Theosophy meaning

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The word theosophy, combining roots meaning "God" and "wisdom", appeared back in the 17th century, but the well-known religious movement by that name, under the leadership of the Russian Helena Blavatsky, appeared only around 1875. Blavatsky's theosophy combined elements of Plato's philosophy with Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu thought (including reincarnation), in a way that she claimed had been divinely revealed to her. The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875 to promote her beliefs, still exists, as does the Anthroposophical Society, founded by her follower Rudolf Steiner. Recent Examples on the Web Attends a lecture on theosophy in London given by Comte William de Wendt de Kerlor. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, 1 July 2022 And through theosophy—the belief that spiritual revelation, the Absolute, is attainable through the direct experience of nature and the creative expression of the artist. — Lance Esplund, WSJ, 28 Feb. 2022 Well represented in the show, for example, is Agnes Pelton, a SoCal spiritualist painter who had been interested in theosophy early in her life (and who was recently the subject of a terrific exhibition at the Palm Springs Art Museum). — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2021 Agni Yoga, theosophy and the teachings of Helena Blavatsky among others. — Chadd Scott, Forbes, 17 May 2021 The artist speaks from his studio about abstraction, theosophy and turning lead into gold. — Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2021 And like af Klint, Pelton rooted her work in h...

Answer Theosophy is more of a philosophy of religion than a religion per se. The word theosophy comes from the Greek words theos “god” and sophia “wisdom”. Literally, theosophy means “divine wisdom.” The roots of this philosophy can be traced back to ancient Gnosticism, with borrowings from Greek philosophy and medieval mysticism. Modern theosophy also draws heavily on Hinduism. The Theosophical Society was founded in New York in 1875 by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, a Russian-born spiritualist, and Henry Steel Olcott, an American lawyer and newspaperman. Three years later, they moved the international base of operations for the Theosophical Society to India. Theosophy teaches that all religions contain elements of the “Ancient Wisdom” and that wise men throughout history have held the secret of spiritual power. Those who have been enlightened by the divine wisdom can access a transcendent spiritual reality through mystical experience. Like In 1911, the Theosophical Society proclaimed the advent of a “World Teacher”—a young Hindu named Jiddu Krishnamurthi. Theosophists heralded this messianic character as the world’s hope of enlightenment, peace, and unity. However, a few years later, Krishnamurthi renounced his position as “World Teacher” and stopped claiming to be a messiah. Although theosophists contend that their philosophy is compatible with Christianity (and with Buddhism, Hinduism, and all other religions), it is clear that theosophy is at odds with the Bible. Not only...

The seal or emblem of the Theosophical Society (TS) is derived from the personal seal of Helena Aum symbolizes the creative deity in nature, the Brahma of the Hindus or the Logos (Word) of the Greeks. In human beings it represents the human trinity ( Atma-buddhi-manas). Emblem of the Theosophical Society Over all, OM (or AUM) is the Word, the divine Sound said to have been uttered by the creating entity; it is considered sacred by the Hindus. Next is the swastika (or Svastika), the fiery cross representing the energies of nature. It indicates two opposite origins, the positive and the negative force and Matter bringing manifested life. According to Scandinavian symbology, the Swastika is the “Hammer of Thor,” the God who beats the flint of space generating sparks which become the worlds. The serpent swallowing its own tail is the eternal Ananta Sesa; it has neither beginning nor end; its mouth and its tail are united in eternal duration. It contains the universe and its beings. It generates Time, Cycles, all which are sons of Eternity. The interlaced triangles with one, the darker, pointing down and the other up symbolize the descent of spirit into matter and the eventual evolution of spirit back to its divine origin. It is also known as the Seal of Solomon. In the center is the ankh or Crux Ansata. This is the ancient Egyptian symbol of life or resurrection. This cross symbolizes consciousness and force-matter, the consciousness which in humanity rules the lower energies...

For the Theosophical journal see Theosophy derives from the Greek term θεοσοφία (theosophia), from θεός (theos), "god", "gods" or "divine", and σοφία (sophia), theosophia properly means not a knowledge of "God" but of gods, i.e., divine, that is superhuman knowledge". The Theosophical Glossary, she describes the term further as follows: Theosophia (Gr.). Wisdom-religion, or "Divine Wisdom". The substratum and basis of all the world-religions and philosophies, taught and practised by a few elect ever since man became a thinking being. In its practical bearing, Theosophy is purely divine ethics; the definitions in dictionaries are pure nonsense, based on religious prejudice and ignorance of the true spirit of the early Rosicrucians and mediæval philosophers who called themselves Theosophists. Contents • 1 Neo-Platonic theosophy • 2 Christian theosophy • 3 Modern Theosophy • 4 Uses of the term by H. P. Blavatsky • 5 Divine Wisdom • 6 Living Theosophy • 7 According to Annie Besant • 8 Definition by Fritz Kunz • 9 Additional resources • 9.1 Articles and pamphlets • 9.2 Books • 9.3 Audio • 9.4 Video • 9.5 Social Media • 9.6 Bibliographies • 9.7 Collections of digital resources • 10 Notes Neo-Platonic theosophy The origin of the term theosophia is unknown, but it is likely to have been coined by the Christian theosophy Many early Christians, including a number of Church Fathers, were students of Neo-Platonic teachers. They also adopted the term theosophia, but used it in a more C...

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Recent Examples on the Web For much of her life, Ms. Lafrenz was a follower of the theories of anthroposophy developed by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. — Alan Cowell, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2023 Both the company and the school were influenced by the spiritual science movement anthroposophy. — New York Times, 20 Aug. 2022 In Europe the tenets of Buddhism, theosophy, and anthroposophy were in vogue, and many other artists of the period — including Kandinsky and Malevich — explored a spiritual basis for their art. — Andrew Ferren, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2019 The center was based on anthroposophy, a philosophy developed by Rudolf Steiner that takes a holistic approach to mental health, education and agriculture. — Andrew Brenner, New York Times, 21 May 2016 These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anthroposophy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.