Spiritual Evolution
SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION The universe is even as a great temple.Claude de St. Martin The central tenets of Theosophia are not derived from any ancient or modern sect but represent the accumulated wisdom
Theosophy as Divine Wisdom
The essence of Theosophy is the perfect harmonizing of the divine with the human in man, the adjustment of his god-like qualities and aspirations, and their sway over the terrestrial or animal passions in him.
H.P. BLAVATSKY
Theosophy and Universal Brotherhood
THEOSOPHY AND UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD Theosophy—the Wisdom Religion Universal Brotherhood Theosophy is “Divine Wisdom”, that bedrock of Truth which underlies and unites all of life. It is the Philosophia Perennis, the
The Word Theosophy
THE WORD “THEOSOPHY” Enquirer: Theosophy and its doctrines are often referred to a new-fangled religion. Is it a religion? Theosophist: It is not. Theosophy is Divine Knowledge or Science. Enq:
The Ocean of Theosophy
THE OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY W.Q. Judge Chapter I THEOSOPHY AND THE MASTERS Theosophy is that ocean of knowledge which spreads from shore to shore of the evolution of sentient beings; unfathomable in its
Cycles
CYCLES LADIES and gentlemen: This is our last meeting; it is the last impulse of the Cycle which we began when we opened our sessions at this Parliament. All the
Law of Correspondences
LAW OF CORRESPONDENCES “Law of Correspondences” is a greater subject than people are liable to suspect; yet we all know something of correspondences in the simple facts of nature—the seven
Spirit, Mind and Matter
SPIRIT, MIND AND MATTER The “midway point of evolution” is that stage where the astral prototypes definitely begin to pass into the physical, and thus become subject to the differentiating agencies now
Man as Microcosm
MAN AS MICROCOSM Man . . . is a microcosm, a world in himself, the mirror of an invisible universe that is around and beyond him. RAGHAVAN IYER, Hermes, March
Bhagavad Gita
THE BHAGAVAD GITA Like everything else that a Great Teacher does, it is meant to release in Arjuna authentic representations of an archetypal stance. Whatever part he chose or course
The Dhammapada
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Fundamental Unity
FUNDAMENTAL UNITY [I believe in] “. . . the essential unity of god and man and for that matter of all that lives. . . if one man gains spiritually,
The Changeless
THE CHANGELESS I do dimly perceive that whilst everything around me is ever changing, ever dying, there is underlying all that change a Living Power that is changeless, that holds
Eye and Heart Doctrines
REGENERATING THE INSPIRATIONAL MIND:HPB ON THE EYE AND HEART DOCTRINES Every thoughtful human being knows firsthand the difficulty of coordinating and integrating the head and the heart. Whether described as
Theosophy as Divine Wisdom
⮎ Theosophy As a Living Power
A man may seek the Golden Thread that binds all religions, sciences and philosophies, and yet never be wholly successful unless he becomes a universal man, a Renaissance man, a man of all cultures.
RAGHAVAN N. IYER, Hermes, November 1976
A Theosophical Discipline
A THEOSOPHICAL DISCIPLINE Initiation into Theosophical metaphysics is more than an intellectual or moral enterprise; it is a continuous spiritual exercise in the development of intuitive and cognitive capacities that are the highest available to men, a process that includes from the first a blending
Union and Harmony
UNION and HARMONY It is a law of occult dynamics that “a given amount of energy expanded on the spiritual or astral plane is productive of far greater results than the same amount expended on the physical objective plane of existence.” This state will last
Theosophical Terms: Principles of Human Nature
WHO AM I? PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN NATURE The Sevenfold Nature of Man Infused by Spirit, the One Life “Every aspiration higher brightens up the road connecting the Higher and lower self.” W. Q. Judge “The bridge that lies within man’s nature can be exercised in
Higher Compass
A HIGHER COMPASS The ordinary man has for his horizon his street; his insight is surface- deep and the points of his magnetic compass draw him to his appetites. He lives in his sense-created state, which looks to him like a real world but which
Archetypes
ARCHETYPES Archetypal forms are like flashes of light. We may represent them by external coatings or by geometrical figures, but that is to imply that they are fixed, whereas in fact they are in a ceaseless, fluid interconnection. A constant transformation is taking place in
The Dodecahedron
THE DODECAHEDRON From man or angel the great ArchitectDid wisely to conceal and not divulgeHis secrets to be scann’d by them who oughtRather admire; or, if they list not to tryConjecture, he his fabric of the heavensHath left to their disputes, perhaps to moveHis laughter
The Inmost Sanctuary
THE INMOST SANCTUARY For the neophyte, the initial step is to become a true pragmatist by putting to use the idealism which is within the soul and which is consubstantial with the plane of Mahatmic ideation in the cosmos. It will then become possible to
The Aquarian Tide
THE AQUARIAN TIDE Let us prepare, and let us study Truth in all its aspects, trying not to ignore any of them, if we do not wish, when the hour will have struck, to fall into the abyss of the unknown. It is useless to
Aquarian Tonality
AQUARIAN TONALITY In 1888, H. P. Blavatsky wrote of the Sun’s upcoming position in the Zodiacal cycle: “When it enters, in a few years, the sign of Aquarius, psychologists will have some extra work to do, and the psychic idiosyncrasies of humanity will enter on
Drawing the Larger Circle
DRAWING THE LARGER CIRCLE “Great Sifter” is the name of the “Heart Doctrine”, O Disciple. The wheel of the Good Law moves swiftly on. It grinds by night and day. The worthless husks it drives from out the golden grain, the refuse from the flour.
Theosophy as Divine Wisdom
⮎ Spiritual Inspiration
“When people come together, truly forgetting themselves and united by the magnetic attraction of the good, they emulate and serve in some small measure the Teachers of Humanity, the great galaxy of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.”
From Hermes, “The Zero Principle”
by Raghavan Iyer
Published by permission of theosophytrust.org.
The Supreme Spirit
THE SUPREME SPIRIT It is the Atman, the Spirit, by whose power the ear hears,
The Light Within
THE LIGHT WITHIN To find comfort for oneself from Atman means to look to the
One Bound Upstream
ONE BOUND UPSTREAM He who is intent upon the ineffable and dwells with mind enraptured,
Thy Star
THY STAR Fix thy Soul’s gaze upon the star whose ray thou art, the flaming
Raja Yoga
RAJA YOGA There is a vital connection between the Logos and logic, Divine Spirit and
Insight
INSIGHT Without insight there is no meditation and without meditation there is no insight. GAUTAMA
Knowledge and Reverence
KNOWLEDGE AND REVERENCE Let knowledge grow from more to more,But more of reverence in us
Spiritual Knowledge
SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE He whose doubts are dispelled by the light of knowledge mounts upwards in
Right Conditions
RIGHT CONDITIONS Aspiration alone is not enough. It must be backed by discipline, training, and
Progressive Awakenings
PROGRESSIVE AWAKENINGS The upward progress of the Ego is a series of progressive awakenings. H.
Taking Off
TAKING OFF A bird can only fly with a wing of knowledge and a wing
Spiritual Maturity
SPIRITUAL MATURITY One of the marks of spiritual maturity is a calm recognition that ethical
Altruism
ALTRUISM To live to benefit mankind is the first step. H. P. BLAVATSKY The Voice
Irreversible Choice
IRREVERSIBLE CHOICE The timeless Teaching of Divine Wisdom has always had urgency for the individual,
Theosophy as Divine Wisdom
⮎ Practical Theosophy
He who teaches Theosophy preaches the gospel of good-will; and the converse of this is true also, – he who preaches the gospel of good-will, teaches Theosophy.
