By Grace F. Knoche (1909 – 2006).

98 Pages | Originally published in 1940, second and revised 1999 edition | Softcover | The Theosophical University Press, Pasadena U.S.A. | ISBN: 1557000662.

Dutch translation: De Mysteriescholen Door De Eeuwen Heen | Translation of the second and revised 1999 edition | Theosophical University Press Agency, Den Haag | ISBN: 9070328569.

Behind the world’s religions, philosophies, and sciences lies a little understood but potent source of humanity’s spiritual life: the Mystery Schools. Reaching back into remote antiquity, these esoteric institutions have kept alive the timeless Theosophia or Divine Wisdom of the ages, while stimulating mankind’s spiritual intuitions and evolutionary progress. This conscise overview treats of the history, purposes, and methods of these schools, derivative of the sacred Original which gave them birth and inspiration. Subjects include the dual character of the Mysteries, symbols and patterns of initiation, the brotherhood of compassion, and the Mystery schools of today.

From Chapter 12 – ‘The Mystery Schools of Today’ (p. 81):

” The Brotherhood of Great Ones never deserts humanity. Underneath and behind and within there pulsates the eternal heart of compassion. Withdrawal of the Mystery Schools from public knowledge by no means indicated withdrawal of the perennial support of the Mahatmas. Mystery-centers are to be found today all over the world, writes H.P. Blavatsky, for ’the Secret Association is still alive and as active as ever’ (Isis, 2:100). Guarded with jealous care by their protectors, the precise location of these schools is undiscoverable except by the worthy; however, a veil of secrecy is not synonymous with nonexistence. “

By Isabel Radow Kliegman, Foreword by Stephan A. Hoeller.

220 Pages | First Quest Edition 1997 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 083560747X.

‘Discover the small secrets of the Tarot’.

Few books look in depth at the fifty-two Minor Arcana or suit cards of the Tarot deck. In refreshingly down-to-earth terms and with joyous common-sense Wisdom, celebrated Tarot teacher Isabel Kliegman teaches us to use these ‘overlooked mirrors’ of everyday life to access our inner knowing and learn more about ourselves.

In working with the Minor Arcana in terms of the Kabbalistic Tree, memory and understanding are inextricably linked. Most significantly, the underlying philosophies of both systems are harmonious: the necessity of balance is suggested in the Tree of Life by a system of three pillars. In the Minor Arcana of the Tarot, the message of balance is conveyed by four suits – each of which carries a function of consciousness and medieval ‘element’ – that depend on all the others for their own best expression. Throughout our study, we have seen the ways in which Tarot images graphically convey the underpinnings of Kabbalistic thought.

From the Foreword (p. XIII):

” In ancient times divination was the Art, whereby one consulted the Gods, who were also known as divinities. The ancients believed that these divinities are essentially benignly disposed towards humans and thus are likely to offer useful guidance and advice when consulted. While the belief in divinities is not particularly great in our day, the philosophy of divination that developed on the basis of such a belief is still valid. In order to effectively consult an authentic oracle such as the Tarot, we must first of all possess an attitude that is appropriate for the invoking of helpful forces of a superior character. The proper attitude is one that lies somewhere between superstitious awe and frivolousness. If we employ an oracle in idle jest, the results will be appropriate. At the same time, it is good to be reminded that the cards in themselves are not sacred objects worthy of veneration. We need not to keep the, in precious containers, wrap them in red silk, or approach them in elaborate ceremonies. The magic is not in the cards but in ourselves. What matters is the response the cards evoke from the deeper regions of our psyches: all else is of small importance. “

By Serge Kahili King.

180 Pages | First edition, 1985, twelfth printing | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton | ISBN: 9780835605915

The world is what you think it is

The most fundamental idea in Huna philosophy is that each of us creates our own experience of reality by our beliefs, interpretations, actions and reactions, thoughts and feelings. It is not that our reality is created as a result of these personal expressions, but that we are cocreators with the Universe itself. Huna is about learning to become a conscious Cocreator.

• Learn how your Higher Self, or aumakua, is contacted in the dream dimension
• Get in touch with the Mana, the hidden energy of life
• Develop higher powers of concentration by utilizing the tikis, created images of sight, sound, and feeling in meditation
• Become aware of your subconscious, an integral part of your being, which impatiently awaits communion with the ego

By Serge Kahili King

173 Pages | 1983 | Paperback | Quest Books, Wheaton | ISBN: 9780835605724

Serge King, Hawaiian shaman amd author of Imagineering for Health and Earth Energies, believes in the power of individuals to heal themselves or others. He says that emotions can heal or hurt, and when used as a positive force, their healing power can be stupendous. In this book, he sets forth the ancient Hawaiian tradition which includes a complete program for the prevention and cure of illness–a holistic health program involving the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of human beings.

”You may be asking yourself by now, ‘What is this word Huna and what is a Kahuna?’ Huna is a Hawaiian word meaning ’that which is hidden, or not obvious.’ Sometimes we call it the hidden knowledge of the secret reality. The idea is not that anyone purposely hid it away, but only that it is usually hard to see. The term Kahuna can be translated as ‘a transmitter of the secret,’ and it was originally intended to be used for those who belonged to an order which practiced and taught the knowledge.”
— From the book

By Serge King.

143 Pagina’s | 1987, fourth edition | Paperback | Quest Books, Wheaton | ISBN: 0835605469

”Everyone has imagination, just as everyone has muscles. Both can be developed for more skillful application. ”
–Serge King

It’s credible! Mental self-healing! ”Physician, heal thyself, ” is no idle or figurative commandment. Dr. Serge King believes that people create their own illnesses and so they can also create their own health. He knows us ”how-to” in this reasonable and reassuring book. Just a wonderful alternative to the usual drug and placebo ritual.

So, learn to engineer your imagination. That’s what ”imagineering” is all about. Just a simple act of directing your will.

Includes very precise techniques for specific problem areas such as the lungs, heart, throat, stomach, head, liver, legs, etc.

By Serge Kahili King Ph.D.

243 Pages | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835606821.

How can understanding energy principles make our homes and our landscapes healthier and more balanced? In this intriguing mix of science and speculation, Hawaiian shaman Serge King explores the hidden powers of the Earth. Drawing on the Wisdom of ancient civilizations and on more recent research, King describes the wonders of the unseen natural force known as vril.

Serge Kahili King holds a doctorate in psychology from California Western University. He has studied with Master shamans from Africa from Hawaii and has trained thousands in his popular seminars. He is author of Mastering Your Hidden Self, Imagineering for Health, Kahuna Healing, Urban Shaman, and the audio cassette, The Road to Self-Mastery.

From the Preface:

” We are of the earth, earthy. We certainly have amind and/or spirit which can transcend this planet both physically and metaphysically, but in addition we have animal bodies with animal natures which respond to and interact with the natural forces such as electricity, magnetism, and gravity. Modern science recognizes two others you may be less familiar with, which are called the strong and weak nuclear forces. Shamans, mystics, metaphysicians and more liberal scientists recognize additional forces that can be termed ‘psychoenergetic’, a Russian term meaning that they intera. They interact with the mind as well with the body. These are the ones discussed in the book, because they are so little known, so influential in our lives and so very useful. “

By Shafica Karagulla, M.D (1914  – ca. 1986) and Dora van Gelder Kunz (1904 – 1999).

243 Pages | A Quest Original, first edition 1989 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 9780835606417.

THE ENERGY FIELDS ARE THE KEY TO HEALTH.

Shafica Karakulla, specialist in neuropsychiatry, and Dora van Gelder Kunz, gifted clairvoyant and healer, present experimental evidence that illness can be seen in the subtle energy fields of the body. Fascinating case studies of actual patients show that clairvoyant observation can diagnose disease and even reveal potential illness before it manifests in physical symptoms. The key to health and disease, the author shows, lies in the dynamic interaction between the body’s physical, emotional and mental fields and universal energy fields. Understanding this interaction can help us alter our energy patterns in the direction of better self-integration, health and wholeness.

From Chapter 17: ‘The Role of Consciousness – Towards the Future (p. 190):

” The chakras are centers of energy, which are constantly interacting with one another from hour to hour, and changes in the energy patterns occur as a continuing process. Healing therefore reflected in changes of rhythm and other basic alterations in these centers. Meditation and visualization, if done regularly and combined with changes in behavior, can produce modifications in the chakra patterns, and these are reflected in the person’s health and physical well-being. A genuine transformation can thus be observed. Whether the person knows about the role the chakras play as energy centers makes no difference whatsoever. “

By Menas Kafatos and Thalia Kafatou.

290 Pages | Copyright 1991 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835606740.

Most b0oks on science and mysticism attempt to link modern physics to philosophic views of consciousness. This book explores the two as parallel processes – one outer, one inner. Our outward search is for objective reality – ‘out there’ in the world. But what we experience as outer is linked to what we can know in ourselves subjectively. The inward search is for that level of consciousness that underlies all subjective experience, spoken of by the mystics. Like other recent authors, Drs. Kafatos and Kafatou find parallels between Eastern thought and recent scientific developments in quantum theory and cosmology. But they go farther and hold that the realms of consciousness and the objective world are complementary aspects of the same reality. Their approach is fresh and unique and show how we are involved in the cosmic process.

From Chapter 8 – ‘The Physics of Consciousness’ (p. 252):

” Without going outside you may know the whole world. Without looking through the window you may see the ways of Heaven. – Lao Tsu

Finally, whatever is meant by the word ‘reality’, it is clearly non-local and not independent of the observing process. The world of quanta is probablistic by nature. Physical attributes of quanta cannot be determined in a precise way; only the probabilities of these attributes can be determined a priori. Seemingly, ‘God is playing dice’, and we, observers, seem to be part of the game. Moreover, in the quantum domain, the reality of solid matter and the apparent permanence of particles dissolves into a dance of ever-changing quantum interactions. What is real is the process, not the substance. “

By William Quan Judge (1851 – 1896), compiled and edited by Daniel H. Caldwell.

108 Pages | Published in 1991 | Point Loma Publications, San Diego U.S.A. | ISBN: 0913004-.

May 8, 1991 marks the centenary of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s death. In commemoration of this event The Esoteric She has been compiled from the writings of William Q. Judge. This compilation presents a unique collection of Judge’s articles on Blavatsky’s life, work and writings. Judge tells of his first contact with Madame Blavatsky and of his subsequent involvement and work with Blavatksy. He also defends her against several of her critics.

Judge’s position as one of the three chief founders of The Theosophical Society gives this Volume a distinct perspective. Hopefully, the reader will gain a greater understanding of Blavatsky’s life-work as well as a greater appreciation of Judge’s contribution to the Theosophical Cause. For a biographical sketch Mr. Judge and a list of his writings, the reader is referred to William Quan Judge: His Life and Work: compiled and edited by Sven Eek and Boris de Zirkoff, in Echoes of the Orient, (Volume I, pp. xix-lviii), published by Point Loma Publications in 1975.

From Chapter 17 – ‘Conversations on Occultism with H.P.B.’ (p. 100):

” Look here; here’s a man, who wants to know why the Master’s don’t interpose at once and save his business. They don’t seem to remember what it means for a Master to use occult force. If you explode gunpowder to split a rock, you may knock down a house. There is a law that if a White Magician uses his occult power an equal amount of power may be used by the Black One. Chemists invent powders for explosives and wicked men may use them. You force yourself into Master’s presence and you take the consequences of the immense forces around him playing on yourself. If you are weak in character anywhere, the Black Ones will use the disturbance by directing the forces engendered to that spot and may compass your ruin. It is so always. Pass the boundary that hedges in the occult realm, and quick forces, new ones, dreadful ones, must be met.  Then, if you are not strong, you may become a wreck for that life. This is the danger. This is one reason, why Masters do not appear and do not act directly very often, but nearly always by intermediate degrees. What do you say – ’the dual forces in nature’? Precisely, that’s just it; and Theosophists should remember it. “

The first seven Chapters by William Quan Judge (1851 – 1896) and the remaining Chapters by a Student taught by him.

237 Pages | Copyright 1918 | Hardcover | Theosophy Company, Los Angeles U.S.A. | ISBN: 0938998102.

This book has been made possible by the generosity of a Student, who is a member of The United Lodge of Theosophists. The matter in it appeared in the Magazine Theosophy, published by that Lodge, in various issues from November, 1913, to February, 1917. Notes upon Chapters One to Seven, inclusive, were written by William Q. Judge and were first printed in his magazine The Path, appearing in various numbers from 1887 to 1895. These Notes by Mr. Judge were signed ‘William Brehon, F.T.S.,’ or ‘William Brehon’, pen names used by Mr. Judge.

The Notes for the remaining eleven Chapters were written by a Student of Mr. Judge, one who was personally taught by him and whose explanations and comments will be found in accord with the spirit and genius of his teacher.

From Chapter Seventeenth (p. 224 & 225):

” The last section of this Chapter refers to the three-fold designation of the Supreme Spirit as Om, Tat, Sat, the tri-une Deity in its triple aspects corresponding to creation, preservation and destruction while re-creating, or in order to re-create. The word Om or Aum is at once an invocation of the highest within, a benediction, an affirmation, and a promise; its proper use is said to lead to a realization of the Self within. The Aum contains within itself all the aspects and implies the Universe controlled by the Supreme Spirit. It represents the constant current of meditation, which ought to be carried on by every man, even while engaged in the necessary duties of life. There is for every conditioned being a target at which the aim is constantly directed; in the ‘Mundakya Upanishad’ there is the following:

‘Om is the bow, the Self is the arrow, Brahman is called its aim. It is to be hit by a man, who is not thoughtless; and then as the arrow becomes one with the target, he will become one with Brahman. Know him alone as the Self, and leave off other words. He is the bridge of the Immortal. Meditate on the Self as Om’. “

By William Quan Judge (1851 – 1896)

220 Pages | Published in 1978 | Softcover | Theosophical University Press, Pasadena U.S.A. | ISBN: 0911500286.

Combined with his Essays on the Gita.

Both I and thou have passed through many births, O harasser of thy foes! Mine are known unto me, but thou knowest not of thine. Even though myself unborn, of changeless essence, and the lord of all existence, yet in presiding over nature – which is mine – I am born but through my own maya, the mystic power of self-ideation, the eternal thought in the eternal mind. I produce myself among creatures, O son of Bharata, whenever there is a decline of virtue and an insurrection of vice and injustice in the world; and thus I incarnate from age to age for the preservation of the just, the destruction of the wicked, and the establishment of righteousness.

From Chapter II (p. 147):

” That we all labor together transmitting the same charge and succession,
We few equals indifferent of lands, indifferent of times,
We, enclosers of all continents, all castes, allowers of all theologies,
Compassionaters, perceivers, rapport of men,
We walk silent among disputes and assertions, but reject not the disputers nor anything that is asserted,
We hear the bawling and din, we are reach’d at by divisions,
jealousies, recriminations on every side,
They close peremptorily upon us to surround us, my comrade,
Yet we walk unheld, free, the whole earth over, journeying up
and down till we make our ineffaceable mark upon time and the diverse eras,
Till we saturate time and eras, that the men and women of races, ages to come,
may prove brethren and lovers as we are. “

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

69 Pages | First edition 1926, reprint 1927, second edition 1988 | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | No ISBN.

