THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF THE PHILIPPINES

If I have not mentioned my membership and activities in THE THEOSOPHICAL  SOCIETY OF THE PHILIPPINES  back in the '70's, then I shall make some mention of it now. The photo image of the building is a newer one. The old building was badly burned back in the late 70's and then rebuilt. The dedicated members of the Society worked hard and long to restore the building. It had been in existence for many years but once I had found it when I returned to the Philippines in 1972, just after MARTIAL LAW had been declared by President Marcos, I joined it. I spend a fair amount of time there.
 It was quite by accident that I came across its location when I did as I was stopping at the major avenue and passed by there somehow, either on foot or by jeepney or some other means and saw the building in the dark, if I am not mistaken and noted the name. I returned to that area and then became interested and joined. Of course, I have more to say on all of this and the events and activities that I was privileged to be in and learn from,etc.

But it was the many wonderful,friendly, and helpful people that composed and comprised the Society and its other lodges that gave me much inspiration, if not 'enlightenment' and a number of experiences that I might not have had otherwise.

I shall mention more about this in other postings.

EDISON,TESLA,EINSTEIN,GURDJIEFF & HPB

THE SECRET DOCTRINE, one of the most important, but sometimes poorly read, books on occultism ever compiled and  published, has exerted influence not only on modern and contemporary occult students but on scientists and others. It is, without doubt, a most controversial book, easily dismissed like others that have acquired a certain 'fame' while its author, MADAME BLAVATSKY gained a general notoriety except among her more devoted and astute followers.

Many books on THEOSOPHY and THE THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT in modern times, since the 1800's have appeared,including those 'authorized' and issued by various organizations in the MOVEMENT as well as many groups outside the MOVEMENT. Various splinter groups exist that have been inspired by the original members and founders of the THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY created in New York City and several books deal with the actual history and accounts of that day and afterwards, right up to the present and,doubtless, many more will appear.

Aside from this HPB, the initials standing for HELENA PETROVNA BLAVATSKY, has been the subject of many books and articles that vary from outright praise and admiration to outright condemnation and criticism and 'exposes' and the like. As always, sensationalism often attracts more than reason or objectivity.

However, many persons of note have been attracted to the various 'theosophical' teachings, however difficult to penetrate and understand if one does not have an intense interest and background in such endeavors and studies. Most persons will not take up this book or any of the writings of HPB unless something motivates them, such as, 'a search  for truth' or 'a quest for the miraculous'.

THOMAS EDISON, NIKOLA  TESLA, ALBERT EINSTEIN, & possibly G.I. GURDJIEFF all took at look at her massive work and certainly P.D. OUSPENSKY, a follower of Gurdjieff, did. Ouspenksy also looked at her other works at some time but more research will have to be done as well as for the others mentioned here to fully establish just how much they did read, possibly find useful and what, if anything, it did to influence their lives and work,especially when such is usually ignored by most writers on famous people,except in rare instances.

'THE ESOTERIC WORLD OF MADAME BLAVATSKY, INSIGHTS into the LIFE of a MODERN SPHINX', collected by DANIEL CALDWELL and published by Quest Books, 2000 (originally published as :'THE OCCULT WORLD OF MADAME BLAVATSKY in 1991)  gives a well-rounded view of what others thought, saw, and felt important to say about her,along with references and other information for those further interested in such.

FOR THOSE WHO ARE SEEKING TO FIND CONNECTIONS WITH GURDJIEFF, HIS TEACHINGS, THE WORK, THE FOURTH WAY, AND THE LIKE, the book has places that would tend to indicate of possible 'connections' & 'influences',some obvious and others requiring 'a stretch of the imagination' perhaps.

One thing I noticed is this: WHY DID GURDJIEFF CHOOSE FRANCE FOR HIS INSTITUTE AND,IN PARTICULAR, FONTAINBLEU?

In the book mentioned, HPB spent some  'vacation'  time there during the year that her book,THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY was published and began writing, THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE, which Ouspensky had read while in Russia. While there, HPB was visited by ANNIE BESANT.

G.R.S. MEAD, HPB's  secretary and author of two important works: PISTIS SOPHIA,A GNOSTIC GOSPEL(which I have on my library shelves) and FRAGMENTS OF A FAITH FORGOTTEN( which I may have also but will have to look).

These persons were there in MAY OF 1889.

