Copyright: ® Donald J. DeGracia, 1994


_

An Introduction to Theosophy

This is the emblem of the Theosophical Society

[click on the emblem to find out what it means]

Copyright 1993. All rights reserved.  No part of this document may be reproduced in any fashion.   However, this document is freeware and may be distributed freely

An Introduction To Theosophy


An Introduction To Theosophy

Contents:

Beliefs and Teachings.

Famous Theosophists

The Emblem of Theosophy

Glossary

References

Acknowledgments

For Further Information

About Essays On Disk


Beliefs and Teachings.

      The Theosophical Society is a world organization dedicated to the promotion of brotherhood and the encouragement of the study of religion, philosophy and science, to the end that humans may better understand their place in the universe.

     The Society stands for complete freedom on individual search and belief.

      The Theosophical world-view embodies teachings and principles about the invisible, or occult, facets of human life. Certain of these principles are defined below.

The Planes of Nature

The Aura

Thought-forms

The Chakras

A Further Look At


The Planes of Nature

 There are seven planes:  The study of the planes is the great science.

1. The physical plane (which includes the etheric plane)

2. The astral plane

3. The mental plane

4. The buddhic plane

5. The atmic plane

6. The anupadaka plane

7. The adi plane

Each plane is composed of a progressively finer type of material or matter. The planes are made of matter and energy that we cannot sense by sight, sound, touch, taste or smell. You must have siddhis to see the planes. You gain siddhis by activating your chakras.

References About The Planes

In Relation To Modern Scientific Thought


In Relation To Modern Scientific Thought

The idea of the planes of Nature has great relevance in the context of modern science, especially in the context of physics and psychology.

Most people today think that science and occultism are separate but they are not. They are both methods by which to study and understand Nature.  As such, therefore, at least certain of the teachings of occultism have a great relevance for science.  Other forms of occultism stem from antiquated world-views that are no longer relevant in the context of modern life.

Psychology

Physics


Psychology

The planes are the medium of subjective events. The planes are the spaces in which our thoughts, feelings, sensations, perceptions, and all other psychological attributes are real.

     When we feel emotions, we are feeling ripple patterns in the astral plane. These ripple patterns are called elementals. The elementals swarm within our astral body,  which we then perceive as an emotion such as happiness or sadness, anger or any other emotion. The elementals "live" inside of thought-forms much the same way a bird can coast upon the wind.

     Our thoughts and ideas are ripple patterns in the mental plane. These ripple patterns (called thought-forms) set up a resonance in our mental body that we perceive directly as the act of thinking a thought.

     The matter of the mental plane is plastic and can take the shape of anything we think or imagine. All the contents of imagination are real things on the mental plane..

     The buddhic plane is the plane of conscience and spirituality, and the plane of extraordinary creativity.  By enhancing the flow of prana and kundalini, one can experience the buddhic plane.  The energy of the buddhic plane is very powerful and an ordinary person could harm their mind, or go insane, if they tap into the buddhic plane prematurely.

     All of our psychological behaviors, from the most ordinary to the most extraordinary can be explained by the occult ideas taught by theosophists. There are only faint glimpses of these great occult truths in modern academic psychology.

Click here for references about occult psychology


Physics

A number of examples of the relevance of occult/theosophical thinking towards concepts in physics are the following:

1.  Modern physics knows of only the physical plane. The occult understanding of how the physical plane relates to the other six planes is actually a deeper and more sophisticated form of physics.  Occult descriptions of the planes, when thought of in terms of concepts from modern physics, describe cosmologically a system analogous to quantum mechanical descriptions of atoms. That is to say, the planes can be thought of as harmonics or "excited states" of the physical plane, analogous to the excited states of atoms as described in quantum mechanics.  The modern theory called Super-string Theory attempts to describe all physical matter as the ground state of microscopic strings. The excited states of these microscopic strings could possibly correspond to the matter of The Planes of Nature described by occultists.

2. The pictures of thought-forms shown in this file were produced using phase-locked pendulum devices. This suggests that the process of phase-locking plays a fundamental role in human psychology.  For further information see the book Thought-forms by Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater.

3. Perhaps the most dramatic example of occult ideas that are relevant in the context of modern science is Occult Chemistry, described below.

Occult Chemistry


Occult Chemistry

Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater in 1895,  using anima, saw the smallest particles of physical matter. They called these particles the Ultimate Physical Atom (U.P.A.).  The U.P.A. exists in two forms, each the mirror image of the other:  The U.P.A. is actually not a particle but a pattern of flowing energy.

