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Will

2023-01-29T09:21:03Z

Donnie Pierce: "how we carry OUR these activities:" changed to "how we carry OUT these activities:"

'''Will''', in the Theosophical tradition, is one of the occult forces of nature that can be used by human beings, not only physically and intellectually, but also magically. In [[Hinduism]] this force is referred by the [[Sanskrit]] term ''Iccha-Shakti'' (devanāgarī: इच्छाशक्ति ''icchāśakti''), which can be translated as "will-power."

== General description ==

In the Theosophical view the will power is seen as a universal force that manifests in different ways on the different [[plane]]s. [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>In metaphysics and [[Esoteric Philosophy|occult philosophy]], Will is that which governs the manifested universes in eternity. ''Will'' is the one and sole principle of abstract eternal [[Motion|MOTION]], or its ensouling essence. "The will," says Van Helmont, "is the first of all powers . . . . The will is the property of all spiritual beings and displays itself in them the more actively the more they are freed from [[matter]]."<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 370.</ref></blockquote>

This force is present not only in human beings, but also in animals, and even in inanimate things:

<blockquote>What is the WILL? Can "exact [[science]]" tell? What is the nature of that intelligent, intangible, and powerful something which reigns supreme over all inert matter? The great Universal Idea willed, and the cosmos sprang into existence. I will, and my limbs obey. . . . The mysterious effects of attraction and repulsion are the unconscious agents of that will; fascination, such as we see exercised by some animals, by serpents over birds, for instance, is a conscious action of it, and the result of thought. Sealing-wax, glass, and amber, when rubbed, i.e., when the latent heat which exists in every substance is awakened, attract light bodies; they exercise unconsciously, will; for inorganic as well as organic matter possesses a particle of the divine essence in itself, however infinitesimally small it may be.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Isis Unveiled'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 144.</ref></blockquote>

In fact, Blavatsky stated that the force of will manifests in different way through all the [[Septenary Principle|seven principles]] of nature:

<blockquote>Like all the rest, the Will is ''septenary'' in its degrees of manifestation. Emanating from the one, eternal, abstract and purely quiescent Will ([[Ātman|Âtmâ]] in [[Laya Centre#Laya condition|Layam]]), it becomes [[Buddhi]] in its [[Ālaya|Alaya]] state, descends lower as [[Mahat]] ([[Manas]]), and runs down the ladder of degrees until the divine Eros becomes, in its lower, animal manifestation, ''erotic'' [[desire]]. Will as an eternal principle is neither [[spirit]] nor [[matter|substance]] but everlasting [[Cosmic Ideation|ideation]]. As well expressed by Schopenhauer in his Parerga, "in sober reality there is neither matter nor spirit. The tendency to gravitation in a stone is as unexplainable as thought in the human brain. If matter can--no one knows why--fall to the ground, then it can also--no one knows why--think. . . . As soon, even in mechanics, as we trespass beyond the purely mathematical, as soon as we reach the inscrutable adhesion, gravitation, and so on, we are faced by phenomena which are to our senses as mysterious as the WILL."<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 370.</ref></blockquote>

In its intellectual and higher forms, however, will is active only in human beings, among all the physical kingdoms of nature. This means that human beings have the capability of self-consciously directing the will-power. In [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] words:

<blockquote>Will is the exclusive possession of man on this our [[plane]] of consciousness. It divides him from the brute in whom instinctive [[desire]] only is active.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1990), 109.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Man, the most perfect of organized beings on earth, in whom matter and spirit — i.e., will — are the most developed and powerful, is alone allowed to give a conscious impulse to that principle which emanates from him; and only he can impart to the magnetic fluid opposite and various impulses without limit as to the direction.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Isis Unveiled'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 144.</ref></blockquote>

In [[Mahatma Letter No. 126#Page 2|one of his letters]], [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]] makes an interesting connection between faith and the activation of will. He wrote to [[Alfred Percy Sinnett|Mr. Sinnett]]:

<blockquote>You have not the faith required to allow your Will to arouse itself in defiance and contempt against your purely worldly intellect.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in Chronological Sequence'' No. 126 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 422. See [[Mahatma Letter No. 126#Page 2|Mahatma Letter No. 126 page 2]].</ref></blockquote>

== Will and Magic ==

One of the most evident operations of the will can be seen in its power to translate a non-material mental intention to, for example, move an arm, into a neurochemical reaction that produces the actual motion of the limb.

<blockquote>Will-power; force of desire; one of the occult Forces of nature. That power of the will which, exercised in occult practices, generates the nerve-currents necessary to set certain muscles in motion and to paralyze certain others.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 150.</ref></blockquote>

This same power can be used for occult purposes in order to produce [[magic]]al effects. [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote:

</blockquote>Paracelsus teaches that "determined will is the beginning of all magical operations. It is because men do not perfectly imagine and believe the result, that the (occult) arts are so uncertain, while they might be perfectly certain.".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 370.</ref>

In fact, acts such as prayer, religious chanting, meditative visualizations, and so on are conscious or unconscious acts of magic. As such, there is an important responsibility attached to how we carry out these activities:

<blockquote>ENQUIRER. Do you mean to say that prayer is an occult process bringing about physical results? 
THEOSOPHIST. I do. Will-Power becomes a living power. But woe unto those Occultists and Theosophists, who, instead of crushing out the desires of the lower personal ego or physical man, and saying, addressing their Higher Spiritual EGO immersed in Atma-Buddhic light, "Thy will be done, not mine," etc., send up waves of will-power for selfish or unholy purposes! For this is black magic, abomination, and spiritual sorcery.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, [1987]), ???.</ref></blockquote>

== Will and desire ==

[[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] stated that the forces of will and [[desire]] are related. She wrote:

<blockquote>Desire, in its widest application, is the one creative force in the Universe. In this sense it is indistinguishable from Will; but we men never know desire under this form while we remain only men. Therefore Will and Desire are here considered as opposed.
 
Thus Will is the offspring of the Divine, the God in man; Desire the motive power of the animal life.
 
Most of men live in and by desire, mistaking it for will. But he who would achieve must separate will from desire, and make his will the ruler; for desire is unstable and ever changing, while will is steady and constant.
 
Both will and desire are absolute creators, forming the man himself and his surroundings. But will creates intelligently—desire blindly and unconsciously. The man, therefore, makes himself in the image of his desires, unless he creates himself in the likeness of the Divine, through his will, the child of the light.
 
His task is twofold: to awaken the will, to strengthen it by use and conquest, to make it absolute ruler within his body; and, parallel with this, to purify desire.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1990), 109.</ref></blockquote>

== Free will ==

Modern science tends to maintain that free will is an illusion, given the fact that thoughts and decisions are produced in the brain, and the brain is subject to deterministic laws of causation that don't allow a for free, unconditioned, response. Blavatsky rejects this argument saying that thoughts do not originate in the brain, but in the [[Manas|manasic principle]] or the [[Principle#Individuality_and_personality|"psychic individuality"]], which is beyond the plane of physical matter:

<blockquote>By "psychic" individuality we mean that Self-determining power which enables man to override circumstances. Place half a dozen animals of the same species under the same circumstances, and their actions while not identical, will be closely similar; place half a dozen men under the same circumstances and their actions will be as different as their characters, i.e., their psychic individuality. But instead of "psychic" we call it the higher Self-conscious Will.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 357.</ref></blockquote>

While all human beings possess this self-determining power in their higher nature, at this point in evolution the thinking process in the majority of humanity takes place mostly at the lower level of the "desire-mind" or ''kama-manas.'' In this context, it seems as if there is no free will, because the will is generally conditioned by desire, and the latter is conditioned by the external circumstances. But this is not the only possibility of action. In Blvatsky's words,

<blockquote>Whenever [the mind] disconnects itself, for the time being, with [from] ''kama'', becomes the guide of the highest mental faculties, and is the organ of the free will in physical man.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 358.</ref></blockquote>

Free will has its origin in the higher mind or Ego. However, to be able to be expressed through the brain, the participation of the lower mind is required, and here lies a level of free-will that belongs to the lower self:

<blockquote>The "Higher Ego" cannot act directly on the body, as its consciousness belongs to quite another plane and planes of ideation--the “lower” Self does, and its action and behaviour depend on its free will and choice as to whether it will gravitate more towards its parent (“the Father in Heaven”) or the “animal” which it informs, the man of flesh.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 366-67.</ref></blockquote>

== See also==
*[[Desire]]

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Theosophical worldview]]

James S. Perkins

2021-12-13T12:38:18Z

Donnie Pierce: Changed “of” to “on”

[[File:James Perkins 1943.jpg|200px|right|thumb|James Perkins in 1943. Image from TSA Archives.]]
[[File:Perkins family with Ray Whorf.jpg|180px|right|thumb|Perkins family with Ray Whorf]]
'''James S. Perkins''' was President of the [[Theosophical Society in America]] from 1945 to 1960 and Vice President of the international [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society based in Adyar, India]] for ten years beginning in 1961. He was a commercial artist and author of several books.

== Early years ==
'''James Scudday Perkins, Jr.''' was born [[June 29]], 1899. His family lived in Patterson, Louisiana, a small town on a bayou in the south central region of the state, where the principal employer was a cypress sawmill. He registered for the draft in World War I, but did not have to serve. At that time he was a clerk in a grocery owned by the family.<ref>World War I Draft Registration Card. St. Mary County, Louisiana. September 12, 1918.</ref> He entered the University of Cincinnati to study civil engineering, but switched to the study of art after a visit to the city's art museum.<ref>Richard W. Brooks, “Reminiscences of James Scudday Perkins,” ''Quest'' 95.4 (July-August, 2007), 127-128.</ref> He attended the Art Academy in Cincinnati, then the Art Students' League in New York, and the Grand Central School of Art in New York.<ref>"Theosophy Chief to Speak Monday," ''New Orleans Times-Picayune'' (January 1, 1947), 6.</ref>

While in Cincinnati, he met Kathrine Galbreath, another art student, and they married. The couple had one daughter, Torre Perkins, and the family settled in Cincinnati. Torre later married Theosophist Ray Whorf, son of linguistic theorist [[Benjamin Lee Whorf]]. That wedding took place in the [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library|library]] at the [[Olcott (campus)|headquarters]] of the Theosophical Society in America.<ref>"Wedding Bells at Olcott," ''The American Theosophist 33.4 (April, 1945), 96.</ref>

== Theosophical work ==
[[File:Perkins color.jpg|160px|left|thumb|James S. Perkins. Image from TSA Archives.]]
[[File:Perkins at Olcott 1947.jpg|250px|right|thumb|James and Kathrine Perkins at Olcott in 1947. Image from TSA Archives.]]

He was a founding member of a branch of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Cincinnati, which formed on December 20, 1928. He was lodge president for six years, and also served five terms as president of the Ohio Theosophical Federation, which he helped to found.<ref>Joy Mills, "James S. Perkins, 1899-1991," ''The American Theosophist'' 79.2 (March-April), 6.</ref>

James Perkins was elected to the Board of the [[Theosophical Society in America]] in 1936. Three years later he began the first of three terms as Vice-President in the administration of [[Sidney A. Cook]].
During all these years, Perkins frequently lectured for the Society all over the United States. His lectures addressed a wide range of topics of interest to the general public and Theosophists, but often touched on art and beauty. He was also very concerned with current affairs, such as "Men of the Atomic Age" in 1948, following the Hiroshima bombing, and "The Significance of Man's New Space Awareness" following the 1957 launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik. Dr. Richard Brooks, himself an outstanding lecturer, said that while Perkins' "prepared lectures ... were not particularly inspiring," when JSP spoke extemporaneously "he could bring the buddhic plane down to the physical and wrap it around your ears."<ref>Richard W. Brooks, “Reminiscences of James Scudday Perkins,” ''Quest'' 95.4 (July-August, 2007), 127-128.</ref>

== Years as President ==

In 1945 Mr. Perkins assumed the Presidency of the Theosophical Society in America, when [[Sidney A. Cook]] resigned to become International Vice-President in Adyar, and served until 1960. National Secretaries during his administration were Ann Werth (until 1950) and Caroline Tess. These are some of the accomplishments of the Perkins years:
* 1945 - Formed six committees concerned with the growth of the Society:
{{Col-begin|width=60%}}
{{Col-break|width=5%}}
{{Col-break|width=20%}}
Field Technique 
Publicity Pamphlets 
Public Classes
{{Col-break|width=20%}}
Worker Training 
Integration 
Headquarters Expansion
{{Col-end}}
* 1945 - Transformed the Publicity Department into the Department of Information, under the direction of [[Joy Mills]].
* 1945 - Began publishing [[Discovery (periodical)|''Discovery'']], a small leaflet that was published regularly for ten years as a tool for lodges to promote Theosophical concepts and their own local programs. Total circulation probably reached over a million copies.<ref>Richard W. Brooks, “Reminiscences of James Scudday Perkins,” ''Quest'' 95.4 (July-August, 2007), 127-128.</ref>
* 1945 - Participated in a panel discussion on "The Philosophy of Religious Education" at Wheaton College, along with four Christian speakers.
* 1946 - Introduced the "Spotlight" program of national lecturers to "Speed the Popularization of Theosophy". Among the lecturers were Kathrine Perkins, [[Joy Mills]], Alan Hooker, Nedra Ruder, and Iris White, and their efforts led to increase in membership and establishment of several new branches. By 1960, membership had reached 4565, the highest point since 1933.
* 1947 - Established a new line of paperbacks in the Theosophical Publishing House, with a bequest from [[Herbert A. Kern, Sr.]]
* 1947 - Established a scholarship fund to finance trips to Adyar for several Theosophical workers, including [[Ann Kerr]], [[E. Norman Pearson|Mr. and Mrs. E. Norman Pearson]], and others.
* 1947 - Participated on February 10-14 in a [[United Nations]] conference of intergovernmental groups.
* 1947 - Traveled to Switzerland for a Round Table conference that drew participants from 18 countries, with President [[George S. Arundale|Arundale]] and twelve General Secretaries present. There were five meetings of the European Federation Council.
* 1949 - Expanded recordings available for shipment to radio stations.
* 1950 - Commemorated the 75th anniversary of the TS by printing a adhesive "Brotherhood Stamp" that members could purchase to seal their letters.
* 1952 - Developed a master plan for improvements to the headquarters estate, including a pond that he personally helped to excavate. Other construction that later arose from this plan included a series of garages for staff members and the Joy Mills Building that houses the [[Theosophical Publishing House (Wheaton)|Theosophical Publishing House]].
* 1954 - Began a series of worker training sessions.
* 1955 - Established the Theosophical Investment Trust, with financial aid from Clarence Ohlendorf, [[Herbert A. Kern, Sr.]], John Sellon, [[Sidney A. Cook]], [[Alonzo G. Decker, Sr.]], and others.
* 1955 - Began a series of National Theosophical Conferences held in various cities until 1962.
* 1956 - Established weekly broadcasts of Theosophical radio programs in numerous cities; invited members to submit scripts suitable for radios.

During his presidency, Mr. Perkins toured the country every year, lecturing. He also served as editor of [[The American Theosophist (periodical)|''The American Theosophist'']]. Kathrine Perkins took charge of the kitchen and housekeeping departments for the headquarters. Like her husband, she frequently lectured across the country.