H.P. BLAVATSKY, Five Messages
Karma and Forgiveness
KARMA AND FORGIVENESS In respect to man, karma has no existence without two or more persons being considered. You act,
Practical Theosophy: Universal Brotherhood
PRACTICAL THEOSOPHY: UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD IN THOUGHT AND DEED The ethics of life propounded by Jesus are not different from those
Four Golden Links
FOUR GOLDEN LINK ENQUIRER. How, then, should Theosophical principles be applied so that social co-operation may be promoted and true
Recognition of Law
Before beginning, and without an end, As space eternal and as surety sure, Is fixed a Power divine which moves
Interdependence
INTERDEPENDENCE As mankind is essentially of one and the same essence, and that essence is one—infinite, uncreate, and eternal, whether
Mental Purification
MENTAL PURIFICATION Let a man guard himself against mental irritations, let him be well restrained in mind. Having relinquished mental
Thoughts As Living Messengers
THOUGHTS AS LIVING MESSENGERS A thought, on its departure from the mind, . . . is attracted wherever there is
Duty and Wisdom
DUTY AND WISDOM He who seeks “the small old path” has many duties to perform. His duty to mankind, his
A Great Lens
A GREAT LENS It is possible to focus that light of universal wisdom, continual contemplation and eternal ideation within a
Parapolitics – Bringing Imagination into Political Relations from Within-Without
PARAPOLITICS – BRINGING IMAGINATION INTO POLITICAL RELATIONS FROM WITHIN-WITHOUT Parapolitics is an imperfect means to a transcendental end, the repeated
Emotional Disarmament
EMOTIONAL DISARMAMENT Pico Iyer writes, “Whether in the context of climate change or the right to life—let alone the ethics
Let’s Meet There
LET’S MEET THERE Out beyond ideas of right and wrong there is a field. I will meet you there. JALALUDDIN
Gandhi—Perfectibility and Moral Learning
GANDHI: PERFECTIBILITY AND MORAL LEARNING October 8, 2020 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your father which is in heaven
A Test of Spiritual Practice
A TEST OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE As we push back the boundary and enlarge the area of our consciousness, our “self”
Theosophy as Divine Wisdom
⮎ Searching for Truth
There is no religion higher than truth.
MAHARAJA OF BENARES and MOTTO OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Self-Devised Efforts
SELF-DEVISED EFFORTS H.P. Blavatsky writes that each student is responsible for their own self-devised efforts of learning and service in
Real Devotion
REAL DEVOTION Real devotion is a return to one’s true nature. All human souls in the Third Root Race were
Searching for Wisdom
SEARCHING FOR WISDOM Seek this wisdom by doing service, by strong search, by questions, and by humility; the wise who
Knowledge As Spiritual Discernment
KNOWLEDGE AS SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT Abstract space and eternity are indivisible; and therefore to try to fix time and place, as
Self-Examination
SELF-EXAMINATION Self-examination is the examination of the lower and personal self by the Higher and Impersonal Self. W. Q. JUDGE
Humility
HUMILITY In humility is the greatest freedom. As long as you have to defend the imaginary self that you think
Work in the Present
WORK IN THE PRESENT Then regret nothing, not even the greatest follies of your life, for they are gone, and
Nothing Good is Lost
NOTHING GOOD IS LOST Remember, thou that fightest for man’s liberation, each failure is success, and each sincere attempt wins
The Lustre of Wisdom
THE LUSTRE OF WISDOM Learn from these facets of Nature: though trampled on by all, be firm in your adversity
Love
Love without Measure
As a mother, even at the risk of her own life, protects her son, her only son, so let the disciple cultivate love without measure towards all beings. Let him cultivate towards the whole world, above, below, around, a heart of love unstinted, unmixed with differing or opposing interests. And let a man maintain this mindful love whether he stands, walks, sits or lies. For in all the world this state of heart is best.
Love, Divine Messenger
Love . . . is a divine messenger, who carries Light from Heaven down to the Earth and returns again to Heaven loaded with sacrificial gifts.
The Religion of Love
My heart has become capable of every form;
It is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christian monks,
And a temple for idols and the pilgrim’s Ka’ba
Love and Devotion
We must use all our loves as a preparation for amor dei or true Bhakti, the total and endless Love of the Logos in the cosmos, God in man.
