An Outline of Theosophy

by C.W. Leadbeater

A basic, brief primer on the religion of Theosophy. Useful for students of New Religious Movements, even though this was published over a century ago. A good deal of Theosophy was presented as a kind of Westernized version of essentially Advaita Hindu faith, and thus serves as a precursor of sorts to the more modern New Age/New Spirituality.

Genres: Theosophy, Nonfiction

108 pages, Hardcover

First published September 27, 2015

About the author

Charles Webster Leadbeater was an influential member of the Theosophical Society, author on occult subjects and co-initiator with J.I. Wedgwood of the Liberal Catholic Church.

Originally a priest of the Church of England, his interest in spiritualism caused him to end his affiliation with Anglicanism in favour of the Theosophical Society, where he became an associate of Annie Besant. He became a high-ranking officer of the society, but resigned in 1906 amid a scandal. Accusations of his detractors were never proven and, with Besant's assistance, he was readmitted a few years later. Leadbeater went on to write over 69 books and pamphlets that examined in detail the hidden side of life as well as maintain regular speaking engagements. His efforts on behalf of the society assured his status as one of its leading members until his death in 1934.

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 1 out of 5]

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THEOSOPHY, BY A PROMINENT EARLY MEMBER

Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854-1934) was a former Anglican priest, who became an influential member of the Theosophical Society, and was co-initiator (with J. I. Wedgwood) of the Liberal Catholic Church. He resigned from the Theosophical Society in 1906 after accusations of pederasty, but was readmitted a few years later. He wrote many books and publications, such as 'Life After Death and How Theosophy Unveils It,' 'The Masters and the Path,' 'A Textbook of Theosophy,' 'The Astral Plane: Its Scenery, Inhabitants And Phenomena,' etc.

He wrote in the Introduction to this 1902 book, "Theosophy may be described to the outside world as an intelligent theory of the universe. Yet for those who have studied it, it is not theory, but fact; for it is a definite science, capable of being studied, and its teachings are verifiable by investigation and experiment for those who are willing to take the trouble to qualify themselves for such enquiry. It is a statement of the great facts of Nature so far as they are known---an outline of the scheme of our corner of the universe." (Pg. 3)

Later, he adds, "I am not offering to the reader a creed to be swallowed like a pill; I am trying to set before him a system to study, and, above all, a live to live. I ask no blind faith from him; I simply suggest to him the consideration of the Theosophical teaching as a hypothesis, though to me it is no hypothesis, but a living fact." (Pg. 12)

He outlines the following principles: "1. God exists, and He is good. He is the great lifegiver who dwells within us and without us, is undying and eternally beneficent... 2. Man is immortal, and his future is one whose glory and splendor have no limit. 3. A Divine law of absolute justice rules the world, so that each man is in truth his own judge, the dispenser of glory or gloom to himself, the decreer of his life, his reward, his punishment." (Pg. 14) He adds, "there is an absolute certainty of final attainment for every human soul, no matter how far he may seem to have strayed from the path of evolution." (Pg. 16)

He strongly rejects the doctrine of Transmigration: "[Reincarnation] must not be confounded with a theory held by the ignorant, that it was possible for a soul which had reached humanity in its evolution to rebecome that of an animal. No such retrogression is within the limits of possibility; when once man comes into existence... he can never again fall back into what is in truth a lower kingdom of nature, whatever mistakes he may make or however he may fail to take advantage of his opportunities." (Pg. 43) He suggests that the Theosophical teaching about death "robs death forthwith of all its terror and much of its sorrow, and enables us to see it in its true proportions and to understand its place in the scheme of our evolution." (Pg. 56)

He states, "This long process of evolution has been carried out not only on this earth, but on other globes connected with it; but the subject is much too vast to be fully treated in an elementary book such as this. It forms the principal theme of Madame Blavatsky's monumental work, The Secret Doctrine... " (Pg. 71-72) He explains, "Theosophy ... makes it absolutely clear to [its students] that no undeserved suffering can ever come to any man. Whatever trouble we may encounter is simply of the nature of a debt that we have incurred; since it has to be paid, the sooner it is cleared off the better." (Pg. 88-89)

This is a useful introduction and overview to Theosophy, from one of its most prominent early leaders.

[Matt Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting and concise snapshot of a turn-of-the-century New Religious Movement and it's own presentation and apologetic for itself. It can easily be observed why Theosophy is considered by many to be a lineal precursor of the later "New Age"/"New Spirituality" of more recent times. In observing the attempts to explain its philosophy using a quasi-scientific basis, one may plausibly also observe a bit of perhaps a marginal influence on Scientology, too, especially in view of some of the overlap with occult "technologies" and Hubbard's sojourn in Los Angeles with noted occultist and scientist Jack Parsons.

[Naim Askar · Rating 1 out of 5]

كتاب من التفاهة بحيث أن مناقشته ستنتج تفاهة أكبر، لا يستند الكتاب إلى أي معطى علمي أو نقاش فلسفي أو فكر لاهوتي، كل ما يحاول الكتاب طرحه هو بعض الأفكار العامة شديدة التشويش والسطحية لما يدعوه الحكمة الإلهية
كتاب مليئ بالتناقض وقراءته مضيعة للوقت

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cannot remember anything about this book