In his role as General Secretary for the American Section, one of his responsibilities was to attend the '''International Convention''' in Adyar. His first convention in the postwar era was in 1947 when he and Kathrine experienced a culture shock, "particularly as we had arrived in India via Karachi and Delhi, visiting and speaking to Theosophists, amidst the breaking apart of India and Pakistan".<ref>"James S. Perkins, "Linking Past and Future" ''The Theosophist''04.9 (June, 1973), 141.</ref>

In 1948 when he and Mrs. Perkins were about to leave for International Convention again - this time in Benares - the [[Olcott (campus)|Olcott]] staff realized that the couple would miss the American yearend holidays. They held a surprise Christmas celebration complete with tree, food, and gifts in the library just following Thanksgiving dinner. The party was called "Thankxmas."<ref>"Christmas on Thanksgiving," ''The American Theosophist 36.1 (January, 1948), 23.</ref> In another account from the mid-1950s, "he gathered all the Olcott staff in the building's living room and led us in hymn singing accompanying us on the piano... probably a heritage from his early Southern Baptist upbringing."<ref>Richard W. Brooks, “Reminiscences of James Scudday Perkins,” ''Quest'' 95.4 (July-August, 2007), 127-128.</ref>

Mr. Perkins was '''badly injured''' from being struck by a car while strolling along Geneva Road near the headquarters. He suffered from temporary damage to his eyes, severe headaches, and a badly broken right leg. He wrote of being free from pain and apparently "out of body" during the experience.<ref>James S. Perkins, "A Message from Mr. Perkins" ''The American Theosophist''36.5 (May, 1948), 99, 112.</ref><ref>"President's Condition Improving," ''The American Theosophist'' 36.5 (May, 1948), 115.</ref> After several weeks of traction in a hospital, he was able to complete his recovery at Olcott with the aid of a "Perkins Recovery Fund" from members.<ref>"New of Our National President," ''The American Theosophist'' 36.6 (June, 1948), 142.</ref><ref>James S. Perkins and Kathrine G. Perkins, "Grateful," ''The American Theosophist'' 36.6 (June, 1948), 143.</ref>

== Work with the United Nations ==
[[File:TS at UN.jpg|right|400px|thumb|James and Kathrine Perkins, at lower right, at United Nations' conference for intergovernmental groups]]
Achievement of world peace cooperation was a great concern to Mr. Perkins. As early as 1942, he was anticipating the formation of the [[United Nations]] in his speeches and writings:
<blockquote>
If the postwar world establishes a federation of free peoples, strong enough to promise the end of military aggression, “we will have a world in which human intelligence will organize and distribute the ample resources of Nature and devote itself to human progress rather than to destruction,” James S. Perkins, vice-president of the Theosophical Society in America, said in a lecture at the society’s rooms here last night.
 

“But tomorrow’s world,” he cautioned, “will inevitably grow out of today’s acts. Since human progress advances or falls upon the moral and spiritual integrity of the main body of its individuals, the condition of tomorrow’s world rests squarely upon the question whether men in their daily lives are giving expression to those universal principles which are the ethical foundations of any great and enduring world order.”<ref>”Theosophical Society Hears Vice-President,” ‘’Springfield Republican’’ (Springfield, MA) (April 24, 1942), 4.</ref>
</blockquote>

He anticipated formation of a "United Nations of the World" by designing a flag, color reproductions of which were sold to lodges as he toured speaking about "Mankind Beyond War."<ref>"Symbolic Flag," ''The American Theosophist'' 32.4 (April, 1944), 93</ref>

After World War II, he was appointed by Adyar president [[Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa|C. Jinarājadāsa]] to be the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society's]] delegate to the opening conference of international groups, held at Lake Placid, New York. About 250 people attended, representing over 100 organizations. This was one of the earliest sessions establishing the now-huge body of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that work with the United Nations on many issues. Perkins wrote about the meeting and described how Theosophists could help the UN in communicating its resources and missions:
<blockquote>
It is precisely because the UN is the most advanced effort in the direction of brotherhood ever made by collective mankind that Theosophists should support it in every possible way...
 

The principle requisite is to stimulate a direct interest in the activities of the UN by broadcasting information about its programs and needs. A study of this world-wide organization of human energy being applied realistically to the major problems of freeing the world of want and fear cannot fail to arouse our interest and enthusiasm. Once grasped, the integrated pattern of the UN's various departments and commissions produces a sense of wholeness which is unfortunately lacking in the minds of most people.
 

Throughout the conference... the need was expressed again and again to inform people of the world in all languages of the character and the operations of the various departments of the UN. Mrs. Perkins and I were impressed with the unique opportunity afforded individual members of The Theosophical Society and the Theosophical Order of Service to serve in this capacity. Lodges or members can initiate programs to distribute information if they will become acquainted with the general set-up of the UN, discovering what information is available and how it may be used.<ref>James S. Perkins, ''The American Theosophist'' 36.5 (May, 1947), 100-101, 114.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Years as International Vice-President ==
James Perkins served as Vice-President of the international [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society in Adyar]] for over ten years, beginning in 1961, during the administration of [[N. Sri Ram]]. During those years, he lived at the headquarters in [[Adyar, India]], but was very active lecturing internationally. He spoke in several European countries, and in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. His wife Kathrine continued lecturing, as well, and was co-director of the [[School of the Wisdom]] at Adyar. After Mr. Sri Ram died in April 8, 1973, Mr. Perkins served as Acting President, conducting the annual [[White Lotus Day]] celebration and inaugurating the Annual Workers' Training Camp held from May 7-21.<ref>"Recording Secretary, "Theosophists at Work Around the World", ''The Theosophist'' 94.9 (June, 1973), 226-227.</ref>

== Later years ==

Toward the end of the term as International Vice President, Mr. and Mrs. Perkins moved to Sydney, Australia, where he was head of [[The Manor]] from 1971 to 1977, replacing Dr. Van Den Broek. Joy Mills wrote,
<blockquote>
Perkins traveled extensively, and later became resident head of the Manor, the theosophical and E.S. center in Sydney, Australia. He was called back to Adyar in 1973 upon the death of the president, and was in charge during the interim before the election of [[John B. S. Coats|John Coats]] to that office in 1974. He then returned to Australia until 1977 when he and his wife Kathryn settled at Taormina in Ojai, California.<ref>Joy Mills, "James S. Perkins, 1899-1991," ''The American Theosophist'' 79.2 (March-April), 6.</ref>
</blockquote>

In Ojai, he served as president of the Taormina Theosophical community. His wife Kathrine "his companion of 66 years... was constantly at his side during his theosophical work and travels. He died on [[November 19]], 1991, survived by a daughter, Torre Perkins Whorf Taggart, and her sons Timothy Whorf and James Taggart."<ref>Joy Mills, "James S. Perkins, 1899-1991," ''The American Theosophist'' 79.2 (March-April), 6.</ref> He was remembered as "a charming and articulate theosophical worker."<ref>"In Memoriam," ''Theosophy in Australia'' 55.1 (March, 1991) 20.</ref>

Kathrine survived until November 19, 1995. [[Joy Mills]] described her as "a singularly beautiful incarnation of devoted service to the work of the Society."<ref>Joy Mills, "Kathrine G. Perkins," ''The American Theosophist'' 83.1 (Late Winter, 1995), 17.</ref>

== Art ==

James Perkins was a commercial artist. He frequently used his professional skills to illustrate books about Theosophical concepts. His drawing "From the One the Many Return to the One" was made into an oil painting by a Cuban artist. Over six feet high, it was hung in "the temple" in San Juan, Puerto Rico and was described as "a great source of inspiration to all of the members, and to all who see it."<ref>"Painting in Puerto Rico," ''The American Theosophist'' 38.8 (August, 1950), 163</ref> His style is reminiscent of the Idealist artists like [[Jean Delville]].

The following are examples of his book illustrations.

<gallery widths="130px" heights="150px" perrow="5">
File:Perkins 4.jpg
File:Perkins 19.jpg
File:Perkins 23.jpg
File:Perkins 30.jpg
File:Perkins 5.jpg
</gallery>

Here are examples of how Mr. Perkins used drawings to enliven letters to members.

<gallery widths="130px" heights="150px" perrow="5">
File:Perkins newsletter 10-19-1948.jpg
File:Perkins newsletter re recovery 06-1948.jpg
</gallery>

== Writings ==

Writing is always an important activity of TSA presidents, and James Perkins was no exception. He wrote editorials for ''The American Theosophist'', numerous journal articles, and colorfully illustrated books. The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] has over 400 articles written by or about him under the name [http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=Perkins James Perkins]. They include articles published in many prominent Theosophical journals: [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']], [[The Light Bearer (periodical)|''The Light Bearer'']], [[Theosophy in New Zealand (periodical)|''Theosophy in New Zealand'']], and [[Le Lotus Bleu (periodical)|''Le Lotus Bleu'']], among others. In addition to serving as editor of [[The American Theosophist (periodical)|''The American Theosophist'']], he was founding editor in 1946 of [[Discovery (periodical)|''Discovery'']]. During some of his time in Adyar, he edited ''The Theosophist'', and most notably the June 1973 issue commemorating the life of [[Nilakanta Sri Ram|N. Sri Ram]].

He also wrote these books, listed chronologically:

* '''''Open Immortal Eyes'''''. Wheaton, Illinois: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1948. This booklet was written when the author was President of the TSA. It discusses how humans are learning to use senses beyond the physical ones of mortal beings. The title is a quotation from William Blake, "I rest not from my great task to open the eternal worlds, to open the immortal eyes of man . . . the human imagination."

* '''''Freedom Through Intuition'''''. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Press, 1951.

* '''''Night Reveals The Stars: A Discourse On Man's Origin And Powers'''''. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, 1952.

* '''''Reincarnation for Everyone'''''. Wheaton, Illinois: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1956. This booklet was written when the author was President of the TSA. It is a basic introduction to the concepts of reincarnation.

* '''''Mankind's Survival: the Way of Harmony'''''. Adyar, Chennai, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1958. Originally printed in ''The Theosophist'', February and March 1958, which was transcribed from a lecture at the 82nd International Convention at Adyar, in December, 1957. This booklet points out how modern science is confronting the idea that life is coming forth from within, which the author regards as the key concept of the 20th century.

* '''''Keys to Wholeness of Being'''''. Adyar, Chennai, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961. Originally printed in ''The Theosophist'', September and October 1960. Key Knowledge, Key Direction, Key Procedure, and Key Motion are the elements that help humans achieve wholeness.

* '''''Through Death to Rebirth'''''. First edition: Wheaton, Illinois: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961. Quest Books edition published in 1973. Illustrated by the author with drawings and two colored plates. This book was written during Perkins' term as International Vice-President. The dynamic and symbolic illustrations help to guide the reader to better understanding of the process of death.

* '''''Visual Meditations on the Universe'''''. Wheaton, Illinois: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961. This was printed under the Quest Books imprint. This volume uses over 30 color plates created by the author intended to take the reader on a journey through creation and evolution according to Theosophical tradition. According to Susan Bullock Brown, Torre Taggart collaborated with her father in this work.

* '''''A Geometry of Space-Consciousness'''''. Adyar, Chennai, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1964. This book has illustrations that demonstrate complex concepts like "orbits of human consciousness" and "space-consciousness in seven dimensions."

* '''''Space-Flight and Superstition'''''. Wheaton, Illinois: The Theosophical Press, 1960s. Leaflet.

* '''''Experiencing Reincarnation'''''. Wheaton, Illinois: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1977. A Quest Book. Illustrated by the author. This volume provides much useful information about the nature and occurrence of reincarnation, and what happens to the subtle bodies in the process of death and rebirth.

==Online resources==
===Articles===
* [http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1318# Reminscences of James Scudday Perkins] by Richard W. Brooks
* [http://theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Perkins,_James_Scudday Perkins, James Scudday] in Theosopedia.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Presidents of TSA|Perkins, James S.]]
[[Category:General Secretaries in TS Adyar|Perkins, James S.]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Perkins, James S.]]
[[Category:Artists|Perkins, James S.]]
[[Category:Writers|Perkins, James S.]]
[[Category:Lecturers|Perkins, James S.]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Perkins, James S.]]
[[Category:People|Perkins, James S.]]

Law of Correspondences

2021-09-21T07:13:45Z

Donnie Pierce: correct typo, move comma

The '''Law of Correspondences''' is based on an holographic model of the universe where the part reflects the whole. Also known as '''Law of Analogy''', it postulates that the [[microcosm]] is the miniature copy of the [[macrocosm]] and therefore there exists a general correspondence between what is found "above" and "below". This law is also based on a model of [[Cyclic Evolution|cyclic evolution]] where the general processes that take place on larger cycles are repeated in smaller ones. For example, the [[Morya|Mahatma M.]] writes in a [[Mahatma Letter No. 44|letter]] to [[A. P. Sinnett|Mr. Sinnett]]:

<blockquote>Nothing in nature springs into existence suddenly, all being subjected to the same law of gradual evolution. Realize but once the process of the maha cycle, of one sphere and you have realized them all. One man is born like another man, one race evolves, develops, and declines like another and all other races. Nature follows the same groove from the “creation” of a universe down to that of a mosquito. In studying esoteric cosmogony, keep a spiritual eye upon the physiological process of human birth; proceed from cause to effect establishing as you go along, analogies between the birth of a man and that of a world.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 44 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 118.</ref></blockquote>

A similar concept can be found in a letter from [[Koot Hoomi|Mahatma K.H.]]:

<blockquote>Law in Nature is uniform and the conception, formation, birth, progress and development of the child differs from those of the globe only in magnitude. The globe has two periods of teething and of capillature [hair growth]—its first rocks which it also sheds to make room for new—and its ferns and mosses before it gets forest.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 67 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 184.</ref></blockquote>

In reference to this [[H. P. Blavatsky]] said that the Law of Correspondences is "an immutable one in the system of cycles".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. VII (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1958), 69.</ref>

This law has been clearly stated by [[Robert Bowen|Commander Robert Bowen]] in his notes of certain teachings given by [[H. P. Blavatsky|Madame Blavatsky]] towards the end of her life. In them, [[H. P. Blavatsky|HPB]] is reported to have put forward four basic ideas that the student should keep in mind while studying the [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']]. The fourth idea deals with the Law of Correspondences:

<blockquote>Fourth and last basic idea to be held is that expressed in the Great Hermetic Axiom. It really sums up and synthesizes all the others: 
As is the Inner, so is the Outer; as is the Great, so is the Small; as it is above, so it is below: there is but ONE LIFE AND LAW; and he that worketh it is ONE. Nothing is Inner, nothing is Outer; nothing is GREAT, nothing is Small; nothing is High, nothing is Low, in the Divine Economy.<ref>Robert Bowen, ''Madame Blavatsky on how to study Theosophy'' (Wheaton, Il: Theosophical Society in America, [1989?], 9-10.</ref></blockquote>

The [[Stanzas of Dzyan]] published in the [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] are said to follow this law:

<blockquote>The beauty and wisdom of the Stanzas consist in this, that they may be interpreted on seven different planes, the last reflecting, by the universal law of correspondences and analogy, in its most differentiated, gross and physical aspect, the process which takes place on the first or purely spiritual plane.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 354.</ref></blockquote>

Since what happens at a higher plane finds its reflection at a lower one, by using this law the student can infer first principles and the higher realities underlying various phenomena. Once he finds the essential nature of that which can be known, he can move from the particular to the universal. Thus, [[H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>[T]he law of correspondences will lead you to the discovery of the greatest mysteries of macrocosmical life. 
But to arrive at the macrocosmical, you must begin by the microcosmical: i.e., you must study MAN, the microcosm––in this case as physical science does––inductively, proceeding from particulars to universals. At the same time, however . . . we must never lose sight of the Platonic method, which starts with one general view of all, and descends from the universal to the individual.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 517.</ref></blockquote>

== Notes ==

<references/>

==Further reading==

*[http://www.theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Analogy,_Law_of# Law of Analogy] at Theosopedia

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]

Hermeticism

2021-09-21T07:08:33Z

Donnie Pierce: Change the to they

Hermeticism is the philosophy of Hermes (in Greek), Mercury (in Roman) and Thoth (in Egyptian). Mainstream historians do not know if Hermes was a god, a man, a magician, a group of men, nor do they know even approximately when he or they lived. Theosophy, however, tells us that “Thoth-Hermes was one of the King-Instructors, the "[[Sons of the Fire]]," who began in [[Lemuria]] in the Third Race to instruct infant humanity in the arts and sciences. The Egyptians always regarded Thoth-Hermes as a symbol of the Third Race. But in whichever of his characters Hermes appears, he is always credited as the first to teach the science of magic to the Egyptians.”<ref>Author Unknown, “Great Theosophists – Alchemy and the Alchemists” Wisdom World.org THEOSOPHY, Vol. 25, No. 11, September, 1937, (Pages 490-496; Size: 19K), (Number 14 of a 29-part series)</ref> The name Hermes is also given to a school of initiates.

