Theosophy
zocalopublicsquare.org
My Adolescence in an Attempted Utopia
Coming of Age Amid Adults Questing for Self Actualization at South India’s Theosophical Society Headquarters
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London Review of Books
Like Moonlight over Water
Besant was already famous – for being the first woman, in 1877, to make a public statement advocating contraception; for leading tens of thousands of unemployed workers in protest in Trafalgar Square – when, in 1889, she had a religious conversion brought on by a book review assignment. After reviewing Helena Blavatsky’s Secret Doctrine for the Pall Mall Gazette,Besant abandoned her atheism and joined the Theosophical Society...
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Dayli News
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott: A man of vision and compassion
Every year in November, Ananda College organizes an oration by an illustrious alumnus of the College to commemorate and celebrate the life and work of an exceptional American who was instrumental in the founding of the College in 1886. The Olcott Oration, one of the main highlights of the College calendar, was inaugurated in 1968....
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island.lk
Spread of Buddhist Education in Sri Lanka; the role played by Col. Olcott and Theosophists
The Olcott Oration delivered to the Old Boys Association of Ananda College (November 2020, Perth, Western Australia)..
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False Allegations
telegraphindia.com
Loss of direction
The esoteric cults and schools of mysticism, which lent credence to the wishful historiography, included Theosophy of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-91) brought to India by Annie Besant (1847-1933) and the early writings of Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950).
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newsroom.co.nz
How Billy TK is using the far right
To this end, Te Kahika introduces the conspiracy theory that the UN’s principles were devised by three female occultists (Helena Blavatsky, Annie Besant, and Alice A. Bailey), and that the UN endorses ‘satanism’.
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Nature
James Randi (1928–2020)
In the early twentieth century, John Nevil Maskelyne, a founder of the UK Magic Circle, took on deceivers such as the spiritualists Ira and William Davenport and theosophists such as Helena Blavatsky.
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tabletmag.com
Anti-Semitism From Outer Space
Begun in the late 19th century by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott, Theosophy postulates the existence of a group of spiritually evolved beings on a nonmaterial plane of existence, who communicated with worthy earthly disciples and guided the spiritual course of humanity.....
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Other
hiddenremote.com/sub>
Ancient Aliens: Does The Lost Kingdom of Shambhala exist?
First is Madam Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and philosopher who wrote “The Secret Doctrine” and founded the Theosophical Society. Both her book and society derive from a mahatma (i.e. great soul, Koot Hoomi) who telepathically manifested himself into her NYC apartment and told her about Atlantis, Lemuria...
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theweek.in
Shrine of peace: Sri Dharmarajika Chetiya Vihara
Thus, the foundation stone for Sri Dharmarajika Chetiya Vihara was laid in 1918 and completed in 1920. On November 26, 1920, the then Bengal governor, Lord Ronaldshay, ceremoniously handed over the holy relic to Asutosh Mookerjee, who in turn handed it over to Dharmapala in the presence of theosophist Annie Besant....
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thefamuanonline.com
Prayer and manifestation are one in the same
The Law of Attraction is nothing new, having first appeared in print in 1877 by philosopher Helena Blavatsky, this concept has re-emerged and found a place in the ideological beliefs of a generation that is rejecting traditional forms of religion.....
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Sydney Morning Herald
Wendy Sharpe explores ghosts of the past and the north shore
Both her ancestors were followers of Madame Blavatsky, the occultist who rose to prominence in the late 19th century, popularised astral travel and inspired The Wizard of Oz and Twin Peaks....
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UK Climbing
Ed Caesar on Maurice Wilson, the Moth and the Mountain
He was interested in theosophism and Helena Blavatsky who was very influential at that time and for all these reasons he was drawn to Everest as a place where you could maybe be reborn. His idea, he always said, was to 'build a new man' and I think that's what he was trying to do.....
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communitynews.org
City lore: How a Trenton native brought Tibetan mysticism to the world
His father became interested in the occult and was much taken with the work of Madame Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical Society. Her claim to have been inspired by Tibetan monks also inspired Evans-Wentz, who had disregarded Christianity for religions that espoused rebirth....
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New York Times
An Englishman’s Ill-Fated Quest to Climb the World’s Highest Mountain
He does not try to explore the varieties of turn-of-the-century mysticism, including Madame Blavatsky (whose “golden precepts” Wilson carried to Everest), or the English fascination with dangerous climbs....
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counterpunch.org
The Tide is Turning: Change and the Coming of Maitreya
They are the senior members of the spiritual hierarchy, (spoken of by H.P. Blavatsky, Helena and Nicholas Roerich and Alice A Bailey among others) the Masters of Wisdom and Lords of Compassion....
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boingboing.net
The man who destroyed skepticism
Several years ago I was preparing a talk on the life of occult journeyer Madame H.P. Blavatsky (1831–1891) for the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. Someone on Facebook asked sardonically: "Will James Randi be there?"....
