Who is the founder of theosophical society

Originally printed in the Citation:Lysy, Tony. "William James, Theosophist." Quest 88.6 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2000): pg 228-233. By Tony Lysy On November 17, 1875, Col. H. S. Olcott, the Founder-President of the Theosophical Society, delivered his Inaugural Address in New York City. In that speech, he stated, "If I rightly apprehend our work, it is to aid in freeing the public mind of theological superstition and a tame subservience to the arrogance of science." Later in the talk, the Colonel characterized members of the new Society as "simply investigators, of earnest purpose and unbiased mind, who study all things, prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good." Olcott’s sense of the "work" that the Society was to undertake and the wide range of topics for its investigation and inquiry harmonized with the interests of a young faculty member in nearby Cambridge, Massachusetts. While Olcott gave his address, William James was preparing to open the first psychological laboratory in the United States at Harvard University. James, who became a member of the Theosophical Society in 1882, was acknowledged from 1890 until his death in 1910 as a major writer and speaker in the fields of psychology, philosophy, religion, and psychical research. His fame and influence spread beyond the United States to Great Britain and Europe, and he served as president of three prestigious organizations: the American Association of Psychologists (1893), the Society for Psychical Research (1...

The Theosophical Society was founded in late 1875, in New York City, by Russian noblewoman Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and American Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, along with attorney William Quan Judge and a number of other individuals interested in the philosophy expounded by Madame Blavatsky. Madame Blavatsky was the first Russian woman to be naturalized as an American citizen. Her mother was a social novelist and her grandmother was an accomplished amateur scientist. As a young woman, she traveled all over the world in search of wisdom about the nature of life and the reason for human existence. Eventually, Blavatsky brought the spiritual wisdom of the East and that of the ancient Western mysteries to the modern West, where they were virtually unknown. Her writings became the first exposition of what is today known as modern Colonel In 1879, the principal founders, Mme Blavatsky and Col Olcott, moved to India, where the Society spread rapidly. In 1882, they established the After his two major co-founders departed for India in late 1878 to establish the international headquarters of the Society in Adyar, India, young attorneyWilliam Quan Judge diligently carried on the work of advancing interest in Theosophy within the United States. By 1886 he had established an American Section of the international Society comprised of branches in fourteen cities. Rapid growth took place under his guidance, so that by 1895 there were 102 American branches with nearly six thousand members. M...

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Founder of Theosophical Movement of the modern era. Born in Ukraine province of Russia on the midnight of 11/12 August, 1831 into a Russian noble family. 1831-1851: grew up and educated in Russia. 1851-1871: traveled all over the world for study and preparation under the direction of her Masters for the mission of launching and steering the Theosophical Movement, which was inaugurated on Nov. 17, 1875 with the founding of the original Theosophical Society in New York. Its three main objects were stated to be : • To form a nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color • To promote comparative study of the world religions, especially of the Brahminical, Buddhist and Zoroastrian religious philosophies • To investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the psychical and spiritual powers latent in man She recorded for the modern world a part of the archaic universal Wisdom-Religion, the synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy, named Theosophy. After working relentlessly for the furtherance of the Theosophical Movement through good and evil report, under the perpetual stress of constant misunderstanding, persecution and slander, she passed away on May 8th, 1891. This day is observed as “White Lotus Day” by Theosophists all over the world. William Quan Judge Co-founder and Co-messenger of the Theosophical Movement of the Modern era launched on Nov. 17th, 1875. He was born in Dublin, Ireland...

Contents • 1 September 7 • 1.1 Felt lecture • 1.2 Proposal for organizational meeting • 1.3 E. Gerry Brown account • 2 September 8 • 3 September 13 • 4 October 8 • 5 October 16 • 6 October 30 • 7 November 17 • 8 Early meetings • 9 Online resources • 9.1 Articles • 10 Notes September 7 At this time of her life Felt lecture On Tuesday, [George H. Felt] was a remarkably clever draughtsman, and had prepared a number of exquisite drawings to illustrate his theory that the canon of architectural proportion, employed by the Egyptians, as well as by the great architects of Greece, was actually preserved in the temple hieroglyphics of the Land of Khemi. His contention was that, by following certain definite clues one could inscribe what he called the “Star of Perfection” upon a certain temple wall, within which the whole secret of the geometrical problem of proportion would be read; and that the hieroglyphs outside the inscribed figure were but mere blinds to deceive the profane curiosity-seeker; for, read consecutively with those within the geometrical figure, they either made undecipherable nonsense or ran into some quite trivial narrative. This diagram consists of a circle with a square within and without, containing a common triangle, two Egyptian triangles and a pentagon. He applies it to the pictures, statues, doors, hieroglyphs, pyramids, planes, tombs and buildings of Ancient Egypt, and shows that they agree so perfectly with its proportions that they must have been made by...

Later on in 1886 its head­quarter was established at Adyar in Madras. Mrs. Annie Besant joined the society in 1889 and it infused new vigor and strength to the society. The aim of the society was to bring harmony among various religions and the revival of Hindu religion and tradition. In the social sphere the society vehemently condemned sati, casteism, dowry system, infanticide, child marriage, po­lygamy and purdah. The society also tried to uplift the conditions of the outcastes and ameliorate the condition of the widows.