“The Sons of Fire were a special group of Adepts who were produced consciously through kriy€ akti by the Sons of Wisdom during the Third Root Race of humanity. The [[Mahatma Letters]] refer to them as the inhabitants of [[Shamballa]] who triumphed over the wicked magicians of Poseidon, the last island of Atlantis. They were not a race, and are also called ‘Sons of Will and Yoga.’”<ref>http://www.theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Sons_of_the_Fire_Mist# 2</ref>

[[File:Hermes.png|left|300px|thumb|Medieval Drawing of Hermes]]

Traditional historians do suspect that the origins of the Hermetic school of thought goes back to pre-sand era of Egypt. There is much speculation about the Egyptian civilization. Official history books date Egypt to around 3000 BC, as a fully developed society complete with extraordinary knowledge. This is very unlikely. Some evolution of this advanced society would be necessary to reach the stage it reached by 3000 BC but nothing is recorded. Theosophists suggest that pre-sand Egypt was populated by the survivors of [[Atlantis]] who crossed the then lush Sahara and settled in the Nile Valley bringing with them the advanced knowledge of the lost continent thousands of years before Egypt enters history in 3000 BC. The pyramids, temples and the Sphinx were built by Atlantean ancestors far before they are believed to have been built.

Hermeticism has endured for eons and has influenced some of the greatest thinkers of the ancient and modern world, even at times when it seemed the world had forgotten Hermeticism it was an unseen but primary motivating factor at the core. Though not specifically Christian, Hermes has been adopted by many Christian writers as sage who foresaw Christianity’s arrival. Hermeticism does profess a lineage from a “prisca theologia,” a doctrine that upholds the existence of a single, true theology existing in all theologies that was given to man by God in the very distant past.

Hermes, or followers of Hermes, are credited with writing forty-two books according to Clement of Alexander, others credit him with twice this number but only about fifteen have come down to us, as least so far. Among his works are ''Corpus Hermeticum'', ''Pymander'', ''Asclepius'' and the famous ''Emerald Tablets''. These works can be divided into two subjects – one being philosophical in nature and the other being alchemical. The philosophical works were written as dialogues, the way Plato wrote. The ''Emerald Tablets'', however, were written in a manner that seems to obscure the meaning to all but those trained in alchemy. Of course, all alchemical works seem to be written in a purposely enigmatic manner for that very reason.

Hermes Trimagistis, as Hermes is sometimes known, means “thrice great.” He has been credited with an astonishing number of inventions including no less than civilization itself, in addition to music, chemistry, law, art, astrology, magic, mathematics, philosophy and the list goes on and on.

== '''Creation According To Hermes''' ==

Understanding the creation story as recounted in Hermes’ Book I of ''Corpus Hermeticum'', called ''Poimandres'', will help to see where the beliefs of Hermeticism came from.

Nous is what God is called. In the beginning Nous (God) created a second Nous, who becomes a craftsman and creates the world. Nous II creates seven powers in seven spheres around what will become earth; the spheres have control over what will be the earth. They control what we know as destiny. The seven spheres are the Moon, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Here is the beginning of astrology. But there is an eighth and a ninth sphere beyond these seven and it will be man’s goal to transcend the power of the seven and finally arrive at the eighth and then the ninth where he is to be reunited with the creator. Nous II sets the spheres in motion and life begins on earth.

Nous I likes what Nous II has created and he wants to share his pleasure in this creation. So Nous I creates Man. Poimandres says, “Man is the same as self,” that is same as Nous. The idea of being a child of god is obvious here. Seeing all the wonderful, beautiful things that had been created Man wants this power too and Nous I so loved Man that he handed creation over to him. Man (still in heaven) became interested in what was going on down on earth so he pierces the seven spheres and looks down on what Nous II has created. Nature looks up at Man and falls in love with him. Man sees his own reflection in the waters of earth and falls in love with Nature and wants to be with her. Immediately Man is transported into the world of form. He and Nature fall into each other’s arms, make love and have been doing so ever since.

In the creation myth we are introduced to astrology and the influence of the planets upon man and from which man is expected to rise above. We have dualism – a god of the heavens and one who created earth. We see the idea of Man as the son or part of god. We have man being given the power of creation. “You create your own reality.” The idea that man has a dual nature – one in heaven (non-material, the soul or spirit) and one physical in the world of matter (the body). And “the Fall”, leaving heaven to be with Nature.

== '''Beliefs''' ==

Fundamental to understanding Hermeticism is a knowledge, a “gnosis,” which cannot be taught. Gnosis reveals in an experiential way the total unity of everything in the universe. Absolutely everything in the world is interconnected, there is no separation. Hermeticism is not a religion of faith or belief, it is about knowing that requires no trust in something unseen or unproven. Frances Yates says, Hermeticism is a religion “without temples or liturgy, followed in the mind alone.”<ref>Yates, Frances A. Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971. Print. P. 13</ref> The ways to open to gnosis can be taught to an aspirant but the experience itself is a direct, intuitive, very personal grasp of divine reality and the unity of everything. Achieving this gnosis or cosmic consciousness is necessary to the hermetic man because this is how he becomes fully human; without this he is little more than an animal.

This sudden revelation experience has been compared to what RM Bucke called “cosmic consciousness,” which is the very sudden, unprovoked sense of total oneness with everything. It is a very rare occurrence. Bucke, in his 1901 book Cosmic Consciousness, explores the instances of this gnosis experienced by Jesus, the Buddha, Proust, Ouspensky, Dante, Whitman and Blake to name a few. As rare and as moving as these moments are Bucke believes our consciousness is moving toward a state where instances of cosmic consciousness will be commonplace. Interestingly, Abraham Maslow investigating what he calls “peak experiences” found that when his students discussed with each other their personal peak experiences they tended to become more frequent. Perhaps knowledge of and discussion of gnosis will make it a less rare event.

One aspect of Hermeticism that greatly disturbs fundamentalist Christians is the belief that Man is the equal of God. “If you do not make yourself the equal of God you cannot understand him. Like is understood by Like.”<ref>Lachman, Gary. The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus: From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World. , 2011. Print. P35</ref> Advice from Nous to Hermes in Book XI of Corpus Hermeticum. “Command your soul to go anywhere, and it will be there quicker than your command. Bid it to go to the ocean and it will need no wings…Grow to immeasurable size. Suppose nothing to be impossible to you. Conceive yourself to be in all places at the same time; in earth, in the sea, in heaven; that you are not born yet, that you are within the womb, that you are young, old, dead. Conceive all things at once; times, places, actions, qualities and quantities; then you can understand God.”<ref>Lachman, Gary. The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus: From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World. , 2011. Print. P35</ref> Arrogance? Hermes says that Man is a “divine being….and the true man is above the gods, or at least fully their equal in power.”<ref>Lachman, Gary. The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus: From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World. , 2011. Print. P35</ref> Some schools of thought believe “God only knows what you know,” suggesting that man’s journey on earth is a learning experience for the creator, as well as the individual. Those who believe their god is omniscient take offense with this premise of Hermeticism.

[[File:The_Magican.png|right|300px|thumb|The Magician in Tarot]]

Hermeticists believed in the doctrine of “as above, so below,” or the [[Law of Correspondences]], a statement which begins the Smaragdine Tablet of Hermes, opens with the words: "What is below is like that which is above, and what is above is similar to that which is below." Whatever happens on one level of reality, be it physical, emotional or mental, happens on all level. This doctrine is repeated through most occult disciplines. In the Tarot the first card of the major arcana is the Magician shown here at the right. The Magician in this picture is pointing up with one arm and down with the other signifying “as above, so below.” On the table before him are the representations of the four basic elements – earth (pentacles), wind (swords), fire (wands) and water (cups) – all controlled by the “as above, so below.”

According to Hermeticism there are three parts of wisdom in the entire universe they are [[Alchemy]], Astrology and [[Theurgy]]. Alchemy is the operation of the sun or the striving for perfection. Astrology, the operation of the stars, and the influences upon the human being and his work to rise above the influence of the heavens. Theurgy is the operation of the gods or magic. In Giovanni Pico della Mirandola's Apology he writes that there are two different types of magic, Black Magic or Goëtia (Greek), which relies upon an alliance with evil spirits (i.e., demons) and there is White (or divine) magic called Theurgy, which relies on an alliance with divine spirits (i.e., angels, archangels, gods).

[[Reincarnation]] is a feature of Hermeticism. "O son, how many bodies we have to pass through, how many bands of demons, through how many series of repetitions and cycles of the stars, before we hasten to the One alone?”<ref>http://oneworldawaken.blogspot.com/p/occultism.html</ref> Reincarnation has been a problem for the Catholic Church ever since it was banned from the official books at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Prior to this reincarnation was an accepted part of the Catholic doctrine.

Hermeticism and [[Gnosticism]] are often considered to be closely associated since they both seek gnosis but while they share many characteristics, their fundamental attitudes toward life is completely opposite. Gnosticism sees the world as a dark, evil place filled with demons to be overcome and a constant struggle to attain higher and higher levels of spiritual reality. Their goal is to escape from it, seeking salvation through gnosis. The hermetic man’s view of the world is not dark, he views it as evidence of beauty and divine harmony. Instead of escaping the world he wants more knowledge of the world in order to expand himself, to realize his full potential in the world. He works to free himself from the influence of the planetary spheres (astrological domination). He would read his horoscope in the morning paper not to see what his day has in store but to know how to master his fate. He sees beauty in the world and continues to be in love with Nature.

Between the time they were written, believed to be anywhere from 100 BC to 300 and 1463 AD, Hermetic writings and thought seem to have gone underground in Europe. What happened to bring them back out into the open was in 1463 a monk in the employ of Cosimo de Medici’s rediscovered the Hermetic works in Macedonia. Cosimo was so anxious to read about Hermeticism before he died (apparently being close at that point) that he had his scribe stop work on translating Plato and work on the writing of Hermes instead. It seems Hermes influence had not lost its audience but instead the followers had become more cautious. Though Hermeticism had a shaping effect on the Catholic Church it was not overt or direct.

== '''The Hermetic Revolution''' ==

Marsilio Ficino, Cosimo De Medici’s scribe who hurriedly translated the newly unearthed Hermetic documents in 1463, was profoundly affected by the information he acquired from the writings, in fact, the Hermetic texts had a profound influence on all of Western culture. It is commonly believed that the rediscovery of Plato’s teachings fueled the Renaissance but Hermes impact is believed to be far greater than Plato’s.

Ficino eventually became a Roman Catholic priest and a high ranking official at the Cathedral of Florence. He hoped to synthesize Hermetics into the Catholic religion but the Inquisition was still operational so he had to be extremely careful. Ficino, and most early Hermetic scholars, downplayed Hermes by placing his life after one of the heroes of the Catholic Church, Moses, all the time knowing that Hermes lived at least as far back as pre-pharaoh days of Egypt. Nevertheless, they referred to him as a contemporary of Moses, sometimes Moses himself.

It was the magical religion of the Egyptians, the talismanic skills that supposedly could draw the powers of the stars into material objects here on earth that fascinated Ficino. Magic of any kind was forbidden by the Church so he was treading a dangerous path. Ficino managed to avoid the Inquisition but his student, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, did not fare as well.

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was born into an extremely wealthy and influential family. He met Ficino in 1484. Pico was already well versed in the Hermetica, The Chaldean Oracles and the Kabbala. It was his very bold and ambitious plan to synthesize the pagan, Christian and Hebrew belief systems and he was not cautious, as Ficino had been. Frances Yates says that Pico married Hermeticism and Cabalism inventing a type of magic called Christian Hermetic-Cabala which was to have far reaching effects. He was arrested by the Inquisition but he pulled some strings and was released. Pico died under mysterious circumstances when he was only thirty-one.

In the following century the next great, perhaps the greatest champion of Hermeticism was born – Giordano Bruno. He was brilliant, reckless and argumentative. He studied to be a Dominican monk. Ironically papal Inquisitors were Dominicans. But he was not to remain a Dominican. At the age of twenty-eight he denounced the order and publically and very emotionally defrocked himself. Bruno was a resolute Hermeticist who cherished the dream of complete restoration of Hermeticism. He wanted nothing less than to replace the Church with Hermeticism.

Bruno travelled extensively and wrote. His most important book was titled “''Spaccio della Bestia Trionfante''” or “The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast.” The title had a dual meaning. In his dedication he writes that he means by “triumphant beast” the “vices which dominate, and oppose the divine part of the soul.”<ref>Yates, Frances A. Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971. Print. P. 290</ref> The occult meaning the “triumphant beast” is the pope and his entire religion. Bruno was not subtle. His writings brought him the attention of the Catholic Church and he spent several years avoiding the Holy Inquisition. But in March of 1592, on the run from the Church, Bruno stayed too long in Italy and was arrested for heresy. The next eight years were spent in the torturous custody of the Inquisitors. In February 1600, he was burned at the stake.

== '''Hermes and Alchemy and Medicine''' ==

[[File:TheCaduceus.png|right|300px|thumb|The Caduceus]]

The caduceus is the symbol for Hermes. It is also the symbol used for modern medicine.
It is unknown how the caduceus came to be the symbol of Hermes. One of the many stories says that Hermes came upon two snakes locked in mortal combat, he separated them with his staff and acting as mediator brought peace between them by suggesting an alchemical reconciliation. As snakes shed their skin and appear to be reborn, this connects them to both magic and medicine.

The words Hermeticism and Alchemy are almost used interchangeably and the Catholic violently opposed any form of alchemy. Alchemy in its public representation was the study of changing base metal into gold. The occult meaning had to do with the purification and empowerment of man via Hermetics. Alchemy was not about the study of changing base metal in gold, it was about the process of changing oneself which was only possible if one understood the divine nature of mankind. The aspiration was to rise above the Nature that man is born into. Man transmutes his life to realize his true divine potential.

Alchemists, trying both to obscure but also express the true meaning of their texts, used chemical symbols and Roman and Greek mythology. They combined many concepts into a language that would express what they experienced but words were inadequate to describe an actual spiritual experience. Alchemists used images they created and also myths and allegories. The student needed to learn how think and feel what those images conveyed. An intellectual approach would never yield the true secrets of the alchemy of self-transformation.

