The seeds of the True Brotherhood of Man, not of brother-religionists or sectarians only, have been finally sown on the sacred soil of India. No Theosophist has ever spoken against the teachings of Christ, no more than he did against those of Krishna, Buddha, or Shankaracharya. If Europeans cry against Brahmanical tyranny, caste, infant and widow marriage, and call every religious dogmatic rule idiotic, pernicious, and devilish, why should we not denounce the abuses and defects of Christian theology and sacerdotalism? The Christian missionaries degrade the pure ethics of Christ by their Jesuitical and deceptive attitude towards the natives by proselytising and enticing them to an inferior kind of worship.

Theosophy is the renaissance of ancient spiritualism. Theosophy is Archaic Wisdom-Religion, as taught by Masters and Magi, Sages and Hierophants, Prophets and Philosophers, to the Elect — undisguised by symbols. It is Spiritual Knowledge, reasoned out and corroborated by personal experience. Diogenes Laërtius traces Theosophy to an epoch antedating the dynasty of the Ptolemies. But, in fact, Theosophy is much older: It is the parent stem of Archaic Wisdom. The term was revived in the 3rd century AD by Ammonius Saccas, the Alexandrian Socrates of Neo-Platonism, teacher of Plotinus, and founder of the Eclectic Theosophical System. Briefly, Eclectic Theosophy asserts that: 1. Humanity is a periodic emanation from a single noetic essence and, 2. When by exertion and merit, a mortal soul activates its latent faculties and potencies, it can be re-connected with its immortal noetic origin and source. Hence, the Buddhistic, Vedantic, and Magian or Zoroastrian systems were taught in the Eclectic Theosophical School along with all the philosophies of Greece. It was Theosophy which prompted such men as Hegel, Fichte, and Spinoza, to take up the labours of the old Grecian philosophers and speculate upon the One Substance — the Deity, the Divine All, proceeding from Divine Wisdom. And it was Theosophy that made it possible for great thinkers such as Plotinus, Schelling, and Emerson, to reflect upon man’s divine ancestry. What Theosophy is and is not. By looking inwards at the noumenal worlds and causes, Theosophy is Esoteric Science, par excellence. Exact Science is only concerned with phenomenal worlds and effects. Esoteric Science corroborates Nature’s metaphysics and Divine Laws; Exact Science, Its physics and natural laws. In Its fruition, Theosophy is Inner Knowledge about the divinity of Cosmos and Man, and a noetic progression from the known and knowable, to the unknown and, otherwise, unknowable. And, as such, It lies at the root of every moral philosophy, religion, and science. Theosophy is the world’s tree of knowledge and sum total of all sciences. Sophia is the accumulated wisdom of Divine Beings from the beginning of time, who have willingly accepted the harshness and drudgery of sentient life to help their toiling brothers. Theosophy is not a religion. It is but an analytical science, the ally of every honest religion. Being the culmination and practical demonstration of the Truths underlying every creed, Theosophy is compatible with every religion. It believes in no miracle, whether divine or devilish, and cherishes no anthropomorphic concepts, whether gods or demons. Theosophy discriminates between finite animal man, and Infinite Divine Man, and differs from the Vedantin doctrines. It is not even “esoteric” religion! Every old religion is but a chapter or two of the entire volume of archaic primeval mysteries — Eastern Occultism alone being able to boast that it is in possession of the full secret, with its seven keys. In other words, Theosophy is Religion itself! Loyalty to Truth is Its creed, Brotherhood of all beings, not just men, Its noble aim. Theosophy is Inner Wisdom or Divine Knowledge. It is at the heart of all religions and philosophies from the earliest time to the present day, embracing all domains of mundane knowledge and human endeavour. Yet, It is a practical, and an ethical philosophy, ever transcending self-imposed boundaries to expand consciousness, and to dispel lingering doubts. In short, Theosophy is Supernal Philosophy, Wisdom’s True Love, not mere verbiage. It is a philosophy to live by. Metaphysically, Theosophy is the accumulated testimony and wisdom of the ages. Theosophy is not knowledge of a “God,” It is knowledge of gods, Celestial Knowledge: a shoreless ocean of Everlasting Truth, Love, and Impartiality, monistic through and through. By seeking the One Truth, its allied with the ideals of every seeker of Truth. To fully define Theosophy, we must consider it under all its aspects. By means of Its Golden Precepts, those who are intellectually and ethically fit might gain insights of the inner world of being. There, mystics can see past, present, and future as in a mirror. Theosophy wakes up and frees the Heavenly Man from the clutches of Its outer shadow, so that He can live for others, here on Earth, unconstrained by his earthly jailer, forgetting himself in the midst of the many selves, in the words of a Philaletheian. Ethically, Theosophy is unconditioned love for humanity and for all that lives. Theosophy is philanthropy, par excellence, unconditioned and unreserved love for our fellow human beings and for all that lives, in thought and deed. It alone can restore hope and instil responsibility in a world suffocating from ignorance and its own misdeeds, by mediating between egotism and altruism. Even the great Law of Harmony depends on altruism! Theosophy’s aim and noble mission is to establish a community of spiritual thinkers who, by studying Its precepts and enriching everyday life with Its exalted ethics, can bring about a peaceful realignment of mainstream thought, as a matter of urgency! Warnings to aspirants. Those who do not enter inner life in the Spirit of Brotherhood; Those who try to degrade a noble philosophy into a den for immorality; Those who are ignorant of the dangers of psychic powers; And specially those who have already pledged to live for the World, Beware! Only purity of deed and thought can raise you to the company of your Divine Self.

