Theosophy

Barbara Hebert - USA 

We are living in a time that seems extraordinarily divisive and full of conflict. We may feel as if we are being rubbed raw on all sides. It may remind one of being caught in a grinder or a sifter. Surprisingly, the analogy of a sifter is a part of the Ageless Wisdom tradition, as we see from the following quotes from the Voice of the Silence:

“When a person carefully sifts and consciously discriminates, he works with Nature without awaiting Karma's disciplinary measures; and "Great Sifter" is the name of the "Heart Doctrine," O disciple.” And it continues, saying “The wheel of the good Law moves swiftly on. It grinds by night and day. The worthless husks it drives from out the golden grain, the refuse from the flour. The hand of Karma guides the wheel; the revolutions mark the beatings of the Karmic heart.”

These quotes encompass a depth and breadth of theosophical concepts, touching on or implying a connection with almost all of the Ageless Wisdom teachings…teachings that we have studied for lifetimes upon lifetimes. When we look at each of these concepts and drill down as deeply as possible, we find that each one leads us to the core of the Ageless Wisdom teachings. They lead us to what may be called the Heart of Theosophy.

The first step is to cultivate an awareness of one’s own internal thought processes. This can be achieved by taking up meditation practices. A point comes when the ego disappears and the Self or Atman reveals itself, and Gnosis dawns. “Ultimately, it is impossible to renounce oneself and the world because no such ‘self’ or ‘world’ really exists—which, of course, is precisely what must be Realized,” writes B. L. Razdan. In the words of Yogananda, “The deeper the realization of a man, the more he influences the whole universe by his subtle spiritual vibrations, and the less he himself is affected by the phenomenal flux.” (Bhavan’s Journal, January 16-31, 2026)

Douglas Keene – USA

The author

Life is challenging and seems to get more so every day. How can we cope with the stresses and strains in daily living, both on a personal level, but increasingly on a societal basis. Through modern technology, travel, and instant communication the world is shrinking, where we learn instantaneously what is occurring everywhere, even a great distance. Although conflicts might be geographically remote, they can still impact our psyche and sense of well-being. Messages of trauma populate the daily news and social media. How can we find equilibrium in the modern world?

David M. Grossman – USA

Inner Considerations

Theosophy teaches that we live in a Universe of law. What does this mean practically? It means things don’t just happen but that everything has a cause. When you engage in life and are successful there are reasons, When you get sick there is a reason; when you apply for a job and get it there is a reason or even a multiplicity of reasons.   

Theosophy by definition rejects the idea that some outside god is the cause of all the particulars of life; we are not marionettes with god pulling all the strings nor are our outcomes in life due to the roll of the dice.  Most Christians do believe in “Free Will” although there are arguments about what that exactly means within the ranks.Theosophy does not teach the idea of blind fate as an unpredictable irrational outcome to things nor that evolution is the result of a series of original accidents as some darwinists would lead us to  believe. (Free will is a root of human creativity).  

Tim Boyd – India, USA

Tim Boyd 

One of the foundational ideas within the Theosophical Society (TS) is that “There is no religion higher than Truth”. It is an idea that points us in a certain direction — beyond the forms that try to engage us and determine our path, it points toward Truth itself. The difficulties that we then encounter result from the fact that we are ill-prepared to embrace an all-encompassing truth. We have to find our way toward it, using the tools that are at hand to us, the main instrument being the laboratory of our own consciousness, with all of its powers and all of its limitations. In every spiritual tradition there is a strong emphasis on cultivating the tools of consciousness. Generally the term that is used for this process is “practice”. Practice refers to the variety of ways where, beginning with our personality, we refine habits of mind and emotion in order for them to cease being obstacles and become aids to deeper, hidden aspects of our being.

Boris de Zirkoff – USA

 Original cover of Theosophia, cover photo: California Desert Scene: Cholla Cactus in foreground, and Barrel Cactus in the center; to the left, Mojave Yucca in full bloom*

The Theosophical Movement is a movement of Youth. This is a concept that has nothing to do with the age of the body. Youth is a condition of mind, a resiliency of thought, a dynamism of the vital streams, a readiness for spiritual adventure, a search for greater realities, an undying hope and trust in the unshakeable foundations of Truth. Those who can feel and embody these ideas and feelings are young at ninety! ...