The idea that man should control his destiny rather than be a victim to the influence of the stars led to the concept of influencing or controlling nature. This was of great interest to the developing discipline of science. Sir Isaac Newton took great interest in Hermetics, thoroughly studying the Corpus Hermeticum, in secret, of course, due to the Church’s powerful disapproval of alchemy.

The secrecy surrounding alchemy led to many misunderstandings concerning what alchemy was all about but this has proven to have contributed greatly to mankind. People interested in converting base metal to gold ended up creating chemistry. The efforts of Paracelsus, also misunderstanding the true nature of alchemy, led to the beginning of pharmacology.

== '''Conclusion''' ==

Theosophy says that Hermes was a King-Instructor of the Third Race. The Third Race existed in [[Lemuria]]. Many instructors of the early human races, including the Third Race were not of this world but brought from other planets to guide the humanity in its development. According to William Scott-Elliott and Charles Leadbeater in ''The Story of Atlantis and Lost Lemuria'', Venus, then a highly evolved race themselves, assisted in the education of earthlings. In this light it is not difficult to imagine Hermes being responsible for music, chemistry, law, art, astrology, magic, mathematics, philosophy, etc, etc, etc.

The actual years when Lemuria existed is not known but working backward in time if the last island of Atlantis submerged in 11,580 BC and Atlantean civilization lasted four to five million years and the teachings of Hermes came to us from pre-Atlantean Lemuria, it is mind-boggling to consider how long the Hermeticism has been part of the human race.

== '''Further Reading''' ==

Hancock, Graham, and Robert Bauval. ''Talisman: Sacred Cities, Secret Faith''. London: Michael Joseph, 2004. Print.

Hermes and G R. S. Mead. ''Thrice-greatest Hermes: Studies in Hellenistic Theosophy and Gnosis, Being a Translation of the Extant Sermons and Fragments of the Trismegistic Literature, with Prolegomena, Commentaries, and Notes.'' London: J.M. Watkins, 1964. Print.

Lachman, Gary. ''The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus: From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World''. , 2011. Print.

Salaman, Clement, and Hermes. ''The Way of Hermes: Translations of the Corpus Hermeticum and the Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius.'' Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2000. Print.

Wilson, Colin. ''From Atlantis to the Sphinx''. New York: Fromm International Pub, 1997. Print

Yates, Frances A. ''Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition.'' Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1964. Print.

== '''Internet Sources''' ==

http://www.wisdomworld.org/setting/alchemy.html

http://www.theosophicalsociety.org.uk/

http://oneworldawaken.blogspot.com/p/occultism.html

== Additional resources==
===Video===
* ''Hermeticism and Gnosticism'' by Stephan Hoeller
** Volume 1: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Svff9PiH0 Part 1] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jleRvDBfacc Part 2]
** Volume 2: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2UX9l6c7dI Part 1] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay2gtDHfmH4 Part 2]
** Volume 3: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rrm8Va-NEA Part 1] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf_m232kd28 Part 2]
** Volume 4: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Oz-vSoqyVc Part 1] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_tBTdqHme4 Part 2]

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Western Esotericism]]
[[Category:Schools of Thought]]

Hermeticism

2021-09-21T06:57:26Z

Donnie Pierce: Add "with"

Hermeticism is the philosophy of Hermes (in Greek), Mercury (in Roman) and Thoth (in Egyptian). Mainstream historians do not know if Hermes was a god, a man, a magician, a group of men, nor do they know even approximately when he or they lived. Theosophy, however, tells us that “Thoth-Hermes was one of the King-Instructors, the "[[Sons of the Fire]]," who began in [[Lemuria]] in the Third Race to instruct infant humanity in the arts and sciences. The Egyptians always regarded Thoth-Hermes as a symbol of the Third Race. But in whichever of his characters Hermes appears, he is always credited as the first to teach the science of magic to the Egyptians.”<ref>Author Unknown, “Great Theosophists – Alchemy and the Alchemists” Wisdom World.org THEOSOPHY, Vol. 25, No. 11, September, 1937, (Pages 490-496; Size: 19K), (Number 14 of a 29-part series)</ref> The name Hermes is also given to a school of initiates.

“The Sons of Fire were a special group of Adepts who were produced consciously through kriy€ akti by the Sons of Wisdom during the Third Root Race of humanity. The [[Mahatma Letters]] refer to them as the inhabitants of [[Shamballa]] who triumphed over the wicked magicians of Poseidon, the last island of Atlantis. They were not a race, and are also called ‘Sons of Will and Yoga.’”<ref>http://www.theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Sons_of_the_Fire_Mist# 2</ref>

[[File:Hermes.png|left|300px|thumb|Medieval Drawing of Hermes]]

Traditional historians do suspect that the origins of the Hermetic school of thought goes back to pre-sand era of Egypt. There is much speculation about the Egyptian civilization. Official history books date Egypt to around 3000 BC, as a fully developed society complete with extraordinary knowledge. This is very unlikely. Some evolution of this advanced society would be necessary to reach the stage it reached by 3000 BC but nothing is recorded. Theosophists suggest that pre-sand Egypt was populated by the survivors of [[Atlantis]] who crossed the then lush Sahara and settled in the Nile Valley bringing with them the advanced knowledge of the lost continent thousands of years before Egypt enters history in 3000 BC. The pyramids, temples and the Sphinx were built by Atlantean ancestors far before they are believed to have been built.

Hermeticism has endured for eons and has influenced some of the greatest thinkers of the ancient and modern world, even at times when it seemed the world had forgotten Hermeticism it was an unseen but primary motivating factor at the core. Though not specifically Christian, Hermes has been adopted by many Christian writers as sage who foresaw Christianity’s arrival. Hermeticism does profess a lineage from a “prisca theologia,” a doctrine that upholds the existence of a single, true theology existing in all theologies that was given to man by God in the very distant past.

Hermes, or followers of Hermes, are credited with writing forty-two books according to Clement of Alexander, others credit him with twice this number but only about fifteen have come down to us, as least so far. Among his works are ''Corpus Hermeticum'', ''Pymander'', ''Asclepius'' and the famous ''Emerald Tablets''. These works can be divided into two subjects – one being philosophical in nature and the other being alchemical. The philosophical works were written as dialogues, the way Plato wrote. The ''Emerald Tablets'', however, were written in a manner that seems to obscure the meaning to all but those trained in alchemy. Of course, all alchemical works seem to be written in a purposely enigmatic manner for that very reason.

Hermes Trimagistis, as Hermes is sometimes known, means “thrice great.” He has been credited with an astonishing number of inventions including no less than civilization itself, in addition to music, chemistry, law, art, astrology, magic, mathematics, philosophy and the list goes on and on.

== '''Creation According To Hermes''' ==

Understanding the creation story as recounted in Hermes’ Book I of ''Corpus Hermeticum'', called ''Poimandres'', will help to see where the beliefs of Hermeticism came from.

Nous is what God is called. In the beginning Nous (God) created a second Nous, who becomes a craftsman and creates the world. Nous II creates seven powers in seven spheres around what will become earth; the spheres have control over what will be the earth. They control what we know as destiny. The seven spheres are the Moon, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Here is the beginning of astrology. But there is an eighth and a ninth sphere beyond these seven and it will be man’s goal to transcend the power of the seven and finally arrive at the eighth and then the ninth where he is to be reunited with the creator. Nous II sets the spheres in motion and life begins on earth.

Nous I likes what Nous II has created and he wants to share his pleasure in this creation. So Nous I creates Man. Poimandres says, “Man is the same as self,” that is same as Nous. The idea of being a child of god is obvious here. Seeing all the wonderful, beautiful things that had been created Man wants this power too and Nous I so loved Man that he handed creation over to him. Man (still in heaven) became interested in what was going on down on earth so he pierces the seven spheres and looks down on what Nous II has created. Nature looks up at Man and falls in love with him. Man sees his own reflection in the waters of earth and falls in love with Nature and wants to be with her. Immediately Man is transported into the world of form. He and Nature fall into each other’s arms, make love and have been doing so ever since.

In the creation myth we are introduced to astrology and the influence of the planets upon man and from which man is expected to rise above. We have dualism – a god of the heavens and one who created earth. We see the idea of Man as the son or part of god. We have man being given the power of creation. “You create your own reality.” The idea that man has a dual nature – one in heaven (non-material, the soul or spirit) and one physical in the world of matter (the body). And “the Fall”, leaving heaven to be with Nature.

== '''Beliefs''' ==

Fundamental to understanding Hermeticism is a knowledge, a “gnosis,” which cannot be taught. Gnosis reveals in an experiential way the total unity of everything in the universe. Absolutely everything in the world is interconnected, there is no separation. Hermeticism is not a religion of faith or belief, it is about knowing that requires no trust in something unseen or unproven. Frances Yates says, Hermeticism is a religion “without temples or liturgy, followed in the mind alone.”<ref>Yates, Frances A. Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971. Print. P. 13</ref> The ways to open to gnosis can be taught to an aspirant but the experience itself is a direct, intuitive, very personal grasp of divine reality and the unity of everything. Achieving this gnosis or cosmic consciousness is necessary to the hermetic man because this is how he becomes fully human; without this he is little more than an animal.

This sudden revelation experience has been compared to what RM Bucke called “cosmic consciousness,” which is the very sudden, unprovoked sense of total oneness with everything. It is a very rare occurrence. Bucke, in his 1901 book Cosmic Consciousness, explores the instances of this gnosis experienced by Jesus, the Buddha, Proust, Ouspensky, Dante, Whitman and Blake to name a few. As rare and as moving as these moments are Bucke believes our consciousness is moving toward a state where instances of cosmic consciousness will be commonplace. Interestingly, Abraham Maslow investigating what he calls “peak experiences” found that when his students discussed with each other their personal peak experiences they tended to become more frequent. Perhaps knowledge of and discussion of gnosis will make it a less rare event.

One aspect of Hermeticism that greatly disturbs fundamentalist Christians is the belief that Man is the equal of God. “If you do not make yourself the equal of God you cannot understand him. Like is understood by Like.”<ref>Lachman, Gary. The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus: From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World. , 2011. Print. P35</ref> Advice from Nous to Hermes in Book XI of Corpus Hermeticum. “Command your soul to go anywhere, and it will be there quicker than your command. Bid it to go to the ocean and it will need no wings…Grow to immeasurable size. Suppose nothing to be impossible to you. Conceive yourself to be in all places at the same time; in earth, in the sea, in heaven; that you are not born yet, that you are within the womb, that you are young, old, dead. Conceive all things at once; times, places, actions, qualities and quantities; then you can understand God.”<ref>Lachman, Gary. The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus: From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World. , 2011. Print. P35</ref> Arrogance? Hermes says that Man is a “divine being….and the true man is above the gods, or at least fully their equal in power.”<ref>Lachman, Gary. The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus: From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World. , 2011. Print. P35</ref> Some schools of thought believe “God only knows what you know,” suggesting that man’s journey on earth is a learning experience for the creator, as well as the individual. Those who believe their god is omniscient take offense with this premise of Hermeticism.

[[File:The_Magican.png|right|300px|thumb|The Magician in Tarot]]

Hermeticists believed in the doctrine of “as above, so below,” or the [[Law of Correspondences]], a statement which begins the Smaragdine Tablet of Hermes, opens with the words: "What is below is like that which is above, and what is above is similar to that which is below." Whatever happens on one level of reality, be it physical, emotional or mental, happens on all level. This doctrine is repeated through most occult disciplines. In the Tarot the first card of the major arcana is the Magician shown here at the right. The Magician in this picture is pointing up with one arm and down with the other signifying “as above, so below.” On the table before him are the representations of the four basic elements – earth (pentacles), wind (swords), fire (wands) and water (cups) – all controlled by the “as above, so below.”

According to Hermeticism there are three parts of wisdom in the entire universe they are [[Alchemy]], Astrology and [[Theurgy]]. Alchemy is the operation of the sun or the striving for perfection. Astrology, the operation of the stars, and the influences upon the human being and his work to rise above the influence of the heavens. Theurgy is the operation of the gods or magic. In Giovanni Pico della Mirandola's Apology he writes that there are two different types of magic, Black Magic or Goëtia (Greek), which relies upon an alliance with evil spirits (i.e., demons) and there is White (or divine) magic called Theurgy, which relies on an alliance with divine spirits (i.e., angels, archangels, gods).

[[Reincarnation]] is a feature of Hermeticism. "O son, how many bodies we have to pass through, how many bands of demons, through how many series of repetitions and cycles of the stars, before we hasten to the One alone?”<ref>http://oneworldawaken.blogspot.com/p/occultism.html</ref> Reincarnation has been a problem for the Catholic Church ever since it was banned from the official books at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Prior to this reincarnation was an accepted part of the Catholic doctrine.

Hermeticism and [[Gnosticism]] are often considered to be closely associated since the both seek gnosis but while they share many characteristics, their fundamental attitudes toward life is completely opposite. Gnosticism sees the world as a dark, evil place filled with demons to be overcome and a constant struggle to attain higher and higher levels of spiritual reality. Their goal is to escape from it, seeking salvation through gnosis. The hermetic man’s view of the world is not dark, he views it as evidence of beauty and divine harmony. Instead of escaping the world he wants more knowledge of the world in order to expand himself, to realize his full potential in the world. He works to free himself from the influence of the planetary spheres (astrological domination). He would read his horoscope in the morning paper not to see what his day has in store but to know how to master his fate. He sees beauty in the world and continues to be in love with Nature.

Between the time they were written, believed to be anywhere from 100 BC to 300 and 1463 AD, Hermetic writings and thought seem to have gone underground in Europe. What happened to bring them back out into the open was in 1463 a monk in the employ of Cosimo de Medici’s rediscovered the Hermetic works in Macedonia. Cosimo was so anxious to read about Hermeticism before he died (apparently being close at that point) that he had his scribe stop work on translating Plato and work on the writing of Hermes instead. It seems Hermes influence had not lost its audience but instead the followers had become more cautious. Though Hermeticism had a shaping effect on the Catholic Church it was not overt or direct.

== '''The Hermetic Revolution''' ==

Marsilio Ficino, Cosimo De Medici’s scribe who hurriedly translated the newly unearthed Hermetic documents in 1463, was profoundly affected by the information he acquired from the writings, in fact, the Hermetic texts had a profound influence on all of Western culture. It is commonly believed that the rediscovery of Plato’s teachings fueled the Renaissance but Hermes impact is believed to be far greater than Plato’s.

Ficino eventually became a Roman Catholic priest and a high ranking official at the Cathedral of Florence. He hoped to synthesize Hermetics into the Catholic religion but the Inquisition was still operational so he had to be extremely careful. Ficino, and most early Hermetic scholars, downplayed Hermes by placing his life after one of the heroes of the Catholic Church, Moses, all the time knowing that Hermes lived at least as far back as pre-pharaoh days of Egypt. Nevertheless, they referred to him as a contemporary of Moses, sometimes Moses himself.

It was the magical religion of the Egyptians, the talismanic skills that supposedly could draw the powers of the stars into material objects here on earth that fascinated Ficino. Magic of any kind was forbidden by the Church so he was treading a dangerous path. Ficino managed to avoid the Inquisition but his student, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, did not fare as well.

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was born into an extremely wealthy and influential family. He met Ficino in 1484. Pico was already well versed in the Hermetica, The Chaldean Oracles and the Kabbala. It was his very bold and ambitious plan to synthesize the pagan, Christian and Hebrew belief systems and he was not cautious, as Ficino had been. Frances Yates says that Pico married Hermeticism and Cabalism inventing a type of magic called Christian Hermetic-Cabala which was to have far reaching effects. He was arrested by the Inquisition but he pulled some strings and was released. Pico died under mysterious circumstances when he was only thirty-one.

