Mostrando resultados por Editor "Lamp of Trismegistus" en Todas las categorías

Annie Besant was a writer, lecturer, prominent Theosophist and women's rights activist of her time. She was a frequent contributor to various Theosophical publications of her day. This particular piece dates to 1910, and she takes a philosophical examination of the mysteries of evil, as she puts it. She explains that there is a necessity for evil to exist, that it serves certain purposes, which she goes into detail about.

Acclaimed masonic writer, W. L. Wilmshurst approaches this topic with fervor, asserting that, "Masonry was not intended to be, and is not, a high-grade Friendly Society and its charitable energies are merely an incident of, and not the motive for, its existence.

The author, a prolific writer and a member of the Theosophical Society, describes his personal journey through the Masonic fraternity, as a co-mason. He explains his shock with the familiarity of the lodge room, as he recalled it exactly from a past life in ancient Egypt. He proceeds to compares the modern masonic ritual with ancient Egyptian mysteries, which he clearly remembers. He explains that the fraternity purposely pretended to be operative masons, to avoid persecution from the Church.

Dating to 1899, Brother Ward offers this masonic sermon. He examines God's role in a mason's life. He makes a connection between the passage, "[L]et there be light" in the book of Genesis and the "more light" that Freemasons seek. He ties in morality with this light and discusses charity at some length. He also discusses how darkness may cause a mason to fail at achieving a moral life and emphasizes the importance of the Bible in a mason's life.

William Harvey was a prolific masonic scholar of his day. In this essay from 1920 he discusses the importance of the north-east corner of the masonic Lodge to an otherwise unsuspecting candidate. This candidate proceeds to receive lectures and an education from this location, with an emphasis on charity.

Theosophist Jerome Anderson presents us with a slightly different interpretation of the allegories of alchemy and transmutation, as preserved by the Rosicrucian fraternity.

In addition to the children's tales that he is usually known for, Frank R. Stockton also wrote some ghost stories. This particular piece is from 1900. After a gentleman purchases an abandoned mansion, he begins to fall in love with the ghost of a young woman who returns to her old home once a year, on Christmas Eve, for a single hour. But what happens when he soon meets her, not as a specter but in real life?

Edward Plunkett, better known as Lord Dunsany, published this tale of the Wild Things in 1908. In this story one of the creatures desires to obtain a soul in order to partake in the joy of human music and worship, which she can't experience without it.

Brother Brown gives us a short overview of the life of Freemasonry's most famous and beloved poet. He outlines the poet's masonic history and his love for the fraternity. Brown offers several examples of verse to help showcase how the divine had an overall influence on Robert's life and poetical career.

Leadbeater writes about the subject of occultism, attempting to reclaim the term from the reputation of being strictly related to practitioners of the dark arts. He writes that the occultist needs to extend his consciousness and his five senses in order to be in better touch with the world we live in.

Algernon Blackwood was a writer of weird and occult tales. He was also a contemporary of Arthur Machen, both of whom were members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. It was his interest in esoteric studies that likely served as the inspiration for stories such as this one.

Dr. Franz Hartmann was a notable Freemason and prolific writer of his day, as well as being a member of several esoteric organizations such as the Theosophical Society and a non-masonic Templar Order. Here, he examines the similarities in meditative practices between the East and the West, of which there are many, including postures and regulation of breath. In both instances, the desired outcome is reception of the divine mysteries.

C. W. Leadbeater here writes about the concept of time, a popular topic of philosophical introspection at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. He imagines a reality where time is neither static nor linear, in spite of how we perceive it. He then ties all of this in with an individual's spirituality. This was originally a published edition of a lecture of his from 1913.

A prolific and influential writer of his day, George Robert Stowe Mead was heavily involved in Hermetic and Gnostic scholarship of the time. Mead states that Theosophic faith is the precursor to Gnosis, and such is his approach to an introduction on the subject. He writes of the death of conventional knowledge and the birth of Theosophy and discusses his personal realizations and self-awakenings that led to his involvement with the Theosophical Society.

Notable author Seth Pancoast, a theosophist and regular contributor to theosophical, esoteric, and occult journals and periodicals, writes on the topic of the cabalistic sciences. Here, we have collected two of his essays entitled "The Kabbalah" and "The Mystery of Numbers", written from a theosophical perspective. Please enjoy.

Leadbeater addresses this question of the aspirant, who may be wondering why the Master hasn't singled them out and asked for more. Leadbeater points out that the offer must come from the other side. It is the role of the student to make him or herself available and wait for the Master to reach out to them, since any older student can help teach and attend to a newcomer's immediate needs. The Master's role is a higher one.

Brother Stewart sets out to prove that ancient civilization has an important role to play in the overall mythology and history of Freemasonry. While other writers on this topic have focused on religious and initiatory similarities, Stewart turns his attention to archeological marvels in order to prove that there must have been an accompanying philosophical and intellectual aspect to these great civilizations. As such, he also touches on Pythagoras and discusses the Neoplatonists at length.

Darrow was a professor at Harvard, a prominent theosophist, and the author of numerous works on philosophy. In this piece he examines primarily the Republic, from a theosophical standpoint, in an attempt to show that many scholars have misinterpreted Plato's relationship with the arts. Darrow states that Plato's belief was that the only true art is a life well lived, with the ultimate aim being to create a heaven on Earth.

L. Frank Baum is the famed author of the Wizard of Oz series. In this tale, we meet a fairy named Popopo who is the guardian of all the birds. When he learns that stuffed birds are being used as fashion accessories on the hats of ladies, he decides to put a stop to it.

"Mantrams" and "Aum" are two related essays by William Q. Judge. Mantrams, in short, are the verbalized form of a mantra, and Judge explains their use in his sometimes-familiar Q&A style of writing between the student and the sage. His piece on aum is written in a straightforward manner and examines this often-utilized vowel sound, also known as om, which is a sacred syllable of the Vedas and is used in meditation.