Theosophy

The First Theosophical Ray is the Ray of strong leadership. This Ray pertains to strength and controls wise government and social organization. The leadership of the Ray rests in Sanat Kumara, the Manasaputra “Lord of the World.” Beneath him resides the Manu, the Hindu term for a primordial man and lawgiver who is the progenitor of each age of the world; in Theosophy each Root Race has its own Manu. Finally, Master Morya works on this Ray. A.G.H.

Source:

Ellwood, Robert. Theosophy: A modern expression of the wisdom of the ages. Wheaton, IL. Quest Books. 1994. p. 141

The Third Theosophical Ray is the Ray of adaptability and a subtle sense of timing and of interrelationships. Controlling it is the entity Mahachohn who it seems has authority like a Prime Minister over the Third to Seventh Rays since they each affect in some way the mind, bliss or activity. The Masters of these Rays are similar to ministers of his Cabinet. This Ray’s function might be considered astrological; that is, astrology properly being thought of as the science of interconnectedness of all things in the universe, both the movement of the stars and the affairs of men, to some these are interrelated. Also influenced by this Ray is the correct understanding of history and its great cycles. Its Master is known as Venetian. A.G.H.

Source:

Ellwood, Robert. Theosophy: A modern expression of the wisdom of the ages. Wheaton, IL. Quest Books. 1994. pp. 142

The theosophical concept of evil as stated in The Secret Doctrine by Helena Blavatsky is not the negative result of a thought but rather the opposing Power generated by the “thought per se: something which, being cogitative, and containing design and purpose, is therefore finite, and must thus find itself naturally in opposition to pure quiescence, as the natural state of absolute Spirituality and Perfection.

This opposing Power assumes innumerable shapes or forms which have a variety of immediate effects. Some are willfully enacted such as robbery, lying, cheating, bribing, and killing while others wrongful acts may just be mild human sins of omission when the person fails to alleviate suffering and spread love.

One should be careful when labeling evil especially when ascribing it to various sources. Some suffering, apparently caused by evil, is inherently caused by nature itself such as earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, incurable diseases, animals devoured by predators. Such natural phenomena just exist.

Some define evil as the feeling of what is but should not be. St. Paul described it as the “mystery of iniquity.” Jesus said it was “the abomination…standing where it ought not.”

In human life, according to theosophy, evil prevents something from becoming something it should have become but did not. It stops the individual’s physical attainment of maturity and old age; and, on a deeper level, the enriched spiritual enjoyment of life. The seeing of natural killing of animals by nature in the wild, young soldiers and boys senselessly blown to bits in wars, the horrors of Auschwitz, and victims of plagues and famines hardly supports the concept that life is reasonably controlled. A.G.H.

Sources:

Campbell, Bruce F. Ancient Wisdom: A History of the Theosophical Movement. Berkeley. University of California Press. 1980 p. 47
Ellwood, Robert. Theosophy: A modern expression of the wisdom of the ages. Wheaton, IL. Quest Books. 1994. pp. 146-147

Theosophic addition is determining the theosophic value of a number by adding together all the figures in a sequence; for example, 4 equals all the digits from 1 to 4 added together thus: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 which together equal 10. A.G.H.

Source: 2, 303.

Spiritual plane, occurring beyond time, space, and human comprehension, in occultism is the highest of the levels of existence, the primary level of creative power from which all other levels unfold. This spiritual plane, like other planes pertaining to occult theory, metaphorically speaking is the “above,” however in reality all planes interpenetrate the realm of material experiences through the senses. A.G.H.

Source:

Greer, John Michael. The New Encyclopedia of the Occult. St. Paul, MN, Llewellyn Worldwide. p. 448