We are in need today of new Pioneers in the fields of our Movement. Men and women, young and old, who are inspired by the vastness of spiritual horizons, whose hearts leap forward into the reaches of the unknown, and whose minds, instead of dwelling on the past and asking "why," scan the possibilities of the future and ask "why not"!

Deepa Padhi – India  

As Is The Perception, So Is The Creation

The Sanskrit aphorism Yatha Dristi Tatha Srusti expresses a profound philosophical and spiritual truth that has been central to Indian thought for centuries. It means ‘as is the perception so is the creation’. From a deeper standpoint ,the saying suggests that the reality experienced by an individual is shaped not merely by external circumstances but by inner perception and awareness. It emphasizes the intimate connection between the mind and the world it perceives.

 This article is written by a student of the United Lodge of Theosophists

What is the foundation of religion as we see it practiced today?  Alleged revelation and tradition? Error and superstition, serving wishful thinking? Is it a sociological question: a laudable tendency in human society towards moral community? Is all religion based in mythology, which tends to literalism as superstition takes hold? Is religion merely a political device for control over the minds of others? What greater authority than to proclaim that one acts for and on behalf of God? Or do we find the foundation of religion in psychology, in compensation, in a deep need to soften the hard facts of life with gratifying illusions?

Henry Steel Olcott (August 2, 1832 – February 17, 1907) was an agriculturist, American military officer, journalist, lawyer, and co-founder of the Theosophical Society.

He held the title of President-Founder of the Society from 1875 till his death in 1907. He was the first well-known American of European ancestry to make a formal conversion to Buddhism. During his presidency he helped to restore Buddhism in South Asia, and established schools for children of Buddhist and Hindu families, among many other notable achievements.

Arthur Sieders – the Netherlands 

The author

Theosophy is often described as a synthesis of religion, philosophy and science. Although its roots reach deep into ancient wisdom traditions, it was never intended to be a closed system. On the contrary, Theosophy always invites dialogue between esoteric insight and the discoveries of modern science. In this article, I would like to relate the three fundamental principles of Theosophy to physics, first from the perspective of classical physics, and then from that of quantum physics. 

Tim Boyd – India, USA 

The author

[Note from the editor: This article is based on a talk that was delivered during the 150^th International Convention in Adyar-India, on January 4,, 2026]

Our Convention theme has been centered around the concept of newness, particularly the emergence of a new humanity. We have touched upon this aspect, but it is not possible to fully explain or define what we are moving towards. However, I’d like to spend some time exploring the newness aspect of this. I may touch upon the past to better understand the present, but we’ll see how we proceed.

Practical Theosophy

Antonio Girardi – Italy

Sunflowers naturally grow towards the sun seeking the Light, the Truth, and spiritual enlightenment. This simple but majestic flower also symbolizes devotion, empathy and creativity, 

_______

A simple life is far more demanding

and far more profound …

A simple life is a life with no conflict …

                                                                                                                          Jiddu Krishnamurti

Knowledge holds the key to understanding reality

Studying Theosophy is not only a means of becoming attuned to a collection of knowledge based on the universal laws that govern the One Life, but also an opportunity to build a bridge between this knowledge and the concrete reality of existence. This is in keeping with what H.P. Blavatsky suggested to those closest to her: put knowledge into practice, assess its worth and thus turn it into awareness.

Antti Savinainen – Suomi (Finland)  

The Christian doctrine usually equates heaven with salvation. According to Theosophy, however, heaven and salvation do not mean the same thing, although the term salvation is seldom used in theosophical circles.  In the following, I will examine heaven and salvation from the perspectives of Protestant Christianity, Orthodox Christianity, and Buddhism. After that, I will present a theosophical view on heaven and salvation. 