All the known atoms of modern science are made up of combinations of U.P.A.s . There are usually 18 U.P.A.s for every atomic mass unit in an atom.  It is highly possible that the U.P.A. described by Besant and Leadbeater  is in actuality the microscopic super-string postulated in modern Super-string Theory (see reference 4 below).

The two mirror image forms of the Ultimate Physical Atom (U.P.A.)

Besant and Leadbeater  also left diagrams of what they believed were atoms.  Below are shown some of the shapes of atoms they observed. Each of these shapes is made up of combinations of  U.P.A.s.  Students of physics and chemistry will note the close correspondence between these shapes and the shapes of atomic orbitals known to modern science.

Click here for references to Occult Chemistry


The Aura

Theosophists such as Leadbeater, using clairvoyance, claimed to see auras.  The term "aura" is a generic term referring to either the astral plane, mental plane or buddhic plane bodies possessed by humans, or any combination thereof. These bodies are the means by which a human effects and is affected by each plane. As our physical body allows us to perceive and interact with the physical plane, likewise, our astral, mental and buddhic bodies allow us to perceive and interact on the astral, mental and buddhic planes, respectively. In our ordinary waking life, we perceive our astral body as our emotions,  we perceive our mental body as our mind, and we perceive our buddhic body as will-power, creativity and self-initiative.


Thought-forms

From your aura you emit thought-forms. Thought-forms are a resonance pattern in the astral and mental plane that emanate from your astral and mental bodies. You emit these into the astral and mental planes where they then linger according to the strength of the thought and emotion. A thought-form is, in some respects, much like the ripples caused by dropping an object into the water.  You need to have siddhis to see thought-forms.

These are some examples of the resonant shapes made by thought-forms in the matter of the mental plane.:

Click Here for references to books about thought-forms

Some Examples of Thought-forms


The Chakras

The chakras are energy transducers in the aura. They serve to integrate physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual facets of the human into a coherent whole. The chakras are also responsible for creating siddhis.

The following picture shows the 7 chakras:

References about the chakras

The Function of the Chakras

The Awakening of the Chakras


The Function of the Chakras

According to occult theory, each of these chakras plays vital functional roles in our physical body and in our normal subjective consciousness.  The chakras are the means by which the functions of the all of the vehicles, including our physical body, are carried out.  The actual functions and attributes of the chakras with regard to our physical body is an involved topic. Many complex claims are put forth by occultists in this regard. And there is generally an overlapping and sharing of functions amongst chakras.  Also, the occult description of the functions of the chakras is not simply physiological, but psychological as well.  Thus, when discussing the chakra's functions we are relating physiological functions with psychological behaviors.

Generally speaking however, the three lower chakras (lower starting at the root chakra and going up the spine) have a larger physiological component to their functioning, and the four higher chakras are more obviously related to our psychological makeup.  Strictly this is not true, but roughly speaking this is a fair simplification.

The physiological roles of the chakras are roughly as follows.  The root and spleen chakras are related to generative and sexual functions. The navel chakra is related to digestion.  The heart chakra is related to the heart and circulation, and the throat chakra is related to the lungs and the voice, including the ears, nose, and throat.  The third eye chakra is related to vision, the eyes, and the pituitary gland.  The crown chakra is related to the brain, and especially the pituitary and pineal glands.

In terms of psychological functions, the three lower chakras are related to our raw emotions and biological instincts ranging from sexual desire and hunger, into passion, anger, pleasure and joy and other relatively simple emotional states.  The four higher chakras are related to higher cognitive states.  Thus the heart chakra is related to empathy and understanding.  The throat chakra is related to vocal expression, hearing, and the ability to communicate.  The third eye chakra is related to discriminative cognition and the ability to understand.  And the crown chakra is also related to understanding and comprehension, but as well serves as an integrative factor, and is thus related to the gestalt nature of the mind.

We can see, even from such a brief description, that the notion of the chakras actually defines a sophisticated means of classifying human physiological and psychological functioning into one integrated framework.


The Awakening of the Chakras

Above and beyond the ability of occult theory to view our normal physiological and psychological behavior in a unified fashion, this theory also provides the rationale for psychic abilities.

It is by enhancing the activity of ones chakras that one develops psychic abilities or siddhis.

[Click here for a further look at siddhis]

The changes in occult anatomy by which this is accomplished is as follows.  Again, this will only be a rough sketch of occult teachings because the actual range of psychic abilities (siddhis) is very broad and complicated, and the processes involved are also complicated.

