Theosophy in Name and Reality
People are sometimes surprised to hear that Theosophy is radically different from any of the popular blends of science and religion offered under a variety… Read More »Theosophy in Name and Reality
Theosophy Magazine
Is Theosophy a “Revelation”?
“In thus affording even the superficial thinker and the weak or illogical reasoner a perfect basis for ethics and an unerring guide in life, Theosophy… Read More »Is Theosophy a “Revelation”?
Seeds and Seedlings: Evolution and the Evolver
Evolution is the oldest teaching in the world, and misconceptions and misunderstandings of it are as old as man. To many people, doubtless, the ideas… Read More »Seeds and Seedlings: Evolution and the Evolver
Basic Principles of Theosophy
It would be natural enough, perhaps, to suppose that a subject such as Basic Principles of Theosophy—or “basic principles” of anything else—would be a subject… Read More »Basic Principles of Theosophy
Seeds and Seedlings: The Doctrine of Perfectibility
This doctrine of the perfectibility of man is easily comprehended by some men, but is extremely difficult for others—due to centuries of dissemination of the… Read More »Seeds and Seedlings: The Doctrine of Perfectibility
Word Puzzles: Evolution
Use of the term evolution has gone through many interesting stages. Following the advent of Darwin, this word served as a rallying cry for all… Read More »Word Puzzles: Evolution
Is Theosophy Vague?
H. P. Blavatsky declared quite candidly to theosophists that Theosophy, alone, would enable them to form a nucleus of a universal brotherhood of humanity and… Read More »Is Theosophy Vague?
Reincarnation—The Hidden Doctrine
Writing of reincarnation, Lessing, dramatist and philosopher of the eighteenth century enlightenment in Germany, summed up the meaning of this doctrine and its most powerful… Read More »Reincarnation—The Hidden Doctrine
Work for Theosophy
It is futile to accept revelations on anybody’s say-so. They convey no knowledge, and it is actual knowledge that is required by each one. Shibboleths… Read More »Work for Theosophy
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 B.C. a decided breach occurred.… Read More »From Plato to the Neoplatonists
The Greek Drama
The Golden Age of Greece lasted from the seventh to the fourth century B.C. During those three hundred years the Greeks laid the foundation stone… Read More »The Greek Drama
Plato and Aristotle
When Socrates was sixty years old, Plato, then a youth of twenty, came to him as a pupil. When Plato was sixty years old, the… Read More »Plato and Aristotle
Plato
One night in the year 407 B.C., Socrates had a dream. He saw a graceful white swan flying toward him with a melodious song trilling… Read More »Plato
Socrates
The Age of the Tyrants, which produced the “Seven Wise Men,” the early Ionian School and the Pythagorean School, ended about 500 B.C. Shortly afterward… Read More »Socrates
The Pythagorean Science of Numbers
It was an auspicious day for the student at Crotona when Pythagoras received him into his own dwelling and welcomed him as a disciple. The… Read More »The Pythagorean Science of Numbers
Pythagoras
Twenty-five centuries ago the island of Samos was one of the garden spots of Ionia. Colonized hundreds of years before by a group of Arcadians… Read More »Pythagoras
The First Greek Philosophers
The millennium which extended from the time of Buddha and Pythagoras in the sixth century B.C., until the final suppression of the Neoplatonists in the sixth… Read More »The First Greek Philosophers
The Greek Mysteries
At the time of the early Third Race, high Intelligences from previous periods of evolution incarnated upon this globe in order to form a nursery… Read More »The Greek Mysteries
The Prehistoric Greeks
On a blustery February afternoon in 1874 the German-American archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann climbed the hard steep road leading to the Cyclopean citadel of Mycenae, in… Read More »The Prehistoric Greeks
Thomas Paine
On January 29, 1737, a son was born to Joseph Paine, a humble staymaker living in Thetford, England. A great soul had come into incarnation;… Read More »Thomas Paine
The Count de St. Germain
One of the most mysterious characters in modern history is the famous Count de St. Germain, described by his friend Prince Karl von Hesse as… Read More »The Count de St. Germain
Cagliostro
For 150 years Alessandro Cagliostro has been defamed as the arch-impostor of the eighteenth century. Why? Because it is claimed that Cagliostro was one of… Read More »Cagliostro
Louis Claude de Saint-Martin
