Transcription
If you've looked into the paranormal, the esoteric, or the unnatural, you'll start to see advocates and supporters making reference to theosophy or the Theosophical Society. Everyone from Nobel Prize winners to common mystics will claim to have studied their teachings. But what is Theosophy? What was the society? What did they believe? And where are they now?
Now, theosophy today is an amalgamation of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Neoplatonism philosophy. And even though there were previous groups in history that shared many similar beliefs such as the Gnostics, Manichaeans, the Recusants, and possibly even the Freemasons, the Theosophical Society was at the standard of Theosophy moving into the modern age.
There are several theosophical society groups today, but it all started with one original group established in New York City in 1875 by Russian Helena Blavatsky and two Americans, Henry Olcott and William Judge, along with 16 original members. This was a unique time in the world. The scientific revolution had greatly increased the knowledge of the natural world. But this led to a backlash for more spiritual groups. The rise of industry and urbanization saw a breakdown of tradition as people were moving into new cities. As a response to all this uncertainty, the Theosophical Society would attempt to combine science, philosophy, and religion into one understanding of reality.
Although there were three founders, the main philosophical force would come from Helena Blavatsky, who was a widely acclaimed mystic and a cultist. Now, there are some who have doubted Blavatsky's claims about her early life, and there are conflicting sources, but I'm going to attempt to best present what I think Blavatsky herself claimed, and you can judge for yourself if you believe her or not.
Born to the aristocracy in Russia in 1831, she would flee from her first marriage at the age of 17 and begin to travel around the world, meeting with all sorts of people and studying many different esoteric topics. While in London in 1851, she would meet with who she originally thought was an Indian prince. India being ruled by many independent kingdoms with allegiance to the British crown at this time. Believing that she had known him since her childhood, he would ask her to help him complete a great mission for humanity. Blavatsky agreed and would be given a special task to visit Tibet. No easy feat, as at this time Tibet was closed to outsiders. She would refer to this man as Master Morya, but she would be turned away from her first visit to Tibet by the British. She would return years later and successfully enter the region in 1855. Although soon after, she would become lost and have to retreat from the region. After this, she would return to her family in Russia and spend the next several years working to refine and gain mastery over her psychic abilities.
In 1867, while traveling outside of Russia, she would receive a message from Master Morya to join him in Constantinople. From there, they along with an additional master known as Koot Hoomi would finally journey to Tibet. While in Tibet, Blavatsky claimed that she was taught Senzar, a type of ancient Sanskrit which had been preserved in the mountain monasteries. This would allow her to read the Book of Dzyan, an ancient Tibetan text that was the records of a people now lost to time. This would go on to serve as the basis for her own books. While there, the masters would also help her to develop further psychic powers such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, astral projection, the dematerialization and rematerialization of objects, and even the power to control someone's mind. She would leave Tibet in 1870 before finally arriving in New York City in 1873, 2 years before the founding of the Theosophical Society.
In regards to the Book of Dzyan, Theosophist Charles Leadbeater, who you may remember from the video on human aura, would later remark, "It appears to be very highly magnetized. For as soon as a man takes a page into his hand, he sees passing before his eyes a vision of the events which it is intended to portray, while at the same time he seems to hear a sort of rhythmic description of them in his own language. So far as that language will convey the ideas involved, its pages contain no words whatever, nothing but symbols."
As for the other founding members, Henry Olcott was a former colonel who had fought in the American Civil War, as well as a prominent lawyer, journalist, and Freemason. He was even appointed to a special commission assigned to investigate the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He had tried to start a similar organization years earlier, though failed to gain traction. William Judge was also a lawyer, but much less is known about him before the founding of the society.
Their three official goals were: to form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color; to encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy, and science; and to investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity. They would spread through the establishment of lodges similar to Freemasonry. And it wouldn't take long for lodges to open across the United States and Europe, with even prominent figures such as Thomas Edison joining.
Despite their success, they would be opposed by many groups, not only by traditional institutions such as churches and universities, but also among other spiritualists. Blavatsky had a habit of insisting that only those with proper training could safely exert psychic powers. Training that only she had. Naturally, this would anger other claimed psychics and cause them to distrust the society.
