THEOSOPHY
START-UP
A FREE INTRO TO THEOSOPHY
An
Outline of Theosophy
By
Charles
Webster Leadbeater
Man’s
Past And Future
When we have once grasped the fact that man has
reached his present position through a long and varied series of lives, a
question naturally arises in our minds as to how far we can obtain any
information about this earlier evolution, which would obviously be of absorbing
interest to us. Fortunately such information is available, not only by tradition,
but also in another and much
more certain way. I have so space here to dilate upon
the marvels of psychometry, but must simply say that there is abundant evidence
to show that
nothing can happen without indelibly recording itself
– that there exists a kind of memory of Nature from which can be recovered with
absolute accuracy a true, full, and perfect picture of any scene or event since
the world began.
Those to whom this subject is entirely new, and who
consequently seek for evidence, should consult Dr. Buchanan’s Psychometry or
Professor Denton’s Soul of Thins; but all occult students are familiar with the
possibility, and most of them with the
method, of reading these records of the past. In essence this memory of Nature
must be the Divine Memory, far away beyond human reach; but it is assuredly
reflected into the lower planes so that, as far as events on these lower planes
are concerned, it is recoverable by the trained intelligence of man.
All that passes before a mirror, for instance, is
reflected on its surface, and to our dim eyes it seems that the images make no
impression on that surface, but that each passes away and leaves no trace. Yet
that may not be so; it is not difficult to imagine that an impression may be
left, somewhat as the impression of every sound is left upon the sensitive
cylinder of a phonograph; and it may
be possible to recover the impression from the mirror
just as it is recoverable from the phonograph.
The higher psychometry shows us that this not only may
be so, but is so; and that not a mirror only, but any physical object, retains
the impression of all that has happened within its sight, as it were.
We have thus at our disposal a faultlessly accurate
method of arriving at the earlier history of our world and of mankind, and in
this way much that is of the most entrancing interest can be observed in every
detail, as though the scenes were being specially rehearsed for our benefit. (See Clairvoyance, p 88).
Investigations into the past conducted by these
methods show how a long process of gradual evolution, slow but never-ceasing.
They show the development of man under the action of two great laws – first the
law of evolution, which steadily presses him onward and upward, and secondly –
the law of divine justice, or cause and effect, which brings him inevitably the
result of his every action, and thus gradually teaches him to live
intelligently in harmony with the first law.
This long process of evolution has been carried out
not only on this earth, but on other globes connected with it; but the subject
is much to vast to be fully treated in an elementary book such as this. It
forms the principal theme of Madame Blavatsky’s monumental work, The Secret
Doctrine; but before commencing that students are advised to read the chapters
on this subject in Mrs. Besant’s Ancient Wisdom and Mr. Sinnett’s Growth of the
Soul.
The book just mentioned will afford the fullest
available information not only as to man’s past, but as to his future; and
thought he glory that awaits him is such as no tongue can tell, something at
least may be understood of the earlier
stages which lead to it. That man is divine even now,
and that he will presently unfold within himself the potentialities of
divinity, is an idea which appears to shock some good people, and to be
considered by them to savour of blasphemy.
Why it should not be so is not easy to see, for Jesus
himself reminds the Jews around Him of the saying in their Scriptures, “I said,
ye are Gods,” and the
doctrine of the deification of man was quite commonly
held by the Fathers of the Church. But in these later days much of the earlier
and purer doctrine has been forgotten and misunderstood; and the truth now
seems to be held in its fullness only by the student of occultism.
Sometimes men ask why, if man was at the first a spark
of the Divine, it should be necessary for him to go through all these æons of
evolution, involving so much sorrow and suffering, only in order to be still
Divine at the end of it all. But those who make this objection have not yet
comprehended the scheme.
That which came forth from the Divine was not yet man
– not yet even a spark, for there was no developed individualisation in it. It
was simply a great cloud of Divine essence, though capable of condensing eventually
into many sparks.
The difference between its condition when issuing
forth and when returning is exactly like that between a great mass of shining
nebulous matter, and the solar system which is eventually formed out of it. Its
condition when issuing forth and when returning is exactly like that between a
great mass of shining nebulous matter, and the solar system which is eventually
formed out it. The nebula is
beautiful, no doubt, but vague and useless; the suns
formed from it by slow evolution pour life and heat and light upon many worlds
and their inhabitants.
Or we may take another analogy. The human body is
composed of countless millions of tiny particles, and some of them are
constantly being thrown off from it.
Suppose that it were possible for each of these
particles to go through some kind of evolution by means of which it would in time become a human
being, we should not say that because it had been in a certain sense human
at the beginning of that evolution it
had, therefore , not gained anything when it reached its end. The essence comes
forth as a mere outpouring of force, even tough it be Divine force; it returns
in the form of thousands of millions of mighty adepts, each capable of himself
developing into a Logos.
Thus it will be seen that we are abundantly justified
in the statement that the future of man is a future to whose glory and splendour there is no limit.
And a most important point to remember is that this magnificent future
is for all without exception. He whom we call the good man – that is, the man
whose will moves with the Divine Will, whose actions are such as to help the
march of
evolution – makes rapid progress on the upward path;
while the man who unintelligently opposes himself to the great current by
striving to pursue
selfish aims instead of working for the good of the
whole, will be able to progress only very slowly and erratically.
But the Divine Will is infinitely stronger than any human
will, and the working of the great scheme is perfect. The man who does not
learn his lesson first time has simply to try over and over and over until he
does learn it; the Divine patience is infinite, and sooner or later every human
being attains the goal
appointed for him. There is no fear and no
uncertainty, but only perfect peace for those who know the Law and the Will.
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
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
Tekels Park, Camberley,
Surrey, England GU15 – 2LF
Article
describing Tekels Park and its much
cherished
wildlife by Theosophist and long
term Tekels Park Resident Madeleine Leslie Smith
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
_____________________
Tekels Park 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 Society in England
in 1929.
In addition to
concern about the park, many are
worried about the future of the Tekels Park
Deer
as they are not a
protected species.
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.
Theosophy talks
of a compassionate attitude
to animals and
the sale of the Tekels Park
sanctuary for
wildlife to a developer has
It doesn’t
require a Diploma in Finance
and someone with
a Diploma in Astral Travel will
know that this is
a bad time economically to sell
Future of Tekels Park Badge 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
____________________
Classic Introductory Theosophy Text
A Text Book of Theosophy By C
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
Nature is infinite in space and time -- boundless and eternal,
unfathomable and ineffable. The all-pervading essence of infinite nature can be
called space, consciousness, life, substance, force, energy, divinity -- all of
which are fundamentally one.
2) The finite and the infinite
Nature is a unity in diversity, one in essence, manifold in form. The
infinite whole is composed of an infinite number of finite wholes -- the
relatively stable and autonomous things (natural systems or artefacts) that we
observe around us. Every natural system is not only a conscious, living,
substantial entity, but is consciousness-life-substance, of a particular range
of density and form. Infinite nature is an abstraction, not an entity; it
therefore does not act or change and has no attributes. The finite, concrete
systems of which it is composed, on the other hand, move and change, act and
interact, and possess attributes. They are composite, inhomogeneous, and
ultimately transient.
3) Vibration/worlds within worlds
The one essence manifests not only in infinitely varied forms, and on
infinitely varied scales, but also in infinitely varying degrees of
spirituality and substantiality, comprising an infinite spectrum of vibration
or density. There is therefore an endless series of interpenetrating,
interacting worlds within worlds, systems within systems.
The energy-substances of higher planes or subplanes (a plane being a
particular range of vibration) are relatively more homogeneous and less
differentiated than those of lower planes or subplanes.