In the following century the next great, perhaps the greatest champion of Hermeticism was born – Giordano Bruno. He was brilliant, reckless and argumentative. He studied to be a Dominican monk. Ironically papal Inquisitors were Dominicans. But he was not to remain a Dominican. At the age of twenty-eight he denounced the order and publically and very emotionally defrocked himself. Bruno was a resolute Hermeticist who cherished the dream of complete restoration of Hermeticism. He wanted nothing less than to replace the Church with Hermeticism.

Bruno travelled extensively and wrote. His most important book was titled “''Spaccio della Bestia Trionfante''” or “The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast.” The title had a dual meaning. In his dedication he writes that he means by “triumphant beast” the “vices which dominate, and oppose the divine part of the soul.”<ref>Yates, Frances A. Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971. Print. P. 290</ref> The occult meaning the “triumphant beast” is the pope and his entire religion. Bruno was not subtle. His writings brought him the attention of the Catholic Church and he spent several years avoiding the Holy Inquisition. But in March of 1592, on the run from the Church, Bruno stayed too long in Italy and was arrested for heresy. The next eight years were spent in the torturous custody of the Inquisitors. In February 1600, he was burned at the stake.

== '''Hermes and Alchemy and Medicine''' ==

[[File:TheCaduceus.png|right|300px|thumb|The Caduceus]]

The caduceus is the symbol for Hermes. It is also the symbol used for modern medicine.
It is unknown how the caduceus came to be the symbol of Hermes. One of the many stories says that Hermes came upon two snakes locked in mortal combat, he separated them with his staff and acting as mediator brought peace between them by suggesting an alchemical reconciliation. As snakes shed their skin and appear to be reborn, this connects them to both magic and medicine.

The words Hermeticism and Alchemy are almost used interchangeably and the Catholic violently opposed any form of alchemy. Alchemy in its public representation was the study of changing base metal into gold. The occult meaning had to do with the purification and empowerment of man via Hermetics. Alchemy was not about the study of changing base metal in gold, it was about the process of changing oneself which was only possible if one understood the divine nature of mankind. The aspiration was to rise above the Nature that man is born into. Man transmutes his life to realize his true divine potential.

Alchemists, trying both to obscure but also express the true meaning of their texts, used chemical symbols and Roman and Greek mythology. They combined many concepts into a language that would express what they experienced but words were inadequate to describe an actual spiritual experience. Alchemists used images they created and also myths and allegories. The student needed to learn how think and feel what those images conveyed. An intellectual approach would never yield the true secrets of the alchemy of self-transformation.

The idea that man should control his destiny rather than be a victim to the influence of the stars led to the concept of influencing or controlling nature. This was of great interest to the developing discipline of science. Sir Isaac Newton took great interest in Hermetics, thoroughly studying the Corpus Hermeticum, in secret, of course, due to the Church’s powerful disapproval of alchemy.

The secrecy surrounding alchemy led to many misunderstandings concerning what alchemy was all about but this has proven to have contributed greatly to mankind. People interested in converting base metal to gold ended up creating chemistry. The efforts of Paracelsus, also misunderstanding the true nature of alchemy, led to the beginning of pharmacology.

== '''Conclusion''' ==

Theosophy says that Hermes was a King-Instructor of the Third Race. The Third Race existed in [[Lemuria]]. Many instructors of the early human races, including the Third Race were not of this world but brought from other planets to guide the humanity in its development. According to William Scott-Elliott and Charles Leadbeater in ''The Story of Atlantis and Lost Lemuria'', Venus, then a highly evolved race themselves, assisted in the education of earthlings. In this light it is not difficult to imagine Hermes being responsible for music, chemistry, law, art, astrology, magic, mathematics, philosophy, etc, etc, etc.

The actual years when Lemuria existed is not known but working backward in time if the last island of Atlantis submerged in 11,580 BC and Atlantean civilization lasted four to five million years and the teachings of Hermes came to us from pre-Atlantean Lemuria, it is mind-boggling to consider how long the Hermeticism has been part of the human race.

== '''Further Reading''' ==

Hancock, Graham, and Robert Bauval. ''Talisman: Sacred Cities, Secret Faith''. London: Michael Joseph, 2004. Print.

Hermes and G R. S. Mead. ''Thrice-greatest Hermes: Studies in Hellenistic Theosophy and Gnosis, Being a Translation of the Extant Sermons and Fragments of the Trismegistic Literature, with Prolegomena, Commentaries, and Notes.'' London: J.M. Watkins, 1964. Print.

Lachman, Gary. ''The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus: From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World''. , 2011. Print.

Salaman, Clement, and Hermes. ''The Way of Hermes: Translations of the Corpus Hermeticum and the Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius.'' Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2000. Print.

Wilson, Colin. ''From Atlantis to the Sphinx''. New York: Fromm International Pub, 1997. Print

Yates, Frances A. ''Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition.'' Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1964. Print.

== '''Internet Sources''' ==

http://www.wisdomworld.org/setting/alchemy.html

http://www.theosophicalsociety.org.uk/

http://oneworldawaken.blogspot.com/p/occultism.html

== Additional resources==
===Video===
* ''Hermeticism and Gnosticism'' by Stephan Hoeller
** Volume 1: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Svff9PiH0 Part 1] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jleRvDBfacc Part 2]
** Volume 2: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2UX9l6c7dI Part 1] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay2gtDHfmH4 Part 2]
** Volume 3: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rrm8Va-NEA Part 1] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf_m232kd28 Part 2]
** Volume 4: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Oz-vSoqyVc Part 1] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_tBTdqHme4 Part 2]

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Western Esotericism]]
[[Category:Schools of Thought]]

Lemuria

2021-09-20T08:02:53Z

Donnie Pierce: Change belief to believe

'''Lemuria''' was a continent that existed about thirty-four million years ago, according to [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']], and was the home of the [[Third Root-Race]]. It was destroyed by volcanic fires and most of its land lies now under the ocean.

== Early Lemuria ==

The extension and shape of the continent of Lemuria varied throughout it evolutionary cycle. During the early stages it was an extensive island. According to [[H. P. Blavatsky]]:

<blockquote>Their Sweta-Dwipa [the White Island], during the early day of Lemuria stood out like a giant-peak from the bottom of the sea; the area between Atlas [in North Africa] and Madagascar being occupied by the waters till about the early period of Atlantis (after the disappearance of Lemuria), when Africa emerged from the bottom of the ocean, and Atlas was half-sunk.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 264.</ref></blockquote>

== Middle Lemuria ==

Lemuria's main continent at the peak of its development included part of what is now Asia and South into the Pacific Ocean:

<blockquote>“Lemuria,” as we have called the continent of the Third Race, was then a gigantic land. It covered the whole area of space from the foot of the Himalayas, which separated it from the inland sea rolling its waves over what is now Tibet, Mongolia, and the great desert of Schamo (Gobi); from Chittagong, westward to Hardwar, and eastward to Assam. From thence, it stretched South across what is known to us as Southern India, Ceylon, and Sumatra; then embracing on its way, as we go South, Madagascar on its right hand and Australia and Tasmania on its left, it ran down to within a few degrees of the Antarctic Circle; when, from Australia, an inland region on the Mother Continent in those ages, it extended far into the Pacific Ocean, not only beyond Rapa-nui (Teapy, or Easter Island) which now lies in latitude 26 S., and longitude 110 W.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 323-324.</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Atlantic Ridge.png|right|300px|thumb|The Mid Atlantic Ridge rises 9,000 feet underwater.]]
However, the continent also extended North, showing the shape of a "horse-shoe":

<blockquote>Lemuria, which served as the cradle of the Third Root-Race, not only embraced a vast area in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but extended in the shape of a horse-shoe past Madagascar, round “South Africa” (then a mere fragment in process of formation), through the Atlantic up to Norway. The great English fresh-water deposit called the Wealden—which every geologist regards as the mouth of a former great river—is the bed of the main stream which drained Northern Lemuria in the Secondary Age.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 333.</ref></blockquote>

This "horse-shoe" became the basis for the future continent of [[Atlantis]]:

<blockquote>No more striking confirmation of our position could be given, than the fact that the ELEVATED RIDGE in the Atlantic basin, 9,000 feet in height, which runs for some two or three thousand miles southwards from a point near the British Islands, first slopes towards South America, then shifts almost at right angles to proceed in a SOUTH-EASTERLY line toward the African coast, whence it runs on southward to Tristan d’Acunha. This ridge is a remnant of an Atlantic continent, and, could it be traced further, would establish the reality of a submarine horse-shoe junction with a former continent in the Indian Ocean. 
The Atlantic portion of Lemuria was the geological basis of what is generally known as Atlantis. The latter, indeed, must be regarded rather as a development of the Atlantic prolongation of Lemuria, than as an entirely new mass of land upheaved to meet the special requirements of the [[Fourth Root-Race]].<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 333.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>[Lemuria] stretched, during the Third Race, east and west, as far as where the two Americas now lie, and since the present Australia is but a portion of it, as are also a few surviving islands sown hither and thither on the face of the Pacific and a large bit of California, which belonged to it.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 328.</ref></blockquote>

As evidence for the existence of this lost continent Blavatsky refers to references present in the ancient legends of people in India, Greece, Madagascar, Sumatra, Java the Polynesia, and the Americas:

<blockquote>Both Malacca and Polynesia, which lie at the two extremities of the ocean, and which, since the memory of man never had, and never could have any intercourse with, or even a knowledge of each other, have yet a tradition common to all the islands and islets, that their respective countries extended far, far into the Sea.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 788.</ref></blockquote>

She also refers to the similarity of the Oceanic languages as a proof that these islands were once part of a common continent.

== Late Lemuria ==

Towards the end of its cycle, "the gigantic continent of Lemuria began separating into smaller continents":<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 324-325.</ref>

<blockquote>In the epoch we are treating of, the Continent of “Lemuria,” had already broken asunder in many places, and formed new separate continents. There was, nevertheless, neither Africa nor the Americas, still less Europe in those days, all these slumbering yet on the Ocean floors. Nor was there much of present Asia; for the cis-Himalayan regions were covered with seas, and beyond this stretched the “lotus leaves” of Sveta-dwipa, the countries now called Greenland, Eastern and Western Siberia, etc., etc. The immense Continent, which had once reigned supreme over the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans, now consisted of huge islands which were gradually disappearing one after the other, until the final convulsion engulfed the last remains of it. Easter Isle, for instance, belongs to the earliest civilisation of the Third Race. Submerged with the rest, a volcanic and sudden uplifting of the Ocean floor, raised the small relic of the Archaic ages untouched, with its volcano and statues, during the Champlain epoch of northern polar submersion, as a standing witness to the existence of Lemuria. It is said that some of the Australian tribes are the last remnants of the last descendants of the Third Race.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 327-328.</ref></blockquote>

== Destruction ==

Following a reference in [[Mahatma_Letter_No._93b#Page_6|''The Mahatma Letters'']], [[Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>Lemuria is said to have perished about 700,000 years before the commencement of what is now called the Tertiary age (the Eocene), and it is during this Deluge also—an actual geological deluge this time—that Vaivasvata Manu is again shown as saving mankind (allegorically it is mankind, or a portion of it, the Fourth Race, which is saved).<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 327-328.</ref></blockquote>

The length of the Eocene age in the nineteenth century was different from what scientists believe today. Blavatsky regarded it to have started less than 9 million years ago.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 710.</ref> Before the sinking of Lemuria, a group of people of the [[Third Root-Race]] was rescued by the [[Manu]] to form the seed of the [[Fourth Root-Race]].

Blavatsky talks about "the destruction of 'Lemuria' by subterranean fires"<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 331.</ref> (volcanoes), which caused the continent to sink:

<blockquote>The immense Continent, which had once reigned supreme over the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans, now consisted of huge islands which were gradually disappearing one after the other, until the final convulsion engulfed the last remains of it.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 327.</ref></blockquote>

She mentions that the land to which the Easter Island belonged was "destroyed in one day by its volcanic fires and lava."<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 326.</ref> Later, part of the land resurfaced to form the island we know today:

<blockquote>Submerged with the rest, a volcanic and sudden uplifting of the Ocean floor, raised the small relic of the Archaic ages untouched, with its volcano and statues, during the Champlain epoch of northern polar submersion, as a standing witness to the existence of Lemuria.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 328.</ref></blockquote>

Blavatsky also explained:

<blockquote>The sinking and transformation of Lemuria beginning nearly at the Arctic Circle (Norway), the Third Race ended its career in Lanka, or rather on that which became Lanka with the Atlanteans. The small remnant now known as Ceylon is the Northern highland of ancient Lanka, while the enormous island of that name was, in the Lemurian period, the gigantic continent described a few pages back.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 332.</ref></blockquote>

== See also ==
* [[Lemuria (Steiner)]]

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]

Franz Hartmann

2021-05-25T09:50:03Z

Donnie Pierce: Change 1959 to 1859

[[File: Franz Hartmann.jpg|240px|right|thumb|Dr. Franz Hartmann]]
 Franz Hartmann ([[November 22]], 1838 in Donauwörth, Bavaria; [[August 7]], 1912 in Kempten im Allgäu) was a German medical doctor, [[Theosophist]], occultist, astrologer, and author. His works include several books on esoteric studies and biographies of Jakob Böhme and Paracelsus. He translated the [[Bhagavad Gita (book)|Bhagavad Gita]] into German and was the editor of the journal Lotusblüten. He was at one time a co-worker of [[H. P. Blavatsky]] and [[H. S. Olcott]] at [[Adyar (campus)|Adyar]]. In 1896 he founded a German Theosophical Society.

==Early Years==

When Franz was about one year old, his parents (his father Dr. Karl Hartmann, was a well-known physician; his mother, Elize von Stack, was of Irish descent) moved to Kempten in Southern Bavaria, where his father had been appointed Government physician. Franz was educated there, first under the guidance of his grandfather who had served the French army under Napoleon, and later in the local public school.

Even when he was very young, Franz Hartmann felt as if he had two distinct personalities in him: one was a mystic, a dreamer and an idealist, while the other was obstinate and self-willed, inclined to all sorts of mischief. He loved solitude, shunned the company of schoolmates, and reveled in the midst of nature, where intercourse with the spirits of nature was to him a very real thing. He was educated in the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church and his mind was influenced at first by its ceremonies, but none of the priests could give him any satisfactory explanation about the mystery and power back then. He was also interested in natural sciences, especially chemistry, and languages.<ref> de Zirkoff, Boris. Franz Hartmann. http://www.philaletheians.co.uk/study-notes/theosophy-and-theosophists/de-zirkoff-on-franz-hartmann.pdf Web. N.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016</ref><ref> Dr. Hartmann, Franz. Autobiografische Schriften: Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten”. Schatzkammerverlang, o.J. (ca. 1978), page 8 ff</ref>

==Youth==

At the age of 21 he volunteered for the Bavarian artillery and took part in the war between Austria and Italy in 1859. He then studied medicine and became a physician in 1859. As a student he excelled but he also enjoyed dueling, drinking and other amusements. He emigrated to America in 1865 and became an American citizen in 1867. He traveled around the U.S. and Mexico and worked as a doctor, first in St. Louis and then in New Orleans.

