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What is Theosophy? - Pablo Sender
What is Theosophy? - Pablo Sender
Download handouts
What is Theosophy?
The Roots of Theosophy
Discussion questions
1- In her article “What is Theosophy,” HPB quotes Vaughan: “A Theosophist—he says—is one who gives you a theory of God or the works of God, which has not revelation, but an inspiration of his own for its basis.”
a- In your own words, explain what you think Vaughan’s definition means. (For information about revelation and inspiration read Annie Besant’s pamphlet “Revelation, Inspiration, Observation” at http://www.theosophical.org/resources/articles/Revelation.pdf)
b- Is the term Theosophical knowledge usually applied to different levels of knowledge? Describe them.
2- One may say that in its purest form, a Theosophist’s knowledge comes from his own inner experience, ranging from spiritual insights to a mystical ecstasy or Samadhi experience. HPB (and many others) warned that such an experience cannot be conveyed in words. Still, HPB, and countless spiritual sages throughout the ages, have stressed the importance of intellectual spiritual study.
a- How would you explain the value of intellectual spiritual study as it relates to your own inner spiritual growth?
b- It is easy to disparage intellectual (book) learning as an inadequate method for approaching the ineffable Divine. However, most likely all of us in Theosophical circles have had insights, peace, spiritual guidance, or deep poetic experiences of reverie and transcendence as a result of reading spiritual literature. Share with the group an especially significant reading of a spiritual text or article from your past, as much as you can articulate, describe the significance that reading had for your inner life.
c- How can the study of spiritual literature help develop a real Theosophical knowledge in us? What attitudes from us contribute to or prevent this development?
3- HPB wrote, “Knowledge comes in visions, first in dreams and then in pictures presented to the inner eye during meditation. Thus have I been taught the whole system.”
Probably not many of us have experienced the sort of inner knowing and learning that HPB did; however, in more modest ways, most of us have likely had some small visionary or intuitional experiences.
a- If anyone has had some sort of insight that came in a dream and that was later clarified during meditation, please share your experience of this process with the group.
b- Is the source of all knowledge that comes from dreams necessarily spiritual?
c- How do you think spiritual dreams and meditation are related?
4- Read as a group the following four definitions of Orthodoxy, the first from Wikipedia and the last three from dictionary.com:
The word orthodox, from Greek orthodoxos "having the right opinion", from orthos ("right", "true", "straight") + doxa ("opinion" or "praise", related to dokein, "to think"), is typically used to mean adhering to the accepted or traditional and established faith, especially in religion.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
i) of, pertaining to, or conforming to the approved form of any doctrine, philosophy, ideology, etc.
ii) of, pertaining to, or conforming to beliefs, attitudes, or modes of conduct that are generally approved.
iii) customary or conventional, as a means or method; established
--dictionary .com
HPB said, “Orthodoxy in Theosophy is a thing neither possible nor desirable” and “Theosophy encourages no dogmatism or belief.”
a- In your own words, what does this mean?
b- Is it possible to keep “the spirit of Truth and an ever growing knowledge” and at the same time an attitude of Orthodoxy?
c- Why is a non-dogmatic stance especially important in a system of teaching that encourages one to go beyond concepts?
d- Pablo Sender writes, “Theosophy transcends the Theosophical Society.” In your own words, what does this mean?
5- HPB declared that Orthodoxy and dogma are the biggest potential threats to Theosophy. She wrote that every previous attempt at a Theosophical Society ended in failure “because, sooner or later, it had degenerated into a sect, set up hard-and-fast dogmas of its own, and so lost by imperceptible degrees that vitality which living truth alone can impart.”
a- What are some causes and reasons for Orthodoxy in any environment?
b- Describe that part of human nature that longs for Orthodoxy.
c- How does Orthodoxy manifest in Theosophical communities?
d- Though it is imperative to guard against Orthodoxy and dogma, high-quality spiritual study, learning and growth are highly dependent on great Theosophical texts and teachers. How do you think the Theosophical Society should balance a healthy aversion to Orthodoxy with a well-placed investment in the wisdom of great texts and teachers?
e- Not every person considered as a spiritual teacher has spiritual insight. Therefore, not every so-called “spiritual teaching” really helps people unfold their spiritual consciousness. How do you differentiate genuine spiritual teachings from the pseudo-spiritual ones, without falling into a spirit of Orthdoxy?
Proposed activities
1- Joy Mills stated that one of the great spiritual exercises for a Theosophist is to respond sincerely and spontaneously to the question of “What is Theosophy?” when asked the question by a person in earnest, new to the entire subject. She warned against relying on a canned answer or a definition from a book or a pamphlet. Rather, she encouraged us in those situations to trust our intuition and knowledge and sensitivity of the moment and the audience. In this spirit we will prepare a few short paragraphs of responses to the great “what is Theosophy?” question.
a- Imagine you have been asked to address a group of inner city Junior High School students on the question of “What is Theosophy?” There is a large panel of speakers discussing various systems of religion and philosophy so you have been asked to keep your speech very brief, a few minutes or 200 words or less.
