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A FREE
INTRO TO THEOSOPHY
Let’s Start With What Theosophy Is
The actual word Theosophy is a Greek
derivative meaning Divine Wisdom but that doesn’t mean much to the enquirer.
In the Theosophical Society the word has a
more specific meaning in relation to the work of Society co-founder Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky and later writers. H P Blavatsky’s mission was to interpret
Eastern Esoteric ideas for Western Society.
H P Blavatsky’s remit was to describe a
scheme for the existence of the Universe and to define man’s place within that
scheme. Her remit also encompassed study of the hidden dimensions of man and
his potential and also the Laws of Nature.
But It’s Not a Religion
H P Blavatsky presented her work as ideas
for consideration and not as dogma. This format has been upheld by the
Theosophical Society and everything is negotiable.
Members of the Theosophical Society are
simply required to agree with its 3 objects (outlined below)
Objects of the Society
1. To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of
Humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.
2. To encourage the study of Comparative
Religion, Philosophy and Science.
3. To investigate unexplained laws of
Nature and the powers latent in man.
How The Theosophical
Society Began
It all began in
The Theosophical Society was
founded by
Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott who was an
American Civil War Colonel, journalist and lawyer and William
Quan Judge who was a New York lawyer.
The headquarters were
subsequently moved to their present location in Adyar, India.
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The Secret Doctrine
H P Blavatsky wrote a voluminous amount of
Theosophical Literature but The Secret Doctrine, published 1888, is the big one
she is remembered for, and the major reference work for Theosophists. The book is divided into two sections,
Cosmogenesis (the coming into being of the Universe) and Anthropogenesis (the
coming into being of Mankind).
The Secret Doctrine is usually a rather
difficult work for beginners to tackle and we have provided some material on
this site which should make the way in to Theosophy much easier. But please
don’t give on the idea of reading The Secret Doctrine, you will probably move
on to it when you feel you are finding your feet with Theosophy.
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And Now,
A Quick Tour of Theosophical
Ideas
The overview of Theosophical ideas offered
her was written by mainstream Theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater. The work
is divided into short soundbites and Leadbeater has
an accessible journalistic style.
An Outline of Theosophy
By
Charles Webster Leadbeater
Advantage
Gained from this Knowledge
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The Rationale for Theosophy
A Rough
Outline of Theosophy by Annie Besant is a concise round up of Theosophical
principles which also examines the claims made by Theosophy. In addition, Annie
Besant summarizes the Theosophical position and approach;
“We, who are
Theosophists, allege that there exists a great body of doctrine philosophical,
scientific and ethical, which forms the basis of, and includes
all that is
accurate in, the philosophies, sciences, and religions of the ancient and
modern worlds.”
The Unity Underlying all Religions
The Physical
Plane The Astral Plane
Kamaloka The Mental Plane Devachan
The Buddhic and Nirvanic Planes Reincarnation Karma
The Three Kinds of Karma Collective Karma
The Law of
Sacrifice Man’s Ascent Building a
Cosmos
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Karma and Reincarnation
Theosophy postulates that Reincarnation or
the cycle of Death and Rebirth is an integral part of our evolution and that we
will all ultimately evolve beyond the need for further lives. For most of us
this is rather a long way off but in the meantime we can help ourselves along
and make the process a whole lot easier by studying the subject and striving to
exercise some personal control over our destiny. We have more control than we
might at first think.
In each life we have something to learn and
our teacher is the law of cause and effect or Karma. Karma is a correcting process
that pervades every level of existence without which the Universe would simply
be unworkable.
In Life and Life After Death, Annie Besant
covers the mechanics of the cycle of death and rebirth and what it means to the
end user. She outlines how the period between physical lives is a full
programme of events which can be difficult or easy depending on the life
previously lived and gives encouragement and warnings regarding the Karmic
consequences of our actions.
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Man’s Seven Principles
If you are reading this then you will probably
at least accept the possibility that there is more to us than our physical
bodies.
Theosophy postulates that we have seven
principles, sometime referred to as bodies.
Here is an outline of them with their
Sanskrit names and a brief description of their function.