In 1877, Blavatsky would publish *Isis Unveiled*, claiming that she had written what she perceived through clairvoyance. The book would be published in two volumes, one titled "The Infallibility of Modern Science," and the other "Theology." Not surprisingly, the first would heavily criticize science for its materialism and rejection of more esoteric concepts. She argues that paranormal phenomena are a manifestation of an unknown natural law and reprimands scientists for their dismissal of the phenomena, advocating for an increase in their study. The second one criticized Christianity for what Blavatsky saw as the church changing the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Going back to where Blavatsky had said she had met and trained under masters, in *Isis Unveiled*, there was the idea of spiritual masters or sages: human beings who had reached a higher stage or experienced an inner awakening and therefore have access to incredible abilities such as healing or the awareness of astral realms. Above those beings is something known as the World Teacher. While the masters work to help individuals develop spiritually, the World Teacher's influence affects all of humanity, along with those such as Buddha or Krishna. Blavatsky believed that Jesus Christ was one of these World Teachers.
*Isis Unveiled* laid the claim that the church had been corrupted and was actively removing Eastern mysticism influence. The book even extensively compares the biblical texts with the Hindu scripture the Vedas, Buddhist teachings, and Near Eastern creation myths, attempting to draw parallels to further this point. She saw the Gnostics as the true inheritors of the teachings of Jesus Christ and was hostile to the ecclesiastical power for wiping them out, especially the papacy and the Jesuits. She would touch on a lot of other esoteric ideas, introducing the concept of a universal knowledge that underlies all various religions and philosophies, that ancient civilizations had access to this higher knowledge that has since been lost in modern society. And the volumes are also full with ideas related to numerology, sacred geometry, the nature of the soul, the Kabbalah, Freemasonry, the astral body, and spiritual development. These ideas really wouldn't be fully explored until her later works. As the main purpose of *Isis Unveiled* was to challenge conventional thought and open readers up to the mystic, described India as the source of this knowledge, saying in volume 1, "India holds the key to all religious systems old and new." She was also very supportive of the Vedas, the Brahman, and of course Buddhism.
The society would become involved with Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement in India. Unique in that it was the first organization in Hinduism to actively attempt to recruit new members and proselytize. Both Blavatsky and Olcott would relocate to Bombay, India, moving the headquarters there in 1879. While there, they would become heavily associated with Buddhism. Traveling to the Kailasa Caves, an ancient Buddhist site where Blavatsky believed the masters would meet. They would continue traveling to various monasteries and meeting with prominent monks before eventually converting to Buddhism the following year. Despite opposition from British rule, branches of Theosophy would spread across India, growing in power enough to purchase a large estate and begin combating the spread of Christianity. Olcott would travel to Sri Lanka and work extensively to attempt to renew Buddhism in the region, setting up numerous Theosophy-funded Buddhist schools. He would publish *The Buddhist Catechism* in 1881, which explained the doctrines of Buddhism and the life of the Buddha, which is still used today. Statues of him can be found in Sri Lanka, and the date of his death in 1907 is still remembered in many Buddhist centers and schools.
Blavatsky would leave India in 1883 and spend the following years traveling around the world supporting various Theosophical Society branches. In London, she would meet with the Society for Psychical Research and submit to a study of her abilities. However, while also in London, she would upset the president of the Theosophy Society branch there, leading to her leaving to start a competing group, a portent of things to come.
The society would soon be damaged by the Coulomb affair. A member of the society, Emma Coulomb, was accused of appropriating funds for her own use, and when asked to leave, threatened to release letters that she claimed were written by Blavatsky, proving that her abilities were faked. The society refused to pay her demands, and the letters would be published in Europe, hurting the group there. By 1885, there were 121 different lodges, but 106 of them were either in India or the surrounding land.
That same year, the Society for Psychical Research would publish their report on Blavatsky, and it would be very critical. Not only did they accuse her of faking her paranormal powers, but went so far as to accuse her of being a spy for the Russian government, saying, "For our own part, we regard Blavatsky neither as the mouthpiece of hidden seers, nor as a mere vulgar adventurer. We think that she has achieved a title to permanent remembrance as one of the most accomplished, ingenious, and interesting impostors in history." This would, expectedly, cause issues both within and without the society, with even high-ranking members leaving the group. Blavatsky and her supporters would fight back against these claims, saying that the SPR had a predetermined goal of disproving her. Nearly a hundred years later, they would be vindicated when the SPR retracted their report in 1986, agreeing that the original researcher did not properly study the claims.
