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 of ancient Iran, who lived… Read More »Introduction to the Gathas of Zarathustra
Gathas of Zarathustra
Ahunuvaiti Gatha Yasna 29 Unto Thee, O Lord, the Soul of Creation cried: “For whom didst Thou create me, and who so fashioned me? Feuds… Read More »Gathas of Zarathustra
Dramas of the Mysteries
Let the king resolve to change the face of his court and forcibly evict the animal from the chair of state, restoring the god to… Read More »Dramas of the Mysteries
Theosophy (Lecture)
There may be some here this afternoon who have no defined understanding of The Theosophical Society and its purpose. It has one admirable clause in… Read More »Theosophy (Lecture)
[The Original Programme of The Theosophical Society]
[Note: for historical context, see the introduction by C. Jinarajadasa and the appendices in the 1931 printing, as well as in the Blavatsky Collected Writings… Read More »[The Original Programme of The Theosophical Society]
The Vow of Silence
One, if not the greatest, of evils by which modern society is corrupted, is that of gossip. Injurious speech, or small talk ensouled by the… Read More »The Vow of Silence
Taittiriya Upanishad (Instructions for Disciples)
The Taittiriya Upanishad is made up, for the most part, of Instructions for younger disciples, who are learning the first lessons of the secret wisdom… Read More »Taittiriya Upanishad (Instructions for Disciples)
The Logos and the Heart
Greater love hath no man than this. The surface character of the Logos, we can know from our own consciousness, since our consciousness is a… Read More »The Logos and the Heart
Mandukya Upanishad (The Measures of the Eternal)
Om: this syllable, this imperishable, is the All. Its expansion is what has been, what is, what shall be. All, verily, is Om. And whatsoever… Read More »Mandukya Upanishad (The Measures of the Eternal)
The Logos and Meditation
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon… Read More »The Logos and Meditation
The Logos and Life
E la sua volontate è nostra pace: Ella è quel mare, al qual tutto si move Ciò ch’ ella crea e che natura face. —DANTE,… Read More »The Logos and Life
Theosophy (Lecture)
It may be asked how the single word, Theosophy, can stand as the title of a lecture. It is because Theosophy is at once the… Read More »Theosophy (Lecture)
Vivekachudamani (Crest Jewel of Wisdom)
[Translation] Invocation To Him I make obeisance, who is the end of all wisdom, the goal of all attainment, the unseen Lord of the flock,… Read More »Vivekachudamani (Crest Jewel of Wisdom)
The Logos and the Mind
Io veggio ben sì come già risplende nello intelletto tuo l’eterna luce . . . —DANTE, Paradiso, V. “Well do I note how in thine… Read More »The Logos and the Mind
Mundaka Upanishad (The Two Wisdoms)
Brahmâ the Evolver, first of the Bright Powers came to birth, Maker of all, Preserver of the world. He declared the Wisdom of the Eternal,… Read More »Mundaka Upanishad (The Two Wisdoms)
The Logos Doctrine
Let us begin by trying to translate as literally as possible the opening passage of Saint John’s Gospel, retaining the more important Greek words: “In… Read More »The Logos Doctrine
Studies in the Secret Doctrine
Contents First Series 1. The Writer of The Secret Doctrine 2. Scope, Structure and Method 3. Knowledge—Absolute and Relative 4. The World of Archetypes 5.… Read More »Studies in the Secret Doctrine
Occult Knowledge
Occult Knowledge means knowledge which is “hidden,” but it also means knowledge which is known. If it is knowledge that is known, there must be… Read More »Occult Knowledge
The Power of Suggestion
The power of suggestion means many different things to many minds. It is coupled with the idea of hypnosis, where the operator is able to… Read More »The Power of Suggestion
Prashna Upanishad (A Vedic Master)
Prashna Upanishad, “the Mystical Teaching of the Questions,” brief though it be, is a masterly summary of the Secret Wisdom. It illustrates two fundamental principles… Read More »Prashna Upanishad (A Vedic Master)
Theosophy (Lecture)
Let us withdraw ourselves for an hour from the turmoil of the world , with its immeasurable intellectual confusion and its almost unfathomable moral confusion,—that… Read More »Theosophy (Lecture)
The Origin of Evil
Christian theology states that evil came into the world through the sin of the first man’s eating of the tree of forbidden fruit. All men… Read More »The Origin of Evil