Write your brief summary aimed at this assembly of students addressing the question.
b- Each person in the gourp can share his/her brief summary of Thesophy to Junior High School students aloud.
2- Write each person/type from the following list on a small piece of paper (**):
i) A suburban high school kid who has a general background in Christianity.
ii) A devout Muslim.
iii) An avowed atheist who is very interested in philosophy.
iv) A traditional Hindu.
v) A new-age type person who says he is spiritual but not religious.
vi) A professor of religious studies who is only vaguely familiar with Theosophy.
vii) A person who is very interested in holistic, esoteric healing but not familiar with Theosophy.
viii) A person with no special interest in either spirituality or religion.
ix) A person who follows Jewish culture, though not much of Jewish religion, but who is also interested in encouraging understanding and dialogue between different faiths and cultures.
x) A college student in an Introduction to Religions class who is going to write a paper on Theosophy but has never heard of it before.
xi) A Buddhist monk.
xii) An incarcerated person who is interested in spirituality but is very turned off by organized religion.
xiii) An evangelical Christian.
xiv) A Wiccan.
xv) A person who is interested in alternative education for his/her children and who is familiar with some of the teaching of Rudolph Steiner.
xvi) A person who has just lost a loved one, who has no real spiritual or religious beliefs, but is looking for ideas about the afterlife.
(**) Add as many others to this list as your group would like
a- Choose a person in the group who is most comfortable with acting. This person will play various different people who approach a Theosophist and ask “What is Theosophy?” Again, in the spirit Joy Mills encouraged as described in question #1 above, the person fielding the question should be as open and spontaneous as possible.
b- Each person in the group will take a turn trying to explain Theosophy to one of the earnest questioners as described above. The group actor will pull a piece of paper from a hat, describe the questioner to the group, and then the group actor and other group participant (representative Theosophist) will play act.
c- After each person takes a turn, the group can, in an encouraging and friendly way, make comments as to how they thought the dialogue went—what parts went especially well and what other modes of discussion a person might want to try in similar situations.
There is no exactly right way, of course, to address any of these scenarios, but it seems a very good exercise for us to keep our own ideas and attitudes towards philosophy flexible and spontaneously alive, and, as well, to be sensitive to the different mindsets of people who may earnestly be approaching Theosophy.
Related Resources
Introduction to Theosophy
The Theosophical Society
Theosophical History
The Theosophical Worldview
The Theosophical Path
Download handouts
What is Theosophy?
The Roots of Theosophy
Discussion questions
1- In her article “What is Theosophy,” HPB quotes Vaughan: “A Theosophist—he says—is one who gives you a theory of God or the works of God, which has not revelation, but an inspiration of his own for its basis.”
a- In your own words, explain what you think Vaughan’s definition means. (For information about revelation and inspiration read Annie Besant’s pamphlet “Revelation, Inspiration, Observation” at http://www.theosophical.org/resources/articles/Revelation.pdf)
b- Is the term Theosophical knowledge usually applied to different levels of knowledge? Describe them.
2- One may say that in its purest form, a Theosophist’s knowledge comes from his own inner experience, ranging from spiritual insights to a mystical ecstasy or Samadhi experience. HPB (and many others) warned that such an experience cannot be conveyed in words. Still, HPB, and countless spiritual sages throughout the ages, have stressed the importance of intellectual spiritual study.
a- How would you explain the value of intellectual spiritual study as it relates to your own inner spiritual growth?
b- It is easy to disparage intellectual (book) learning as an inadequate method for approaching the ineffable Divine. However, most likely all of us in Theosophical circles have had insights, peace, spiritual guidance, or deep poetic experiences of reverie and transcendence as a result of reading spiritual literature. Share with the group an especially significant reading of a spiritual text or article from your past, as much as you can articulate, describe the significance that reading had for your inner life.
c- How can the study of spiritual literature help develop a real Theosophical knowledge in us? What attitudes from us contribute to or prevent this development?
3- HPB wrote, “Knowledge comes in visions, first in dreams and then in pictures presented to the inner eye during meditation. Thus have I been taught the whole system.”
Probably not many of us have experienced the sort of inner knowing and learning that HPB did; however, in more modest ways, most of us have likely had some small visionary or intuitional experiences.
a- If anyone has had some sort of insight that came in a dream and that was later clarified during meditation, please share your experience of this process with the group.
b- Is the source of all knowledge that comes from dreams necessarily spiritual?
c- How do you think spiritual dreams and meditation are related?