Atma – The piece of the divine in everybody
sometime referred to as the Divine Spark.
Buddhi – Our individual spiritual identity.
This acts as a vehicle for the Atma
Manas – The Mind principle divided into
Higher Manas – spiritual ideals
Lower Manas – concrete and rational
thought.
There is a bridge between the two called
the Antahkarana. This is represented as Jacob’s
Ladder in the Christian Bible.
The Mortal & Immortal
Principles
Atma, Buddhi and higher Manas form the immortal
part of man. The four principles below are dumped at the end of your physical
life and you get new ones for your next life.
Kama – The desire principle
Prana – The life energy principle
Linga Sharira
– The model body or template for your physical body.
Sthula Sharira – Physical body – we are all familiar with this
one.
The sevenfold
constitution of man is covered in depth by the following articles;
(From a Textbook
of Theosophy)
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Evolution
The Theosophical concept of evolution is
very different from that of Charles Darwin who focused principally on the
physical and mental development of ourselves and the animal kingdom and the
physical development plant kingdom.
The Theosophical model of evolution is very
complex and far reaching and a basic description is given here to give new
enquirers a handle on the subject.
Theosophy postulates that everything in the
universe is evolving but to simplify the explanation, the description here is
limited to the evolution of humanity and our planet.
The Earth is evolving just as we are and as
we are part of our planet, our evolution and the Earth’s evolution are
inseparable and interdependent. Theosophists refer to this interdependence of
Earth and human evolution as “Rounds and Races”
The Earth evolves through cosmic eras known
as Rounds made up of smaller cosmic eras known as Globes.
The term globe refers both to the Earth
that we recognize and six currently dormant companion Globes which function on
other planes of nature. These Globes are known as the Planetary Chain or Chain
of Globes.
A driving force composed of spiritual
entities known as the Lifewave passes through each Globe of the Chain one at a
time. This tour of the Globes is known as a Planetary Round. Our spiritual
entities are part of the Lifewave and we are on the fourth Globe of the Fourth
Round.
Seven Rounds or Tours of the Globes
complete the cycle known as a Planetary Manvantara. The Earth Chain and the
Lifewave then go into a period of rest known as the Planetary Pralaya.
(There are smaller Pralayas
between each Globe and each Round)
Humanity evolves through mass
reincarnations known as Root Races. There are seven Root Races per Globe and we
are the fifth on the current Globe.
In each phase of evolution there is
something to learn or develop.
This is a very basic outline and to move
forward with this topic here are W Q Judge’s article “Rounds and Races” and
“The Planetary Chains” by C W Leadbeater in which the subject is covered in
much more depth.
For more information on the Theosophical
model of Evolution here is a link to a website dedicated to the subject.
The Earth Base for Evolutionary Theosophy
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Involution and Evolution
(The Descent into Matter)
This explanation is applied
to Human Evolution but please note that everything in the Universe is evolving
on the same principle.
Theosophy postulates that
evolution is spiritual as well as physical whereas Darwin just dealt with the
physical.
We start out as Spiritual
Entities but you don’t get any experience for your evolution if you remain
spirit. Spirit can’t get its hands dirty so you need a vehicle and in our case
this is a physical body.
Spirit effectively descends
into matter in the form of the human body it enters and then having gained
experience (hopefully) will then rise out of it. The general idea is for us to
evolve by continually dropping down into matter (taking physical form) and then
coming back up again. This process is known as Involution and in Theosophy this
is an integral part of evolution.
Of course progress will be
made and this is on an upward spiral in which although we descend into matter,
both our Spiritual Entities and even the physical bodies we inhabit will slowly
evolve.
Involution
and Planetary Rounds
The progress of the Lifewave
through the Chain of Globes begins with passage through three increasingly more
physical Globes to our own, which is the most physical of all the Globes,
operating on the most physical cosmic plane. The Lifewave will then move up
through three less physical Globes to complete the Round.
In “The Earth Chain”, W Q Judge explains
the descent into matter of both the Earth and Humanity as an integral component
of the evolutionary process.
