Theosophy

[Based on two of Pekka Ervast's talks on HPB on 8^th May, 1932 (White Lotus Day)
Compiled and translated into English from Finnish by Antti Savinainen.] 

We are celebrating the commemoration of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (HPB), who started the Theosophical movement and died on May 8, 1891. HPB was a spiritual mother to many people. Many are the hearts that acknowledge that she has helped them in their spiritual life. I think she was the most incredible human being to have appeared on this earth in our times. Though I saw that Jesus Christ was a miraculous being and that Gautama Buddha was another ideal being, HPB was to me a living person who never wanted to appear as a saint or anything special. On the contrary, she wanted to conceal all that was great in her and preferred to appear imperfect since she abhorred all worship. I knew this in some mysterious way in my youth. I did not understand her as well as I did when I was older, but I admired and loved her.  I felt that if we lived in a knighthood, I would always wear her colors on my shoulder or helmet, and fight for her.

David Grossman – USA 

      At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;

Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,

                                                                              Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot    

At a recent lecture titled “True Sacrifice” a presentation in the ongoing “Aquarian Series” at the United Lodge of Theosophists,  San Diego many meaningful ideas were explored. One was that true sacrifice is the process of “restoring ones’ relationship with the Universe consciously.” To put it another way sacrifice is the process of giving up the ever fleeting on behalf of the ever lasting.

The word Sacred is found at the root of Sacrifice and usually refers to something religious or spiritual as in the idea of sacred texts. So true sacrifice from a Theosophical and/or esoteric standpoint is an action that dedicates itself to the higher life or the good of the whole rather than our personal desires, wishes or aims. 

An archetypal example of sacrifice is found in The Secret Doctrine (SD) by H.P. Blavatsky which presents the ideas of  The Initiator and The Great Sacrifice. 

Red poppies, symbol of Sacrifice 

She speaks of higher beings, that is, souls who have evolved far beyond our present humanity in this evolutionary cycle, termed the fourth round in theosophical nomenclature. Much earlier in this round these more progressed beings from the (Lemurian) “third race” performed interestingly enough what she calls “The Great Sacrifice.” It involved igniting the spark of individualized self-consciousness, referred to as “the lighting up of Manas” or mind. This marks the point of the “Promethian gift and sacrifice” (See Myth of Prometheus) that allowed for the continued spiritual evolution of man, fully incarnated into material form, which is the most physical point (the middle of the fourth round) in this manvantara or great cycle.  

Recently, a court in India sentenced a convict in the rape and murder case to life imprisonment until death. However, people across the country wanted capital punishment. This has raised certain questions: Does capital punishment have a place in a civilised society and is that the deterrent to heinous crimes? There are some countries that have abolished capital punishment, and the Arab Islamic nations still decapitate the convicts in the public. And yet rapes, murders and highway robberies happen periodically in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Then, what purpose does capital punishment serve? Why do masses insist upon the same? “There is a fine line between justice and vengeance. It is easy to cross that line when you are consumed by anger and grief. While justice aims to restore order and uphold righteousness, vengeance is driven by anger and desire for retaliation….It is important to exercise caution and restraint…and act with a clear mind and a sense of fairness in the pursuit of justice, rather than let emotions cloud our judgment,” writes Sumit Paul. The struggle for existence can bring out peaceful and ethical approach in some, while in others, violent and ruthless approach. “

Einar Adalsteinsson – Iceland

Einar Adalsteinsson (1941 - 1998)

I see an interesting awakening going on right now, and it will probably become much intensified in the years to come. Real initiation is a "serious business," a transformation of both the psyche and the body (Sthula-Sharira, that is), that takes some serious time traditionally seven consecutive incarnations.

Tim Boyd –India, USA

International President Tim Boyd

Meditation is a foundational element of esoteric teachings for anyone consciously engaged in the spiritual life. I feel fortunate to have stumbled into it untrained. Fortunate because I was not carrying the baggage of ideas of others to shape my experience. My introduction to meditation took place over an extended experience of weeks. Only later did I come to know it as meditation. Much like some of the great teachers have tried to communicate, the actual state of meditation is not dependent on posture, whether the body is moving or still, the place, or the level of activity. Certainly at an early stage all of these conditions have their effect, but they seem to be unrelated to the actual experience. If Krishna’s advice to Arjuna is true, then even in the midst of a war, while fighting for one’s life, the meditative state is possible.

Tim Wyatt – England

[This article explores the vital role Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) played in bringing occult truths to a wider world and to commemorate her co-founding the Theosophical Society exactly a hundred and fifty years ago in 1875] .

Walk down the street and ask a hundred people whether they’ve ever heard of Madame Blavatsky and ninety-nine of them will assure you they haven’t. Of the one per cent who have, few could tell you much about her. Some will have read somewhere that she was a fraud and a charlatan. Should they research her further, they will find she was neither.

 Svitlana Gavrylenko – Ukraine

The author

Who, but us, people involved in Theosophy, knows for sure what tectonic shift in the consciousness of humanity began to occur after Theosophy, the Divine Wisdom, appeared on the arena of planetary thought in new modern armor, which was presented to the world at the end of the 19th century through Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. All her contemporaries were unanimous in the fact that she exerted incredible, almost superhuman forces to fulfill her mission, and even The Mahatma Letters say that she resembled a courageous warrior who, in an unequal battle, made desperate efforts for victory, the victory of truth, the victory of primordial wisdom over the ignorance and materialistic worldview of the then educated society.

 John Vorstermans – New Zealand

[Note from the editor: John Vorstermans, now former National President of the Theosophical Society in New Zealand, looks at questions from a theosophical point of view in today’s world. Published in TheoSopia, September 2015.] 

The Theosophical Society, as far as I am aware, has no view on this subject, however it is one worth exploring and I present some ideas below in this direction.

Boris de Zirkoff – USA

(Original cover photo of Theosophia)

As we ponder over the prevailing circumstances of life, and the difficult conditions in which many students of the Ancient Wisdom live at the present time, certain definite ideas suggest themselves for consideration, in an attempt to help ourselves - all of us in whatever land - to gain a greater perspective, a stronger sense of peace, and a wider vision.

Douglas Keene – USA

The author 

As most would agree, the world seems to be in a state of upheaval.

Violence, and nearly as upsetting, the threat of violence, seems to be everywhere. The Middle East is on the verge of a regional war, the conflict in Ukraine is unrelenting, the major powers creep toward confrontation.

Tim Boyd – India, USA

Lily and Tim Boyd while visiting the house of Ulysses Riedel in Brasilia some years ago

There are a couple of questions we need to ask ourselves: if spirit is an omnipresent reality; and if our deepest nature is like a fragment of spirit, then why are we so resistant to truth? Why is it that even though throughout human history great people have come, lived their lives trying to communicate to us about what is truth and how we can experience it; why is it that as a human family we can remain unmoved by their message? In one of his poems the Nobel laureate poet, T. S. Eliot makes the point that we are “distracted from distraction by distraction”. We cannot hear the “still small voice” of the inner self because of the powerful voices of our many outer selves. The body is hot, cold, hungry. The job needs our time, effort, thought. The family needs emotional and financial support, quality time, food, shelter, and so on. Our hobbies, the church, temple, nation, are also shouting their demands.

Andrew Rooke – Australia

How important is it to strive for Happiness? Everyone has their own ideas of what it is to be happy and most people direct their life-long efforts towards that end. In Australia, our social, economic, cultural, and political institutions are based on the visions of generations of immigrants seeking greater happiness in a new land. 

Tim Boyd – India, USA

Tim Boyd, International President of the TS, and his wife Lily on a visit to the National Headquarters of the Australian Section in Surry Hills, Sydney

Before talking about “Spirituality and the Practical World”, it would be good to establish a common vocabulary. Often, we use words assuming they mean the same thing to all of us. Spirituality and the world are not unknown words to us, but it does not hurt if we give them finer definitions.

