Theos-Talk Archives (February 2008 Message tt00178)

Hi Leon

Leon Maurer <leonmaurer@aol.com> wrote:          Hi Cass,

Did you ever think that all channeling might be phony stage acting 
(even though based on actual inner knowledge)?
  Cass:  Either phony or elementals activating an old shell with a retained memory if the channeler is mediumistic.  

Couldn't that be why HPB used (also, easily faked) precipitated 
letters to qualify her "Masters," rather than channeling? ... 
  Cass: I never quite understood why there would be a need to precipitate a letter when as you say, KH and HPB could have connected through the cosmic mind field.   
  ===================================================
  And, to write her articles, the SD, etc., why she used simple trance states 
of her higher buddhi-mind consciousness (or higher self) that can be 
(like all the Masters) directly linked together -- (through the 
ubiquitously entangled zero-point "singularity's" of absolute space) 
-- to the cosmic mind field?
  Cass: So are you saying that when in a trance state are you referring to Letter 85B, "whenever these powers are needed, the sovereign will unlocks the door to the inner man (the adept) who can emerge and act freely but on condition that his jailor (the outer man) will be either completely or partially paralized as the case may require...but with an akasic film interposed between the outer and the inner man."  And that, DK instead of throwing a "film" between his outer and inner man and had foolishly paralyzed all his outer senses while talking to and with a distant friend, he walked into a beam causing a blood nose.  But besides this cautionary action to ensure a connection between the outer and inner man, that the inner man in buddhi-mind consciousness is automatically linked to other buddhi-mind consciousness as the Masters were to HPB.  Why though not state this rather than the method of pretending to precipitate a letter?  
  Perhaps it is as simple as having to show an occult event in the turn of the century that denied occultism.
  From this point of view, it is suggestive that only those who are linked to, by trance or experience, to the buddhi-mind consciousness could access the Masters in this way?

  ==================================================
Isn't that what Jesus' admonition to "Ask and you will receive" 
really refers to? And, isn't that what Patanjali infers about 
obtaining "all knowledge" if you follow his instructions, and 
practice Rajah Yoga until you learn how to quiet the lower mind, so 
as to arrive at such a state of enlightened consciousness, at will?
  Cass: Are you saying that accessing the buddhi-mind consciousness (the higher self) requires meditation to quiet the lower mind?
  ==================================================
  

But, for direct oral teachings through a supposed "channeler" or wise 
guru -- only direct answers to specific questions could be of any use 
to any prospective initiate... And, then, only if those answers are 
continually questioned until full visualizable understanding is reached.
  Cass: So, without the spiritual helping hand of an adept one should be suspicious or skeptical of what one is seeing or hearing.  But that I could pose a question and may intuitively receive a response, but that verification, still needs to be obtained through"full visualizable understanding".  What exactly is "full visualizable understanding?"
  =================================================== 

So, couldn't that also be why no one has channeled Buddha, Krishna or 
Christ (Except maybe some crazies like Jim Jones ;-)? Although, I'm 
sure there are many teachers who could explain reality as well as 
they could.
  Cass: As I said, if would probably cause the brain to implode!  Which raises the question, Is the brain still required to transfer the information from the inner man to the outer man so that there is a self-conscious awareness of it?
  ===================================================

As for channeling Blavatsky... What would be the need -- since she 
already wrote down everything she knew about fundamental reality in 
the SD? And, even in there, much was hidden that only the "intuitive 
student" (meaning someone who had multidimensional geometric- 
topological insight) could understand. That's what she meant by 
"reading in and around the words and between the lines."
  Cass:  I was having a joke with Chuck.  It might give the masters a chuckle if HPB experienced the frustration of the masters in passing on the knowledge ,transposed by her in the SD.  Although in fairness they said that it was her english that was the block, and not her understanding of occult truths.
  ======================================================

That's why all the interpretations written by others, following in 
HPB's seat of perceived power, seem to make the underlying 
cosmogenesis even more difficult to comprehend, if read only in their 
dead letter. Although, if one accepts the Heart Doctrine and 
practices it -- that's really all that counts -- no matter who 
teaches it. As the Buddha said, "Only knowing a little of this 
doctrine, could lead to Moksha."
  Cass: So true.
  I am still digesting our last subject.  Hopefully regurgation is not too far off.
  Does the Heart Doctrine mean that rather than rationalise , say your ABC that I simply read what you say and the answers will be intuitively picked up in my buddhi-mind consciousness?
  I hope I have been able to explain myself properly as I have had a full day and my brain is feeling quite fried.
   
  Thanks for your support
  Cass

Best wishes,

Leon

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Cass Silva <silva_cass@yahoo.com>
> Date: February 16, 2008 8:02:18 PM EST
> To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: Theos-World What is Theosophy
> Reply-To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
>
> I am dumbfounded that someone hasn't got on the net as the 
> channeller of Blavatsky. There's an american woman who channels an 
> unknown Atlantean (whose name escapes me now). Still, I guess it 
> would take more than a David to take on HPB! There would be a 
> series of flapdoodle hits to the top of the head!