At any rate, these accounts are well worth reading to round out a better picture of how these movements start and go and then tend to lose momentum, then sometimes pick up again and go in other directions. The accounts by both the followers of HPB & G.I. GURDJIEFF always mention their eyes, their compassion, their methods and 'eccentricities' and other things that seem sometimes unbelievable and misunderstood,especially by those attempting to follow either of them.

In the background looks the 'POSSIBILITY OF TIBET' with hints of MASTERS & SEEKERS OF TRUTH.  .

EINSTEIN,TESLA,EDISON & THE SECRET DOCTRINE

Recently, I have in both reading and some internet searches come across references and/or hints that H.P.B.'S massive work,THE SECRET DOCTRINE, influenced these three particular geniuses in some way...though perhaps critics will claim otherwise and attempt to minimize whatever readings in the book they may have actually done.....Nevertheless, some things are most intriguing and I shall add links to the internet that both support and debunk these assertions...... In my blog on,THE WAY OF THE YOGI, I have already mentioned some of this but want to enter the topics here also, but perhaps in a differing way........Modern Physics in its extreme forms has been connected up and attached to certain 'Mystical' forms and subjects, from Taoism to physiology.....and psychology....and in the more abstruse and complex discussions on all this, one can easily lose one's way, especially if intense enthusiasm is aroused, as has been the case with zealous writers and 'researchers'......numerous popular books are covering these things in both interesting and overstated ways....tending to devote much time and space to certain things that seem 'true' or 'factual' but with a great deal of 'stretch'.... Electro-magnetism is,of course, a subject only a few persons really understand, let alone try to manipulate or utilize outside of 'experimental' labs and the like for various obvious reasons....but guys like Faraday and Edison and several others did so before the big boys of government/military took over along with certain corporations that made profits from such discoveries for 'the benefit of all mankind'....... However, the general populace should not ignore this field as they are in the midst of several electro-magnetic fields of which they are usually completely oblivious and that also includes certain 'radiations' of both beams and rays.......and signals and the like....but no need to get exactly paranoid over this but it will be best if one is aware of such and notice where these things are in theeir daily life....before it is too late.... Eventually, I hope to expand on this particular topic but right now I merely wish to point out that Ancient Philosophy from India and the Orient has had its influence on people, especially Tesla and Edison......and possibly Einstein....Check out the links and do your own research for the moment and make your own conclusions if you can...that is, based one evidence and credibility and not emotion and mere speculation.....

MADAME ALEXANDRA DAVID-NEEL

A most fascinating lady, author of many books, and Asian traveler, among other things, was Alexandra David-Neel who was born September 8,1869 and who died October 24,1969...100 years old,,,,a woman who lived a century...who learned Sanscrit and Tibetan and who endured many things in her life........she met MADAME BLAVATSKY in London in 1888, often considered a most important year in occultism and by occultists.......HPB, no doubt, inspired her to emulate certain things that she had done in terms of travels and occultism and Eastern Lore...as well as some possible 'radical/anarchistic/etc.'acttivities or writings, something that many occultists have involved themselves from time to time.....with the result that various 'conspiracy' theories have emerged and still are discussed to this very day. In her early days, Madame David-Neel seems attractive in the photos that are usually shown and from the various descriptions had a strong mind and will and an adventurous spirit....She spent time at Theosophical HQ in India and learned Sanskrit and eventually indulged or took part in 'tantric' rituals and rites, perhaps,as come might claim, in the infamous 'kuala circles' that have shocked the Western sensibilities of Sedate Victorian Society and slightly afterwards....At any rate, her works have had a profound effect upon many later occultists and writers in search of the esoteric.....

ഫ്രം ടീത്ത് ലീഡ് ;അസ്‌ ടോ IMMORTALITY

ഫ്രം ദര്ക്നെസ്സ് ലീഡ് അസ്‌ ടോ LIGHT

ഫ്രം ദി ഉണ്രീല്‍ ലീഡ് മി ടോ ദി real

ദി ഈ പൊയന്റ്സ് ഓഫ് CONDUCT

The SIX POINTS OF CONDUCT, as stated in AT THE FEET OF THE MASTER, include: Self-Control of the Mind;Self-control in Action;Tolerance;Cheerfulness; ONE-POINTEDNESS; & CONFIDENCE...you can look up the meanings of these for yourselves and then decide how to proceed on your own or leave them alone and let things happen...

