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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Alternative belief systems > Syncretist & eclectic religions & belief systems > Post-renaissance syncretist / eclectic systems
How awake are we to our inner being, our true nature? How much
self-knowledge do we really have? In relation to our intrinsic
self, we can easily feel like a novice. In truth, we face a long
journey before we can fully understand ourselves - and we are
equally unpractised in relating to our 'shadow' and inner wounds.
The path described in this book is an inward one, concerned with
strengthening our individuality. Based on life-long research,
Karsten Massei has created a valuable workbook for knowing and
healing ourselves. In a series of short chapters, he explains the
interplay and tensions between the human individual and the nature
of our 'inner and cosmic child'. Both are complex entities but are
directly related; both are deeply connected with our destiny. Our
experiences with our inner child are often still in the earliest
stages - but cultivating a relationship with her, noticing her,
holding conversations with her, is vital, and offers us ever
deepening experiences. As our insights expand, our frailties,
deficiencies and inner wounds become apparent. The being of the
inner child wants to educate us to become inwardly truthful and
authentic. Only honest engagement with the traumas and
vulnerabilities of our soul will enable a true picture of ourselves
to arise. Child of the Cosmos contains surprising perspectives
arising from the author's personal experiences, opening up a clear
path of personal development. The text is complemented with seven
special meditations to assist us in engaging with the challenges
ahead.
This book follows Karl Koenig's spiritual journey from his early
years to the end of his life. Through the words of his diaries, in
which his battles with health and his impatient temperament are
recorded with merciless honesty, we can follow his inner path that
led to profound insights into the nature of children with special
needs. His personal wrestlings and innate spirituality laid the
foundation for his work in the Camphill Schools and Villages.
Includes facsimile reproductions of some of Koenig's original diary
pages. About the Karl Koenig Archive: Karl Koenig, the founder of
Camphill, was a prolific lecturer and writer on a wide range of
subjects from anthroposophy and Christology through social
questions and curative education to science and history. The Karl
Koenig Archive are working on a programme of publishing these works
over the coming years.
Mental and emotional disorders have reached epidemic levels in
Western societies. Self-doubt, panic-attacks, anxiety disorders and
personal fears of all kinds present major challenges to
contemporary medical science. Rudolf Steiner's spiritual research
offers a startlingly original and complementary contribution to the
problem. True insight into psychological issues requires knowledge
of the influences of spiritual beings, he suggests. In everyday
life we are all confronted with metaphysical entities that can
hinder or progress our development. Many forms of anxiety and
self-doubt derive from such meetings on the border - or threshold -
of our consciousness. Further, these `threshold experiences' are
exacerbated today by a general loosening of the subtle bodies and
components of the human soul. As these constitutional changes
persist, says Rudolf Steiner, a condition of `dissociation' becomes
increasingly common. A healthy emotional life will only be possible
if individuals engage in a conscious practice of personal growth,
strengthening their constitution through the action of the `I' or
self. The expertly selected and collated texts in Self-Doubt offer
numerous cognitive and practical ideas for the improvement of
everyday mental and emotional health. Chapters include: The origin
of error, fear, and nervousness; Crossing the threshold in the
development of humanity and the individual; The polarity of shame
and fear; The polarity of doubt and terrifying disorientation; The
polarity of scepticism and claustrophobia, astraphobia, and
agoraphobia; The origin of panic; Anxiety; The multilayered nature
of terrifying disorientation; Healing aspects of the
anthroposophical path of training; The spiritual-scientific
qualities of fear compared with standardized diagnostic terms and
as a basis for therapy.
In recent scholarship there is an emerging interest in the
integration of philosophy and theology. Philosophers and
theologians address the relationship between body and soul and its
implications for theological anthropology. In so doing,
philosopher-theologians interact with cognitive science, biological
evolution, psychology, and sociology. Reflecting these exciting new
developments, The Ashgate Research Companion to Theological
Anthropology is a resource for philosophers and theologians,
students and scholars, interested in the constructive, critical
exploration of a theology of human persons. Throughout this
collection of newly authored contributions, key themes are
addressed: human agency and grace, the soul, sin and salvation,
Christology, glory, feminism, the theology of human nature, and
other major themes in theological anthropology in historic as well
as contemporary contexts.
