By Seymour D. Ballard.

19 Pages | Softcover | The Blavatsky Lecture, 1986 | The Theosophical Society in England, London | No ISBN.

The Blavatsky Lecture delivered at the Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society in England at the College of Ripon and York, St. John, Ripon, July 29th, 1986.

A vital feature of the esoteric traditions contains the notion that all manifestation is to be regarded as illusion. Illusion is the usual translation of the Sanskrit word māyā. Yet, although she uses this definition of the Sanskrit Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891) presents important qualifications to the word to help the student fathom the subject matter in her major work. She writes: ‘Māyā or Illusion, is an element which enters into all finite things, for everything that exists has only a relative, not an absolute, reality, since the appearance which the hidden noumenon assumes for any observer depends upon his power of cognition…’

From page 4:

” Nothing is permanent except the one hidden absolute Existence which contains in itself the noumena of all realities. The existences belonging to every plane of being, up to the highest Dhyan Chohans, are, comparatively, like the shadows cast by a magic lantern on a colourless screen. Nevertheless, all things are relatively real, for the cognizer is also a reflection, and the things cognised are therefore as real to him as himself. Whatever reality things possess, must be looked for in them before or after they have passed like a flash through the material world; for we cannot cognize any such existence directly, so long as we have sense instruments, which bring only material existences into the field of our consciousness. “

By Geoffrey A. Farthing (1909 – 2004).

84 Pages | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, London | ISBN: 0722952597.

What indeed is Theosophy about? It is about the universe, its nature and origins and the processes that operate in it. It is about man and his nature and origins and his relationship to the Whole of which he is a part. It is about law that operates throughout Nature; it is about evolution and individual responsibility, about Life and living and the purpose of it all, and it is about the ways of knowing that may set men free. The field of Theosophy is vast, and its literature is extensive. This book is an introduction to an absorbing and life-long study.

From Chapter – ‘The Purpose of Life (p. 20)’:

” The purpose of life is then to live. Living involves change and this change, as we shall see later, is cyclical but always on an expanding progressive scale, growth. Spirit or life on the one hand is descending into manifestation in the physical world, and on the other it is ascending by gradually improving forms through ever-unfolding consciousness, until the sage when Man endowed with mind achieves true self-consciousness. The activities of Spirit in physical forms give rise to the production and multiplication of individualized self-conscious units of Itself, human and ultimately super-human beings, each eventually returning to its source with its harvest of unique experience, attributes and power. Life, in short, is a journey to perfection. “

By Nūr-ud-Dīn ‘Abd-ur-Rahmān Jāmī (1414 – 1492), translated by E.H. Whinfield and Mīrzā Muhammad Kazvīnī and with a new introduction by Seyyed Hossein Nasr.

61 Pages+ full Arabic text | First edition 1906, 2nd edition 1914, reprinted in 1928 & 1978 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, London | ISBN: 722951361.

This work by Nūr-ud-Dīn ‘Abd-ur-Rahmān Jāmī is a reproduction of the 1928 edition published by the Royal Asiatic Society. It contains the full text and English translation as well as a new preface by Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Jāmī needs little introduction. He is acknowledged to be one of the greatest poets of the Persian language and ranks alongside Sanā’ī, Attār, Rūmī, and Hāfiz. He was born near Herat in 817/1414, and became a renowned scholar mastering the traditional sciences of mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and theology. He became deeply committed to Sufism, and was an influential member of the Naqshbandiyyah Order. The spiritual instructions he was to receive in the Order from two masters, Sa’d al-Dīn Muhammad Kāshghāri and Khwājah Nasīr al-Dīn Ahrār, were so to transform his very being. that he was able to create several masterpieces of Sufism of which Lawāʼih is a fine example.

In this work he brilliantly describes the doctrines of Ibn ‘Arabī and his school which had such a profound influence on all aspects of Persian life. It is by no means simply a commentary on Ibn ‘Arabī, but as Hossein Nasr points out in his preface, ‘it is the fruit of vision made possible by spiritual discipline and the attainment of sanctity’.

From page 43:

” Mark well this subtle point – each quality

Each action that in substances we see,

On one side is attributed to us,

On one to ‘Truth’, the sole Reality. “

By Wallace Slater.

105 Pages | First edition 1968, reprinted in 1972 | Hardcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

NB: This is an older edition, the most recent 2006 edition can be purchased in our Webshop here.

Of all forms of yoga, which are taught and practised in the East, Rāja Yoga is considered the kingly science; it aims at the development of man’s full potential and the expression of his inner spiritual ‘Self’. In this small volume, the author offers the basic technique of this ancient classic system of yoga in a graded practical ‘do-it-yourself” course divided into 10 lessons.

The instructions include posture, right attitudes and, most importantly, methods of meditation. This simplified course will be of inestimable value in aiding the student to find a means of inner quiet amidst the rush and turmoil of a busy life, to discover new insights and to realize himself as an integrated human being.

From the Introduction (p. 1):

” The term ‘yoga’ is now generally applied to many forms of asceticism, meditation and spiritual training whether practised by Hindus, Buddhists or Christians. It is, however, primarily an ancient Indian form of discipline, which has been modified by later Indian writers, adopted by Buddhists and practised in the West in many different forms by people professing the Christian faith or none. It is therefore to India, that we look for the original source material.

Yoga, derived from ‘yuj’, implies, ‘ to bind together’, ’to yoke’, and, in this sense, its practice is to unite the individual spirit of man with the greater Spirit of God (Īśvara), or with the Oversoul of humanity. But first, there must be an unbinding, a separation of the external from the internal, of the ‘profane world’ from the spirit. This is achieved by various yoga practices, which aim to withdraw consciousness from the periphery to the centre, from the material world of our outward senses to a calm, inner centre of reality, variously called Spirit, truth, Wisdom, the ‘Self’, ātman. “

By Maria Montessori (1870 – 1952).

20 Pages | Reprinted from The Theosophist 1941, 10th reprint 1986 | Booklet | The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170590302.