During his travels, Franz Hartmann deliberately associated himself with people of various religious backgrounds. He boarded a whole year in the house of a Jewish Rabbi. He had come to realize the utter emptiness of Christian beliefs, especially among the Protestants.<ref>Boris de Zirkoff. [http://www.philaletheians.co.uk/study-notes/theosophy-and-theosophists/de-zirkoff-on-franz-hartmann.pdf Franz Hartmann]. Web. N.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.</ref>

Around 1871, he was beginning to show an interest in [[spiritualism]]:

<blockquote>
Though adverse to Spiritualism, his curiosity nevertheless prompted him to visit a certain “materializing séance” held by a medium, where he witnessed very startling
phenomena. He became interested and attended lectures by [[J. M. Peebles|Professor J.M. Peebles]], whose philosophy appeared to him to be rational, even though it overthrew all the
materialistic theories.<ref>Boris de Zirkoff, [http://www.philaletheians.co.uk/study-notes/theosophy-and-theosophists/de-zirkoff-on-franz-hartmann.pdf "Dr. Franz Hartmann, German physician, author, traveller, and Theosophist"] at Philalethians website, page 4.</ref>
</blockquote>

He studied the events and life of a [[medium]] in Denver, seeing firsthand the dangers of the [[Occultism|occult]], as the medium became increasingly under the power of the channeled spirit, and eventually slipped into madness. As his interest in spiritualism continued to develop, he visited a number of American Indian tribes to research their religious beliefs, and at some point was active in the Spiritualist circles of New Orleans.<ref> Eek, Sven. Damodar and the Pioneers of the Theosophical Movement. The Theosophical Publishing House, 1965, page 598ff</ref >

==The Theosophical Society==

Leaving the world of travel and spirits for a time, he married a woman from Texas, where they resided on her ranch. It was short lived however, as she died within months. In 1879 he went to Colorado and settled for the time being at Georgetown, feeling very much at home in the Rocky Mountains. During that time, he learned about [[Theosophy]], coming across a copy of [[A. P. Sinnett]]’s book ''[[The Occult World (book)|The Occult World]]''. He contacted Col. [[H. S. Olcott]], a correspondence ensued, and Col. Olcott invited him to the [[Theosophical Society]]'s headquarters in [[Adyar (campus)|Adyar]]. Hartmann was approved for membership in the Theosophical Society on March 25, 1883.<ref>Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at [http://tsmembers.org/ http://tsmembers.org/]. See book 1, entry 1811 (website file: 1A/55).</ref>

Before leaving for India he stopped at Salt Lake City to study the life of the Mormons, and then proceeded to San Francisco where he fell desperately in love. A serious inner struggle ensued, but at last the desire for occult knowledge gained the upper hand. Hartmann left California on [[October 11]], 1883 on board the SS ''Coptic''.<ref>Fergeson, Robert, Franz Hartmann. [http://www.mysticmissal.org/franz_hartmann.htm Franz Hartmann]. Web. N.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.</ref><ref> de Zirkoff, Boris. [http://www.philaletheians.co.uk/study-notes/theosophy-and-theosophists/de-zirkoff-on-franz-hartmann.pdf Franz Hartmann]. Web. N.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.</ref>

He arrived in Adyar on [[December 4]], 1883<ref> Linton, George. ''Reader’s Guide to the Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett''. Theosophical Publishing House, January 1972.</ref> and served as the delegate of the three existing American branches to the December 1883 convention.<ref>Michael Gomes, "The Coulomb Case" ''Theosophical History'' Occasional Papers Volume X (Fullerton, California: Theosophical History, 2005), 5.</ref> In February 1884, when [[Founders#"The Founders"|the Founders]] left for Europe, he was appointed chairman of the newly created '''[[Board of Control]]''' to manage the affairs at headquarters during their absence. The '''[[Hodgson_Report|Coulumb Affair]]''' came to a head while he was serving in that capacity, but he remained loyal to the [[Theosophical Society|TS]] and the [[Founders]] throughout. Later, he published a '''''Report of observations Made During a Nine Months' Stay at the Headquarters of the Theosophical Society''''', which is said to be unsurpassed historically because of its objectivity and honesty. Hartmann did play a significant part in that drama. He was an unusual man and the [[Masters of Wisdom|Masters]] did show interest in him. As far as is known, he received at least ten letters from them, which have been preserved only partially.<ref>Eek, Sven. Damodar and the Pioneers of the Theosophical Movement. The Theosophical Publishing House, 1965, page 601.</ref>

Dr. Hartmann left India with H.P.B. and her small party in March 1885 and after they had reached Europe, Dr. Hartmann remained with her at Naples and at Torre del Greco. When H.P.B. moved to Würzburg, he first went to Munich, to see his sister, Countess von Spreti, then to Kempten, in Bavaria, to visit his relatives and to have a look at the place where he had spent his youth.

Subsequently, he visited H.P.B., both at Würzburg and in London before she passed away. There was a time after the drama at Headquarters H.P.B had her doubts about Hartmann, but in the letter she wrote him on [[April 3]], 1886 she told him the “Master’s voice told me I was mistaken in you and had to keep friends”.<ref>Letters of H.P.B. to Dr. Hartmann. Letter VI. http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/blavatskyhartmann6.htm. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.</ref>

Dr. Hartmann longed to go back to America but when he was almost ready to leave he made the acquaintance of an occult student who was the leader of a small body of real [[Rosicrucianism|Rosicrucians]] and decided to stay in Kempten to study with a group of mystical students, most of whom were poor people, without scholastic education of any kind, but had experienced within themselves some genuine spiritual conditions. Much of what Hartmann wrote in his later books was based on instructions he received from these people.<ref>de Zirkoff, Boris. [http://www.philaletheians.co.uk/study-notes/theosophy-and-theosophists/de-zirkoff-on-franz-hartmann.pdf Franz Hartmann]. Web. N.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.</ref>

== Contact with Mahatma Morya ==

He had the opportunity to see [[Morya|Mahatma M.]] in his astral form:

<blockquote>On the evening of [[December 4]], 1883, I arrived at Madras and was kindly received by Mr. G. Muttuswami Chettyar, who conducted me to his carriage, and away we went towards Adyar, situated in a suburb of the city of Madras, about six miles from the landing place of the steamer.

Before retiring to rest, I expressed a desire to see the pictures of the Mahatmas, these mysterious beings, superior to man, of whom I had heard so much, and I was taken upstairs, to see [["The Shrine"|the "shrine"]] in which those pictures were kept. The pictures represented two men with oriental features and in corresponding dress. The expression of their faces was mild and yet serene.

[Some time later] I [saw] Mahatma [Morya] in his astral form. He appeared to me, accompanied by the astral forms of two chelas. His presence left an exhilarating and elevating influence, which did not fade away until several days after.<ref>[http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/mastersencounterswith.htm# A Casebook of Encounters with the Theosophical Mahatmas] Case 42, compiled and edited by Daniel H. Caldwell</ref></blockquote>

== Letters from Mahatma Koot Hoomi ==

Even though Sven Eek has written that at least ten letters were sent by the Mahatmas to Dr. Hartmann, only two have been published. During 1884, when Hartmann was involved with the [[Board of Control]] and the [[Coulomb affair]], he received two letters of guidance from [[Mahatma]] [[Koot Hoomi]], or K.H.

In '''[[Mahatma Letter to Hartmann - LMW 1 No. 28|Letter 28]]''' of [[Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom (book)|'''''Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom'' First Series''']], K.H. writes about the qualities that make [[Damodar K. Mavalankar|Damodar]] valuable.

In '''[[Mahatma Letter to Hartmann - LMW 2 No. 73|Letter 73]]''' of [[Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom (book)|'''''Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom'' Second Series''']], K.H. dicussses how best to work with [[Emma Coulomb|Madame Coulomb]].

==Lotusblüten==

In 1888, Hartmann travelled for a while in the U.S.A. but returned soon to his home country. In 1893 he became the editor of Lotusblüten which appeared between the years 1893-1900, containing sixteen volumes. It was later revived under the title of Neue Lotusblüten (1908-1912, five volumes). <ref> Eek, Sven. Damodar and the Pioneers of the Theosophical Movement. The Theosophical Publishing House, 1965, page 607</ref >The issues of these periodicals contain many interesting articles from able writers, besides Hartmann’s own essays, some of which later appeared in book-form.

==Founding of the Internationale Theosophische Verbrüderung==

[[File: TheosophieHeute.jpg|240px|right|thumb|German Theosophical magazine THEOSOPHIE HEUTE]]

 Around the turn of the century, Hartmann was living in Austria and was then Director of a sanatorium for tuberculosis. At the time of the so-called “split” in the Theosophical Society, he identified himself with the American Organization headed by [[William Quan Judge]], known then under the name of the Theosophical Society in America. After Judge’s death in 1896, he supported for a while the activities of [[Katherine Tingley]], and was elected, August 1896, President of a Theosophical Group founded by her in Germany while on a round-the-world trip. His association with Katherine Tingley did not last, however, and he soon disbanded the group, and founded in Munich on September 3, 1897, a body known as the '''Internationale Theosophische Verbrüderung''', on lines which he considered to be closer to those indicated by H.P.B. in the early days. It was under the jurisdiction of a three-member Council, the Doctor himself remaining until his passing the Corresponding Secretary of the group. A year after the founding, the seat of this group was transferred to Leipzig.<ref> de Zirkoff, Boris. Franz Hartmann. http://www.philaletheians.co.uk/study-notes/theosophy-and-theosophists/de-zirkoff-on-franz-hartmann.pdf Web. N.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.</ref> 

The Society is still active today under the name '''Theosophische Gesellschaft in Deutschland e.V.''', holding summer conferences in Calw, Germany and other events in Berlin, Dresden, Gelsenkirchen, and Heidelberg. They have their own website with general information about the Society and the goals of Theosophy. Anybody who is interested can apply for membership. The yearly fee is 30 Euro.<ref>Theosophische Gesellschaft in Deutschland e.V. N.d. http://theosophische-gesellschaft.org/C123/mitgliedschaft.htm. Web. 10 October 2016.</ref>The Society publishes the magazine "THEOSOPHIE HEUTE" (Theosophie Today) three times a year.<ref>Theosophische Gesellschaft in Deutschland e.V. N.d. http://theosophische-gesellschaft.org/C124/zeitschrift.htm. Web. 10 October 2016.</ref> They also have a library in Heidelberg where members and non-members can borrow books.<ref>Theosophische Gesellschaft in Deutschland e.V. N.d. http://theosophische-gesellschaft.org/C296/bibliothek.htm. Web. 10 October 2016.</ref>

==Magical Healing from a Distance==

[[File: Franz-Hartmann2.jpg|160px|left|thumb|Dr. Franz Hartmann]]

In his autobiography Hartmann shares a personal experience with Dr. J. R. Newton, <ref> Dr. Hartmann, Franz. Autobiografische Schriften: Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten”. Schatzkammerverlang, o.J. (ca. 1978), page 64</ref> a spiritual healer who amongst scholars today remains almost completely unknown but who was in the 1860s and 1870s one of the most celebrated and widely recognized non-medical healer of his day. <ref>Cutten, G.B. Three Thousand Years of Mental Healing. Web. n.D. Web. 16 Oct. 2016
https://ppquimbymbeddydebatedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/a-story-untolde28094chapter-three1.pdf Web. 16 Oct. 2016</ref> He explains, that Dr. Newton “performed unbelievable medical cures of people who turned to him by writing letters, who he never saw and without any external remedies, simply through his mental will".<ref> Dr. Hartmann, Franz. Autobiografische Schriften: Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten”. Schatzkammerverlang, o.J. (ca. 1978), page 64</ref>”. Hartmann had been suffering for 36 years from a skin disease, most likely psoriasis, which was a huge burden in his life which kept him from getting any sleep. He had consulted numerous medical authorities in Europe and America but nobody could help him and eventually he started using chloroform and chloral to get a few hours of sleep every night. He decided to write Dr. Newton a letter and one night he sat at around 8:00 on the veranda of a farm close to an Indian tribe and described what followed: “I suddenly felt an electric shock run through my limbs and at the same moment I had the inner conviction that this was the magic healing power of Dr. Newton. The following night was the first in which I had peace and from that moment on I was completely healed". <ref> Dr. Hartmann, Franz. Autobiografische Schriften: Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten”. Schatzkammerverlang, o.J. (ca. 1978), page 65</ref>”. Shortly afterwards he received a letter by Dr. Newton who told him the exact time (which overlapped with the described occurrence) who had written that he had sent him a mild electric shock which would be sufficient to heal him.
 
 

== Ordo Templis Orientis ==

Dr. Hartmann was one of the co-founders of '''Ordo Templis Orientis''' (O.T.O.), international fraternal and religious organization, along with Carl Kellner, Theodor Reuss, Henry Klein and Charles Détré.

<blockquote>
In 1902, Hartmann assisted Reuss in obtaining warrants from John Yarker to form a Sovereign Sanctuary in Germany for the Masonic Rites of Memphis and Mizraim, and to form a German Grand Orient for the Cernau Council Scottish Rite. Hartmann initially held high offices in both the Sovereign Sanctuary and the Grand Orient. In 1906, Reuss combined the two organizations under the umbrella of Kellner’s Ordo Templi Orientis, and Hartmann was given the title of “Honorary Grand Master of the Sovereign Sanctuary.”<ref>[https://oto-usa.org/usgl/lion-eagle/franz-hartmann/ "Dr. Franz Hartmann, 33° 90° 95° IX°"] in United States Grand Lodge, Ordo Templi Orientis. Accessed 5 December 2019.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Later years ==

Dr. Hartmann died on [[August 7]], 1912, from heart-failure at Kempten, in Southern Bavaria – the place of his birth.

== Writings and Lectures ==

Hartmann was one of the most prolific writers on [[occultism]] of his time. The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists [http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=Franz+Hartmann&method=all 272 articles by or about Hartman]. In 1884/1885, Hartmann published in ''[[The Theosophist (periodical)|The Theosophist]]'' several articles published under the pseudonym "American Buddhist" or "AB." Among these is the series "Practical Instructions for Students of Occultism," which formed the basis for his book, ''Magic, White and Black''.

Hartmann inspired many members and gave hundreds of lectures in Germany. He wrote both in German and English. The Theosophical work was forbidden during the Nazi-regime and many of Hartmann's German books were destroyed by the Nazis but have been reprinted after 1945.<ref>Gertrude Bäzner letter to Boris de Zirkoff. 18 February 1969. Boris de Zirkoff Papers. Records Series 22. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref>

He was the author of the following books available in English:

* '''''Report of observations Made During a Nine Months' Stay at the Headquarters of the Theosophical Society'''''. Madras: [the author], 1884.
* '''''The Talking Village of Urur'''''. A novel lampooning his colleagues at Adyar.
* '''''Magic, White and Black'''''. 1885. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100478777 Hathitrust].
* '''''The Life and Doctrines of Paracelsus'''''. 1887. New York: John W. Lovell Company, 1891. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100435534?type%5B%5D=author&lookfor%5B%5D=%22Hartmann%2C%20Franz%2C%201838-1912.%22&ft= Hathitrust].
* '''''An Adventure among the Rosicrucians'''''. 1887. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100868320 Hathitrust].
* '''''Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians'''''. Boston: Occult Publishing CO, 1888. The full title is ''Cosmology; Or, Universal Science ... Containing the Mysteries of the Universe ... Explained According to the Religion of Christ, by Means of the Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Copied and Translated from an Old German Manuscript and Provided with a Dictionary of Occult Terms''.
* '''''The Principles of Astrological Geomancy'''''. 1889.
* '''''In the Pronaos of the Temple of Wisdom'''''. 1890. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100337393 Hathitrust] and [https://www.sacred-texts.com/sro/ptw/index.htm Sacred-Texts.com].
* '''''The Talking Image of Urur'''''. 1890.
* '''''The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme'''''. 1891. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006019557 Hathitrust] and [https://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/ldjb/index.htm Sacred-texts.com].
* '''''Occult Science in Medicine'''''. 1893. Available at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044005533740&view=1up&seq=3 Hathitrust].
* '''''The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Aureolus Philippus Theophrastus Bombast, of Hohenheim, Called Paracelsus the Great'''''. 1894. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007115412 Hathitrust].
* '''''Among the Gnomes'''''. 1895.
* '''''The Life of Jehoshua'''''. 1909. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012454870 Hathitrust].