>
> Cass
>
> Drpsionic@aol.com wrote:
>
> Great Tummy of Blavatsky! Who would want to channel them?
>
> Chuck the Heretic
>
> http://www.geocities.com/c_cosimano
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Cass Silva <silva_cass@yahoo.com>
> To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 7:32 pm
> Subject: Re: Theos-World What is Theosophy
>
> I wonder why Leadbeater and Besant haven't been channelled?
> Cass
>
> MKR <mkr777@gmail.com> wrote:
> *No one knows.*
>
> On 2/14/08, Cass Silva <silva_cass@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> I wonder if the Maitreya is still in contact with the LCC.
>> Cass
>>
>> Morten Nymann Olesen <global-theosophy@stofanet.dk<global-theosophy 
>> %40stofanet.dk>>
>> wrote:
>> To all readers
>>
>> My views are:
>>
>> Pablo wrote:
>> "On what grounds do you say that "It was Besant who (with 
>> Leadbeater's
>> input) turned Theosophy into a religious organization through the
>> LCC"? In this circle it is fashionable to criticize Besant and
>> Leadbeater for whatever they did, and most of the times the 
>> statements
>> are unsupported.
>> What is the influence of the LCC upon the TS today? NONE. That is the
>> truth. "
>>
>> So those are your views....?
>>
>> C. W. Leadbeater and Annie Besant was appearntly told by The 
>> Maitreya to
>> build the LCC!
>> But it would perhaps be helpful to read the followng article. I 
>> would like
>> to know what you think about its content.
>>
>> Here are a few excerpts:
>>
>> 1.
>> THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN TRUTH
>> "A number of letters sent by C.W. Leadbeater, then living in 
>> Sydney, to
>> Annie Besant, President of The Theosophical Society, at Adyar, 
>> between 1916
>> and 1920 are concerned with the 'Lord Maitreya' and the Liberal 
>> Catholic
>> Church, which was then being founded. These have but recently come 
>> to my
>> knowledge.
>>
>> The claim of the Liberal Catholic Church for support from Fellows 
>> of The
>> Theosophical Society was based on the belief, expressed in this
>> correspondence, that the World Teacher, the Lord Maitreya, had 
>> 'brought it
>> into being' and 'approved' its liturgy. Mrs Besant accepted the 
>> information
>> in good faith and announced the founding. A letter dated April 7, 
>> 1920
>> contains the following:"
>> .......
>>
>> "In 1909 onwards: Krishnamurti was found by Leadbeater 
>> clairvoyantly, as
>> he similarly discovered a number of other outstanding young people 
>> both
>> before that time and after. Then Krishnamurti was adopted by Annie 
>> Besant.
>> This was followed some years later by the announcement of the 
>> Coming of the
>> World Teacher. The Star campaign was opened, and a monthly 
>> magazine, Herald
>> of the Star, was launched. There was general acceptance among 
>> members of The
>> Theosophical Society of the Coming and Krishnamurti was named as 
>> the Chosen
>> Vehicle, privately at first and publicly later. Great activity 
>> ensued in
>> many Sections: a stadium was built near Sydney; in Holland a 
>> castle with
>> 5,000 acres was given, a camp was formed and much money spent on
>> improvements; in California the Happy Valley estate was purchased 
>> for the
>> future.
>>
>> 1912: Annie Besant entered Indian politics to assist the aim of 
>> Dominion
>> Status. She shut off her clairvoyant faculties and inner contacts.
>>
>> 1916-20: Letters from Leadbeater to Mrs Besant announcing founding of
>> Liberal Catholic Church with approval of 'the World Teacher', who 
>> had also
>> approved the liturgy. This was accepted and endorsed by her.
>>
>> 1925: At the Holland Camp Mrs Besant announced the initiation of 
>> several
>> Arhats-all to assist the Coming of the World Teacher.
>>
>> 1928-29: Krishnamurti withdrew from The Theosophical Society and 
>> from all
>> connection with the Star activities, renouncing everything.
>>
>> 1930: I had my last interview with Annie Besant. Everything 
>> connected with
>> the Coming closed down. The castle and land in Holland were 
>> returned to the
>> donor; the Sydney stadium was sold; Star shops were closed, etc."
>> .......
>>
>> "Krishnamurti on 'The Beloved'
>>
>> It is appropriate to give here an extract from Who Brings the 
>> Truth? by J.
>> Krishnamurti, published in 1927.
