Theosophy Basics: What is Theosophy?

   

In her writings, Blavatsky was concerned with explaining the notion of Theosophy based in a perspective of the Western esoteric tradition, trying to widen the universalist perspective by including spiritual traditions from the East and elsewhere. She was also concerned with forming a bridge between science and religion. Between 1879 and 1889, she would develop these ideas; the text below offers a general summary, liberally culled from various writings.

     1- Etymology

Blavatsky explains the meaning of the word Theosophy as ‘Divine Wisdom’ or ‘Wisdom of the Gods’, from the roots theos (god, divine) and sophia (wisdom) (CW9,123; CW9, 434)

Moreover, the word is first encountered with the neo-Platonist Porphyry (A.D. 234–c. 305.) who connects theosophy with the gymnosophists of India («Περí Αποχής Εμψύχων» 17, π 237, β. 4) , thus corroborating Blavatsky's connection of Theosophy with Neoplatonism and the eastern Gupta Vidya (The Key to Theosophy. pp. 1-7).

2-      History / Primordiality

Throughout history, there has been evidence of a wisdom-religion, a tradition defined by the search for and study of wisdom and knowledge:  ‘’Theosophy is, then, the archaic Wisdom-Religion, the esoteric doctrine once known in every ancient country having claims to civilization. This "Wisdom" all the old writings show us as an emanation of the divine Principle’’ (CW2, 89).

3-      Esoteric Philosophy

A fundamental key for understanding the theosophical perspective is the distinction between exoteric religion and esoteric traditions. The exoteric, popular, public religions contain deeper meanings that can be learned by studying the esoteric philosophies: ‘’The Theosophists have seen very clearly that, in religions, there have always been two teachings; the one very simple in appearance and full of images or fables which are put forward as realities; this is the public teaching, called  exoteric. The other, esoteric or inner, reserved for the more educated and discreet adepts, the initiates of the second degree’’(CW10, 70; CW11, 255-56).

4-      Wisdom Religion / Tradition

This Wisdom-Religion concept posits the notion of a primordial tradition, similar to the story of the Tower of Babel. All major spiritual traditions spring from a common original source, (primeval divine instructors) : ‘’This name, WISDOM, or, as we say sometimes, the "Wisdom Religion" or Theosophy, is as old as the human mind’’ (CW2, 89; CW10, 166).

This Wisdom-Religion / tradition denotes an eminently holistic world view: ‘’Thus, unity of everything in the universe implies and justifies our belief in the existence of a knowledge at once scientific, philosophical and religious, showing the necessity and actuality of the connection of man and all things in the universe with each other’’ (CW10, 167).

5-      Perennialism

Therefore Theosophy makes no claim for innovation, it relies on an eclectic study of spiritual traditions: ‘’ The Society has no wisdom of its own to support or teach. It is simply the storehouse of all the truths uttered by the great seers, initiates, and prophets of historic and even pre-historic ages; ‘’ (Key 57).

In short, Theosophy can be defined as the essence of all religion ‘’ it is the essence of all religion and of absolute truth, a drop of which only underlies every creed‘’ (Key, 58).

Because they all sprang from a common source and are all inter-connected, they all have fundamental points in common: ‘’It is from this WISDOM-RELIGION that all the various individual "Religions" (erroneously so called) have sprung, forming in their turn offshoots and branches, and also all the minor creeds, based upon and always originated through some personal experience in psychology‘’ (CW10, 167).

Theosophy is concerned, however, with adapting this ancient wisdom with current knowledge and adapting eastern philosophy for western societies: ‘’ In one word, our whole aim and desire are to help, in at least some degree, toward arriving at correct scientific views upon the nature of man, which carry with them the means of reconstructing for the present generation the deductive metaphysical or transcendental philosophy which alone is the firm, unshakable foundation of every religious philosophy‘’ (CW12, 308; CW9, 243; CW11, 251).

6-      Universalism

Certain aspects of scientific method and critical thinking are also part of the universalist project: ‘’ But once get a man to see that none of them has the whole truth, but that they are mutually complementary, that the complete truth can be found only in the combined views of all, after that which is false in each of them has been sifted out — then true brotherhood in religion will be established’’ (Key, 46).

Moreover, the recognition of a universal belief in the after-life is an important part of the perspective: ‘’Surely this must be considered a gain by the friends of spirituality as opposed to materialism,--those, at any rate, who think that morals, peace, and prosperity will be promoted by the universal belief in a life after death (whether eternal or broken up by a series of reincarnations on the same earth), and in man's possession of a higher, undying SELF, latent spiritual powers, and consciousness.’’ (CW12, 296).

Being a universalist approach, it is necessary to be an open, inclusive, tolerant, non-dogmatic perspective ‘’It is truly Universal in spirit and constitution. It recognises and fosters no exclusiveness, no preconceptions. In the T. S. alone do men meet in the common search for truth, on a platform from which all dogmatism, all sectarianism, all mutual party hatred and condemnation are excluded; for, accepting every grain of truth wherever it is found, it waits in patience till the chaff that accompanies it falls off by itself ‘’(CW11, 339).

     7-      Monism 

Moreover, this universalism is supported by a perspective of metaphysical monism: ‘’ Theosophy is monistic through and through. It seeks the one Truth in all religions, in all science, in all experience, as in every system of thought. What aim can be nobler, more universal, more all-embracing? ‘’(CW11, 339; Key, 41; Key, 63- 65)

Blavatsky sees the common essence of all metaphysical perspectives: ‘’In the final analysis, the greatest of materialists, as well as the most transcendental of philosophers, admits the omnipresence of an impalpable Proteus, omnipotent in its ubiquity throughout all kingdoms of nature, including man--a Proteus indivisible in its essence, without form and yet manifesting itself in all forms, which is here, there, everywhere and nowhere, which is the All and the Nothing, which is all things and always One, Universal Essence which binds, limits and contains everything, and which everything contains‘’ (CW11, 127).

All is one, the duality between spirit and matter is considered to be illusory: ‘’The Monism of Theosophy is truly philosophical. We conceive of the universe as one in essence and origin. And though we speak of Spirit and Matter as its two poles, yet we state emphatically that they can only be considered as distinct from the standpoint of human, mayavic (i.e., illusionary) consciousness‘’ (CW11, 336)

Divinity is considered both transcendent and imminent: ‘’Our DEITY is neither in a paradise, nor in a particular tree, building, or mountain: it is everywhere, in every atom of the visible as of the invisible Cosmos, in, over, and around every invisible atom and divisible molecule; for IT is the mysterious power of evolution and involution, the omnipresent, omnipotent, and even omniscient creative potentiality‘’ (Key, 64-5 ; CW11, 432).

These aforementioned universalist concepts of Theosophy, constitue a general basis free from dogma and sectarian creeds : ‘’This is obviously true in the case of the doctrine of the underlying unity of all religions and the existence, as claimed by Theosophists, of a common source called the Wisdom-religion of the secret teaching, from which, according to the same claims, all existing forms of religion are directly or indirectly derived. Admitting this, we are pressed to explain, how can the T.S. as a body be said to have no special views or doctrines to inculcate, no creed and no dogmas, when these are "the back-bone of the Society, its very heart and soul"? (CW11, 432).

8-      Religion

Blavatsky describes an open, universalist, humanistic concept of religion: ‘’the assertion that "Theosophy is not a Religion," by no means excludes the fact that "Theosophy is Religion" itself. A Religion in the true and only correct sense, is a bond uniting men together--not a particular set of dogmas and beliefs. Now Religion, per se, in its widest meaning is that which binds not only all MEN, but also all BEINGS and all things in the entire Universe into one grand whole. This is our theosophical definition of religion‘’( CW10, 161; CW10, 162).

Theosophy can thus be better described as a religious philosophy: ‘’Thus it becomes evident that Theosophy cannot be a "religion," still less "a sect," but it is indeed the quintessence of the highest philosophy in all and every one of its aspects‘’ (CW11, 436).

9- Science & Religion

Blavatsky does not totally reject modern scientific research methods; she is seeking a harmony between science and religion: ‘’Yet, de facto, Theosophy claims to be both "RELIGION" and "SCIENCE," for theosophy is the essence of both‘’ (CW10, 171; CW2, 103;  CW10, 172;  CW11, 435)