"Modern Theosophy is the body of teachings about the creation of the world and the evolution of humankind first formulated by the Russian linguist and clairvoyant Helena Petrovna Blavatsky in the late nineteenth century. The movement which she founded in New York City in 1875 went back to the neo-Platonist philosophers of Alexandria in the first two centuries after Christ for its name and aims." "Theosophy seeks the universal truth buried at the heart of all the great traditions. It introduced to the West the ageless wisdom of the East, as well as the lost traditions of Egypt and Greece, and the esoteric knowledge of the early Christians. It holds that this knowledge has been handed down from master to pupil from time immemorial and is accessible to all who seek it. While the cumulative testimony of generations of seers forms a secret doctrine, a body of mystery teachings known only to the advanced few, Adepts appear in each generation to reveal glimpses of the universal plan and the possibilities of human development." "The theosophical perspective has much in common with the New Age. Since the founding of the movement, many of its ideas have been expressed by transpersonal psychologists from Jung onwards, by physicists, biologists, spiritual healers and other truth-seeking groups all working towards a holistic view of the universe. Modern Theosophy is thus a dynamic synthesis of the essential truths of religion, science and philosophy - a spiritual science for today."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved