Theosophy and its History

Founding of The Theosophical Society

The Theosophical Society was officially founded on November 17th, 1875, by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, and others. Initial intentions seem to indicate an emphasis on the esoteric or occult, however, this quickly evolved into the organization as it is known today – with a focus on universal brotherhood, the study of comparative religion, philosophy and science, and an interest in the inner potentialities of the human being.

The mid-to-late nineteenth century was a pivotal time in history. Drawing from the legacy of the past, various scientific theories, including Darwin’s theory of Evolution, began to seriously undermine the dominance of many religious and spiritual worldviews. The rise of Scientific Naturalism specifically questioned the relevance of spiritual insights into the world. Many scientific disciplines were professionalized during this period with the establishment of university chairs in various specialties. It was also during this colonial period that many of the religious and spiritual writings of the world, specifically Asian texts, began to be translated and published in the West. The birth of comparative religion is often dated to the early 1870’s with the works of F. Max Müller.

An important counter-impulse to the materializing trends during this period was the rise of Spiritualism. Spiritualism, described as one of the most important trans-continental movements of the day, was re-animated in its modern form in 1848 in Hydesville, New York. So important was the Spiritualist movement viewed that in 1882 the Society for Psychical Research was founded in England by prominent scientists of the day to investigate these phenomena. These diverse trends formed the background from which the Theosophical Society emerged, and they are still the impulses which underlie our contemporary world. Countering the impulse of materialism, so powerful in the modern world, remains one of the chief aims of the Theosophical society.

In 1879, H.P. Blavatsky and H.S. Olcott moved to India and the International Headquarters of the Theosophical Society (Adyar) was established in Chennai, India – where it still resides. The history of the Theosophical Society is multi-faceted with various divisions and developments occurring. Other main Theosophical Societies include the Theosophical Society Pasadena, and the United Lodge of Theosophists. All the Societies remain committed to the original intentions of the founders, though they are pursued in slightly different ways.

Radha Burnier (née Sri Ram; 15 November 1923 – 31 October 2013) was born in Adyar, India. She was president of the Theosophical Society Adyar from 1980 until her death in 2013.

The literature of the Theosophical Society is voluminous. Brief mention is made here of the three founding texts of H.P. Blavatsky: Isis Unveiled (1877), The Secret Doctrine (1888), and The Voice of the Silence (1889). Isis Unveiled is composed of two volumes, entitled, ‘Science’, and ‘Theology’. This references the larger debates of the day and represents H.P. Blavatsky’s first major attempt to synthesize the knowledge fields of the day. She does this by engaging the scientific theories of the day and by resuscitating the wisdom of the past. Drawing on the mysterious Stanzas of Dzyan, The Secret Doctrine is acknowledged as Blavatsky’s magnum opus. Also consisting of two volumes, the first deals with ‘cosmogenesis’, while the second is her statement on ‘anthropogenesis’. Here is found Blavatsky’s mature thoughts on the Wisdom Tradition of past ages, and how it intersects with the knowledge fields of her day.

The Voice of the Silence is the Heart statement of the Theosophical Society. Endorsing the paths of practice, meditation, virtue and the Bodhisattva ideal, The Voice of the Silence is seen as the crown jewel of Blavatsky’s writings.

The world is in flux, though much of the present still reflects many continuities with late nineteenth century thought. The Theosophical Society remains committed to challenging any soul-deadening materialism, and to that end its work is not done.

History of The Theosophical Society in Southern Africa

The Theosophical Society has been in South Africa for well over a century. The Johannesburg Lodge received its Charter in 1899. The Cape Town, Pretoria, and Durban Lodges followed and received their Charters in 1904.

Johannesburg Lodge received its charter on April 14, 1899, and it bears the following names: Louis L. Playford, Chief Magistrate of Johannesburg, Herbert Kitcher, Electrical Engineer and Lewis W. Rich, Attorney. The Anglo-Boer War also started in 1899 on October 11 and ended on May 31, 1902. During the war, the Lodge was dormant. In the winter of 1902 Playford held a revival meeting at his house and became the first lodge President, Kitcher, the Secretary, and Bell the Treasurer. Their first public lecture was on January 25, 1903. In March 1903, the first issue of the South African Theosophist was published.

1903 was a memorable year, for the membership expanded from 16 to 123. This rapid growth was undoubtedly influenced by Miss Pope who came to South Africa at the request of Playford and organized the work of the Lodge. In 1904 several new lodges received Charters: Durban June 14; Cape Town September 27; Pretoria February 27; and Harmony Lodge (Johannesburg).

On August 22, 1905, Mahatma GANDHI gave a lecture to the Johannesburg Lodge entitled “The Real Life” and although he was not a member he contributed in many ways to Theosophy in Johannesburg.

The lodges amalgamated into the South African Theosophical Society in 1909 (Charter dated April 27, 1909). It changed to the “Theosophical Society in South Africa” at the Convention of May 1911 and to the “Theosophical Society in Southern Africa” in 1932.

The first Convention of the National Society was held in the Pretoria Masonic Hall on September 30, 1909. The first General Secretary was Henry Dykman, followed by E.C. Nelson from 1910 to 1916 who was an important driving force and founding member of the Society. The 1909 Charter named 7 lodges — Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria, Germiston, Pietermaritzburg and Harmony (Johannesburg). In 1914 lodges were formed in Bulawayo and Salisbury in Rhodesia and in the Cape. In 1945 de Aar, Port Elizabeth and Kimberley followed. The first lodge premises built in South Africa was in Pretoria in 1928.

In 1929, due to large distances, it was decided to form two Sections: the Central Southern African Section with S. Ransom as General Secretary and the South African Section with Margaret Murchie as General Secretary. Murchie had previously been General Secretary from 1916 to 1920. In 1937 the two sections became one again as the Theosophical Society in Southern Africa with L. Membrey as the General Secretary, followed by W. A. Humphrey until 1938. By 1929 there were 29 lodges and in 1932 a lodge was formed at Lourenco Marques (Maputo) in Mozambique. In 1934 there were 354 members.

Clara CODD, previously a prominent suffragette and very capable woman, arrived from England and took over as General Secretary in 1938. Her dynamic lectures, editorship of the National Magazine “The Link” and several books made a huge impact on the Society and membership increased from 347 in 1941 to 521 in 1944, when Jan Kruisheer took over as the first National President of the Southern African Section. He was responsible for revising the Constitution and also centralizing and streamlining the work of the Section.

In 1946 Eleanor Stakesby-Lewis, an architect, became National President and ran the Section extremely well for 7 years until her husband took over in 1953 when they moved to Salisbury in Rhodesia and continued doing excellent work in building up the Society in Rhodesia. In 1954 Ivan Midford Barberton, an artist and sculptor from Cape Town, became National President and during his term of office the Society was at its zenith in Southern Africa with 17 lodges and 625 members, mostly due to the tireless efforts of those who had gone before, the Stakesby-Lewises in Rhodesia, the very capable National Committee and the work of the Lodge Presidents and Committees.

Mary Patterson, an American International Lecturer arrived in South Africa and took over in 1958 as National President and unfortunately died in office in 1962. The Acting National President, R.O. Hartig also died late in 1962. L. de Wet took over and in 1964 Betty Nairn became National President and the Headquarters moved to Rhodesia until 1967 when P. Scarnel Lean took over and changed the National Leadership title to General Secretary. Lean, well known as a public relations consultant and able lecturer, was responsible for re-stimulating the Society which had seen a deterioration as a result of wars in Mozambique and Rhodesia, plus political strife and terrorism in South Africa.

Roy Charlesley from Rhodesia took over for a short while in 1969-70. Then Lily Membrey, a retired schoolteacher who had previously been General Secretary in the thirties assumed the task again. She was also the Administrator General for the Co-Freemasonic order in South Africa and had also been Chief Knight for the ROUND TABLE for many years. In 1972 Anna Bischoff, a retired nurse, became General Secretary and remained in office for 10 years. She was ably assisted by her husband Jacob Bischoff who was National Treasurer until his sudden death in December 1981. During the 1970s the Rhodesian Lodges declined further, due to the bush war which carried on until 1980 when the country became Zimbabwe. Much internal strife continued during the 80s with the country becoming a single party Marxist state. In South Africa, meanwhile, the country was being handicapped by economic sanctions and was ostracized by most countries in the world over the apartheid (racial segregation) policy of the Government. Arthur Bunton took over as General Secretary in 1982 and worked on promoting membership in the society which had declined from 400 in 1972 to 283 in 1982. Television had been introduced in South Africa in the late 70s and was growing in popularity; attendance at lectures and weekday meetings declined as a result and so it was a daunting task for Bunton and the National Committee who did manage to increase membership.

At the Easter Convention of 1992, Thomas George (Tom) Davis, a mechanical engineer, became the new General Secretary in a rapidly changing Southern Africa, still plagued by political strife, civil war and violence.

In 1993 the General Secretary extended a hand of friendship to the East and Central African Section and attended their Convention in Mufilera in Zambia. The Annual Conventions of both Sections were then changed in 1994 to biennial to allow delegates to attend each other’s conventions in the future, as both were held during the Easter break.

Southern Africa was represented for the first time since 1966 at the WORLD CONGRESS in Brazil in 1993 and at the International Convention in Adyar in 1994 by the General Secretary, as a result of the recent improved attitude towards South Africa. In 1994, the political scene changed dramatically in South Africa with the ending of apartheid and first elections with universal franchise. Since then, there has been more religious freedom and an equitable distribution of jobs.

In January 1995 the General Secretary made a pilgrimage to Baudhanath outside Katmandu in Nepal, to have a pre-arranged audience with the Abbot of the Tibetan Buddhist Monastery there and to offer a gift of C.V. Agarwal’s book The Buddhist and the Theosophical Movements.

In 1998 Southern Africa celebrated 100 years of Theosophy. The Johannesburg Lodge was formed in 1898 and received its charter in 1899. The international President Radha Burnier was the special guest. The Centenary Celebrations were opened by the Gauteng Premier Dr. Motshekga. He had been associated with Pretoria Lodge for many years and was made an honorary member of the Society at the Convention.

In December 1999 The World Parliament of Religions was held in Cape Town. Several Theosophists from the USA, Spain, Britain and South Africa took part in a Peace March from the Gardens to District Six behind the Southern African Section’s large banner. The General Secretary, Tom Davis, gave a talk on the history of the Society in Southern Africa and took part in two seminars. His wife Ann also participated in one of the seminars. The Vice President of Durban Lodge, John Govender, gave a talk about Gandhi and the Theosophical Society.

During April 2004 at the Biennial National Convention in Pretoria and during the year, the three Lodges of Durban, Cape Town and Pretoria celebrated their centenaries. (From www.theosophyworld.com)