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It was not the false prophets or prophecy’s I was concerned with, but what HPB wrote/hinted at concerning the end of the Piscean Age, some quotes below;
Theosophists—at any rate, some of them—who understand the hidden meaning of the universally-expected Avatars, Messiahs, Sosioshes and Christs— know that it is no “end of the world,” but “the consummation of the age,” i.e., the close of a cycle, which is now fast approaching.
But I may briefly repeat a prophecy which is a self-evident result of the present state of men’s minds in Christendom. Belief in the Bible literally, and in a carnalised Christ, will not last a quarter of a century longer.
But if the voice of the MYSTERIES has become silent for many ages in the West, if Eleusis, Memphis, Antium, Delphi, and Crêsa have long ago been made the tombs of a Science once as colossal in the West as it is yet in the East, there are successors now being prepared for them.
Hence, the Bible is not the “Word of God,” but contains at best the words of fallible men and imperfect teachers. Yet read esoterically, it does contain, if not the whole truth, still,“nothing but the truth,” under whatever allegorical garb.
These sentences which stand corrected in the New Testament after the recent revision in 1881. The word “presence,” for “coming,” and “the consummation of the age,” now standing for “the end of the world,” have altered, of late, the whole meaning, even for the most sincere Christians, if we exempt the Adventists..CW8 172
Astrologically, every religious dogma the world over, may be traced to, and located in, the Zodiacal signs and the Sun.
When it enters, in a few years, the sign of Aquarius, psychologists will have some extra work to do, and the psychic idiosyncrasies of humanity will enter on a great change.
All the above came from THE ESOTERIC CHARACTER OF THE GOSPELS CW8 p173 onwards, when read carefully a lot becomes clearer----It appear quite clear that at the end of every Astrological Age a new, or more appropriately, an up-dated ‘Belief System’ is introduced to coincide with the Energies of the Incoming Zodiacal Age. They all have a similar base ideal but are clothed to suit the times and Sub/branch Races concerned. She talks of the individual inner Christ or Christ Consciousness pervading, and the end of “Faith as the key of Christendom,” however even though there are a lot of people who have looked beyond the church and are at some point on the spiritual path, a lot have different ideas to the TS, just as the TS has different ideas among its Lodges. Therefore both logically and traditionally, it would take a Messiah to unite all the ideas into one workable system as the majority of humanity are still of a devotional nature and a multipurpose version may be need.
Hi Kristan,........A very good question/point you raised. I
originally refrained from commenting on.
An organization awaiting his arrival clearly indicates
something other than the TS.
It is clear from the wording here and elsewhere that
HPB/TS's job was to bring to the West knowledge and
literature about the Wisdom Teachings/Masters etc. known in
the East, plus introduce the idea of planes.
Numerous groups covers the universal side you mentioned, a
ready language and new truths indicates English and aimed at
the leading sub-race which is well covered elsewhere.
I will suggest the 'New Truths he brings' has already been briefly mentioned in SD2 p635-41 plus other places; Below are edited quotes from these pages
There is a real esoteric seven-fold theoretical and
scientific classification of the seven rays and principles
which develops progressively, similar to the gradual
development of the rays of the spectrum.
This real sevenfold system is one of the most important, if
not the most important classifications and it will be
necessary to adopt it to explain certain classes of
phenomena noticed by occultists, also it is perhaps better
fitted to be the basis of a perfect system of psychology.
It is not the peculiar property of ‘the trans-Himalayan
esoteric doctrine’ but has survived in that old school alone
Theosophists
have not adopted this this seven-fold system, but instead
adopted the primary, old, classification.
Reason being they first have to learn the A B C of practical
Eastern Occultism, before they can be made to understand
correctly the tremendously abstruse classification based on
the seven distinct states of consciousness.
They must first realise that it takes more than the one
state of consciousness known on this plane (our concrete
mind) to know anything about the states of consciousness on
the other planes.
There are two esoteric schools—or rather one school, divided into two parts—one for the inner Lanoos, the other for the outer or semi-lay chelas beyond the Himalayas; the first teaching a septenary, the other a six-fold division of human principles. (It is this second one that she refers to as being what was given to Theosophists) SD1 123
I will just add that should one be an Astrologer and study what HPB wrote on Astrology there is a direct link between the Hierarchy’s of each planet (the Ray energies) and the perfect system of psychology she mentions therefore we could do with this to start the Aquarian Age
I think at least one passage from the "Modern Apostles" article bears noticing:"Saviours to their race, in a sense, have lived and will live. Rarely has one been known. Rare has been the occasion when thus to be known has been either expedient or possible."
