What is Theosophy?

The word theosophy is from the Greek theos, meaning God, and sophia, meaning wisdom. The occult version of Lemuria began in the 1880s as a submerged origin of the Third Root-Race, proposed by Helena P. Blavatsky (1831-1891). Blavatsky was an important figure in the occult because she rehabilitated archaic and discarded myths worldwide. She proposed that ancient peoples had always known about Lemuria, which made it very popular in the twentieth century as the secret, hidden body of knowledge.

The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 in New York City by Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891), Henry Steel Olcott (1832-1907), and William Quan Judge (1851-1896). Blavatsky believed that a hidden body of esoteric knowledge existed behind the beliefs and practices of the major world faiths.

The five prominent symbols visible in the Seal of the Theosophical Society are:

  • The Star of David, which is usually recognized as the symbol of Judaism;
  • The Ankh, used in Egypt as the symbol of life;
  • The Swastika, an ancient cosmic symbol;
  • The Ouroboros, which is another ancient symbol that depicts a dragon swallowing its own tail, forming a circle;
  • The Aum, the three sounds of Sanskrit, is believed to be the essence of the universe.

Theosophical beliefs incorporate aspects of Buddhism and Brahmanism, especially attitudes toward reincarnation and spiritual evolution. Both religions teach that humans have achieved their human body through thousands of reincarnations, beginning as mineral, plant, animal, and lastly, human form. Theosophism differs from Buddhism in that it does not believe in the regressive evolution of the soul. In other words, once a person obtains a human body, negative karma will not cause the person to be reincarnated in an animal form.

Beliefs of Blavatsky

Blavatsky believed that she was appointed by Ascended Masters to present hidden teachings to the world. It became acknowledged that people must seek a spiritual teacher or Ascended Master outside of themselves. Her idea of Ascended Masters may have come from the book Zanoni (1842) by Rosicrucian Edward Bulwer-Lytton, which recounts the life of an immortal alchemist during the French Revolution based on actual historical accounts of the Count of Saint-Germain.

According to Theosophy, there are nine Ascended Masters known to humankind:

The three aims of the Theosophical Society are to:

  1. To form the nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity without distinction of race, color, or creed.
  2.  To promote the study of Aryan and other Scriptures, of the World’s religion and sciences, and to vindicate the importance of old Asiatic literature, namely, of the Brahmanical, Buddhist, and Zoroastrian philosophies.
  3.  To investigate the hidden mysteries of Nature under every aspect possible and the psychic and spiritual powers latent in man especially.

Theosophy and God

Theosophy is mystical in that it claims insight into God by learning through direct knowledge. God is assumed absolute reality from which the spiritual nature of the universe is derived. Evil in the world exists because people have a desire for goods and are greedy for material objects. Theosophists use theories to formulate a complete philosophy of humanity and nature.

For theosophists, there is no coincidence in nature. The past, present, and future operations within the laws of the Universal Paradigm are present in New Age belief systems and are often called Law, Evolution, and Logos.

The universe is ordered by the number seven, including the seven bodies:

  • The Physical
  • The Linga-Sarira or Vital body
  • Kama or desire, also known as the astral body by medieval alchemists
  • The Mental body
  • The Causal body or Arupic
  • The Buddic or Intuitional
  • The Atman, the Ineffable

Why was Theosophy Popular?

Theosophy attracted a leisure class of middle-aged women. Those with secure social roles are more likely to join a new movement because these people can change and adopt new lifestyles. Theosophy is a recrudescence of Edwardian and Victorian spiritual concerns that appealed to wealthier individuals.

Further Reading

Helena Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, free resource

Helena Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled, free resource

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