Theosophy, << thee OS uh fee, >> is a system of philosophic and religious thought. Theosophy is based on claims of a mystic insight into the nature of God and the laws of the universe. The theosophist believes that the truest knowledge comes not through reason or the senses, but through a direct communion of the soul with divine reality.
The term theosophy has been applied specifically to the beliefs and teachings of the Theosophical Society. This society was founded in the United States in 1875 by Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others. Hindu and Buddhist thought and doctrines have become prominent in theosophy. A characteristic feature is the belief in reincarnation, in accordance with the Hindu doctrines of Karma and Samsara. These doctrines state that the spirit advances to its goal through a succession of earthly lives. These doctrines also state that the consequences of a person’s actions in the present life are reaped by his or her successor on earth in a fresh incarnation.
See also Besant, Annie W.; Karma; Steiner, Rudolf.
