THEOSOPHY WALES CENTRE Groups in Bangor Cardiff Conwy Swansea
START-UP
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A FREE INTRO TO THEOSOPHY
Let’s Start With What Theosophy Is
The actual word Theosophy is a Greek
derivative meaning Divine Wisdom but that doesn’t mean much to the enquirer.
In the Theosophical Society the word has a
more specific meaning in relation to the work of Society co-founder Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky and later writers. H P Blavatsky’s mission was to interpret
Eastern Esoteric ideas for Western Society.
H P Blavatsky’s remit was to describe a
scheme for the existence of the Universe and to define man’s place within that
scheme. Her remit also encompassed study of the hidden dimensions of man and
his potential and also the Laws of Nature.
But It’s Not a Religion
H P Blavatsky presented her work as ideas
for consideration and not as dogma. This format has been upheld by the
Theosophical Society and everything is negotiable.
Members of the Theosophical Society are
simply required to agree with its 3 objects (outlined below)
Objects of the Society
1. To form a nucleus of the
Universal Brotherhood of Humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex,
caste or colour.
2. To encourage
the study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy and Science.
3. To investigate unexplained laws of
Nature and the powers latent in man.
How The Theosophical
Movement Began
It all began in
The first Theosophical
Society was founded by
Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott who was an
American Civil War Colonel, journalist and lawyer and William
Quan Judge who was an Irish born New York
lawyer.
The headquarters were
subsequently moved to
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The Secret Doctrine
H P Blavatsky wrote a voluminous amount of
Theosophical Literature but The Secret Doctrine,
published 1888, is the big one she is remembered for, and the major reference
work for Theosophists. The book is
divided into two sections, Cosmogenesis (the coming into being of the Universe)
and Anthropogenesis (the coming into being of Mankind).
The Secret Doctrine is usually a rather
difficult work for beginners to tackle and we have provided some material on
this site which should make the way in to Theosophy much easier. But please
don’t give on the idea of reading The Secret Doctrine, you will probably move
on to it when you feel you are finding your feet with Theosophy.
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And Now,
A Quick Tour of
Theosophical Ideas
The overview of Theosophical ideas offered
her was written by mainstream Theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater. The work
is divided into short soundbites and Leadbeater has
an accessible journalistic style.
An Outline of Theosophy
By
Charles Webster Leadbeater
Advantage
Gained from this Knowledge
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The Rationale for Theosophy
A Rough
Outline of Theosophy by Annie Besant is a concise round up of Theosophical principles which also examines the claims made by Theosophy.
In addition, Annie Besant summarizes the Theosophical position and approach;
“We, who are
Theosophists, allege that there exists a great body of doctrine philosophical,
scientific and ethical, which forms the basis of, and includes
all that is accurate in, the philosophies, sciences,
and religions of the ancient and modern worlds.”
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Karma and Reincarnation
Theosophy postulates that Reincarnation or
the cycle of Death and Rebirth is an integral part of our evolution and that we
will all ultimately evolve beyond the need for further lives. For most of us
this is rather a long way off but in the meantime we can help ourselves along
and make the process a whole lot easier by studying the subject and striving to
exercise some personal control over our destiny. We have more control than we
might at first think.
In each life we have something to learn and
our teacher is the law of cause and effect or Karma. Karma is a correcting
process that pervades every level of existence without which the Universe would
simply be unworkable.
In Life and Life After
Death, Annie Besant covers the mechanics of the cycle of death and rebirth and
what it means to the end user. She outlines how the period between physical
lives is a full programme of events which can be difficult or easy depending on
the life previously lived and gives encouragement and warnings regarding the
Karmic consequences of our actions.
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Man’s Seven Principles
If you are reading this then you will probably
at least accept the possibility that there is more to us than our physical
bodies.
Theosophy postulates that we have seven
principles,
sometime referred to as bodies.
Here is an outline of them with their
Sanskrit names and a brief description of their function.
Atma – The piece of the divine in everybody
sometime referred to as the Divine Spark.
Buddhi – Our individual spiritual identity.
This acts as a vehicle for the Atma
Manas – The Mind principle divided into
Higher Manas – spiritual ideals
Lower Manas – concrete and rational
thought.
There is a bridge between the two called
the Antahkarana. This is represented as Jacob’s Ladder in the Christian Bible.
The Mortal & Immortal
Principles
Atma, Buddhi and higher Manas form the
immortal part of man. The four principles below are dumped at the end of your
physical life and you get new ones for your next life.
Prana – The life energy principle
Linga Sharira – The model body or template for
your physical body.
Sthula Sharira – Physical body – we are all familiar with this
one.