German works:

* '''''Mysterien, Symbole und magische wirkende Krf̃te.''''' Leipzig: Lotus-Verlag, [1902]. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011823802?type%5B%5D=author&lookfor%5B%5D=%22Hartmann%2C%20Franz%2C%201838-1912.%22&ft= Hathitrust].
* '''''Geschichte der Stadt Münsterberg in Schlesien von ihrer Gründung bis zur Gegenwart'''''. Münsterberg in Schlesien, 1907. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100546210 Hathitrust].
* '''''Wahrheit und Dichtung'''''. Translated into English by Robert Hütwohl in ''Truth and Fiction: The "Theosophical Society" and the Miracle-Cabinet of Adyar''. Santa Fe: Spirit of the Sun Publications, 1997. A critical appraisal of the events of 1884.

== Additional resources ==
* [https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/hartmann-franz "Hartmann, Franz"] in Theosophy World.
* [https://oto-usa.org/usgl/lion-eagle/franz-hartmann/ "Dr. Franz Hartmann, 33° 90° 95° IX°"] in United States Grand Lodge, Ordo Templi Orientis.
* [http://www.mysticmissal.org/franz_hartmann.htm# "Franz Hartmann"] at Mystical Missal
* [http://www.philaletheians.co.uk/study-notes/theosophy-and-theosophists/de-zirkoff-on-franz-hartmann.pdf "Franz Hartmann"] by Boris de Zirkoff
* [http://hermetic.com/sabazius/hartmann.htm# "Dr. Franz Hartmann"] by T. Apiryion
* [http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/blavatskyhartmantabcon.htm# Letters of H.P.B. to Dr. Franz Hartmann]
* [http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/hartmannmr.htm# "Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the Lotusblüten - Installment 1"] and [http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/hartmannmr2.htm# "Installment 2"]
* [http://www.theohistory.org/Lotusbluthen.html# "Franz Hartmann's Lotusblüten Journal"]
* [https://www.scribd.com/document/86533887/Autobiography-of-Dr-Franz-Hartmann-1908# "Autobiography of Dr. Franz Hartmann"] The Occult Review
* [http://magieausbildung.de/biographien/hartmann-franz# "Hartmann, Franz" (in German)]

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Associates of HPB|Hartmann, Franz]]
[[Category:Received Mahatma Letters|Hartmann, Franz]]
[[Category:Physicians|Hartmann, Franz]]
[[Category:Writers|Hartmann, Franz]]
[[Category:Editors|Hartmann, Franz]]
[[Category:Masons|Hartmann, Franz]]
[[Category:Rosicrucians|Hartmann, Franz]]
[[Category:Nationality German|Hartmann, Franz]]
[[Category:Nationality Naturalized American|Hartmann, Franz]]
[[Category:People who encountered Mahatmas|Hartmann, Franz]]
[[Category:People who witnessed phenomena|Hartmann, Franz]]
[[Category:People|Hartmann, Franz]]

Alfred Percy Sinnett

2021-05-03T23:38:05Z

Donnie Pierce: Typo

[[File:AP Sinnett.jpg|210px|right|thumb|Alfred Percy Sinnett]]
'''Alfred Percy Sinnett''' ([[January 18]], 1840, London - [[June 26]], 1921) was an English author, journalist, and [[Theosophist]], who played an important part in growth of the [[Theosophical Society]] during its first generation.

== Life and career ==

Alfred Percy Sinnett was born on [[January 18]], 1840, in London, Middlesex County. His father was a journalist, and his mother a writer who had published numerous books. Alfred's father died when he was only five years old. His widowed mother Jane struggled to sustain three boys and three girls by writing newspaper articles and translations, and by working as a governess. Young Sinnett was admitted to the London University School as a scholarship student, but left it without finishing his studies. He learned mechanical drawing, and worked briefly as a draftsman until he eventually obtained a position as assistant and sub-editor of ''The Globe'', an evening newspaper.<ref>A. P. Sinnett, ''Autobiography of Alfred Percy Sinnet'' (London: Theosophical History Centre, 1986), 5-9.</ref>

From 1859-1870, Sinnett wrote articles for the ''Morning Chronicle'', the ''Birmingham Daily Gazette'', and the ''Manchester Guardian'' in England, then went to Sweden as a special correspondent for the ''Daily News'', followed by a trip to Ireland for the ''Daily Telegraph''. On the ship to Ireland, he met the famous Professor Thomson, who was later known as Lord Kelvin. Late in 1865, he accepted the editorship of the "Hong Kong Daily Press," where he worked for three years. On his return journey, he visited Japan and crossed the United States by stagecoach. During a stop in Salt Lake City, he interviewed Mormon leader Brigham Young.<ref>A. P. Sinnett, ''Autobiography of Alfred Percy Sinnet'' (London: Theosophical History Centre, 1986), 14-16.</ref>

Back in London, Sinnett became acquainted with the Edensor family. On [[April 6]], 1870, Sinnett married [[Patience Sinnett|Patience Edensor]], at St. John's Church, Notting Hill, in London.<ref>London Metropolitan Archives, Saint John The Evangelist, Ladbroke Grove, Register of marriages, P84/JN, Item 018.</ref> By that time he had become an editorial writer for ''The Evening Standard''.
In 1872, George Allen, the proprietor of the Anglo-Indian newspaper [[The Pioneer (periodical)|''The Pioneer'']], offered him the editorship. Sinnett had "long been impressed with the belief that the only way of doing really well in journalism was by getting good editorial appointment in India,"<ref>A. P. Sinnett, ''Autobiography of Alfred Percy Sinnet'' (London: Theosophical History Centre, 1986), 13.</ref> so he resigned his previous position and left for India, arriving at [[Allahabad, India|Allahabad]] toward the end of the year.

== Years in India ==

During the years in India, 1872-1883, the Sinnetts had a good income, a pleasant social life, and professional recognition. Generally they lived in Allahabad, where ''The Pioneer'' was based, during the cooler months, and in [[Simla, India|Simla]] during the hot weather of the summer. In Simla, the couple visited with other British residents and held picnics to enjoy the spectacular scenery. Mr. Sinnett played waltzes and Beethoven sonatas on the piano.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in Chronological Sequence'' No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 33. Koot Hoomi mentioned the piano playing in [[Mahatma Letter No. 68#33|Mahatma Letter No. 68.]]</ref>

On [[May 16]], 1877, Mrs. Sinnett gave birth to a son, [[Percy Edensor Sinnett]], generally called "Denny". In March, 1881, the family returned to England for a holiday, and Patience, who was expecting a second child, remained in Notting Hill with her mother. On July 14th, the baby was delivered still-born.<ref>A. P. Sinnett, ''Autobiography", 19-20.</ref>

In 1875, during a visit to London, Sinnett had become interested in [[Spiritualism]]. A friend, perhaps Herbert Stack, had told him of the publication of Madame Blavatsky's first book, [[Isis Unveiled (book)|''Isis Unveiled'']]. In 1879, Sinnett read in a newspaper that [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] and [[Henry Steel Olcott|Col. H. S. Olcott]] have arrived at Bombay. Assuming they were Spiritualists, he wrote them a letter expressing his desire to become acquainted with them, and his willingness to publish any information which they liked to give him about their mission in India. On [[December 4]] of that year [[Founders#The Founders|the Founders]] visited Mr and Mrs Sinnett at their house in Allahabad and remained there as their guests for six weeks.<ref>Alfred Percy Sinnett,''The Occult World'', 42. Available at [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Occult_World/Recent_Occult_Phenomena#Page_42 WikiSource].</ref> Colonel Olcott lectured on Theosophy at the Mayo Hall, with [[Allan Octavian Hume|A. O. Hume]] chairing the assembly, and Madame Blavatsky charmed the Sinnetts' friends at dinner parties.<ref>A. P. Sinnett, ''Autobiography", 24-25.</ref> This visit began a life-long association with them and the [[Theosophical Society]].

== The Mahatma Letters ==
[[File:Sinnett crest 6305 MLB21 ML76.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Sinnett crest on [[Mahatma Letter No. 76|Mahatma Letter 76]]]]
In 1880 [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Helena Blavatsky]] and [[Henry Steel Olcott]] paid a second visit to the Sinnetts, this time at their summer-home in [[Simla, India|Simla]]. Many wonderful [[phenomena]] took place at the time, which Mr. Sinnett described in his book [[The Occult World (book)|''The Occult World'']]. Although the phenomena were performed in front of witnesses and in a careful way, Sinnett wanted to design one that could be "really complete in their details and leave no opening for the suggestion even of imposture."<ref>Alfred Percy Sinnett, ''The Occult World'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, 1969), 81.</ref> It was then that the famous correspondence with the [[Mahatmas]] began. In Sinnett's words:

<blockquote>One day, therefore, I asked Madame Blavatsky whether if I wrote a letter to one of the Brothers explaining my views, she could get it delivered for me. I hardly thought this was probable, as I knew how very unapproachable the Brothers generally are; but as she said that at any rate she would try, I wrote a letter, addressing it " to the Unknown Brother," and gave it to her to see if any result would ensue. It was a happy inspiration that induced me to do this, for out of that small beginning has arisen the most interesting correspondence in which I have ever been privileged to engage.<ref>Alfred Percy Sinnett, ''The Occult World'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, 1969), 82.</ref></blockquote>

The "Unknown Brother" that answered was the one known as [[Koot Hoomi]], and from this grew a correspondence that took place from 1880 to 1885. The letters that Sinnett and his friend [[A. O. Hume]] received were published in 1923 under the title '''[[The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (book)|''The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett'']]'''.

Most of the letters were transmitted by psychic means and [[Precipitation|precipitated]] by different [[chelas]] such as [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]], [[Damodar K. Mavalankar]], and others.

Mr. Sinnett was extremely eager for some kind of immediate personal contact with the Mahatma K.H. On [[October 19]], 1880, he received an astral visit by [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]] The former briefly described in a note the experience as follows:

<blockquote>I saw K.H. in astral form on the night of 19th of October, 1880,--waking up for a moment but immediately afterwards being rendered unconscious again (in the body) and conscious out of the body in the adjacent dressing-room where I saw another of the Brothers afterwards identified with one called '[[Serapis Bey|Serapis]]' by Olcott,--'the youngest of the chohans.'<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 3A (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), ???.</ref></blockquote>

About four years later [[William Q. Judge]] asked Mr. Sinnett about this, and reported the following:

<blockquote>He was lying in his bed in India one night, when suddenly awakening, he found K. H. standing by his bed. He rose half up, when K. H. put his hand on his head, causing him to fall at once back on the pillow. He then, he says, found himself out of his body, and in the next room, talking to another adept whom he describes as an English or European, with light hair, fair, and of great beauty. This is the one Olcott described to me in 1876 and called by name ------. . . He described K.H. as looking then not exactly like the picture now in his possession, but with some resemblance to it.<ref>William Q. Judge, ''Letters That Have Helped Me'', (Los Angeles:The Theosophy Company, 1946), 196.</ref></blockquote>

As to why the [[Mahatmas]] agreed to enter in correspondence with him and [[Allan Octavian Hume|Mr. Hume]], the [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]] wrote:

<blockquote>Your sagacity, my kind friend, will have suggested long ago, that it is not so much because of your combined personal virtues — though Mr. Hume I must confess, has run up a large claim since his conversion — or my personal preferences for either of you, as for other and very apparent reasons. Of all our semi-chelas you two are the most likely to utilise for the general good the facts given you. You must regard them received in trust for the benefit of the whole Society; to be turned over, and employed and re-employed in many ways and in all ways that are good. If you (Mr. Sinnett) would give pleasure to your trans-Himalayan friend, do not suffer any month to pass without writing a Fragment, long or short for the magazine, and then, issuing it as a pamphlet — since you so call it.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 202-203. See [[Mahatma Letter No. 68]]</ref></blockquote>

In addition to the numerous letters to Sinnett that were in his possession, published in '''[[The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (book)|''The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett'']]''', one letter has been found at the [[Adyar (campus)|Adyar headquarters]] of the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society]]. It deals with questions about [[Laura Carter Holloway]], and has been published as '''[[Mahatma Letter to Sinnett - LMW 1 No. 42|Letter 42]]''' in [[Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom (book)|'''''Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom, First Series''''']]. <ref>C. Jinarajadasa, ''Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom, First Series'' (Adyar, Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 2011), 85-88.</ref>

== Work at ''The Pioneer'' ==

[[File:Pioneer letterhead 7221 MLB119 ML109.jpg|200px|thumb|''Pioneer'' letterhead from [[Mahatma Letter No. 109]].]]
In 1872, Sinnett became editor of [[The Pioneer (periodical)|''The Pioneer'']], owned by Sir George William Allen.<ref>"Sir George William Allen KCIE," [http://www.myjacobfamily.com/favershamjacobs/georgeallen.htm]</ref> In the eleven years of his editorship, the little paper grew into the leading Anglo-Indian daily newspaper of the day.<ref>[http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/mahatma/ml-ccpre.htm Combined Chronology of The Mahatma Letters - Preface]</ref>

Soon after Sinnett's meeting with the [[Founders#The Founders|Founders]] he established a correspondence with the [[Mahatmas]]. Through this correspondence and his involvement with [[Theosophy]] his attitude about the natives and the Indian affairs began to change, becoming more supportive.

In 1879 [[Clive Rattigan]] and a partner purchased ''The Pioneer'' from Allen and the new proprietors communicated to Mr. Sinnett that at the end of his engagement, in November of that year, the newspaper would no longer need his services. Sinnett wrote of Rattigan:

<blockquote>
He had been from the first intensely unsympathetic with my interest in the occult development ..., but for my connection with Theosophy it would have been unlikely that my connection with the Pioneer would have been disturbed at this period. There was some friction between myself and the new proprietors, but my success as writer had become fairly conspicuous and the friction such as it was would not have been enough to break the tie. But again both my wife and I had grown tired of the Indian life and wished to be back in England. It seemed just possible that the savings of our time in India, plus journalistic work at home, would enable us to live there in moderate comfort, so that we contemplated my resignation of the Pioneer editorship as a step we might be inclined to take. The parting therefore was neither strained nor unfriendly, and for many years after my return to England I continued to write articles of various kinds for the paper in India.<ref>Alfred Percy Sinnett, ''Early Days of Theosophy in Europe''. (Theosophical Publishing House Ltd, London, 1922),38-39. Available online at [https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/EarlyDaysOfTheosophyInEurope%2CThe_APSinnett.pdf Canadian Theosophical Association].</ref>
</blockquote>

The Sinnetts were not reluctant to return to England; he wrote that "We had grown very tired of the Anglo-Indian life of empty and frivolous gaiety".<ref>Sinnett, ''Autobiography'', 22.</ref>

== The ''Phoenix'' venture ==

After Sinnett was announced that he was going to be dismissed from [[The Pioneer (periodical)|''The Pioneer'']] in 1883, the [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]] made an effort to engage Mr. Sinnett in organizing a newspaper called the [[Phoenix Venture|''The Phoenix'']], supported by Indian capital. This newspaper sought to help in raising the social and economic condition of the Indian masses, their sense of self-respect, and their standing in the eyes of the world.

