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Theosophy

Theosophy
Theosophy comes from the Greek theosophia (θεοσοφία), which combines theos (θεός), "God"[3] and sophia (σοφία), "wisdom," meaning "divine wisdom." From the late 19th century onwards, the term theosophy has generally been used to refer to the religio-philosophic doctrines of the Theosophical Society, founded in New York City in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky, William Quan Judge, and Henry Steel Olcott. Blavatsky's major work, The Secret Doctrine (1888), was one of the foundational works of modern theosophy.[4] As of 2015[update], members of organizations descended from, or related to, the Theosophical Society were active in more than 52 countries around the world.[a] Modern theosophy has also given rise to, or influenced, the development of other mystical, philosophical, and religious movements.[5] Etymology[edit] The term theosophia appeared (in both Greek and Latin) in the works of early church fathers, as a synonym for theology:[6] the theosophoi are "those who know divine matters Theosophy: Related:  -

London Lodge The London Lodge (also London Lodge of the Theosophical Society) was an English lodge of the Theosophical Society. Until the 1910s, the lodge was an important part of the theosophical movement. History[edit] The London Lodge was founded on 27 June 1878 in London by Charles Carleton Massey (1838-1905) under the name British Theosophical Society of the Arya Samaj of Aryavart. On 3 June 1883 the name of the lodge was changed to London Lodge of the Theosophical Society, usually written as London Lodge TS or simply London Lodge. The first president of the British TS was Charles Carleton Massey from 27 June 1878 to 6 January 1883. In April/May 1883 Alfred Percy Sinnett became a member of the London Lodge. 14 members of the London Lodge founded in May 1887 the Blavatsky Lodge, the second official theosophical Society in England, and the third in Europe after the Loge Germania in Germany. Charles Webster Leadbeater became, on 21 November 1883, a member of the London Lodge. References[edit]

Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, or simply Three Dialogues, is a 1713 book on metaphysics and idealism written by George Berkeley. Taking the form of a dialogue, the book was written as a response to the criticism Berkeley experienced after publishing A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge.[1] Background[edit] In 1709, Berkeley published his first major work, An Essay towards a New Theory of Vision, in which he discussed the limitations of human vision and advanced the theory that the proper objects of sight are not material objects, but light and colour.[3] This foreshadowed his chief philosophical work, A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge (1710), which, after its poor reception, he rewrote into the Three Dialogues (1713).[1] Hylas and Philonous[edit] Berkeley's views are represented by Philonous (Greek: "lover of mind"), while Hylas (Greek: "matter") embodies the Irish thinker's opponents, in particular John Locke. See also[edit] Notes[edit]

Theosophical Society History[edit] Formation[edit] Notes of the meeting proposing the formation of the Theosophical Society, New York City, 8 September 1875 The Theosophical Society was officially formed in New York City, United States, on 17 November 1875 by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, and others. To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or colour.To encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy, and science.To investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in man. Sympathy with the above objects was the sole condition of admission to the society. ARTICLE I: Constitution 4. The Society reformulated this view in a resolution passed by the General Council of the Theosophical Society on December 23, 1924.[6] Seal of the Theosophical Society, Budapest, Hungary The Hidden Masters[edit] Schisms[edit] Main building of the Theosophical Society in Adyar, India, 1890 See also[edit]

Charles Webster Leadbeater British theosophist and author on the occult (1854-1934) Charles Webster Leadbeater (; 16 February 1854 – 1 March 1934) was a member of the Theosophical Society, author on occult subjects and co-initiator with J. I. Originally a priest of the Church of England, his interest in spiritualism caused him to end his affiliation with Anglicanism in favour of the Theosophical Society, where he became an associate of Annie Besant. Early life[edit] Leadbeater was born in Stockport, Cheshire, in 1854. In 1862, when Leadbeater was eight years old, his father died from tuberculosis. An uncle, his father's brother-in-law, was the well-known Anglican cleric William Wolfe Capes. Theosophical Society[edit] Headmaster in Ceylon[edit] During 1885, Leadbeater traveled with Henry Steel Olcott (1832–1907), first President of the Theosophical Society, to Burma and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Return to England[edit] Meeting with Annie Besant[edit] After H. Writing and speaking career[edit] Clairvoyance[edit] Blavatsky