Tim Wyatt – England

Tim Wyatt relaxing near Lake Maggiore in Switzerland

The 150th anniversary of any organization clearly provides an excellent opportunity not only to appraise its achievements and failures but to identify viable pathways for the future. In order to do that any collective body needs to undertake an honest analysis of its history so that if necessary, it can re-set its priorities.

Ananya Sri Ram – USA

Included in HPB’s Collected Writings, Vol. VIII is a small essay titled “A Heart-Space of Silence.” For those who are not familiar with it, the authorship is uncertain despite it being in HPB’s papers. The essay follows with edits made for grammar and to neutralize gender. It begins:

In the hours of silent meditation, the student will find that there is one space of silence within where they can find refuge from thoughts and desires, from the turmoil of the senses and the delusions of the mind. By sinking one’s consciousness deep into one’s heart we can reach this place—at first only when we are alone in silence and darkness. But when the need for silence has grown great enough, we will turn to seek it even in the midst of the struggle with self, and we will find it. Only we must not let go of our outer self, or body; we must learn to retire into this citadel when the battle grows fierce, but to do so without losing sight of the battle; without allowing oneself to fancy that by so doing we have won the victory. That victory is won only when all is silence without as within the inner citadel.

Barbara Hebert - USA 

The challenges we face in our world today seem almost impossible to overcome. We often look to our leaders—religious, political, and spiritual—to make a difference, but it doesn’t happen. Instead of looking outside of ourselves to make change happen, it is time to start looking within. Each of us has the power—as well as the responsibility—to change the world. We cannot wait for others to step up...each one of us needs to take matters into our own hands. 

Antti Savinainen – Finland

The author

H. P. Blavatsky (HPB, 1831–1891), the central founder of the Theosophical movement, has been considered an opponent of Christianity (1) .Christian theologians have viewed HPB as such. Her defense of the 'pagan' traditions of the West and her conversion to Buddhism have accentuated her stigma of anti-Christianity.

David M. Grossman – USA

The author, David Grossman,  is a professional photographer and lives in Brooklyn NY. He is a life-long student of Theosophy, a regular contributor to Theosophy Forward and his articles have also appeared in The Theosophist. The Sunflower is his favorite flower.

Douglas Keene – USA

As we plunge into the darkness and the cold of winter (now in the northern hemisphere) and then begin to climb out again we can’t help but think of the cycles we experience in life. The annual verdant explosion of spring, the gentle breezes of summer and in the involution and withdrawal of autumn touch most of us. The annual trip around the sun causes reflection on past seasons, but begets questions about the future. Day and night, birth and death, and other natural revolutions are constant reminders of the impermanence of all life, including our own. Theosophy teaches that cycles are even more extensive, including root races, rounds, and chains. Planets are born and stars die.

Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, November 27, 2003 

In her introductory to The Secret Doctrine HPB tells us: 

“The Wisdom Religion” is the inheritance of a-ll the nations, the world over……
…..-Esoteric Philosophy reconciles all religions, strips every one of its outward, human garments, and shows the root of each to be identical with that of ever other great religion.

Gottfried de Purucker – USA

[Taken from Fundamentals of the Esoteric Philosophy , First Edition. Relevant pages are mentioned]

... if ... our thoughts are running downwards, and we wear away the ... "golden thread" which binds us to our Higher Nature, ... at last the final rupture ... comes, and the soul becomes the "lost soul" ... (167- 68)

There are two classes of this kind of soul ... first ... those ... who through native weaknesses of soul and from lack of spiritual attraction upwards, go to pieces after a certain interval of time ...

Tim Boyd – India, USA

The author

The author, Victor Hugo, expressed a thought with which most of us have become familiar: “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” Then he added: “Not all the armies in the world are more powerful.” Whenever such far-reaching, strong thoughts are shared, we need to examine them to see if they are true, whether our own experience supports it.