The Golden Thread
and the Threatened Gold
Rhythms of Spiritual and Intellectual Enlightenments
and Counter-Enlightenments
in the History of Western Civilization
Fall Semester 2008

Class conducted at
The Theosophical Society in America
based on the book

The Golden Thread:

The Timeless Wisdom
of the Western Mystery Traditions

by Joscelyn Godwin.

Reader

Introductions

Dream of the Sages
Robert Richardson
About the influence of esoteric groups from Pharaoic Egypt till Renaissance Europe
with a very strong paragraph on the influence of the Knights Templar

Centennial Efforts and Counter-Efforts of the Millennium
An esoteric interpretation of the last millennium of western history. [63KB]

The Theosophical Society in Western History: A Study in Cycles
John R. Wilkinson
O originally published in The Theosophist Vol. 51, No. 9, June 30, 1930.
Full text with annotations. [114KB]

Theosophy

The Background: Spiritualism And Occultism
Bruce F. Campbell.
On the historical context of the TS.
Sub-section from Ancient Wisdom Revived: A History of the Theosophical Movement.

Wise Men from the East: Is there a secret brotherhood of masters
who direct the spiritual progress of humankind?

Stephan A. Hoeller
Informative article, though the author in the end tends to see the Adepts as inspiring "Archetypal Myth,"
without really closing the door. First published in Gnosis 36 (Summer 1995).

Theosophy as a Political Movement
Mark Bevir
On the role Theosophy played as a Neo-Hindu reform movement
and its influence on Indian nationalist ideology and politics. [95KB]

The 20th Century Effort

The Masters and Their Emissaries: From H.P.B. to Guru Ma and Beyond
Govert Schuller
Pamphlet tracing the lineage of the Masters' emissaries in chronological order. [72KB]

The Centennial Cycle
David Riegle.
The author explores if there is any basis in Indian literature for a hundred year cycle
and promotes the idea that the the coming of Tibetan Buddhism to the West
was the 20th century centennial effort. From Theosophical History XI, 4 (October 2005), pp. 5-15.

Other Claims

The Priory of Sion Hoax
Robert Richardson
E exposing French extreme right-wing forces behind the Priory of Sion myth.
A plausible answer to the many questions raised by Michael Baigent et.al.
in their bestseller Holy Blood, Holy Grail.

Handouts

Family Tree of the Gnostic Legacy

The Centennial Efforts-Diagram

The Counter-Efforts-Diagram

The Seven Principles of Man

Candidates and Criteria Spreadsheet
For 20th Century Centennial Effort

Miscelaneous

Bibliography