We all know that the age of development is the most important period of the whole life. Moral malnutrition and intoxication of the spirit are as fatal for the Soul of man as physical malnutrition is for the health of his or her body. Therefore, child-education is the most important problem of humanity.

From page 18:

” Certainly here is the key to all pedagogy: to know how to recognize the precious instinct of concentration in order to make use of it in the teaching of reading, writing and counting and, later on, of grammar, arithmetic, foreign languages, science, etc. After all, every psychologist is of the opinion that there is only one way of teaching, that of arousing in the student the deepest interest and at the same time, a constant and vivacious attention. So the whole thing resolves itself in this, to make use of those intimate and hidden forces of the child for his or her education. “

By Stephan A. Hoeller.

25 Pages | Sunday July 27th, 2003 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

The Blavatsky Lecture delivered at the Summer School of The Theosophical Society in England, the University of Loughborough.

An exploration of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s (1831 – 1891) teachings in the light of the embodiment of the Ancient Wisdom known as Gnosticism. The title of this lecture alludes to three specific topics:

1. The teachings of the foundress and principal teacher of what has been called Modern Theosophy.
2. The earlier embodiment of the Ancient Wisdom Tradition known as Gnosticism.
3. The character of this same Wisdom tradition described here as ‘joyful Gnosis’.

From page 5:

” Gnosticism is the teaching based on Gnosis, the knowledge of transcendence arrived at by way of interior, intuitive means. Although Gnosticism thus rests on personal religious experience, it is a mistake to assume all such experience results in Gnostic recognitions. It is nearer the truth to say that Gnosticism expresses a specific religious experience, an experience that does not lend itself to the language of theology or philosophy, but which is instead closely affinitized to, and expresses itself through, the medium of myth. Indeed, one finds that most Gnostic scriptures take the forms of myths. The term ‘myth’ should not be taken to mean ‘stories that are not true’, but rather, that the truths embodied in these myths are of a different order from the dogmas of theology or the statements of philosophy. “

By Robert Ellwood.

226 Pages | A Quest original, first edition 1986, second printing 1994 | Quest Books, The Theosophical Publishing House, London. | ISBN: 0835606074.

Now over hundred years old, the Theosophical Society and its philosophy have grown to be an important voice in today’s world. The theosophical overview of creation is affecting the lives of an increasing number of people. More and more books are being addressed to the ideas of reïncarnation, karma, evolution, the Oneness of all life, the cyclic nature of creation, and the mystery of consciousness.

These are some of the major concepts that emanate from the ancient Wisdom and which are considered by Dr. Ellwood in this book. All of this new attention and respect is not surprising. For though theosophical ideas frequently antedate science as we know it by many millenia, these views, in their broad outline are consistent with present-day scientific knowledge.

From Chapter 3 – ‘The Human Experience’ (p. 104):

” Being, Consciousness and Mind or Bliss, are the divine Trinity within reflecting the cosmic, our ultimate nature and our inward highway to the Oneness of the universe. Yet we mostly know of these levels through their manifestations on more familiair planes, and then only if we are perceptive enough to have amid those manifestations, in the words of the poet:

. . . a sense sublime

Of something far more deeply interfused,

Whose dwelling is the light of the setting suns,

And the round ocean and the living air,

And the blue sky, and in the mind of man;

A motion and a spirit, that impels

All thinking things, all objects of all thought,

And rolls through all things. “

• Worthsworth, ‘Tintern Abbey’.

Nederlandse vertaling: Wat is Theosofie? Kosmos/Z&K Uitgevers, Utrecht/Antwerpen

By Michael Gomes.

25 Pages | Blavatsky Lecture 2017 | Soft cover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

‘The Blavatsky Lecture’ is one of the most prestigious presentations in the Theosophical Society. Partly, because of its longevity, continuity, subject matter, the eminence of its presenters, and the fact that for hundred years these lectures have been available as separate publications, the Blavatsky Lecture has achieved a unique position among Theosophical talks. It is the equivalent of the Academy Awards of Theosophy.

From page 20:

” One of the enduring benefits of Theosophy is that it is practical. Certainly, its teachings are filled with high ideas and often difficult concepts that challenge our thinking. How can the teachings on rounds, races, manvantara, dhyani chohans, sevenfold planes of being, etc. be claimed as ‘practical’? One way that H.P Blavatsky described Theosophy was, the accumulated Wisdom of the ages tested and verified by generations of seers, To the mentally lazy or obtuse it will always remain a riddle. The Wisdom is constant and unchanging, and has been accessible throughout the ages to those, who approach it properly. From the beginning one of the demands has been that the mental principle becomes consciously active. “

By Yvonne K. Burgess.

85 Pages | Printed 2009 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891) (HPB) reminded one group of students not long before she died that during the study of Theosophy, it was essential for them to bear in mind the reality of Oneness and to have an understanding of the importance of the monad. This aspect was recorded by one of those students, Robert Bowen. Also, in The Secret Doctrine I, p. 614 she states:

” Those unable to seize the difference between the monad – the Universal Unit – and the Monads or the manifested Unity, as also the ever-hidden and the revealed LOGOS or the Word, ought never to meddle in philosophy, let alone the Esoteric sciences. “

As a being, man is a perfected animal, the vehicle of a fully developed Monad, self-conscious and deliberately following its own line of progress, whereas in the insect, and even the higher animal, the higher triad of principles is absolutely dormant. – CW X p. 313.

By Susan Bayliss.

35 Pages | Softcover | Blavatsky Lecture 2014 | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

Life is full of potentiality from ’the circle of heaven’ to Mother Earth and all that live within her. The extent of this potential is hidden from us in our mundane world, concealed, according to the ‘Ancients’, behind a veil of illusion in which we live and experience our everyday lives. Out of nothingness came the ‘Great Illusion’ into a state of potentiality awaiting the impulse to become an expression of new life – a new universe. The same potentiality also lies within us and we too can awaken to a ‘new world’; a world in which we are transformed from a place of ignorance to a state of Knowledge and Wisdom. Our taks is to find the keys which open the the doorway to the higher life. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891) (HPB) in the Secret Doctrine (SD) describes the process of Life awakening at cosmic level, from potential space to the abstract space of ‘divine immaculate Mother-Nature’.