True Love
True Love in this differs from gold and clay,
That to divide is not to take away.
Love is like understanding that grows bright
Gazing on many truths; ‘t is like thy light,
Light, Love, and Hope
Light is the first begotten, and the first emanation of the Supreme, and Light is Life, says the Evangelist and the Kabalist. Both are electricity – the life principle, the anima mundi, pervading the universe, the electric vivifier of all things.
Law of Love
Fear and love are contradictory terms. Love is reckless in giving away, oblivious as to what it gets in return. Love wrestles with the world as with itself and ultimately gains a mastery over all other feelings.
The Upward Ascent
If guided by knowledge and aspiration, there is no force which will so powerfully bear the soul upwards as that of love.
Gentle Speech
Gentle speech flows from love, is free from deceit, and is as music in the mouth of the virtuous. Gentle speech, with a cheerful countenance, surpasses the gift of the wealthy.
Soul
The Soul’s Pilot
Of that place beyond the heavens none of our earthly poets has yet sung, and none shall sing worthily. But this is the manner of it, for assuredly we must be bold to speak what is true, above all when our discourse is upon truth. It is there that true being dwells, without colour or shape, that cannot be touched; reason alone, the soul’s pilot, can behold it, and all true knowledge is knowledge thereof.
Intuition
Every one of us possesses the faculty, the interior sense that is known by the name of intuition, but how rare are those who know how to develop it! It is, however, only by the aid of this faculty that men can ever see things in their true colours.
Vision of Unity
Soul must see in its own way; this is by coalescence, unification; but in seeking thus to know the Unity, it is prevented by that very unification from recognizing that it has found; it cannot distinguish itself from the object of this intuition.
The Language of the Soul
The Soul is pictured in the ancient teachings as the real Self man. There are many different conceptions of what man is and what the soul. From Christian teachings we are led to believe that man has a soul, and may save it or lose it—the idea generally held in the West.
The Mystery of the Ego
The sure test that individuals have begun to ascend to higher planes of consciousness is that they find an increasing fusion of their ideas and their sympathies. Breadth of mental vision is supported by the depth of inmost feeling. Words are inadequate to convey these modes of awareness.
Soul-Force: Human Nature and Perfectibility
“Involvement in the world can be effective and not destructive only if it is based upon the strength that comes through inwardness; inwardness, on the other hand, can be fruitful and not escapist only if it is seen in the context of the world around us and of the true nature of things.
Soul and Character
Grandeur of character lies wholly in force of soul, that is, in the force of thought, moral principle, and love . . .
The Compass
The ordinary man has for his horizon his street; his insight is surface- deep and the points of his magnetic compass draw him to his appetites. He lives in his sense-created state, which looks to him like a real world but which is not any of the seven
Gandhi, Theosophy, and The Civilization of The Future
Gandhi and Theosophy
GANDHI AND THEOSOPHY MAHATMA GANDHI AND THEOSOPHY “Theosophy is the brotherhood of man.”Mahatma Gandhi There was a golden current of Theosophical influence that continually sustained
Gandhi, Theosophy, and the Global Civilization of Tomorrow
GANDHI ON THEOSOPHY AND THE GLOBAL CIVILIZATION OF TOMORROW Talk given at 143rd International Convention, T.S., Adyar on January 2, 2019 Invocation “Common be your
A Golden Future
A GOLDEN FUTURE The inward stirrings of higher life within human consciousness presage a golden future for the race as a whole. Raghavan Iyer Published
A Whirling Rainbow
A WHIRLING RAINBOW There will come a day when people of all races, colors, and creeds will put aside their differences. . . They will
Truth and Non-Violence…
Truth and Non-Violence
TRUTH AND NON-VIOLENCE The ethical potency of Gandhian thought was grounded in moral clarity and metaphysical simplicity. Without succumbing to either the illusion of infallibility
Love of Truth
LOVE OF TRUTH Now, since truth is a multifaced jewel, the facets of which it is impossible to perceive all at once; and since, again,
True Morality
TRUE MORALITY The effort to assimilate the individual and the universal law is popularly known as the practice of morality. Obedience to this universal law,
Truth and Silence
TRUTH AND SILENCE Silence is essential for one whose life is an incessant search for truth. Silence also helps one to suppress one’s anger as
Truth Begets Trust
TRUTH BEGETS TRUST Truth has the first place among the gifts of Gods and men, for truth begets trust. . . PLATO,Laws In the same
Truth and Trust
TRUTH AND TRUST Without truth there is no agreed-upon path forward, and without trust there is no way to go down that path together. THOMAS
Truth and Fellowship
TRUTH AND FELLOWSHIP Truth in the inward parts at once breaks down the barriers which separate us from our fellow men. DEAN INGE In the
Absolute and Relative Truth — Truth Misplaced
ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE TRUTH — TRUTH MISPLACED Gandhi contended that evil is good or truth misplaced. This does not mean that (as Bentham might say)
What is Truth?