After receiving complaints from members in the London lodge regarding their president, Blavatsky would move there and start a rival lodge to poach members, even going so far as to receive visits from both the poet W.B. Yeats and Mahatma Gandhi. In 1888, she would publish her magnum opus, *The Secret Doctrine*. While *Isis Unveiled* was more of an attack at the traditional institutions, *The Secret Doctrine* was intended to be a much more systematic doctrinal work that would formalize the beliefs of Theosophy. Also published in two volumes, the first titled "Cosmogenesis" and the second "Anthropogenesis."
In the preamble, she claimed to have received these ideas from the Book of Dzyan, the ancient mystical book that she had learned Senzar to read all those years ago. She would even write, "The Secret Doctrine is the essence of all doctrines, the root of all religions and philosophies. The ancient Book of Dzyan from which its teachings are drawn are the oldest record of the human race." The prologue also introduced a few concepts that are needed for the rest of the book. Mainly three fundamental propositions: That ultimate reality, also known as Parabrahman, is beyond thought or description, even unknowable to the highest of beings. That time, the universe, and everything in it operates in cycles. And that each and every soul undergoes spiritual evolution over the eons, evolving through stages.
The book has a very unique structure. Each chapter starts with a stanza from the Book of Dzyan, with the rest of the chapter being a commentary on that stanza. "Cosmogenesis" is focused on the universe, and the volume would go into how originally only darkness existed. The ultimate reality in a state of sleep where everything was one undifferentiated being. The Great Breath, an active motion, would stir this infinite possibility, and this would awaken Space, or the root substance, where all future worlds would come from. The Absolute would differentiate itself into Spirit and Matter, two sides of one reality. Here you also have the Mahat, or the cosmic mind. This led to the appearance of the Fohat, a type of cosmic animating force that forms a bridge between Spirit and Matter. It not only animates but organizes the primordial substance, connecting celestial bodies and forming atoms. The Dhyan Chohans, or Lords of Meditation, would appear. Beings of light serving as cosmic architects. This is also a somewhat generic term that can be applied to many celestial beings. Although they exist within their own hierarchy, they would labor from higher dimensions using meditation to guide creation. Remember that this process is cyclical. In the same way a breath out creates a descent into matter, a breath in causes an ascent into Spirit. There is no beginning of time, nor a personal God that we may think of in the classical sense. The Fohat and the Dhyan Chohans build the universe through karmic laws. The creation that occurs is also not random but guided and organized. And the mind or consciousness is the cause of Matter, not produced by it. Also, the Fohat being in every atom means that nothing can truly be said to be inanimate. The four elements, Earth, Wind, Fire, and Air, are even thought to be inhabited by intelligent elemental entities. As the universe was formed, it would settle into seven levels of reality, going from the atomic or divine plane all the way back to the root plane. With things like spirits existing on the astral plane, thoughts on the mental plane, and matter on the physical plane. The planets are formed, starting out as astral states before appearing as physical bodies, with the Earth going through seven cycles of spiritual and physical evolution, growing denser, larger, and more spiritual each time.
