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Beyond belief: Theosophy in Australia, 1879-1939
Abounding with larger-than-life characters, Searching for the Spirit traces the history of theosophy from its rise in the 1870s through its heyday in the 1920s to its relative decline in the 1930s. Although always tangential as a quasi-religious spiritual movement, it had an effect disproportionate to its numbers and paved the way for more recent spiritual movements that bloomed in the 1960s.
Australians have long been fascinated by Eastern religions, and theosophy, with its blending of the exotic with the practical and more rationalist impetus of the early twentieth century, proved irresistibly attractive.
Led by its magnetic exponents – Annie Besant, C.W. Leadbeater and Krishnamurti – it attracted many Australians, including prominent figures such as Alfred Deakin and Walter Burley Griffin.
Theosophy was often derided for its embracing of the mystical, but it also offered a rational and humanistic aspect to its teaching – its motto was 'There is no religion higher than truth'. It was in the vein of progressive education, modern music, the spiritual in art, equality of the sexes and feminism, and had a powerful voice through Sydney's radio 2GB.
Jill Roe, academic and author, published the first edition of this book in 1986 as Beyond Belief . It has long been out of print, and this new, revised edition, as Searching for the Spirit , makes available this fascinating and little known side of Australia's spiritual history.
Australians have long been fascinated by Eastern religions, and theosophy, with its blending of the exotic with the practical and more rationalist impetus of the early twentieth century, proved irresistibly attractive.
Led by its magnetic exponents – Annie Besant, C.W. Leadbeater and Krishnamurti – it attracted many Australians, including prominent figures such as Alfred Deakin and Walter Burley Griffin.
Theosophy was often derided for its embracing of the mystical, but it also offered a rational and humanistic aspect to its teaching – its motto was 'There is no religion higher than truth'. It was in the vein of progressive education, modern music, the spiritual in art, equality of the sexes and feminism, and had a powerful voice through Sydney's radio 2GB.
Jill Roe, academic and author, published the first edition of this book in 1986 as Beyond Belief . It has long been out of print, and this new, revised edition, as Searching for the Spirit , makes available this fascinating and little known side of Australia's spiritual history.
396 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 14, 2019
The author Jill Roe was not a Theosophist, so this book is no ‘insider story’ – in fact, it is written with a dry, dispassionate but not hostile air of curiosity. And curious the history of Theosophy in Australia certainly is, but given its attraction to politicians, judges and some academics in the first decades of the 20th century, it can’t be discounted either...
Quite apart from my curiosity about this esoteric philosophy, the book highlights three interesting themes. First- here is a church where the major figures are women (Mme Blavatsky and Annie Besant) although, as Roe points out, women only held 1/3 of the officebearing positions in the organization. Second, this is an imperial endeavour, with India at its heart. The frequent communications and visits between Australia (particularly Brisbane) and India are a different way of looking at empire, largely ignoring the metropole. Finally, there are those rich intersections between Australian intellectual life in the early 20th century and Theosophy- a veritable Who’s Who of connections.
...This is an academic text, and it is more an institutional history than a bottom-up, personalized history. However, in our increasingly rabid religious world, perhaps there will be a readership for this strange history which has so many intersections with early 20th century intellectual history.
To read my complete review, please visit:
https://residentjudge.com/2019/11/14/...
Quite apart from my curiosity about this esoteric philosophy, the book highlights three interesting themes. First- here is a church where the major figures are women (Mme Blavatsky and Annie Besant) although, as Roe points out, women only held 1/3 of the officebearing positions in the organization. Second, this is an imperial endeavour, with India at its heart. The frequent communications and visits between Australia (particularly Brisbane) and India are a different way of looking at empire, largely ignoring the metropole. Finally, there are those rich intersections between Australian intellectual life in the early 20th century and Theosophy- a veritable Who’s Who of connections.
...This is an academic text, and it is more an institutional history than a bottom-up, personalized history. However, in our increasingly rabid religious world, perhaps there will be a readership for this strange history which has so many intersections with early 20th century intellectual history.
To read my complete review, please visit:
https://residentjudge.com/2019/11/14/...
March 25, 2015
Enjoying the comprehensive view of Theospophy in Australia and the beliefs of the major players on a world stage.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews