Over the past few years, a number of books have been published on Theosophy, 1including biographies, textual studies, historical overviews, and bibliographies. 2The sheer number of publications in the academic and non-Theosophical arena suggests a definite interest in this topic from historians of the intellectual history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, scholars of modern religious movements, including New Age movements, and more eclectic researchers who recognize the influence of individuals and groups outside the mainstream culture. Despite this interest, there are few resources that attempt to provide a comprehensive yet non-technical explanation of the term "theosophy," 3 its development over the centuries prior to the founding of the Theosophical Society in 1875, and its development both within and outside the Theosophical Society after that date. Some books attempt to provide an overview of the Theosophical philosophy of Blavatsky and the history of the Theosophical societies that have arisen from the latter part of the nineteenth century to the present. One oft-quoted source is Bruce F. Campbell's Ancient Wisdom Revived (Berkeley: UC Press, 1980), a work that is far from comprehensive and somewhat distorted in its presentation. As for pre-Blavatskyite theosophy, there are scattered sources that provide useful information, one such recent example being Joscelyn Godwin's The Theosophical Enlightenment, mentioned in note 2, and Modern Esoteric Spirituality edited by Antoine Faivre & Jacob Needleman. 4 To my knowledge, only one publication traces theosophical ideas from Jacob Boehme to the twentieth century and Theosophical ideas and groups from 1875 to the present, and that is Antoine Faivre's "Le courant théosophique (fin XVI-XXe siècles): essai de périodisation" (mentioned in fn. 3). Furthermore, it is understood that the presentation should be aimed more at the non-specialist rather than the specialist.
What this project seeks to accomplish, therefore, is to fill a gap in theosophical studies. It attempts to gather the best scholars in the area to discuss in non-technical terms the various traditions in both the Blavatskyite and non-Blavatskyite traditions.
The proposed book will consist of an Introduction, two major sections, and an extensive, annotated bibliography. The Introduction will attempt to discuss the word "theosophy" in the early Greek and Latin literature, how it was understood or interpreted by various authors, whether any common features can be attached to these interpretations, and just what its relations are to closely related fields of knowledge such as "gnosticism," "occultism," "Hermetism," "Kabbalah," "Rosicrucianism," and "esotericism."
The two major sections will comprise a series of short chapters, on the average of about ten to fifteen double-spaced pages. The first major section of the book, "Theosophical Currents," refers specifically to the non-Blavatskyite traditions. It will consist of twelve chapters with a total of 140 pages. The second section, "Theosophical Societies," refers to those groups that are directly based on Blavatsky as their source of Theosophy. It will consist of ten chapters with a total of about 130 pages. The final portion of the book will comprise the annotated bibliography, not unlike that found in Professor Faivre's Access to Western Esotericism.
In total, the length of the introduction and two main sections would be approximately 300 pages that would translate into approximately 150 pages in its published form. The bibliography will probably be 75 to 100 printed pages, which would be in keeping with the book serving as a resource guide for the non-specialist. The inclusion of illustrations, photographs, and an index will add about 15 to 20 pages.
