object
“The Investigation of the Unexplained Laws of Nature and the Psychical Powers Latent in Man.” A mistake has been made… Read More »The Third Object
Misconceptions of Theosophy
Theosophy is a name used at the present time to designate a body of knowledge of which humanity stands in… Read More »Misconceptions of Theosophy
Ethical Irresponsibility
The crude and dogmatic materialism that distinguished the science of the last century has nearly disappeared from the textbooks and… Read More »Ethical Irresponsibility
Let the Work Go On
Perspective enables us to look back over the history of the Theosophical Society and to determine some of the causes… Read More »Let the Work Go On
What Theosophy and its Society Should Be
The letter from which the following pages are translated—and which was never meant for publication—was recently addressed to one of… Read More »What Theosophy and its Society Should Be
A Danger Signal
“Initiates are sure to come into the company of the Gods.”—Socrates, in the Phaedo. In the first number of the… Read More »A Danger Signal
Impersonality
The desire for union with one’s Higher Self is general among Theosophists and even with many who do not call… Read More »Impersonality
The Pride of Possession
We often see the term “Just Pride” used as though pride in any form were justifiable. Most persons nowadays are… Read More »The Pride of Possession
“A Comparative Failure”
From some of the incidents in the history of the Theosophical Society we can learn almost as much as from… Read More »“A Comparative Failure”
The Purpose of Life
Who is there among men to whom a certain knowledge of the purpose of life would not be welcome? Probably… Read More »The Purpose of Life
Man Know Thyself
The above words are familiar to most men, and to most have but little meaning. Centuries of dogmatic theology, with… Read More »Man Know Thyself
Blind Leaders of the Blind
“The work now submitted to public judgment is the fruit of a somewhat intimate acquaintance with Eastern adepts and study… Read More »Blind Leaders of the Blind
Theosophy and Orthodoxy
The question “What is Theosophy?” demands an answer from those who assume to be its exponents. No doubt it may… Read More »Theosophy and Orthodoxy
Apollonius, Sage of Tyana
During the first century A.D. the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea comprised the known Western world, where the Roman empire… Read More »Apollonius, Sage of Tyana
The Vocation of Life
If there is actually a plan, a vocation in human life, it is surely worth our while to discover what… Read More »The Vocation of Life
Thoth, Divine Scribe
Who is this Thoth, of whom so many explanations are made, and who remains, even so, mysterious, inscrutable? We find… Read More »Thoth, Divine Scribe
The Wisdom of Emptiness
Understanding “emptiness” is presented in Buddhism as the culmination of religious training. It is attained through the systematic practice of… Read More »The Wisdom of Emptiness
Egyptian Teachings in the Light of Theosophy
Verily there was some truth in the old saying, “The Wisdom of the Egyptians.” . . . — H. P.… Read More »Egyptian Teachings in the Light of Theosophy
A Svābhāvika School of Buddhism?
Part 1 As already discussed here, the alleged Svābhāvika school of Buddhism in Nepal that is spoken of in many… Read More »A Svābhāvika School of Buddhism?