The lowest chakra (the root chakra) reserves a special function housing an energy occultists call kundalini.  It is through the use of the kundalini energy that the chakras get enhanced in their activity.  The enhanced activity of a chakra is called the "awakening" of that chakra by occultists and is supposedly accompanied by a flaring up of the color of the chakra and a large increase in its speed and energy processing capabilities.   And as well, awakening a chakra confers psychic abilities or siddhis.  How the awakening of the chakras is effected in actual practice is through certain yoga exercises, though spontaneous occurrences are known.  It is also known that certain drugs will stimulate the chakras.

Now, the psychic abilities that are associated with the chakras are roughly as follows.  The awakening of the lower three chakras are associated by occultists with what they call "psychism", which is considered to be a relatively crude exercise of psychic abilities.  This includes mediumship, the ability to dream (dreaming being considered by occultists as a crude form of astral projection), and the occurrence of sporadic psychic abilities such as the type studied by parapsychologists (isolated cases of telepathy or precognition, for example).

The awakening of the four higher chakras produce what occultists consider legitimate psychic abilities, and what is implied by this is the conscious use and control of these abilities.  These are the siddhis described in occult literature, and these are often possessed by those who have studied and practiced yoga to a great extent.

The awakening of the heart chakra produces enhanced empathic abilities and the ability to heal.

The throat chakra leads to clairaudience, which is the ability to hear on the nonphysical planes.

The awakening of the third-eye chakra leads to clairvoyance or the ability to see on the nonphysical planes.

And the awakening of the crown center is associated both with the ability to consciously travel on the nonphysical planes and with the process of enlightenment.


A Further Look At

The Siddhis

A Brief Introduction To The Study Of the Siddhis

     The siddhis described by occultists and yogis are in actuality super normal perceptual states available to all human beings. These are absolutely natural abilities that can be explained in highly rational terms. There is nothing mysterious or magical  about the siddhis.

     Just like any other natural human ability, different people display differing abilities towards learning and/or spontaneously displaying siddhis.  Some people are born with siddhis that they exercise without being aware that their particular psychic gift is unusual. In such cases, it may come as a traumatic event to the individual when they learn that their ability is not common and that they are considered a "misfit" by other people not possessing the psychic ability.

     In other cases, one can practice yoga and actively develop siddhis. According to occult theory, this is the rational and desirable way to go about achieving siddhis.

     Another means to trigger off siddhis in an unexpected and uncontrolled manner is by the use of certain drugs. Hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD, mescaline, peyote and others stimulate siddhis in an uncontrolled fashion. This is often a very dangerous way to evoke siddhis and can potentially lead to great psychological trauma.

     As well, a variety of other stimuli may cause siddhis spontaneously, such as a fall or a blow to the head.

     However the siddhis are produced, the fact is that they exist. The existence of the siddhis is doubted by most people because they have no experience with them. However, the act of dreaming is considered a siddhi. Thus, any one who has dreamed has utilized a siddhi.

     Our so-called "normal" psychological attributes bleed imperceptibly into the perceptual realms (the Planes of Nature) opened up by the awakening of the siddhis, thus it is not clear cut at all as to where "normal" psychological behaviors end, and siddhis begin.

      And to further complicate the situation, though academic psychologists see many cases of people experiencing siddhis, the academic psychology community, on the whole, is completely unaware of the nature and existence of the siddhis. Often this leads to the psychologist or psychiatrist treating individuals who are experiencing siddhis in an inappropriate and damaging fashion. Often, cases of so-called insanity or psychosis are cases of people experiencing siddhis who are scared and confused, in which case the individual may be given completely inappropriate treatment that only worsens the individual's condition. Of course there are valid forms of psychosis in which confinement or institutionalization are required. Again, however, the borderline between such cases and cases of people experiencing siddhis is ambiguous and ill defined presently.

     In the future, Western academic science will be forced to accept the realities of the siddhis as their nature becomes better understood.

     In conclusion, it must be strongly and thoroughly stressed that the siddhis are absolutely natural abilities latent in all humans. If one takes the time to learn and practice the correct yoga exercises, then it is inevitable that one will directly experience the awakening of their own siddhis.  Again, there is nothing magical or mysterious going on here, and all claims put forth regarding the siddhis stand open to any type of test of their validity that anyone wishes to pose. However, those skeptical of the siddhis and who wish to challenge the claim to the existence of the siddhis must be prepared to recognize that the nature of the siddhis will not fit easily into biased misconceptions. One who experiences siddhis operates in a greater, more expanded psychological reality than one who does not and therefore the skeptic must be prepared to expand his or her understanding in an attempt to either prove or disprove the existence of the siddhis.