Just as boundless space is comprised of endless finite units of space,
so eternal duration is comprised of endless finite units of time. Space is the
infinite totality of worlds within worlds, but appears predominantly empty
because only a tiny fraction of the energy-substances composing it are
perceptible and tangible to an entity at any particular moment. Time is a
concept we use to quantify the rate at which events occur; it is a function of
change and motion, and presupposes a succession of cause and effect.
Every entity is extended in space and changes 'in time'.
All change (of position, substance, or form) is the result of causes;
there is no such thing as absolute chance. Nothing can happen for no reason at
all for nothing exists in isolation; everything is part of an intricate web of
causal interconnections and interactions. The keynote of nature is harmony:
every action is automatically followed by an equal and opposite reaction, which
sooner or later rebounds upon the originator of the initial act. Thus, all our
thoughts and deeds will eventually bring us 'fortune' or 'misfortune' according
to the degree to which they were harmonious or disharmonious. In the long term,
perfect justice prevails in nature.
Because nature is fundamentally one, and the same basic habits and
structural, geometric, and evolutionary principles apply throughout, there are
correspondences between microcosm and macrocosm. The principle of analogy -- as
above, so below -- is a vital tool in our efforts to understand reality.
All finite systems and their attributes are relative. For any entity,
energy-substances vibrating within the same range of frequencies as its outer
body are 'physical' matter, and finer grades of substance are what we call
energy, force, thought, desire, mind, spirit, consciousness, but these are just
as material to entities on the corresponding planes as our physical world is to
us. Distance and time units are also relative: an atom is a solar system on its
own scale, reembodying perhaps millions of times in what for us is one second,
and our whole galaxy may be a molecule in some supercosmic entity, for which a
million of our years is just a second. The range of scale is infinite:
matter-consciousness is both infinitely divisible and infinitely aggregative.
All natural systems consist of smaller systems and form part of larger
systems. Hierarchies extend both 'horizontally' (on the same plane) and
'vertically' or inwardly (to higher and lower planes). On the horizontal level,
subatomic particles form atoms, which combine into molecules, which arrange
themselves into cells, which form tissues and organs, which form part of
organisms, which form part of ecosystems, which form part of planets, solar
systems, galaxies, etc. The constitution of worlds and of the organisms that
inhabit them form 'vertical' hierarchies, and can be divided into several
interpenetrating layers or elements, from physical-astral to psychomental to
spiritual-divine, each of which can be further divided.
The human constitution can be divided up in several different ways: e.g.
into a trinity of body, soul, and spirit; or into 7 'principles' -- a lower
quaternary consisting of physical body, astral model-body, life-energy, and
lower thoughts and desires, and an upper triad consisting of higher mind
(reincarnating ego), spiritual intuition, and inner god. A planet or star can
be regarded as a 'chain' of 12 globes, existing on 7 planes, each globe
comprising several subplanes.
The highest part of every multilevelled organism or hierarchy is its
spiritual summit or 'absolute', meaning a collective entity or 'deity' which is
relatively perfected in relation to the hierarchy in question. But the most
'spiritual' pole of one hierarchy is the most 'material' pole of the next,
superior hierarchy, just as the lowest pole of one hierarchy is the highest
pole of the one below.
Each level of a hierarchical system exercises a formative and organizing
influence on the lower levels (through the patterns and prototypes stored up
from past cycles of activity), while the lower levels in turn react upon the
higher. A system is therefore formed and organized mainly from within outwards,
from the inner levels of its constitution, which are relatively more enduring and
developed than the outer levels. This inner guidance is sometimes active and
selfconscious, as in our acts of free will (constrained, however, by karmic
tendencies from the past), and sometimes it is automatic and passive, giving
rise to our own automatic bodily functions and habitual and instinctual
behavior, and to the orderly, lawlike operations of nature in general. The
'laws' of nature are therefore the habits of the various grades of conscious
entities that compose reality, ranging from higher intelligences (collectively forming the universal mind) to
elemental nature-forces.
