2 thoughts on “William Q. Judge’s “New Era of Western Occultism””

1. The words “East – West” as used by most people so politicized, charged with values and emotions that a person with some degree of( spiritual ) self reflection will see in his use the black magic [ as properly defined in one of your article in this site]. But when one found the same vocable in esoteric literature [in this instance thesophy- used with the same emotional and value contents, it raises suspicion of certain provincialism, or cultural/national pride. In the excerpts aforementioned , the tone and content of the sentences remind me of an ex toric discourse that emphasize the ” white man [ Western] burden”. We are all aware of the suffering caused by this messianic view.

   As much as i admired the depth and the apparent accuracy of the Theosophical philosophy, I have hard time to refrain the growing feeling that some of the its Messengers may have infected the Message with their prejudices.

   To use a diplomatic expression, I am demanding – politely- some explanation in the form of reaction to my comments

   1. Hello Fabrice, could you perhaps specify more exactly which statements or ideas you considered to be prejudiced or inappropriate or offensive in this article?

      I can assure you that William Judge was by no means emphasising supremacy, superiority, or greater importance, of any nation, culture, or race, over any other.

      Theosophy teaches that the newest and youngest race-group to have been evolved is the so-called “white” race in the West and also that the next major evolutionary cycle on this Earth is to have its origins in America because the intermixing there of so many different races, nationalities, and cultures, will give birth in due time to a new and ideally more advanced expression of human organism and type.

      But this does not mean that these places or nationalities are in any sense superior to others. On the contrary, they may be viewed from one perspective as being some of the least advanced in the world, due to their being so young in comparison with other, much older, and often much wiser, races and nations.

      The concept of a “New Era of Western Occultism” is simply that at the present time the newly evolving West needs an Occultism, a Philosophy, a system of esoteric study and development, which will be properly suited for it and which will help rather than hinder it in the correct and safe inner unfoldment of those souls who happen to be incarnated in the West.

      Theosophy is of course just as much for the East as for the West as for anywhere and anyone else.

      Mr Judge’s main point here, as far as I understand it, is that it is Theosophy that the West needs, and not any exoteric Eastern practices and teachings from Hindu Gurus, Yogis, and Swamis, or Buddhist monks and Lamas. If the latter were what was needed or were sufficient, the Masters of the Trans-Himalayan Brotherhood would not have bothered doing the great work They did through H.P. Blavatsky.

      It is not “the modern East with its Yogis and Fakirs, its hide-bound castes, its subtle and magnificently intellectual theology, its Hatha Yoga and all the dangers attending that” to which our thoughts and attention should be turned…not, at any rate, if we happen to believe that the Masters of Wisdom know best.

      I hope that this may have clarified some of the points for you. Please feel free to comment further if you would like to.

Comments are closed.