അറ്റ്‌ ദി ഫീറ്റ്‌ ഓഫ് ദി MASTER

The small edition of AT THE FEET OF THE MASTER attributed to ALCYONE,which was published in 1910, gives some insight and hindsight into the THEOSOPICAL MOVEMENT which centered at ADYAR, INDIA, and went through 34 printings up to the year 1976 and undoubtedly has gone through more reprintings since then.....which is indicative of its importance to THEOSOPHISTS in general and also to other occultists who find an affinity for this type of writing and study as well as practice....... A problem with this is that many do not see the practical aspects but only the theoretical ones and often decide that any personal efforts are impossible in modern, contemporary life and they certainly will and do encounter an intense resistance to these ideas in nearly all aspects..........this is certainly apt to be most painful for those who are seeking peace and happiness and harmony in the world today at this writing....as the flames are being fanned as I write this by various fanatics of all kinds and descriptions who seek to impose their beliefs on everyone who is different or diverse in thoughts and in understanding....

മടമേ ബ്ലാവറ്സ്കി'സ TRAVELS

The travels of many occultists over the centuries have been topics of many discussions, especially by those who seek to debunk things or to find other things to criticize......and, of course, some persons with money and time have retraced many ancient and mythological quests and sites and battles,etc. and come up with various ideas and some fascinating conclusions, such as, the Oddessy and Alexander's invasions in Asia,etc. as well as others... Two occultists that come immediately to mind are: G.I. GURDJIEFF & MADAME HELENA P. BLAVATSKY.....among others.....whose travels have come into question at times and whose claims for certain things seem dubious or suspect,etc....... Travel in the 19th and even in the 20th Centuries was often difficult and unlike today's modern, swift travel somewhat available to everyone, especially those that can afford such...along with numerous other things that render exotic climes and locales almost commonplace......but in the old days, with meager immunizations, few toilets and lack of now available and ubiquitous toilet paper, and multiple devices to record nearly everything from the first breath or step to the final leg and endpoint of any journey,,,,,,dangerous as some may be in hostile areas.... Here is my take on all such travels by occultists of note....some of which can be partially verified while others not...and many surmised things as well, if you have driven across the US or any state or whatever and made a few stops in places,you've been there.....but, however brief such stops, layovers(especially on planes)etc. you've been there....living in a place is quite different from simply traveling through or visiting....guys who take in seminars or give them in various places, attend business meetings in other states, and take in shows in various cities,etc. or some similar very short period in any particular place...have all been there and maybe met hundreds, possibly thousands of people(especially if they are movie stars, celebrities, politicians, statesmen,etc. etc.) and you get a picture of what I am saying....there might have been a handshake with someone famous or infamous and you will remember such, but will they? Will the place you went remember you? I doubt it......unless you did some deed, like massacre a few hundred or more and even then they might not know your name...and so it goes....... Leisurely travel in past times meant taking horses and other animal transports and also ships and what few cars and planes might have been available in the 20th and some trains,etc. Nowadays, you can be in Asia from where I am in around 18 hrs or so,depending.....on certain things..... So I tend to accept that these two occultists did travel in very unusual and remote places even if their claims and descriptions do not match those of their critics and detractors..... Of course, some fictional accounts of things have disguised certain truths and persons,etc. for special reasons....novels do this all the time.....and sometimes people are given other names,titles, and the like to avoid problems and law suits,etc. There are plenty of such examples...... Even place names can be sort of disguised for reasons........just use your own judgment on such matters if at all......and follow in their footsteps if you dare...

थे बुक ऑफ़ द्ज्याँ

THE BOOK OF DZYAN is composed of stanzas that translated from it into English by Madame Blavatsky and I suggest obtaining a copy of a book that lists them in order and as a complete text without the commentaries and references,etc. if you can find one. I have one but here in the US that I have made use of in the past.....There are a few other books that attempt to give special insights and information to this book and from some who have spent a lifetime of study and research, not to mention attempting to live a special life devoted to these teachings....