The second volume, "Anthropogenesis," deals much more with humans. The book describes how there are seven root races. Not races as different ethnicities that we may think of today, but more like different species in the stages of evolution. The first race is almost immaterial, gradually becoming denser, similar to the way the Earth did, with an astral race preceding a physical one. They would divide like single-cell life through mitosis, still without a sense of individuality and an almost plant-like level of consciousness. Once the Earth became physical, the second root race emerged, named the Hyperborean race. As they lived around the North Pole, they weren't quite fully physical, but had started to grow fluidic bodies. Instead of mitosis, they reproduced by sprouting offspring like branches from a tree. They also had a greater degree of consciousness, having a will to live. The Lemurian race finally saw man become fully physical, but in a giant, grotesque way with misshapen proportions. They lived on the continent of Lemuria, and it was here that sexual reproduction first evolved. During this race, a group of celestial beings would first descend. These were higher spiritual creatures, and through their influence, humanity would develop to full consciousness, free will, and self-awareness. Blavatsky reinterpreted the story of Adam and Eve, linking it to this event, with the fall of man now being a separation from the divine consciousness into physical matter. The celestial beings were even said to come from Venus, which is linked to the morning star. The race ended as the continent of Lemuria was destroyed through cataclysm. The Atlantean race was next. They were very humanlike in form, but psychically powerful, able to use telepathy and clairvoyance. As you would expect, they lived in Atlantis, a continent somewhere in the Atlantic. Here they would build massive cities and great weapons using their knowledge of occult science and cosmic laws. This is also where the appearance of the masters or the Mahatmas would first occur, as was mentioned back in *Isis Unveiled*. As a result of the Atlanteans' moral decline, wars would break out, leading to the sinking of Atlantis and the destruction of the race. The fifth race, or the Aryan race, is the one we are in now. Here you see a focus on the intellect and material science. In fact, Blavatsky writes that we are in the later stages of the fifth age, and a new race is soon to emerge. In the sixth race, humans are to evolve higher psychic powers such as energy manipulation and healing. They will become more ethereal, and wisdom and ethics will be the focus. Finally, in the far future, humans will reach the seventh race. Here they will reach an almost divine level with full union of spirit and matter, able to live on several planes of existence at once. So rather than going through individual spiritual evolution as is the case in Hinduism or Buddhism, Blavatsky teaches that the entire human race is going through it together.
*The Secret Doctrine* would also expand on the World Teacher. There is a much more intricate hierarchy than was present in *Isis Unveiled*, and the World Teacher would be emphasized to be seen as the central figure, with the masters acting as their intermediaries. And not just does the World Teacher provide knowledge, but awakens an entirely higher consciousness in humanity, linking them to the root races and making them necessary for humanity to progress and evolve into higher races. Even this is really just scratching the surface of *The Secret Doctrine*, as there are many more topics and teachings discussed.
The following year, in 1889, Blavatsky would state that the main purpose of the Theosophical Society was to prepare the world for the arrival of a new World Teacher who would help to prepare humanity for the transition into the sixth root race. Not long after this, Helena would pass away in 1891. Even though Olcott was the official president, Blavatsky was the real power in the society. And after her death, it wouldn't take long for issues to arise. Originally, in the society's history, the lodges acted with very limited authority, with all major decisions having to come directly from the headquarters in India. However, over time, they would develop into national units with their own governing bodies. Without Blavatsky being able to rule on disagreements or stop factions, schism was inevitable.
One of the members, Annie Besant, had become very influential, and she along with Olcott would accuse William Judge of forging letters from the masters. This would cause him to split from the group in 1895, taking not only the name but most of the American branches and members with him. A year later, he would pass away, and the American organization would fracture again, and a final time in 1909, leaving American Theosophists very splintered. The German-Austrian branch would grow in independence, and after philosophical differences broke out over disagreements relating to the World Teacher with Annie, they would break away in 1913, forming a new society, changing their name and expanding to other countries.
Going back to Annie Besant, she had originally joined the society after meeting with Charles Leadbeater in London and believed herself to be a clairvoyant. After Olcott died, she would take over as president of the society and became very involved in Indian politics. At the time, India was still under British rule, but opposition to this had been growing over the years. Annie herself was British, but had converted to Hinduism. At the beginning of the First World War, she, along with other prominent people in India, would work to unify their groups into one organization. They would form the Home Rule League in 1916, an organization pushing for the self-governance of India. Although some members of the Theosophical Society, mainly those in branches outside of India, believed that the group should not focus on politics, the society would contribute significantly to this movement. The schools and institutions they had built taught Indian philosophy, the Vedas, Sanskrit, and worked to instill in their students a sense of national identity and pride.
After Annie was arrested in 1917 by the British for spreading propaganda through a newspaper she had purchased, there would be widespread outcry, with figures such as Gandhi calling for her release. There would even be protests in the United Kingdom and the United States. She would be released later that year and elected as the chairman of the Indian National Congress. However, with the war ending and Gandhi growing in power, the society would become somewhat withdrawn from politics. Gandhi would become the head of the Indian National Congress in 1920, and even though he would credit them for their help, saying "Theosophists were the real friends of Indian culture," his movement would focus more on politics and less on spirituality, leaving Theosophy somewhat behind.