Astral Plane Vision


Astral Plane Vision

     Leadbeater describes his  visions of the astral plane as follows

"(To look at an opaque cube) astrally you would see all the sides at once, and all the right way up, as though the whole cube had been flattened out before you...You would be looking at it from another direction, at right angles to all the directions we know."  1.

     Leadbeater then goes into a description of 4-dimensional space, and claims that astral plane vision is the perception of the fourth dimension of space.  Elsewhere he says the same:

"Looked at on the astral plane, for example, the sides of a glass cube would all appear equal, as they really are, while on the physical plane we see the further side in perspective--that is, it appears smaller than the nearer side, which is a mere illusion.  It is this characteristic of astral vision which has led some writers to describe it as sight in the fourth dimension--a suggestive and expressive phrase." 2

     Leadbeater advocated the idea that astral sight was a perception into a forth dimension of space.  Let us start with this supposition that astral sight is the seeing into a literal forth space dimension.  In this regard, we can get an idea of how this might appear to an observer if we look at the illustration below.  Here is an Escher engraving that is aptly, for our purposes here, titled "Another World".  Here Escher is giving us some idea of what it may be like to have astral vision, as in this print we see the duck-man creature from three simultaneous perspectives: from below, from behind and in front.  So in some sense or another, we seem to be viewing this scene from a position that is at right angles to the normal space of our 3-D consciousness.  It is very likely that this is the nature of the visual perceptions of the astral plane as described by Leadbeater above.


Famous Theosophists

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater.

J. Krishnamurti

Dane Rudhyar


Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, along with Col. Henry Steel Olcott, founded the Theosophical Society in 1875.

Madame Blavatsky was a very controversial figure. Some people feel she was a prophet, others feel she was a  fraud. Whatever one's opinion, there is no doubt that Blavatsky was an important figure in modern history. Her founding of the Theosophical Society reintroduced many ideas into Western civilization that had been forgotten or abandoned for centuries.

Books written by Madame Blavatsky

Books About Madame Blavatsky


Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater.

     Besant and Leadbeater were two renowned theosophists.  They claimed to have siddhis, and in their writings describe in great detail the rationale behind the siddhis [Click here for a further look at siddhis].  Both of these theosophists contributed enormously to our present understanding of The Planes of Nature.

     Besant and Leadbeater also wrote about many other occult topics including: dharma, karma, reincarnation, evolution and involution, thought-forms,  Occult Chemistry, and many others.

     Besant and Leadbeater were brilliant thinkers and explorers who were, and still are, very much ahead of their times. Their work is, even today, little appreciated.

Click here to see references to books about the lives of Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater.


J. Krishnamurti

Krishnamurti was a student of Besant and Leadbeater. Later in his life he rebelled against the teachings of theosophy and taught his own philosophy of individual thinking and freedom from dogma, superstition and mindlessly following the crowd.

Click here to see references to a book about the life of Krishnamurti.


Dane Rudhyar

Rudhyar was a brilliant man. He was a poet, composer, astrologer, painter, philosopher and occultist.

Dane Rudhyar understood much about the nature of human affairs.  He related astrology to psychology with his Humanistic Astrology as described below.

Some books by Dane Rudhyar

Humanistic  Astrology


Humanistic  Astrology

Humanistic Astrology was formulated by Dane Rudhyar. This is a sophisticated interpretation of the meaning and use of astrology. This is what Rudhyar himself says about astrology:

"If now, we come back to our definition of astrology as the algebra of life, we shall make our meaning plainer by stating that astrology is to all the empirical sciences dealing with the formation, growth, behavior and disintegration of organic wholes what mathematics is to physics and in general to sciences of inanimate objects.  We do not say that it is recognized as such but that such is its true function.  And this to some extent is a verifiable statement.

Astrology of itself has no more meaning than algebra.  It measures relationships between symbols whose concreteness is entirely a matter of convention, and does not really enter into the problems involved--just as the symbols of algebra are mere conventions...The revolutions of celestial bodies constitute in their totality a vast and complex symbol which, of itself, is made up solely of cyclically changing patterns of relationship...In other words, the astrological realm of moving celestial bodies is like the realm of logical propositions.  Neither one nor the other has any real content.  Both are purely formal, symbolical, and conventional.  They acquire real value only in function of the actual living experience they serve to correlate.