Underlying Sergei O. Prokofieff's life's work was a fundamental
research-theme to which he returned to repeatedly: the
individuality of Rudolf Steiner as manifested through his past
incarnations on Earth. Beginning in 1982, inspired by a visit to an
exhibition on The Epic of Gilgamesh, Prokofieff planned a
full-scale spiritual biography with the intention of finding an
answer to the question: Who is Rudolf Steiner? In a sequence of
five past incarnations - as indicated by Steiner himself - and
culminating in the life of Rudolf Steiner, Prokofieff searched for
the inner thread between the six stages of this great,
all-encompassing life. His intention was to find not only the outer
connections in this sequence but also the deeper, more esoteric
stream that offers the key to the unique significance of this
individuality. In 1984, Prokofieff began to write the first chapter
about Rudolf Steiner's incarnation as Enkidu in Sumer. Sadly, many
obstacles in his path were to prevent him finalising the project.
However, the author returned to the book in his final months,
preparing a Preface that outlines its conception together with a
summary chapter on Rudolf Steiner's evolutionary journey. This
precious 'fragment' of a biography features valuable additional
material, including: a full introduction to the relationship of the
anthroposophical movement to other occult streams of esoteric
Christianity and their Masters; a detailed spiritual-scientific
interpretation of the Epic of Gilgamesh that establishes Rudolf
Steiner's connection with the being of Jesus of Nazareth, and an
exploration of Steiner's relationship to the Nathan soul, the Luke
Jesus child. Serious students of anthroposophy will welcome these
final writings from the pen of one of Rudolf Steiner's most
faithful and insightful disciples.
The point, line, plane and solid objects represent the first three
dimensions, but a kind of reversal of space is involved in the
ascent to a fourth dimension. Steiner leads us to the brink of this
new perspective-as nearly as it can be done with words, diagrams,
analogies, and examples of many kinds. In doing so, he continues
his lifelong project of demonstrating that our objective, everyday
thinking is the lowest rung of a ladder that reaches up to
literally infinite heights. The talks in this series and the
selections from the question-and-answer sessions on many
mathematical topics over the years are translated into English for
the first time in THE FOURTH DIMENSION. They bring us to
tantalizing new horizons of awareness where Steiner hoped to lead
his listeners: Topics include: * The relationship between geometric
studies and developing direct perception of spiritual realities *
How to construct a fourth-dimensional hypercube * The six
dimensions of the self-aware human being * Problems with the theory
of relativity * The Trinity and angelic hierarchies and their
relationship to physical space * The dimensional aspect of the
spiritual being encountered by Moses on Mt. Sinai
First Published in 1986. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor &
Francis, an informa company.
'The personality who received the Christ Being into himself in his
thirtieth year is a complex entelechy. Only on the basis of the
Akashic Record can an accurate view be gained as to why the life of
Jesus is so diversely presented in the various Gospels...' - Rudolf
Steiner Previously untranslated, this collection of twelve lectures
represents a middle point in Rudolf Steiner's unique exposition of
the Christian gospels - his momentous courses on St John and St
Luke had already been delivered, whilst his lectures on the Matthew
and Mark gospels were yet to follow. Here, he examines the varying
depictions of Christ in the gospels, explaining that they represent
four different but complementary perspectives. Steiner's
unparalleled insights are based on his firsthand ability to
research the spiritual Akashic Record - the universal compendium of
all events, thoughts, emotions and intentions. The twelve lectures
include: 'The Gospels, Buddha and the two Jesus children'; 'Four
varying depictions of Christ in the four Gospels'; 'The Mission of
the ancient Hebrew people'; 'Preparations for an understanding of
the Christ Event'; 'On the right attitude to Anthroposophy'; 'The
Gospel of Matthew and the Christ conundrum'; 'Group souls and
Individuality'; 'God within and the God in outer manifestation';
'The Christmas tree as a symbol'; and 'A Christmas mood'.