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The Moon is our Parent
Theosophy maintains that prior to engaging
in its journey through the Earth Chain of Globes, the Lifewave completed the
process with the Moon. The Moon like our Earth has a Chain of Globes and the
passage of the Lifewave has now completed its cycle. The Moon we can now see is
the moribund shell of the equivalent Globe to our own which operated on the
same plane of nature.
W Q Judge covers the subject of the Lifewave’s passage from the Moon in “The Earth Chain” (link
above) and also gives an excellent explanation in
“On Evolution” in response to a question
from an enquirer.
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A Word About Sanskrit
A brief
look at Theosophical writings will reveal that Theosophy uses Sanskrit terms to
describe many of its concepts
Theosophists
have good business and esoteric reasons for using Sanskrit terms. Sanskrit is
not just a language in the sense of verbal communication, it has other
dimensions and attributes that go far beyond practical everyday language.
Sanskrit
is the ancient religious, philosophical and scientific language of India
through which learning has been handed down in written form since at least 1000
BCE. Before the written form arrived, Sanskrit must have been the basis of a
phenomenal oral tradition. Despite being the most successful world language,
English as we can understand it only goes back about as far as the works of
John Skelton 1525ish.
By its
esoteric nature and rarified use, Sanskrit has also been protected from
distortion and pollution by other languages. English has the problem that some
words vary in meaning around the world.
The entrance to the Theosophy
Well, You never know!
_______________________
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Cardiff, Wales, UK, CF24 – 1DL.
For more info on Theosophy
Try these
Cardiff Theosophical Society meetings
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The
National Wales Theosophy Website
Wales has Theosophy Groups
in
Why Theosophy
Cardiff separated from the
Welsh
Regional Association (formed 1993)
There’s been a lot of confusion and
we’re still being
asked about our reasons for
separating.
We hope this page will answer most
questions.
Dave’s
Streetwise Theosophy Boards
This is for
everybody not just people in Wales
The Less Serious Cardiff Theosophical
Society Website
Theosophy Cardiff’s Instant Guide to Theosophy
Cardiff
Theosophical Order of Service (TOS)
Cardiff Theosophical Order of Service Car Boot Sale
The answer is Yes
If you are travelling from
you can cross the old
Within the British Isles, The
Adyar Theosophical Society has Groups in;
Bangor*Basingstoke*Billericay*Birmingham*Blackburn*Bolton*Bournemouth
Bradford*Bristol*Camberley*Cardiff*Chester*Conwy*Coventry*Dundee*Edinburgh
Folkstone*Glasgow*Grimsby*Inverness*Isle
of Man*Lancaster*Leeds*Leicester
Letchworth*London*Manchester*Merseyside*Middlesborough*Newcastle upon Tyne
North
Devon*Northampton*Northern Ireland*Norwich*Nottingham
Perth*Republic of Ireland*Sidmouth*Southport*Sussex*Swansea*Torbay
Tunbridge Wells*Wallasey*Warrington*Wembley*Winchester*Worthing
General pages about Wales, Welsh History
and The History of Theosophy in Wales
High
Drama & Worldwide Confusion
as
Theosophy Cardiff Separates from the
Welsh
Regional Association (formed 1993)
Theosophical
Movement in Wales
as it separates
into independent
groups that can
do their own thing.
Teosofia en Cardiff (Página en Español)
1930s
This has nothing to do with Theosophy but we’ve found
that Theosophists like pictures of classic cars
Theosophy and the Number Seven
A selection of articles
relating to the esoteric
significance of the Number
7 in Theosophy
One Liners & Quick Explanations
The Most Basic Theosophy Website in the Universe
If you run a Theosophy Study Group you can use
this as an introductory handout
The
South of Heaven Guide to
Theosophy and Devachan
The
preparation of this Website
The Spiritual Home of Urban Theosophy
The Earth Base for Evolutionary Theosophy
Theosophy Cardiff has links with the
the Theosophical
Society in America
which has outfits in
Alabama Alaska
Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut
District of
Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois
Indiana Iowa
Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana
Nebraska Nevada
New Mexico New Hampshire New Jersey New York
North Carolina
North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah
Vermont Virginia
Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Krotona School of
Theosophy Ojai, California.
