Accelerating Human Evolution by Theosophical Initiation


Book Description

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 Sanâtana 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 Sanâtana Dharma Text Books were published. Mühlematter 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.




Contemporary Yoga and Sacred Texts


Book Description

This book explores the textual traditions that authorize the history, legitimacy, and authenticity of today’s physical posture practice. The volume focuses on why and how yoga communities have adopted various texts that they consider sacred or spiritually meaningful. Among the texts discussed are Yogananda‘s Autobiography, Sri Aurobindo's Savitri, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Upanishads, the Vedas, and the Yoginī Tantra. Famous thinkers included are Aurobindo, Yogananda, Osho-Rajneesh, Sogyal Rimpoche, Charles Johnston, and Howard Thurman. Offering a starting point, the ten chapters address the nature, selection, and function of various ancient and contemporary texts read in contemporary yoga settings. The attention centers on how and why texts are read and for whom they are read. As yoga is practiced in ashrams, yoga studios, gyms, meeting rooms, and even private living rooms, scholarly approaches to investigate the connections between yoga and texts are necessarily diverse. This volume aims to inspire further scholarship on the reading of texts in past and present yoga communities. The collection demonstrates that textual tradions deserve to be an important part of contemporary yoga scholarship. The volume will, therefore, be of great interest to scholars of religious studies, yoga studies, and Asian studies, as well as those studying sacred texts.




Esotericism and Deviance


Book Description

The concept of deviance has been central to the academic study of (Western) esotericism since its inception. This book, being the proceedings of the 6th Biennial Conference of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE), explores the relationship between esotericism and various forms of deviance (as concept, category, and practice) from antiquity until late modernity. The volume is the first to combine incisive conceptual explorations of the concept of deviance and how it informs and challenges the study of esotericism alongside a wide range of empirically grounded case discussions.




Accelerating Human Evolution by Theosophical Initiation


Book Description

The main subjects of analysis in the present book are the stages of initiation in the grand scheme of Theosophical evolution. Mühlematter shows that the stages of initiation were the blueprint for Annie Besant's pedagogy, which she implemented in




Theosophy


Book Description

A professor of religion explores Theosophical ideas in modern times. Major concepts discussed include reincarnation, karma, evolution, the Oneness of all life, the cyclic nature of creation, and the mystery of consciousness.




Exploring Our Dimensional Being


Book Description

Throughout our lives, most of us have been conditioned to view the essence of our human being and the greater realm of creation itself as somehow mysterious and unknowable. In many ways, it seems as if we have relegated our lives to dense matter as the central focus of our identity. Exploring the possible inner or metaphysical realities can provide an orientation and detail necessary for greater understanding of ourselves and the dimensional spheres of life that connect us. My lifes work has included studying the underlying structures that support all physical manifestation as well as the beings that live within and work to sustain them. I believe that all inner and outer life forms and entities are dimensionally connected. We are continuously interacting with them unconsciously through various levels of our being, the collective consciousness of humanity, our planet, and the celestial bodies in the universe. My experience has been that the lack of awareness of our own greater being is what hinders our ability to comprehend the universe multidimensionally. In my view, before entering our present dense physical forms as humans, we have progressed through many developmental cycles, as did our Earth, solar system, and universe. This book documents what I have learned about the universal creative process and dimensional human evolution from our source beginnings to the present. I have tried to integrate the various accounts of the scientific, mythological, religious, and metaphysical versions of cosmology, cosmogenesis, and cosmogony. Exploring the inner realms of possible connections between humanity, Earth, and the cosmos has been a complex undertaking and journey into uncharted territory. My research, life experiences, and clairvoyant perspectives regarding the dimensionality of all life are the basis for the writing of this book.




The Spirit in Human Evolution


Book Description

Martyn Rawson, a seasoned Waldorf teacher and biologist, takes the reader on a journey into modern anthropological thinking from the perspective of a spiritual scientist. Chapters: Self-knowledge, Truth, and Goodness Contextual Thinking Versus Reductionist Thinking Anthroposophical Anthropology and the Developing Human Being First Steps Lucy, Flatface, and Friends Working Man The Ancients The Moderns







The Theosophist


Book Description