A League of Humanity
Now that the most frightful and destructive war known to the annals of history is over, the questions that arise in every thinker’s mind are:… Read More »A League of Humanity
New Year’s Resolutions
All have doubtless made New Year”s resolutions, and all, no doubt, have failed to keep them. There must be a reason for our failures, as… Read More »New Year’s Resolutions
Culture of Concentration
Concentration, or the use of the attention in the direction of anything that we wish to do, consistently and persistently, has long been recognized as… Read More »Culture of Concentration
Three Kinds of Faith
Every human being has faith—faith in something, some ideal, some conception, some religion, some formula—but while the faiths of different people have one or another… Read More »Three Kinds of Faith
Renunciation of Action
It would be a grave mistake to think that by not acting one frees himself from the consequences of action. Such would be a totally… Read More »Renunciation of Action
The Foundation of Religion
To most people the word “religion” signifies something separate from human existence, and presents the idea of preparation for some unknown future existence. Some religions… Read More »The Foundation of Religion
The Cause of Sorrow
We are never free from pain, sorrow, and suffering in the world. Pleasures come and go very lightly, but always the sorrow and suffering of… Read More »The Cause of Sorrow
Mental Healing and Hypnosis
Mental healing, metaphysical healing, mind cure, spiritual healing and Christian Science all come under the same head; there is no difference between them in the… Read More »Mental Healing and Hypnosis
Theosophy (Lecture)
What is Theosophy? What is The Theosophical Society? What is the relation of Theosophy to The Theosophical Society? Let us begin with the more concrete… Read More »Theosophy (Lecture)
The Occult Side of Nature
The word Nature used in its widest sense, as when we speak of Great Nature, or Mother Nature, means the whole of the outside—all that… Read More »The Occult Side of Nature
Theosophy in Daily Life
Many people think that religion means a preparation for death or the states of the future. Religion really means a preparation for and a knowledge… Read More »Theosophy in Daily Life
Instinct and Intuition
Instinct is a direct perception of what is right, within its own realm. Intuition is a direct cognition of the truth in all things. Reason… Read More »Instinct and Intuition
Katha Upanishad (In the House of Death)
Seeking for favour, verily, Vajashravasa made a sacrifice of all his possessions. He had a son, named Nachiketas. Him, being still a boy, faith entered… Read More »Katha Upanishad (In the House of Death)
Can the Dead Communicate?
Since the forties of last century Spiritualists have affirmed the answer to this question, claiming sufficient evidence for the survival of intelligence after the state… Read More »Can the Dead Communicate?
Tao Te Ching (Book of the Way and of Righteousness)
1. The way that can be told is not the eternal Way. The word that can be spoken is not the eternal Word. Unnamed, It… Read More »Tao Te Ching (Book of the Way and of Righteousness)
The Dangers of Psychism
A number of short treatises, in verse and prose, are attributed to the great Indian Teacher, Shankaracharya, though it is probable that the actual writing… Read More »The Dangers of Psychism
Planetary Influences
The philosophy of Theosophy covers all things in manifestation and points out the relations of each thing to every other. Our personal purview extends over… Read More »Planetary Influences
The Kingly Mystery
The “kingly mystery” is Life itself. We all have Life. We all are Life. Every being everywhere is Life—expresses Life. To know what is Life… Read More »The Kingly Mystery
The Law of Correspondences
“Law of Correspondences” is a greater subject than people are liable to suspect; yet we all know something of correspondences in the simple facts of… Read More »The Law of Correspondences
Kena Upanishad (By Whom?)
By whom impelled flies the forward-impelled Mind? By whom compelled does the First Life go forth? By whom impelled is this Voice that they speak?… Read More »Kena Upanishad (By Whom?)
Our God and Other Gods
As a people we speak of “our God,” imagining that we all have the same idea, that we all mean the same thing by the… Read More »Our God and Other Gods
What Survives After Death?
