Reading list · 13 books

The best books on Theosophy

Theosophy, founded in 1875, supplied the vocabulary that most Western esotericism still uses: planes of existence, subtle bodies, karma and reincarnation. Its founding texts are dense. The clairvoyant investigations of Leadbeater and Besant are the part Brendan draws on most.

This list begins with the overviews and moves to the clairvoyant research. Every title is non-fiction and is cited in Brendan D. Murphy’s work.

Where to start
  1. 1
    Cover of The Key to Theosophy

    The Key to Theosophy

    H.P. Blavatsky, 1992

    Blavatsky’s question-and-answer introduction to the teaching, from the nature of the soul to karma and reincarnation. The best first book.

    Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Question of Consciousness; Science Ain’t Always Scientific; Quantum Weirdness And Cosmic Oneness; The Occult Aether)

    Find it on Amazon →See it on the shelf
  2. 2
    Cover of Occult Chemistry

    Occult Chemistry

    Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater, 1919

    Besant and Leadbeater describe what they report seeing of atoms and elements through clairvoyant observation. The book physicists have since compared with particle theory.

    Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occult Aether; The Human Aura)

    Find it on Amazon →See it on the shelf
  3. 3
    Cover of Thought Forms

    Thought Forms

    Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater, 1901

    An illustrated 1901 study of the shapes and colours that thoughts and emotions are said to take.

    Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Human Aura)

    Find it on Amazon →See it on the shelf
  4. 4
    Cover of Man Visible and Invisible

    Man Visible and Invisible

    C.W. Leadbeater, 1902

    Leadbeater’s illustrated study of the aura and the bodies of a human being, with colour plates.

    Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occultist’s Seven Planes; The Human Aura; Thought-Forms)

    Find it on Amazon →See it on the shelf
  5. 5
    Cover of The Astral Plane

    The Astral Plane

    C.W. Leadbeater, 1900

    Leadbeater on the astral plane: its scenery, its inhabitants and its phenomena. The source for much later writing on the astral realms.

    Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occult Aether; The Occultist’s Seven Planes; The Human Aura)

    Find it on Amazon →See it on the shelf
  6. 6
    Cover of The Inner Life

    The Inner Life

    C.W. Leadbeater, 1978

    Leadbeater’s lectures on spiritual development and the unseen.

    Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occultist’s Seven Planes; The Human Aura; Telepathy; Clairvoyance)

    Find it on Amazon →See it on the shelf
  7. 7
    Cover of The Etheric Double

    The Etheric Double

    A.E. Powell

    Arthur Powell gathers the Theosophical writings on the etheric body, the layer closest to the physical.

    Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occultist’s Seven Planes)

    Find it on Amazon →See it on the shelf
Brendan’s take

Brendan reads the Theosophical clairvoyants as observers whose reports can be compared with the research, not as an authority. The Consciousness Transition Model keeps the structure they describe and states it without the doctrine.

The Grand Illusion →The Consciousness Transition Model →
Every book on the shelf

Brendan cites every book here. That does not mean he agrees with all of it.

All 13 books

Take one down to see why it is here and where to find it.

Questions

What is Theosophy?

A body of teaching, organised by the Theosophical Society from 1875, that combines Eastern and Western esoteric ideas: a universe of many planes, a human being made of several bodies, and reincarnation governed by karma.

Who were Blavatsky, Besant and Leadbeater?

Helena Blavatsky co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875 and wrote its founding texts. Annie Besant later led it. C. W. Leadbeater was a clairvoyant writer whose descriptions of the astral and mental planes, and of the subtle bodies, became standard in later esoteric writing.

Where should I start with Theosophy?

Blavatsky’s The Key to Theosophy for the teaching in her own words, then Leadbeater’s A Textbook of Theosophy as a short overview. After that, the clairvoyant investigations such as Occult Chemistry and The Astral Plane.

How does Brendan use Theosophy?

The Grand Illusion treats the Theosophical accounts of the planes and subtle bodies as claims to compare with the research, not as scripture. The Consciousness Transition Model keeps the structure and drops the doctrinal language.

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