From page 29:

” In The Key to Philosophy, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891) tells us that the final goal cannot be reached in any way but through life experiences, and because most of this consists of pain and suffering, this is how we learn. Many of us will have seen the photograph of Einstein sittings at his desk with a copy of The Secret Doctrine lying there along with other books. He famously said that ‘The intellect has little to do on the road of discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you and you don’t know how or why. All great discoveries are made in this way. “

By Geoffrey A. Barborka.

67 Pages | Blavatsky Lecture 1970 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London. | No ISBN.

This Lecture commemorates the coming to the Western world of one who was the representative of a great Brotherhood – a Brotherhood which is known by many names. One of its epiphets, especially in connection with its origin, is a symbolic one; the Sons of Ad or Sons of Fire-Mist. Little has been written about these Sons. However, the meaning associated with the term is clear enough; for it links up with the name given to those Divine Beings who came to the assistance of humanity during one of its most critical periods. These are the Agnishvatta Pitris, the awakeners of the fire – which signifies the Mind-principle.

Geoffrey A. Barborka (1897 – 1982) was brought up at Point Loma, California. He had a classical education to which were added modern languages / German, French and Spanish+ and these were later supplemented by a study of Hebrew and Sanskrit. He is the author of a number of books, including The Divine Plan, H.P. Blavatsky, Tibet and Tulku and The Pearl of the Orient.

By Michael Gomes.

49 Pages | Blavatsky Lecture 2007 | Softcover |  The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

On August 29, 1882, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (1832 – 1907), President-Founder of the Theosophical Society, was in Galle, Ceylon, on a lecturing tour to raise funds for the opening of the schools for Buddhist children. One of the people who came forward to contribute was a man, whose arm and leg had been paralyzed for eight years. Olcott, who had read the literature on animal magnetism, or mesmerism as it was also termed, and magnetic healing in his youth, says he was moved to try some healing passes with his hands over the man’s arm, telling him that he hoped he might feel better.

Later that evening the gentleman returned to thank the Colonel, saying indeed his condition had improved. This encouraged Olcott to treat the arm again. There was a marked improvement when he returned the next morning, and, after two more days of treatment, he could move his arm and open and close his hand. Olcott also tried working on the man’s leg, which responded well enough to allow his to walk freely and even run. To show his thanks, the now-healed man brought a friend, who was also paralyzed. When he was cured, others came in increasing numbers, to the point, the Colonel recalled, ‘within a week or so my house was besieged by sick persons from dawn until late night, all clamoring for the laying on of my hands’.

Within the space of a year, he would treat some 8.000 people, until, at the verge of his own health breaking down, he was ordered by his teacher to stop. This little-known episode in the work undertaken by Olcott offers and instructive glimpse into the revival of alternative healing that was occuring at the time and which has now entered the mainstream.

By L.H. Leslie-Smith.

69 Pages | Independent Journal Edition | Softcover | Theosophical History Center, London | No ISBN.

From its Preface:

” Although this brief sketch, undertaken at the request of the General Council of the Theosophical Society, covers most of the important events in the first century of the Society, it is no wise a history, not even a condensed history. For that, several years of research would have been required, instead of a few weeks. The booklet is a personal appraisement of the period. “

Founded in 1985, the Theosohical History Centre seeks to promote interest in the history of the Theosophical Society and related fields.

By Alfred Percy Sinnett (1840 – 1921).

27 Pages | Softcover | First published in 1893, 3rd edition 1958, reprinted 1970 | Henry Ling Limited, The Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset | ISBN: 722952503.

Two lectures delivered before The Theosophical Society, London, in 1892-93 and now reprinted in 1958 in respose to repeated requests arising out of modern interest in the Pyramids, Stonehenge and also Atlantis. Their value is felt to lie in the text as originally given, and no attempt has therefore been made to revise them.

By John S. Gordon.

36 Pages | Soft cover | August 2008 | The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | No ISBN.

‘The Blavatsky Lecture’  delivered at the Summer School of The Foundation for Theosophical Studies, Wills Hall, The University of Bristol, Sunday August 2008.

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891), as we know, at least once remarked that ‘Theosophy is not for dumbskulls!’ By that, her writings clearly demonstrate, she meant that the operative principles behind this all-embracing form of wisdom-philosophy have to be studied carefully and followed in practice before it can even begin to be properly understood. However, those principles are not be taken on board like some religious ritual, driven by blind faith and a happy assumption that somebody else will take up the full responsibility for explaining their full significance.

What Theosophy is and how it works cannot really be understood other than through direct experience of the principles behind the operation of consciousness itself is regarded by the cutting edge of modern science as the next major frontier to be crossed, it is this subject which I propose to address today – although not perhaps in the manner which an orthodox scientist might adopt.

By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).

325 Pages | Published in 2017 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, London | ISBN: 9781999815707.

Social and political reformer, women’s rights activist, prolific writer and orator extraordinaire, was one of the best-known opinion-formers in late 19th-century- and early 20th century Britain and beyond. As president of the Theosophical Society from 1907 until her death, she made a major contribution to the occult and spiritual revival of the time.

In this new biography by Dr. Muriel Pécastaing-Boissière – senior lecturer in British civilization (Victorian Studies) at Sorbonne University, Paris –  links are explored between Besant’s freethinking socialism, feminism, criticism of the Empire and conversion to Theosophy.

By Jean Overton Fuller.

