Cardiff Theosophical Society

206 Newport Road,

Cardiff, Wales, UK, CF24 – 1DL

 

 

 

 

Gauguin

&

Theosophy

 

 

 

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In the period around 1889, Paul Gauguin overwhelmingly incorporated his own figure into religious paintings. There are a handful of paintings that follow this trend, such as The Vision After the Sermon: Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, Self-Portrait: Les Miserables, oSelf-Portrait with Yellow Christ and Self-Portrait with Halo.In these paintings Gauguin initially portrays himself as a believer and then as a martyr, Christ, and the devil. Naturally this trend in his art for some another instance of folly of this deranged personality calls for an interpretation. Ziva Amishai-Maisels, in her masterly thesis  Gauguin’s Religious Themes of 1969, goes into a profound and comprehensive examination of all of the artistâ?Ts religious works. In the introduction to her analysis of this particular set of paintings, she asserts that â?othey express ideas that relate both to his own misfortunes and to nineteenth-century theories on art and on the artist’s function in society(Amishai-Maisels 72). With this, Amishai-Maisels explains the appearance of the self-portraits in terms of the artist’s philosophy about life and art tying them in to events in his life, but unfortunately she fails to see the doctrine of Theosophy which would have been familiar to Gauguin, as a force behind them. On the other hand, Thomas Buser in an article published in 1968 had declared Gauguin a theosophist, but with a focus on later paintings, entirely disregarding this particular set of religious works. These paintings, however, can also be interpreted within the spirit of Theosophy. By looking at the paintings mentioned above we can see a corresponding gradual acceptance of Theosophy on the part of Paul Gauguin, which previous art historians have always failed to see. This novel reading is important not only because it offers an explanation of the influences under which Gauguin painted, but also because these influences may be the roots of 20th century modern art.

 

 

The appearance of Theosophy after the 1880s coincided with the start of Gauguin's mature period. Gauguin's art, however, is not the only instance in which the creation of art has been driven by the theosophical beliefs of the artist. In the 20th century artists like Vasily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian, and also Kazimir Malevich, Jackson Pollock and Paul Klee are known to have been influenced, to some extent by theosophy. This influence is most commonly associated with the former two. According to the Grove Dictionary of Art, Vasily Kandinsky was particularly interested in Theosophy as a means of "apprehending inner values". This means that Kandinsky, like Gauguin, appreciated the spiritual insight that Theosophy promised and aspired to become an initiate. According to the same source, he became familiar with the work of the major Theosophical writers like Mme Blavatsky, who originally conceived of Theosophy, and Charles Leadbeater, who wrote the book on it. His famous thesis on Abstraction, a classic work that has been studied for many years, is "replete with theosophical references and theories". Piet Mondrian, during the period of his career when he was experimenting with abstraction, went even further than Kandinsky, by becoming a member of the Theosophical Society. His art of this period is characterized by "the dominance of spirit over matter".

 

 

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Cardiff Theosophical Society

206 Newport Road,

Cardiff, Wales, UK, CF24 -1DL

 

 

Try these links for

more info about Theosophy

 

 

 

Cardiff Theosophical Society meetings are informal

and there’s always a cup of tea afterwards

 

 

Theosophy

Cardiff

The Cardiff Theosophical Society Website

 

Theosophy

Wales

The National Wales Theosophy Website

 

 

Theosophy Cardiff’s Instant Guide to Theosophy

 

Cardiff Theosophical Archive

 

Cardiff Blavatsky Archive

A Theosophy Study Resource

 

Theosophy Cardiff’s Gallery of Great Theosophists

 

Dave’s Streetwise Theosophy Boards

The Theosophy Website that welcomes

absolute beginners.

If you run a Theosophy Study Group, please

feel free to use any material on this Website

 

Blavatsky Blogger

Independent Theosophy Blog

 

The Most Basic Theosophy

 Website in the Universe

A quick overview of Theosophy 

and the Theosophical Society

If you run a Theosophy Study Group you 

can use this as an introductory handout.

