Hello all.  This is a discussion of our brand of Theosophy.

Theosophy.Net is the only place in the world where you find what we are doing.  Nowhere else.

What we do is based on a very well respected tradition.  Our flavor of Theosophy is what is taught in most university settings, specifically within the field of Western Esotericism. 

So that means that we're not fabricating it off the top of our heads.  We didn't contact any masters or other high beings for approval.

Why did we go this route?

*  It's flexible.  The Theosophic tradition has been adapting to changes in culture from the early Christian era to the present day, in many flavors and varieties of practice. 

Our "Traditional Theosophy" is a framework.  Framework is what the word implies.  It is like a scaffold on which many things can be built.  This is really, really important, and probably the most important thing to get.

This means that you come with your belief and use the framework as starting point for your own explorations.

Let's explore the framework.  It is in two parts:

Part I - Esotericism

This is under the general category of Esotericism.  This is a short version of what John Mead, in conjunction with the Phoenix Rising Institute has come up with for our FAQ. We would ask that you give some thought to each of these simple ideas.  They may be useful for daily meditations.

First is Correspondence.  It is literally the Hermetic Axiom; "As above, so below".  Anything you can see, touch, taste, etc. has equivalents in other planes or spheres of existence.  Ask "what are the relationships?"

Second is the idea that Nature is alive.  Nature has a life, a mind and everything else we associate with being and beingness.

Third is Imagination and mediators.  Imagination is considered the most powerful faculty of the human mind.  Through it we can communicate through any number of mediators such as number, symbols as well as through the various classes of beings in existence.  Imagination + mediation = understanding of reality.

Fourth is tranformation, transmutation, Gnosis, etc.  Using all the above can result in an illumination that takes place from within resulting in what many call the "second birth".

In addition there is the perennial tradition, a wisdom tradition that exists in all cultures, places and times.  This ties all of us together in our search.   Also, there are those who pass on the traditions by initiation, from teacher to student, on and on.

Part II - Specific to Theosophy

The first thing that specifically makes something a Theosophy is the combination of a living Nature with the Human and the Divine.  It can be visualized as a triangle. The Divine is the unknowable, spiritual absolute, given many names in many cultures but the same thing.  We, as humans explore nature and the divine in order to achieve Gnosis (Enlightenment, Moksha, etc.). 

Secondly is the power (or primacy of the mythic).  Much like mediators above, they serve as the "stories of us".  They give life, meaning and form to the triangle of humanity, nature and the divine.  The key which unlocks the hidden connections is the the imagination.

Finally is the access to the divine.  The imagination with its companion intuition are the keys which unlock the worlds of divinity.  It is what sees the connections that elude others and opens up entire universes of insight and wisdom limitless. 

In a very, very real sense, Theosophies place a huge demand on the imagination and the ability to dig into the hidden connection behind things.  Very few things are as they appear on the surface.  Going into a quiet space and exploring, sets of an alchemical process inside culminating in Gnosis.  From there, as someone was heard saying "this changes everything."

This is a brief description of our Theosophy.  There is much more.  It is limited only by our imagination and nothing else at all.  Let's see what's out there.