>>
>> When I was a small boy I used to see Sri Krishna, with the flute, 
>> as he is
>> pictured by the Hindus, because my mother was a devotee of Sri 
>> Krishna. She
>> used to talk to me about Sir Krishna, and hence I created an image 
>> in my
>> mind of Sri Krishna, with the flute, with all the devotion, all 
>> the love,
>> all the songs, all the delight - you have no idea what a 
>> tremendous thing
>> that is for the boys and girls of India. When I grew older and met 
>> with
>> Bishop Leadbeater and The Theosophical Society, I began to see the 
>> Master
>> K.H. - again in the form which was put before me, the reality from 
>> their
>> point of view - and hence the Master K.H. was to me the end. Later 
>> on, as
>> I grew, I began to see the Lord Maitreya. That was two years ago, 
>> and I saw
>> him then constantly in the form put before me ... It has been a 
>> struggle all
>> the time to find the Truth, because I was not satisfied by the 
>> authority of
>> another, or the imposition of another, or the enticement of 
>> another; I
>> wanted to discover for
>> myself and naturally I had to go through sufferings to find out. Now
>> lately, it has been the Buddha whom I have been seeing, and it has 
>> been my
>> delight and my glory to be with him.
>>
>> I have been asked what I mean by 'the Beloved' - I will give a 
>> meaning, an
>> explanation, which you will interpret as you please. To me it is 
>> all: it is
>> Sri Krishna, it is the Master K.H., it is the Lord Maitreya, it is 
>> the
>> Buddha, and yet it is beyond all these forms. What does it matter 
>> what name
>> you give?
>>
>> 'The Beloved' of Krishnamurti appears to be identical with H.P.B's
>> 'Ever-Present God - the Divine Plenum', referred to on page 14."
>>
>> http://www.theosophical.ca/NoReligion.htm (1963)
>>
>> 2.
>> AN APPRECIATION OF C. W. LEADBEATER By Geoffrey Hodson
>> "As I have elsewhere written, I attended several of the Star Camps in
>> Holland and
>> was present when there was evidence of remarkable, if brief, 
>> supernormal
>> manifestations. On more than one occasion some two thousand people 
>> from
>> many
>> parts of the world were gathered at Ommen to hear Krishnamurti. Each
>> evening, all
>> were seated in concentric circles round a large camp fire. 
>> Krishnamurti
>> would arrive,
>> take his place for a time, and then rise and apply a torch to the 
>> camp
>> fire. As the
>> flames arose against the evening sky he would chant a mantram to 
>> the god
>> Agni, and
>> return to his seat. Thereafter he would begin to speak, and on 
>> more than
>> one occasion
>> a noticeable change took place in him. His voice altered and his 
>> hitherto
>> rather
>> iconoclastic utterances gave way to a wonderful tenderness of 
>> expression
>> and thought
>> which induced in those present an elevation of consciousness. The 
>> Talks
>> were
>> followed by prolonged meditative silences. Many of those present, 
>> myself
>> among
>> them, bore testimony to the sense of divine peace which had 
>> descended, to
>> a
>> realization of the Presence of the Lord, and to an assurance that the
>> prophecy had
>> begun to be fulfilled.
>> These phenomena occurred during some few successive years, the events
>> being so
>> marked that Krishnamurti himself thereafter changed the Objects of 
>> the
>> Order of the
>> Star in the East from, in effect, "To prepare for the coming of 
>> the Lord"
>> to "To serve
>> the World Teacher now that He is in our midst." I, myself, more 
>> than once
>> heard
>> Krishnamurti affirm that the great Teacher was now here and that the
>> "Coming" had
>> actually occurred. Even now when he is speaking, with others I 
>> discern a
>> spiritual
>> influence emanating from him, as if a great Being were still using 
>> him as
>> a vehicle.
>> This, however, does not constitute a complete fulfillment of the 
>> original
>> prophecy. "
>> www.theosophical.org/resources/articles/AppreciationofCWL.pdf 
>> (written
>> around 1965)
>>
>> - - - - - - -
>>
>> A short comment:
>> The wonderful LCC bridge you refer to Pablo has nothing what so 
>> ever to do
>> with the theosophical teachings as they were given by H. P. 
>> Blavatsky. C. W.
>> Leadbeater clear and supportive actions towards the Messiah Craze 
>> leaves me
>> baffled as to how you can reach such non-theosophical conclusion?
>> Wearing silly hats and founding your quite Liberal Catholic Church on
>> homosexuality is not quite in line with the same ideas as promoted 
>> by H. P.
>> Blavatsky and the Mahatma's.
>> Oh dear oh dear....when will the planet get enough of their insane
>> Christian Bible?
>>
>> Not a word from CWL about the dugpas within the Vatican mentioned by
>> Master K. H. (Mahatma Letter 55, to A. P. Sinnett.). Not a word 
>> against
>> promoting a carnalised and personal saviour. Quite on the contrary.
>>
>> M. Sufilight
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Pablo Sender
>> To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com <theos-talk%40yahoogroups.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 5:28 AM
>> Subject: Re: Theos-World What is Theosophy
>>
>> On what grounds do you say that "It was Besant who (with Leadbeater's
>> input) turned Theosophy into a religious organization through the
>> LCC"? In this circle it is fashionable to criticize Besant and
>> Leadbeater for whatever they did, and most of the times the 
>> statements
>> are unsupported.
>> What is the influence of the LCC upon the TS today? NONE. That is the
>> truth. But, as result of that endeavor in the past, there is today in
>> the world a Christian church that has a theosophical foundation. What
>> could be better than that? Since the traditional Christianity is
>> dying, the LCC could be a wonderful bridge between Christianity and
>> Theosophy in the future. We cannot expect all the Egos with their
>> different states of evolution to be interested in Theosophy. But the
>> LCC might be a very good tool in taking that step from 
>> Christianity to
>> Theosophy. The Mahatmas make their plans in terms of hundred of 
>> years,
>> so we don't know what could the future role of the LCC be.
>> Anyway, apart from that, the LCC doesn't affect the TS at all. The
>> over-reactions through the years proved to be groundless and based
>> only in one thing (as every fundamentalist thinking is): Fear.
>>
>> --- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com <theos-talk%40yahoogroups.com>, 
>> Cass
>> Silva <silva_cass@...> wrote:
>>>
>>> I can see your point, I think. Have you considered that every great
>> teacher will have a following. Jesus did not start out to set up
>> Christianity but to reintroduce the ancient wisdom. HPB had her
>> advaitees too. It was Besant who (with Leadbeater's input) turned
>> Theosophy into a religious organization through the LCC and the 
>> belief
>> that a saviour was to return to save mankind. He was supposedly
>> coming into Sydney Harbour!
>>>
>>> I agree that many people who follow Krishnamurti have an
>> intellectual mind set but one cannot blame the teacher if the
>> followers misunderstand the message. Yes organizations were set up
>> around him, but did he personally benefit from the establishment of
>> these organizations? I never saw any trappings of wealth around him,
>> all I saw, was a man who devoted his life to spreading the 
>> teaching of
>> advaita.
>>>
>>> I guess we are just going to disagree on Krishnamurti as I don't
>> place him in the same pot as Besant and Leadbeater. Yes, he had
>> personality issues, but so did HPB, the stronger the soul, the
>> stronger the ego.
>>>
>>> Cass
>>>
>>> Morten Nymann Olesen <global-theosophy@...> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Allright Cass. But, I think you turn it all up side down. Try to
>> listen to what I say.
>>>
>>> I just follow H. P. Blavatsky's views. She said: Theosophy is
>> religion, and not a religion.
>>> So when I talk about a Theosophical camp it might not be the one you
>> refer to.
>>>
>>> It is when you turn theosophy into - A - religion like J.
>> Krishnamurti, Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater did, I do not support
>> their activities and views. And the same goes to the present day
>> fanatics witihin the J. Krishnamurti camp.
>>>
>>> M. Sufilight
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Cass Silva
>>> To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com <theos-talk%40yahoogroups.com>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 2:03 AM
>>> Subject: Re: Theos-World What is Theosophy
>>>
>>> Sometimes one has to get lost in order to be found. Again, Morten,
>> you are attacking Krishnamurti over Theosophy. He never said he was a
>> theosophist. He rejected Besant/Leadbeater theosophy because it
>> advocated a Maitreya. Don't make the mistake of making Theosophy the
>> one true religion.
>>> Cass
>>>
>>> Morten Nymann Olesen <global-theosophy@...> wrote:
>>> To all readers
>>>
>>> My views are:
>>>
>>> Interesting email Pablo. I thank you.
>>>
>>> Pablo wrote:
>>> "It is our responsibility to
>>> preserve a space of freedom for every member to discover universal
>>> theosophy by himself so that, by living according to its 
>>> teachings, he
>>> or she may realize the theosophical state of consciousness."
>>>
>>> A peacefully ask all readers:
>>> Does this - "responsibility" - imply, that it is a very good idea to
>> promote a socalled Messiah or Meitreya or J. Krishnamurti cult within
>> the theosophical camp and thereby creating an emotional or
>> intellectual cult of followers, claiming that this is theosophical
>> teachings?
>>>
>>> M. Sufilight
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Pablo Sender
>>> To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com <theos-talk%40yahoogroups.com>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 5:34 AM
>>> Subject: Theos-World What is Theosophy
>>>
>>> "What is Theosophy?" is one of the most frequently asked
>>> questions in the theosophical milieu and, since the word
>>> `theosophy' remains without an official definition, it will
>>> always be a matter to ponder over. To answer this question, I 
>>> will quote
>>> H. P. Blavatsky's words, because the theosophical movement as a
>>> whole accepts her as a common source of inspiration. 
>>> Nevertheless, the
>>> same concepts may be found in many other theosophical writers.
>>>
>>> The term theosophia apparently was first recorded during the 3rd 
>>> century
>>> of our era by Porphyry, a well-known Alexandrian philosopher who
>>> belonged to the Neo-Platonic school. It is composed of two Greek 
>>> words:
>>> theos, meaning `god' or `divine'; and sophia, or
>>> `wisdom', which may also be translated as the `wisdom of the
>>> gods', `wisdom in things divine', or `divine
>>> wisdom'. The term flourished among Neo-Platonists down to the 6th c.
>>> and was also used by certain Christians. In the course of time, 
>>> several
>>> people and movements spiritually inclined also adopted the 
>>> denomination
>>> of `theosophers' or `theosophists' for themselves. That
>>> was the case of Meister Eckhart in the 14th c., a group of 
>>> Renaissance
>>> philosophers such as Paracelsus in the 16th c., Robert Fludd, Thomas
>>> Vaughan, and Jacob Boehme in the 17th; and Emanuel Swedenborg and 
>>> Karl
>>> von Eckartshausen in the 18th c., among others. Finally, the
>>> theosophical movement reappeared in the 19th c. with the founding 
>>> of the
>>> Theosophical Society in 1875 by H. P. Blavatsky, H. S. Olcott, and
>>> others. Through it, certain eternal truths were presented again in a
>>> suitable fashion to modern times and a rich literature has been 
>>> produced
>>> by Theosophical Society members in its more than 130 years of 
>>> activity.
>>>
>>> But then the question arises: Is theosophy what the founders of 
>>> the TS
>>> taught? Is it what every leader of the TS wrote? What is the
>>> relationship between the teachings given through the TS and those 
>>> older
>>> ones also known as theosophy? Since people with different 
>>> religious and
>>> philosophical backgrounds used the same word `theosophist' to
>>> call themselves, the term `theosophy' must represent something
>>> that unites them beyond concepts and beliefs.
>>>
>>> Theosophia as a state of consciousness
>>>
>>> In her article `What is Theosophy?' HPB attempts an explanation
>>> of the term `theosophy', describing who a theosophist is. To
>>> that end, she quotes Vaughan's definition:
>>>
>>> A Theosophist-he says-is one who gives you a theory of God or
>>> the works of God, which has not revelation, but an inspiration of 
>>> his
>>> own for its basis. [i]
>>>
>>> A theosophist's knowledge about the Divine does not come from any
>>> external source. He does not gather information from books, 
>>> teachers,
>>> etc., but from his own inmost nature. In fact, an essential common
>>> feature of every theosophist is his teaching about the 
>>> possibility for a
>>> human being to reach the Divine at the moment of real ecstasy, or 
>>> what
>>> is known as samâdhi in Eastern philosophy. In her article `The
>>> Beacon of the Unknown', HPB speaks about this as being a
>>> `transcendental Theosophy', which, according to her, `is
>>> true Theosophy, inner Theosophy, that of the soul':
>>>
>>> The infinite cannot be known to our reason, which can only 
>>> distinguish
>>> and define; but we can always conceive the abstract idea thereof, 
>>> thanks
>>> to that faculty higher than our reason-intuition, or the spiritual
>>> instinct of which I have spoken. The great initiates, who have 
>>> the rare
>>> power of throwing themselves into the state of samâdhi-which can
>>> be but imperfectly translated by the word ecstasy, a state in 
>>> which one
>>> ceases to be the conditioned and personal `I', and becomes one
>>> with the ALL-are the only ones who can boast of having been in
>>> contact with the infinite; but no more than other mortals can they
>>> describe that state in words . . . .
>>>
>>> These few characteristics of true Theosophy and its practice have 
>>> been
>>> sketched for the small number of our readers who are gifted with the
>>> desired intuition. [ii]
>>>
>>> And HPB herself had access to this kind of Divine Wisdom. Let us see
>>> what she wrote about her own source of knowledge:
>>>
>>> Knowledge comes in visions, first in dreams and then in pictures
>>> presented to the inner eye during meditation. Thus have I been 
>>> taught
>>> the whole system. . . . Not a word was spoken to me of all this 
>>> in the
>>> ordinary way . . . nothing taught me in writing. And knowledge so
>>> obtained is so clear . . . that all other sources of information, 
>>> all
>>> other methods of teaching with which we are familiar dwindle into
>>> insignificance in comparison with this. [iii]
>>>
>>> This kind of knowledge is much deeper than that acquired through 
>>> books
>>> and lectures, because one deals with reality in a more direct way 
>>> than
>>> through ideas-this perception is supra-conceptual. From this point
>>> of view, theosophy, essentially, is not a limited body of 
>>> concepts, but
>>> transcends any verbal formulation. It is a state of Divine 
>>> Wisdom, which
>>> is potentially in every human being. A theosophist, in his turn, 
>>> is one
>>> who realizes that state of inner enlightenment, irrespective of his
>>> culture, time, or language:
>>>
>>> In this view every great thinker and philosopher, especially every
>>> founder of a new religion, school of philosophy, or sect, is 
>>> necessarily
>>> a Theosophist. Hence, Theosophy and Theosophists have existed 
>>> ever since
>>> the first glimmering of nascent thought made man seek 
>>> instinctively for
>>> the means of expressing his own independent opinions. [iv]
>>>
>>> Theosophia and theosophical teachings
>>>
>>> But the word theosophy is also applied to the theosophical 
>>> teachings;
>>> that is, the body of concepts taught by a theosophist as a result 
>>> of his
>>> insight and wisdom. There is an important difference between 
>>> theosophy
>>> as the state of Divine Wisdom and theosophy as the teachings that 
>>> come
>>> through someone who has attained (whether temporarily or 
>>> permanently)
>>> that enlightened state. The Divine Wisdom is the perception of 
>>> Truth,
>>> but the teachings are a necessarily partial and conditioned 
>>> expression
>>> of the real theosophia. They are, therefore, not the Truth, but a
>>> description of it. One may be in touch with the theosophical 
>>> teachings
>>> and know them very well, but it is not the same as to realize the
>>> theosophical state of consciousness, because we cannot reach Wisdom
>>> through the accumulation of knowledge. When taken as an end in
>>> themselves, the theosophical teachings are of little value; but 
>>> if the
>>> aspirant is earnest, their application will help him to live the 
>>> right
>>> life, to develop self-knowledge, and ultimately to awaken the Divine
>>> Wisdom that is in his inmost being.
>>>
>>> Now, the very nature of the theosophical teachings accounts for 
>>> their
>>> diversity. A theosophist will speak according to his own inspiration
>>> `expressing his own independent opinions'. They are not
>>> brain-born ideas, but arise from a deep state of consciousness, 
>>> where
>>> the individual is facing Truth in some of its many aspects. And 
>>> in that
>>> state he does not learn through easily repeated concepts, but 
>>> through
>>> `images'. He has therefore the difficult task of putting into
>>> words his holistic comprehension of something which is beyond our 
>>> known
>>> reality. We can imagine how faint must be the expression of a 
>>> truth in
>>> our languages, and why many mystics refused to put into words 
>>> that which
>>> is Sacred. Quoting again HPB's words:
>>>
>>> One of the reasons why I hesitate to answer offhand some 
>>> questions put
>>> to me is the difficulty of expressing in sufficiently accurate 
>>> language
>>> things given to me in pictures, and comprehended by me by the pure
>>> Reason, as Kant would call it. [v]
>>>
>>> Nevertheless, they have to communicate it as skilfully as they 
>>> can if
>>> they want to point out the way to others. Thus, the expression of 
>>> the
>>> theosophical teachings must necessarily be different from 
>>> theosophist to
>>> theosophist according to his own temperament, intellectual 
>>> background,
>>> and so on, giving to the theosophical exposition an extraordinarily
>>> dynamic nature that prevents it from becoming a creed. Therefore,
>>> although one person may feel more attracted by the theosophical
>>> teachings as expressed by a particular theosophist, if he has a 
>>> right
>>> understanding, he will know that no verbal exposition is able to 
>>> express
>>> the Truth (not even at an intellectual level) and that theosophia 
>>> will
>>> not be attained by believing in any body of concepts. This is 
>>> why, since
>>> its inception, the Theosophical Society has encouraged no 
>>> dogmatism or
>>> belief.
>>>
>>> Ancient Wisdom, a universal theosophy
>>>
>>> There were theosophists and Theosophical Schools for the last 2,000
>>> years, from Plato down to the medieval Alchemists, who knew the 
>>> value of
>>> the term, it may be supposed. [vi]
>>>
>>> Theosophy transcends the Theosophical Society and was with humanity
>>> since its inception, not only in Western countries, but also in the
>>> whole world. Since `every great thinker and philosopher is a
>>> Theosophist', Buddha, Zoroaster, Lao Tzu, Jesus Christ,
>>> Patañjali, Sankarâchârya, Nâgârjuna, and Rumi, among
>>> others, gave theosophical teachings, no matter how they labelled 
>>> their
>>> teachings.
>>>
>>> According to the theosophical view, every world religion is based 
>>> on,
>>> and comes from, one and the same ancient truth known in the past 
>>> as the
>>> `Wisdom-Religion'. This universal theosophy we are talking about
>>> `is the body of truths which forms the basis of all religions, and
>>> which cannot be claimed as the exclusive possession of any'.
>>>
>>> However, the pure and original teachings of religions became, in 
>>> time,
>>> more or less corrupted by human ambition and selfishness, and 
>>> obscured
>>> by superstition and ignorance. Thus, universal theosophy became
>>> entangled in a mass of confusion, and now a special effort is 
>>> necessary
>>> to bring back its purity. One of the aims of the Theosophical 
>>> Society is
>>> to encourage its members to investigate and discover the eternal 
>>> truths
>>> enshrined in different religions, philosophies, and sciences, and to
>>> offer them to the public in a purified form.
>>>
>>> Modern Theosophy and the TS
>>>
>>> When the Theosophical Society was founded it had no literature of 
>>> its
>>> own, and the main activity of its members was in the field of that
>>> universal theosophy. But today, after more than 130 years, the
>>> literature produced through the TS covers a wide field of subject
>>> matter. It has a metaphysical dimension that teaches the 
>>> functioning and
>>> constitution of the Cosmos, the aim of sentient existence in 
>>> different
>>> forms of life, the universal laws that rule its development, and 
>>> so on.
>>> Besides, modern theosophical literature speaks about right living 
>>> and
>>> the application of theosophical principles in daily life and, 
>>> finally,
>>> there are also a good number of books revealing universal 
>>> theosophy as
>>> present in different myths, philosophies, religions, and 
>>> sciences. All
>>> this literature is known as `modern Theosophy' (now usually
>>> written with a capital `T').
>>>
>>> Modern Theosophy offers a certain shared cosmovision, but since 
>>> it was
>>> produced by some theosophists' own inspiration, it is not a definite
>>> body of knowledge, but a dynamic exposition that differs in many 
>>> details
>>> or ways of expression from one author to another. Modern 
>>> Theosophy is
>>> not based on revelation or the teachings given by someone considered
>>> special and infallible, and it constantly receives new additions,
>>> presenting different aspects and new formulations of the 
>>> theosophical
>>> principles. In fact, that is the way the Founders originally 
>>> meant it,
>>> as revealed in many of their writings, and even in those of the 
>>> Masters
>>> of the Wisdom. For example, in her first letter to the American
>>> Theosophists assembled in the 1888 Convention, HPB wrote:
>>>
>>> According as people are prepared to receive it, so will new 
>>> Theosophical
>>> teachings be given. But no more will be given than the world, on its
>>> present level of spirituality, can profit by. It depends on the 
>>> spread
>>> of Theosophy-the assimilation of what has been already given-how
>>> much more will be revealed and how soon. [vii]
>>>
>>> If modern Theosophy would have been given to the world only 
>>> during the
>>> first years of the TS, the remaining members working for more 
>>> than 100
>>> years on a repetition of what had already been given, it would 
>>> mean the
>>> failure of the theosophical movement, as HPB warns in The Key to
>>> Theosophy [viii]. But fortunately that was not the case. There were
>>> several theosophists in the Theosophical Society, and each one of 
>>> them
>>> transmitted his insights and wisdom in a distinct and original way.
>>>
>>> The role of the Theosophical Society
>>>
>>> Theosophy is an all-embracing Science; many are the ways leading 
>>> to it,
>>> as numerous in fact as its definitions. [ix]
>>>
>>> Many are the ways leading to that state of Divine Wisdom, because 
>>> many
>>> are the different personal dispositions, states of development, and
>>> karmic bonds of every aspirant. The emphasis in every genuine
>>> theosophical association is not gathered around a single way but 
>>> around
>>> a single aim. Thus, for example, J. Boehme's Christian theosophy,
>>> Mme Blavatsky's occultist theosophy, and J. Krishnamurti's
>>> psychological theosophy (if we can give them those labels), though
>>> different in language and concepts, are nevertheless theosophical
>>> teachings, since they all tend to awaken the Divine Wisdom in the
>>> aspirant. And this feature of the TS, the policy of allowing 
>>> freedom of
>>> thought and encouraging its members' incessant searching with an
>>> open mind, is essential not only for the realization of 
>>> theosophia in
>>> oneself, but also for the vitality of the modern theosophical 
>>> movement.
>>> In HPB's words:
>>>
>>> Orthodoxy in Theosophy is a thing neither possible nor desirable. 
>>> It is
>>> diversity of opinion, within certain limits, that keeps the 
>>> Theosophical
>>> Society a living and healthy body, its many other ugly features
>>> notwithstanding. Were it not, also, for the existence of a large 
>>> amount
>>> of uncertainty in the minds of students of Theosophy, such healthy
>>> divergences would be impossible, and the Society would degenerate 
>>> into a
>>> sect, in which a narrow and stereotyped creed would take the 
>>> place of
>>> the living and breathing spirit of Truth and an ever growing 
>>> Knowledge.
>>> [x]
>>>
>>> Almost every sentence of this excerpt is worthy of deep thought, 
>>> but we
>>> will leave that to the reader. We will only point out that to say
>>> genuine Theosophy is only HPB's and her Masters' teachings (for
>>> example) is not only based on a misunderstanding of what theosophy
>>> really is, but it also goes against the TS' own interests. One
>>> individual member may agree particularly with a certain 
>>> exposition of
>>> theosophy, let us say, Mme Blavatsky's, and he has a right to do so.
