The Theosophical Society
Historical background
The Theosophical Society is part of a universal, ethical and intellectual Movement, which has been active throughout the ages. In accordance with the cyclic laws of Nature, this Movement brought forth spiritual impulses which gave the initial impetus to the great religious and philosophical systems produced by humanity. Sages such as Lao Tze, Krishna, (Gautama) Buddha, Jesus of Nazareth, Plato and many others gave rise to these impulses. Time and again, they tried to make age-old Theosophy known to the people and they always did this in a form most suited to the time and place in which they lived.
Founders of The Theosophical Society
In 1875, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society in New York. She acted on assignment of her Teachers, denoted by the name of 'Masters of Wisdom and Compassion'. With the knowledge they supplied, a foundation was laid for twentieth century thinking. H.P. Blavatsky passed away in 1891 after many years of self-sacrifice. She left humanity a voluminous number of writings, of which the theosophical standard work The Secret Doctrine is the most well known.
Goals of The Theosophical Society
- To diffuse among men the knowledge of the laws inherent in the Universe.
- To promulgate the knowledge of the essential unity of all that is, and to demonstrate that this unity is fundamental in Nature.
- To form an active brotherhood among men.
- To study ancient and modern religion, science, and philosophy.
- To investigate the powers innate in man.
Leaders of The Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is an organization formed by people, so many divisions took place in the years that followed. A few years after the death of H.P. Blavatsky the two most important branches, on an international level, developed. In The Netherlands one branch is known as the Theosophical Society (with headquarters in Adyar, India) and the other (of which you are viewing this website) as the Theosophical Society, of which the headquarters were respectively in New York, Point Loma and Covina, the latter two in California. At present it is established in the Blavatsky House in The Hague, The Netherlands. The Theosophical Society has members worldwide and national sections in The Netherlands and Germany.
After H.P. Blavatsky the Theosophical Society was directed by
W.Q. Judge (1891-1896),
Kath. Tingley (1896-1929),
Dr. G de Purucker (1929-1942),
A.L. Conger (1945-1951),
W. Hartley (1951-1955),
D.J.P. Kok (1958-1985) and
H.C. Vermeulen (1985-present).