300 Pages | First published in 2003 | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House London, 2003

Who was Krishnamurti? The Theosophists, basing themselves upon certain ancient India calculations os astronomical cycles, believed a new major spiritual teacher to be due, who would set the keynote of the new age, and that it was their job to find him, care for him until his maturity and prepare the way for him. In Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895 – 1986), spotted paddling off the beach near their headquarters in Adyar, they believed they had found him. Annie Besant (1847 – 1933) assumed his legal guardianship, and an Order was created for him to head. But on reaching maturity he dissolved the Order and the words he spoke were unlike those they expected to hear. Had he renounced his mission, or had they chosen the wrong boy, or was it a case of new wine bursting old bottles? New people came to hear him. The Dalai Lama, who does not commonly visit, visited Krishnamurti, and was said to ask, ‘Sir what do you believe?’ He does not tell us what answer he received , but says he found Krishnamurti ‘a Nagarjuna’. What did he mean?

From the Chapter ‘The Last Goodbye’ (p. 272):

The last tape of Krishnamurti dated 7 Feb. 1986:

” . . . for seventy years that super-energy – no – that immense energy, immense intelligence, has been using this body. I don’t think people realise what tremendous energy and intelligence went through this body – there’s a twelve cylinder energy . . . and now the body can’t stand any more. Nobody, unless the body has been prepared, very carefully protected . . . can understand what went through this body. Nobody. Don’t anybody pretend. Nobody, I repeat this: nobody amongst us or the public know what went on. I know they don’t. And now, after seventy years, it has come to an end. Not that intelligence and energy . . . it’s somewhere here, every day and especially at night . . .You won’t find another body like this, or that supreme intelligence operating in a body for many hundred years. You won’t see it again. When he goes, it goes.

There is no consciousness left behind of that consciousness, or that state. They’ll all pretend or try to imagine they can get into touch with that. Perhaps they will somewhat if they live the teachings. But nobody had done it. Nobody. And so that’s that. “

By Charlotte W. Woods.

182 Pages | The Blavatsky Lecture for 1919 | Photo copy (1992) from the first edition published by The Theosophical Publishing House, London in 1922 | Kessinger Publishing Company, Montana U.S.A. | ISBN: 1564592642.

CONTENTS:

1. The Problem of the Self from Descartes to Kant.
2. The Problem of the Self in Current Philosophy.
3. The Problem of the Self in Theosophic Mysticism.
4. An Examination of the Forgoing Standpoints.
5. Conclusion.

From Chapter 4: ‘An Examination of the Forgoing Standpoints’:

” We have thus arrived at a definition of the self in our philosophy; it is the ground and condition of the manifold of experience, the unity, purpose, and wholeness, which give meaning to bare multiplicity and stability to that which is mobile and changing . . . “

By Adam Warcup.

144 Pages | Published in 1986 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | ISBN: 0722951507.

The current scientific perspective of the evolution of life on Earth is that of a linear progression from simple to complex. The theosophical perspective is radically different. It postulates a cyclic evolution both for Life itself and for individual genera and species, man included. It further postulates a non-physical component as integral to the whole process. Without this added dimension, evolution appears a to be a random process – a perspective wholly denied by Theosophy.

From the Introduction (p.1.):

” Man, Know Thyself, said the Delphic Oracle. Finding ourselves in a complex world, naturally we ask questions about ourselves and our origins. When we first see that this life is but one of many, we have merely answered the first question. This answer certainly gives life a greater meaning, but it also leads to other questions. Where did the process of rebirth start? Will it end, and if so, when? How did we become the complex psycho-spiritual beings we see ourselves to be? The theosophical literature which is concerned with cyclic evolution provides us with many clues, which lead towards, not so much final answers, as an understanding of the process. “

By Harry Upadhyay, Ph.D.

32 Pages | 27 July 1985| Softcover | The Theosophical Society in England, London | No ISBN.

The Blavatsky Lecture delivered at the Annual Convention of The Theosophical Society in England at the University of Nottingham, 27 July 1985.

‘ADRISHTAM, AVYAVAHARYAM, AGRĀHYAM, ALAKSHNAM, ACHINTYAM, AVYAPADESHYAM’

‘Unperceivable, beyond empirical dealings, beyond grasp of the organs of action, uninferable, unthinkable, indescribable . . . ‘  – Māndukya Upanishad.

These words of the Māndukya Upanishad are not the only significant references to the Absolute, the Ultimate Reality; Parabrahman. Such words about Brahman and Ātman abound in most of the Upanishads. I quote here just a few. Maitri Upanishad says – ‘The Spirit Supreme is immeasurable, inapprehensible, beyond conception, never-born, beyond reasoning, beyond thought.’ Mundaka Upanishad says – ‘He cannot be reached by the senses, or by an austerity or sacred action . . . ‘

By Wallace Slater.

65 Pages | First edition 1966, 2nd and revised edition 1977 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835601382.

NB: This is the older 1977 edition, the most recent 1994 edition can be purchased in our Webshop here.

Yoga is a process by which the Laws of Nature are intelligently an deliberately applied to daily life in order to realize in full self-consciousness, one’s identity with the Supreme. There have been many books published on yoga and more recently a fair number has appeared on Hatha Yoga. This Simplified Course was prompted by requests for an ordered course of training in the form of lessons, which could be spread over a period of 20 to 40 weeks. It was also required, that the exercises should be critically selected to include only those, which could be readily used by people in the Western modern world without risk and without the need for personal instruction. Lastly, the course was required by  busy people, who could only spare a short time each day for its practice.

From LESSON 1 (p. 8):

D. Meditation

” Think selectively. Choose what you are going to think about, then think seriously about it. This is not just an early morning exercise, this is for the whole day. Try to make all thinking during the day more definite and clear. In particular, think optimistically. “

181 pages | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, 1984

In September and October 1880, H.P. Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Olcott visited A. P. Sinnett and his wife Patience at Simla in northern India. The serious interest of Sinnett in the teachings and the work of the Theosophical Society prompted H. P. Blavatsky to establish a contact by correspondence between Sinnett and the two Adepts who were sponsoring the Society, Mahatmas Koot Hoomi and Morya.

