The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
2 I am aware that the Theosophical Society has no official doctrine. What I call “Theosophical” are the theories put forward by its leading exponents and largely accepted by its members. I put the word in inverted commas to denote doctrine so taught and held by this Society, with which doctrines, Theosophy, in its general sense, is not necessarily wholly identified.
it must by no means be assumed that the connotation even in such cases is always exactly the same. For though “Theosophical” teaching is largely inspired by Indian ideas, the meaning which it attributes to the Indian terms which it employs is not always that given to these terms by Indians themselves. This is sometimes confusing and misleading, a result which would have been avoided had the writers of this school adopted in all cases their own nomenclature and definitions.¹ Though for the visualisation of our conceptions the term “planes” is a convenient one, and may be so employed, the division by “principles” more nearly adumbrates the truth. It is not easy to correlate with complete accuracy the Indian and Theosophical theories as to man’s principles. It has, however, been stated² that the physical body has two divisions, the “dense” and “etheric” body; that these correspond to the Annamaya and Prānamayakoshas, and that the “astral” body corresponds to the Kāmik or desire side of the Manomayakosha or mental sheath. Assuming for argument the alleged correspondence, then the “etheric centres” or Chakras of Mr. Leadbeater’s account appear to be centres of energy of the Prāna-vāyu or Vital Force. The lotuses are also this and centres of the universal consciousness. Kundalinī is the static form of the creative energy in bodies which is the source of all energies, including Prāna. According to Mr. Leadbeater’s theory, Kundalinī is some force which is distinct from
1 Thus, the Theosophical Sanskritist Srīsha Chandra Vasu, in his “Introduction to Yoga Philosophy,” calls the Linga Sharīra “the etherial duplicate” (p. 35). According to the ordinary
Indian use of that term the Linga Sharīra is the subtle body—that is, the Antahkarana and Indriyas—vehicled by the Tanmātras, or, according to another account, the five Prānas. Elsewhere (p. 51) it is called the “Astral” body, and some statements are made as to the Chakras which are not in accordance with the texts with which I am acquainted.
2 “Ancient Wisdom,” p. 176, by Mrs. A. Besant.
2 I am aware that the Theosophical Society has no official doctrine. What I call “Theosophical” are the theories put forward by its leading exponents and largely accepted by its members. I put the word in inverted commas to denote doctrine so taught and held by this Society, with which doctrines, Theosophy, in its general sense, is not necessarily wholly identified.
it must by no means be assumed that the connotation even in such cases is always exactly the same. For though “Theosophical” teaching is largely inspired by Indian ideas, the meaning which it attributes to the Indian terms which it employs is not always that given to these terms by Indians themselves. This is sometimes confusing and misleading, a result which would have been avoided had the writers of this school adopted in all cases their own nomenclature and definitions.¹ Though for the visualisation of our conceptions the term “planes” is a convenient one, and may be so employed, the division by “principles” more nearly adumbrates the truth. It is not easy to correlate with complete accuracy the Indian and Theosophical theories as to man’s principles. It has, however, been stated² that the physical body has two divisions, the “dense” and “etheric” body; that these correspond to the Annamaya and Prānamayakoshas, and that the “astral” body corresponds to the Kāmik or desire side of the Manomayakosha or mental sheath. Assuming for argument the alleged correspondence, then the “etheric centres” or Chakras of Mr. Leadbeater’s account appear to be centres of energy of the Prāna-vāyu or Vital Force. The lotuses are also this and centres of the universal consciousness. Kundalinī is the static form of the creative energy in bodies which is the source of all energies, including Prāna. According to Mr. Leadbeater’s theory, Kundalinī is some force which is distinct from
1 Thus, the Theosophical Sanskritist Srīsha Chandra Vasu, in his “Introduction to Yoga Philosophy,” calls the Linga Sharīra “the etherial duplicate” (p. 35). According to the ordinary
Indian use of that term the Linga Sharīra is the subtle body—that is, the Antahkarana and Indriyas—vehicled by the Tanmātras, or, according to another account, the five Prānas. Elsewhere (p. 51) it is called the “Astral” body, and some statements are made as to the Chakras which are not in accordance with the texts with which I am acquainted.
2 “Ancient Wisdom,” p. 176, by Mrs. A. Besant.
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