‘The first edition was issued under the title The Mediator. Some of the titles of the essays included therein have been altered in this Volume to make them more meaningful. The essay The Mediator does not find a place in this edition; hence the change of the title of the book.

From Chapter 10 – The Secret of the Ages (p. 63):

” If only we will look rightly into our own heart, and listen to the still small voice there, we shall hear where our path lies, and we shall always see visions of our work. At the bottom of our nature we are unselfish, and we hunger to give. Even when we are reckless in selfishness, the soul’s cry at our depths is ‘Let me find how to give’. When, with increasing will, heart and mind are used to subdue the fierce thirst for sensation, then, evitably vistas appear of a work. For Soul and work are interchangeable terms, and the greater the work the more spiritual the Soul . . . “

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

189 Pages | First to fourth reprints 1973 – 2002 | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170593964.

From the Foreword:

” I AM privileged to introduce to the world this priceless booklet of Letters from the Elder Brothers, who were the true Founders of the Theosophical Society. Many a Pilgrim on the Probationary Path will find in it much of help and inspiration, and it will serve to deepen the sense of the reality of our Teachers, sometimes blurred in the mind of neophytes by the tumultuous happenings in the outer world, as the notes of a vina are drowned if played in the rattle of an engine-shed. May it speak to those who have ears to hear. “ – Annie Besant

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

64 Pages | Published in 1915 | Paperback |  Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170590159.

‘To the Master Koot Hoomi from his living son’.

From the Foreword:

” We met only for an hour, but I felt from the moment I saw you, that I had a message to give you. What that message is, you will find in the following pages. You have come to a point in your life when you feel you cannot any longer be fully of the world. You are established in an honourable career, and you know that time will bring you success and ease. But you already feel that you cannot work for success alone. You feel you must be an idealist in your profession, and be loyal to the ideal you see, even though it means suffering and humiliation. You are in the position that hundreds are in to-day, but you are different from them, in that you believe that the ideal which compels your obedience is not a thing of your imagination, but the first glimpse of a Personality whom you would like to call the Master. You feel that if this Master really exists and you could know hyim, then you could be utterly true to him in every way, regardless of what comes. 

You know further that you cannot seek this Master by retiring into some monastic seclusion, in order that by meditation and contemplation there you might commune with him. You are not free to consider your welfare only, for there are those depending upon you for their needs. For their sakes you know you must engage in a worldly career. But while you are so engaged, you would like, if it be possible, at the same time to serve the Master is some way. It is because there is such a way, that I write these pages for you, and for others who are opening their eyes to those higher human possibilities which you have already seen.

Each human Soul has some message to givr to every other human Soul and what I wrtie is my message to you just now. It is not mine in reality, for it came to me from other human Souls, and I am giving to you as a brother what others as Brothers have given to me. “

C.J.  – Taormina 1912.

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

74 Pages | First Edition 1915, 1st – 6th reprints 1921 – 1970, 7th reprint 1990 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170591554.

‘To the Captain of our Salvation, in Fulfilment of a Promise, Full Moon of Chaitra, 1912’.

Among the many ideas, which have lightened the burden of men, one of the most serviceable has been of Reincarnation. It not only explains why one man is born in the lap of luxury and another in poverty, why one is a genius and another an idiot, but it holds out the hope that, as men now reap what they have sown in the past, so in future lives the poor and the wretched of today shall have what they lack, if so they work for it, and that the idiot may, life after life, build up a mentality, which in far-off days may flower as a genius.

When the idea of reincarnation is heard of for the first time, the student naturally supposes that it is a Hindu doctrine, for it is known to be a fundamental part of both Hinduism and Buddhism. But the strange fact is that reincarnation is found everywhere as a belief, and its origin cannot be traced to Indian sources.

From Chapter – ‘The Law of Renunciation'(p. 56):

” I saw my Lady weep,
And Sorrow proud to be advanced so
In those fair eyes where all perfections keep.
Her face was full of woe;
But such woe (believe me) wins more hearts
Than Mirth can do with her enticing parts,
Sorrow was there made fair,
Passion wise; tears a delightful thing;
Silence beyond all speech a Wisdom rare.
She made her sighs to sing.
And all things with so sweet a sadness move
As made my heart at once both grieve and love. “

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

465 Pages | Facsimile reprint published in 1995 | Softcover | Kessinger Publishing, LLC, Montana U.S.A. | ISBN: 1564595358.

Theosophy is the Wisdom arising from the study of the evolution of life and form. This Wisdom already exists, because the study has been pursued for long ages by properly equipped investigators into nature’s mysteries. The investigators, who are called ’the Masters of Wisdom’, are those Souls, who in the evolutionary process have passed beyond the stage of man to that next higher, that of the ‘Adept’.

As man evolves to Adept, he gains knowledge by investigation and experiment. The knowledge so far gained by an unbroken line of Adepts is Theosophy, the Ancient Wisdom. As man becomes Adept he ceases to be merely an item in the evolutionary process, and appears as a Master and Director of that process, under the supervision of a great Consciousness called in Theosophy the LOGOS. He is enabled, as co/operator with LOGOS, to see nature from His standpoint, and to some extent survey her, not as helpless tool, but with the vision of her Creator. Such a survey is Theosophy to-day.

From Chapter XVI  – ‘God’s Plan, Which is Evolution’ (p. 368):

” So the Solar System, as the Logos and His seven great Assistants, who work with Him, appears as a great Flower of many petals, with a great, glowing golden heart at its centre. Whoso can attain to this vision of the work of the Logos can never have a shadow of doubt as to His Love and Might and Beauty. Each vision of the Truth, through religion or philosophy, through science or art, or through philantropy and service, leads the Soul one step nearer to the goal, which is, to live and move and have his being, in full consciousness, and with exceeding joy, in the Logos of our Solar System. “

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

62 Pages | Published in 1980 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835605337.

Carefully culled from the writings of Brother ‘Raj’, here is a gathering together of his reflections on many aspects of life. The keynote is ‘inspiration’ and within this little book you will find the true Wisdom and Beauty, that can flow from the intuïtion of a deeply spiritual man. Brother ‘Raj’ provides a rich and sublime literary mosaic to a variety of universally appealing topics as he comments upon art, beauty, children, mysticism, love, liberation, reïncarnation, truth, unity, wisdom, and the Elder Brothers of Humanity.

Mr. Jinarājadāsa was the International President of the Theosophical Society from 1946 until 1953. Author of many books including The New Humanity of Intuition, How We Remember Our Past Lives and Art As Will and Idea, his intense enthusiasm for life, for the arts, and for theosophy, is strongly reflected in these Fragments of Wisdom.

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

76 Pages | First Edition 1928, 1st – 3rd reprints 1949-1954, second edition 1986 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170590329.

These three Lectures were delivered by the Author at the Queen’s Hall London in May 1927, and formerly published  under the title ‘The Divine Vision’.

It is a true saying, and one experienced and proved by us all, that we rise to higher things on the stepping stones of our dead selves. The life of man is a continual change of vision; as experiences come to him one after another, it is as if he rose from one level to another as he climbs up a mountain side, and therefore his visions steadily changes.

We recognise that there are two kinds of vision possible for us, that of the ordinary man of the world, and that other vision, which is presented to us by the great leaders of humanity, the founders of the religions. But we are apt to imagine that that lofty vision of the great teachers is something reserved for them alone, that we men in these lower levels are not capable of a divine vision. Yet the whole purpose of the message of Theosophy is to show that what the greatest of mankind has achieved shall some day be the achievement of every human being. In the course of these three Lectures, I shall try to show there is possible for us a divine vision of man, of nature and of God.

From Page 26:

” The student of Nature wonders the more and is astonished the less, the more conversant he becomes with her operations; but of all the perennial miracles she offers to his inspection, perhaps the most worthy of admiration, is the development of a plant or of an animal from its embryo. Examine the recently laid egg of some common animal, such as the salamander or a newt. It is a minute spheriod in which the best microscope will reveal nothing but a structureless sac, enclosing a glairy fluid holding granules in suspension. But strange possibilities lie dormant in that semi-fluid globe. Let a moderate amount of warmth reach its watery cradle, and the plastic matter undergoes changes so rapid and yet so steady and purposelike in their succession, that one can only compare them to those operated by a skilled modeller upon a formless lump of clay. As with an invisible trowel, the mass is divided and sub-divided into smaller and smaller proportions until it is reduced to an aggregation of granules not too large to build withal the finest fabrics of the nascent organism. And, then, it is as if a delicate finger traced out the line to be occupied by the spinal column, and moulded the contour of the body, pinching up the head at one end, the tail at the other, and fashioning flank and limb into due salamandrine proportions in so artistic a way that, after watching the process hour by hour, one is almost involuntarily possessed by the notion that some more subtle aid to vision than an achromatic microscope would show the hidden artist, with his plan before him, striving with skilful manipulation to perfect his work. ” – Lay Sermons, Chapter – ‘The Origin of Species’.

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

122 Pages | Published in 1953 | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | No ISBN.

Selected and arranged by E.N.

This Volume of Poems by Jinarājadāsa is presented in fulfilment of a verbal promise made to him in 1949, further enjoined by a clause is his last Will, to the effect that after his death there should be published certain poems written in notebooks carefully preserved by him from 1909, when he first adopted the poetic method for giving expression to his feelings, thoughts and aspirations. Not many of these have previously appeared in print, although from time to time he has quoted a number to illustrate some point in a lecture or a book, and has on several occasions given readings from this poems to Theosophical audiences. I am indebted to the Manager of the Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar Madras, for permission to reproduce here a few poems which have already appeared in one or two of the author’s prose works.

From Page 3:

LACRIMAE RERUM
(To ‘Little Flower’)

” This I see – that Nature is but a glass

Before which Form and Formless transient pass.

This I think – that a Hand unseen but kind,

To joys of Life my tranced eyes unbind.

This I feel – that life is a darkened room,

Where yearning I fulfil a weary doom.

This I know – that in inmost heart I cry

From life’s oppressive shadow-show to fly.

For this I AM: my flower-heart unfurled,

Turns to a Sun not of this shadow-world.

And so I cull the perfume of each thing,

And to you, dearest Shadow, tearful bring. “

France, 1913.

By Lin Jensen.

201 Pages | First Quest Edition 1999 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835607755.

‘Shaking Down Seed and Other Stories of Ordinary Goodness’.

Every ordinary act of kindness is an expression of the intuitive goodness at the heart of every human being. Zen Buddhists call this inborn compassion the ‘Heartmind’. This is exquisitely moving collection of tales helps readers uncover the simple Wisdom of benevolence and sympathy within everyday acts. Each story goes straight to the heart, reminding us what we aspire to be and giving us the confidence that getting there is within reach.

From Chapter – ‘Bad Dog – The Journey through Shame to Compassion’ (p. 41):

” Within all light is darkness:

But explained it cannot be by darkness

that, one-sided, is alone.

In darkness there is light:

But, here again, by light one-sided

it is not explained.

Light goes with darkness:

As the sequence does of steps in walking.

• Sekito Kisen, in: Sandokai.

Shame is born in betrayal. It matters little whether one is victim or perpetrator, for shame adheres in the event itself. and all who participate, and all who participate are tainted by its presence. “

351 pages | Paperback | Penguin Books, 1995

Inspired and inspiring dialogues with one of the great teachers of our time.

Published on the birth centenary of J. Krishnamurti, Fire in the Mind is a book of important discussions conducted with Krishnamurti. Held from the end of the 1960s to 28 December 1985, seven weeks before his death on 17 February 1986, these dialogues cover a vast ocean of human concerns—fear, sorrow, death, time, culture, ageing and the renewal of the brain. They also explore subjects that are central to scientific research today, such as the questions of biological survival, the nature of consciousness, artificial intelligence, computers and the mechanical mind.

By Rick Jarow.

213 Pages | A Quest Original 1986 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835606139.

Bring both your personality and your spiritual nature along on this enjoyable and meaningful journey to other lands. There’s a place for both as Rick Jarrow takes us along on his richly portrayed pilgrimage to the world’s holy places. Explore with Rick the splendor and subtle wonders to be found at Notre Dame, the Cathedral of Amiens, Lourdes, the Vatican, Assisi, the Acropolis. Then to fabled India highlighted by a visit with Rick’s good friends, Sai Baba and Swami Jnanananda. Next, become locked in the Great Pyramid of Egypt, while he is meditating. Then on to Israel and the Holocaust Museum. Home then to America where ‘ . . . living itself a pilgrimage’.

From the Introduction – ‘The Gates of Dharma’ (p. 7):

” The concept of the spiritual teacher and his power was also an attractive one, for it involved much more than the power of a charismatic individual. Most teachers, even when they claim to possess a personal grace, derive their teachings and their power from a particular river, a lineage, a mode of transmission through which the sacred teachings are handed down. The lineage becomes the bedrock of the culture, the thread through which the rest of life’s activities are connected. Eating, sleeping, working, and personal relationships are no longer seen as simply random activities. They are part of the fabric of the tradition, of one’s sadhana or spiritual discipline. “

By William James (1842 – 1910), edited with and Introduction by Martin E. Marty.

534 Pages | First published in the U.S.A. by Longmans, Green & Co in 1902, published in the Penguin Library in 1982, reprinted in Penguin Classics 1985 | Softcover | Penguin Books Ltd., London | ISBN:

Dutch translation: Vormen van Religieuze Ervaring – Een Onderzoek naar de Menselijke Aard  | First Dutch publication 1907, sixth revised and extended publication 2010 | Softcover | Abraxas, Amsterdam.

‘Standing at the crossroads of psychology and religion, this groundbreaking work applied the scientific method to humankind’s religious behavior’.

William James believed individual religious experiences, rather than the precepts of organized religions, were the backbone of the world’s spiritual life. His discussions of conversion, repentance, mysticism, and saintliness – and his observations on actual, personal religious experiences – all support this thesis.

In his Introduction, Martin E. Marty discusses how James’ pluralistic view of religion led to his remarkable tolerance of extreme forms of religious behavior, his challenging, highly original theories, and his welcome lack of pretension in all of his observations on the individual and the divine.

From Lecture VIII – ‘The Divided Self and the Process of its Unification’ (p. 168):

” I have ever been the queerest mixture of weakness and strength, and have paid heavily for the weakness. As a child, I used to suffer tortures of shyness, and if my shoe-lace was untied would feel shamefacedly that every eye was fixed on the unlucky string; as a girl I would shrink away from strangers and think myself unwanted and unliked, so that I was full of eager gratitude to any one, who noticed me kindly; as the young mistress of a house I was afraid of my servants, and would careless work pass rather than bear the pain of reproving the ill-doer; when I have been lecturing and debating with no lack of spirit on the platform, I have preferred to go without what I wanted at the hotel rather than to ring and make the waiter fetch it. Combative on the platform in defense of any cause I cared for, I shrink from quarrel or disapproval in the house, and am a coward at heart in private while a good fighter in public. How often have I passed unhappy quarters of an hour screwing up my courage to find fault with some subordinate, whom my duty compelled me to reprove, and how often have I jeered at myself for a fraud as the doughty platform combatant, when shrinking from blaming some lad or lass for doing their work badly. An unkind look or word has availed to make me shrink into myself as a snail into its shell, while, on the platform, opposition makes me speak my best. “

• Annie Besant in An Autobiography, 1893, 2003.