WHAT IS TRUTH? Truth is the Voice of Nature and of Time – Truth is the startling monitor within us – Naught is without it, it comes from the
Meditation and Self-Study
Meditation and Self-Study
MEDITATION AND SELF-STUDY Atmanam atmana pasya Meditation and self-study are of immeasurable importance to every single person. They concern the longest journey of the soul, the divine discontent in human life. The quest for true meditation and the yearning for real self-knowledge are as old as
Meditation, Concentration, and Will
MEDITATION, CONCENTRATION, WILL THESE three, meditation, concentration, will, have engaged the attention of Theosophists perhaps more than any other three subjects. A canvass of opinions would probably show that the majority of our reading and thinking members would rather hear these subjects discussed and read
Pythagoras: The Heroic Ideal & Self-Reform
PYTHAGORAS: THE HEROIC IDEAL & SELF-REFORM For our subject to be fruitful we might have to overcome a peculiarly limiting roadblock in the modern mind. That roadblock is our naïve belief that what is modern is necessarily more enlightening and useful to us than anything
The Perfection of Wisdom
THE PERFECTION OF WISDOM Even today, I meet Buddhists in Japan, for example, who tell me that Buddhahood can be attained through non-conceptual meditation, but there seems little room for wisdom. I feel it is important to know that it is the perfection of wisdom,
A Life Worth Living
On True Friendship
ON TRUE FRIENDSHIP “When your spirits need a lift, think of the virtues and
Secret of Life
THE SECRET OF LIFE The secret of life is selfless service. M. K. GANDHI
Living a Theosophical Life
LIVING A THEOSOPHICAL LIFE Children of Light, As ye go forth into the world,
Theosophy and a Life Worth Living
THEOSOPHY AND A LIFE WORTH LIVING International Theosophy Conferences 2018Berlin, July 26-29 It is
No Man Can Judge Another
NO MAN CAN JUDGE ANOTHER Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with
Gandhi’s Talisman
GANDHI’S TALISMAN I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt or
Moral Choice
MORAL CHOICE Consider who you are: to begin with, you are a human being,
Bond Between Divine and Human
THE BOND BETWEEN DIVINE AND HUMAN As physicians have always their instruments ready for
The Key
KEY IN HAND Every instant I give to the heart a different desire, Every
Gandhian Trusteeship and Social Change
The Art of Renunciation
GANDHIAN TRUSTEESHIP IN THEORY AND PRACTICE THE ART OF RENUNCIATION The act of renunciation of everything is not a mere physical renunciation, but represents a second or new birth. It is a deliberate act, not done in ignorance. It is, therefore, a regeneration. MAHATMA GANDHI1
Regeneration and Rebirth
GANDHIAN TRUSTEESHIP IN THEORY AND PRACTICE REGENERATION AND REBIRTH Ideals must work in practice, otherwise they are not potent. Mahatma Gandhi Looking at Gandhian trusteeship more closely, we might ask what it actually means to be a trustee. A trustee is one who self-consciously assumes
Justice and Self-Sacrifice
ON SELF-SACRIFICE ENQUIRER. Is equal justice to all and love to every creature the highest standard of Theosophy? THEOSOPHIST. No; there is an even far higher one. ENQUIRER. What can it be? THEOSOPHIST. The giving to others more than to oneself ―self-sacrifice. Such was the standard and abounding
Caring for Humanity
CARING FOR ALL OF HUMANITY Theosophists realize that every man is a component and integral part of universal brotherhood and of Humanity. That which affects one, will act and react on all… if it is right to care for the poor and those who suffer,