 

Quick Blasts of Theosophy

One liners and quick explanations

About aspects of Theosophy

 

The Blavatsky Blogger’s

Instant Guide To

Death & The Afterlife

 

Blavatsky Calling

The Voice of the Silence Website

 

Theosophy

Nirvana

 

Cardiff Theosophy Start-Up

A Free Intro to Theosophy

 

The Blavatsky Free State

An Independent Theosophical Republic

Links to Free Online Theosophy 

Study Resources; Courses, Writings, 

Commentaries, Forums, Blogs

 

Feelgood

 Theosophy

Visit the Feelgood Lodge

The main criteria for the inclusion of

links on this site is that they have some

relationship (however tenuous) to Theosophy

and are lightweight, amusing or entertaining.

Topics include Quantum Theory and Socks,

Dick Dastardly and Legendary Blues Singers.

 

Theosophy

The New Rock ‘n Roll

An entertaining introduction to Theosophy

 

Nothing answers questions

like Theosophy can!

The Key to Theosophy

 

Wales! Wales! Theosophy Wales

The All Wales Guide To

Getting Started in Theosophy

For everyone everywhere, not just in Wales

 

Brief Theosophical Glossary

 

The Akashic Records

It’s all “water under the bridge” but everything you do

makes an imprint on the Space-Time Continuum.

 

Theosophy and Reincarnation

A selection of articles on Reincarnation

by Theosophical writers

Provided in response to the large number

of enquiries we receive on this subject

 

Theosophical Glossary

prepared by W Q Judge

 

The South of Heaven Guide to

Theosophy and Devachan

 

The South of Heaven Guide to

Theosophy and Dreams

 

The South of Heaven Guide to

Theosophy and Angels

 

Theosophy

Aardvark

No Aardvarks were harmed in the

preparation of this Website

 

Theosophy Avalon

The Theosophy Wales

King Arthur Pages

 

The Tooting Broadway

Underground Theosophy Website

The Spiritual Home of Urban Theosophy

 

The Mornington Crescent

Underground Theosophy Website

The Earth Base for Evolutionary Theosophy

 

Theosophy Birmingham

The Birmingham Annie Besant Lodge

 

Theosophy Sidmouth

Sidmouth, Devon, England

 

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The Theosophy Cardiff

Glastonbury Pages

 

 

Chalice Well, Glastonbury.

The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to

Chalice Well, Glastonbury,

Somerset, England

 

The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to

Glastonbury Abbey

 

Theosophy Cardiff’s

Glastonbury Abbey Chronology

 

The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to

Glastonbury Tor

 

The Labyrinth

The Terraced Maze of Glastonbury Tor

 

Glastonbury and Joseph of Arimathea

 

The Grave of King Arthur & Guinevere

At Glastonbury Abbey

 

Views of Glastonbury High Street

 

The Theosophy Cardiff Guide to

Glastonbury Bookshops

 

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Tekels Park

Camberley Surrey England GU15 2LF

 

 

Tekels Park to be Sold to a Developer

Concerns are raised about the fate of the wildlife as

The Spiritual Retreat, Tekels Park in Camberley,

Surrey, England is to be sold to a developer

 

Tekels Park is a 50 acre woodland park, purchased

 for the Adyar Theosophical Society in England in 1929.

In addition to concern about the park, many are

 worried about the future of the Tekels Park Deer

as they are not a protected species.

 

Confusion as the Theoversity moves out of 

Tekels Park to Southampton, Glastonbury & 

Chorley in Lancashire while the leadership claim

that the Theosophical Society will carry on using 

Tekels Park despite its sale to a developer

 

Anyone planning a “Spiritual” stay at the

Tekels Park Guest House should be aware of the sale.

