Theos-Talk Archives (October 2000 Message tt00296)

Dear Friends,

You all have Theosophy in common and as you must recall, it is all 
about creating a Brotherhood of Mankind. It is for each and everyone 
of us to reach within and find the Truth about who and what we are. 
This sense of brotherhood can only come about when each one realizes 
experientially the undeniable connectedness that we all have with one 
another and with all things. Madame Blavatsky was not the only one 
who wrote about the Divine Wisdom. The writings of various persons in 
this theosophical movement and other wisdom traditions constitute a 
rich archive of those explorations and the honest sharings of what 
has been discovered. As with all things of value the writings of 
theosophists must also stand the test of time and be weighed against 
our own truths. There are two components to Wisdom, the intellectual 
knowledge, and the actual realization of it. It is very important to 
rely on the writings, but only as a guide, as they must also be 
tested by you. There is great knowledge in these writings and there 
is also some chaff, it is up to each one to do his or her own 
winnowing.

After H.P.B. passed on the Movement split into two main branches 
because there was a difference about whether psychic powers should or 
should not be employed in furthering the aims of the Theosophical 
Movement. The branch that primarily took root in southern California 
around Katherine Tingley, and G. De Purucker, formed around the 
notion that, as H.P.B. had warned against the use of psychic powers, 
their focus would primarily be centered on the ethical tradition as a 
way of life or path. We now understand these ethical teachings to be 
the precepts of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. The other branch 
that headquartered in Adyar, India, with Annie Besant, and Charles 
Leadbeater, developed to explore and further the Theosophical 
Movement along the lines of the psychic development of man. Both 
branches had and still have at their heart the original desire to 
further the development in the world a brotherhood of all mankind 
living in peace and harmony through the knowledge and practice of the 
wisdom traditions.

For those of you who would enjoy reading about some of this history, 
I would encourage you to acquire the book "California Utopia: Point 
Loma: 1897-1942. It contains an unbiased treatment on the roots of 
the Theosophical Movement and its development into the branch guided 
by Katherine Tingley and following her G.De Purucker. This community 
flourished through living and teaching what H.P.B. had taught. The 
writings of G. De Purucker are especially good in that they provide a 
course structure and clear understandable explanation of H.P.B.'s 
teachings and much more.

There are tremendously valuable theosophical teachings available in 
the form of writings still available through Point Loma Publications, 
and the Theosophical University Press. I would encourage anyone and 
all to explore the minds and lives of other really great theosophists.

May your path be free,
Sherab

Point Loma Publications
http://www.wisdomtraditions.com/PLPCatFr.html
Theosophical University Press
http://user.aol.com/tstec/hmpage/tup.htm