Alone, astrology and mathematics are without substance.  But they invest with coherence, pattern, logic and order whatever substantial reality is associated with them.  Thus mathematics associated with physical experimentation produces modern physics.  In a similar manner (yet obviously not identical) astrology can and probably should be associated with physiology, geology, medicine, history, sociology; and above all, with psychology."

This quote is from:

Rudhyar, D.  The Astrology Of Personality.  New York: Doubleday, 2nd edition, 1970.:  pages 48-49

Books about Humanistic Astrology


The Emblem of Theosophy

The emblem of theosophy is meant to convey the fact of the divine presence in all things and to reflect the essential unity of all creation.

AUM

The Swastika

The TAU

The Star of David

Oroborous


AUM

This symbol is the Sanskrit spelling of the word AUM. This word is, according to Hindu philosophy, the fundamental tone, or sound, used by God in creating the universe.


The Swastika

Before the swastika became associated with Nazi Germany, it was an ancient occult symbol which symbolized  motion.  The motion symbolized by the swastika is the eternal motion of the cosmos and the never-ending cycles of existence.


The TAU

This symbol is the symbol of the mystic box unfolded to the ansated cross, and represents the idea of the triumph of the human spirit crucified within the material world. This symbol is thus a symbol of resurrection or rebirth.


The Star of David

This is a symbol of two interlocked triangles. The white triangle pointing up symbolizes the ascent of matter back to the divine spirit (occult evolution). The dark triangle pointing down symbolizes divinity incarnating into material form (occult involution). The interlocking of the two triangles symbolizes that divinity is always and ever present in material existence.


Oroborous

Oroborous is the snake who eats itself from the tail. This is a symbol of infinity or eternity.


Glossary

adi

anima

anupadaka

astral

astral projection

astrology

atmic

auras

buddhic

clairaudience

clairvoyance

dharma

etheric

enlightenment

evolution

involution

karma

kundalini

mental

occultism

physical

prana

precognition

reincarnation

science

siddhis

soul

telepathy

world-view

yoga

1

2


adi

The adi plane is the highest of the seven planes. This is the plane of God's being . On this plane there is no separateness or distinction. All things are equal in the face of God. It makes no sense to speak of humans existing on the adi plane.


anima

Anima is a little known psychic ability that allows one to shrink or expand their field of vision so as to be able to observe the super minute and the super gigantic. Anima is also called "micro-psi" or "magnifying clairvoyance". It was by using anima that Besant and Leadbeater could observe atoms and write Occult Chemistry.


anupadaka

The anupadaka plane is the sixth plane. This is the plane upon which the infinite unity of God begins to distinguish itself into forms.  This plane is beyond thought, cognition and understanding by the individual personality.


astral

The astral plane is the realm of emotion. It is the second plane of the seven planes of Nature. The astral body is the seat of emotion in all creatures possessing an astral body. The term "astral" means "of the stars" and refers to the glowing nature of astral plane matter.


astral projection

Astral projection is the ability of a person's consciousness to shift focus from the physical plane to the astral plane. This means that one can then move about and experience places, things, events and other beings upon the astral plane.


astrology

Astrology is an ancient science/art used for understanding events.  It has a long, long history and is a complicated subject. Some people believe that astrology is fake, but this is untrue and too simple-minded of an opinion about astrology. Astrology is very complicated and there are many types of astrology. Some types are less useful than others. The most important branch of astrology is the Humanistic Astrology of Dane Rudhyar.


atmic

The atmic plane is the fifth plane.  On the atmic plane, human individuality dissolves into a series of incarnations.  This is the plane of the Monad, or oversoul. There are no individual personalities on the atmic plane. The atmic plane is filled with gestalt consciousnesses experiencing many incarnations simultaneously. This plane is beyond thought, cognition and understanding of the individual personality.


auras

The aura is general term referring to the three major nonphysical energy fields that surround a human being. These are the astral, mental and buddhic fields of energy. These fields of energy are called "bodies" or "vehicles" in the theosophical literature.


buddhic

The buddhic plane is the realm of spiritual and creative energy. It is the fourth of the great planes of  Nature, and the highest plane of human existence. The human soul exists upon the buddhic plane. Those people who resonate strongly with the energies of the buddhic plane are great spiritual leaders and teachers for Humanity.


clairaudience

Clairaudience is the ability to hear upon the other planes. Often, insane people claim to hear voices in their head. This is a pathological form of clairaudience. To someone who has practiced yoga and gained this ability, one can listen at will to the sounds of the other planes.


clairvoyance

"Clairvoyance" means "clear seeing". There are many types of clairvoyance including:

1. the ability to see the planes,

2. the ability to see into the past and future,

3. the ability to see at distant locations.