Henry Travers Edge – England, USA

Henry Travers Edge

A certain writer, in discussing the meaning of the phrase, 'The State,' contrasts the theorie s of Rousseau and Plato, and consequently of the two schools of thought which they represent. Avoiding lengthy detail, we may sum up the matter by saying that the former starts from the assumption that the individual is a separate unit; and then, having made this false assumption, proceeds to devise means for the harmonious mutual adjustment of the lives of various individuals; and so the State appears as an artificial contrivance for preventing the (supposed) rights of different individuals from conflicting with each other.

This article is written by a student of the United Lodge of Theosophists

Selflessness is sky

The bird of the heart

flies nowhere

but there

Jalaluddin Rumi^[1]

The Wisdom Religion, which Hinduism sometimes calls Sanatana Dharma, and Western history has sometimes called Theosophia, and named Theosophy by Helena Blavatsky, has always existed. The ancient Stanzas of Dzyan are the oldest account of the Wisdom Religion available to us. But we are incarnated beings, just beginning the reascent from matter to spirit as the Fifth Sub-Race on this fourth globe of the Fourth Round. Here Manas, mind, which when fully awakened or developed is universal in thought, is brought to the fore. Given our current state of collective evolution, we necessarily use language to communicate and share with one another.

David M. Grossman – USA

 Photo © the author 

How does a study of the metaphysics presented by H.P. Blavatsky in The Secret Doctrine help one to live a more humane, a more meaningful and fulfilling life? 

Boris de Zirkoff – USA

Original Cover of Theosophia*

In the quiet depths of every human soul there is a divine Urge which ever cries out for higher and nobler realizations.

The mystic Light which guides men to greatness shines star-like on the firmament of the human heart, amid the gloom of the outer desolation, and the gloom "Comprehendeth it not."

Deepa Padhi – India

The author is international Vice-President of the Theosophical Society (TS) and President of the Theosophical Order of Service (TOS), Odisha Region, India

This year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Theosophical Society (TS) — a movement which has carried the light of truth, wisdom, and brotherhood across generations and continents.

A hundred and fifty years ago in 1875, three remarkable souls gathered in New York — Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (HPB), Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, and William Quan Judge. They were driven not by the ambition to create another sect or creed or religion but for a noble ideal — to awaken the human unity and the spiritual potential within every being. 

Michele Sender – USA

The author; photo taken during a visit to England 

“Does it seem to you a small thing that the past year has been spent only in your “family duties”? Nay, but what better cause for reward, what better discipline, than the daily and hourly performance of duty? Believe me my “pupil,” the man or woman who is placed by karma in the midst of small plain duties and sacrifices and loving-kindness, will through these faithfully fulfilled rise to the larger measure of Duty, Sacrifice and Charity to all Humanity—what better path towards the enlightenment you are striving after than the daily conquest of Self, the perseverance in spite of want of visible psychic progress, the bearing of ill-fortune with that serene fortitude which turns it to spiritual advantage—since good and evil are not to be measured by events on the lower or physical plane.” Mahatma KH. (Letter 123 / ML 68)

Andrew Rooke – Australia

What Exactly is Reincarnation?

“Rebirth is the pathway of evolution. It is the method by which nature progressively draws into growth or unfoldment the limitless capacities latent in all creatures from atoms to gods. Everything that has life reembodies itself – universes, solar systems, suns, worlds, men, animals, and plants, cells, molecules, and atoms.

 Douglas Keene - USA 

The author 

Theosophy will ever exist throughout the infinitudes of the Future…

                                                                                                                H. P. Blavatsky

The future Theosophy itself is assured, although it may be under many different rubrics, for instance, the Ageless (or Ancient) Wisdom, Perennial Philosophy, Gupta Vidya, and many others.

It is Divine Knowledge that is contained in many religious traditions, but often religion is not needed to penetrate these teachings. They will remain eternal, but accessible to seekers and pilgrims on many paths.

Barbara Hebert – USA

Barbara in action at Olcott in Wheaton 

Family, friends, health, and security are undeniably precious. Yet, as students of the Ageless Wisdom, we recognize that these aspects of life are temporary. A deeper question arises: What is important in terms of our spiritual life and growth? Is it mastering our thoughts and emotions, committing to daily study and meditation, weaving theosophical teachings into our everyday actions, or serving humanity? Each of these represents vital steps in our spiritual development.