10) Consciousness and its vehicles
The core of every entity -- whether atom, human, planet, or star -- is a
monad, a unit of consciousness-life-substance, which acts through a series of
more material vehicles or bodies. The monad or self in which the consciousness
of a particular organism is focused is animated by higher monads and expresses
itself through a series of lesser monads, each of which is the nucleus of one
of the lower vehicles of the entity in question. The following monads can be
distinguished: the divine or galactic monad, the spiritual or solar monad, the
higher human or planetary-chain monad, the lower human or globe monad, and the
animal, vital-astral, and physical monads. At our present stage of evolution,
we are essentially the lower human monad, and our task is to raise our
consciousness from the animal-human to the spiritual-human level of it.
Evolution means the unfolding, the bringing into active manifestation,
of latent powers and faculties 'involved' in a previous cycle of evolution. It
is the building of ever fitter vehicles for the expression of the mental and
spiritual powers of the monad. The more sophisticated the lower vehicles of an
entity, the greater their ability to express the powers locked up in the higher
levels of its constitution. Thus all things are alive and conscious, but the
degree of manifest life and consciousness is extremely varied.
Evolution results from the interplay of inner impulses and environmental
stimuli. Ever building on and modifying the patterns of the past, nature is
infinitely creative.
12) Cyclic evolution/re-embodiment
Cyclic evolution is a fundamental habit of nature. A period of
evolutionary activity is followed by a period of rest. All natural systems
evolve through re-embodiment. Entities are born from a seed or nucleus
remaining from the previous evolutionary cycle of the monad, develop to
maturity, grow old, and pass away, only to re-embody in a new form after a
period of rest. Each new embodiment is the product of past karma and present
choices.
Nothing comes from nothing: matter and energy can be neither created nor
destroyed, but only transformed. Everything evolves from preexisting material.
The growth of the body of an organism is initiated on inner planes, and
involves the transformation of higher energy-substances into lower, more
material ones, together with the attraction of matter from the environment.
When an organism has exhausted the store of vital energy with which it
is born, the coordinating force of the indwelling monad is withdrawn, and the
organism 'dies', i.e. falls apart as a unit, and its constituent components go
their separate ways. The lower vehicles decompose on their respective
subplanes, while, in the case of humans, the reincarnating ego enters a
dreamlike state of rest and assimilates the experiences of the previous
incarnation. When the time comes for the next embodiment, the reincarnating ego
clothes itself in many of the same atoms of different grades that it had used
previously, bearing the appropriate karmic impress. The same basic processes of
birth, death,
and rebirth apply to all entities, from atoms to humans to stars.
14) Evolution and involution of worlds
Worlds or spheres, such as planets and stars, are composed of, and
provide the field for the evolution of, 10 kingdoms -- 3 elemental kingdoms,
mineral, plant, animal, and human kingdoms, and 3 spiritual kingdoms. The
impulse for a new manifestation of a world issues from its spiritual summit or
hierarch, from which emanate a series of steadily denser globes or planes; the
One expands into the many. During the first half of the evolutionary cycle (the
arc of descent) the energy-substances of each plane materialize or condense,
while during the second half (the arc of ascent) the trend is towards
dematerialization or etherealization, as globes and entities are reabsorbed
into the spiritual hierarch for a period of nirvanic rest. The descending arc
is characterized by the evolution of matter and involution of spirit, while the
ascending arc is characterized by the evolution of spirit and involution of
matter.
In each grand cycle of evolution, comprising many planetary embodiments,
a monad begins as an unselfconsciousness god-spark, embodies in every kingdom
of nature for the purpose of gaining experience and unfolding its inherent
faculties, and ends the cycle as a self conscious god. Elementals ('baby
monads') have no free choice, but automatically act in harmony with one another
and the rest of nature. In each successive kingdom differentiation and
individuality increase, and reach their peak in the human kingdom with the
attainment of selfconsciousness and a large measure of free will.
