www.HelenaBlavatsky.Org

Apr 19, 2024

Remembering that Jesus is a Jew

Mutual Respect is a
Blessing for the Whole Planet

Carlos Cardoso Aveline

Partial view of the painting “Salvator Mundi”,
by Leonardo da Vinci, and the flag of Israel [Wikipedia]

It is sometimes fascinating to look at human history from the point of view of the first goal of the theosophical movement, which is the construction of a nucleus of universal brotherhood, with due respect for human differences. One gets perplexed when looking, for instance, at the dynamic process of superstitious hatred against the Jews.

Obvious things are easily forgotten. Everyone knows that Jesus Christ is a Jew. His mother, Mary, is Jewish. His mother’s husband, Joseph, is Jewish. All of Jesus’ direct disciples were Hebrews. Jesus never turned against his people. He never attacked Israel. His followers did not oppose Judaism nor did they reject its sacred scriptures. After his crucifixion, the first Christians were all Israelites.

According to the Christian Bible itself - which the Christians borrowed from the Jewish people adding to it only the New Testament - the Jews are God’s chosen people. This point should be enough for the Christians who believe in their own Bible to feel a deep respect for the Jews.

Nobody denies the fact that Jesus is a Jew, and most of Christianity claims that Jesus is God. We must then conclude that for the majority of Christians, God is Jewish. This should be one reason more for all Christians to feel sincere admiration for the people of Israel.

According to Judaism and theosophy, however, Jesus was a great sage and not a deity, nor God. A few Christians, like the Unitarians, think the same. Theosophy rejects personalized images of the universal intelligence. It sees them as symbolic and poetic ideas used as a means of referring to the Eternal Cosmic Law and to divine intelligences that are actually beyond the precarious verbal expression of humans.

Some people may hate the Jews out of envy, because the Bible says they are the chosen people. In fact, Theosophy considers a chosen individual the one who chooses himself to seek for truth, and for wisdom, through ethics. A chosen nation is that nation which chooses to seek for the divine world through study and honesty. Every nation should choose itself and let others choose themselves; and all nations must learn to live in peace together.

Christianity was born as a Jewish religious movement. How important has been Judaism to Christians since the Middle Ages?

Gratitude is a virtue recommended by Christianity.

Nobody can deny the fact that Christians throughout the world study the holy scriptures of the Jews, and do so as if such texts were their own. However, instead of thanking the Jews, most Christians have persecuted and humiliated them for at least fifteen centuries. We all know that hating anyone expressly contradicts the main teachings of Jesus Christ, the Jewish Sage who taught peace.

The fact is that from the moment Christianity ceased to be a grassroots movement and became a Roman imperial religion, Christian power structures began to persecute the Jews. Hatred replaced gratitude, and anti-Semitism emerged.

The Collective Crucifixion of the Jews

Expelled from their land, the Jews had to spread throughout the world, and were oppressed and murdered for centuries. In several countries they were burned in public squares in front of the highest authorities while their scriptures were systematically destroyed. The persecution was usually carried out in the name of Jesus, the Master of Compassion.

In the New Testament Jesus is crucified, first morally, then physically. In similar ways, the Hebrew nation - the people of Jesus - has been humiliated morally and physically. It can be said that the entire nation of the Christian Messiah has been crucified in the Christian world. So much for human logic. But the collective crucifixion of the Jewish people expands the inner spiritual identity of Jesus with the Jews.

During the Second World War, the German Nazis carried out a systematic effort to murder defenseless Jews to the last one if possible. This would be the “final solution” for those criminals. But the extinction of the Jewish people did not occur: on the contrary.

The Nazis were defeated, at least on a military level. The Jewish people rose again. In 1948, the modern, sovereign state of the Jews emerged under the name of Israel. Tolerated by the UN, it was approved and respected by both Russia and the United States.

Since then, anti-Semitism has skillfully changed its face. “It is no longer a question”, say the anti-Semites, “of eliminating the Jews; but only of eliminating Israel”, which happens to be the Land of the Jews. Since 1948, wars against Israel have been waged one after another, at regular intervals of time. The attackers have almost always been defeated. As a result, the territory of Israel has been growing: the law of karma is operating.

Citizens with common sense see no need to pretend to themselves that they do not know a basic fact: that the defeat of anti-Semitism, and the fraternal acceptance of the people of Israel living in its ancestral land will be a great blessing for humanity as a whole - and more especially for Christianity, which thus can heal itself from hypocrisy, grow in wisdom and help improve the whole world from within.

Such a blessing has already started to take place around the planet. The number is growing of Christian groups and Churches which realize that they are nothing less than brothers of the Jews; that Israel is their sacred land, too, and religious differences must be accepted as part of life. This might be the first step to the fulfilment of an interesting prophecy which sees Judaism saving Christianity from danger. Eliphas Levy wrote about that in the 19th century. The topic is examined elsewhere. [1]

Meanwhile challenges to peace and aggressive feelings are also spreading. Their seemingly purposeful fabrication gains momentum. Many a materialistic person feels now a sort of hysterical euphoria in deriding all mechanisms of peaceful dialogue. Psychoanalysis - created by a Jew - could help treat many of them successfully.

Various inspiring facts are taking place which foster good will and mutual help among countries, religions and civilizations. However, our commercial media in the West has been consistently ignoring them, perhaps due to profitable reasons. And yet the intensity of fraternal cooperation between Jews and non-Jews, and among all social groups around the globe should grow fast. There is no reason to waste time. Every occasion is the right moment to awaken from the nightmare of unbrotherly actions.

NOTE:

[1] A Prophecy on Judaism and Christianity.

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The article “Remembering that Jesus is a Jew” was first published on 14 April 2024 at the theosophical blog in “The Times of Israel”. It is available at the websites of the Independent Lodge of Theosophists since 19 April 2024.

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* Israel, the Old New Land.

* The Universality of Temple Mount.

* Temple Mount as a Source of Peace.

* Alexandre Dumas and Social Conflicts.

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Apr 12, 2024

The Aquarian Theosophist, April 2024

“The Aquarian Theosophist” for April opens with “A Lesson From Ancient Rome”. The article presents the dialogue of two flies as the Emperor arrives at the capital.

On page three you have “On Awakening to Independence - Right Knowledge Defeats the Habit of Living in Subconsciousness”. Page five offers a link to “The Invisible Monastery”.

Apr 7, 2024

The Invisible Monastery

In the Architecture of Theosophy, the
Bricklayer is Responsible for the Construction

Carlos Cardoso Aveline

The microcosm and the macrocosm go together

During the final years of Helena Blavatsky’s life, a theosophical center emerged around her in London where students dedicated to the search for universal wisdom lived and worked.

This austere community had elements of a monastery. Its practical rules for day-to-day material life were published online by the Independent Lodge of Theosophists. There was an atmosphere there whose structure was based on the principle of external simplicity. The inner space of that headquarters contrasted profoundly with the pestilent atmosphere of London, which remains today as one of the capital cities of the misinformed Western materialism. [1]

The rules, very basic, ended with a few essential principles:

“Regularity in life consists of regularity in speech and action, and these cannot exist apart from regularity in thought and feeling. In Practical Theosophy, therefore, it is necessary that these five conditions should coexist: RIGHT THOUGHT, RIGHT FEELING, RIGHT SPEECH, RIGHT ACTION, RIGHT LIVING.” [2]

Can we say that this 19th century experience belongs only to the past? Is it totally lost to the students of esoteric philosophy living in the 21st or 22nd century? The answer to these questions depends on how we look at them.

The word “Monastery” means, in its conventional external meaning, “a habitation of contemplative religious people”. Etymologically the word is related to the idea of “monad”, the One, the Unit. According to the Aurélio dictionary of the Portuguese language (2010 edition) the term comes from the Greek, “solitary residence”.

The inhabitant of a monastery is someone who has decided to have a life dedicated to the direct perception of the divine world. Of course, every spiritual journey needs to coexist with practical, external actions.

Numerous physical tasks are essential to the health and well-being of people and to the maintenance of the place in which they live and contemplate. However, the monastery is not physical. Although material circumstances must be taken into account, the monastery must be an inner reality. It requires a psychological structure, made with correct feelings and thoughts. The ruler and compass are useful moral instruments. The invisible walls of the monastery must be built by each person’s decision. The plumb line is essential. The builder’s perseverance and discipline will be tested.

Just as a turtle takes its residence with it wherever it goes, the seeker of wisdom must have within himself his monastery, his “ashram”, his subtle home, his aura - structured as a temple, and as the present dwelling of his immortal soul.

Within such an auric monastery the pilgrim keeps his dialogue with other beings and interacts with his fellow pilgrims. They are seen as they are psychologically and spiritually represented in his soul. He manages his own attitude so as to maintain a correct atmosphere. The inhabitant of the transcendent monastery is also its construction worker, and more than that. He is the bricklayer, the bricklayer’s assistant and the responsible architect. The construction is permanent and never stops.

At any moment in human history, it is always possible to build a sacred monastery, which will have this or that degree of subtleness and density. Failures and mistakes must be accepted as natural facts of life. They are part of the process, if the construction is authentic. There is no such thing as a changeless definitive perfection. What happens instead is an incessant, gradual building and improvement.

The microcosm and the macrocosm go together. Individual monasteries are as necessary as collective monasteries. Every invisible monastery must be governed by defined rules of conduct, not only on the physical plane, but on the emotional and mental planes. The worker inhabiting the temple must adopt clear goals and establish stable rhythms.

The Universe is a Family

Theosophy can be defined as the art of building. The first object of the theosophical movement is the formation of a nucleus of universal brotherhood. In the 21st and 22nd centuries, communities based on a common ideal and elevated thoughts can be built to bring together students situated in very different places of our planet.

The entire universe is like a family, for it is alive, and it is united by bonds of profound affinity. [3]

On the other hand, our physical families are not just physical. They are the basic spiritual centers of humanity. They are built every day by affection and goodwill. They advance through biological and spiritual lines, and should be seen as sources of happiness and wisdom, including the necessary amounts of suffering and renunciation. Like any family groups, a contemplative monastery must have roots and foundations on the physical plane, and have also to go beyond the three-dimensional reality.

The sensible individual can see the entire universe in all its parts. Every good monastery points primarily in the direction of the highest consciousness in the universe. A lucid worker knows first-hand that the essence of the cosmos is present in every atom, and can be found any time in every soul, in each grain of sand.

NOTES:

[1] The atmosphere of London city, UK, was already defined as “pestilent” by a Master of the Wisdom in the 19th century. The word “pestilent” refers to both physical and moral decay - and diseases. See Letter XXVIII in “The Mahatma Letters”, page 210. Important as it is, this is not the only classical reference to the anti-spiritual aura of London. In one of her most important works, Helena Blavatsky mentions London while discussing the impact of environmental pollution of big cities on one’s spiritual life. Click and see pp. 211-212 of volume I, in the original edition of “Isis Unveiled”. The specific reference to “smoky and foggy London” is by the middle of page 211. HPB’s approach to the problem is also available as an independent article: “The Ecology of Human Consciousness”. If the situation in big cities was serious in the 19th century, the problem it is easy to infer that it is still worse in the 21st century than in Blavatsky’s time. In a contaminated environment and unfavorable atmosphere, the education and the strengthening of one’s will are central decisive factors.

[2] Click to see the text “Rules of a Theosophical Headquarters”.

[3] On the family life of celestial bodies, see for example the classical book “Dialogues of Love”, by Leone Ebreo, University of Toronto Press, Toronto-Buffalo-London, copyright 2009, reprinted 2016, 440 pages. The same Portuguese Jewish author is known as Judá Abravanel or as Leão Hebreu in Portuguese; and as Leon Hebreo in Spanish. Some of the English language editions of his writings also call him Leon Hebreo, as in Spanish. He was born in Lisbon by 1460.

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The article “The Invisible Monastery” was published in the websites of the Independent Lodge of Theosophists on 7 April 2024.

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* Telepathy, the Silent Conversation.

* Everything is Constructed in Silence (by António Ramos Rosa).

Click to see other texts by Carlos Cardoso Aveline.

