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    Theosophists and their achievments

    Floyd
    Floyd


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    Post  Floyd Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:00 am

    Theosophy has been incorrectly maligned over the years. Certainly, it is littered with a colourful past and some controversy but it has contained some fascinating individuals who have worked for the betterment of humanity. It and other groups have been relentlessy attacked by forces hostile to non monethestic religion since its inception and like all so called occult and non western religious groups, much inacurate nonsense has been written about it and its members. A large proportion of that is now doing the rounds on the internet.
    Although not a theosophist, I was given access to their incredible library in London whilst studying and found them a very pleasant bunch indeed. There was nothing sinister about them whatsoever. In fact the world could do with more people like them. I will use this thread to paste some interesting reading on some of its more prolific members starting with Annie Beasant.
    Keep an open mind, switch off from the propaganda and the brain washing nonsense and you will find it a fascinating subject.

    Annie Besant

    Womens liberator, pioneer of vegetarianism and the prevention of cruelty to animals. Influential figure in Indian home rule from the British Imperial power
    .


    Source
    http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/annie-besant-on-non-vegetarian-food-and-killing-animals/

    Annie Besant was one of the key spiritual personality, freedom fighter, educationist and she worked extensively for women liberation. In fact she is considered as the pioneer in birth control awareness in United Kingdom way back in 19th century. She was the president of Indian national congress and spiritual guide to Enlightened Master Jiddu Krishnamurti in his formative years. Jiddu Krishnamurti used to regard her as his mother. She has written number books on spirituality, occult and the theosophy organization of which she was the President for more than 30 years. Here is an excerpt of Annie Besant’s speech on Non Vegetarian food and killing animals.

    Annie Besant - When we recognise that unity of all living things, then at once arises the question – how can we support this life of ours with least injury to the lives around us; how can we prevent our own life adding to the suffering of the world in which we live?

    We find amongst animals, as amongst men, power of feeling pleasure, power of feeling pain; we see them moved by love and by hate; we see them feeling terror and attraction; we recognize in them powers of sensation closely akin to our own, and while we transcend them immensely in intellect, yet, in mere passional characteristics our natures and the animals’ are closely allied. We know that when they feel terror, that terror means suffering. We know that when a wound is inflicted, that wound means pain to them.

    We know that threats bring to them suffering; they have a feeling of shrinking, of fear, of absence of friendly relations, and at once we begin to see that in our relations to the animal kingdom a duty arises which all thoughtful and compassionate minds should recognize – the duty that because we are stronger in mind than the animals, we are or ought to be their guardians and helpers, not their tyrants and oppressors, and we have no right to cause them suffering and terror merely for the gratification of the palate, merely for an added luxury to our own lives.

    . . there is one other thought closely allied to this. What of our duties to our fellow-men? And here I appeal particularly to my own sex, because women are supposed to be rather the standard in the community of refinement, of gentleness, of compassion, of tenderness, of purity. But no one can eat the flesh of a slaughtered animal without having used the hand of a man as slaughterer. Suppose that we had to kill for ourselves the creatures whose bodies we would fain have upon our table, is there one woman in a hundred who would go to the slaughterhouse to slay the bullock, the calf, the sheep or the pig? . . .

    But if we could not do it, nor see it done; if we are so refined that we cannot allow close contact between ourselves and the butchers who furnish this food; if we feel that they are so coarsened by their trade that their very bodies are made repulsive by the constant contact of the blood with which they must be continually besmirched; if we recognize the physical coarseness which results inevitably from such contact, dare we call ourselves refined if we purchase our refinement by the brutalization of others, and demand that some should be brutal in order that we may eat the results of their brutality? We are not free from the brutalizing results of that trade simply because we take no direct part in it.