Day after day we are constantly confronted by the fact that we are all subject to death. No matter how we may live, whether our… Read More »What Survives After Death?
True Clairvoyance
Since the Theosophical Movement took outward expression in 1875, the term clairvoyance (clear seeing) has become familiar to many people. In the latter part of… Read More »True Clairvoyance
Theosophy and Modern Problems
Think that all the members of the audience realize that this lecture is a part of the Theosophical Convention,—the annual Convention of The Theosophical Society.… Read More »Theosophy and Modern Problems
True Morality
True morality is not a thing of words or phrases or modes of action of any kind, nor is its basis to be found in… Read More »True Morality
Man, Visible and Invisible
“There are two kinds of beings in the world, the one divisible, and the other indivisible: the divisible is all things and the creatures, the… Read More »Man, Visible and Invisible
What Reincarnates?
What reincarnates is a mystery to many minds because they find a difficulty in understanding such a permanency as must stand behind repeated incarnations. They… Read More »What Reincarnates?
The Dangerous Revival of Spiritualism
For several weeks during the winter, a marked feature of the mental activity of New York has been supplied by the lectures of Sir Oliver… Read More »The Dangerous Revival of Spiritualism
Real Memory
The general idea with regard to memory is that it depends entirely on the orderly functioning of the physical brain, and that where derangement of… Read More »Real Memory
The Storehouse of Thought
When we consider the idea of thought we must remember that there cannot be thought without a thinker. There are no thoughts that arise of… Read More »The Storehouse of Thought
Sleep and Dreams
There is something in each of us which enters the state called dreams, the state called sleep, and the state called death. No understanding whatever… Read More »Sleep and Dreams
Is “Time” a Dimension of “Space”
Let us come gradually to this knotty question, using a series of familiar references as stepping-stones. To begin with, readers of The Occult World will… Read More »Is “Time” a Dimension of “Space”
Isha Upanishad (By the Master)
By the Master all this is to be clothed and pervaded, whatever moves in this moving world. These words, like all that is of primary… Read More »Isha Upanishad (By the Master)
Diogenes Laërtius’s Life of Pythagoras
I. Early Life Since we have now gone through the Ionian philosophy, which was derived from Thales, and the lives of the several illustrious, men… Read More »Diogenes Laërtius’s Life of Pythagoras
Anonymous Biography of Pythagoras, preserved by Photius
1. Plato was the pupil of Archytas, and thus the ninth in succession from Pythagoras; the tenth was Aristotle. Those of Pythagoras’s disciples that were… Read More »Anonymous Biography of Pythagoras, preserved by Photius
Porphyry’s Life of Pythagoras
1. Many think that Pythagoras was the son of Mnesarchus, but they differ as to the latter’s race; some thinking him a Samian, while Neanthes, in… Read More »Porphyry’s Life of Pythagoras
Iamblichus’s Life of Pythagoras
Chapter I. Importance of the Subject Since wise people are in the habit of invoking the divinities at the beginning of any philosophic consideration, this… Read More »Iamblichus’s Life of Pythagoras
The Language of the Soul
The Soul is pictured in the ancient teachings as the real Self man. There are many different conceptions of what man is and what the… Read More »The Language of the Soul
The Creative Will
There is no possible way of understanding or explaining the nature of any being whatever except through Evolution, which is always an unfolding from within… Read More »The Creative Will
The Recognition of Law
We have to assume either that this is a universe of law or a universe of chaos, chance, accident. In fact, we know perfectly well… Read More »The Recognition of Law
The Guatemalan Secret Doctrine
Among students of occultism, there have been persistent traditions of a branch or branches of the Great Lodge in the New World; Peru, the mountains… Read More »The Guatemalan Secret Doctrine