Translated by Christiana Bryan, this volume features an
introduction by Tom Ravetz as well as notes and an index. Twelve
lectures, various cities, 11 Oct.-26 Dec. 1909, GA 117
The idea of 'north' suggests much more than wintry cold, ice and
snow. To many, it hints at something magical, enchanting and
mysterious. This book explores the spiritual aspect of this
attraction through a survey of ancient history, Norse mythology and
contemporary studies of earth mysteries and sacred sites. From her
detailed research, Margaret Jonas traces the birth of Celtic
Christianity in the British Isles, Ireland, Scandinavia and
Germany, revealing a time when ancient prophecies relating to the
sun and divine beings came to fulfilment. A new spiritual wisdom
gradually spread across Europe - not only from the south
northwards, but also from west eastwards. The author describes how
a paradisiacal element from the earliest stages of earth evolution
was preserved and nurtured in hidden places associated with the
northern mysteries. This fascinating work of accessible scholarship
features chapters on Hyperborea, Thule and Apollo; the Druids and
Odinic Mysteries; Norway and the Celtic Christian Legacy; the
Number Five and the Etheric Body; the Externsteine and the God
Vidar, and Finland. The book concludes with hints of a future time
when northern magic will be transformed, and '...new clairvoyant
faculties will be within the reach of all humanity'.
The main subjects of analysis in the present book are the stages of
initiation in the grand scheme of Theosophical evolution. These
initiatory steps are connected to an idea of evolutionary
self-development by means of a set of virtues that are relative to
the individual's position on the path of evolution. The central
thesis is that these stages were translated from the "Hindu"
tradition to the "Theosophical" tradition through multifaceted
"hybridization processes" in which several Indian members of the
Theosophical Society partook. Starting with Annie Besant's early
Theosophy, the stages of initiation are traced through Blavatsky's
work to Manilal Dvivedi and T. Subba Row, both Indian members of
the Theosophical Society, and then on to the Sanatana Dharma Text
Books. In 1898, the English Theosophist Annie Besant and the Indian
Theosophist Bhagavan Das together founded the Central Hindu
College, Benares, which became the nucleus around which the Benares
Hindu University was instituted in 1915. In this context the
Sanatana Dharma Text Books were published. Muhlematter shows that
the stages of initiation were the blueprint for Annie Besant's
pedagogy, which she implemented in the Central Hindu College in
Benares. In doing so, he succeeds in making intelligible how
"esoteric" knowledge was transferred to public institutions and how
a broader public could be reached as a result. The dissertation has
been awarded the ESSWE PhD Thesis prize 2022 by the European
Society for the Study of Western Esotericism.
What can we read in the fast-moving events of recent times? Is
there a theme - a spiritual signature - that should be recognized
and understood? Following on from the book of essays Perspectives
and Initiatives in the Times of Coronavirus, key figures from the
School of Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum assess critical
societal issues in a series of striking lectures. In the context of
the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, the speakers address questions
such as: 'Are we making a religion out of science?', 'How is our
behaviour mirrored in the ecosystem?' and 'What effects do inner
work and meditation have on the healing powers of the human being?'
Offering scientific, artistic, historic and sociological
viewpoints, their research is based on expert knowledge and
practice in various disciplines such as medicine, agriculture and
education. Uppermost in their analysis, however, is the spiritual
dimension of the human being. The book also deals with
misrepresentations and misinterpretations of anthroposophy. The
School of Spiritual Science, with its centre in Dornach,
Switzerland, has eleven sections that are active internationally in
research, development, teaching and practical implementation of
findings. The work of each of the School's sections seeks to
develop anthroposophy - as founded by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) -
in a contemporary context through the core disciplines of general
anthroposophy, medicine, agriculture, pedagogy, natural science,
mathematics and astronomy, literary and visual arts and humanities,
performing arts and youth work.
The heart of this volume comprises Rudolf Steiner's commentary on
the elemental forces that are responsible for our earthly nature as
human beings - forces that influence us through our membership of a
national or geographical group. When such elemental forces are not
recognised and understood, he states, they cause conflict and
chaos. However, Steiner indicates an important accompanying task
that calls upon each human being to develop individuality,
emancipating ourselves from the earthly influences underlying
national and racial groups.These great themes are framed by Rudolf
Steiner's pioneering research into the two major Northern
folk-poems, the Kalevala and The Dream Song of Olaf Asteson. The
former tells of the elemental spirits who created the conditions
for our earthly incarnation, whereas the Dream Song has to do with
the drama of excarnation - the journey of the human soul after
death. Linking these vast motifs is Steiner's unique description of
the mission and tasks of the Russian people and the contrast of
their destiny to the North American people (who, he says, are
'dominating the Earth for a brief period of increasing splendour').
Steiner explains how elemental beings, responsible for the balance
of land and sea, have created conditions where various peoples are
enabled to develop their gifts and fulfil their destinies. Thus he
speaks of Finland as the ancient conscience of Europe, Russia as
the future bearer of the Christ-imbued Spirit Self, and the
differing but complementary environments of Germany and Britain.