From this correspondence Sinnett wrote The Occult World (1881) and Esoteric Buddhism (1883), both of which had an enormous influence in generating public interest in Theosophy. In The Occult World, Sinnett gave lengthy excerpts from his early correspondence with Mahatma KH. Sinnett also related in detail many of the occult phenomena Mme. Blavatsky performed when she was in Simla.

By Hugh Shearman, jacket design by Jane A. Evans.

135 Pages | First published in 1962 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835602001.

The author of this book offers a unique approach to the discovery of meaning and purpose, which he suggests involves the transformation of our lives by realizing our own infinite potential. He writes of the search for the One, which has been passionate necessity of mystics of all faiths throughout the ages. While speaking from the heart, he does not deny the value of reason and mind, but suggests the necessity of penetrating beyond to that center within, which is stable and firm and amid the changing universe.

Dr. Hugh Shearman, an honor graduate in history, in which he earned the Ph.D. degree, has long been interested in philosophical and metaphysical subjects. He is the author of some twenty titles, which include The Purpose of Tragedy and Desire and Fulfillment.

From Chapter XIX – Immortality (page 129:

” The One remains, the many change and pass.

Heaven’s light for ever shines; Earth’s shadows fly.

Life like a dome of many-coloured glass

Stains the white radiance of eternity. “

• Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 – 1822).

By Leslie Price.

44 Pages | First edition February 1986 | Softcover; (paper) leaflet | Theosophical History Centre, London | ISBN: 0948753005.

A new discussion of the most famous investigation of The Society for Psychical Research.

Founded in 1985, Theosophical History Centre seeks to promote interest in the history of the Theosophical Society and related fields. The paper was first presented on 12 April 1983 and it was subsequently made available in draft in both the parapsychological and theosophical communities.

From page 1:

” Madame Blavatsky, the co-founder of the T.S. was born in 1831. In ‘Spiritual Magazine’, April 1872, she was reported to be directing a Spiritualist society in Cairo, Egypt and after her arrival in New York in 1873 reports of paranormal phenomena around her began to appear regularly in the Spiritualist papers. She was corresponding secretary of the T.S., founded in New York in 1873, of which Col. Henry Olcott was president until his death in 1907. The two chief founders left the U.S.A. for India in 1878 via London, and transferred T.S. headquarters first to Bombay and in 1882 to Adyar. It was during a visit by the founders to Europe in May 1884 that the S.P.R. Committee was formed. The S.P.R, itself was only two years old, and the personnel of Spiritualism, Theosophy and Psychical Research were not then as polarised as they later became. “

By Joy Piper.

113 Pages | First printed in 2003, reprint 2012 | Soft cover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

In this work, the author attempts to explain the nature of man’s existence and his place in the overall scheme of things. It is concerned with challenges concerning ‘human-ness’ and all that it implies: joys, sorrows and a sense of bewilderment and frustration when one faces, as one ultimately must, the depths of one’s own ignorance as how to live a life on Earth in the truest and most spiritual sense.

It is the author’s hope, that this work may provide a basic structure for the reader’s own research and study. Feel encouraged to embark upon your own quest for knowledge of this wonderful Universe, in which we live. Discover the Great Cosmic Laws governing the way in which all solar systems with their planets in orbit follow their pre-destined pattern of movement in space: the way in which a man’s seven bodies ‘orbit’ his own ‘Spiritual Sun’ or ‘Spark of the Divine’. Because these same Great Laws apply to the macrocosm (the large) and to the microcosm (the small). As it is above, so it is below, as it is within, so it is without: by learning about humankind – ourselves – we can begin to find the answers to questions about the Universe.

From page 107:

” Although the Masters may not actively intervene in human affairs, they can and do constantly observe the progress of events on our planet Earth. They are aware of those individuals, who have willingly committed themselves to the rigours of self-training necessary to equip them with the knowledge and stamina, which are essential for carrying out the Masters’ work. This work involves spreading the Ageless Wisdom Teachings – Theosophy – as widely as possible, so that others also may become helpers in the work of the Masters. In this way, the Masters’ influence for Good will greatly undermine the dark forces, so that in time a greater harmony will prevail in life on our world. ” 

By E. Lester Smith.

100 Pages | 1985 | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, London/| ISBN: 0722951221.

Dr. E. Lester Smith has been a member of the Theosophical Society for sixty years and, after his retirement, edited Intelligence Came First, for which he won the Subba Row Medal of that Society. Throughout his working life he has written about 100 research papers in various scientific and medical journals in England and America. In Our Last Adventure he adds another dimension to his work – research into death and beyond.

From the Prologue:

” There is a journey ahead that none of us can avoid – our last adventure, death and beyond. If you travel abroad, it is wise to take a map and a guide to the country. Most people face death totally unprepared. Some are scared and refuse even to think or talk about it; others are resigned or willing to go when their time comes; very, very few have any clear idea of what lies ahead… In the chapters which follow, I have tried to write a commonsense guide to the next world. “

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 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 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. “

Edward Lewis Gardner (1869 – 1969).

15 Pages | Reprinted 1966, 1975, 1991 | Mini-booklet | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

From the Appendix to The Web of the Universe.

A study of the Earth Chain is a study in essence of the whole Scheme. Just as in embryology one may trace the evolution of the physical form through all the earlier stages of development from the simple cell, so in the first three Rounds of our Chain the work of the first three Chains is recapitulated. On these Rounds certain work is done rapidly that took untold ages of effort on the earlier chains. The Scheme works onwards to the Climax of its involution in the fourth Round of its fourth Chain. The Rounds are the big and important divisions of a Chain’s manifestation.

From page 3:

OUR TERRENE SCHEME

” In each Planetary Scheme there are seven successive incarnations or circuits of the great Life Waves from the Solar Logos. On each Chain, from the first onwards, all the stages of consciousness known as the kingdoms of nature, from the elemental to the human, are present. The broad rule appears to be that, for the span of a Chain, a given impulse of the Logoic consciousness functions through the forms of one kingdom only. “

Compiled by G.A. Farthing.