Clairvoyance results when the third-eye chakra becomes active.


dharma

Dharma refers to one's place in the natural order of events. One who knows their place in the cosmos and, through active creativity , choice and self-reflection, participates with God as a co-creator of reality is one who has great Dharma.


etheric

The etheric plane is that part of the physical plane that is invisible to our senses of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.  Ultra-violet light, x-rays and ionizing radiation are forms of etheric matter. Prana is also a form of etheric matter unrecognized by modern science.


enlightenment

Enlightenment is the end result of yoga. Enlightenment is the opening up of ones self to the buddhic plane. The enlightened being sees God in all things and feels a total sense of unity with the cosmos, life, all of Nature and all beings and creatures.


evolution

The concept of evolution is often thought of in terms of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection of biological species. However, theosophists teach that evolution is a process by which conscious beings in the material or physical world  return to their divine origins in the higher planes.  Evolution, in occult terms, is the ascent of matter towards God, which is in contrast to the process of involution.


involution

Involution is the descent of spirit into matter. God "involves" into the material realities of space, time and form to eventually  involve into  self-conscious, self-reflective beings.  When God or spirit assumes the form of self-conscious being, this being then seeks to return to divinity by the process of evolution.  Involution followed by evolution is the eternal cyclic process in the creation and dissolution of planes and universes. This cyclic movement of God is what creates karma and dharma


karma

     Karma is the application upon the astral, mental and buddhic planes of the law that states: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" .

     At the level of human psychology, karma is stated:  "that which you reap is that which you shall sow"

     Karma is the automatic working out and adjustment of any force set into motion and serves to maintain equilibrium and balance in the universe.

     Karma is subconscious dharma


kundalini

Kundalini is called the "serpent fire" and is portrayed as a coiled snake lying dormant at the base of the spine in the root chakra.. Kundalini is a biopsychic energy that, when activated by practicing yoga  causes numerous changes in the body, mind and spirit. The kundalini energy can be very harmful  and one must be very cautious and careful when attempting yoga exercises that can stimulate the kundalini.


mental

The mental plane is the world of thought and cognition. On the mental plane, our thoughts become things - thought-forms - that float about as ripples in the matter of the mental plane.  All of our thinking and ideas are, according to theosophical teachings, the interaction of our mental body with thought-forms.


occultism

Occultism is a general term referring to many branches of thought and practice. Theosophy is one branch of occultism. Other branches of occultism are: yoga, astrology, ritual magic, tarot cards, as well as other systems of magic and divination. Some systems of occultism are more rational than others.


physical

The physical plane is the world of our everyday experience. This is the world that is defined by the perceptions that come in from our senses of sight, smell, touch, sound and taste. Contrary to popular belief, the physical world is not all that there is to the universe. The universe consists of the seven planes of Nature, most of which we cannot perceive with the senses of our physical body.  The other planes of Nature can only be perceived with siddhis.


prana

Prana, which is also called "chi" is a form of etheric plane energy which maintains the structure and health of the physical body.


precognition

Precognition is the ability to sense the future through intuition, insight or visions. Precognition is a form of clairvoyance.


reincarnation

Reincarnation is popularly thought of as the process of the soul passing from life to life to life here in the physical universe.


science

Science is the study of the laws of cause and effect in Nature and the description of the processes of Nature. According to theosophists, most occult teachings are a form of science that is unknown to our society at large. From this standpoint, yoga can be considered to be a sophisticated science of the mind.


siddhis

The word "siddhi" means "psychic ability". There are many siddhis. Some are: clairvoyance, clairaudience, astral projection, telepathy, anima, and there are many more.  You get siddhis by practicing yoga.


soul

The word "soul" as it is commonly used is ambiguous.  From an occult perspective, the term "soul" is a reference to consciousness focused at the level of the buddhic plane.


telepathy

Telepathy is mind-reading. You can "read" a person's mind by  using clairvoyance and looking at their mental body and observing the thought-forms that are emitting from the person's mental body. Thus, telepathy is actually a specific form of clairvoyance.


world-view

A world-view, or "paradigm", is a set of beliefs and ideas and assumptions about the nature of reality and the place of Humankind in Nature.


yoga

Yoga is a set of teachings and exercises that allow one to develop psychic abilities and, more importantly, to achieve enlightenment.  Yoga originated in India and is closely associated with Hindu philosophy. Yoga is very ancient.


