Hodson returns to us what we unconsciously gave up when we chose to pursue a culture of material production.

Originally published in 1910, this little book by Catherine W. Christie opens the door to the vast body of Theosophical teachings. Acknowledging in her introduction that the book was "imperfect and inadequate, when viewed in the light of the sublime fullness of the Ancient Wisdom," hoped that it "may interest some who would be discouraged at the sight of a fuller or more learned exposition." She continued: "I have endeavored, by the use of simple language and a simple style, so to present these teachings that my readers can use them in their daily life, and thus prove their truth and value to themselves." The book begins with an overview of the Ancient Wisdom. It then covers the topics of brotherhood; reincarnation and karma; alchemy and magic; our mental, astral and physical bodies; the etheric double; the astral and mental planes of nature; the method of returning to earth-life; life in the new bodies; the power of thought and thought-forms; fairies and nature-spirits; action and motive; and the goal of humanity. Marcia Morris, who wrote the Foreword for this new edition, found a copy of Theosophy for Beginners in the late 1960s. It has been her most treasured companion on the Path ever since.

Honorable Mention for the Wallace K. Ferguson Prize from the Canadian Historical AssociationChosen by Choice Magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title of 2003 In 1891, newspapers all over the world carried reports of the death of H. P. Blavatsky, the mysterious Russian woman who was the spiritual founder of the Theosophical Society. With the help of the equally mysterious Mahatmas who were her teachers, Blavatsky claimed to have brought the "ancient wisdom of the East" to the rescue of a materialistic West. In England, Blavatsky's earliest followers were mostly men, but a generation later the Theosophical Society was dominated by women, and theosophy had become a crucial part of feminist political culture. Divine Feminine is the first full-length study of the relationship between alternative or esoteric spirituality and the feminist movement in England. Historian Joy Dixon examines the Theosophical Society's claims that women and the East were the repositories of spiritual forces which English men had forfeited in their scramble for material and imperial power. Theosophists produced arguments that became key tools in many feminist campaigns. Many women of the Theosophical Society became suffragists to promote the spiritualizing of politics, attempting to create a political role for women as a way to "sacralize the public sphere." Dixon also shows that theosophy provides much of the framework and the vocabulary for today's New Age movement. Many of the assumptions about class, race, and gender which marked the emergence of esoteric religions at the end of the nineteenth century continue to shape alternative spiritualities today.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1922 Edition.

Explores the interplay between modernist experiment and occult discourses in the early twentieth century

Selections from the Works of Rudolf Steiner Without the spiritualist movement and the amazing personality of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, the creator of the Theosophical Society, the spiritual revolution of the twentieth century--the so-called New Age, with all its movers and shakers--would be unimaginable. And the work of Rudolf Steiner, G.I. Gurdjieff, René Guénon, Hazrat Inayat Khan, Sri Aurobindo, R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz, and C.G. Jung could not have become what it was. In this fascinating volume on the Theosophical movement, Rudolf Steiner, one of its primary participants, tells his story in his own words. We are told of the origins of the theosophical movement in spiritualism and somnambulism. We are given Steiner's own version of the relationship between Anthroposophy and Theosophy through his White Lotus Day Lectures, given over several years on the anniversary of Madame Blavatsky's death. Steiner then moves into the realm of occult history, where he relates Theosophy to its historical ground in Western esotericism, especially Rosicrucianism. He reveals events from the seventeenth century that led to the emergence of Freemasonry and other secret societies, as well as the hidden history of the creation of Theosophy in the nineteenth century and the conflicts that still reverberate today between the Anglo-Saxon and Germanic occult streams.