4- Read as a group the following four definitions of Orthodoxy, the first from Wikipedia and the last three from dictionary.com:
The word orthodox, from Greek orthodoxos "having the right opinion", from orthos ("right", "true", "straight") + doxa ("opinion" or "praise", related to dokein, "to think"), is typically used to mean adhering to the accepted or traditional and established faith, especially in religion.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
i) of, pertaining to, or conforming to the approved form of any doctrine, philosophy, ideology, etc.
ii) of, pertaining to, or conforming to beliefs, attitudes, or modes of conduct that are generally approved.
iii) customary or conventional, as a means or method; established
--dictionary .com
HPB said, “Orthodoxy in Theosophy is a thing neither possible nor desirable” and “Theosophy encourages no dogmatism or belief.”
a- In your own words, what does this mean?
b- Is it possible to keep “the spirit of Truth and an ever growing knowledge” and at the same time an attitude of Orthodoxy?
c- Why is a non-dogmatic stance especially important in a system of teaching that encourages one to go beyond concepts?
d- Pablo Sender writes, “Theosophy transcends the Theosophical Society.” In your own words, what does this mean?
5- HPB declared that Orthodoxy and dogma are the biggest potential threats to Theosophy. She wrote that every previous attempt at a Theosophical Society ended in failure “because, sooner or later, it had degenerated into a sect, set up hard-and-fast dogmas of its own, and so lost by imperceptible degrees that vitality which living truth alone can impart.”
a- What are some causes and reasons for Orthodoxy in any environment?
b- Describe that part of human nature that longs for Orthodoxy.
c- How does Orthodoxy manifest in Theosophical communities?
d- Though it is imperative to guard against Orthodoxy and dogma, high-quality spiritual study, learning and growth are highly dependent on great Theosophical texts and teachers. How do you think the Theosophical Society should balance a healthy aversion to Orthodoxy with a well-placed investment in the wisdom of great texts and teachers?
e- Not every person considered as a spiritual teacher has spiritual insight. Therefore, not every so-called “spiritual teaching” really helps people unfold their spiritual consciousness. How do you differentiate genuine spiritual teachings from the pseudo-spiritual ones, without falling into a spirit of Orthdoxy?
Proposed activities
1- Joy Mills stated that one of the great spiritual exercises for a Theosophist is to respond sincerely and spontaneously to the question of “What is Theosophy?” when asked the question by a person in earnest, new to the entire subject. She warned against relying on a canned answer or a definition from a book or a pamphlet. Rather, she encouraged us in those situations to trust our intuition and knowledge and sensitivity of the moment and the audience. In this spirit we will prepare a few short paragraphs of responses to the great “what is Theosophy?” question.
a- Imagine you have been asked to address a group of inner city Junior High School students on the question of “What is Theosophy?” There is a large panel of speakers discussing various systems of religion and philosophy so you have been asked to keep your speech very brief, a few minutes or 200 words or less.
Write your brief summary aimed at this assembly of students addressing the question.
b- Each person in the gourp can share his/her brief summary of Thesophy to Junior High School students aloud.
2- Write each person/type from the following list on a small piece of paper (**):
i) A suburban high school kid who has a general background in Christianity.
ii) A devout Muslim.
iii) An avowed atheist who is very interested in philosophy.
iv) A traditional Hindu.
v) A new-age type person who says he is spiritual but not religious.
vi) A professor of religious studies who is only vaguely familiar with Theosophy.
vii) A person who is very interested in holistic, esoteric healing but not familiar with Theosophy.
viii) A person with no special interest in either spirituality or religion.
ix) A person who follows Jewish culture, though not much of Jewish religion, but who is also interested in encouraging understanding and dialogue between different faiths and cultures.
x) A college student in an Introduction to Religions class who is going to write a paper on Theosophy but has never heard of it before.
xi) A Buddhist monk.
xii) An incarcerated person who is interested in spirituality but is very turned off by organized religion.
xiii) An evangelical Christian.
xiv) A Wiccan.
xv) A person who is interested in alternative education for his/her children and who is familiar with some of the teaching of Rudolph Steiner.
xvi) A person who has just lost a loved one, who has no real spiritual or religious beliefs, but is looking for ideas about the afterlife.
(**) Add as many others to this list as your group would like
a- Choose a person in the group who is most comfortable with acting. This person will play various different people who approach a Theosophist and ask “What is Theosophy?” Again, in the spirit Joy Mills encouraged as described in question #1 above, the person fielding the question should be as open and spontaneous as possible.
b- Each person in the group will take a turn trying to explain Theosophy to one of the earnest questioners as described above. The group actor will pull a piece of paper from a hat, describe the questioner to the group, and then the group actor and other group participant (representative Theosophist) will play act.
c- After each person takes a turn, the group can, in an encouraging and friendly way, make comments as to how they thought the dialogue went—what parts went especially well and what other modes of discussion a person might want to try in similar situations.
There is no exactly right way, of course, to address any of these scenarios, but it seems a very good exercise for us to keep our own ideas and attitudes towards philosophy flexible and spontaneously alive, and, as well, to be sensitive to the different mindsets of people who may earnestly be approaching Theosophy.
Related Resources
Introduction to Theosophy
The Theosophical Society
Theosophical History
The Theosophical Worldview
The Theosophical Path
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