Showing results by author "Annie Besant" in All Categories

Four lectures about East Indian spirituality delivered at the twenty-fifth anniversary meeting of the Theosophical Society at Benares, 1900. - Summary by Czandra

This is a collection of 18 essays on a variety of occult-themed topics, covering the full spectrum of classic esoteric and related subjects, which include Hermeticism, alchemy, magic, the Kabbalah, ancient wisdom and philosophy, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, and spiritualism, by some of the most notable and prominent names in the history of those subjects.

This complete edition spans 2,400 years (431 BCE–1944) in 40 hours, 155 speeches, and 52 speakers, including foundational addresses by Gandhi and Mao—voices that shaped modern Asia. Begin in 431 BCE with Demosthenes, whose structural genius remains the DNA of modern expression. Traverse Athens’ zenith via Pericles’ Funeral Oration, Alexander’s volatile proclamations, and Rome’s crisis in Cicero’s showdown with Cataline—featuring Caesar’s sole surviving senate address and Mark Antony’s incendiary eulogy.

Thought-Forms is one of the most influential works ever written on the hidden power of the mind. First published in 1901 as part of the Theosophical teachings of Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater, this groundbreaking text proposes a bold idea: thoughts are not abstractions—they are real, structured, energetic entities that shape both our inner life and the world around us.

Annie Wood Besant (1847-1933) was a prominent Theosophist, women’s rights activist, writer, and orator. She was born in London into a middle-class family of Irish origin. She fought for the causes she thought were right, starting with freedom of thought, women’s rights, secularism (she was a leading member of the National Secular Society), birth control, Fabian socialism, and workers’ rights. Soon, she was earning a small weekly wage by writing a column for the National Reformer, the newspaper of the National Secular Society. She was also one of the leading figures in Theosophy.

The Ancient Wisdom is an insightful exploration and simplification of H. P. Blavatsky's The Secret Doctrine. It makes for an important contribution to that text. The various chapters cover the main theosophical topics found in her books.

This is a collection of 26 essays on a variety of theosophical, spiritual and esoteric subjects by some of the most notable and prominent names in the history of theosophy. Compiled specifically with the student in mind.

Prominent Theosophists Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater were pioneers in asserting that thoughts are, indeed, things. Originally released in 1901, Thought-Forms is a seminal work on what thoughts “look” like. It had an impact far beyond the circle of its primary audience and greatly influenced leading artists such as Piet Mondrian and Wassily Kandinsky.

The Ancient Wisdom is a book by Anni Besant published in 1897 as per the dedication in the Leader of the undated first pressing. In this book Besant introduces and explains the physical plain, astral plane, mental plain and other planes of existence. This book is intended to place in the hands of the general listener an epitome of Theosophical Teachings, Sufficiently plain to serve the elementary student, and sufficiently full to lay a sound foundation for future knowledge.

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras stand among the most enduring expressions of ancient Hellenic moral and spiritual philosophy. In this modern presentation, the finest and most reliable sets of ethical aphorisms attributed to the Pythagorean tradition have been gathered into a single, accessible volume—restoring the clarity, harmony, and contemplative power that guided seekers for over two millennia.

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 is a lecture of hers from 1913, where she speaks about universal consciousness, spiritual unfolding and personal psychic progress.

Annie Besant’s magnetic eloquence is brilliantly apparent in this volume of her writings and lectures on the spiritual life. The welfare of humanity and the world around us is our utmost concern, says Besant, and the primary tool of transformation is our own consciousness. Our inner life must change if outer conditions are to be improved. Besant illuminates the way with topics such as calmness of mind, devotion, knowledge, karma, reincarnation, and Divine Law. Quotes from poetry and the world’s scriptures provide additional inspiration.

The birth of liberation movements in the C19th saw a rise in fighting for the rights of workers. William Morris believed decries the belief “not that Commerce was made for man, but that man was made for Commerce”, with the profit motive that renders all work miserable when “It is right and necessary that all men should have work to do which shall be worth doing, and be of itself pleasant to do; and which should be done under such conditions as would make it neither over-wearisome nor over-anxious.”

Unlock the hidden wisdom of theosophy with The Esoteric Teachings of Annie Besant, a collection of three of her most influential works: The Wisdom of the Ancients, The Seven Principles of Man, and Thought-Forms. Annie Besant, a visionary thinker and leader in the Theosophical Society, explores the profound mysteries of existence, the nature of consciousness, and the unseen forces that shape our reality.

Dive into a profound exploration of thought from the Theosophical perspective in this enlightening book. Discover the intricate nature of your mental capabilities and learn to harness this vital power for personal spiritual growth and to uplift humanity. Join the reader on this transformative journey towards mastery of thought.

These lectures are intended to give an outline of yoga, in order to prepare the student to take up, for practical purposes, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the chief treatise on yoga. I have on hand, with my friend Bhagavan Das as collaborator, a translation of these sutras, with Vyasa’s commentary and a further commentary and elucidation written in the light of theosophy.

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 piece by her is a short, basic introduction to occultism through the eyes of Theosophy as well as the differences between the Occultist and the Mystic.

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.

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 piece by her, from 1912, is a short, basic introduction to mysticism through the eyes of theosophy. She writes about mysticism within Christianity and the Western Mystery Tradition in general. It's also interesting to note that she mentions the Illuminati in this piece, but in a philosophical rather than historical context, which is unusual for the time period.

My Path to Atheism is a groundbreaking work, especially considering it was penned by a woman in Victorian England—a time when free thought was often stifled, particularly for women. It took a truly exceptional woman to write such a bold and, to many in the 19th century, heretical document in an era dominated by the Church. Annie Besant, originally married to a clergyman, experienced a profound transformation in her beliefs, ultimately leading to her legal separation and her commitment to secularism. She became a key figure in the National Secular Society and co-editor of the National ...