The little town of Amboise in Touraine is redolent with memories. There, in the fourth century, Saint Martin, patron of Tours, overthrew an ancient pyramidal… Read More »Louis Claude de Saint-Martin
Anton Mesmer
Mesmerism was from the philosophical standpoint the most pregnant of all discoveries, even though for the moment it propounded more riddles than it solved.—Schopenhauer As… Read More »Anton Mesmer
Jacob Boehme
Jacob Boehme was born in the little village of Alt Seidenburg, near Goerlitz, in 1575. Although his Theosophical co-workers, Giordano Bruno and Robert Fludd, incarnated… Read More »Jacob Boehme
Giordano Bruno
About twelve miles from Naples, on the northeastern slope of Mount Vesuvius, stands the little town of Nola. First settled by a colony of Chaldean… Read More »Giordano Bruno
The Rosicrucians
An old Persian proverb says, “The darker the sky, the brighter the stars will shine.” Perhaps the very darkness of the European firmament during the… Read More »The Rosicrucians
Paracelsus: Physician
It is an interesting fact, and one which should be carefully noted by all students of occultism, that many of the Adepts who have worked… 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 society. Within the space of… Read More »Paracelsus: Philosopher
The Neoplatonic Revival
In the year 527, when the Emperor Justinian closed the Neoplatonic School in Athens and banished the last seven great Neoplatonists, the teachings of Plato… Read More »The Neoplatonic Revival
The Theosophical Renaissance
At the dawn of the fourteenth century the sky of Europe was grey and lowering. Dull, sodden clouds of discontent were slowly forming above the… Read More »The Theosophical Renaissance
Roger Bacon
Wherever thought has struggled to be free, there the great Theosophical Movement is to be discerned. The twelfth century is interesting from this point of… Read More »Roger Bacon
The Druzes of Mount Lebanon
The tenth century is an important milestone in the history of Europe, as it marked the end of the first thousand years of Christianity. For… Read More »The Druzes of Mount Lebanon
The Light of the Dark Ages
The sixth century was the darkest period in the history of the Western world. It marks the mid-point, or nadir, in the 2500-year cycle which… Read More »The Light of the Dark Ages
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 Fire. As Khem was the… Read More »Alchemy and the Alchemists
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 from a common source. One… Read More »The Kabala and the Kabalists
Hypatia: The Last of the Neoplatonists
The fourth century was the turning point in the history of the Western world, the period in which Christianity took the form of a strong… Read More »Hypatia: The Last of the Neoplatonists
Iamblichus: The Egyptian Mysteries
Neoplatonism, like modern Theosophy, may be considered under three aspects: (1) philosophical and scientific; (2) practical and ethical; and (3) mystical and occult. In modern… Read More »Iamblichus: The Egyptian Mysteries
Plotinus
Ammonius Saccas, like many other great Teachers, never committed anything to writing. Following the custom of the ancient Hierophants, he transmitted his teachings orally, and… Read More »Plotinus
Ammonius Saccas
The influence of the great Alexandrian Schools had not helped the early Christians in their work of propaganda. While the Church of Rome held up… Read More »Ammonius Saccas
Alexandria and Her Schools
The little island of Samothrace in the Aegean Sea, today barren and sterile, was once the home of great Adepts, and the site of the… Read More »Alexandria and Her Schools
Gnostic Theosophy
In the second century of the Christian era, the Roman Empire comprehended some of the fairest and most cultured portions of the globe. Between 96… Read More »Gnostic Theosophy
The Gnostics
In the first century before the Christian era, a fresh impulse was given to the work of the Theosophical Movement by the Adept now known… Read More »The Gnostics
First Century Christianity
Theosophy is the ancient Wisdom-Religion, as old as thinking man, and part of the work of the Theosophical Movement is to keep these immemorial ideas… Read More »First Century Christianity
Jesus, the Christ
I The period of history that began with the first century B.C. and ended with the year 414 A.D. was an important one for the… Read More »Jesus, the Christ
Creation, Evolution and Emanation
When looking around at the world in which Man finds himself, the silent query of his awakened consciousness is: How did this grand aggregate of… Read More »Creation, Evolution and Emanation