84 Pages | 2003| Softcover |Theosophical Publishing House, London –  in collaboration with The Blavatsky Trust

These extracts from Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s (H.P.B. ‘s) voluminous works are intended to give some information about Masonry and the flavour of her thinking on the subject as she dealt with it over the period of her writing from 1875 – 1891.

H.P.B. was exposed to Masonry via relatives and friends in her formative years, and later many of her associates were Masons. Among them were some, including Colonel Olcott (1832 – 1907), who helped in the founding of the Theosophical Society and became its first President. At the time of the founding of the Theosophical Society, however, there had been no public exposition of Theosophy. Later, there were intimations of it in Isis Unveiled and in many of H.P.B’s early writings. The great comprehensive teaching only came out in The Secret Doctrine published in 1888.

The significance of this in the matter of Masonry vis-a-vis Theosophy is that with the publication of the theosophical teachings sometimes hitherto closely guarded occult secrets were made public for the first time. Against this, as the reader of the extracts will perceive, the really significant secrets of Masonry, relating to the nature and processes of Nature herself, had been lost from early times.

By Geoffrey A. Farthing (1909 – 2004).

53 Pages | Revised and enlarged edition December, 1999 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

ISIS UNVEILED (1877) | THE SECRET DOCTRINE (1888) | THE CORNER STONE.

Theosophy is a relatively recent name for the Ancient Wisdom known from time immemorial, ever since there were minds to apprehend it. It is variously known as the Wisdom Religion, the Ancient Wisdom, the Science of Sciences, Esotericism and Occultism. It has been kept secret to preserve it from distortion, adulteration and misuse. As much of it as was thought wise by two if the Masters was made public for the first time at the end of the 19th century. This was mainly in the writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891); something of how this was done is told herein. The word ‘modern’ can only properly be applied to this outpouring, not to the ever-enduring Wisdom itself.

The expressed purpose behind this release of information was the eradication of superstitious ignorance and crass materialism, and the earnest desire to establish a Universal Brotherhood of Mankind on a truly spiritual basis.

From page 45:

” Help Nature and work with her and Nature will regard thee as one of her creators and make obeisance.

And she will open wide before thee the portals of her secret chambers, lay bare before thy gaze the treasures hidden in the very depths of her pure virgin bosom. Unsullied by the hand of matter she shows her treasures only to the eye of Spirit – the eye which never closes, the eye for which there is no veil in all her kingdoms.

Then she will show thee the means and way, the first gate and the second, the third, up to the very seventh. And then, the goal – beyond which lie, bathed in the sunlight of the Spirit, glories untold unseen by any save the eye of the Soul. [V.S. vs 66, 67, 68]. “

By Geoffrey A. Farthing (1909 – 2004).

36 Pages | May 25th 1974 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

The Blavatsky Lecture delivered at the Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society in England, May 25th 1974.

Life is something we all feel we know something about at first hand, because we are alive. We know what it feels like. We may never examine that realization much, but to the extent that we do, we know what life is. Similarly, we all dream or at least can remember having dreamed, and we are all certain of our own eventual demise even if that prospect does not unduly worry us. The subject of life, death and dreams is one then, that concerns us all even if we do not pay it much attention in the ordinary way. For theosophical students, however, it is of more interest. The word ‘Theos’ is, for them, synonymous with ‘Deity’ in a pantheistic sense, and in Madame Blavatsky’s writings Deity equates to life in all its aspects. Theosophy is therefore a study or knowledge of life, in the very widest and deepest sense.

From page 3:

” The Mysteries of life as of death, of the visible and invisible worlds, have been fathomed and observed by initiated Adepts in all epochs and in all nations. They have studied these during the solemn moments of union of their divine monad with the universal Spirit . . . and they have recorded the observations of one with those of another, and finding none of the contradictions so frequently noticed in the dicta, or communications of the mediums, but on the contrary, having been able to ascertain that the visions of Adepts, who lived 10.000 years ago are invariably corroborated and verified by those of modern Adepts, to whom the writings of the former never do become known until later – the truth has been established. A definite science, based on personal observations and experience, corroborated by continuous demonstrations, containing irrefutable proofs, for those who study it, has thus been established. I venture to belief that this science is just as good as that which relies on the accounts of one or even of several somnambulists (C.W., V,51). “

By Geoffrey A. Farthing (1909 – 2004).

49 Pages | Published in 2001 | Brochure | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

Nederlandse vertaling: Aspecten van de Goddelijke Wet | Published in 2004 | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, Amsterdam | ISBN: 9061750849.

Most in this brochure is extracted from the writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891). It has been said that these writings constitute a quarry from which generations of students can extract treasures of information concerning the truths of existence. What follows has been taken from these writings by the use of indexes, and the numerous extracts classified very roughly according to aspect. The story is a vast one. The universe manifests dynamism in all its operations and these operations apparently exhibit order. Whatever chaos there may have been in the remote beginnings of things now manifests this order as harmony and equilibrium. Where this not so the whole cosmic scene would be chaotic and self-destructive, whereas it is self-preserving as is evidenced by its very existence after countless millions of years.

From page 49:

” If Theosophy prevailing in the struggle, its all-embracing philosophy strikes deep root into the minds and hearts of men, if its doctrines of reïncarnation and karma, in other words, of hope and responsibility, find a home in the lives of the new generations, then, indeed, will dawn the day of joy and gladness for all, who now suffer and are outcast. For real Theosophy is ALTRUISM, and we cannot repeat it too often. It is brotherly love, mutual help, unswerving devotion to Truth. If once men do but realize that in these alone can true happiness be found, and never in wealth, possesions, or any selfish gratification, then the dark clouds will roll away, and a new humanity will be born upon earth. Then, the GOLDEN AGE will be there, indeed . . . “

From: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891), Collected Writings XI, p. 202.

By Muriel Daw.

37 Pages | Blavatsky Lecture 1987 | Soft cover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

” Yea Lord, I see the PATH, its foot in mire, its summits lost in glorious Nirvanic. And now I see the ever narrowing Portals on the hard and thorny way to Jñana “ – From: The Voice of Silence , ‘The Seven Portals’, p.  47.