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Mar 31, 2024

Knowledge Comes in Visions

The Practical Development of Spiritual Learning

Helena P. Blavatsky

Knowledge comes in visions, first in dreams and then in pictures presented to the inner eye during meditation. Thus have I been taught the whole system of evolution, the laws of being and all else that I know - the mysteries of life and death, the workings of karma.

Not a word was spoken to me of all this in the ordinary way, except, perhaps, by way of confirmation of what was thus given me - nothing taught me in writing. And knowledge so obtained is so clear, so convincing, so indelible in the impression it makes upon the mind, that all other sources of information, all other methods of teaching with which we are familiar dwindle into insignificance in comparison with this.

One of the reasons why I hesitate to answer offhand some questions put to me is the difficulty of expressing in sufficiently accurate language things given to me in pictures, and comprehended by me by the pure Reason, as Kant would call it.

Theirs is a synthetic method of teaching [1]: the most general outlines are given first, then an insight into the method of working, next the broad principles and notions are brought into view, and lastly begins the revelation of the minuter points.

NOTE:

[1] “Theirs is a synthetic method of teaching” - a reference to the method of teaching used by the Masters of the Wisdom. (CCA)

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The article “Knowledge Comes in Visions” was published as a separate item in the websites of the Independent Lodge of Theosophists on 31 March 2024. It is part of the November 2022 edition of “The Aquarian Theosophist” (pp. 4-5). It can also be read at the “Collected Writings” of H.P. Blavatsky, TPH, USA, vol. XIII, p. 285.

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* Self-Discipline in Daily Life.

* The Notebook of Willpower.

* The Blessing of Self-Discipline.

* The Daily Life of Blavatsky’s Esoteric School.

* The Mystery of Self-Training.

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Helena Blavatsky (photo) wrote these words: “Deserve, then desire”.

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Mar 20, 2024

Rules of a Theosophical Headquarters

The Daily Rules of the Headquarters
in London Where H.P. Blavatsky Lived

Boris de Zirkoff (Ed.)

Helena P. Blavatsky (1831-1891), the main founder of the
modern theosophical movement: a statue made by Alexey Leonov

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Editorial Note

The following text is reproduced from the

“Collected Writings” of H. P. Blavatsky, TPH, vol.

XII, pp. 212-213. It states the rules that all residents

should follow at the London headquarters of the

Theosophical Society, situated at 19 Avenue Road.

The rules were adopted at some point between March

and June of 1890. They are very simple, yet they serve

as an illustration of some basic rules of coexistence

among the members of a theosophical center. Toward

the end, the text presents a few valuable axioms.

The voluntary workers of the London Headquarters

helped coordinate the European Federation of the

original Theosophical Society. HPB died in May

1891. Some four years later, by 1895, the original

Society ceased to exist: since then, the movement has

had a diversity of theosophical societies and associations.

(Carlos Cardoso Aveline)

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RULES WHICH MUST BE CONFORMED TO BY

ALL RESIDENT MEMBERS AT THE HEADQUARTERS

OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN EUROPE

The latest time for rising in the morning, during all seasons of the year, is 8 o’clock.

Breakfast must be concluded by 9 A.M., at which hour the table will be cleared.

III

All lights must be turned out before going to bed, and both in sitting-rooms and bedrooms must be turned down or extinguished when not in use.

All lights must be out by 12 (midnight), special arrangements being made in any exceptional cases.

The bathroom must not be used between 11:30 P.M. and 6 A.M.

Members may invite friends to share the common meals, giving written notice to the Housekeeper on the slips provided for the purpose, and paying 1/- for breakfast, lunch, or tea, and 1/6 for dinner. Visitors must leave by 1lh30 PM, and all gas be extinguished and doors locked by 11:45.

VII

Members must, in the morning, notify in the book provided for the purpose, intended absences from meals. After 10 P.M. any member requiring tea or coffee must make or warm it for himself on the gas stove in the back kitchen.

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Regularity in life consists of regularity in speech and action, and these cannot exist apart from regularity in thought and feeling. In Practical Theosophy, therefore, it is necessary that these five conditions should coexist:

RIGHT THOUGHT, RIGHT FEELING, RIGHT SPEECH, RIGHT ACTION, RIGHT LIVING.

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The above article was published by the websites of the Independent Lodge of Theosophists on 20 March 2024.

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