    Last edited by Floyd on Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:08 pm; edited 3 times in total
    Sanicle
    Sanicle


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    Post  Sanicle Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:19 am

    Good thread Floyd. She was an amazing woman wasn't she and definitely ahead of her times. She appears almost to have had no fear, in particular of authority figures, which generally means men back in her day haha. Her compassion for life is so clear in all she did, for those less fortunate as a rule.

    I also availed myself of the Melbourne branch of the Theosophical Society many years ago and found the members to be really nice people, as you say. All seekers and imo it was a great place to start back then before the internet.

    I have a question for you though. Have you come across any information as regards the validity or not of Annie and Leadbeater's psychic abilities. From what I've looked at they got it a bit wrong on a few counts with items they've published but you may have noticed I actually used a piece of her's in my Elementals thread about the formation of thoughtforms. That and other things she's published ring true to me, but I'm quite willing to re-question them. What do you think, or maybe know, about that aspect of her work if you don't mind me asking?
    Floyd
    Floyd


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    Post  Floyd Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:33 am

    Yes. Many theosophists were ahead of their times.
    Her work with Leadbeater on things like 'Occult Chemistry' (hidden chemistry) where they searched for compounds clairvoyantly (how can you verify their findings?)I find a bit dull and never got past the first few pages and im not sure it acheived anything realy. Im not interested in chemistry or physics as I know so little about it so didnt really get it. I find leadbeater pompous and have heard some audio recordings of him. He was a bit dubious too. As far as the Krishnamurti thing went, linked to their idea he was to be the world teacher (mostly down to leadbeaters psychic abilities,or lack of)I think that was a mistake. Krishnamurti did go on to become an interesting teacher in his own right however..truth is a pathless land..so maybe they had some insights, psychic or otherwise on this though of course Krishnamurti refuted theosophy and all organised religion and groups in the end.
    Over all though I think Beasant was a remarkable woman. She had a good heart and an amazing appetite to go against the establishment and bring about positive change in the world.
    Floyd
    Floyd


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    Theosophists and their achievments Empty Rupert Sheldrake

    Post  Floyd Fri Jun 03, 2011 3:33 am

    Rupert Sheldrake.
    A thought provoking biologist and friend of thinker Terence Mckenna who is behind the 'morphogenetic field theory'. The intro is hilarious and is worth watching for that alone!
    Here the two share a platform together in an amusing and interesting video.
    <embed id=VideoPlayback src=http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=8346001127958763110&hl=en&fs=true style=width:200px;height:126px allowFullScreen=true allowScriptAccess=always type=application/x-shockwave-flash> </embed>
    mudra
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    Post  mudra Fri Jun 03, 2011 4:08 am

    Annie Besant and her interesting work on thought forms

    Arrow http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16269/16269-h/16269-h.htm#VARIOUS_EMOTIONS

    The book can be downloaded here Arrow http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16269

    Love Always
    mudra
    Anchor
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    Post  Anchor Fri Jun 03, 2011 7:57 am

    Brilliant thread Floyd, thanks.

    Theosophy was probably my starting point. I am very grateful to the work this lot did, even if some of it ended up a bit misguided.
    Floyd
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    Theosophists and their achievments Empty Piet Mondrian-Artist

    Post  Floyd Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:55 am

    Cheers Anchor

    Piet Mondrian Dutch painter and Theosophist March 7, 1872 – February 1, 1944

    One of many influential artists inspired by theosophy. A true thorn in the side of the powers that be at that time.


    Theosophists and their achievments Piet_mondrian_tableau_11_1921-25


    Last edited by Floyd on Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:45 am; edited 1 time in total
    Floyd
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    Theosophists and their achievments Empty Annie Beasant Documentary

    Post  Floyd Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:37 am

    This is a nice counter point to the judeo christian propaganda against theosophy.
    A great woman. A bastion against the British Imperial rule in India and the denegration of women in society. Later, I think she came under the spell of Leadbeater sadly, but her work was vital and great. An Amazing woman.

    Floyd
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    Post  Floyd Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:43 am

    Floyd
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    Post  Floyd Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:53 am


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