Independent theosophy in Scandinavia

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The Independent Theosophy in Scandinavia began in 1989 with the withdrawal of the Danish section of the Theosophical Society Adyar (Adyar-TG). The members then founded an independent Theosophical Union , which was dissolved after 2002. In 2004 ten autonomous theosophical lodges brought the Theosophical Network into being, which since then has mainly shaped theosophical life in Denmark.

history

prehistory

The first theosophical lodges in Scandinavia were established around 1890 . In 1895, the seventh Lodge was founded, its own could Scandinavian section of the Theosophical Society Adyar (Adyar-TG), headquartered in Sweden Stockholm will be launched. In the following decades a number of other lodges developed in the Scandinavian countries. As soon as at least seven lodges were formed in a country, a separate national section was founded and the Scandinavian section was withdrawn. The Finnish section was founded in 1907 , the Icelandic section in 1921, and during this period (the date is unclear) the Danish section as well .

In the 1970s, the members of the lodges of the Danish section began studying Alice Bailey's writings . In the early 1920s, after lengthy disputes, Bailey separated from the Adyar-TG and in 1923 founded the rival Arcane School , which Adyar rejected . This action of the Danish theosophists led to differences with the Adyar-TG, which regarded the works of Bailey in the sense of their theosophy as heretical and accordingly rejected them. The Danish side found Bailey's theosophy to be an enrichment and continued the reception of her works, while Adyar, on the other hand, demanded that such teachings be deleted from the Danish program. Neither side gave in, after years of back and forth the quarrels escalated, and in 1989 the entire Danish section was separated from the Adyar-TG. The Adyar-TG did not succeed in building a new following; it has not been officially represented in Denmark since then.

Independent associations

At an extraordinary general assembly of the Danish Theosophical Society on August 18, 1989, the approximately 250 members present (out of a total of around 500) unanimously voted for the separation from Adyar and the establishment of an independent Teosofisk Forening (Theosophical Union). The existing boxes were integrated into these. After successful years of building up and reaching a membership of about 1000, the name was changed to Theosophical Association Scandinavia (TAS) at another general assembly on November 9, 1997 . This should make it easier for existing and future like-minded groups in Sweden and Norway to join. Several lodges joined the TAS in the following years, but after 2002 the organization broke up and disbanded. On August 7, 2004 ten theosophical groups from Denmark and Norway founded the Teosofisk Netværk or Teosofisk Nettverk (Theosophical Network) in Aarhus , which is still in existence today.

Members of the Theosophical Network are:

  • In Denmark:
    • The Golden Circle (Den Gyldne Cirkel) (on Zealand )
    • Theosophical Association Aalborg (Aalborg Theosophical Association - Teosofisk Forening Aalborg)
    • Theosophical Association Aarhus (Theosophical Association Aarhus - Teosofisk Forening Århus)
    • Theosophical Association Frederikshavn (Theosophical Association Frederikshavn - Frederikshavn Teosofisk Forening)
    • Theosophical Association Funen (Fyn Theosophical Association - Teosofisk Forening Fyn)
    • Theosophical Association Copenhagen (Theosophical Association Copenhagen - Teosofisk Forening København)
    • Theosophical Association Næstved (Naestved Theosophical Association - Teosofisk Forening Næstved)
  • In Norway:
    • Theosophical Association Stavanger (Theosophical Association Stavanger - Teosofisk Forening Stavanger)
    • Theosophical Association Telemark / Vestfold (Theosophical Association Telemark / Vestfold - Teosofisk Forening Telemark / Vestfold)
    • Theosophical Center Oslo (Theosophical Center Oslo - Teosofisk Senter Oslo)

In addition to the members of the Theosophical Network, there are other autonomous theosophical groups in the Scandinavian region. A selection can be found under the web links .

Alignment

The program is broad and includes all theosophical directions. The works of Helena Blavatsky , Annie Besant , Charles W. Leadbeater and above all Alice Bailey are generally very popular , but Helena Roerich and Geoffrey Hodson are also part of the standard repertoire. Interreligious dialogue is a main concern, exchanges and joint meetings with representatives of Islam , Buddhism , various Christian denominations, Unitarianism , etc. take place regularly. There are also contacts to the theosophically inspired Liberal Catholic Church . Some representatives of independent theosophical groups in Scandinavia also took part in the World Parliament of Religions in 2004 in Barcelona . There are friendly relationships with several Rosicrucian organizations. Important are also esoteric topics such as the Masters of Wisdom or astrology .

Lodges of large organizations

In addition to the independent groups, the large theosophical organizations have lodges in most of the Scandinavian countries. The Adyar-TG in Finland, Sweden and Norway, the Theosophical Society Pasadena in Finland and Sweden and the United Lodge of Theosophists in Sweden. In Denmark today none of these companies has any significant representation.

swell

  1. ^ A short history of the Icelandic Section
  2. ↑ a b The Theosophical Society - Adyar International Directory ( Memento of the original from January 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.theosophical.ca
  3. ↑ a b Theosophical Association Scandinavia ( Memento of the original from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / web.ukonline.co.uk
  4. ↑ Freedom of Thought

Web links

Web presences of the members of the Theosophical Network

Other independent theosophical groups