 

 

Future of Tekels Park Badgers in Doubt

 

Magnificent Tekels Park to be Sold to a Developer

 

 

Tekels Park & the Loch Ness Monster

A Satirical view of the sale of Tekels Park

in Camberley, Surrey to a developer

 

The Toff’s Guide to the Sale of Tekels Park

What the men in top hats have to

say about the sale of Tekels Park

to a developer

 

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H P Blavatsky’s Heavy Duty

Theosophical Glossary

Published 1892

A B C D EFG H IJ KL M N OP QR S T UV WXYZ

 

 

Complete Theosophical Glossary in Plain Text Format

1.22MB

 

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Classic Introductory Theosophy Text

A Text Book of Theosophy By C W Leadbeater

 

What Theosophy Is  From the Absolute to Man

 

The Formation of a Solar System  The Evolution of Life

 

The Constitution of Man  After Death  Reincarnation

 

The Purpose of Life  The Planetary Chains

 

The Result of Theosophical Study

 

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The Occult World

By Alfred Percy Sinnett

 

Preface to the American Edition    Introduction

 

Occultism and its Adepts    The Theosophical Society

 

First Occult Experiences   Teachings of Occult Philosophy

 

Later Occult Phenomena    Appendix

 

 

Try these if you are looking for a

local Theosophy Group or Centre

 

 

UK Listing of Theosophical Groups

 

Worldwide Directory of 

Theosophical Links

 

International Directory of 

Theosophical Societies

 

 

WALES

Pages About Wales

General pages about Wales, Welsh History

and The History of Theosophy in Wales

 

Wales is a Principality within the United Kingdom

and has an eastern border with England.

The land area is just over 8,000 square miles.

Snowdon in North Wales is the highest mountain at 3,650 feet.

The coastline is almost 750 miles long.

 The population of Wales as at the 2001 census is 2,946,200.

 

 

 

Theosophy Wales

 

Theosophy UK

 

 

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Cardiff Theosophical Society

206 Newport Road,

Cardiff, Wales, UK, CF24 – 1DL.

 

 

 

 

 


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Hey Look!

Theosophy in Cardiff

 

Hey Look

Theosophy in Wales

 

Theosophy in Wales

The Grand Tour

 

Theosophy Wales

 

Theosophy Wales Burn-Up

 

Theosophy Wales Vanguard

 

Theosophy Wales 2008 Changes

A new structure for the

Theosophical Movement in Wales

 

Mystery Benefactor Boosts Theosophy

in Bangor, Conwy & Swansea 2009

 

Theosophy Avalon

The Theosophy Wales

King Arthur Pages

 

 

 

 

 

 

theosophycardiff.org

 

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Cardiff Theosophical Society in Wales

Theosophy House

206 Newport Road

Cardiff, Wales, UK. CF24 – 1DL

theosophycardiff@uwclub.net

 

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Wales Picture Gallery

 

 

Beaumaris Castle

 

 

Cardiff Castle

 

 

Conwy Castle

 

 

Flint Castle

 

 

Flint Castle North East Tower

 

 

 

Grosmont Castle

 

 

 

Beaumaris Castle

 

 

 

Llantilio Castle

 

 

 

Montgomery Castle

 

 

 

Rhuddlan Castle

 

 

 

Skenfrith Castle

 

 

 

Anglesey Abbey

 

 

 

Bangor Town Clock

 

 

 

Colwyn Bay Centre

 

 

 

The Great Orme

 

 

 

Llandudno Promenade

 

 

 

Great Orme Tramway

 

 

 

Caervarvon Castle

 

 

 

New Radnor

 

 

 

Blaenavon High Street

 

 

 

Blaenavon Ironworks

 

 

 

 

Llandrindod Wells

 

 

 

Cardiff Theosophical Society in Wales

Theosophy House

206 Newport Road

Cardiff, Wales, UK. CF24 – 1DL

theosophycardiff@uwclub.net

 

 

 

 

Carmarthen

 

 

 

Presteigne Railway

 

 

 

Caerwent Roman Ruins

 

 

 

Colwyn Bay Postcard

 

 

 

Ferndale in the Rhondda Valley

 

 

 

Denbigh

 

 

 

National Museum of Wales

 

 

 

Nefyn

 

 

 

Penisarwaen

 

 

 

Cardiff Theosophical Society in Wales

Theosophy House

206 Newport Road

Cardiff, Wales, UK. CF24 – 1DL

theosophycardiff@uwclub.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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