About Us

About Theosophy

  • The teachings that were given through Mme. Blavatsky and other Theosophical writers, are frequently called “modern” Theosophy.
  • A universal ancient wisdom underlying all religions, when prejudice and superstition are stripped away, sometimes referred to as “ancient” or “timeless” theosophy.
  • The word “Theosophy” is from the Greek theosophia: theos (god, or divine) and sophia (wisdom). Theosophia can be translated as the “wisdom of the gods,” or “divine wisdom.”

 

Three Objects

thesophy 3 objects

The three declared Objects of the Theosophical Society are:

Brotherhood

To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color.

Truth

To encourage the comparative study of religion, philosophy and science.

Spirit

To investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity.

Motto

The world religion glyph circle squaremotto of Theosophy is: “There is no religion higher than truth.”

 

 

 

 

 

Mission

The mission of The Theosophical Society in America is to promote fellowship and spiritual education. sun hands

  • Has local groups around the country where members can meet, explore, and practice together.
  • Organizes lectures, classes and workshops at the different local groups.
  • Offers online resources: articles, audios lectures, videos, live webinars, webcasts, and more.
  • Publishes booksand a quarterly journal on Theosophy and general spirituality.
  • Has librariesthat specialize on spiritual subjects, both at the National Center and local groups.
  • Has  Theosophical Camps in natural settings for seminars on contemplation, meditation and study.

 

Theosophy Mantra “Oh Hidden Life”

icon foest with light ray

 

O HIDDEN LIFE VIBRANT IN EVERY ATOM,

O HIDDEN LIGHT SHINING IN EVERY CREATURE,

O HIDDEN LOVE EMBRACING ALL IN ONENESS,

MAY ALL WHO FEEL THEMSELVES AS ONE WITH THEE,

KNOW THAT THEY ARE THEREFORE ONE WITH EVERY OTHER.

                                                                        – ANNIE BESANT

 

 Motto & Seal

thesophy logo

The emblem of the Theosophical Society consists of seven elements incorporates symbols from world religious traditions.

 
The Sacred Word

At the top of the emblem is the Sanskrit word Om, pronounced as a single syllable, “om,” written with three letters in Sanskrit: a, u, and m—au in three tones, the universal threefold truth of life. The Om is also the Absolute expressing as divine intelligence or theLogos from which the universe emanates and to which, it returns. The Bhagavad Gita, says Om should begin everything; it is the divine origin of all.

 
The Whirling Cross                   

Below the word Om is a whirling cross within a circle called a swastika, a symbol for good in India, Native America and Asia. Early Christians called it gammadion for the letter “G” (gamma) for “God.” The Nazis adopted this ancient holy symbol (called Hakenkreuz or “bent cross”) and changed its meaning due to their ideology. The whirling cross, if clockwise (righthanded, sunwise, or deasil) is the dynamic force of creation and forward momentum. The opposite direction (Nazi Hakenkreuz), symbolizes contraction, completion or destruction. The center of the whirling swastika, is still.

The swastika, (the moving world) below the Om symbol, (eternal absolute) depicts the changing world evolving from the unchanging absolute.

 The Ouroboros

Immediately connected with the whirling cross is a serpent swallowing its own tail to represent the cycles of nature, the bounded eternity of the world, and the infinite order of life. The serpent is also a symbol of healing, and wholeness. The area inside the serpent’s circle represents the whole universe and is colored blue, varying from light baby blue to dark, for the cosmic sky.

The Two Triangles

Two interlaced triangles, form the hexagram or six-pointed star, Shield of David is a universal icon used by Hindus, Gnostics and alchemists. The upward triangle is spirit or consciousness; the dark downward triangle is matter and the joined hexagram depicts harmony, and interdependence of spirit and matter like the ying-yang symbol. This is a duality of trinities totaling twelve points: the Zodiac, Tribes of Israel, Christ’s apostles, labors of Hercules and more. Three points in Plato’s philosophy are: Goodness, Beauty, and Truth; in Freemasonry: Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty, and in Christianity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matter has three aspects: stability, activity, and regularity. Three elements are salt, mercury, and sulfur and colors are: black, red, and white.

The Ankh

At the center of the six-pointed star of spirit and matter is the Egyptian cross or ankh, symbolic of life. The six points of the triangles with the ankh at the center represent the seven principles of the universe. or, Christ among the twelve apostles, The ankh is also “ansate” that is, a cross “with a handle.” Human or divine figures in Egypt carry the ankh by its loop as a key. The ankh is a tau (or T) topped by a circle, an instrument used by architects to draw lines (symbolically to depict logic parallelisms and analogies).

 The Motto                 

Around the bottom of the serpent is a motto: “There is no religion higher than truth.” It is an English translation of a Sanskrit motto. The original Sanskrit is Satyan nasti paro dharmah, which might also be translated as “Nothing is greater than truth.” This says that none of our commitments, social conventions or ideas can measure up to the reality of what truly is. Reality is greater than any of its parts and is beyond all our notions about it. The motto at the bottom of the seal directs our attention back to the word Om at the top, the word for Truth. So the seal, like the serpent, ends where it began—affirming the supreme Truth that unites all life.

The Halo

The beams of light or halo radiating around the symbol indicate the mantra and symbol are emanating the intention embodied within.

From the TSA About Theosophy https://www.theosophical.org/the-societyts early seal