Aquarian Leadership
⮎ On Being A Leader
For the Welfare of Those They Lead
FOR THE WELFARE OF THOSE THEY LEAD Buddhist tradition describes three styles of compassionate leadership: the trailblazer, who leads from the front, takes risks, and sets an example; the ferryman, who accompanies those in his care, sharing the ups and downs of the crossing; and
Leadership, Ethics, and Humor
LEADERSHIP, ETHICS AND HUMOR “Horizontal Leadership” The global impulse for individual liberty and human equality is sweeping through all social and political structures. There is, understandably, an increasing tendency to democratize our notion of leadership and separate it from established social structures, formal roles and
Yield and Remain Whole
YIELD AND REMAIN WHOLE Yield and remain whole; Bend and remain straight. Be empty and remain full. Be worn and remain anew. Own little and be replete. Own much and be restless. Therefore the Sage embraces the ONE And sets an example for the whole
Courage of Conscience
COURAGE OF CONSCIENCE No one is so busy or so poor that he cannot be inspired by a noble ideal to follow. Why hesitate to blaze a trail toward that ideal through all obstacles, all hindrances, all the daily considerations of social life, and to
Aquarian Leadership
This is a leadership article. Involvement in the world can be effective and not destructive only if it is based upon the strength that comes through inwardness;
Aquarian Leadership
⮎ Leadership and Duty
Where Does Duty Lie?
WHERE DOES DUTY LIE? ENQUIRER. And how would you define these duties, or “duty,” in general, as you understand the
Being a Voice
BEING A VOICE So here I stand. So here I stand, one girl, among many. I speak not for myself,
The Seasons of Equality
THE SEASONS OF EQUALITY The Spring of justice returned because we demanded fairness and equality. JALALUDDIN RUMITardjaat 11, Divane Shams
The Arc of Justice
THE ARC OF JUSTICE The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. MARTIN LUTHER KING,
Gandhi’s Example
GANDHI’S EXAMPLE: PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP My life is my message.” M. K. Gandhi “Leadership by example is not only
Right Action
RIGHT ACTION There are three motives for right action, and, when the motor-power of wish and will is used to
Drawing the Larger Circle
DRAWING THE LARGER CIRCLE He drew a circle that shut me out –Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.But Love and
Aquarian Civilization
AQUARIAN CIVILIZATION The universal Aquarian diffusion of the true ideal of spiritual science and lifelong learning will enable human beings
Ecology
Theosophy and Ecological Consciousness
THEOSOPHY AND ECOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS Theosophical perspectives can serve to reorient a basis of thought which
Beyond Strife
BEYOND STRIFE Earth receives the seed and guards it; Trustfully it dies; Then, what teeming
Key-Note of Nature
UNITY AS THE KEY-NOTE OF NATURE The Northern Buddhists, and all Chinamen, in fact, find
Consciousness
CONSCIOUSNESS IN ALL OF LIFE Everything in the Universe, throughout all its kingdoms, is CONSCIOUS:
Life Visible and Invisible
LIFE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE Every organized thing in this world, visible as well as invisible,
Living Web
LIVING WEB OF INTERDEPENDENCE Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but
Sacred Ideation
SACRED IDEATION The earth is the sacred reservoir of the sacrificial ideation of holy beings
Beauty of the Earth
BEAUTY OF THE EARTH Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of