THEOSOPHY
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An Outline
of Theosophy
By
Charles
Webster Leadbeater
The
Constitution of Man
The astounding practical materialism to which we have been reduced in
this country can hardly be more clearly shown than it is by the expressions
that we employ in common life. We speak quite ordinarily of man as having a
soul, of “saving” our souls, and so on, evidently regarding the physical body
as the real man and the soul as a mere appanage, a vague something to be
considered as
property of the body.
With an idea so little defined as this, it can hardly be a matter of
surprise that many people go a little further along the same lines, and doubt
whether
this vague something exists at all. So it would seem that the ordinary
man is very often quite uncertain whether he possesses a soul or not; still
less does
he know that the soul is immortal.
That he should remain in this pitiable condition of ignorance seems
strange, for there is a very great deal of evidence available even in the outer
world, to show that man has an existence quite apart
from his body, capable of being carried on at a distance from it while
it is living, and entirely without it when it is dead.
Until we have entirely rid ourselves of this extraordinary delusion that
the body is the man, it is quite impossible that we should at all appreciate
the real facts of the case. A little investigation immediately shows us that
the body is only a vehicle by means of which the man manifests himself in
connection with this particular type of gross matter out of which our visible
world is built.
Furthermore, it shows that other and subtler types of matter exist – not
only the ether admitted by modern science as interpenetrating all known
substances, but other types of matter which interpenetrate ether in turn, and
are as much
finer than ether as it is than solid matter. The question will naturally
occur to the reader as to how it will be possible for man to become conscious
of the existence of types of matter so wonderfully fine, so minutely
subdivided. The answer is that he can become conscious of them in the same way
as he becomes conscious of the lower matter – by receiving vibrations from
them.
And he is enabled to receive vibrations from them by reason of the fact
that he possesses matter of these finer types as part of himself – that just as
his body of dense matter is his vehicle for perceiving and communicating with
the world of dense matter, so does the finer matter within him constitute for
him a vehicle by means of which he can perceive and communicate with the world
of finer matter which is imperceptible to the grosser physical senses.
This is by no means a new idea. It will be
remembered that St. Paul remarks that “there is a natural body, and
there is a spiritual body,” and that he furthermore refers to both the soul and
the spirit in man, by no means employing the two synonymously, as is so often
ignorantly done at the present day. It speedily becomes evident that man is a
far more complex being than is ordinarily supposed; that not only is he a
spirit within a soul but that this soul has various vehicles of different
degrees of density, the physical body being only one, and the lowest of them.
These various vehicles may all be described as bodies in relation to
their respective levels of matter. It might be said that there exist around us
a series of worlds one within the other (by inter-penetration), and that man
possesses a body for each of these worlds, by means of which he may observe it
and live in it. He learns by degrees how to use these various bodies, and in
that way gains a much more complete idea of the great complex world in which he
lives; for all these other inner worlds are in reality still part of it.
In this way he comes to understand very many things which before seemed
mysterious to him; he ceases to identify himself with his bodies, and learns
that they are only vestures which he may put off and resume or change without
being himself in the least affected thereby. Once more we must repeat that all
this by no means metaphysical speculation or pious opinion, but definite
scientific fact thoroughly well known experimentally to those who have
studied
Theosophy.
Strange as it may seem to many to find precise statements taking the
place of hypothesis upon questions such as these, I am speaking here of nothing
that is not known by direct and constantly repeated observation to a large
number of
students. Assuredly “we know whereof we speak”, not by faith but by
experiment, and therefore we speak with confidence. To these inner worlds or
different levels of nature we usually give the name of planes. We speak of the
visible world as “the physical plane”, though under that name we include also
the gases and various grades of ether.
To the next stage of materiality the name of “the astral plane” was
given by the medieval alchemists (who were well aware of its existence), and we
have adopted their title. Within this exists another world of still finer
matter, of which we speak as “the mental plane”, because of its matter is
composed what is commonly called the mind in man. There are other still higher
planes, but I need not trouble the reader with designations for them, since we
are at present dealing only with man’s manifestation in the lower worlds.
