Theosophy? What is it?
“Theosophy is wisdom about God... and wisdom about nature. Embracing both the scientific and the religious, Theosophy is a scientific religion and a religious science.”
“There is no manual to life.” Have you ever heard that saying before? I have countless times, and said it just as many myself. I used to believe it, but now my perspective has changed, you might say I have evolved some, I have grown yet a little bit wiser. Just a little though.
Theosophy has been called “The Wisdom Religion.” Which is a bit of a misnomer as it should be referred to properly as “The Wisdom Philosophy.” What’s the difference you might ask between Philosophy and Religion? First off, they are not antithetical. In fact, they go together like “peanut butter & jelly.”
Philosophy or as I prefer to call it ‘speculative analysis,’ can be considered the observation and the acceptance of universal truths in the quest for understanding, knowledge and wisdom. Philosophy is always personal to the individual.
Religion on the other hand is a set of beliefs and actions shared by a group of individuals, a community, thus religion is a tool to unify shared philosophy. Take me for example, I believe in dharma, reincarnation and karma. Speculative analysis has allowed me to come to certain conclusions. A belief in karma, means one must take responsibility for their own action and or salvation/liberation through thought, speech and action.
In my Christian upbringing, which was brief, I was taught that I was a sinner, and I could only be saved by accepting the messiah, Jesus Christ, as my lord and savior. And there lies my personal dilemma. I already stated that the belief in karma requires that a person takes responsibility for their own liberation, their own salvation. How can I be responsible for my salvation, and Jesus be responsible for it as well? You can easily see how confusion would arise.
Confusion gives rise to disharmony. Where there is disharmony there can be no peace. Without peace, unfortunately there can be no happiness. My philosophy and my religion were not in harmony, and thus I was unhappy. I assume this is the case for quite a few people.
If this sounds something like you, then you have arrived at the right place my friends. Theosophy can best be summarized by our “Three Chief Objectives,” which are as follows:
One
To impress the “Brotherhood of Man”, without distinction of race, color, religion, social position or sexual proclivity*…otherwise stated as “the fraternity of ALL human beings.”
Two
The serious study of the ancient world-religions for purposes of comparison and the selection therefrom of universal ethics.
Three
The study and development of the latent divine powers in man.
*I added this to number one. I thought it relevant to matters of this age we live in. There is an erroneous tendency in many religions to exclude people from God’s Love for this or that reason, hence many people are turning away from religion…at least those religions.
“I am the gambling of the cheats and the splendor of the splendid. I am the victory of the victorious, the resolve of the resolute, and the virtue of the virtuous”
Here in the above quoted verse, The Most Merciful Lord, Sri Krishna informs Arjuna that he is the cause of both virtue and vice…because he is the cause of all causes. What thought or action can Man have that God didn’t have before Man. Just as the body evolves and grows, so does the constitution of the soul. Each human being must learn for itself. As a child stumbles while learning to walk, so also does the reincarnating soul stumble while learning to become perfect.
If you believe in reincarnation there must be some purpose, some end goal. Yes? The goal of Theosophy is to bring this ancient eternal wisdom into the modern age. A great portion of our knowledge base can be accredited to Vedanta. Vedanta (Philosophy) often referred to as Hinduism (Religion) is widely considered to be the world’s oldest religion still in existence.
This Universe we find ourselves in is filled with an infinite array of material forms & instruments, the most advance of which is the human being…the ultimate culmination of Spirit & Matter. If you happen to be a fan of Star Wars, as you read along you may intuit some parallels with our philosophy. Please refer to Chief Objective #3 above. What you know as “The Force,” we commonly refer to as “Fohat”
Finally, Theosophy is a form of Vedantic philosophy that caters more to a modern day mentality. It is not concerned with condemning anyone to hell, or promising eternal paradise to a select few in exchange for submission & obedience. It is the science of the soul. It is the story of our evolution. It is knowledge of Nature & Self. Theosophy is Universal Ethics.