Strikingly, he states that, 'no souls on Earth love one another
more than those living in Central Europe and those living in the
British Isles'. Rudolf Steiner also speaks of the necessary work of
luciferic and ahrimanic beings that collaborate to enable the solid
spatial forms of our physical bodies. Likewise, they influence our
etheric and astral bodies, facilitating thinking, feeling and will
to be imbued with life and consciousness.
In December 1885 the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) in
London, England, published a 200-page report by Richard Hodgson.
The report is perhaps best known for its denunciation of H P
Blavatsky as an impostor, and is often quoted in encyclopaedias,
reference books, and biographical works. In April 1986 the "SPR
Journal", 'in the interests of truth and fair play', published a
critical analysis of the Hodgson Report by handwriting expert
Vernon Harrison, who found it 'riddled with slanted statements,
conjectures advanced as fact or probable fact, uncorroborated
testimony of unnamed witnesses, selection of evidence and downright
falsity'. Dr Harrison, a professional examiner of questioned
documents, continued his research, including a line-by-line
examination of 1,323 colour slides of the Mahatma Letters, and in a
second monograph (1997) concluded that 'the Hodgson Report is even
worse than I had thought'. H P Blavatsky and the SPR combines both
of Dr. Harrison's papers together with his Opinion, "Replies to
Criticism", formal Affidavit, and 13 full-colour plates of sample
pages from the Mahatma and Blavatsky letters.
Ernst Marti devoted his life to researching the 'etheric realm' - a
subtle area that exists between the physical and spiritual. Taking
the numerous statements and references by Rudolf Steiner as his
starting point, Marti develops our understanding of the etheric
world in various fields - from the theory of knowledge to the
natural world, through to music, the realm of colours, eurythmy and
medicine. In doing so, he proposes exciting bridges from the
ancient and medieval worldview to the present and future of natural
and spiritual science.The Etheric explores the fourfold realm of
the ethers. Giving an overview of their cosmic origins in the
evolution of the earth, Dr Marti shows how the ethers work in
phenomena of warmth, light, sound and organic life. He brings a
contemporary understanding and insight to the classical elements -
fire, air, water and earth - as the media through which ethericity
manifests and works in the world. Four physical forces are also
explored which, as opposites to the ethers, have a constant
tendency to break down and annul what life-giving ether creates.Dr
Marti then studies the shadow aspects of the ethers connected to
what he terms the 'sub-natural' forces of electricity, magnetism
and nuclear force. Given that the author was unable to complete
this book in his lifetime, his pupil and colleague Irmgard Rossmann
edited the final version in the spirit of her teacher. It is
published here in two volumes, with this first focusing on 'The
World of the Ethers' and the forthcoming volume on 'The World of
Formative Forces'.
This unprecedented volume contains powerful invocations that can be
used during each successive full moon, to aid humanity in
canalizing the potent energies available only during this special
time of the month. Helena Blavatsky and the Tibetan Master Djwhal
Khul through Alice Bailey's writings, first introduced the art and
science of invocation to the western world. Full moon group
meditations take place globally amongst many religions and
spiritual faiths. This book will peak the interest of meditators
around the world.
The unique scholarship and artistic sensitivity of Prof. Dr Hermann
Beckh (1875-1937) is in the process of being rediscovered. The
great linguist, Orientalist and Christian priest - an active
music-lover who also composed - penned pioneer works on our musical
system that are respected by musicians and musicologists. This
volume brings together two revised versions of his best-loved
books. The Essence of Tonality is written '...for musicians and
music-lovers who, because of their particular musicality experience
something spiritual - and for spiritual seekers and sensitive
people who, because of their particular spirituality, have
experienced a connection with music.' Beckh believed a spiritual
view of tonality would ensure music's, and humanity's, future. The
author elucidates the correspondence of the circle of fifths (the
keys) to the zodiac. Research should be directed towards the twelve
vital, spiritual key-centres, as expressing the cosmic rhythms in
which we all live, rather than the abstract twelve chromatic notes
of atonality. In The Parsifal Christ-Experience, Beckh's original
insights throw new and powerful light on the search for meaning in
our age, for a knowledge of the heart. In the poetic libretto and
remarkable music of his final creation, Wagner - acknowledged by
Bruckner as 'the Master' - presents the Grail legend and its
imagery. The psychological drama and its ultimate solution provide
insights to anyone who is prepared to reflect on inner experience.