It must always be born in mind that all these worlds are in no way
removed from us in space. In fact, they all occupy exactly the same space, and
are all equally about us always. At the moment our consciousness is focused in
and working through our physical brain, and thus we are conscious only of the
physical world, and not even of the whole of that.
But we have only to learn to focus that consciousness in one of these
higher vehicles, and at once the physical fades from our view, and we see instead the world of matter which corresponds
to the vehicle used.
Recollect that all matter is in essence the same. Astral matter does not
differ in its nature from physical matter any more than ice differs in its
nature from steam. It is simply the same thing in a different condition.
Physical matter may become astral, or astral may become mental, if only it be
sufficiently subdivided, and caused to vibrate with the proper degree of
rapidity.
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Camberley, Surrey,
England GU15 2LF
Concerns about the
fate of the wildlife as
Tekels Park is to
be Sold to a Developer
Concerns are raised
about the fate of the
wildlife as The Spiritual
Retreat,
Tekels Park in
Camberley, Surrey,
England is to be
sold to a developer.
Tekels Park is a 50
acre woodland park,
purchased
for the Adyar
Theosophical
In addition to
concern about the park,
many are worried about the
future
of the Tekels Park
Deer as they
Confusion as the
Theoversity moves out of
Tekels Park to Southampton,
Glastonbury &
Chorley in Lancashire while the
leadership claim
that the Theosophical Society will
carry on using
Tekels Park despite its sale to a developer
Anyone planning a
“Spiritual” stay at the
Tekels Park Guest
House should be aware of the sale.
Future of Tekels Park Badgers in Doubt
Party On! Tekels Park Theosophy NOT
Tekels Park & the Loch Ness Monster
A Satirical view of
the sale of Tekels Park
in Camberley,
Surrey to a developer
The Toff’s Guide to the Sale of Tekels Park
What the men in top
hats have to
say about the sale
of Tekels Park
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A B C D EFG H IJ KL M N OP QR S T UV WXYZ
Complete Theosophical Glossary in Plain Text Format
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Theosophy Cardiff Nirvana Pages
Classic Introductory Theosophy Text
A Text Book of Theosophy By C
What Theosophy Is From the Absolute to Man
The Formation of a Solar System The Evolution of Life
The Constitution of Man After Death Reincarnation
The Purpose of Life The Planetary Chains
The Result of Theosophical Study
An Outstanding
Introduction to Theosophy
By a student of
Katherine Tingley
Elementary Theosophy Who is the Man? Body and Soul
Body, Soul and Spirit Reincarnation Karma
Preface to the American Edition Introduction
Occultism and its Adepts The Theosophical Society
First Occult Experiences Teachings of Occult Philosophy
Later Occult Phenomena Appendix
Preface
Theosophy and the Masters General Principles
The Earth Chain Body and Astral Body Kama – Desire
Manas Of Reincarnation Reincarnation Continued
Karma Kama Loka
Devachan
Cycles
Arguments Supporting Reincarnation
Differentiation Of Species Missing Links
Psychic Laws, Forces, and Phenomena
Psychic Phenomena and Spiritualism
Karma Fundamental Principles Laws: Natural and Man-Made The Law of Laws
The Eternal Now
Succession
Causation The Laws of Nature A Lesson of The Law
Karma Does Not Crush Apply This Law
Man in The Three Worlds Understand The Truth
Man and His Surroundings The Three Fates
The Pair of Triplets Thought, The Builder
Practical Meditation Will and Desire
The Mastery of Desire Two Other Points
The Third Thread Perfect Justice
Our Environment
Our Kith and Kin Our Nation
The Light for a Good Man Knowledge of Law The Opposing Schools
The More Modern View Self-Examination Out of the Past
Old Friendships
We Grow By Giving Collective Karma Family Karma
National Karma
India’s Karma
National Disasters
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