” . . . O weaver of thy freedom, thou hast to master these Pāramitās of perfection – the virtues transcendental six and ten in number – along the weary path. ” – From: The Voice of Silence, ‘The Seven Portals’, p. 48.

” The six and ten transcendental virtues “, (the Pāramitās), are not for ful-grown yogis and priests alone, but for all those who enter the PATH. ” – Written to H.P.B. by her Master, from: Collected Writings 12, p. 598.

Most of us, as students of Theosophy, are already familiair with the second quotation from The Voice of Silence. However, although we may have meditated for years on the first of the transcendental virtues so richly described in THE SEVEN PORTALS, for some of us there remains a burning question: ‘Ten Pāramitās are mentioned, what about the other four?

It may be thought perhaps these other four are unimportant, otherwise Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891) would have given us more information about them: but this is not true. In fact, Buddhists call them ‘The Four Great Perfections’. They are so important that they are never given to beginners, only to students well advanced along the Way. It should also be noted, that in the Buddhist Scriptures, the Path of the Ten Pāramitās is always linked with the Ten Bhūmis (Stations or Earths) experienced along the Way.

By H.K. Challoner.

178 Pages | Published in 1976 | Softcover | The Theosophical House, London | ISBN: 0722950462.

‘. . . What else is Wisdom? What of man’s endeavour
Or God’s high grace so lovely and so great?
To stand from fear set free, to breathe and wait;
To hold a hand uplifted over Hate:
And shall not loveliness be loved for ever’.

What of tomorrow? This is the question, which haunts millions today. Tomorrow holds such immeasurable threats to everything dear to man. Its dark face is always looking over our shoulders. In our small, personal concerns as in wider spheres, local and international, a sense of menace, uncertainty and above all insecurity casts its shadows over our future so that fear has become inseparable from almost every aspect of modern life. It is the chief enemy to peace of mind, happiness and even health.

From Chapter VIII (p. 146):

” All that was harsh or sweet

To me was brought

By some affinity of Soul or sense or thought;

I complain not, nor wonder.

Just was my lot.

We – the real Self – cannot be injured in the long run by personal failures, by accident, certainly not by death, which for it does not exist. And if at the very moment of physical panic and physical death, be it slow or violent, we can hold to this conviction it will make all the difference to the state, in which we shall enter the next phase of existence. Hence the true purpose of the performance of the Last Rites of the church. We are not our bodies; so, however much the body panics or shrinks from experience (which it is its nature to do), to the extent to which this belief in the ultimate purpose of good has become the very ground of our thinking, we shall remain in every circumstance more inwardly controlled, confident and calm. “

By Charles E.O. Carter (1887 – 1968).

179 Pages | Softcover | First published in 1947, second edition 1978 | Theosophical Publishing House, London | ISBN: 0722951329.

Charles Carter (1887-1968), the greatest British astrologer of the twentieth century, wrote this book in London during World War II. It was his first book in more than a dozen years. It is the author’s hope that it may contain some ideas that are worth preserving and possess novelty, although much that it contains will necessarily be reminiscent of what has appeared in his earlier works.

From Chapter I – ‘The Sun, Moon and Minor Planets’ (p. 9):

” To the Ancients there were, of course, seven planets. That agreed admirably with, and perhaps was the origin and prime example of, the septenary principle they loved so well. The seven were the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The first two they call respectively the Greater and Lesser Luminaries. Mercury was a sort of odd man out; he was the messenger of the Gods, changeable by nature and accepting the value of whatever other planet or planets with which he might be in close aspect. Then came Venus and Jupiter, respectively the Lesser and Greater Benefits, naturally disposed to goodness in morals and to success and happiness; and lastly Mars and Saturn, were the Lesser and Greater Malefics, indicative of evil habits and dispositions and of difficult circumstances. This scheme simply and well-balanced, seemed to the medieval mind self-evidently true. In the arrangement of opposed good and evil planets, each considered as being ruled by an angel or archangel with innumerable subordinated spiritual beings, we seem to see a clear trace of Zoroastrian thought. The benefits are the servants of Ormuzd, the malefic are the agents of Ahriman. “

By C.E.O. Carter.

123 Pages | First published in 1932, reprinted in 1978 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, London | ISBN: 722950594.

One of the most important areas in looking at a horoscope is interpreting from the aspects indications of possible accidents; and the subject is made all the more difficult by defining what constitutes an accident. The author defines it as ‘a bodily mishap occasioned without intent either on the part of the sufferer or the agent (if any) inflicting it’. There are various gradations of accidents, and in the research for this book, one of the primary considerations was to discover if possible any factors that are common to all serious accidents. Here with the evidence of statistics are 168 cases from Britain and the United States, which will assist astrologers in examining charts.

From the ‘Preliminary Considerations’ (p. 17):

” Our first investigations must be directed to discover, it possible, any factors that are common to all serious accidents, or at least occur more frequently than mere probability would explain. My total collection, at the time of ‘closing the lists’ for tables, comprised 168 cases. These may be roughly divided as follows: asphyxiation (5), drowning (14), burns (19), scalds (9), gunshots (4), blows (21), crushings (9), wounds and cuts (7), vehicular (22), falls (32), machinery (5), railway (3), poisons (1), explosions (4), miscellaneous (10) and animals (3). Some of this book was written before all of these had come to hand, hence the above figures may not exactly agree with others given in Part Two, which also contains cases that came in after the tables had been finished. “

By Captain P.G. Bowen (1882 – 1940).

36 Pages (NB: the book begins on page 188 with page 224 as its final page) | 1985 edition | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

From the Foreword:

” Instead of Notes, which are a usual and indeed a necessary accompaniment to lessons, such as those given in Part I of this book, I give in the lessons that follow some questions asked by Learners, and my own answers thereto. The questions are not inventions of my own, but are selections from a volume of queries actually propounded by students, who have heard the subject matter of the various lessons expounded by me in lectures, or have had private correspondence with me concerning it. 

