Neo-Theosophy is a term, originally derogatory, used by the followers of
Helena Blavatsky
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (; – 8 May 1891), often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian-born Mysticism, mystic and writer who emigrated to the United States where she co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She gained an internat ...
to denominate the system of
Theosophical ideas expounded by
Annie Besant and
Charles Webster Leadbeater following the death of Madame Blavatsky in 1891. This material differed in major respects from Blavatsky's original presentation, but it is accepted as genuinely Theosophical by many Theosophists around the world.
Main innovations of post-Blavatsky Theosophy as expounded by Besant and Leadbeater were the focus on exploring
past lives and the
astral plane using
clairvoyance
Clairvoyance (; ) is the claimed ability to acquire information that would be considered impossible to get through scientifically proven sensations, thus classified as extrasensory perception, or "sixth sense". Any person who is claimed to h ...
, the promotion of the young Indian boy
Krishnamurti as the vehicle of the coming "
World Teacher" and the introduction of Catholicism and its religious rituals in the form of the
Liberal Catholic Church.
Overview
After Blavatsky died in 1891,
William Quan Judge
William Quan Judge (April 13, 1851 – March 21, 1896) was an American mystic, esotericist, and occultist, and one of the founders of the original Theosophical Society.
Biography
Judge was born in Dublin, Ireland. When he was 13 years old, ...
became involved in a dispute with
Henry Steel Olcott and
Annie Besant over Judge allegedly forging letters from the Mahatmas. As a result, he ended his association with Olcott and Besant during 1895 and took most of the Society's American Section with him. He managed his new organization for about a year until his death in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, whereupon
Katherine Tingley
Katherine Augusta Westcott Tingley (July 6, 1847 – July 11, 1929) was a social worker and prominent Theosophy (Blavatskian), Theosophist. She led the Theosophical Society Pasadena, American Section of the Theosophical Society after W. Q. Judge ...
became manager. The organization originating from the faction of Olcott and Besant is based in India and known as the
Theosophical Society - Adyar, while the organization managed by Judge is known nowadays simply as the
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S.A. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the ...
, but often with the specification, "international headquarters,
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
." The ''Theosophical Society - Adyar'' is the group denounced as ''Neo-Theosophy'' by those who are followers of William Q. Judge and the original teachings of Madame Blavatsky; they do not accept what they regard as the ''Neo-Theosophical'' teachings of Annie Besant, Henry Olcott, and
C. W. Leadbeater.
The term ''Neo-Theosophy'' was coined by Ferdinand T. Brooks around 1912 in a book called ''Neo Theosophy Exposed'', the second part of an earlier book called ''The Theosophical Society and its Esoteric Bogeydom''. Around 1924, Margaret Thomas published a book called ''Theosophy Versus Neo-Theosophy''. This book, now available online, presents a detailed critical comparison of Blavatskyian Theosophy and Neo-Theosophy.
G. R. S. Mead who was also highly critical of the clairvoyant researches of Besant and Leadbeater, remaining loyal to Blavatskyian Theosophy, also used the term Neo-Theosophy to refer to Besant's movement. For him "Theosophy" meant the wisdom element in the great world religions and philosophies.
Later, the term Neo-Theosophical came to be used outside Theosophical circles to refer to groups formed by former Theosophists as well as groups whose central premises borrow heavily from Blavatskyian Theosophy. Robert S. Ellwood, in his 1973 book ''Religious and Spiritual Groups in Modern America'' referred to organizations that had been formed by former Theosophists as "devolutions of Theosophy" and included in his survey "Neo-Gnostic groups and Neo-Rosicrucian groups
..the
Anthroposophy of
Rudolf Steiner,
.. Alice Bailey's groups, (
Guy Ballard's)
"I AM" Activity and
Max Heindel
Max Heindel (born Carl Louis von Grasshoff, July 23, 1865 – January 6, 1919) was an American Christian occultist, astrologer, and mystic.
Early life
Carl Louis von Grasshoff was born in Aarhus, Denmark, into the noble family von Grasshof ...
's
Rosicrucianism. In a later book, ''Alternative Altars'' (1979) Professor Ellwood added;
The author Daryl S. Paulson associates "Neo-Theosophy" with
Alice Bailey.
Other neo-Theosophists include
Steiner's contemporary
Peter Deunov and
Samael Aun Weor, who introduced theosophical teachings to Latin America.
Dion Fortune
Dion Fortune (born Violet Mary Firth, 6 December 1890 – 6 or 8 January 1946) was a British occultist, ceremonial magician, and writer. She was a co-founder of the Fraternity of the Inner Light, an occult organisation that promoted philoso ...
and
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley ( ; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...
were also influencers of (and influenced by) the leading edge of the theosophical movement, which in turn influenced
Anton LaVey's
Satanism
Satanism refers to a group of religious, ideological, or philosophical beliefs based on Satan—particularly his worship or veneration. Because of the ties to the historical Abrahamic religious figure, Satanism—as well as other religious ...
,
L. Ron Hubbard's
Scientology,
Wicca
Wicca (), also known as "The Craft", is a Modern paganism, modern pagan, syncretic, Earth religion, Earth-centred religion. Considered a new religious movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion, the path evolved from Western esote ...
, and the modern
New Age
New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
and
New Thought movements. (Alice Bailey introduced the term ''New Age'').
Neo-Theosophists today
Some examples of Neo-Theosophists today include
Benjamin Creme,
Douglas Baker and
Victor Skumin.
In 1990, Skumin elaborated on the
theosophical conceptions of
spiritual evolution and proposed a classification of ''Homo spiritalis'' (
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
: ''spiritual man''),
the sixth root race.
See also
References
External links
''Theosophy Versus Neo-Theosophy''- online version of Margaret Thomas's book.
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{{Theosophy series
Theosophy
Religious belief systems founded in the United States