The Katha Upanishad and the Great Initiation
Many Scriptures have been inspired by the Great Initiation; with these are to be counted the Prometheus Bound of Æschylus and the Prometheus Unbound of… Read More »The Katha Upanishad and the Great Initiation
Reminiscences [Clement Griscom]
One whose memory of The Theosophical Society goes back for thirty-four years, of necessity recalls many deaths, and, unhappily, many defections. On no less than… Read More »Reminiscences [Clement Griscom]
A Drama of the Great Initiation
Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound was completed, so far as the essential part of it is concerned, on April 6, 1819—that is, an even century ago—Shelley being… Read More »A Drama of the Great Initiation
The Great War and the Great Initiation
Readers of the THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY who are acquainted with the Bhagavad Gita have been struck, again and again, with the likeness between the events portrayed… Read More »The Great War and the Great Initiation
Plotinus, The Enneads [6:1-9]
Ennead 6.1. Of the Ten Aristotelian and Four Stoic Categories. HISTORICAL REVIEW OF CATEGORIES. 1. Very ancient philosophers have investigated the number and kinds of… Read More »Plotinus, The Enneads [6:1-9]
Plotinus, The Enneads [5:1-9]
Ennead 5.1. The Three Principal Hypostases, or Forms of Existence. AUDACITY THE CAUSE OF HUMAN APOSTASY FROM THE DIVINITY. 1. How does it happen that… Read More »Plotinus, The Enneads [5:1-9]
Plotinus, The Enneads [4:1-9]
Ennead 4.1. Of the Being of the Soul. It is in the intelligible world that dwells veritable being. Intelligence is the best that there is… Read More »Plotinus, The Enneads [4:1-9]
Plotinus, The Enneads [3:1-9]
Ennead 3.1. Concerning Fate. POSSIBLE THEORIES ABOUT FATE. 1. The first possibility is that there is a cause both for the things that become, and… Read More »Plotinus, The Enneads [3:1-9]
Plotinus, The Enneads [2:1-9]
Ennead 2.1. Of the Heaven. HEAVEN, THOUGH IN FLUX, PERPETUATES ITSELF BY FORM. 1. Nothing will be explained by the perfectly true (Stoic) statement that… Read More »Plotinus, The Enneads [2:1-9]
Plotinus, The Enneads [1:1-9]
Ennead 1.1. The Organism and the Self. PSYCHOLOGIC DISTINCTIONS IN SOUL. 1. To what part of our nature do pleasure and grief, fear and boldness… Read More »Plotinus, The Enneads [1:1-9]
Porphyry’s Life of Plotinus, and Order of His Writings
I. Plotinus, like Porphyry, Despised His Physical Nature, but a Picture of Him was Secured. Plotinus the philosopher, who lived recently, seemed ashamed of having… Read More »Porphyry’s Life of Plotinus, and Order of His Writings
From the Highlands of Lemuria
[I.] Alfred Russel Wallace has dedicated one of the most charming chapters of Island Life, the most delightful and fascinating of all his books, to… Read More »From the Highlands of Lemuria
Eastern and Western Psychology
I. A Theosophical Need Mr. Judge writes, in one of the closing chapters of The Ocean of Theosophy, that “there is no Western Psychology worthy… Read More »Eastern and Western Psychology
The Age of Sankara
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION Ex Orientale lux; Ex occidente frux-from the East light; from the West fruit-is a suggestive old saying. ‘Spiritual light… Read More »The Age of Sankara
The School of Pythagoras at Crotona
[Crotona] This was the ancient city of Magna Graecia, Italy, and has no reference to modern places of that name. [I.] One of the greatest… Read More »The School of Pythagoras at Crotona
Theosophy (Lecture)
It may, perhaps, be a cause of wonder that, at this late day, a subject so elementary is chosen, for an address that is in… Read More »Theosophy (Lecture)
The Vedantic Approach to Reality
Philosophy is the attempt to think out the presuppositions of experience, to grasp, by means of reason, life or reality as a whole. It seeks… Read More »The Vedantic Approach to Reality
Christianity and War
There is a widespread feeling, which has found eloquent expression in many places, that the great world war, in the midst of which we find… Read More »Christianity and War
Paul the Disciple
[I.] Paul’s life is supremely valuable because it shows the method of the Master, after the resurrection, in training his disciples and in carrying forward… Read More »Paul the Disciple
The Bhagavad-Gita [Notes, Chapters 8-18]
[Note: the following was meant by Mr. Crosbie to be a continuation of the Notes on Chapters 1-7 by W. Q. Judge.] Contents Chapter 8… Read More »The Bhagavad-Gita [Notes, Chapters 8-18]
Patanjali and His Disciples
Dr. J. Haughton Woods prints, in the November number of the Journal of the American Oriental Society, a translation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,… Read More »Patanjali and His Disciples
Does Consciousness Evolve? The Answer of the Vedanta
To the question, Does Consciousness Evolve? the Vedanta answers, yes, and no. Personal consciousness evolves, from childhood to maturity, from surface sense-perception to the deeper… Read More »Does Consciousness Evolve? The Answer of the Vedanta
Yogakundali Upanishad
[Yogakundalī Upanishad]1 Chapter I Chitta2 has two causes, vāsanās and (prāna) vāyu. If-one of them is controlled, then both are controlled. Of these two, a… Read More »Yogakundali Upanishad
Nadabindu Upanishad
[Nādabindu]1 The syllable A is considered to be its (the bird Om’s) right wing, U, its left: M,2 its tail; and the ardhamātrā (half-metre) is… Read More »Nadabindu Upanishad
Mandalabrahmana Upanishad
[Mandalabrāhmana-Upanishad]1 Brāhmana I Om. The great muni Yājñavalkya went to Adityaloka (the sun’s world) and saluting him (the Purusha of the sun) said: “O reverend… Read More »Mandalabrahmana Upanishad
Varaha Upanishad
[Varāha]1 Chapter I The great sage Ṛbhu performed penance for twelve deva (divine) years. At the end of the time, the Lord appeared before him… Read More »Varaha Upanishad
Amritanada Upanishad
[Amṛtanāda-Upanishad]1 The wise, having studied the Śāstras and reflected on them again and again and having come to know Brahman, should abandon them all like… Read More »Amritanada Upanishad
Hamsa Upanishad
[Hamsa]1 Gautama addressed Sanatkumāra thus: “O Lord, thou art the knower of all dharmas and art well versed in all Śāstras, pray tell me the… Read More »Hamsa Upanishad
Dhyanabindu Upanishad
[Dhyānabindu-Upanishad]1 Even if sin should accumulate to a mountain extending over many yojanas (distance), it is destroyed by dhyānayoga. At no time has been found… Read More »Dhyanabindu Upanishad
Yogatattva Upanishad
I shall now describe yoga-tattva (yoga-truth) for the benefit of yogins who are freed from all sins through the hearing and the studying of it.… Read More »Yogatattva Upanishad
Sandilya Upanishad
Chapter I Om. Śāndilya questioned Atharvan thus: “Please tell me about the eight aṅgas (parts) of Yoga which is the means of attaining to Ātmā.”… Read More »Sandilya Upanishad
Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad
Upadeśa I Om. Once upon a time, Nārada, the ornament of Parivrājakas (roaming ascetics), after roaming over all worlds and cleansing, through merely by looking… Read More »Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad
Bhikshuka Upanishad
[Bhikshuka]1 Among bhikshus (religious mendicants) who long for moksha (salvation), there are four2 kinds, viz., Kutīchaka, Bahūdaka, Hamsa, and Paramahamsa. Gautama, Bhāradvāja, Yājñavalkya, Vasishtha and… Read More »Bhikshuka Upanishad
Kalisantarana Upanishad
[Kalisantārana Upanishad]1 At the end of Dvāpara yuga, Nārada2 went to Brahma and addressed him thus: “O Lord, how shall I, roaming3 over the earth,… Read More »Kalisantarana Upanishad
Narayana Upanishad
Om. Then Nārāyana, the supreme Purusha desired. “I shall create offspring.” From Nārāyana emanates prāna, manas, the several organs of sense and action, ākāś, vāyu,… Read More »Narayana Upanishad
Tarasara Upanishad
[Tārasāra-Upanishad]1 Om. Bṛhaspati asked Yājñavalkya: “That which is called Kurukshetra is the place of the sacrifice of the Devas and the spiritual seat of all… Read More »Tarasara Upanishad
Garbha Upanishad
[Garbha-Upanishad]1 Om. The body is composed of the five (elements); it exists in the five (objects of sense, etc.); it has six supports: it is… Read More »Garbha Upanishad