The question I have chosen to answer here have been selected for two reasons: first, because a majority of students appear to be interested in the points, upon which they bear, and second, because the answers they evoke serve in some measure to fill up the wider gaps, which the lessons inevitably contain. To fill all gaps in teachings, such as I have given would naturally be impossible, and even if possible would not be desirable. To give just enough leading to induce in the Learner a desire to travel for himself/herself is always my aim, not give him/her so much as to cause him/her to feel that effort of his/her own is unnecessary. 

Each question in each of the lessons, which follow is designated by a letter (Question A, Question B. etc.), and related to the passage or paragraph similarly marked in the lesson in Part I to which that in Part II corresponds. Each lesson in Part II related to a lesson of corresponding number in Part I. “

P.G.B. 

By Captain P.G. Bowen (1882 – 1940).

176 Pages | Original edition 1936, revised edition 1978 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House London | ISBN: 0722950713.

Among the strongest influences in the literary life of Ireland in the early Decades of this Century was the Hermetic Society founded by ‘AE’ for the study of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s (1831 – 1891) teachings. It was a meeting place for young writers, poets, and intellectuals, and in 1933 there arrived Captain P.G, Bowen, whose father had been among Madame Blavatsky’s circle of students in London. Recognizing in Bowen a kindred spirit, ‘AE’ put him in charge of the Hermetic Society and urged him to write an account of the path of self-development taught in the Schools of the Mystery tradition. The Occult Way is Bowen’s attempt to present this practical aspect of the Hermetic philosophy. Written in the austere spirit of Light on the Path, the seven Lessons seek to teach the aspirant to know himself and to depend on himself alone. A book for all serious students of practical occultism.

From page 76:

” Look, O my son, for the STAR! The STAR, O Child, who would be a Man or Woman, will gleam upon you as the Night wanes, and the Storms of the Dark Hours die away into a Peace that is Herald of the Dawn. That STAR does not rise nor does it set: IT holds a fixed place beyond the clouds in the depths of a speckless sky; but not until the Thunders are hushed and the Storm Fog shreds apart can its Golden Light descend to earth and dispel the gloom of your Night.

Know, O son, that this Nature in which you live and labour is, like the mid-air about high mountains, the Playground and the Battleground of the Gods of Storm. Not until you dominate those Angels of Strife, and marshal them in legions obedient to your word, will the Clouds of their Breath of Fury lift and the DAWN STAR illumine the Sleeping Earth. Then, and only then, while STAR FIRE flames upon the WAY, may you rest with PEACE, and raise the veil from her face. “

By Captain P.G. Bowen (1882 – 1940).

19 Pages | A rare edition from 19xx | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

The interpretation of the term Hatha Yoga, suggested by the sub-title of this paper, is one which may cause a little surprise, and perhaps, disagreement. Speaking in the widest sense, however, the interpretation is entirely correct, as I hope to make clear before I finish.

From: ‘Yoga What It Is’ (p. 3):

” The teWm YOGA literally translated means UNION. It refers to the process of harmonising, or unifying all departments or aspects of the individual Man with the inner, or central Principle, until the whole Life, and all that goes to make up that very comprehensive term, becomes balanced accurately, as it should be, on its AXIS. When this condition is attained all the outer departments swing accurately about the mathematical point (position, without dimension) which is the centre, and which itself, being merely abstract POSITION, does not move at all, and because of this fact governs the relative movements of outer sections of the wheel. This condition of balance constitutes perfection of individual development.

By Laurence J. Bendit and Phoebe D. Bendit.

154 Pages | First printed in 1973 | Hardcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0722950241.

Theosophy in the true sense is the perennial and unchanging philosophy of mankind, but its presentation needs to be adapted to the times. In these essays an attempt is made to discuss some of the principles of this philosophy in modern terms, and especially related to the presentation of it as set out by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891) and others. It can safely be assumed that, were these older writers doing their work today, they would do so in quite other language than in that of the nineteenth and earlier twentieth centuries. They would have to take into account the vast mental revolution which has been taking place in the last thirty or forty years, which has altered our views on so many things, and in particular in our knowledge. These collected articles rest very much on the modern – and probably temporary – mental climate of the second half of the twentieth century.

From the Introduction:

” Theosophy, the Wisdom of the enlightened mind, is unchanging for ever. It existed before history began – for man was already inhabitant of the earth – and it will endure lonf after history had ended as a record of events in time: when it will, in some form, remain as part of the heritage of the universe. It is the Pearl of Great Price fo the Gnostic Christian, it is the Jewel in the Lotus, the Clear Light of the Buddhist, the Tao of the mind; it is known by many names, yet it is always the same Wisdom . . . “

Compiled by the Merseyside Lodge of The Theosophical Society in England. With an Introduction and editorial notes by Geoffrey A. Farthing (1909 – 2004).

58 Pages | Published in 2000 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

Madame Blavatsky was at pains to say in many places what Theosophy is vis-a-vis the current scientific, religious and philosophical views of her time, and to show its relationship to the Theosophical Society, which she and others had founded in New York in 1875. The Society among other things (its three objects) was intended to promulgate a knowledge of Theosophy exists, and to help them to ascend towards it by studying and assimilating its eternal verities. [KEY,57].

From Chapter 2 – ‘Theosophy, the Perennial Wisdom’ (p.9):

IT LIES AT THE ROOT OF EVERY MORAL PHILOSOPHY. RELIGION AND SCIENCE.

” How long, O radiant Gods of Truth, how long shall this terrible mental cecity [blindness] of the nineteenth century Philosophists last? How much longer are they to be told that Theosophy is no national property, no religion, but only the universal code of science and the most transcendental ethics that was ever known; that it lies at the root of every moral philosophy and religion; and that neither Theosophy per se, nor yet its humble unworthy vehicle, the Theosophical Society, has anything whatever to do with any personality or personalities. To identify it with these is to show oneself sadly defective in logic and common sense. [C.W.XI,437]. “