This would work out, as the society was now focused on the imminent arrival of the World Teacher. In 1889, Blavatsky had shifted the focus of the society to preparing for the coming World Teacher. And after her death, the next leader of the society, Annie Besant, would parrot this sentiment in 1896. In 1909, Charles Leadbeater would return to the headquarters in India with an adolescent child, Jiddu Krishnamurti, who he believed was the vehicle of the World Teacher. Charles claimed to see the greatest aura he had ever seen, free from any selfishness, coming from the child. He would be taken in by the group at age 14 and educated extensively to prepare him for his role. Jiddu went along with this, even starting to see Annie as a mother figure. Now, Jiddu wasn't seen as the World Teacher in his own right, but rather as the physical host that the spirit of the World Teacher would incarnate into. They would compare this with ideas such as the Holy Spirit coming upon Christ after his baptism.
Starting in 1911, his writings would be published in Theosophical magazines and produced in booklets. And the same year, he would be taken to various European countries to speak to members. His tour would be put on pause due to the outbreak of the First World War. However, once the war had ended, he would resume his travels and begin giving a series of lectures all around the globe to prepare people for what he called "the coming."
In 1922, he finally settled in California, and that same year would have a series of strange experiences. On August 17th, he would experience a sharp pain at the nape of his neck, only worsening over the next two days. He even appeared to fall unconscious, although would later claim that he was always fully aware of his surroundings. While in this delirious state, he claimed to have experienced a mystical union, reaching a state of unity with the universe. This feeling of immense peace would only grow in the following days as the symptoms intensified. His journal at the time contained such excerpts as, "Woke up early with that strong feeling of otherness, of another world that is far beyond all thought. There is a heightening of sensitivity. Sensitivity not only to beauty but also to all other things. The blade of grass was astonishingly green. That one blade of grass contained the whole spectrum of color. It was intense, dazzling, and such a small thing, so easy to destroy." These experiences would continue to occur for the remainder of his life. Several explanations have been offered, from epilepsy to the World Teacher spirit descending into his body.
The knowledge of these experiences manifesting in Jiddu would spread through the society, and this, along with a massive convention in 1925 to celebrate the 50th year anniversary, would cause many to believe that the arrival of the World Teacher was at hand and that the world was about to dramatically change. Their hopes would be dashed when in 1929, Jiddu would reject his role and leave Theosophy. He would denounce not only the organization but all organized systems of belief. "I maintain that truth is a pathless land and cannot be approached by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. Truth being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever cannot be organized. Nor should any organization be formed to lead or cause people along any particular path."
Expectedly, this would have grave implications for the future of the group. Many members were left feeling lost and betrayed. The prophesized Messiah, who had been preparing for his role his entire life, had just abandoned them. There were fractures as some members left to follow Jiddu's new teachings, some leaving to start new groups, but many also just drifted away entirely. Although the society did not completely die out, it lost its wider influence and strength and never fully recovered to its former state.
The headquarters in India, still the largest branch, would retreat from messianic prophecies and focus on stabilizing the society. In the following years, they transitioned to education and the philosophy of Blavatsky's earlier work, as well as a focus on Indian nationalism and cultural identity. They became much more internal and basically turned from prophets into monks. Ideas of a coming Messiah were eventually rejected, and the group has remained largely unchanged over time. Even today, they are the largest Theosophy organization, often considered the mainline, with lodges in many other countries.
The Theosophical Society overall has been incredibly influential, often credited for helping to make Eastern mysticism mainstream in the West, exposing a lot of Europeans to esoteric topics that would eventually develop into the New Age beliefs of today. Of course, in India, the group had the most effect. There are schools and parks named after important members, and even Banaras Hindu University, a major university in India, was originally founded by the society. They helped to revive Hinduism and Buddhism, but also to legitimize them in Western audiences.
Honestly, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to both Theosophy and the Theosophical Society. There is a lot more I could go into, but I wanted to make this video because a lot of upcoming topics I'm planning to cover are influenced by Theosophy in some way. So, I wanted you to have some understanding of what it is. Let me know in the comments, however, if you would be interested in a more in-depth dive into Blavatsky's teachings, what happened to the breakaway groups or Jiddu, or even what critics of Theosophy have said. Thanks for watching. Later.