THEOSOPHY IBD

Sinopse

René Guénon (1886-1951) was one of the great luminaries of the twentieth century, whose critique of the modern world has stood fast against the shifting sands of intellectual fashion. His extensive writings, now finally available in English, are a providential treasure-trove for the modern seeker: while pointing ceaselessly to the perennial wisdom found in past cultures ranging from the Shamanistic to the Indian and Chinese, the Hellenic and Judaic, the Christian and Islamic, and including also Alchemy, Hermeticism, and other esoteric currents, they direct the reader also to the deepest level of religiousápraxis, emphasizing the need for affiliation with a revealed tradition even while acknowledging the final identity of all spiritual paths as they approach the summit of spiritual realization.Many readers of GuénonâÇÖs later doctrinal works have longed to hear the tale of his earlier entanglement, and disentanglement, from the luxuriant undergrowth of so-called esoteric societies in late nineteenth-century Paris and elsewhere. The present work documents in excoriating detail GuénonâÇÖs findings on what did, and did not, lie behind the Theosophical Society founded by Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott in 1875. Much further information has of course come to light during the 80 years since this book was written, but it has never been superseded as a fascinating record of the path of a master metaphysician through this maze. A sampling of chapter titles will convey a sense of the depth of this remarkable work: âÇÖMadame BlavatskyâÇÖs AntecedentsâÇÖ, âÇÖThe Theosophical Society and RosicrucianismâÇÖ, âÇÖThe Question of the MahatmasâÇÖ, âÇÖThe Society for Psychical ResearchâÇÖ, âÇÖEsoteric BuddhismâÇÖ, âÇÖEsoteric ChristianityâÇÖ, âÇÖThe Future MessiahâÇÖ, âÇÖThe Trials of AlcyoneâÇÖ, âÇÖThe Anthroposophy of Rudolf SteinerâÇÖ, âÇÖThe Order of the Star of the EastâÇÖ, âÇÖTheosophy and FreemasonryâÇÖ, âÇÖThe Political Role of the Theosophical SocietyâÇÖ. A particularly unusual feature is its extensive treatment of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, which has recently attracted the attention of scholars of the occult. The Collected Works of René Guénon brings together the writings of one of the greatest prophets of our time, whose voice is even more important today than when he was alive. Huston Smith, author of The WorldâÇÖs Religions, etc.