थे सेक्रेट DOCTRINE

THE SECRET DOCTRINE is a massive volume,written and compiled through the efforts of that remarkable occultist,known as MADAME BLAVATSKY or H.P.B.(HPB),an unusual woman by any account, despite all the vagaries and scandals and notoriety attributed to or associated with her in an age(Victorian) that still casts a remarkable spell over and a fascination of this, and future,generations, no d oubt. Two Books,of a projected four, have appeared.A one volume edition that I have and will use here. While both books have been revised and re-revised some others that exist are considered 'suspect' and 'spurious' but this need not present a problem for serious students of the occult, the arcane, or of Theosophy in general....A six volume of THE SECRET DOCTRINE exists and is called by many the ADYAR EDITION, and it contains various other writings,etc by HPS and some other information....but none of these editions can really qualify for the projected 3rd & 4th editions that may have been written but which were never published by H>P> B. THE SECRET DOCTRINE written prior to and published in 1888,considered a year of remarkable importance and significance in esoteric circles, was said by H.P.B. TO 'CONTAIN ALL THAT COULD BE GIVEN OUT TO THE WORLD' in the 19th Century and perhaps we add hardly understood or appreciated in its time or he next century,the 20th, and probably not in this new 21st century.
This basic volume of THE SECRET DOCTRINE consists of two parts; COSMOGENESIS and ANTHROPOGENESIS or, THE UNIVERSE & MAN, from which a great number of ensuing occult and esoteric work(s)published afterwards took their impetus andideas as well as classifications and divisions to a very large degree and extent. Some acknowledge their debts to HPB and specify her as their source or,at the very least, one of their sources..... MADAME BLAVATSKY had the book printed and published in ENGLISH in a bit of almost 'psychic' insight when she said,'THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS EMPLOYED BECAUSE IT OFFERS THE MOST WIDELY DIFFUSED MEDIUM FOR CONVEYING THE TRUTHS WHICH HAD BECOME HER(HPB'S) DUTY TO PLACE BEFORE THE WORLD'! The ENGLISH LANGUAGE is employed because in the 21st Century, English is the most widespread and used in the world,especially on the internet, for example....and the reasons for this are not hard to find....but will not be further expanded here... We need no accept HPB'S assertion uncritically that THE BOOK OF DZYAN is the oldest manuscript in the world, though we may concur that IT CAPTURES THE ELUSIVE 'ESSENCE" OF ALL THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS,TEACHINGS, AND WRITINGS..... An analysis of this ancient text as given by Madame Blavatsky is difficult for most persons but some students have done rather excellent work on this aspect to edify and clarify some things....especially in light of scholarly criticisms....... I shall point out some of these when appropriate and relevant but will not attempt to do the work of those who should and must read this book, THE SECRET DOCTRINE for themselves......

ट्रुथ इस थे हिघेस्त RELIGION

तेरे इस नो रेलिगिओं हिघेर थान TRUTH

This is the 'motto' of the THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT and of most societies, groups, and related ones.....'THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN TRUTH" and this motto appears on Madame Blavatsky's grave site according to all accounts, but I believe she was cremated but I shall have to verify all of that at some later time..... Another way of saying much the same thing, to some extent, is this: TRUTH IS THE HIGHEST RELIGION...

HPB IN TIBET

John G. Bennett in one of his books mentions that Gurdjieff told him and perhaps others that he had met Madame Blavatsky when he was in his teens and that she 'fell in love' with him and I can well imagine that she might well have done so, had she,indeed, met him and if so, perhaps stimulated him to venture forth on excursions and quests of his own, in the lands to which she was said to be on the way at that time. There are, of course, some curious conjectures that can be made in comparing the lives of these two great occultists and possibly the third one of AC,especially in regards to their being in India and that area of the world, plus in the Mediterranean area, and in Europe, Paris, London,etc. Also, there is the various descriptions of all three as 'spies' and 'agents',etc. which add to the mystery and the romance and the liklihood that they earned their 'keep' in such a manner.

MADAME BLAVATSKY'S CHILDREN

Helena Petrovich Blavatsky or H.P.B. as she was often called or referred, to in writings, was a fascinating and controversial person who is considered 'a great occultist' with worldwife influence. Her writings and books continue to intrigue curious minds and serve as a source for occult and esoteric knowledge and wisdom and sometimes practice. In this blog, I hope to discuss my particular views and experiences,from youth to the present, about what has been described as THEOSOPHY and The Theosophical Movement and also to discuss views of both her most ardent follwers and her most critical detractors. The life of Madame Blavatsky(her married name) is as colorful as those of other occultists,such as, Gurdjieff(who will be discussed in relation to Madame Blavatsky) and Crowley, as well as others. Offshoots of her initial groups will also be discussed and considered if time and interest permits me to do so.