Through Beckh's references to Wagner's own letters, as well as a
remarkable letter from Nietzsche, the reader gains knowledge of the
true nature of Wagner and his work.
'This book is a tribute to [Stein's] appreciation of the land of
his adoption and, to those who knew him, it is a monument to his
penetrative powers of spiritual perception.' - A.P. Shepherd At a
time when British identity is being reassessed and questioned, W.J.
Stein's classic and timeless study, with its penetrative analysis
of the character, psychology and destiny of the British people,
takes on new relevance. Stein, a political refugee from Austria,
spent the last 24 years of his life in Britain. As an outsider, he
was able to view British custom and culture with objectivity. As a
student of Rudolf Steiner, he brought years of spiritual study and
wisdom to the writing of this book, enabling profound insights. In
this concise and aphoristic study, Stein writes on everything from
geography, history, politics and economics to the arts (in
particular painting and music) and religion. He also reflects on
the British concept of freedom, as well as Great Britain's somewhat
mysterious propensity to extend itself - and its language and
culture - across the world. 'Amidst the international turmoils of
today the Delphic word can be heard to resound from all sides, in
its metamorphosed form: "Know yourselves as folk-souls!" Stein's
little book is an invaluable contribution to such a
super-individual self-knowledge.' - T.H. Meyer
Dementia, a broad category of brain diseases including Alzheimer's
and Parkinson's, affects millions of people worldwide. Although its
impact is primarily focused on populations of Western countries,
orthodox medicine has not been able to discover the causes of
dementia, let alone develop successful treatments or a cure. Given
this situation, there are good reasons to investigate the
psycho-spiritual factors connected to the outbreak of the illness.
As the author states in her Preface: 'The conception of man that is
given priority today by the scientific world hardly takes into
account that in addition to the physical-material component, for
which certain degenerative or pathological processes can be
determined with the help of technical apparatus, there are other
components of his being to be taken into account which cannot be
investigated in that way. So long as the cause of an illness is not
sought in connection with those spiritual components of the human
being, a successful treatment of the patient cannot be assured.'
Developing successful methods of treatment requires a full
understanding of the human being.This can not be achieved through
observation with the outer senses only, but increasingly calls for
spiritual-scientific perception. Through this method, as founded by
Rudolf Steiner, great service can be rendered to humanity,
including precise research into the causes of ill-health. The
factors involved in the eruption of modern afflictions, such as
dementia, can be determined by careful consideration of humanity's
- as well as the individual's - destiny. In this succinct but rich
study, Judith von Halle describes her investigations into the
phenomenon of dementia, beginning with a general outline of the
anthroposophical conception of the human being and society, and
applying that knowledge to what today is increasingly referred to
as an epidemic. This book does not demand medical expertise, but
requires an effort to engage with the psycho-spiritual conditions
of dementia sufferers. It provides a wealth of insights and
guidance to approaching one of the greatest challenges of our time.
'These Letters ... aim to make John's Gospel accessible to people
today as their own gospel, both as a whole and in the details; to
illuminate it with the spiritual knowledge of the age and to make
it fruitful for life, not only for meditation but also for
practical ordering of destiny.' - Friedrich Rittelmeyer. --- A
revitalized Johannine Christianity stands at the heart of the work
of Christian renewal that was led by Rudolf Steiner in the early
twentieth century. Friedrich Rittelmeyer, a Lutheran minister and
theologian who helped found The Christian Community in 1922, was a
leading figure within this new Johannine movement. Rittelmeyer
described John's Gospel as encapsulating '...an indescribable glory
of revelation of love. This glory has such purity, delicacy and
spiritual power that in it one has the material with which a
marvellous new world may be built.' --- Without doubt his most
powerful work, Rittelmeyer's Letters on John's Gospel first
appeared in a series of publications by the Stuttgart seminary of
The Christian Community between 1930 and 1932. Whilst these Letters
were originally written with students and local congregations in
mind, they provide manifold insights for anyone seeking to glimpse
the majesty of John's Gospel. Margaret Mitchell's translation from
1937 has never before been published in book form. Revised here and
expanded by editors Alan Stott and Neil Franklin, this volume
features additional contributions by Rudolf Frieling and Emil Bock.