The sevenfold
constitution of man is covered in depth by the following articles;
(From a Textbook
of Theosophy)
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Evolution
The Theosophical concept of evolution is
very different from that of Charles Darwin who focused principally on the
physical and mental
development of
ourselves and the animal kingdom and the physical development plant kingdom.
The Theosophical model of evolution is very
complex and far reaching and a basic description is given here to give new
enquirers a handle on the subject.
Theosophy postulates that everything in the
universe is evolving but to simplify the explanation, the description here is
limited to the evolution of humanity and our planet.
The Earth is evolving just as we are and as
we are part of our planet, our evolution and the Earth’s
evolution are inseparable and interdependent. Theosophists refer to this
interdependence of Earth and human evolution as “Rounds and Races”
The Earth evolves through cosmic eras known
as Rounds made up of smaller cosmic eras known as Globes.
The term globe refers both to the Earth
that we recognize and six currently dormant companion Globes which function on
other planes of nature. These Globes are known as the Planetary Chain or Chain
of Globes.
A driving force composed of spiritual
entities known as the Lifewave passes through each Globe of the Chain one at a
time. This tour of the Globes is known as a Planetary
Round. Our spiritual entities are part of the Lifewave and we are on the fourth
Globe of the Fourth Round.
Seven Rounds or
(There are smaller Pralayas
between each Globe and each Round)
Humanity evolves through mass reincarnations
known as Root Races. There are seven Root Races per Globe and we are the fifth
on the current Globe.
In each phase of evolution there is
something to learn or develop.
This is a very basic outline and to move
forward with this topic here are W Q Judge’s article “Rounds and Races” and
“The Planetary Chains” by C
For more information on the Theosophical model
of Evolution here is a link to a website dedicated to the subject.
The Earth Base for Evolutionary Theosophy
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Involution and Evolution
(The Descent into Matter)
This explanation is applied
to Human Evolution but please note that everything in the Universe is evolving
on the same principle.
Theosophy postulates that
evolution is spiritual as well as physical whereas
We start out as Spiritual
Entities but you don’t get any experience for your evolution if you remain
spirit. Spirit can’t get its hands dirty so you need a vehicle and in our case
this is a physical body.
Spirit effectively descends into
matter in the form of the human body it enters and then having gained
experience (hopefully) will then rise out of it. The general idea is for us to
evolve by continually dropping down into matter (taking physical form) and then
coming back up again. This process is known as Involution and in Theosophy this
is an integral part of evolution.
Of course progress will be
made and this is on an upward spiral in which although we descend into matter,
both our Spiritual Entities and even the physical bodies we inhabit will slowly
evolve.
Involution
and Planetary Rounds
The progress of the Lifewave
through the Chain of Globes begins with passage through three increasingly more
physical Globes to our own, which is the most physical of all the Globes,
operating on the most physical cosmic plane. The Lifewave will then move up
through three less physical Globes to complete the Round.
In “The Earth Chain”, W Q Judge explains
the descent into matter of both the Earth and Humanity as an integral component
of the evolutionary process.
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The Moon is our Parent
Theosophy maintains that prior to engaging in
its journey through the Earth Chain of Globes, the Lifewave completed the
process with the Moon. The Moon like our Earth has a Chain of Globes and the
passage of the Lifewave has now completed its cycle. The Moon we can now see is
the moribund shell of the equivalent Globe to our own which operated on the
same plane of nature.
W Q Judge covers the subject of the Lifewave’s passage from the Moon in “The Earth Chain” (link
above) and also gives an excellent explanation in
“On Evolution” in response to a question
from an enquirer.
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A Word About Sanskrit
A brief
look at Theosophical writings will reveal that Theosophy uses Sanskrit terms to
describe many of its concepts
Theosophists
have good business and esoteric reasons for using Sanskrit terms. Sanskrit is
not just a language in the sense of verbal communication, it has other
dimensions and attributes that go far beyond practical everyday language.
Sanskrit
is the ancient religious, philosophical and scientific language of
By its
esoteric nature and rarified use, Sanskrit has also been protected from
distortion and pollution by other languages. English has the problem that some
words vary in meaning around the world.
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For more info on Theosophy
Try these
Cardiff Theosophical Society meetings
are informal
and there’s always a
cup of tea afterwards
The
Cardiff Theosophical Society Website
The
National Wales Theosophy Website
Wales has Theosophy Groups
in
Dave’s
Streetwise Theosophy Boards
This is for
everybody not just people in Wales
Theosophy Cardiff’s Instant Guide to Theosophy
General pages about Wales, Welsh History
and The History of Theosophy in Wales
Teosofia en Cardiff (Página en Español)
One Liners & Quick Explanations
Theosophy Cardiff Nirvana Pages
The Most Basic Theosophy Website in the Universe
If you run a Theosophy Study
Group you can use
this as an introductory handout
The
South of Heaven Guide to
Theosophy and Devachan
The
preparation of this Website
The Spiritual Home of Urban Theosophy
The Earth Base for Evolutionary Theosophy
National
Wales Centre for Theosophy
Blavatsky
Wales Theosophy Group
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Theosophy Cardiff Cancels its Affiliation
to
the Adyar Based Theosophical Society
and becomes an independent body within
the Worldwide Theosophical Movement
Theosophy Birmingham (England)
The Birmingham Annie Besant Lodge
Theosophy Cardiff has links with the
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The Theosophy
The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
The Terraced Maze of Glastonbury Tor
Glastonbury and
Joseph of Arimathea
The Grave of King Arthur & Guinevere
Views of Glastonbury High Street
The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
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Camberley, Surrey, England GU15 2LF
Concerns about the fate of the
wildlife as
Tekels Park is to be Sold to a
Developer
Concerns are raised about the fate of
the
wildlife as The Spiritual Retreat,
Tekels Park in Camberley, Surrey,
England is to be sold to a developer.
Tekels Park is a 50 acre woodland
park,
purchased
for the Adyar Theosophical
In addition to concern about the
park,
many are worried about the future
of the Tekels Park
Deer as they
Theosophy talks of compassion for
animals
and the apparent
indifference to the fate of
the Tekels Park wildlife has dismayed many.
Confusion as the Theoversity moves out of
Tekels Park to Southampton, Glastonbury &
Chorley in Lancashire while the leadership claim
that the Theosophical
Society will carry on using
Tekels Park despite its sale to a developer
Anyone planning a “Spiritual” stay at
the
Tekels Park Guest House should be
aware of the sale.
Future
of Tekels Park Badgers in Doubt
Party On!
Tekels Park Theosophy NOT
Tekels Park & the Loch Ness Monster
A Satirical view
of the sale of Tekels Park
in Camberley,
Surrey to a developer
The Toff’s Guide to the Sale of
Tekels Park
What the men in
top hats have to
say about the sale
of Tekels Park
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Classic
Introductory Theosophy Text
A Text Book of
Theosophy By C W Leadbeater
What Theosophy Is From the Absolute to Man
The Formation of a Solar System The Evolution of Life
The Constitution of Man After Death Reincarnation
The Purpose of Life The Planetary Chains
The Result of Theosophical Study
An Outstanding
Introduction to Theosophy
By a student of
Katherine Tingley
Elementary Theosophy Who is the Man? Body and Soul
Body, Soul and Spirit Reincarnation Karma
Preface to the American Edition Introduction
Occultism and its Adepts The Theosophical Society
First Occult Experiences Teachings of Occult Philosophy
Later Occult Phenomena Appendix
Preface
Theosophy and the Masters General Principles
The Earth Chain Body and Astral Body Kama – Desire
Manas Of
Reincarnation Reincarnation Continued
Karma Kama Loka
Devachan
Cycles
Arguments Supporting Reincarnation
Differentiation Of Species Missing Links
Psychic Laws, Forces, and Phenomena
Psychic Phenomena and Spiritualism
Karma Fundamental Principles Laws: Natural and Man-Made The Law of Laws
The Eternal Now
Succession
Causation The Laws of Nature A Lesson of The Law
Karma Does Not Crush Apply This Law
Man in The Three Worlds Understand The Truth
Man and His Surroundings The Three Fates The Pair of Triplets Thought, The Builder
Practical Meditation Will and Desire
The Mastery of Desire Two Other Points
The Third Thread Perfect Justice
Our Environment
Our Kith and Kin Our Nation
The Light for a Good Man Knowledge of Law The Opposing Schools
The More Modern View Self-Examination Out of the Past
Old Friendships
We Grow By Giving Collective Karma Family Karma
National Karma
India’s Karma
National Disasters
Try these if you are looking
for a
local
Theosophy Group or Centre
UK Listing of Theosophical Groups
Please tell us about your UK Theosophy Group
Worldwide Directory of Theosophical Links
General pages
about Wales, Welsh History
and The History of
Theosophy in Wales
Wales is a
Principality within the United Kingdom
and has an eastern
border with England. The land
area is just over 8,000
square miles. Snowdon in
North Wales is the
highest mountain at 3,650 feet.
The coastline is
almost 750 miles long. The population
of Wales as at the 2001 census is 2,946,200.
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into categories and
presented according to relevance of website.