The only God whom we should serve is Humanity, and our only cult should be the love of our fellow man. Doing evil towards him, we wound God and make him suffer. This is our religion and only dogma. There now follows the response of Madame Blavatsky to an article by Charles Limousin, Editor of the Journal Acacia. A. The scientific aristocracy is full of vanity and struts on stilts of its own fabrication. B. A ray feeble light from the Sun of Truth worths much more than the artificial lights offered by physiologists and pathologists, and those elevated to the ranks of psychologists. C. The supernatural does not exist in Nature when one knows how to awaken the latent principle that animates matter. D. Divine wisdom rests on esoteric philosophy and facts of nature. E. A solitary ascetic is a living symbol of the most cowardly egotism. F. Universal Esotericism presents a periodic cosmic and human genesis which is logical and based on natural sciences, as well as on a pure transcendental philosophy. G. Budhist Esotericism has nothing to do with the Buddhist religion (note the difference in spelling). H. Theosophy is the forbear of modern science, though greatly transcending it in logic; and its metaphysics are vaster, far more beautiful and powerful than any emanating from a dogmatic cult. I. Happiness cannot exist where Truth is absent and egotism reigns supreme. It is merely a house of cards tumbling down at the first whiff. J-K. As long there is no room in the human heart for love of one’s fellow man for his own sake, and not for personal gratification, poor and rich man alike will always be unhappy. Modern science opposes to a natural force another natural force more powerful on the physical plane. Esoteric science opposes to a physical force, a spiritual or psychic force. L. Theosophists see in the priest of any religion a useless if not a pernicious being. M. The first law of the Sacred Science is never to use one’s knowledge for one’s own interest, but to work with and for others for their health and happiness. N. If a fusion of opposing and competing interests does not come about, individuals and nations will end devouring each other. O. Theosophy has nothing to do with Brahmanism, except to combat its abuses, remove the opium of superstition, and expose ecclesiastical cruelty. P. True Theosophists strive to be useful to their fellows, more especially to the disinherited ones of the world. Q. As long as the Brotherhood of Man remains an empty phrase in the air, progress will accomplish no other function than that of executioner of the poor and the downtrodden. R. As long as moral progress slumbers in inactivity, paralyzed by the ferocious egotism of everybody, the rich as well as the poor, happiness will remain a pie in the sky. S. The Secret Doctrine shows that at the beginning of the periodic evolution of our globe and its beings, the processes of generation offered varieties not even suspected in the modern laboratories. T. The infinite cannot associate with the finite; the unconditioned ignores the conditioned and the limited. Neither Brahmanas nor Bonzes, in their most acute exoteric delirium, have ever accepted the finiteness of Kosmos. U. Material progress, the so-called modern civilisation, has served only to provide the rich with enjoyments unknown in the centuries of barbarism. V. The West has not always refused the hand extended to it by the Eastern Adepts. X. Exoteric Brahmanism will soon be replaced by Esoteric Vedism, and Brotherly Love will bring about a fusion of the two Aryan Races. Z. But the mass has always bitten the hand that offered it help.

Theosophy is both a science and a religion, the science of Truth and the religion of Justice. And The Secret Doctrine infuses a raison d’être and intelligibility into a universe whose drift has been utterly unperceived by western thought.