Theos-Talk Archives (January 2005 Message tt00586)

Jan 18 2005
	
	
Re: What is Theosophy in a nutshell

Many thanks Estela and Reed for an excellent review.

Those notes will help me and many of us, I am sure.

Let me observe a fact: HPB's Teachers were not confined to Tibet.  

They worked all over the world, were aware of all events that had spiritual
significance everywhere, as well as of particular individuals, and, They
speak of Their wide ranging travels -- as can be traced from Their recorded
letters and accounts.

Best wishes, 

Dal  

===================================

P S 

Some years ago I made up a synopsis of the Chapters of  
The OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY .



What does the Ocean cover ?

====================

1	MAN'S PURPOSE	-- Acquirement & Practise of WISDOM --  

1	Morals of Immortality

2	Brotherhood



2	MAN'S "EXAMPLES" -- superior Men (MASTERS OF WISDOM) exist.

1	Names

2	Teachings

3	Example

4	Agents & assistants



3	MONADS -- Universal And Immortal Potentials Of Force.

1	Monadic Essence & the endless, countless MONADS

2	Degrees and levels of Experience

4	Sevenfold Nature and Sevenfold Man

5	The Gift of Mind & Responsibility

6	Un-dying Race & Self-Sacrifice

7	Immortality in Eternity -- always at constructive work



4	MAN and Universal Evolution

1	Spiritual

2	Intellectual and Emotional

3	Physical and Astral 


	
5	EARTH'S EVOLUTION	-- A School for Immortals

1	Cycles of Time -- Manvantara / Pralaya

2	Rounds, Globes and Races

3	Reincarnation -- Rebirth of Mind-Monads

4	After Death States

1	Kama-Loka

2	Devachan



6	UNIVERSAL LAW -- KARMA 

1	Cause and Effect

2	Harmony of Diversities

3	Reincarnation

4	Freedom is always self-governed

5	Service by the Wise to all (end of Voice.)

6	Retardation & Obscuration

7	Vortical, Reciprocal, Circular, Vibratory MOTION in Space
and Time



7	ASTRAL AND PSYCHIC NATURE

1	Evidence and Purpose

2	Phenomena and Danger

3	Akasic Records -- History


=======================================



17 Chapters of the Ocean -- Sequence


===========================


1	THEOSOPHY AND THE MASTERS -- The GOAL: WISDOM - IDEALISM 

2	GENERAL PRINCIPLES -- Sevenfold Universe and Man

3	THE EARTH "CHAIN" OF GLOBES -- Evolutionary panorama

4	SEVENFOLD MAN -- Spiritual - Mental - Physical

5	ASTRAL & PHYSICAL BODY	-- Change & Illusion (Maya)

6	DESIRE, EMOTION, PASSION KAMA -- Dispassion vs. Reward

7	MIND -- HIGHER AND LOWER MANAS -- Idealism & Selfishness

8 / 10	REINCARNATION -- UNDER LAW; PROS & CONS     
-- Causes of Reincarnation

11	KARMA -- THE UNIVERSAL LAW OF COMPENSATION -- Cause and Effect

12	KAMA-LOKA	DESIRE FIELD / PLANE --    

13	DEVACHAN -- ALTRUISM & IDEALS -- SPIRITUAL ASSIMILATION

14	CYCLES	-- Manvantara / Pralaya Rounds & Races

15	PHYSICAL EVOLUTION -- Form does not generate Self-consciousness

16	PSYCHIC LAWS -- Self-made limitations

17	Psychic Phenomena.	Nature's Secret Laws & Forces


======================================


-----Original Message-----

From: Estela Carson 
Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2005 
To: study@blavatsky.net
Subject: [bn-study] What is Theosophy in a nutshell


Hello Folks, 


I want to do a short recap of What is Theosophy for all who have joined us
in the past month, and for all like myself who need a review of the
principles. Set down below is a list of main theosophical themes from the
Blavatsky Net site. 

Reed Carson some time back thought it would be helpful to the newcomer to
Theosophy to have a brief synopsis of the main principles of Theosophy, and
so he put together this checklist. 

