|
The Houston
Theosophical Society
The Three Declared Objects of the
Theosophical Society
-
To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color.
-
To encourage the comparative study of religion, philosophy, and science.
-
To investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity.
|
The Philosophy of the Society
The Theosophical Society is composed of individuals united by their
approval of its objects, by their dedication to promoting brotherhood,
and by their efforts to foster religious and racial understanding.
Their bond of union is a common search and aspiration for truth. They
hold that truth should be sought by study, by reflection, by service,
and not imposed by authority as a dogma.
Theosophists
consider that belief should be the result of individual study,
experience, and insight, rather than mere acceptance of traditional
ideas, and that it should rest on knowledge, not on assertion. They see
each religion as an expression of Divine Wisdom, adapted to the needs
of a particular time and place, and they prefer the study of various
religions to their condemnation, their practice to proselytism. Peace
is their watchword, as truth is their aim.
Theosophy
offers a philosophy that sees the whole universe as alive and
interrelated. It affirms an intelligent order and system guiding the
cyclical evolution of all life. It recognizes a purpose for existence
in the goal toward which the entire cosmos is progressing. It puts
death in its rightful place as a recurring incident in an endless life,
opening the gateway to a fuller and more radiant existence. It holds
that our body, emotions, mind, and intuition are all aspects of our
inner nature and that right living is the result of balance and harmony
within ourselves and with the world around us.
The
Theosophical Society maintains the right of individual freedom of
thought for every member. Those who join the Society are not asked to
give up the teachings of their own faiths. No doctrine, no opinion, by
whomsoever taught or held, is in any way binding on any member of the
Society, and no teacher or writer has authority to impose opinions on
others. All members are urged to defend and act upon these fundamental
principles and also fearlessly to exercise their own right of liberty
of thought and of expression within the limits of courtesy and
consideration for others.
The Society claims no
monopoly on the Wisdom Tradition called Theosophy, for it cannot be
limited. Fellows of the Society seek to understand this Wisdom ever
more fully. All in sympathy with the objects of the Society are
welcomed as members.
About Theosophy
These are some of the basic ideas Theosophy offers for consideration:
- One Life pervades and sustains the universe.
- The universe is the manifestation of an eternal, boundless and immutable Reality beyond the range of human understanding.
- Matter
and consciousness (or spirit) are the two polar aspects of that
ultimate Reality, from whose interplay proceed innumerable universes in
an endless cycle of manifestation and dissolution.
- An intelligence that is both immanent and transcendent is the basis of all laws of nature. "Deity is Law," said H. P. Blavatsky.
- The
visible universe is only its densest part; the whole universe contains
also invisible worlds of exceedingly tenuous matter interpenetrating
the physical.
The entire system of the universe, visible and
invisible, is the scene of a great scheme of evolution, in which life
moves to ever more expressive form, more responsive awareness, and more
unified consciousness.
- The
human consciousness (also called spirit or soul) is in essence
identical with the one supreme Reality, which Ralph Waldo Emerson
called the "Oversoul," including each of our particular beings and
uniting us with one another.
- The gradual
unfolding of this latent divine Reality within us takes place by the
process of reincarnation, which is an aspect of the cyclic law seen
everywhere in nature, by periods of activity alternating with periods
of rest and assimilation. As Saint Paul says, whatever we sow, we will
inevitably reap. This is the law of karma, by which we weave our own
destiny through the ages. It is the great hope for humanity, for it
gives us the opportunity to create our future by what we do in the
present.
- The
human pilgrimage takes us from our source in the One through experience
of the many, back to union with the One Divine Reality. Our goal is
thus to complete the cosmic cycle of manifestation with full conscious
realization of ourselves, no longer polarized between consciousness and
matter or divided into self and other, but unified within and united
with all other beings through our common Source. This realization is
enlightenment.