Obviously, it is a topic that a rather visceral fascination for people and is probably one of the questions where the various theosophical organizations differ the most, mainly due to the controversial status of the third volume of the Secret Doctrine. (A topic quite present in popular culture, btw one animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, was very well-received - based in Chinese Taoism, the spiritual aspects were surprisingly well-handled) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar:_The_Last_Airbender
I have few suggestions, that might be useful:
- Barborka's Divine Plan, Chapter 11, has a good summary of hpb's concept of avatars.
- David Pratt's article, Poleshifts, appendix 5, covers some of the more specific cycle questions.http://davidpratt.info/pole5.htm#p5
-The field of historical astrology surely offers many useful research possibilities, here's a good site -http://www.historicalastrology.com/
Jessie Weston From Ritual to Romance, chapter on The Fisher King, gives a good overview of the fish symbolism during the Christian era.
In Henk Spierenburg's Astrology of the Living Universe, he announces a future book entitled "Blavatsky on the History of the World" which covers all her astrological history references. Unfortunately, this book has yet to appear, as far as I know.
Hey James,
Those are certainly some very interesting theories- points 1-4: ok - points 5-8: maybe a little premature - a bit of a tough sell, perhaps - I think more research is needed - I thinks its good that people are aware of these points and it's good to discuss them - (sounds similar to Rudhyar -http://www.khaldea.com/rudhyar/op/op_c1_p1.php - I can't say that I agree with everything in that book, but it's full of interesting ideas, and he is generally considered the most important astrologer of the 20th century, rightly so, I believe)
Two things I would like to mention:
a) It seems to me that the ‘the new torch-bearer of Truth’ from the Key is simply referring to a new agent such as Blavatsky was, not to an Avatar.
b) I think the esoteric seven-fold classification was already given in the SD3/Esoteric instructions.
In general, I do think it's safe to conclude that, according to hpb, we are indeed in the age of Aquarius (and hpb is largely responsible for popularizing this notion) and yes, modern manifestations such as globalization, the internet, satellite technology, and what not could be considered Aquarian manifestations, why not? You could also maintain that hpb did successfully predict the amped up modern clash of different nationalities. And yes, I think most theosophical historians agree that the theosophical movement was a hugely influential modern spiritual force that virtually set the agenda and the intellectual furniture for modern spiritual concerns.
I would just like to add that, looking at the Piscean age, it seems to have taken about 1500 years for Christian mysticism to manifest itself at its fullest, so that's about 2/3 into the cycle, quite a long process (see for example Charles Homer Haskins. The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1927. )
" While workers in the world are often unknown as you pointed out, here it appears clear that He will be known to at least the groups expecting him, then probably later to all those interested as it is the end of an astrological age."
I don't see where hpb indicates this, or how one would arrive at this conclusion in reference to avatars.
ps - some more useful info on cycles:
http://www.ultindia.org/pamphlets/wqj/Cycles.pdf
http://www.theosophytrust.org/166-prophecies-by-h-p-blavatsky
Ok- interesting points James - At this juncture, it might be good to backtrack a bit and review the considerable amount of ground covered - I would like to try and highlight specifically what can be attributed to Blavatsky on these questions:
1- There are the cycles of the Yugas- An important date is the end of the first 5000 years of the Kali Yuga period, i.e. 1897.
2- There is also the Messianic cycle, which is equivalent to the astrological eras - the age of Pisces ended in 1900 (2155 minus 255) and so marked the beginning of the age of Aquarius. The end of this cycle is related, in an unspecified way, to the coming of an Avatar, at an unspecified time.
3- Another cycle pertains to the occurence of "Some one or more persons have appeared in the world as their agents, and a greater or less amount of occult knowledge and teaching has been given out." This happens at some period in the last twenty-five years of every century, the last period being 1975-2000 - the next will be 2075-2100.
4- Another important date in a cycle called the "Western Cycle in Europe", somehow, related to Saturn, will occur in the year 2100. It is enigmatically stated that "Occultism must win the day"
Now the above are apparently four distinct cycles. Although, clearly the first two, and possibly the third overlap and are inter-related, and I think it was a good intuition on your part to link them together. However, how specifically they are related to one another does not seem to be indicated and how they are linked to the fourth would seem to be even more unspecified.
In general, you could say, yes, most of this has come to pass. At the same time you could say, that most of what occurred is simply the logical outcome of trends that Blavatsky was closely following since 1850 or so. To get into specifics would I think require some research, and it is an interesting question.
So basically, we have four different cycles, and four different dates and some interesting ideas have been put forth concerning them. My own opinion is that if one really wants to formulate something convincing on the rather complex question on how they are inter-connected, it would at least require reviewing all the extent early literature on the topics of cycles, avatars, and predictions (amounting to roughly 100 pages, as far as I know). And as you've mentioned, it would also be helpful to have some knowledge of historical astrology and general history.
