Mountain Landscape Painting

By Cyrus Ryan


The Theosophical Society, Comatose or just Dying?

October 3, 2024

The first thing that is necessary to realize before you get into this article is that Theosophy and the Theosophical Society are two different things. One can be a Theosophist and not be a member of society or any Theosophical lodge. The Theosophical teaching was initiated through the means, or vehicle of the Theosophical Society by HPB. The Theosophical Society has been in a coma for many years, with no initiated leadership, no longer over-shadowed by the Masters of Wisdom, who have almost been forgotten, and no true brotherhood even in the lodges. The strange thing is that if an initiate to try and revive the society, they would not be understood, and soon be cast out, because the initiate would not fit in with the old, stale Theosophical Society matrix. Even HPB had such problems back in her time, as she was so little understood, even by Olcott. The Theosophical teaching lives on in the great literature that was produced, and in the newer expressions of the Theosophical teachings as given out in the books by AAB, the Theosophical teaching of the Tibetan Master DK. These works are Theosophy, they are an expression of the next phase of the intended out pouring of knowledge arranged by the Masters of Wisdom, and soon another phase of the Theosophical teaching will unfold and be released to the public, but not through the Theosophical Society, or Arcane/Lucis Trust and related organizations. The Theosophical Society is shrinking, moment by moment, as its elderly members quickly die off and there are few enthused young people taking their place.

Once upon a time the Theosophical Society was a radiant beacon of not only esoteric knowledge, but of forward-thinking ideas that cut through age-old superstitions and dogmatic religious beliefs. It was also a guiding light that awakened a greater hope for humanity’s spiritual evolution. The ideas of Theosophical Society (TS) spread around the world from the late 19th century into the early part of the 20th. The literature of the TS, especially the Secret Doctrine of HPB, wedged open a once secret door that reinterpret much of the religious and cultural traditions, especially in Western thought. It showed that many of the stories in the Bible, especially the Old Testament were like fairy tales, not real happenings, but metaphorical and esoteric in their meaning. There was no Garden of Eden, or Adam and Eve eating of the forbidden fruit. The purpose was to liberate the imprisoned mind of humanity;

A) to see clearly that the Judeo-Christian religions wanted to maintain their power over humanity, thwarting the awakening of real knowledge that would be available beyond the religious institutions (especially in the West)

B) liberate the mind of humanity so it would be freer and open to new ideas, anxious to explore, research, and learn of new possibilities.

The TS also introduced the Wisdom of the East to the West, showing that that Gupta-vidya, or the great esoteric knowledge of the East is the true root of knowledge, that spread around the world.

There were multiple hidden reasons planned by the Masters as to why the TS was so important

1. This advent or out-pouring of Esoteric Knowledge was a pioneering work to prepare the way for the evolution of the next race in the evolution of humanity, the 6th sub-race.
2. This effort was to prepare the way for advanced Souls that would soon incarnate in the West, whose souls in previous lives evolved more in the East.
3. To prepare for the new outpouring of esoteric knowledge that was more Aquarian, representing the path of the future, more a synthesis of East and West, as humanity enters the Aquarian Age.
4. To create points of dynamic spiritual force around the world, via the lodges that in the future would attract these advanced souls.
5. To prepare the way for the future externalization of the Hierarchy/ashrams/Masters, and the coming Teacher of Teachers.

This was a superhuman task taking on by certain great Masters of Wisdom, aligning themselves to what is called the ‘Divine Plan for humanity’ from the Chohans of the Hierarchy who were the custodians of these inner Plans for the future evolution of humanity. HPB was their emissary for this initial outpouring. She taught what she was directed to teach or write about, not what she knew. She was setting an example for her time and cultural period. The knowledge given out was only an initial step, the First Out-pouring. She served the Masters and humanity through constant effort and sacrifice. Unfortunately, she was misunderstood, even by many of the TS members at that time.

There was a core of three Masters who initiated this effort, one being the Master DK, now known as the Tibetan. The Master DK has great knowledge and was tasked with the second out-pouring to further help stimulate those forces that would eventually bring about the New Aquarian Age. Another advanced disciple was available, Alice A. Bailey who could align herself to the thoughts of the Master DK and then put them down into a series of books that represents the next steps of the spiritual evolution for humanity. This second effort included practical meditation disciplines and an introduction to esoteric psychology. This out-pouring represented the intermediate esoteric teachings directed by the Masters of Wisdom/Hierarchy given to humanity. The initial difficulty that arose was that, although these teachings given out by the Master DK, were a continuation of the initial out-pouring, Theosophist, in general, did not accept it, and turned their backs on it. The initial esoteric out-pouring was aimed at the intelligence, or intellectual aspect of humanity, bringing in new knowledge, ideas, and a way of thinking, but if did not include the ‘sadhana’ or yogic disciplines such a meditation, self-observation, and the Bodhisattva idea of ‘Service’ or ‘Good-will’ to humanity. Whereas the books of AAB gave directions for meditation, mantra/seed thoughts to say and ponder on, plus launching the initial ideas and means for Esoteric Psychology, the psychology of the future, and different types of service to humanity. The initial out-pouring through HPB had none of this. It was not her purpose. The older members of the Theosophical Society stuck to HPB as the source and great teacher, almost deifying her, even saying she was the last initiate to give out any esoteric teachings. The Masters of Wisdom had withdrawn their blessing from the TS after Krishnamurti’s failure* when he turned against the Masters, turning their attention to the efforts undertaken by AAB. Since then, the Theosophical society began to go downhill, and by the late 1960’s only the shell remained of the TS, its heart had been covered up by dark clouds of unseen Dugpas. The only blessing left was that the TS continued to publish and maintain excellent occult libraries around the world.

The above is just a general outline of some events from the first out-pouring of esoteric knowledge to the second out-pouring. From an esoteric clairvoyant perspective, when the Masters withdrew from over-shadowing the TS, this action resulted in an occult vacuum. Once the higher energy of the Masters was withdrawn, the vacuum left has to be filled, that’s the law. Negative forces then enter, and over time grew and grew, drawing in those souls who vibrate to their unseen lower rhythms. These particular souls who become the controlling factors of the TS enhance the old thinking, crystalizing it, so they become hardened on their unflinching, narrow interpretation of what Theosophy is. Thus today, younger people have never even heard of the Theosophical Society, and prefer to explore other paths, not only those fashioned by AAB, but as the Wisdom of the East flowed to the West, Buddhism and Yoga became the focus of younger people and the Theosophical Society became a lost icon in a comatose state.

So today, the Theosophical Society, from an esoteric perceptive is just an empty shell, in a state of coma. Having visited numerous TS lodges, many of them are filled with middle to old agers, with 2 or 3 younger adults, usually in their 40’s or 50’s. Programs at some TS lodges, though varied, are a smorgasbord of more new aggie pseudo-spiritual activities from drumming circles, qigong, feel-good meditation, therapeutic touch, and such. Whereas today’s young aspirants want deeper experiences, they want to meditate, learn about Yogis and Deities, the Tantras, and are searching out the wisdom from Tibetan Buddhist, various yoga groups, and other wisdom studies, anything but the Theosophical Society. Much the same has happened to the Arcane School and other schools that follow only the teaching given out through the books of AAB. What’s interesting is that soon there will be a the third out-pouring of Esoteric Knowledge, and those who are fixed on just the Blue Books, as they are called, will most likely not recognize or accept the new out-pouring when it comes. It will look too different, expect more effort, and be more Eastern Wisdom oriented. It will be denied and not recognized for many years after its initial octave is presented from some unknown advanced disciples. Thus, a new, younger group of disciples, attracted by the ‘newness’ and experiential aspect of this third out-pouring will become the building blocks on the physical plane, an actual externalization of some inner ashram, spreading this new, yet very old teaching, but now packaged differently. It will start out in a very small way, with only a few very advanced initiates who will be guided directly by the Masters of Wisdom.

*Krishnamurti’s failure: It’s a question mark as to whether he would have been the world teacher as he was promoted by Leadbeater and Besant, but he did have the blessings of certain of the Masters. After the death of his brother, he turned his back on the tradition of lineage from a Masters/Guru, and he shifted to a more Aquarian spiritual expression. His ideas were unique and opened many minds during that period. But he denied the need of a spiritual teacher, even spiritual discipline, and the need of understanding the old spiritual traditions. Yet, he set himself up as a teacher/guru, while at the same time denied them. He wanted spiritual aspirants to be free thinkers, yet he plied them with his thoughts and ideas. Did he fulfill his true spiritual destiny, instead taking a lesser role? Food for thought.


Aspirants who have questions or wish to discuss various esoteric subjects such as those on this website may like to join: The Northern School of Esoteric Wisdom’s Facebook page.


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