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buddhistdoor.net
José Vasconcelos, the Forefather of Buddhism in Mexico
Vasconcelos particularly abhorred the works of its main authority, Madame Blavatsky (1831–91), whose writings and interpretations he found replete with “charlatanism and ignorance.” (1938 [1920], 85 No. 1) His exposure to Buddhism came from two main sources: art and texts. ...
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howstuffworks.com
Astral Projection: An Intentional Out-of-body Experience
Theosophy gained traction in America thanks to Russian immigrant Helena Blavatsky, who helped found the Theosophical Society in 1875 in New York City. Born into a wealthy family, she traveled much of the world, soaking up various religious beliefs along the way and then reworking them into new forms via theosophy...
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inforum.com
Fierce and forgotten feminist with ties to Fargo worked beside Susan B. Anthony
Matilda also studied astrology (this was the topic of her first lecture as a 17-year-old), theosophy, and even witchcraft. ...
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freepressjournal.in
Dweller on the Threshold: NJ Reddy, YPV Sadhana
In theosophy, it is known as Dweller on the Threshold. When this energy tries to precipitate down and physicalize, there can be havoc on Earth, which can befall either as natural or manmade calamity. This is a serious cause of misery....
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Irish Times
Australia’s first national poet – An Irishman’s Diary on Bernard O’Dowd
Apart from poetry, O’Dowd’s other interests included Theosophy, journalism, and political activism.....
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scroll.in
A spiritual guru’s curious journey to becoming the first Indian filmmaker in the US
He arrived in the city of Seattle in 1905. In his initial years in the country, Mozumdar lived for a while with a Swedish family, learning during this period a new way of life, greater fluency in English, and an understanding of Christianity. His life as an independent lecturer and preacher began, albeit in a small way, after he got associated with the fledgling Theosophy movement in Seat...
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Art
Palm Springs Live
Radiant Agnes Pelton
The novel describes a pivotal point when Pelton was living in the windmill and delved into theosophy, calling the philosophy’s Russian-immigrant founder Helena Blavatsky and herself “fellow travelers”: “I began the journey I felt I had waited for my entire life. Theosophy was a universe unto itself, with its infinite worlds of creators and creation, an enormous canopy that held under its protection Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Judeo-Christian beliefs.”....
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Geek Wire
Poetry vs. programming: Wandering the city, a writer finds the intersection of literature and code
Yeats’ fascination with symbols and their effect on consciousness was probably influenced by his sessions with occultist theosopher Madame Blavatsky whom he had visited in the late 1880s as a young man in London.....
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LA Times
Why Scriabin’s satanic Ninth Sonata, ‘Black Mass,’ is a scary wonder of music
A follower of Madame Blavatsky and her occultist Theosophy, Scriabin was, along with penning the devil’s will in his Ninth Sonata, proposing a “Mysterium” Symphony, a musical rapture like none before that involved all five senses. ....
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rhinegold.co.uk
Book of the month – Wagnerism by Alex Ross
From investigating the later novels of Philip K Dick to an informed reading of the influence of Wagner on theosophy (revealing deep knowledge of Helena Blavatsky’s allegedly channelled writings and Theosophy, before inviting in Mondrian and Kandinsky), the concept of Wagnerism/Wagnerei/Wagnérisme seemingly extends everywhere. ....
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The Guardian
They called her a crazy witch': did medium Hilma af Klint invent abstract art?
But, she adds, Kandinsky, Mondrian and Malevich were all influenced by contemporary spiritual movements such as theosophy and anthroposophy too, as they sought to transcend the physical world and the constraints of representational art.. ....
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archdaily.com
'Shofuso and Modernism' Revisits a Major Mid-Century East-West Cultural Exchange
“Her connections to theosophy and other perspectives that explored the universality of human experience led her to an early interest in Aurobindo in the mid-1920s.” Nakashima was also driven toward this mystical approach and embedded it in his life and work ....
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talkhouse.com
An Excerpt From Thought Forms: A Record of Clairvoyant Investigation
Thought Forms is one of the few illustrated texts published by the Theosophical Society. This spiritual movement was founded in New York City in the late 1800s and its influence reverberated around the world. The group’s motto was, “There is no religion higher than truth,” and their aim was to explore and seek out the esoteric truths within all religious and spiritual practices.....
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buffalorising.com
HAUNTED HISTORY | Two Sisters, Iconic Buildings Imbued with Sacred Imagery
Other imagery on the building has been interpreted as representing some of the mystical movements of the 19th century including Theosophy.....
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lareviewofbooks.org
Return I Will to Old Brazil
He persistently sought alternatives to established religions, becoming a Buddhist in Ceylon, then exploring theosophy and the occult. This is the side of Fawcett that still intrigues. None other than Brad Pitt produced a film based on his story: The Lost City of Z (2016)......
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whitehotmagazine.com
Rediscovery: Agnes Pelton at The Whitney Museum of American Art
Born into an upper middle-class New York family, Pelton spent her childhood in Europe, returning to study at the Pratt Institute. After graduating in 1900 Pelton started off as an artist who painted “Imaginative Paintings,” aethereal canvases influenced by British romantic poets.....
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Joseph Ross' The three…