Sinnett left for England hoping to return to India for this project, but after considerable efforts to raise the funds needed the enterprise had to be abandoned for lack of support from the Indians. On September 11, 1883, the Master K.H. cabled to Mr. Sinnett in England, releasing him from his promise not to accept another position of employment.<ref>C. Jinarajadasa, ''Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom, Second Series'' (Adyar, Madras,India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1925), 136.</ref>

== Return to England ==

On [[February 11]], 1883, the Sinnetts left Allahabad on their way to England. They first stopped in Calcutta (where Alfred had an interview with the British Viceroy of India, Lord Ripon) and then continued to [[Adyar (campus)|Adyar]], in Madras, arriving there on [[March 2]]. At this time, he was engaged in writing his new book '''[[Esoteric Buddhism (book)|''Esoteric Buddhism'']]'''.

On [[March 30]] the Sinnetts sailed for Europe on the P. & O. steamer ''SS Peshawar'', reaching England on [[April 26]]. Upon his arrival he attracted the interest of the London [[Spiritualism|Spiritualists]], members of the [[Psychical Research Society]], and [[Theosophy|Theosophists]] such as the [[Francesca Arundale|Arundales]] and the [[Gebhard family|Gebhards]]. At this time, his second book, ''Esoteric Buddhism'', was published.

In April/May 1883 Sinnett became a member of the [[London Lodge]]. In autumn 1883, the Lodge separated into two parts, one following Sinnett, the other following [[Anna Bonus Kingsford]]. At this time, he made the acquaintance of [[Charles Webster Leadbeater]], an Anglican curate who became interested in [[Theosophy]] after having read ''Esoteric Buddhism''. They formed a friendship "which endured the rest of his life."<ref>Anonymous, "The Passing of Sinnett," ''The Messenger'' 9.3 (August, 1921), 69.</ref>

Mr. Sinnett became the President of the Lodge in January 1885.<ref>Alfred Percy Sinnett, ''Autobiography of Alfred Percy Sinnett'' (London: Theosophical History Centre, 1986), 31.</ref> By the fall of that year the correspondence with the Masters stopped, partly due to HPB's bad health, and partly because of his non-supportive attitude in regards to the [[Hodgson Report]]. He conducted the transaction of the lodge "first as a part of the Theosophical Society's work, later more or less separated, and for a while as an independent society."<ref>Anonymous, "The Passing of Sinnett," ''The Messenger'' 9.3 (August, 1921), 69.</ref>

In 1886 the proprietors of ''The Pioneer'' decided to establish a London office, a task that was entrusted to Sinnett. He was in charge of this office for a couple of years until the proprietor himself took over.

In 1889, Sinnett asked [[Charles Webster Leadbeater|C. W. Leadbeater]] to come back to England from Ceylon to tutor his son Denny, now a boy of 12, and [[George S. Arundale|George Arundale]]. Leadbeater agreed and brought with him one of his pupils [[Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa]]. Around 1891, he was able to help Leadbeater obtain employment in the London office of ''The Pioneer''.<ref>Alfred Percy Sinnett, ''Early Days of Theosophy in Europe''. (Theosophical Publishing House Ltd, London, 1922),110-111. Available online at [https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/EarlyDaysOfTheosophyInEurope%2CThe_APSinnett.pdf Canadian Theosophical Association].</ref>

Mr. Sinnett regarded that he maintained his touch with the Master throughout his life. [[Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa|C. Jinarājadāsa]] wrote:

<blockquote>Mr. Sinnett, even in 1889, when I joined his household, never realized that he had broken his link with the Master. Though he received no more letters, he was thoroughly convinced that the Master still communicated with him, through a lady, a clairvoyante, whom he used to put weekly into trance, whenever she stayed with his wife and himself. . . . When a few years later, this lady could no longer act as the Master's mouthpiece (so Mr. Sinnett firmly believed) he sought another, and later another.<ref>Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters to C. W. Leadbeater'' (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 74.</ref></blockquote>

== Later years ==

From January 1904 to June 1907 Sinnett edited a monthly magazine called [[Broad Views (periodical)|''Broad Views'']], dealing mostly with current events, sociology, philosophy, and world cultures.

He became Vice President of the Theosophical Society from 1880-8, and was also in that role from 1895-1907, and from 1911-21. In 1907 the President-Founder [[Henry Steel Olcott]] died. Sinnett, as Vice-President, became invested with the authority of the Presidential office until [[Annie Besant]] was elected as the second international President of the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)]].

On [[May 11]], 1908, his son Denny died of tuberculosis, at 31 years of age. Sinnett's wife Patience died of cancer the same year, at midnight on [[November 9]], despite her husband's skillful efforts at [[Mesmerism|mesmeric healing]]. After the passing of his beloved Patience, Mr. Sinnett was devastated and sought assistance from psychic [[Violet Tweedale]] to get news of his wife from the world beyond.

As a diversion in those days, Sinnett picked up a story, "Married by Degrees", that he had published in ''Broad Views'', and turned it into a three-act play. With encouragement from American actress and Theosophist [[Maud Hoffman]], the play was produced at the Royal Court Theatre on March 5 and again on September 16, 1911. Maud Hoffman was in the cast, and the play was favorably reviewed, but ultimately lost money.<ref>Alfred Percy Sinnett, ''Autobiography of Alfred Percy Sinnett'' (London: Theosophical History Centre, 1986), 53-56.</ref> In another financial experiment, Sinnett invested some of his remaining funds into the International Foil Company, of which he became a Director and ultimately Chairman.<ref>Alfred Percy Sinnett, ''Autobiography of Alfred Percy Sinnett'' (London: Theosophical History Centre, 1986), 56.</ref>

During a series of sittings with a clairvoyant friend, Robert King, from 1909 to 1914, Sinnett eventually was able to communicate with Patience, with Koot Hoomi, and others. He lectured to the Eleusinian Society in 1911, forecasting the First World War and the redistribution of land that followed it, through information received from the [[Brotherhood of Adepts|White Lodge]]. During the war years he frequently wrote articles for ''The Nineteenth Century'' about the forces at work in the world.

Until the end of his life, Sinnett continued to be active in Theosophical Society work. He wrote, lectured all over England, and conducted the meetings of the revived London Lodge. His close friends, supported by many others collected funds to support him, and presented a large check to him on April 5, 1919 in a gathering at Maud Hoffman's house.<ref>Alfred Percy Sinnett, "At a Later Date" appendix to ''Autobiography of Alfred Percy Sinnett'' (London: Theosophical History Centre, 1986), 3-5.</ref> [[Annie Besant]] subsequently initiated a "testimonial" collection from Theosophists worldwide, in appreciation of Sinnett's many accomplishments.

Mr Sinnett, still serving as Vice President of the Theosophical Society, died on [[June 26]], 1921, at the age of 81. The annual convention of the Society in England was then in session. D. Graham Pole reported:

<blockquote>A simple service was held at the Golden Green Crematorium on Saturday, 2nd July. The General Secretary [D. Graham Pole, TS in England and Wales] read extracts from World Scriptures and the President [Annie Besant], in a few well chosen words, pointed out that this was not an occasion for grief or mourning but that we rejoiced that our brother was now with the Master he loved and served.<ref>D. Graham Pole, "The T.S. in England and Wales" ''The General Report of the T. S 1921'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1922), 42. See also this detailed account: Helen Fitzgerald, "Notes on Mr. Sinnett" ''The Messenger'' 9.4 (September, 1921), 87.</ref></blockquote>

== Writings ==

In addition to his editorial work, Sinnett wrote numerous articles for Theosophical periodicals. The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals|Union Index]] lists [http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=Sinnett&header=field4&page=0 over 240 articles] that he submitted or that were reprinted from his books.

In March 1881, when the Sinnetts went to England for a holiday, APS published his first Theosophical book, [[The Occult World (book)|'''''The Occult World''''']]. It described the occult [[phenomena]] produced by [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] in India. The book produced a profound impact but generated tense relations within part of the Anglo-Indian society, and eventually led to his dismissal as Editor of [[The Pioneer (periodical)|''The Pioneer'']].

During his return to England, in 1883, he published his second book, [[Esoteric Buddhism (book)|'''''Esoteric Buddhism''''']], which had a huge impact on the Theosophical Movement.

His other works, in order of publication:
*'''''Karma: A Novel'''''. London: Chapman and Hall, 1885. Chicago: The Yogi Publication Society, 1911. Reprinted by Mokelumne Hill, CA: Health Research, Mokelumne, 1968. Available online from [http://archive.org/details/karmanovel00sinnrich Internet Archive] and from [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006155937 Hathitrust].
*'''''Occult Essays''''', 1886. London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1905. Available from [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008621200 Hathitrust].
*'''''United: A Novel''''', London G. Redway, 1886. It was serialized in ''Broad Views'', 1904-1905. Volume I is available from [http://archive.org/details/unitednovel01sinn Internet Archive - Vol. I], and Volume II from [http://archive.org/details/unitednovel02sinn Internet Archive - Vol. II].
*'''''The Rationale of Mesmerism'''''. London K. Paul, Trench, Trübner, 1892. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co., 1892. Available from [http://archive.org/details/rationaleofmesme00sinn Internet Archive], from [http://openlibrary.org/books/OL6527558M/The_rationale_of_mesmerism Open Library], from [http://openlibrary.org/books/OL6527558M/The_rationale_of_mesmerism Hathitrust], and from [http://www.forgottenbooks.org/books/The_Rationale_of_Mesmerism_1000001405 Forgotten Books]
*'''''Nature's Mysteries, and How Theosophy Illuminates Them'''''. 1901. Revised and reprinted by Los Angeles, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1918. Available from [http://hpb.narod.ru/NaturesMysteries.htm HPB.NAROD.RU].
*'''''The Growth of the Soul: a Sequel to "Esoteric Buddhism"'''''. 2nd edition, enlarged. London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1905. Available from [http://archive.org/details/growthofsoulsequ00sinnrich Internet Archive].
*'''''Married by Degrees''''', 1911. A play.
*'''''In the Next World: Actual Narratives of Personal Experiences by Some Who Have Passed On''''', London: Theosophical Pub. Society, 1914.
*'''''The Spiritual Powers and the War'''''. London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1915.
*'''''Collected Fruits of Occult Teaching'''''. Philadelphia, PA: J. P. Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1920. Available from [http://archive.org/details/collectedfruitso00sinniala Internet Archive].
* '''''The Social Upheaval in Progress'''''. With a foreword by Annie Besant. London, Theosophical Publishing House, 1920. Available at [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011257215 Hathitrust]. Pamphlet.
*'''''Tennyson An Occultist; As His Writings Prove'''''. London: Theosophical Publishing House, 1920. New York: Haskell, 1972. Available from [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001775421 Hathitrust] and from [http://www.forgottenbooks.org/books/Tennyson_an_Occultist_1000567679 Forgotten Books].
*'''''The Early Days of Theosophy in Europe'''''. Theosophical Publishing House Ltd, London, 1922. Published posthumously, this gives an account of how the Sinnetts came to invite HPB to Simla; how APS left ''The Pioneer''; the use of the term [[Brotherhood]]; [[Anna Bonus Kingsford]]; HPB's time in Europe; the Gebhard family; and many other aspects of early TS history. Manuscript published after death. Available online at [https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/EarlyDaysOfTheosophyInEurope%2CThe_APSinnett.pdf Canadian Theosophical Association].Also available at [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822035060342;view=1up;seq=21 Hathitrust], scanned from a volume that belonged to and has annotations by Iverson Harris.
*'''''Super-Physical Science'''''. London: Theosophical Publishing House, 1924. Originally published in ''The Nineteenth Century and After'' for March 1916 and February 1917. Manuscript published after death. Available from [http://archive.org/details/superphysicalsc00sinngoog Internet Archive] and in paper form in pamphlet section of Boris de Zirkoff Papers. Records Series 22. Theosophical Society in America.
*'''''Autobiography of Alfred Percy Sinnet'''''. London: Theosophical History Centre, 1986. Manuscript published after death. Note: the surname is spelled with one "t".

He was editor for these books:
*'''''Incidents in the Life of Madame Blavatsky: Compiled from Information Supplied by Her Relatives and Friends'''''. London: G. Redway, 1886. London: Theosophical Pub. Society, 1913. 1886 edition is available from [http://archive.org/details/cu31924029172983 Internet Archive] and [http://blavatskyarchives.com/theosophypdfs/sinnett_incidents_in_the_Life_of_madame_blavatsky_first_edition_1886.pdf BlavatskyArchives.com.]
* Besant, Annie, and Charles W. Leadbeater. '''''Occult Chemistry: Clairvoyant Observations on the Chemical Elements'''''. Revised edition. London : Theosophical Pub. House, 1919. The Editor's Preface stated: "I have contributed an entirely new preliminary chapter ... From the beginning of chapter III to the end the book in its present form is simply a reprint of the original edition." Available from [http://archive.org/details/occultchemistryc00besa Internet Archive].

Published lectures include:
*'''"The Pyramids and Stonehenge"'''. London, 1893. Second edition - London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1901. Third edition - London: Theosophical Pub. House, 1958. Reprinted in 1970. Originally delivered as two lectures before the Theosophical Society, London, in 1892-93.
* '''"Expanded Theosophical Knowledge"'''. Hollywood, CA: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1919. Pamphlet of a lecture delivered to the Convention of the National Society in Scotland on June 8, 1918. Sinnett was then Vice President of the international TS. Available in pamphlet section of Boris de Zirkoff Papers. Records Series 22. Theosophical Society in America Archives.

==Online resources==
===Articles===
*[http://theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Sinnett,_Alfred_percy# Alfred Percy Sinnett] at Theosopedia

===Additional resources===
*[http://www.astro.com/cgi/chart.cgi?wgid=wgeJwtjkELwjAMhX-NtziaTWFYcvAggngQPHjO6OiGayZbS-m_NxMJPML7wsvL43uk2vpAjFYcPUeRPkY4V48KAmALqHIwUDenxkAwGQ34NIGB-yxuFriIn1gc_MgRRa-SUh3LrhMOPW1hu9r8szfbcewJWzVvLImXotv2xnaxfLRPiANxzHZYC-3RLivh6_oFPfAz9A# A. P. Sinnett's Natal Chart] at Astrodienst
* [http://www.stagebeauty.net/produce/th-rvw008.html Review of play "Married by Degrees"]. ''The Playgoer and Society Illustrated'' 5.25 (September 16, 1911). Available at StageBeauty.net.

== Notes==
<references/>

[[Category:Associates of HPB|Sinnett, Alfred Percy]]
[[Category:Writers|Sinnett, Alfred Percy]]
[[Category:Editors|Sinnett, Alfred Percy]]
[[Category:Received Mahatma Letters|Sinnett, Alfred Percy]]
[[Category:Nationality English|Sinnett, Alfred Percy]]
[[Category:Chelas|Sinnett, Alfred Percy]]
[[Category:People who encountered Mahatmas|Sinnett, Alfred Percy]]
[[Category:People who witnessed phenomena|Sinnett, Alfred Percy]]
[[Category:People|Sinnett, Alfred Percy]]

[[es:Alfred Percy Sinnett]]