By Christmas Humphreys

160 pages | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, 1991 ISBN 0722910045

A practical course, quoting from a variety of sources, leads the seeker through the twelve themes thought to be essential for those who search for the Self Within.

Christmas Humphreys (1901-1983) was born in London, the descendant of a line of lawyers. In 1924 he was called to the bar, having read Law at Cambridge. In the same year he founded the Buddhist Lodge of the Theosophical Society, which became The Buddhist Society, led by the author until his death nearly 60 years later. He was regarded as one of the foremost authorities on the religion in Britain, writing some 20 books on the subject.

Other titles by the author:
– Studies in the Middle Way
– A Western Approach to Zen

By John Hughes, Foreword by Lance Nelson.

139 Pages | Published in 1994 | Softcover | State University of New York | ISBN: 0791421805.

The Oral Teachings of Swami Lakshmanjoo.

This book presents the oral teachings of the twentieth century’s great Kashmir Shaivite master. The last of his long lineage, Swami Lakshmanjoo preserved, as did his precedessors, the oral knowledge that illuminates this ancient philosophy – that clarifies the often deliberately obscure tantric texts.

Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals the essence of the way and the means to self-realization. Here in his own original discourses, as well as in his English renderings of Abhinavagupta and Kshemarāja, he unveils the essential teachings of this yoga philosophy. He reveals the tantric understanding of the purpose and reason for creation. He offers instruction on the greatness and importance of the supreme mantra sauh. In his presentation of effective practice he explains why meditation is both effortless and, at the same time, difficult. In his discussion of discipline he clarifies  why personal habits and dispositions play an important part in spiritual growth. Finally, in his unveiling of the path of Kundalini yoga, he is intent on exposing and thereby preserving this hidden elevated process while warning of its pitfalls.

From the Foreword (p. xxviii):

” Swami Lakshmanjoo traces his lineage back to the great Kashmir Śaiva polymath Abhinavagupta (tenth-eleventh centuries C.E.) and beyond. Śaivism had flourished in the Kashmir Valley for several centuries before the time of Abhinavagupta, and it continued to thrive for several hundred years after. The nondual Śaiva teaching was passed down through illustrious preceptors such as Somānanda (tenth century C.E,), his pupil Utpaladeva, and Utpaladeva’s pupil Lakshmanagupta, who  – as mentioned above – was one of Abhinavagupta’s preceptors. Also worthy of mention are Kshemarāja (eleventh century), a disciple of Abhinavagupta, and Jayaratha (twelfth century), who commented on the great master’s masterpiece, the tantrāloka. “

By John Hughes, Foreword by Lance Nelson.

139 Pages | Published in 1994 | Hardcover | State University of New York | ISBN: 0791421791.

The Oral Teachings of Swami Lakshmanjoo.

This book presents the oral teachings of the twentieth century’s great Kashmir Shaivite master. The last of his long lineage, Swami Lakshmanjoo preserved, as did his precedessors, the oral knowledge that illuminates this ancient philosophy – that clarifies the often deliberately obscure tantric texts.

Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals the essence of the way and the means to self-realization. Here in his own original discourses, as well as in his English renderings of Abhinavagupta and Kshemarāja, he unveils the essential teachings of this yoga philosophy. He reveals the tantric understanding of the purpose and reason for creation. He offers instruction on the greatness and importance of the supreme mantra sauh. In his presentation of effective practice he explains why meditation is both effortless and, at the same time, difficult. In his discussion of discipline he clarifies  why personal habits and dispositions play an important part in spiritual growth. Finally, in his unveiling of the path of Kundalini yoga, he is intent on exposing and thereby preserving this hidden elevated process while warning of its pitfalls.

From the Foreword (p. xxviii):

” Swami Lakshmanjoo traces his lineage back to the great Kashmir Śaiva polymath Abhinavagupta (tenth-eleventh centuries C.E.) and beyond. Śaivism had flourished in the Kashmir Valley for several centuries before the time of Abhinavagupta, and it continued to thrive for several hundred years after. The nondual Śaiva teaching was passed down through illustrious preceptors such as Somānanda (tenth century C.E,), his pupil Utpaladeva, and Utpaladeva’s pupil Lakshmanagupta, who  – as mentioned above – was one of Abhinavagupta’s preceptors. Also worthy of mention are Kshemarāja (eleventh century), a disciple of Abhinavagupta, and Jayaratha (twelfth century), who commented on the great master’s masterpiece, the tantrāloka. “

By Alan Hughes.

37 Pages | The Blavatsky Lecture delivered at the Summer School of The Theosophical Society in England, The University of Nottingham Sunday 4th of August 2002 | Lecture | The Theosophical Society in England | No ISBN.

How would you have answered Sinnett’s question? Is it so different from the child’s question: ‘What are people for, Dad’? It’s the question of questions: Without a satisfactory answer, our lives will lack direction and purpose. What a massive industry the prolonging of life is today. ‘Vanity, vanity’, says The Preacher of Ecclesiastes, unless – to paraphrase him – one’s labour under the sun produces a harvest. And Thomas a Kempis uses the same word: ‘It is vanity‘, he says, ‘to desire a long life and to take no heed of a good life’.

‘The Good Life’ is a common phrase today but what does it mean? I sit on Goring beach and wonder how Thomas a Kempis would have defined it. I watch and feel the fire of the sun setting; the air moves around me and the sea heaves and crashes its arriving waves onto the stones, which grumble at being disturbed. What are the hidden four elements, and – more importantly – is the outcome of all this process beneficial in any way; which brings us back to Sinnett’s question to the Master. ‘What is the nature of a good harvest and what is it not’?

From Chapter II (p. 8):

” You are part of the One Existence, which men call God. You are divine in your origin and divine in your innermost nature. Your body is mortal; your spirit, which is your true Self, is immortal; your Soul, which is the Self, which thinks and feels and regards itself as ‘I’, may win its immortality if it becomes the servant of Spirit, and not otherwise. “

By Alice O. Howell.

284 Pages | A Quest Original 1993, including illustrations | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835606880.

Geometry is hidden in the symbolism of all religions. In this magical book, Alice O. Howell weaves a ramble on the sacred Isle of Iona with a meditation on the geometrical forms we encounter everyday. With the mediating help of Sophia, the divine feminine principle of Wisdom, she shows how we can decode the inner meaning of shapes, numbers, and other symbols through intuition, to enrich our experience of living and deepen our appreciation of the mystery of form.

A Companion to Howell’s other work; The Dove in the Stone, this book is illustrated with fifty line drawings and figures and includes an entertaining workbook – Sophia’s Mondayschool – with exercises guiding readers in exploring for themselves the mysteries of sacred geometry.