`We must draw the slumbering soul away from the darkness of sleep
so that it no longer vanishes from its own scrutiny but stands
before itself as a being of pure spirit which, in volition, is
creatively active through - yet also beyond - the body.' - Rudolf
Steiner. According to Rudolf Steiner's independent research, the
soul or psyche has a relationship to both the body and the spirit.
Psychologists and psychotherapists can only work in a truly healing
way, he says, if they take this spiritual fact into account. This
expertly-compiled anthology explores the nature of the soul as
elaborated by Steiner in his writings and lectures. However, the
book comprises more than an account of the psyche and life of the
soul, but deals equally with the methodology for comprehending it -
the scientific, and above all spiritual-scientific, means of doing
so. Steiner questions methods and thought structures that are
fundamental to contemporary psychology. Rather than looking
backwards to conditions that influence how we are today, he focuses
on our further development as beings that think, feel and act with
intentionality. Given the soul's close affinity with pictorial
images, he elaborates a therapeutically-innovative meditative
schooling of the faculty of imagination. As Steiner states here,
his methods, `...do not draw only on the rules of the ordinary mind
but first prepare in the human soul another kind of consciousness,
another state of awareness, with which we then enquire into the
psyche... to approach and penetrate realities of the soul.'
In the Middle Ages, Astronomia - one of the Seven Liberal Arts -
was as much about astrology as astronomy. In fact the two
disciplines only parted company in the seventeenth century, as the
materialistic world-view gained greater prominence. Where once
human destiny was connected to stars and planets, and spiritual or
soul qualities were associated with the natural world, now the
cosmos was seen as consisting of gases, fire and dead rock. Rudolf
Steiner brings a new spiritual perspective to our study of the
heavens. Humanity, he says, is intimately connected to cosmic
beings, who in turn are related to planets and stars. There is
meaning in the cosmos. Although Steiner rejects the simplistic
notion of the planets determining our lives and behaviour, he makes
a clear connection between the heavenly bodies and human beings.
Whilst criticizing the superficial nature of much astrology,
Steiner shows that as individuals, and with the guidance of
spiritual beings, we choose an appropriate time of birth to match
the destiny we are to live. This enlightening anthology, expertly
collated by Margaret Jonas, features excerpts of Steiner's work on
the spiritual individualities of the planets, the determination of
human characteristics by the constellation at birth, the cultural
epochs and the passage of the equinox, cosmic influences on the
individual and humanity, life in the planetary spheres between
death and rebirth, solar and lunar eclipses, comets, and much more.
The concepts of 'thinking with the heart' or 'emotional
intelligence' are often used today, usually in contrast to
intellectual thought. When Rudolf Steiner used the phrase 'heart
thinking', however, he meant it in a very specific sense. Drawn
primarily from his lectures, the compiled texts in this anthology
illuminate his perspective - that heart thinking is intimately
related to the spiritual faculty of Inspiration. The heart, he
says, can become a new organ of thinking through the practice of
exercises that work towards the transformation of feeling, shedding
its personal and subjective character.The exercise sequences
presented here call for two fundamental gestures. Firstly,
renunciation, which extends from an extinguishing of images
engendered in meditation, through inner silence, to a conscious
suppression of sense perception. The second gesture involves the
development of new feelings towards natural phenomena as well as to
the reports of spiritual-scientific research. By practising these
methods, we can attain a kind of thinking that is in harmony with
the true nature and reality of what we seek to know.Rudolf
Steiner's texts are collected together by Martina Maria Sam, who
contributes a lucid introduction and notes.
In 1917 Annie Besant (1847-1933), a white Englishwoman, was elected
president of the Indian National Congress, the body which, under
the guidance of Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948), would later lead India
to independence. Besant - in her earlier career an active atheist
and a socialist journalist - was from 1907 till her death the
president of the Theosophical Society, an international spiritual
movement whose headquarters' location in Madras symbolized its
belief in India as the world's spiritual heart. This book deals
with the contribution of the Theosophical Society to the rise of
Indian nationalism and seeks to restore it to its proper place in
the history of ideas, both with regard to its spiritual doctrine
and the sources on which it drew, as well as its role in giving
rise to the New Age movement of the 20th century. The book is the
first to show how 19th century Orientalist study dramatically
affected the rise of the Theosophical ideology, and specifically
demonstrate the impact of the work of the Anglo-German scholar,
Friedrich Max Muller (1833-1900) on Mme Blavatsky (1831-1891), the
founder of the Theosophical Society.
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