India—“The Alma-Mater”
I: The Eternal Religion Forty years ago, expounding Theosophical tenets, W. Q. Judge called them “Echoes from the Orient.” His words convey a deeper truth… Read More »India—“The Alma-Mater”
Theosophy and the Masses
Theosophy is an all-inclusive philosophy; not to be separated from it is the Theosophical Movement, whose objective is the practical realization of this philosophy in… Read More »Theosophy and the Masses
The Popol Vuh
The Popol Vuh was composed by a native of Guatemala in the 17th century from traditions handed down by the priests of the Feathered-Serpent, and… Read More »The Popol Vuh
The Feathered-Serpent
Under the distinctively American name and symbol of the Feathered-Serpent are to be found the Great Teachers of Mexico and Central America. Who has not… Read More »The Feathered-Serpent
The Children of the Sun
The ancient glory of America is to be sought in Mexico, Central America and Peru. In impassable valleys or on inaccessible heights lie buried hundreds… Read More »The Children of the Sun
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 remote past of the Fourth,… Read More »Sources of Early American Civilization
Egyptian “Immortality”
Had nothing remained to us of the Book of the Dead but the Judgment Scene, it alone furnishes abundant evidence of the Egyptian teaching of… Read More »Egyptian “Immortality”
Osiris, Isis, Horus, and Set
“Salutations to thee, O Osiris, thou the greatest of the six gods issued from the Goddess Noo; thou the great favorite of thy father Ra;… Read More »Osiris, Isis, Horus, and Set
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 ancient Scripture can ever be… Read More »Egyptian Symbolism and Animal Worship
The Gods of Egypt
Every cosmogony purports to deal with the origin of the universe, its manifestation marking the beginning of time. Before the beginning, however, time was—it pre-existed… Read More »The Gods of Egypt
Civilization and Religion of Egypt
When broke the dawn of that civilization in Egypt whose wondrous perfection is suggested by the fragments supplied to us by the archaeologists? Alas! the… Read More »Civilization and Religion of Egypt
Old China and New
After the passing of Chwang Tzu, Theosophy began to disappear from China. Its passage through corruption, superstition, to wrong practices and sense life brought the… Read More »Old China and New
Chwang Tzu
Lao Tzu is austere and serene; Confucius is the ritualist in life; but now we approach Chwang Tzu — the breaker of idols, the advocate… Read More »Chwang Tzu
Lieh Tzu
What Mencius was to Confucius, that Lieh Tzu and Chwang Tzu were to Lao Tzu. Lieh Tzu endeavored to draw together the conflicting elements which… Read More »Lieh Tzu
On Tao
Like the Sanskrit Word Aum, Tao stands for that which is the source, the power, and the form of the manifested universe. It is the… Read More »On Tao
Lao Tzu and the Taoists
H. P. Blavatsky described Lao Tzu as a God-like being and classed him with Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus, who “united themselves with their Spirits permanently”… Read More »Lao Tzu and the Taoists
The Kings of China
In his Ocean of Theosophy William Q. Judge speaks of “ancient and honorable China” — ancient it is, for as the Secret Doctrine tells us,… Read More »The Kings of China
Zoroastrian Ethics
If the spirit of Vedanta singing through the Gita endeavors to bring the world to Dharma-Duty, the theme which Zoroastrianism recites for humanity is Ashoi-Purity.… Read More »Zoroastrian Ethics
Zoroastrian Psychology
Western scholars may say “the Key to the Avesta is not the Pahlavi but the Vedas”; the Occultist’s answer is “aye, but the Key to… Read More »Zoroastrian Psychology
Zoroastrian Cosmo-Genesis
If the Orientalists, through their peculiar method of reading Zend, Pahalvi and Pazand, have disfigured the import of Zoroastrian texts, they have at least done… Read More »Zoroastrian Cosmo-Genesis
Zoroastrian Metaphysics
The modern world has elevated the cult of the personal to an art; so much is this the prevailing ideal that in dealing with old… Read More »Zoroastrian Metaphysics
The Fraternity of Perfected Souls
Theosophy teaches the existence of a Fraternity of Perfected Souls. From its ranks have come to mankind its Savior-Teachers; some with a more exalted mission… Read More »The Fraternity of Perfected Souls
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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?
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
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