Programme of Studies

Presentations, seminars, and study courses to interested parties in England and Wales are being delivered live by our Facilitators of Study; and to individuals overseas by telephone conferences, email, and other tools of distant learning.

Our flagship course is Fundamental Theosophy. This is a systematic and progressive learning curve of The Secret Doctrine with optional modules on Esoteric Sciences and Philosophy, Heart Doctrine, Higher Ethics, Mystic Verse from the East, Personal Development and Moral Excellence. It provides an overview of the evolution of divine consciousness, theoretical aspects of which used to be taught in the old mystery schools. Its keynote echoes HP Blavatsky's aspirations as set out in the Original Programme Manuscript:

It is esoteric philosophy alone, the spiritual and psychic blending of man with Nature that, by revealing fundamental truths, can bring that much desired mediate state between the two extremes of human Egotism and divine Altruism and finally lead to the alleviation of human suffering.

Our approach is entirely unsectarian and undogmatic. Students are invited to examine the intrinsic merit of pivotal philosophical arguments and encouraged to think for themselves. Sincerity, diligence, and an open mind are the only prerequisites.

A rich programme of other activities and short courses is available to educational establishments in the United Kingdom and abroad through a panel of distinguished scholars and philosophers.

Facilitators of Study

English-speaking facilitators of study are now available in several countries worldwide. Our senior facilitator in the UK is Chris Bartzokas.

Chris is a 1972 graduate of the Medical School, University of Athens, Greece. Following postgraduate training in Liverpool, England, he was appointed Senior Lecturer and NHS Consultant in Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital (1978); Clatterbridge Hospital (1986). He has published numerous research articles, chapters, and monographs.

Chris has always been interested in the fundamental principles of life. As an undergraduate, he became acquainted with Masonry and Theosophy. In his thirties, he studied comparative religion and philosophy. In his forties, his earlier attraction to Theosophy was rekindled. With mind applied to the works of HP Blavatsky and WQ Judge, he elected to retire from medicine (1998) in order to pursue these, as well as his long-standing interests in ethics and the welfare of humanity, full-time. He has since developed advanced courses on The Secret Doctrine, Mysticism, and Moral Excellence (2001).

In 2005, Chris founded Philaletheians UK, a private company of independent thinkers who seek to reaffirm eternal verities in today's world, and non-profit publishing house of theosophical works on this website, and on Google Books and Google Play. He is associated with several philosophical organisations, and supports group and individual study in the UK and abroad.

Fundamental Theosophy

Aim, approach, objectives

By integrating ethics with metaphysics, our prime aim is to demonstrate that Divine Compassion is an abstract, yet practical Universal Law, whose essence is Absolute Harmony and Love.

We also aim to provide a broad understanding of the riddles of the human condition, e.g., of birth and death, of truth and injustice, and of the utopian quest for personal happiness and peace.

Our objectives are two-fold:

1. To increase awareness of the Great Law of Universal Sympathy and Sacrifice, so that its primacy is understood in theoretical and practical, everyday terms, and acted upon.
2. To demonstrate that, like the sutratman of the Vedanta philosophy, Brotherhood is the connecting thread between Occultism, Mysticism, and the Heart of Being.

Our approach is entirely unsectarian and undogmatic. Students are invited to examine the intrinsic merit of pivotal philosophical arguments and encouraged to think for themselves. Sincerity, diligence, and an open mind are the only prerequisites.

Core texts

The Secret Doctrine is the definitive analysis, exegesis, and synthesis of the world's religions and philosophies. It asserts that (a) we are dual aspects of One Reality; (b) our consciousness is an individualised modification of One Consciousness, ever shifting between wakefulness and dreamless sleep, forgetfulness and remembrance, life and death; and that (c) an appreciation of our shared ancestry and vital link with the One Life and Soul kindles respect of each other in thought and deed, untainted by personal interest.

