Theosophy is a fragment of the ancient, once universal, wisdom teaching.
The masters of Theosophy, located in Tibet and around the world, preserve and extend this ancient wisdom. Periodically they send forth one of their own - or a messenger - to help spread this teaching to all of humanity.
In the 1800's they had been searching for a century for the next messenger and finally settled upon Helena Blavatsky, born to a noble Russian family. She saw the master who would be her teacher in her dreams as a child. She met him in Hyde Park in London when she was 20. She managed to enter Tibet and was trained by those masters in Tibet from 1868 to 1870. From 1875 through her death in 1891 she spread that message around the world.
Theosophy is the name Blavatsky gave to that portion of knowledge that she brought from the masters to the world. It comes from the term "Theosophia" used by the Neoplatonists to mean literally "knowledge of the divine". "An Invitation to the Secret Doctrine."
Helpful background and introduction to Blavatsky's magnum opus - the monumental source book for esotericism in our age.
Perhaps all of her work can be summed up in one of her maxims: Compassion is the law of laws. She explained that brotherhood is not a mere ideal - it is a fact in nature on the spiritual plane. From that we derive a logical basis and a binding source for morality that can guide and inspire us, even while more traditional religious sources are losing their compelling force. She gives us the metaphysics from which we can deduce the most important priciples of how to live.
The master collection of her work extends 3 feet on a bookshelf. (In today's age it is also available on a CD-rom.) Her master work is the Secret Doctrine, written in 1888 - a book that will remain seminal for centuries. Her first book-length work, Isis Unveiled, shook the rafters of science and religion, and the world hasn't been the same since. Many people reading this will hold views that were first planted in the West by Blavatsky. Some of the views you hold were brought by her. She also has an introductory book, Key to Theosophy, and an inspiration book, Voice of the Silence, for those few who are ready to tread in the footsteps of advanced disciples - or at least for those who want their soul to hear the same call.
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