From Chapter IV – ‘Dark within Light, Light within Dark’ (p. 43):

” The Celts have a lovely image called the ‘Tir-nan-Og’ – Land of Youth, the Blessed Isles, the Happy Isles. Each of us has such an island within our Souls – a beautiful space within us to visit. I remember when I was a teacher of children, I assigned a composition exercise called ‘My Island’. Without any hesitation, the children, then about ten and eleven years old, happily began imaging their island. Each made a map and peopled it according to their wishes. Animals, birds, fish, trees, mountains, and springs appeared miraculously full-blown from the unconscious of these children. It was as if they carried a paradise within them, just the right size.

The Happy Isles are an archetypical place, and I mention this, lest anyone get discouraged at the thought that they cannot travel to Scotland and the Hebrides – to Iona, the Isle of the Dove. We have our own Iona within us. A lovely exercise to give oneself as one is falling asleep is to image what one’s Happy Isle would be like. “

By Elizabeth Boyden Howes and Sheila Moon.

221 Pages | First Quest Edition 1977, second Quest printing 1987 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835604926.

Each of the above participate in this stunningly sensitive exam-ination of man’s sacred responsibility to make choices. For man needs to constantly choose a course of action if he wishes to survive, declare the psychotherapist authors. Take your choice, they say, between ‘the sin of holy uselessness‘ and ‘the path of holy intercourse with all existence’.

It is vital to our well-being, they believe, crucial to the future of the entire world, that we do not abdicate this God-given privilege; that we recognise that man is by his very nature a choicemaker, and that this is the basis difference between him and ‘unthinking’ creatures. The authors support their unique thesis with documented dream evidence, fresh interpretations of Biblical stories, our human propensity for myth-making, and the basic conclusions found in Jungian depth-psychology.

From Chapter VI – Into the Mirror of the Waters (p. 79):

” The Self is perhaps the most significant archetype and/or complex in terms of man’s full development as individual. This is true, because it is both the totality of and the religious center of personality. And insofar as the individual ego is working for wholeness, for individuation, it is working in the service of the Self, which in turn relflects the larger transpersonal Purpose. Although we have already discussed the Self in previous chapters, here a new facet appears. The Self is an archetype and yet with a difference that makes it, so to speak, the most vital of the psychic ‘organs’, the heart that keeps the vital processes moving in a forward direction. It is not only the center of the total personality, but it magnetizes all the opposites into a pattern that evolves in each individual toward wholeness. “

By Quincy Howe Jr.

112 Pages | Copyright 1974 | Softcover | Quest Books U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835606260.

As more and more people in the Western world become intrigued with the ‘magnificent possibility’ of reincarnation, the question is frequently asked if one can believe in this concept and remain a Christian. The answer according to the author, a Christian scholar, is: Absolutely!

To back up his claim, Dr. Howe Jr. cites Chapter and verse from the Holy Bible, that clearly indicates an understanding and acceptance of the rebirth theory. Howe includes an explanation of the reincarnational philosophy, the process of rebirth, and explains how a series of physical lifetimes can provide a greater opportunity for the growth of the personality and the Soul.

He examines the evolution of Christian thought over the centuries, pinpointing the historical episode during which the concept of reincarnation was outlawed by the Christian hierarchy. He follows with a superb overview of Christianity’s greatest systematic theologian, the heretic Origen, who strongly advocated the inclusion of reincarnation as a legitimate Christian concept.

From the Introduction (p. 15):

” Now as never before the Christian Church is being called upon to prove its flexibility and responsiveness to change. An institution whose traditions are sacred and whose doctrines are revealed truth is being besieged from all sides by new philosophies, both sacred and profane. Some of these are openly antagonistic to organized religion, whereas others have an ambivalent impact. While I certainly do not suggest that the survival of the Church depends on its willingness to accept reincarnation, I do believe that the issue provides a case study of the kind of modern heresy that the church is going to be forced to confront. Some of these modern heresies may have the potential to give the Church a much-needed infusion of vitality. Perhaps this will prove to be true of reincarnation. “

By Alice O. Howell (1922 – 2014).

242 Pages | 1992, Second edition | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton | ISBN: 0835606538.

Letters to an Analyst Friend

In this companion volume to Jungian Symbolism in Astrology, Alice continues her thought provoking letters to her analyst friend. She approaches the signs in an original way, showing their relevance to the self-acceptance, deeper understanding, and healing of the individual psyche. Then with a bold leap, she outlines the relevance of astrology itself to the evolution of the Collective Unconscious. She explains not only the astronomical basis for the Age of Aquarius, but traces the fascinating synchronicity between the past five astrological Ages (a span of 12.000 years) and the development of human consciousness as shown in history through mythological and religious symbolism. This leads us logically step by step to the present tasks and potential traps for humanity in the coming Age. Also includes 38 line drawings.

”An astrologer for forty-five years, authority on the Perennial Philosophy, a lifelong student of Jung, Alice O. Howell has again accomplished a remarkabel feat.”

— Roger J. Woolger, Ph. D., Jungian Analyst, Co-author of The Goddess Within. Author of Other Lives, Other Selves

By Alice O. Howell.

281 Pages | Copyright 1990, second edition 2006 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 9780835608350.

‘The implications are staggering! Why don’t more people know about these things!’ So wonders Alice O. Howell, one of the most profound astrologers of our time and an authority on C.G. Jung’s depth psychology. Her view of astrology as symbolic of archetypical processes provides a tool for the deep healing of the psyche. It also presents a bold synthesis of history, religions, mythology, and Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious. Supported by irrefutable archaeological evidence, Howell traces the evolution of consciousness through five of the great astronomical Ages of the past ten thousand years. She explains the logic of the signs first, so that we can then marvel at the synchronicities.

Her findings imply a resolution of the Piscean dichotomy of faith and reason, that has reigned for two millennia. (Consider the current movement to marry physics and spirituality). This leads her to speculate on humanity’s future tasks and traps. ‘As foretold, it’s not the world that’s ending‘, she laughs. ‘It’s just the Age. And here comes the next!’. Simply written as letters to a friend and analyst, The Heavens Declare offers warm advice as it inspires us to experience one flash of insight after another.

From Chapter 1 – ‘The Ring of Quiddity’ (p. 13):

” Each star
is a kiss
I would give you –
should others
wake to a starless night
you would be lying
in my arms
covered with light. “

By Jean Houston.

294 Pages | A Quest Original 1993 |  Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835606945.

Come to the Mystery School in this first of a three-book series drawn from Jean Houston’s acclaimed Seminars.

In this Soul-stirring exploration into three uniquely American lives, internationally known psychologist, philosopher, spiritual guide, and ‘master teacher’ Jean Houston weaves an evocative tapestry of biography, psyche, history, culture, and spirit. Through provocative storytelling, searching analysis, and deep experiental processes, the lives of Emily Dickinson, Thomas Jefferson and Helen Keller are mined for transpersonal and archetypal gold.

• Celebrate the senses with Emily Dickinson; proclaim your own ‘Declaration of Interdependence’ with Thomas Jefferson; step across the frame into the imaginal world with Helen Keller.
• Discover that the giants of our American past are archetypes with as much transformational power as any figures from mythology.
• Experience the possible human and in so doing, maximize your own potential for creativity, leadership and sensitivity.

From Part I – ‘Emily Dickinson’ (p. 55):

” The Daisy follows soft the Sun – 

And when his golden walk is done – 

Sits shyly at his feet – 

He – waking – finds the flower there – 

Wherefore – Marauder – art thou there?

Because, Sir, love is sweet!

We are as the Flower – Thou the Sun!

Forgive us, if as days decline – 

We nearer steal to Thee!

Enamored of the parting West – 

The peace – the flight – the Amethyst – 

Night’s possibility! “

177 pages | Gebonden/Hardcover | Quest Books, 1995

A thrilling retelling by master storyteller Jean Houston of the legendary exploits of the founder of the Iroquois Confederacy, known as the Peacemaker. Under his leadership they created a peaceful democracy among five tribes of Native peoples in the northeastern woodlands. This story has inspired American leaders from Benjamin Franklin to the present-day occupants of the White House, and is shown by Houston to be a potent guide to personal transformation and to the visioning of a peaceful world.

Jean draws from the experiential workshops she leads, with the help of Margaret (Peggy) Rubin, to guide readers through group or individual exercises that “bring the story home”.

488 pages, Notes, Bibliography, Index | Paperback | Quest Books, 2009

In this fresh approach to self-realization, human potentials leader Jean Houston provides empowering experiential exercises at every key stage of Homer’s epic to make The Odyssey our own journey. As we set sail with Odysseus, together we endure loss and suffering, the search for the divine Beloved, and the joy of finally arriving home.

By Ianthe H. Hoskins (1912 – 2001).

26 Pages | Adyar Pamphlet New Series, No. 3  Dec. 1989 |  Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170594081.

Based on a Lecture at the International Convention of The Theosophical Society, Adyar, December 1989.

The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body whose primary object is Universal Brotherhood based on the realization that life, in all its diverse forms, human and non-human, is indivisbly One. The Society imposes no belief on its Members, who are united by a common search for truth and the desire to learn the meaning and purpose of existence by engaging themselves in study, reflection, purity of life and loving service.

Theosophy is the Wisdom underlying all religions when they are stripped of accretions and superstitions. It offers a philosophy, which renders life intelligible and demonstrates that justice and love guide the cosmos. Its teachings aid the unfoldment of the latent spiritual nature in the human being, without dependence or fear.

From Page 11:

” In these concluding verses from Emily Brontë’s Last Lines, the ‘Thou’ addressed by the dying poetess is no remote Creator in the skies, but that ‘God, within my breast, ‘Almighty ever-present Deity’, the One All:

Though earth and man were gone,

And suns and universe ceased to be,

And Thou wert left alone,

Every existence would exist in Thee.

There is no room for Death,

Nor atom that his might could render void:

THOU – THOU art Being and Breath,

And what THOU are can never be destroyed. “

By Ianthe H. Hoskins (1912 – 2001).

19 Pages | Adyar Pamphlet New Series, No. 3  Dec. 1989. This is the 1997 edition. |  Softcover | The Theosophical House, London | No ISBN.

Based on a Lecture at the International Convention of The Theosophical Society, Adyar, December 1989.

The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body whose primary object is Universal Brotherhood based on the realization that life, in all its diverse forms, human and non-human, is indivisbly One. The Society imposes no belief on its Members, who are united by a common search for truth and the desire to learn the meaning and purpose of existence by engaging themselves in study, reflection, purity of life and loving service.

Theosophy is the Wisdom underlying all religions when they are stripped of accretions and superstitions. It offers a philosophy, which renders life intelligible and demonstrates that justice and love guide the cosmos. Its teachings aid the unfoldment of the latent spiritual nature in the human being, without dependence or fear.

From Page 10:

” In these concluding verses from Emily Brontë’s Last Lines, the ‘Thou’ addressed by the dying poetess is no remote Creator in the skies, but that ‘God, within my breast, ‘Almighty ever-present Deity’, the One All:

Though earth and man were gone,

And suns and universe ceased to be,

And Thou wert left alone,

Every existence would exist in Thee.

There is no room for Death,

Nor atom that his might could render void:

THOU – THOU art Being and Breath,

And what THOU are can never be destroyed. “

By Ianthe H. Hoskins (1912-2001).

37 Pages | Printed July 2000 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

Ianthe Hoskins joined The Theosophical Society in 1936, and later served for two periods (1972-1978 and 1989-1992) as General Secretary of the English Section. As an international lecturer she has travelled widely, lecturing in English, French, Spanish and German, and conducting study courses at the International Headquarters at Adyar and in several Sections around the world. For a number of years she has been a member of the General Council (the governing body of the Society). Outside the Society, she is well known in the Yoga movement, speaking particularly on Vedanta.

From page 25:

” If the divine birth is to shine with reality and purity, it must come flooding up and out of man from God within him, while all man’s own efforts are suspended and all the soul’s agents are at God’s disposal. “

By Ianthe H. Hoskins (1912 – 2001).

60 Pages | First edition 1994, second reprint 2004 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592399.

Ianthe H. Hoskins was a teacher by profession, who also had several years of experience in teacher-training. Her work for the Theosophical Society has been varied, including administration of the English Section of the Society, writing lecture around the world and talks to those interested in the philosophy of Yoga and Vedanta.

From the Foreword:

” These notes offer an introduction to the theoretical and practical study of yoga. Among the explanatory statements given here, of especial importance are the words ‘self-applied in an individual case’. In modern parlance, yoga is a ‘do-it-yourself’ science. Unless this is understood from the beginning, it is useless to embark on the study. Hidden treasure, says the Viveka-chudamani, does not come out at the mere mention of the word ‘out’: there must be reliable information, digging and the removal of stones. Similarly, the treasure of the Divine Indwelling – the goal of yoga – is not attained without the instruction of Wise Teachers, feminine or masculine, accompanied by the discplines of the yogic life.

The notes are intended to be used in conjunction with one – or preferably more than one – translation of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Some recommended versions are given at the end, together with a short reading list. 

I.H.H. “

By Helena Petrovna Blavatksy (1831 – 1891) with a foreword and notes by Ianthe H. Hoskins (1912 – 2001).

84 Pages | First Adyar Edition, Fifth reprint 2012 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar. | ISBN: 9788170592211.

Dutch translation: Grondslagen van de Esoterische Filosofie – Uit de Geschriften van H.P. Blavatsky | Uitgegeven in 1992 | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland | ISBN: 9789061750673.

Some of the most important statements from the Secret Doctrine of Madame Blavatsky have been extracted and put together in this little book. It is a valuable introduction to the main teachings of the Ancient Wisdom, which Blavatsky said was the common spiritual heritage of humanity. Each passage is briefly introduced by Miss Hoskins, who has added short glossary of terms as an appendix.

For the inquirer, who wishes to learn the fundamental principles underlying the universal Wisdom tradition, this compilation is a stepping stone, but for more ardent students there is material for deep reflection and meditation.

From Chapter ‘Isis Unveiled: A Ten-point Summary’ (p. 72 & 73):

” To sum up all in a few words, MAGIC is spiritual WISDOM; Nature, the material ally, pupil and servant of the magician. One common vital principle pervades all things, and this is controllable by the perfected human will. The Adept can stimulate the movements of the natural forces in plants and animals in a preternatural degree. Such experiments are not obstructions of Nature, but quickenings; the conditions of intenser vital action are given.

The Adept can control the sensations and alter the conditions of the physical and astral bodies of other persons not Adepts; he/she can also govern and employ as he/she chooses the spirits of the elements. He/She cannot control the immortal spirit of any human being, living or dead, for all such spirits are alike sparks of the Divine Essence and not subject to any foreign domination. “

By Ianthe H. Hoskins.

28 Pages | First edition 1969, 3rd reprint 2002 , Adyar Mini| Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592003.

From the Foreword:

” To study yoga without attempting to translate it into practice is like studying the technique of car driving without ever taking the car from the garage. Yoga is a practical science, and its value to the student can be appreciated only when the theoretical study is translated into experience. The questions and notes which follow may provide a starting-point for those, who feel the need of some simple and precise suggestions in applying what they have studied to everyday life. “

The notes in this Adyar Mini Booklet are intended as an introduction to the deeper study of the Yoga Sutra-s of Patañjali available in various translations. For further reading, The Still Mind by Roy Agard and Rāja Yoga – A Practical Course by Wallace Slater, are recommended.

