Original Theosophy & Alternative Spirituality 4/6

12-part, 6 short article series on similarities and differences between Blavatskyan theosophy & the alternative spirituality/occulture/new age movement. Informal essay, based on personal observations and experiences.

6- Spiritual Practices

Indeed, it seems that the alternative spirituality scene places a strong emphasis on techniques and practices, and they have done a tremendous amount of research into esoteric, magical and ancient traditional practices, which they apply in their own lives. There are even institutes and universities where one can acquire various degrees with many levels of specialization. Moreover, there seems to be a bold, 'just do it', trial and error adventurous approach to discovering these practices.

 

Blavatskyan theosophy does not deny the validity of these practices and promoted an interest in studying and re-discovering these things. The main difference being a more methodical, cautious approach in undertaking such things. So there needs to be a more theoretical phase where information is gathered, compared, analyzed before determining if a practice is feasible. Also, as any sportive undertaking requires the necessary safety equipment and training, so there needs to be an awareness of potential short-term and long-term dangers. 

 

Although there were a small number of very knowledgeable theosophists in the early years who engaged in esoteric practices, nowadays, I think there are less. So I would say that the main difference is that original theosophy is still at a more philosophical, ethical, theoretical, explorational phase and so puts less emphasis on techniques and practices. The practices encouraged are more along the lines of doing one's duty in daily life and developing good ethical behaviour, which admittedly, does not have the exotic appeal of a lot of alternative spirituality practices.

 

7- Individual mystical experience.

Both are concerned with exploring the experiential spiritual possibilities in human potential - in the alternative spirituality scene, it seems that any type of supernatural perception is significant and has a certain determinative finality to it. Quite often, these experiences are then widely communicated and shared in order to make a significant statement or resolve a question, and can subsequently be used to determine plans of action. Much emphasis is given to discussing 'enlightenment' experiences, and many explanations given on how various people have attained enlightenment.

 

With original theosophy, even though there was considerable interest by adepts in certain people with developed psychic faculties in the early days, there is a certain wariness about psychic experience. There is a notion that discrimination is needed to determine the objectivity of psychic communications received. It is explained that a lot of the visions and messages one receives can be quite subjective, coloured by our own mental inclinations and distorted by our own subjective perspective. Still, I think that the importance of being intimately attuned to one's inner perceptions is a notion common to both.

 

Moreover, the exalted spiritual beings that can appear may not always be what they seem to be, as there exist a multitude of different types of elemental beings who enjoy taking on various forms and deceiving people. Additionally, since the model of spiritual progress is based on a multi-modal hierarchical structure as can be noticed with the idea of the 49 mystic fires, it can conceivably require a considerable amount of discrimination to determine the nature of one' s spiritual experience. Also, the rule of silence about one's psychic experiences that exists in the Buddhist monastic rules is applicable as well. Therefore there is considerable reticence enjoined in communicating events in one's inner life. Although in both schools, one can find the insistence of the need for a cautious, methodical, discriminating, analytical process in the context of psychic experimentation.