Retreats in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas; Kings Canyon National Park,
California;
Pumpkin Hollow Craryville, New York; Orcas Island, Washington
Classic
Introductory Theosophy Text
A Text Book of
Theosophy By C W Leadbeater
What Theosophy Is From the Absolute to Man
The Formation of a Solar System The Evolution of Life
The Constitution of Man After Death Reincarnation
The Purpose of Life The Planetary Chains
The Result of Theosophical Study
An Outstanding
Introduction to Theosophy
By a student of
Katherine Tingley
Elementary Theosophy Who is the Man? Body and Soul
Body, Soul and Spirit Reincarnation Karma
Intoduction The Dense Physical Body The Etheric Double
Prana, The Life The Desire Body Manas, The Thinker, or Mind
The Quaternary, Or Four Lower Principles
Subtle Forms of The Fourth and Fifth Principle
The Higher Manas Âtma – Buddhi, The Spirit Manas in Activity
The Monad in Evolution Lines of Proof for
an Untrained Enquirer
Preface to the American Edition Introduction
Occultism and its Adepts The Theosophical Society
First Occult Experiences Teachings of Occult Philosophy
Later Occult Phenomena Appendix
Preface
Theosophy and the Masters General Principles
The Earth Chain Body and Astral Body Kama – Desire
Manas Of
Reincarnation Reincarnation Continued
Karma Kama Loka
Devachan
Cycles
Arguments Supporting Reincarnation
Differentiation Of Species Missing Links
Psychic Laws, Forces, and Phenomena
Psychic Phenomena and Spiritualism
Karma Fundamental Principles Laws: Natural and Man-Made The Law of Laws
The Eternal Now
Succession
Causation The Laws of Nature A Lesson of The Law
Karma Does Not Crush Apply This Law
Man in The Three Worlds Understand The Truth
Man and His Surroundings The Three Fates The Pair of Triplets Thought, The Builder
Practical Meditation Will and Desire
The Mastery of Desire Two Other Points
The Third Thread Perfect Justice
Our Environment
Our Kith and Kin Our Nation
The Light for a Good Man Knowledge of Law The Opposing Schools
The More Modern View Self-Examination Out of the Past
Old Friendships
We Grow By Giving Collective Karma Family Karma
National Karma
India’s Karma
National Disasters
Annotated Edition
Published 1885
Preface to the Annotated Edition Preface to the Original Edition
Esoteric Teachers The Constitution
of Man The Planetary Chain
The World Periods Devachan Kama
Loca
The Human Tide-Wave The Progress of Humanity
Buddha Nirvana The Universe The Doctrine Reviewed
Try these if you are looking
for a
local Theosophy Group or
Centre
UK Listing of Theosophical Groups
Please tell us about your UK Theosophy Group
Worldwide Directory of Theosophical Links
The Theosophical
Society in America
Alabama Alaska
Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut
District of
Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois
Indiana Iowa
Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana
Nebraska Nevada
New Mexico New Hampshire New Jersey New York
North Carolina
North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah
Vermont Virginia
Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Krotona School of
Theosophy Ojai, California.
Retreats in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas; Kings Canyon National Park,
California;
Pumpkin Hollow Craryville, New York; Orcas Island, Washington
__________________
http://www.practicalaction.org
Technology
challenging poverty
Practical Action works with poor
communities to help them choose and
use technology to improve their lives for
today and generations to come.
Cardiff
Theosophical Order of Service holds raffles
in
support of Practical Action at Theosophy
You may know this charity
under its old name of
Intermediate Technology
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General pages
about Wales, Welsh History
and The History of
Theosophy in Wales
Wales is a
Principality within the United Kingdom
and has an eastern
border with England. The land
area is just over 8,000
square miles. Snowdon in
North Wales is the
highest mountain at 3,650 feet.
The coastline is
almost 750 miles long. The population
of Wales as at the 2001 census is 2,946,200.
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on the London Underground Blog
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