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Libra Esoterica

The Key to Theosophy

Being a Clear Exposition, in the Form of Question and Answer, of the Ethics, Science and Philosophy for the Study of Which the Theosophical Society Has Been Founded

by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky & Helena Blavatsky

  • First published:
  • 19th century
  • Language: English

"The Key to Theosophy" by H. P. Blavatsky is an exposition that presents the teachings of Theosophy through a structured question-and-answer format. Written in the late 19th century, this work aims to clarify the ethical, scientific, and philosophical principles underlying the Theosophical Society. It serves not just as an introduction but as a key to understanding deeper aspects of Theosophy, addressing common queries from skeptical Western inquirers and distinguishing Theosophy from other spiritual ideologies. At the start of "The Key to Theosophy," the author introduces the concept of Theosophy, asserting it is synonymous with Divine Wisdom rather than a conventional religion. The opening dialogue emphasizes the Society's aims: to unite humanity under the common principle of brotherhood and to explore ancient truths that have shaped human thought. The initial sections outline the significance of Theosophy, refute misconceptions linking it to Buddhism or materialism, and establish it as a universal philosophy that transcends individual sects and cultures. This approach sets the foundation for a more profound exploration of spiritual concepts and the shared ethics found in various belief systems. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Theosophy, Anthroposophy, and New Thought.

  • Controlled discovery queries from openalex, project-gutenberg, and wellcome matched “theosophical”, “Theosophy”, and “theosophy”. Retained metadata contains “Theosophy” in the title, “theosophical” in the subtitle, “theosophical” in the description, and 4 additional metadata match(es).

    • Theosophy· via OpenAlex
    • theosophical· via Project Gutenberg
    • theosophy· via Project Gutenberg
    • Theosophy· via Wellcome Collection
    • Theosophy· in title
    • theosophical· in subtitle

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

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Editions

3 editions cataloged here.

OpenAlex scholarly book record

1889-01-01EnglishUnknown

Being a Clear Exposition, in the Form of Question and Answer, of the Ethics, Science and Philosophy for the Study of Which the Theosophical Society Has Been Founded

Project Gutenberg electronic edition

Project Gutenberg metadata does not identify the source print edition.

2017-09-24Project GutenbergEnglishPublic domain (USA)

being a clear exposition, in the form of question and answer, of the ethics, science, and philosophy for the study of which the Theosophical society has been founded, with a copious glossary of general theosophical terms

Wellcome Collection bibliographic record

370 pages ; 22 cm

1890Theosophical Publishing Society ;; W.Q. JudgeEnglishPublic digitized item

Subjects

16 subject headings

Identifiers & provenance

How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.

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Cataloging notes

  • Original print publication date and source edition are absent from Project Gutenberg metadata.
Catalog id
project-gutenberg:55618
Edition coverage
Multi source partial
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