ANCIENT WISDOM knew - and continues to know - deep and vast knowledge about
ourselves, our purpose in life, nature, the universe, the highest god-like
principles, and man's long pre-history on this earth. 

Theosophy is the portion of that ancient knowledge brought to us by H. P.
Blavatsky toward the end of the 19th century, as taught to her by her
Teachers in Tibet.


Some of its principles are:


........Everything in the universe originates from one boundless, eternal,
unknowable source. After a period of manifested existence the
universe returns to that source. 

........The universe itself is an organic whole, alive, intelligent,
conscious, and divine. 

........The laws of nature are the result of intelligent forces. 

........The law of karma holds throughout the universe. It operates at all
levels, ensuring justice, harmony, and balance. 

........We reincarnate into successive lives. Once we have reached the human
level we do not regress back into animal forms. 

........The law of karma acts over our successive lives to ensure justice.
(We don't get away with it.) We are the cause of every joy and
pain in our own life. 

........A law of cycles provides fundamental structure at all levels. Two
examples are our pattern of reincarnation, and the continuing
"lives" of the universe as it appears, then returns to its
source. 

........Analogy and correspondence provide fundamental structure for the
universe. This is a broad statement of the Hermetic axiom - "As
above, so below". 

........Evolution applies on a grand scale to all of life. 

........Soul gets involved in this world of matter. It experiences and
learns. Soul then works its way back in a long pilgrimage to
its primal source. This again follows a cyclic pattern. 

........This evolution achieves experience, self-awareness, and ever
increasing perfection. Evolution occurs on the physical, mental,
and spiritual planes. 

........"Survival of the fittest" along with gradual accumulation of small
beneficial changes does not explain the "origin of the
species". The origin of the species is due to intelligent design. 

........Humanity has experienced significant evolution in long periods on
the continents (not islands) of Atlantis and Lemuria. 

........There is a seven fold constitution of man ranging from the physical
plane to the purely spiritual plane. 

........Thoughts are tangible objects on higher planes. Every thought and
action has its effect on us and on our surroundings and has a
karmic consequence. 

........The three higher planes of this constitution form the "higher self"
and that is what reincarnates from life to life and
accumulates the experience, the lessons, the virtues. The lower
planes form the "lower self" and are the vehicle used by the
higher self while it is living in this active testing ground of incarnate
life. 

........At the moment of death we have a review of our life just past - as
we cast off this physical frame. After a short
period, that varies greatly between individuals, we cast off
other lower aspects of our constitution and the reincarnating self
begins a long period of merciful, earned, rest before the next birth. 

........Often during this life, our spiritual nature is obscured in our
self-centered daily lives as we cater to our immediate needs and
desires. But the spiritual self is always there to guide us if
we seek it with strong earnest desire. 

........We can strive to reach our higher self by: 

........Listening to our still small voice of conscience. 

........Noting the dreams from the higher self. 

........Developing our intuition. 

........Meditating. 

........Studying principles of the Wisdom Religion. 

........Aligning ourselves with Nature. 

........Engaging in action for the greater good. 

........Carefully reading the events of our daily life. 

........Brotherhood is a fact in nature. We are ONE at the highest spiritual
component of our nature. We are sparks from one flame. We are
the fingers on one hand. We are ONE at other levels as well.



We should: 

........Understand we are not separate from humanity or the world. 

........Emphasize brotherhood, altruism, and compassion in our daily lives. 

........Strive to know our higher self. 

........As a guiding rule - act for and as the Self of All. 

........The religions of the world are branches on the tree whose trunk is
the one ancient - once universal - wisdom religion. The
religions are the tributaries of one great river. (But they
borrow from each other to make the actual details much more
complex.) 

........Mythology often transmits some of this knowledge in symbolic form. 

........Periodically, great teachers come amongst us to help us in this
evolutionary path. They may create another branch on the
tree. 

........Humanity's potential is infinite and every being has a contribution
to make toward a grander world. We are all in it together. We
are one. 


I had carried this list for a time, when I first started to study Theosophy,
it has helped me greatly and I hope it will serve you well. 

Best regards, 

Estela Carson