The All
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People outside
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
1831 – 1891
____________________
Theosophy
and
The
Theosophical Society
The
Meaning of the Name
From
The
Key to Theosophy
By
H
P Blavatsky
Published
1889
The
Key to Theosophy is in the from of a dialogue with an enquirer
Q. Theosophy and its doctrines are often referred to as
a newfangled religion.
Is it a religion?
A. It is not. Theosophy is Divine Knowledge or
Science.
Q. What is the real meaning of the term?
A. "Divine Wisdom," (Theosophia) or Wisdom
of the gods, as (theogonia), genealogy of the gods. The word 'theos' means a
god in Greek, one of the divine beings, certainly not "God" in the
sense attached in our day to the term.
Therefore, it is not "Wisdom of God," as
translated by some, but Divine Wisdom such as that possessed by the gods. The
term is many thousand years old.
Q. What is the origin of the name?
A. It comes to us from the Alexandrian philosophers,
called lovers of truth,
Philaletheians, from (phil) "loving," and
(aletheia) "truth." The name Theosophy dates from the third century
of our era, and began with Ammonius Saccas and his disciples, also called
Analogeticists, who started the Eclectic Theosophical
system.
As explained by Professor Wilder, they were called so
because of their practice of interpreting all sacred legends and narratives,
myths and mysteries, by a rule or principle of analogy and correspondence: so
that events which were
related as having occurred in the external world were
regarded as expressing operations and experiences of the human soul. They were
also denominated Neo-Platonists. Though Theosophy, or the Eclectic Theosophical
system, is generally attributed to the third century, yet, if Diogenes Laërtius
is to be credited, its origin is much earlier, as he attributed the system to
an Egyptian
priest, Pot-Amun, who lived in the early days of the
Ptolemaic dynasty. The same author tells us that the name is Coptic, and
signifies one consecrated to Amun, the God of Wisdom. Theosophy is the
equivalent of Brahma-Vidya , divine knowledge.
Q. What was the object of this system?
A. First of all to inculcate certain great moral
truths upon its disciples, and all those who were "lovers of the
truth." Hence the motto adopted by the Theosophical Society: "There
is no religion higher than truth."Eclectic Theosophy was divided under
three heads:
1. Belief in one absolute, incomprehensible and
supreme Deity, or infinite essence, which is the root of all nature, and of all
that is, visible and
invisible.
2. Belief in man's eternal immortal nature, because, being
a radiation of the Universal Soul, it is of an identical essence with it.
3. Theurgy, or "divine work," or producing a
work of gods; from theoi, "gods," and ergein, "to work."
The term is very old, but, as it belongs to the
vocabulary of the mysteries, was not in popular use. It was a mystic
belief-practically proven by initiated adepts and priests-that, by making
oneself as pure as the incorporeal beings-i.e., by returning to one's pristine
purity of nature-man could move the gods to impart to him Divine mysteries, and
even cause them to become occasionally visible, either subjectively or
objectively. It was the
transcendental aspect of what is now called
Spiritualism; but having been abused and misconceived by the populace, it had
come to be regarded by some as necromancy, and was generally forbidden. A
travestied practice of the theurgy of Iamblichus lingers still in the
ceremonial magic of some modern Cabalists.
Modern Theosophy avoids and rejects both these kinds
of magic and "necromancy" as being very dangerous. Real divine
theurgy requires an almost superhuman purity and holiness of life; otherwise it
degenerates into mediumship or black magic. The immediate disciples of Ammonius
Saccas, who was called Theodidaktos, "god-taught"-such as Plotinus
and his follower Porphyry-rejected theurgy at first, but were finally
reconciled to it through Iamblichus, who wrote a work to that effect entitled
De Mysteriis, under the name of his own master, a famous Egyptian priest called
Abammon. Ammonius Saccas was the son of Christian parents, and, having been
repelled by dogmatic Spiritualistic Christianity from his childhood, became a
Neo-Platonist, and like J. Boëhme and other great seers and mystics, is said to
have had divine wisdom revealed to him in dreams and visions. Hence his name of
Theodidaktos. He resolved to reconcile every system of religion, and by
demonstrating their identical origin to establish one universal creed based on
ethics. His life was so blameless and pure, his learning so profound and vast,
that several Church Fathers were his secret disciples. Clemens Alexandrinus
speaks very highly of him. Plotinus, the "
The system of meditation the Philaletheians resorted
to was ecstasy, a system akin to Indian Yoga practice. What is known of the
The chief aim of the Founders of the Eclectic
Theosophical School was one of the three objects of its modern successor, the
Theosophical Society, namely, to reconcile all religions, sects, and nations
under a common system of ethics, based on eternal verities.
Q. What have you to show that this is not an
impossible dream; and that all the world's religions are based on the one and
the same truth?
A. Their comparative study and analysis. The
"Wisdom-Religion" was one in antiquity; and the sameness of primitive
religious philosophy is proven to us by the identical doctrines taught to the
Initiates during the mysteries, an institution once universally diffused.
All the old worships indicate the existence of a
single Theosophy anterior to them. The key that is to open one must open all;
otherwise it cannot be the right key.
______________________
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Foundation of the Original Theosophical Society 1875
The first Theosophical Society was
founded in New York on
November 17th 1875 by Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky,
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan
Judge and others.
The Theosophical Movement now consists of
a diverse range of
organizations which carry the
Theosophical Tradition forward.
Cardiff Theosophical Society has been
promoting Theosophy since 1908
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मूल थियोसोफिकल सोसायटी 1875 फाउंडेशन
पहले थियोसोफिकल सोसायटी को न्यूयॉर्क में स्थापित किया गया था
17 नवंबर Helena Petrovna Blavatsky द्वारा 1875,
कर्नल Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge और दूसरों.
थियोसोफिकल आंदोलन अब एक विविध रेंज के होते हैं
आगे थियोसोफिकल परंपरा ले जो संगठनों.
कार्डिफ थियोसोफिकल सोसायटी 1908 के बाद से ब्रह्मविद्या को बढ़ावा देने की गई है
_______________________________________
Mūla
thiyōsōphikala sōsāyaṭī 1875 phā'uṇḍēśana
Pahalē thiyōsōphikala sōsāyaṭī kō
n'yūyŏrka mēṁ sthāpita kiyā gayā thā
17 Navambara Helena Petrovna Blavatsky dvārā 1875,
Kamala Henry Steel Olcott, aura dūsarōṁ.
Thiyōsōphikala āndōlana aba ēka vividha rēn̄ja
kē hōtē haiṁ
Āgē thiyōsōphikala paramparā lē jō saṅgaṭhanōṁ.
Kārḍipha thiyōsōphikala sōsāyaṭī 1908
kē bāda sē brahmavidyā
kō baṛhāvā
dēnē kī ga'ī hai
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