1

Leadbeater, C.W.  The Astral Plane. Madras: Vasanta Press, twelfth reprint, 1984. page 41.


2

Leadbeater, C.W.  Clairvoyance.  Wheaton: TPH, 1986, 15th reprint. page 19


References

References to books about Thought-forms.

References on the Planes:

References for Occult Chemistry

References : Occult Psychology

References: The Chakras

Books written by Madame Blavatsky

Books Written about Madame Blavatsky

Books About Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater

Krishnamurti's Biography

Books by Dane Rudhyar

Books About Humanistic Astrology


References to books about Thought-forms.

1.  Besant, A. and Leadbeater, C.W.  Thought-Forms.  Wheaton, IL: Quest, 5th edition, 1986.  (Originally published in 1901).

-------------------------------

2.  Walker, Edward.  Thoughts Are Things.  Chicago, Ill., Yogi Publishing Co.  No date. ISBN 0-911662-18-9.


References on the Planes:

1. Besant, A.  The Seven Principle Of Man. Adyar: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1931.

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2. Besant, A.  A Study In Consciousness.  Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 8th edition, 1980.

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3.  Leadbeater, C.W.  Man Visible And Invisible. Wheaton, IL: Quest, 3rd Quest printing, abridged, 1980.

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4. Leadbeater, C.W.  The Astral Plane. Madras: Vasanta Press, twelfth reprint, 1984.

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5. Monroe, R.  Journeys Out Of The Body.  New York:  Doubleday, 1971

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6. Monroe, R.  Far Journeys.  New York: Doubleday, 1985.


References for Occult Chemistry

1. Besant, A., and Leadbeater, C.W. Occult Chemistry.  London: Theosophical Publishing House, 2nd edition, 1919

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2. Phillips, S.M.  "Composite Quarks And Hadron-Lepton Unification".  Physics Letters.  84B, 1979, 133.

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3. Phillips, S.M.  Extra-Sensory Perception Of Quarks. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980.

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4. Phillips, S.M.   "A Physico-mathematical Interpretation Of Paranormal Descriptions Of Fundamental Particle Structure". Psychoenergetics.  United Kingdom: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, Inc..  Vol.5, 1983, pp. 35-52.


References : Occult Psychology

1. Besant, A.  The Seven Principle Of Man. Adyar: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1931.

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2. Leadbeater, C.W.  Man Visible And Invisible. Wheaton, IL: Quest, 3rd Quest printing, abridged, 1980.


References: The Chakras

1. Leadbeater, C.W.  The Chakras. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 4th Quest edition, 1985.

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2. Motoyama, H.  Theories Of The Chakras: Bridge To Higher Consciousness.  Wheaton, IL: Quest, second printing, 1984.

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3. Karagulla, S. and van Gelder Kunz, D.  The Chakras and the Human Energy Fields. Wheaton, IL: Quest, 1989.


Books written by Madame Blavatsky

1. Blavatsky, H.P.  The Secret Doctrine vol i and ii . London, 1928.

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2. Blavatsky, H.P.  Isis Unveiled.

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3. Blavatsky, H.P. The Key to Theosophy. Wheaton, IL, Quest, 1972.


Books Written about Madame Blavatsky

1. Meade, M.   Madame Blavatsky: The Woman Behind The Myth. New York: Putnams, 1980.

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2. Neff, M.K.  Personal Memoirs Of H. P. Blavatsky.  Wheaton, IL: Quest, 2nd printing, 1971.

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3. Cranston, Sylvia.  H.P.B.: The Extraordinary Life and Influence of Madame Helena

Petrovna Blavatsky, The Founder of the Modern Theosophical Movement. Jeremy Tarcher/Putnam, 1992.


Books About Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater

1. Besant, A.  Annie Besant: An Autobiography. London: T. Fischer Unwin, 1893.

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2. Dinnage, R.  Annie Besant.  Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1986.

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3. Tillet, G.  The Elder Brother A Biography Of Charles Webster Leadbeater.  London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1982.

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4. Leadbeater, C.W. How Theosophy Came To Me, Autobiographical Reminiscences. Adyar, TPH, 1930 (3rd edition, 1967)


Krishnamurti's Biography

1. Lutyens, M.  Krishnamurti: The Years Of Awakening.  London: John Murray, 1975.


Books by Dane Rudhyar

1. Rudhyar, D.  Culture, Crisis and Creativity.  Wheaton, IL: Quest, 1977.

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2. Rudhyar, D.  Occult Preparations For A New Age.  Wheaton, IL: Quest, 1975.

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3. Rudhyar, D.  The Fullness Of Human Experience.  Wheaton, IL: Quest, 1986.

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4. Rudhyar, D.  The Planetarization of Consciousness. Harper and Row, 1969.


Books About Humanistic Astrology

1. Rudhyar, D.  The Astrology Of Personality.  New York: Doubleday, 2nd edition, 1970.

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2. Rudhyar, D.  The Sun Is Also A Star.  New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1975.

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3. Rudhyar, D.  Person-Centered Astrology.  C.S.A. Press, Lakemont, GA, 1973

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4. Rudhyar, D.  The Astrological Houses: The Spectrum of Individual Experience Doubleday      New York, 1971.


Acknowledgments

The following is a list of the sources of the illustrations used in this file:

1.  The picture of the U.P.As. and the examples of atoms clairvoyantly observed by Besant and Leadbeater,  is from Extra-Sensory Perception of Quarks, Stephen M. Phillips, 1980, The Theosophical Publishing House

2. The picture of the aura is from Hypnogogia.. Mavromatis, A.. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1987.

3. The pictures of thought-forms is from Thought-forms.  Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater. 1969, 5th Quest Book edition. TPH, Wheaton, IL

4. The picture of the chakras is from: The Chakras C.W. Leadbeater TPH, 1985. 4th Quest printing.

5.  M.C. Escher's "Another World" is from  Twentieth Century Dutch Graphic Art (I)

      Jos. de Gruyter,  Meulenhoff Amsterdam, 1969

6.  The picture of H.P. Blavatsky is from The Key to Theosophy.. Blavatsky, H.P.  Wheaton, IL, Quest, 1972.

7.  The picture of  Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater is from Occult Chemistry Re-evaluated. E. Lester Smith, 1982. TPH: Wheaton, IL.

8.  The Picture of J. Krishnamurti is from The Ending Of Time. J. Krishnamurti and David Bohm. Harper and Row 1985.

9.  The picture of Dane Rudhyar is from The Sun Is Also A Star. Rudhyar, D. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1975


For Further Information

For further information about the Theosophical Society or about Quest Books/Theosophical Publishing House please write to:

Theosophical Society in America

P.O. Box 270

1926 N. Main Street

Wheaton, IL  60189-0270

Or call toll free at:

1-800-669-1571

In addition, there is an internet mailing list - contact John Mead (jem@char.vnet.net) or Mike Grenier (mike@atc.sp.paramax.com) for more information.


About Essays On Disk

The concept behind  Essays On Disk is based on the growing availability of the Microsoft Windows environment for PCs. The Windows Help System provides a general and convenient hypertext reader for the viewing of documents which include rich formatting options, graphics, multimedia capabilities, and all the other conveniences provided by the Windows Help System. This makes for easy portability among PCs without the need to be bothered by the variety of document formats that can confound the distribution of documents containing format information and/or graphics.


thought-forms

Beliefs and Teachings.  / Thought-forms

References / References to books about Thought-forms.


Occult Chemistry

Physics / Occult Chemistry

References / References for Occult Chemistry


planes

Beliefs and Teachings.  / The Planes of Nature

References / References on the Planes:


Leadbeater

Famous Theosophists / Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater.

References / Books About Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater


Humanistic

Dane Rudhyar / Humanistic  Astrology

References / Books About Humanistic Astrology


Dane Rudhyar

Famous Theosophists / Dane Rudhyar

References / Books by Dane Rudhyar


astral

A Further Look At / Astral Plane Vision

Glossary / astral

Glossary / astral projection


chakras

Beliefs and Teachings.  / The Chakras

The Chakras  / The Function of the Chakras

The Chakras  / The Awakening of the Chakras

References / References: The Chakras


plane

Beliefs and Teachings.  / The Planes of Nature

A Further Look At / Astral Plane Vision

References / References on the Planes:


astrology

Dane Rudhyar / Humanistic  Astrology

Glossary / astrology

References / Books About Humanistic Astrology


chakra

Beliefs and Teachings.  / The Chakras

The Chakras  / The Function of the Chakras

The Chakras  / The Awakening of the Chakras

References / References: The Chakras