By Stephan A. Hoeller

119 Pages | First edition 1975, third printing 1988 | Softcover | Quest Books, USA | ISBN: 0835604659.

Integrating the two diciplines to heighten the experience of meditation.

Those, who are into Tarot and those, who are interested or involved in meditation will be attracted by this new book by the director of the Sophia Gnostic Center of Los Angeles. Designed to lead the reader easily into a meditative state, it includes 22 illustrations of the Major Arcana each juxtaposed with an appropriate meditation.

As the reader relates the cards to the paths that lead upward on the Kabalistic Tree of Life, heightened spiritual consiousness can result. The author has addressed The Royal Road to the general reader interested in the values in both the Tarot deck and in the Kabalistic interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures.

From Chapter 2: ‘Tarot and Kabalah (p.13):

” Can the Tarot predict the future? Perhaps! The true answer, however can not be given so simply. If we recognize that, even though unconsciously, we are constantly shaping our future, it then follows that by establishing a magical contact with our unconscious we can learn much about our future and, what is more, we can influence and alter our future, thereby becoming, at least to a degree, masters of our own destiny. Time is a continuum, not a division, and its mysteries are often pierced when we recognize the proper significance of material clues to spiritual processes. Tarot divination is merely one particular application of these principles to the concerns of daily living. “

239 pages | Paperback | Quest Books, 2002

“Gnosticism like mysticism pursues the inner way; its authority is not external but internal–a living personal experience–but without denying the outer world. Under the guise of Basilides, a second-century AD Gnostic sage, Jung wrote in 1916 the Seven Sermons to the Dead after he had received intense psychic experiences..The author [Stephan Hoeller]…has made his own translation of the sermons and sets forth a lengthy explanation and far-ranging commentary on Jung, Gnosticism, and the present condition of the Western individual.”—Choice Review

By Stephan A. Hoeller.

268 Pages | A Quest Original 1989, 6th printing 2004 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835606465.

Within a matrix of modern depth psychology, Stephan A. Hoeller shows similarities between secret traditions of the Essenes and early Gnostic mysticism.

Gospels discovered in the 1940s reveal a pre-Christian Judaism of Gnostic character. The Dead Sea Scrolls essentially are mystical documents. It appears the Scrolls’ Essene authors of 130 B.C. – 70 A.D. like the Nag Hammadi Gnostic authors of the Apostolic Age, experienced visions of an esoteric nature, and the Scrolls possess an inner, hidden meaning. The Nag Hammadi Library, discovered by two peasants, who unearthed clay jars in 1945 in upper Egypt, did not appear in English for 32 years, because they were knotted in wranglings among scholars, politicians, and antique dealers. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in clay jars in Palestine by a goatherder in 1947, weathered similar storms. The first team of analysts were most Christian clergy, since the material frightened church leaders. As Dr. Hoeller shows in Jung and the Lost Gospels, they rightly feared the documents would reveal information to detract from unique claims of Christianity. Indeed, the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi Library both contradict and complement accepted Old and New Testaments.

From Chapter 6 – ‘Errant Wisdom – The Myth of Sophia’ (p. 112):

” Sophia is the World Spirit, or the collective archetype of the entirety of cosmic and individual life, growth and development. As such, she is most closely associated with the nature and faith of humanity: the initial differentation and subsequent individuation of the soul and its Union with spirit. “

257 pages | Paperback | Quest Books, 2002

We don’t have to look to the East for spiritual inspiration; there’s an ancient and authentic mystical tradition right here at home.

Gnosticism developed alongside Judeo-Christianity over two thousand years ago, but with an important difference: It emphasizes, not faith, but direct perception of God–Gnosticism being derived from the Greek word gnosis, meaning “knowledge.” Given the controversial premise that one can know God directly, the history of Gnosticism is an unfolding drama of passion, political intrigue, martyrdom, and mystery. Dr. Hoeller traces this fascinating story throughout time and shows how Gnosticism has inspired such great thinkers as Voltaire, Blake, Yeats, Hesse, Melville, and Jung.

245 pages | Paperback | Quest Books, 1992

Dr. Stephan Hoeller examines the philosophic basis for freedom as expressed in the writings of the Gnostics and Carl Jung. He relates this philosophy to that of America’s founders and to such recent events as the collapse of Communist regimes throughout the world.

“At a time when most of us continue to look to political or economic reforms for the betterment of society, Stephan Hoeller offers a deeper analysis of our problems.”– Butler Shaffer, Professor, Southwestern University School of Law, and author of Calculated Chaos.

By Geoffrey Hodson (1886 – 1983).

345 Pages | First edition 1971, reprinted in 1992 | Hardcover | Thr Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170591732.

Volume III – The golden grain of Wisdom in the Book of Genesis. (Genesis chapters twenty-five to fifty).

In this Third Volume, Geoffrey Hodson offers the fruits of his attempts to delve into the Books of the Old Testament in search of truths, that he believes to be timeless and which, if applied, could profoundly affect those living in this present war-threatened, and actually war-torn, age in which (wo)man possesses the power of self-examination.

From ‘The Hidden Wisdom and why It is concealed’ (p. ix):

” The greatest degree of power, which occult science can bestow is to be derived from knowledge of the unity and interaction between the Macrocosm and the Microcosm, the Universe and Man. ‘The mystery of the earthly and mortal man is after the mystery of the supernal and immortal One’, wrote Éliphas Lévi (1810 – 1875), Lao Tzu (6th century BC) also expresses this truth in his words: ‘The Universe is a man on a larger scale’. “

The late Geoffrey Hodson is the author of The Brotherhood of Angels and Men and Clairvoyant Investigations.

An examination of the idea that the contents of the Bible are partially allegorical. Volume I: an introduction to the sacred language of allegory and symbol.

From ‘The Hidden Wisdom and why It is concealed’ (p. vii):

” The greatest degree of power, which occult science can bestow is to be derived from knowledge of the unity and interaction between the Macrocosm and the Microcosm, the Universe and Man. ‘The mystery of the earthly and mortal man is after the mystery of the supernal and immortal One’, wrote Éliphas Lévi (1810 – 1875), Lao Tzu (6th century BC) also expresses this truth in his words: ‘The Universe is a man on a larger scale’. “

The late Geoffrey Hodson is the author of The Brotherhood of Angels and Men and Clairvoyant Investigations.

By George Hodson (1886 – 1983).

88 Pages | Second edition, 1st reprint 2011 | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170590523.

In the Occult Tradition, the number seven occurs frequently. The Seven Rays refer to the seven different human temperaments. Geoffrey Hodson describes the characteristics of people in each of these rays, their strengths and weaknesses, ideals and methods. He also points out that most people show forth in daily life the characteristics of the Seven Rays. Ultimately, we must develop the qualities of all the Rays, although the unique characteristics of one of them will predominate.

Included is an enfolded A2-diagram mapping out the Seven Rays and their characteristics.

By Geoffrey Hodson (1886 – 1983).

65 Pages | First Adyar Edition | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN:

‘ Parenthood is indeed a sacrament and not lightly to be profaned. ‘

Science is increasingly realizing that the foundations for good health are laid from the moment of conception itself. The two aspect of life as it unfolds – consciousness and matter – must be rightly balanced. A sagacious and reverent approach to parenthoof enables children to enjoy a healthy physical, emotional and mental life.

Hodson, gifted clairvoyant, goes beyond the physical development of the child in the womb to describe the subtler aspects of emotional, mental and spiritual growth.