>>> But he should neither try to force others to accept his view, nor 
>>> claim
>>> that her particular expression of theosophy should be exclusively
>>> studied, at the risk of betraying the Founders' original aim. The
>>> Theosophical Society, aiming to become a nucleus of the universal
>>> brotherhood, must remain open to universal theosophy, to 
>>> everything that
>>> may help to morally and spiritually elevate people who belong to
>>> different races, creeds, sex, castes, and colours. Otherwise, it 
>>> will
>>> become a particular sect, promoting a `stereotyped creed',
>>> suitable only to a portion of humanity sharing certain common
>>> characteristics. That would be the failure of the TS:
>>>
>>> Every such attempt as the Theosophical Society has hitherto ended in
>>> failure, because, sooner or later, it has degenerated into a 
>>> sect, set
>>> up hard-and-fast dogmas of its own, and so lost by imperceptible 
>>> degrees
>>> that vitality which living truth alone can impart. [xi]
>>>
>>> Of course, this does not imply that where Theosophical groups as 
>>> such
>>> meet should be a place to spread other traditions (see John Algeo's
>>> `On the Watch-Tower', The Theosophist April 2007) nor that
>>> everything promoted as being a `spiritual teaching' is really
>>> theosophy. That is, not everything promoted as being spiritual,
>>> philosophical or religious helps to elevate the human condition. 
>>> As we
>>> said, sometimes the originally spiritual teaching was corrupted 
>>> out of
>>> ignorance, thirst for domination, and so on. In other cases the 
>>> teaching
>>> is offered by a `false prophet'-someone whose intention is not
>>> at all to give a spiritual teaching, but to obtain personal profit.
>>> There are also some schools that spread a kind of `spiritual
>>> materialism' leading to the psychic, to fanaticism, or other forms
>>> of selfishness, as is happening today in the New Age movement to 
>>> a large
>>> extent. Therefore, each member of the TS must develop a deep
>>> understanding and discrimination in order to discover, in an open 
>>> and
>>> non-dogmatic way, where theosophy is truly expressed and where it is
>>> not.
>>>
>>> Summary
>>>
>>> Thus it is clear that the term `theosophy' is used in different
>>> contexts. To clarify this matter, we could apply the following
>>> classification to make a distinction among the different 
>>> applications of
>>> this term:
>>>
>>> a) theosophia: the transcendental theosophy, that is, the state of
>>> consciousness of inner enlightenment.
>>>
>>> b) universal theosophy: those theosophical teachings given by every
>>> great thinker, sage, and philosopher, modern or ancient. In this
>>> category we may add two subcategories:
>>>
>>> b1) ancient theosophy, sometimes called the Ancient Wisdom,
>>> meaning that ancient truth known in the past as the
>>> `Wisdom-Religion'.
>>>
>>> b2) modern Theosophy, the Theosophical teachings offered by
>>> members of the Theosophical Society.
>>>
>>> Since the TS was not founded to promote any particular system, its
>>> members should not limit Theosophy to a definite set of concepts, if
>>> they do not want to create a new cult. It is our responsibility to
>>> preserve a space of freedom for every member to discover universal
>>> theosophy by himself so that, by living according to its 
>>> teachings, he
>>> or she may realize the theosophical state of consciousness.
>>>
>>> Pablo D. Sender
>>>
>>> The Theosophist, Dec. 2007
>>> http://pasender.tripod.com/ <http://pasender.tripod.com/>
>>>
>>> References
>>>
>>> [i] Collected Writings, vol. II, p. 88, `What is Theosophy?'
>>>
>>> [ii] Ibid., XI, p. 258.
>>>
>>> [iii] Ibid., XIII, p. 285, `Knowledge Comes in Visions'.
>>>
>>> [iv] Ibid., II, p. 88, `What is Theosophy?'
>>>
>>> [v] Ibid., XIII, p. 285, `Knowledge Comes in Visions'.
>>>
>>> [vi] Ibid., VII, p. 169, `The Original Programme Manuscript'.
>>>
>>> [vii] Ibid., IX, p. 244, `Letter from H. P. Blavatsky to the Second
>>> American Convention'.
>>>
>>> [viii] The Key to Theosophy, Conclusion, `The Future of the
>>> Theosophical Society'.
>>>
>>> [ix] CW, vol. VII, p. 169, `The Original Programme Manuscript'.
>>>
>>> [x] Ibid., IX, pp. 243-4, `Letter from H. P. Blavatsky to the Second
>>> American Convention'.
>>>
>>> [xi] The Key to Theosophy, Conclusion, `The Future of the
>>> Theosophical Society'.
>>>
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