Another core resource is the Bhagavad Gita or Song Celestial, which is part of the Mahabharata, India's Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty. Its sublime message unfolds through a seven hundred-verse dialogue between Lord Krishna or Logos and Prince Arjuna or Man.

Narada's eighty-one Bhakti Sutras or Precepts of Devotional Love is a priceless text of unsurpassed spiritual ardour. Mystically, Bhakti is the Path of Renunciation and keystone of true Mysticism. Metaphysically, it is the ardent desire of a self-conscious individuality to resume its original condition of Unconscious Universality, to be re-absorbed in Oneness from whence it came and where unalloyed love and joy subsist. Ethically, Bhakti is selfless service to all that lives, here and now on earth.

A fourth text of extraordinary imagery and dynamic compassion is The Voice of the Silence. Its stirring ethics are in full harmony with the humbling metaphysics of Mahayana Buddhism. It is the pith and marrow of Esoteric Philosophy as epitomised by the Pledge of Kwan-Yin, Goddess of Mercy, in this poignant quatrain:

Never will I seek nor receive private individual salvation;
Never will I enter into final peace alone;
But forever and everywhere will I live and
Strive for the redemption of every creature throughout the world.

Preparatory phases

Phase 1

Field jargon will be briefly discussed and clarified:

• Confusing terms, i.e., Unconsciousness, Semi-consciousness, Consciousness, Self-consciousness, Perfect Consciousness. Also, Conscience and other intangibles, e.g., Experience, Mysticism, etc.
• Contrastive terms, i.e., Secret versus Open, Esoteric versus Exoteric, Subjective versus Objective, Metaphysical versus Ethical, Spiritual versus Material.
• Controversial and troublesome terms, i.e., God, Christos, Desire, Duty, Man.

Phase 2

The three fundamental propositions of The Secret Doctrine or the Philosopher's Stones par excellence will be presented, explained, and their implications in everyday life highlighted.

Phase 3

A comparative analysis of two deceptively simple verses in the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana will unravel the triple hypostasis of the Law that governs Universe and Man:

1. Karman-Action or Law of Ethical Causation.
2. Yugas-Cycles or Law of Activity ever alternating with Rest.
3. Yajna-Compassion or Law of Sacrifice. As Kama-Eros is the primordial impulse within the ineffable Be-ness, That unquenchable Desire of Subjectivity willing to know Itself through objective existence becomes the LAW OF THE LAWS, the first conscious, all embracing desire for universal good, love, and for all that lives and feels, needs help and kindness, the first feeling of infinite tender compassion and mercy that arose in the consciousness of the creative ONE FORCE, as soon as it came into life and being as a ray from the ABSOLUTE, says HP Blavatsky in her Theosophical Glossary under Kamadeva.

Core sessions

An itemised syllabus is available upon request.

Prerequisites

Sincerity, diligence, and an open mind.

Modules

Esoteric Sciences and Philosophy, Heart Doctrine, Higher Ethics, Eastern Mystic Verse, Personal Development and Moral Excellence.

For those who may be interested to progress faster and deeper, subsidiary papers and practical guidance will be offered in parallel with, or upon completion of, the core studies.

Course particulars

Class size

A maximum of seven.

Venue

To be arranged by the participants. After personal introductions, background information about the field of study, authorities, and ultimate aim of such a study, will be imparted and discussed. Class format and other practicalities will also be discussed.

Duration

The duration of any course of study depends on the frequency, length, and intensity of meetings; and on the extent and quality of personal study between meetings. The equivalent of sixteen weeks full-time work is a broad indication of the time that is likely to be required by groups of mixed background and ability to grasp First Principles. Obviously, part-time efforts will increase the overall duration accordingly.

Resources

All study materials whether excerpts, quotations or commentaries, are fully referenced. Electronic copies of the core study texts and printouts of working texts will be provided.

Fees

The nature of the subject matter is at odds with pecuniary charges. Therefore, we neither levy fees nor solicit donations.