PS. another key text:
http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/ocean/oce-14.htm
PPS- an historical astrology site, not bad:
https://stellargnosis.wordpress.com/
Hey James - very interesting comments - you have a pretty straightforward, original, optimistic take on these predictions, which are themselves often little more than vague, "hidden hints" - obviously, there's nothing like a consensus on these - there's a wide variety of interpretations within the theosophical movement.
"Providence [Karma] seems to despise those who despise them, and puts to death those who would seek to prevent them from living. The legend of the Wandering Jew is the popular poetry of this Arcanum"
I think more research needs to be done on this notion. Obviously one of the most controversial ideas in Blavatsky's writings, so one has to be careful. But it is a major theme in her writings, pertaining to her ambitious critique of monotheism in general, which is a running theme throughout all of her writings. This needs to be studied more, we need to get a better understanding of her very complex and sophisticated (although sometimes blunt) analysis of Judeo-Christian history.
At this point, I would like to attempt a perhaps more conservative approach - I would like to suggest only factual evidence that is directly implicit in the specific Blavatskian dates and descriptions - of course people can take them for what they are worth and make up their own minds about them:
1- 1901 (The writers I've read all agree that Blavatsky is giving 1901 as the beginning of the Aquarian era - but, to be sure, it is a very gradual process).
However, see Pratt:(The dates of 2410 BCE and 255 BCE are also given by Gerald Massey and quoted by Blavatsky in her article ‘Esotericism of Christian dogma’, published in December 1887.4 Elsewhere Blavatsky quotes slightly different figures. In The Secret Doctrine she makes two references to C.F. de Volney’s remark that Aries was in its 15th degree in 1447 BCE.5 This is just over 100 years earlier than the date of 1333 BCE that we would expect on the basis of her own/Massey’s figures. She also quotes on several occasions from A.H. Sayce, who says that the Age of Taurus began around 4700 BCE and the Age of Aries in 2540 BCE.6 These dates are about 130 years earlier than those given by Blavatsky.)
Be that as it may, the description she gives: "When it enters, in a few years, the sign of Aquarius, psychologists will have some extra work to do, and the psychic idiosyncrasies of humanity will enter on a great change."
The date/event I propose to correlate that with is the publication of Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams in 1900, which effectively revolutionized the field of psychology.
2- the 1897/1900 conjunction - let's give this a 10-year arc, say from 1895-1905:
(There are several remarkable cycles that come to a close at the end of this century. First, the 5,000 years of the Kaliyuga cycle; again the Messianic cycle of the Samaritan (also Kabalistic) Jews of the man connected with Pisces (Ichthys or “Fish-man” Dag). "When has nation arisen against nation more than at this time?"
At one end, this coincides quite closely with the famous "Judge Case" which rocked the TS 1n 1895. At the other end, there is beginning of the arms race that eventually lead to World War I in 1914 (Specific events/dates include the Entente cordiale of 1904, the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907, and the Triple Entente of 1907).
3- the 1975-200 period - "Towards the close of each century you will invariably find that an outpouring or upheaval of spirituality -- or call it mysticism if you prefer -- has taken place.Another cycle pertains to the occurence of "Some one or more persons have appeared in the world as their agents, and a greater or less amount of occult knowledge and teaching has been given out."
This passage, of course is highly conditional - HPB gives all kinds of ifs, ands, and buts - but the period has come to pass - and what can we say?
a- Yes, there was a noticeable wave of spirituality - look at the counter-culture movement of the 60s-70s and the new age movement of the 1980s. I give two dates/events to frame this period; the 1968 success of the play "Hair" and the September 11, 2001 attacks.
b- Was their an agent, a messenger? The problem is that there have been many claims to this title, dozens -so you can take your pick. My opinion is that too many people have jumped on the band-wagon and this has created too much confusion around this question.
4-Another important date in a cycle called the "Western Cycle in Europe", somehow, related to Saturn, will occur in the year 2100. It is enigmatically stated that "Occultism must win the day"
This has not occurred yet, but since the three previous predictions seem to have yielded some interesting concrete results, one can perhaps take it seriously. It is very vague. We can say that it coincides with the foreseeable 2075-2100 period of mainstream "spiritual boostage". Presumably, it will be important. One can speculate that if it is as important as the 1875-1900 period, then the impact will be quite remarkable.
In closing, I would like the emphasize the following comment by hpb:
"I do not refer to technical knowledge of the esoteric doctrine, though that is most important; I spoke rather of the great need which our successors in the guidance of the Society will have of unbiassed and clear judgment." (Key 305)
ps - some more related writings by hpb:
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/articles/v11/y1889_027.htm
http://www.theosophytrust.org/486-the-new-cycle
http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/17-hpblavatsky/hpb-articles/105-...
http://www.theosophytrust.org/394-cycle-moveth
Hi Cassidy,..Perhaps the most significant part of your response is the Key quote;… ‘I do not refer to technical knowledge of the esoteric doctrine, though that is most important; I spoke rather of the great need which our successors in the guidance of the Society will have of unbiased and clear judgment’….however without the rest of that paragraph it loses it punch….In the past TS’s have degenerated into sects with hard and fast dogma of their own so lost the vitality living truth alone can impart. We all grow up in some creed/religion with our judgment warped and unknowingly biased by these influences, which if we cannot free ourselves from such inherent bias, or at least taught to recognise it instantly, our judgment will be warped and unconsciously biased, which I would suggest/emphasize that as most of us are resulting in often missing the imparted vitality of living truth.......While I don't think the TS is stranded on some sand bank of thought at this point, it has been very close at times and is still not out of danger but appears more open now than it was .
"Providence [Karma] and HPB’s teachings on Judeo-Christian history seems reasonably clear as I hinted last time. The Fire of Aries (sacrificial ram) and it ruler Mars God of War, (smite thy enemy) should have been replaced with Water of Pisces (Compassion), Neptune God of the Sea(Devotion) and Jupiter(Wiseness) King of the Gods.
1- 1901; Is there any reason to believe these writers are not biased and don’t have distorted judgment like the rest of us.
SD1 162 “A few drops of rain do not make a Monsoon, though they presage it” Freud's Interpretation of dreams is only the first drop, not the monsoon, Roberto Assagioli’s work could be the first full shower with more to come, as we are told the sevenfold system is perhaps better fitted to be the basis of a perfect system of psychology..HPB. Astrology also plays a big part in showing man’s psychological blocks and how to overcome them, for “stars teach as well as shine” CW8 15.
2- 1897/1900 conjunction – you gave it a 10-year arc to include the "Judge Case", which is a good example of one, or possibly both parties, setting up hard-and-fast dogmas even though there are clear guide lines given on this kind of communication
3-a. Some mistakenly think that nobody comes/nothing happens in the earlier part of the century, you correctly pointed to earlier movements. The reality is the last quarter is just the flowering for the public of seeds planted much earlier, or the effects of earlier causes put in motion…HPB's birth, being watched over, trained etc. is just one. Buddhism's spread to the West was the result of the Chinese invasion of Tibet. M.P. Hall was another advanced person who's writings greatly helped some later, as well as Barborka’s, plus the Arcane school. Also there was the advanced outer occult organisation of Suddha Dharma Mandala, founded in 1915 by Sir Subra Maniyer, It’s purpose to print some very old sacred Hindu texts, one example is Pranava Vada translated by Bhagavan Das. Another interesting point Sir Sabra Mainer had as a constant companion a rather abstruse Occult book and before his death he put his 7 most senior members into the Occult school responsible for this book …..Suddha Dharma Mandala; David Reigle of Eastern Tradition Research Institute ….David brings a lot of the different Schools of Wisdom together in a clear unbiased way on his Web-site.
b- Was there an agent, a messenger?... Occult teachings stand on their own merit not needing claims, any confusion is usually in the mind of the researcher.
4- It is ‘not’ in the year 2100 but ‘before the end of 21st century’ …“And, whether by phenomenon or miracle, by spirit-hook or bishop’s crook, Occultism must win the day, before the present era reaches “Sani’s (Saturn’s) triple septenary” of the Western Cycle in Europe, in other words—before the end of the twenty-first century “A.D.” CW 14 p28…….If one reads the whole page/section it become clear she is talking about how white Occultism must filter through the dark side (black magic) currently incorporated in Spiritualism, Roman Church including the Kabalists in Rome and throughout Europe and America... ...presumably meaning to adjust their ideas/teachings before the Karmic scales are reset for the Aquarian age, possibly starting early in the 22nd century. For what is Occultism but the working out of Gods perfect plan for the Earth/Solar System with Karma(Saturn) being the Just teacher who balances the scales through pain if necessary.
Now as our Solar System is a living organism what do you think would be closer to symbolising its own living truth to man, the planet that brought intelligence to man eclipsing the sun, or some writers trying to calculate an event from their interpretation of words of HPB’s.
It seems that hardly a year goes by in the last 200 years, that some group has declared or predicted the arrival of some Messiah or other - so the Messiahs are arriving in droves if one is to believe the modern day prophets - I think I've met about a dozen different people who've confidently informed me that so and so is an avatar, rarely the same individual. Anyhoo, no shortage of Avatars,
Here's a pretty informative article by HPB -
http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/war-in-olympus/17-hpblavatsky/hp...