In the human kingdom in particular, self-directed evolution comes into
its own. There is no superior power granting privileges or handing out favours;
we evolve according to our karmic merits and demerits. As we progress through
the spiritual kingdoms we become increasingly at one again with nature, and
willingly 'sacrifice' our circumscribed selfconscious freedoms (especially the
freedom to 'do our own thing') in order to work in peace and harmony with the
greater whole of which we form an integral part. The highest gods of one
hierarchy or world-system begin as elementals in the next. The matter of any
plane is composed of aggregated, crystallized monads in their nirvanic sleep,
and the spiritual and divine entities embodied as planets and stars are the
electrons and atomic nuclei -- the material building blocks -- of worlds on
even larger scales. Evolution is without beginning and without end, an endless
adventure through the fields of infinitude, in which there are always new worlds
of experience in which to become selfconscious masters of life.
There is no absolute separateness in nature. All things are made of the
same essence, have the same spiritual-divine potential, and are interlinked by
magnetic ties of sympathy. It is impossible to realize our full potential,
unless we recognize the spiritual unity of all living beings and make universal
brotherhood the keynote of our lives.
Hey Look! Theosophy in Cardiff
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.
__________________________________________
into categories and presented according to relevance
of website.
_______________________________________________
Wales Theosophy Links Summary
All Wales Guide to Theosophy Instant
Guide to Theosophy
Theosophy Wales Hornet Theosophy
Wales Now
Cardiff
Theosophical Archive Elementary Theosophy
Basic
Theosophy Theosophy in Cardiff
Theosophy
in Wales Hey Look! Theosophy in Cardiff
Streetwise
Theosophy Grand
Tour
Theosophy Aardvark
Theosophy Starts Here
Theosophy 206 Biography of William Q Judge
Theosophy Cardiff’s Face Book of Great Theosophists
Theosophy Evolution Theosophy Generally Stated
Biography of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
______________________________________________
Foundation of the
Original Theosophical Society 1875
The first Theosophical Society was founded
in New York on
November 17th 1875 by Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky,
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan
Judge and others.
The Theosophical Movement now consists of a
diverse range of
organizations which carry the Theosophical
Tradition forward.
Cardiff Theosophical Society has been
promoting Theosophy since 1908
______________________________________________
मूल थियोसोफिकल सोसायटी 1875 फाउंडेशन
पहले थियोसोफिकल सोसायटी को न्यूयॉर्क में स्थापित किया गया था
17 नवंबर Helena Petrovna Blavatsky द्वारा 1875,
कर्नल Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge और दूसरों.
थियोसोफिकल आंदोलन अब एक विविध रेंज के होते हैं
आगे थियोसोफिकल परंपरा ले जो संगठनों.
कार्डिफ थियोसोफिकल सोसायटी 1908 के बाद से ब्रह्मविद्या को बढ़ावा देने की गई है
_______________________________________
Mūla
thiyōsōphikala sōsāyaṭī 1875
phā'uṇḍēśana
Pahalē thiyōsōphikala sōsāyaṭī kō
n'yūyŏrka mēṁ sthāpita kiyā gayā thā
17 Navambara Helena Petrovna Blavatsky dvārā 1875,
Kamala Henry Steel Olcott, aura dūsarōṁ.
Thiyōsōphikala āndōlana aba ēka vividha
rēn̄ja kē hōtē haiṁ
Āgē thiyōsōphikala paramparā lē jō
saṅgaṭhanōṁ.
Kārḍipha thiyōsōphikala sōsāyaṭī 1908
kē bāda sē brahmavidyā
kō baṛhāvā
dēnē kī ga'ī hai
_____________________________________________
THEOSOPHY MEETINGS
Please click here for Current Theosophical Events in
Cardiff