APSIG newsletter no. 59: November 2005

The theosophical movement connecting Asia and Australia

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the theosophical movement influenced and connected Asia and Australia in ways now largely forgotten. An article about some of these influences will appear in the January 2006 National Library of Australia news and its online version.

The article is based on the national library's extensive holdings about theosophy, which were greatly strengthened in 2003 by the donation of the Dr John Cooper theosophy collection. Cooper was a leading historian and collector of books, periodicals, pamphlets, papers and photographs about theosophy in Australia and internationally.

The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky and others, but drawing on much older Eastern and Western teachings about direct knowledge of God, teaches that all religions and philosophies are reflections of a greater and secret truth. Theosophy has placed a strong emphasis on Asian beliefs, in particular Buddhism and Hinduism. Theosophy appealed to many leaders of national movements in our region, from Alfred Deakin in Australia to India's Mahatma Gandhi and Indonesia's President Sukarno. There were strong links between theosophists in Australia and the Theosophical Society's international headquarters in India as well as with members in other Asian states such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The article describes these connections as seen in the national library's rich resources, including the Dr John Cooper theosophy collection.

Andrew Gosling