"THE THEOSOPHICAL PHENOMENON: 1575-PRESENT"
I. Foreword [James Santucci]
A. Theosophical Currents and Theosophical Societies
1. The plan and purpose of the book
2. Short sketches of the authors
II. Introduction [Antoine Faivre]
II. Theosophical Currents
A. The Forerunners to Jacob Boehme (1575–1610) [10 pages: Antoine Faivre]
B. Jacob Boehme [20 pages: Charles Weeks]
C. 17th century Germany [10 pages: Arthur Versluis]
D. 17th century England [10 pages: Arthur Versluis]
E. 17th century France [10 pages: Arthur Versluis]
F. Pansophy and Rosicrucianism [10 pages: Roland Edighoffer]
G. First half of the 18th century [10 pages: Antoine Faivre] H. Emanuel Swedenborg [10 pages: Marsha Schuchard]
I. Swedenborg's influence [10 pages: Marsha Schuchard]
J. Theosophy: 1775–1803 [10 pages: Nicole Jacques-Chaquin]
K. Theosophy: 1803–1850 [15 pages: Antoine Faivre]
L. Survivals of the Theosophical Currents [15 pages: Jean-Pierre Laurant]
III. Theosophical Societies
A. Introduction [James Santucci]
B. Origin and Foundation of the Theosophical Society in America: 1875-1878 [15 pages: James Santucci]
C. The Formative Years: 1879-1891 [15 pages: Michael Gomes]
D. Schisms and Restructuring: 1892-1907 [10 pages: Michael Gomes]
E. Growth and Proliferation: 1908-1917 [10 pages: Jean-Louis Siémons and Daniel Caracostea]
F. Prosperity and Adversity: 1918-1929 [10 pages: John Cooper]
G. The Theosophical Societies at Mid-Century: 1930–1950 [10 pages: Robert Ellwood]
H. Towards the Centennial: 1951–1975 [10 pages: Ted G. Davy]
I. Present Trends [10 pp.: Jerry Hejka-Ekins]
J. Theosophically-Inspired Groups [15 pp.: J. Hejka-Ekins]
K. Theosophically-Based Organizations [15 pp.: Massimo Introvigne J. Gordon Melton]
IV. Annotated Bibliography
Submitted by:
James A. Santucci
Department of Religious Studies
California State University
P.O. Box 6868
Fullerton, CA 92834-6868
1 Theosophy with a capital or lower case "t" has been discussed by me in Theosophical History IV/2 (April 1992): 34-35. Therein, Theosophy and Theosophist with a capital "T" refers to societies, individuals, and literature that drive their teachings directly from the writings of H.P. Blavatsky. Theosophy with lower-case "t" refers to those societies that have only an indirect or superficial relationship to Theosophical teachings. In the context of this Prospectus, Dr. Godwin's observation that "theosophy and theosophers refer to the tradition of religious illumination exemplified by Jacob Boehme and his followers...." will be followed.
2 Examples of recently published studies on Theosophy (in the Blavatskyite or non-Blavatskyite sense) include The Theosophical Enlightenment by Joscelyn Godwin (Albany: SUNY Press, 1994), The Masters Revealed by K. Paul Johnson (Albany: SUNY Press, 1994); H.P.B.: The Extraordinary Life & Influence of Helena Blavatsky, Founder of the Modern Theosophical Movement (N.Y.: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1993); Annie Besant: A Biography by Anne Taylor (Oxford: OUP, 1992); Michael Gomes, Theosophy in the Nineteenth Century: An Annotated Bibliography (N.Y.: Garland Publishing, 1994), Helena P. Blavatsky ou la reponse du Sphinx by Noel Richard-Nafarre (Paris: Editions Adyar, n.d.), The Transcendental Universe by C.G. Harrison (Hudson, N.Y.: Lindisfarne Press, 1993: reprint), and Islands of the Dawn: The Story of Alternative Spirituality in New Zealand by Robert S. Ellwood (Honolulu: Univ. of Hawaii Press, 1993).
3 See fn. 1 and see also Theosophia: Hidden Dimensions of Christianity by Arthur Versluis (Hudson, NY: Lindisfarne Press, 1994); Antoine Faivre, "Le courant théosophique (fin XVI-XXe siècles): essai de périodisation," Politica Hermetica 7 (1993): 6-41; and James Santucci, "Theosophia: Origins of a Name," The American Theosophist (Fall Special Issue, 1987): 333-336.
4 New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992. See supra , note 2 (J. Godwin) and note 3 (Versluis and Faivre). One may also include Antoine Faivre's recently published Access to Western Esotericism (Albany: SUNY, 1994) and an enlarged version in Accès de l'ésotérisme occidental , vol. II (Paris: Editions Gallimard, 1996), 45-100.