Nicolas Malebranche Nicolas Malebranche, Oratory of Jesus (; French: [nikɔlɑ malbrɑ̃ʃ]; 6 August 1638 – 13 October 1715), was a French Oratorian[1] priest and rationalist philosopher. In his works, he sought to synthesize the thought of St. Augustine and Descartes, in order to demonstrate the active role of God in every aspect of the world. Malebranche is best known for his doctrines of vision in God, occasionalism and ontologism. Biography[edit] Early years[edit] Malebranche was born in Paris in 1638, the youngest child of Nicolas Malebranche, secretary to King Louis XIII of France, and Catherine de Lauzon, sister of Jean de Lauson, a Governor of New France. In 1664, Malebranche first read Descartes' Treatise on Man, an account of the physiology of the human body. Philosophical career[edit] In 1674–75, Malebranche published the two volumes of his first and most extensive philosophical work. Malebranche expanded on this last point in 1680 when he published Treatise on Nature and Grace. Timeline[edit]

Havelock Ellis Henry Havelock Ellis, known as Havelock Ellis (2 February 1859 – 8 July 1939), was an English physician, writer, progressive intellectual and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He co-authored the first medical textbook in English on homosexuality in 1897, and also published works on a variety of sexual practices and inclinations, as well as on transgender psychology. He is credited[by whom?] with introducing the notions of narcissism and autoeroticism, later adopted by psychoanalysis. Ellis was among the pioneering investigators of psychedelic drugs and the author of one of the first written reports to the public about an experience with mescaline, which he conducted on himself in 1896. Early life and teaching career[edit] Ellis, son of Edward Peppen Ellis and Susannah Mary Wheatley, was born in Croydon, Surrey (now part of Greater London). Medicine and psychology[edit] In 1897 a bookseller was prosecuted for stocking Ellis's book. Eonism[edit] Marriage[edit] Eugenics[edit]

Annie Besant Irish socialist, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator In 1867, Annie, at age 20, married Frank Besant, a clergyman, and they had two children. However, Annie's increasingly unconventional religious views led to their legal separation in 1873.[2] She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society (NSS), as well as a writer, and a close friend of Charles Bradlaugh. In 1877 they were prosecuted for publishing a book by birth control campaigner Charles Knowlton. The scandal made them famous, and Bradlaugh was subsequently elected M.P. for Northampton in 1880. She also became involved in politics in India, joining the Indian National Congress. Early life[edit] St. Annie Wood was born in 1847 in London into an upper-middle-class family. In 1867, at age twenty, she married 26-year-old clergyman Frank Besant (1840–1917), younger brother of Walter Besant. Grave of Frank Besant at Sibsey, where he remained vicar until his death Birkbeck[edit] Theosophy[edit]

Longman World History Hindu Creation Myth and the Caste System About the Document The Aryan invasion of the subcontinent around 1,500 B.C.E. brought with it a new religion that featured a pantheon of gods that the Aryans worshiped through ritualism and with burnt sacrifices. Over the next thousand years, the religion matured, probably incorporating some elements of Harappan theology and certainly establishing a rigid social structure. Centuries later, Europeans would dub this five-tiered social structure "the caste system." The caste system became a central element of both Hindu theology and Indian society. Around 500 B.C.E., Indians began to record their extensive oral religious traditions in what has become known as the Vedic literature. The Document From the Rig-Veda Thousand-headed Purusha, thousand-eyed, thousand-footed he, having pervaded the earth on all sides, still extends ten fingers beyond it. Purusha alone is all this—whatever has been and whatever is going to be. From The Law of Manu

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