International Theosophical History Conference
Athens, Greece 12-13 October 2019.
PROGRAMME ITHCon 2019
Day 1
12 Oct 2019
Day 2
13 Oct 2019
09:30
Theosophical History and Its Future
Theosophical History is now in the thirty-fourth year of its existence. This presentation will review its origins, accomplishments over this period, and its plans for the immediate future and for the next... Read More
10:30
H. P. Shastri (1882–1956)’s Theosophical movement in the modern Far East
In 1919, the society chose Shanghai to establish its first official branch in the Far East. The first president of the Shanghai branch was Hari Prasad Shastri (1882–1956), an Indian... Read More
11:30
12:00
Tamijuro Kume and International Lodge, Tokyo
This paper is to examine the achievements made by the members of the International Lodge, Tokyo, in particular, a painter named Tamijuro Kume. In spite of the short endurance, this... Read More
13:00
Stainton Moses – A Theosophist in spite of himself?
In 1875, Stainton Moses, the leading English Spiritualist began corresponding with Col. Olcott and Madame Blavatsky , who shortly formed the Theosophical Society in New York. At some point, Moses... Read More
14:00
Lunch
15:00
Who was Agardi Metrovich?
One of the most difficult problems in Theosophical history concerns the identity of Agardi. Metrovitch, thought to be the nom de guerre of a carbonari and a famous opera singer... Read More
16:00
Contextualizing the Mahatma Letters in a Scholarly Context: A New Approach
In the early nineties, the publication of K. Paul Johnson’s The Masters Revealed sparked a lively debate. Johnson’s book was an impressive attempt to discover the reality behind the myth... Read More
17:00
Tea Break
17:30
Archival Notes on the Relation of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy to the Theosophical Society
This paper is narrowly based on a published misstatement by Rama P. Coomaraswamy, the son of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (“AKC”), where he stated that while his father was “acquainted” with... Read More
18:30
Polish Theosophical Society – Domestic Activities and International Cooperation
Polish Theosophical Society – domestic activities and international cooperation The history of Polish activities in the Theosophical Society was understudied for many years. I focused on the historical reconstruction of... Read More
19:30
Break
20:00
Bulgarian contribution to the Theosophy history
The report presents the specific Bulgarian contribution to the history of Theosophy through basic ideas of the Bogomil movement during the Middle Ages, the White Brotherhood in the 20th Century,... Read More
09:30
Between Theosophy and Orientalism: debates about an ‘Esoteric Buddhism’ in the nineteenth century
This paper discusses the origin and meaning of the notion “esoteric Buddhism” as it was used in the early Theosophical Society, especially in the works of Helena P. Blavatsky and... Read More
10:30
Blavatsky’s Vedanta: A Case Study in Cultural Entanglement
Exploring the discussions of Advaita Vedanta provided by Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891) in The Secret Doctrine (1888) and acknowledging her Idealist, neo-Platonist and Orientalist influences, the objective of this paper will be to show... Read More
11:00
Tea Break
11:30
Theosophy and Anthroposophy in Israel
The lecture will discuss the reception of Theosophy and Anthroposophy in Israel. I will discuss the early circles that were interested in Theosophy and Anthroposophy in Palestine/Land of Israel in... Read More
12:30
Dismembering George Frederic Watts’s ‘mesmeric dolls’: Music and Theosophy in the painter’s late works
Since David Stewart’s publication in 1993 on the impact of theosophical ideas on Frederic Watts’s (1817–1904) oeuvre, little scholarly attention has been directed toward the affinity between these ideas and... Read More
13:30
In Search of Zanoni (in absentia)
Johnson’s presentation, “In Search of Zanoni” concerns his research and writing about a literary mystery concerning an author who was thought to have died in 1894 but in fact lived... Read More
13:45
Lunch
14:45
Adyar Archives-Narrative of a Treasure House
This presentation is about the Archives situated at the international headquarters of the Theosophical Society, Adyar, Chennai, India. We will explore the story of the Adyar Archives and Museum; how... Read More
Location
Headquarters of the Theosophical Society in Greece
25 Voukourestiou St. (1st floor) Athens, Greece
+30-2105695571eustheosophy@gmail.com