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Dominique Johnson is a junior at DePaul University pursuing a Religious Studies major. Dominique is on the Executive Board of DePaul Interfaith.
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Truly til weeks earlier, the writer labored under misconceptions, that the system the writer studies—“Theosophy” is a progressive or evolving system of thought; and that this system claiming to be as ancient as thinking man is synthetical in its method. But it is synthesis itself, essentially a philosophy of consciousness. Theosophy is not a religion, but it is religion [not in the ordinary sense] itself. Many things may not be laid out for the eager student, but each one works to unveil gradually a grand panorama, a shoreless ocean. Together humanity can face calmly towards the boundless sea reflecting the radiant light of the Sun. Integrally there is Order when we manifest It in daily life. Humanity is collectively E pluribus unum, and that unum—Infinite Unity. One cannot help, but become optimistic towards humanity, if one perceives the very guiding Force or will-to-exist is the pure Noumenon of Thought, which is the ideal of a universal, all-pervading, immeasurable Noumenon of Spirit—Self-Existing, absolute Non-Being. Ponder upon it deeply. I hope it is very helpful to our mind. I will explain without much tedious historical analysis, what has roused me to write this blog.
Theosophy (Gr. theo-sophia: divine-wisdom; god-wisdom, or wisdom of the gods) is an ancient system; eternal it was said of the Védas. Relative knowledge changes, but the core [of Theosophy] does not. It is like the doctrine of periodical cycles (the exhaling & inhaling) of universes in its cosmogenesis, for the Absolute (Parabrahmaṇ) or Rootless Root of All is not affected in any way. The old worships and systems reveal a common theosophy anterior to them all, for it is “the root and trunk of the tree of which all religions are branches,” Gnosis, “the science of sciences,” “the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven”; both the root and synthesis of science, religion, art, & philosophy.
“Our work then is a plea for the recognition of Hermetic philosophy, the ancient universal Wisdom-Religion, as the only possible key to the Absolute in science and theology”. (Isis Unveiled I, p. vii.)
“Thus it may be shown that all the fundamental truths of nature were universal in antiquity, and that the basic ideas upon spirit, matter, and the universe, or upon God, Substance, and man, were identical. Taking the two most ancient religious philosophies on the globe, Hinduism and Hermetism, from the scriptures of India and Egypt, the identity of the two is easily recognisable.” (The Secret Doctrine I, p. 285.)
Being the root and trunk, Theosophy is a term for the Parent-Stem; or Fountain-Source; the Archaic Wisdom; the Light of Aletheia or Truth; Jñāna-Vidya (knowledge of the Great Knowledge), andBrahma-Vidya (Science of sciences), or “science of the true Raja-Yogis (Raja-Yoga or kingly union, the highest form of self-development leading to union with one’s Egoic Self),” and so on.
It is also called the Secret Doctrine or Esoteric Science, and this shoreless ocean of universal truth, love and wisdom is the essence of all religion, i.e., “the aggregate of the knowledge and wisdom that underlie the universe” or a “universal transcendentalism.” By stating these unspecific definitions and synonyms for Theosophy*, it is to give the observer an overall view of what is Theosophy. Nobel laureate Albert Einstein once said: “Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature,” yet Science is the best ally to Theosophy, H.P. Blavatsky’s master K.H. wrote once, and because Science accepts “…no limitations in exploring any and every avenue of the processes of Nature.” Some religious and religio-political institutions have conditioned for many centuries in us, that there are certain areas of the religious field that cannot be explored, and of which we can know nothing. All inquiry has in some cases entirely ceased, because we’ve been asked, or perhaps are too afraid to ask too many questions. The nature of Deity is still unknown, and Western science (physical or materialistic science unable to pin and grasp the essential nature of Nature) is in many areas contradictory and inconsistent in scientific dicta; and even when treading into immorality must be won over by philosophy.
“It seems that, to some extent, the religionists’ need for beliefs is still necessary. But surely there is no compulsion on us to accept either any belief or that we cannot know something at any rate of the deeper mysteries of existence. This is the field of Theosophy. An acquaintance with it slowly eradicates the idea that we cannot know these things for ourselves.” (see Geoffrey A. Farthing’s Theosophy, the Wisdom-Religion)*
Theosophy does not draw validity by corresponding to or agreeing with any outside system of religion, philosophy, or science, but claims that the Secret Doctrine is sui generis (“of its own kind or unique in its characteristics. Constituting a class of its own” Blavatsky said). The Theosophical Society is then a “modern” presentation of the ageless wisdom. There once existed a Secret Universal Doctrine & Universal Mystery-Language says the legends, a ‘primeval revelation’ that still exists, nor will ever be lost. Its practical Methods of Science is far from a fiction. It is possible to obtain the correct interpretations of any Scriptures†, but without the “Keys” to the interpretation, not understanding the profundity of ancient symbolism, not grasping the hidden allegory & symbolism in the old systems, it is an impossible feat. We will be off no better than we are today, or of even our most esteemed scholars. We have to humble ourselves greatly, and in patience endure to understand our ancestors, the progenitors of our epoch, and the countless stories of generations in “battle” and strife to help maintain the doctrines of an Archaic Science and Universal Ancient Wisdom Tradition.
The writer came upon a Youtube video – Pono: Ancient Hawaiian Belief System (6-Parts), and was stunned, that the existence of a common source may be more truer than he had searched for thus far. We have gone with the great tidal wave of social evolution—depending upon outer revolution and evolution of our dead systems and beliefs; thus failing to meet the challenges of the new and ever-modifying present. The revival of theosophia is much needed, but it is the existence of theosophia, first, which we bring to awareness, which is no enclosed “secret” system, some fancy theory, religion or philosophy. Some of the traditions on the earth claim exclusively to be not just a reinstatement (or restoration) of ancient wisdom, but the UNIVERSAL ANCIENT WISDOM-RELIGION of legend itself. Their separateness not withstanding, shows human error, and signs of imperfections; together they represent the one eternal truth, derived from a common or one primitive source.
Theosophy through the currents of the Theosophical Society & Theosophical Movement is not just about unveiling & discovering our true inner power (nature), but to help further the development of humanity, taking conscious participation in our transformation. It attempts to prove there exists an archaic science, as old and extant as the very Infinite Presence & Constructive Power still echoing through Boundless Space, the last echo being the Divine Wisdom or Theosophia. What wells-up in us to explore this is perhaps that very invincible Artificer, the propelling Force towards transformation, which I so candidly write & express to the patient reader scouting the very end of this paper.
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† Ponder on this: Is intelligence acquired by just accumulating information in the brain?
Raja-Yoga is the royal yoking of the aspiring self or ego in and with the universal Divine-Principle or True Self. Raja-Yoga is concentration, or mastery [cultivation] of mind through meditation (dhyāna), the supreme union of the intellectual and spiritual. Theosophy is in one sense, Raja-Yoga, hence the intellect is not discouraged, but it needs the spiritual (meta-physical and intra-physical). Deeper examination by the penetrative perception requires a Mind able to sustain the meditative state that can embrace the Universe (developing a full Mind).