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Theosophy

Theosophy
Christine Pelfrey

Theosophy is synonymous with theology. It is the study of the natural world through a religious lens. A theosophist studies the natural world already accepting that God or angels are at work there. The term has been used as both an insult and a compliment, depending upon a writer’s view of religion. (Coperhaver, Magic in an Age of Science, 2015)

Theosophists included Robert Fludd, Thomas Vaughn, Bruno, Henry More, and Paraclesus. (Coperhaver, Magic in an Age of Science, 2015)

Paraclesus put magic at the center of his scientific approach and believed that God had given man dominion over nature. (Coperhaver, Magic in an Age of Science, 2015)

Robert Fludd describes the Wisdom of God as making known the mysteries of the universe. God’s willing and not-willing are forces to be considered and are evidenced in light, heat, darkness and cold.  (Fludd, 2015)

Johann Kepler used the term negatively to describe Robert Fludd stating that, as a theosophist, Fludd was missing the point of the new science by “looking for scientific truths in religious revelation”, judging nature by spiritual experiences, and by using poetic and expressive language when only scientific language would be appropriate. (Coperhaver, Ancient Wisdom Modernized: The Later Renaissance , 2015) By contrast, Kepler referred to himself as a cosmosophist who was learning, measuring, observing and explaining the natural world using scientific language and methods. (Coperhaver, Ancient Wisdom Modernized: The Later Renaissance , 2015)

Bruno carried his theosophy into monism and vitalism. “’Matter is something divine,’ he insists, ‘just as form is … something divine.’ Even God is matter, and God’s love is the divine force in all things that binds them together with an organic magic.” (Coperhaver, Ancient Wisdom Modernized: The Later Renaissance , 2015)

Henry More’s reputation was damaged by his theosophical writings on the secret wisdom of Kabbalah. Despite criticizing Vaughn for considering himself a messenger of God and insisting that one cannot gather philosophy from scripture, More studied Hebrew wisdom literature convinced that there were some natural truths hidden within the Kabbalistic texts. (Coperhaver, Magic in an Age of Science, 2015)

Thomas Vaughan considered scripture as a source for data to be used for science and alchemy. He describes his theosophy as ‘theomagical’. (Vaughn, 2015)


Key Words/Terms: Cosmosophist, Volunty/Nolunty, Kabbalist, Macrocosm/Microcosm, Harmony/Dissonance, Sympathy/Antipathy


Bibliography

Boyle, R. (2015). Intercourse with Good Spirits: Boyle, Dialogue on the Converse with Angels. In B. Coperhaver, The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment (pp. 567-569). Penguin Classics.
Coperhaver, B. (2015). Ancient Wisdom Modernized: The Later Renaissance . In B. Coperhaver, The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment (pp. 391-397). Penguin Classics.
Coperhaver, B. (2015). Magic in an Age of Science. In B. Coperhaver, The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment (pp. 509-511). Penguin Classics.
Fludd, R. (2015). A Little World in Action: Fludd, Mosaicall Philosophy . In B. Coperhaver, The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment (pp. 535-541). Penguin Classics.
Hopkins. (2015). Proof Positive: Hopkins, Discovery of Witches. In B. Coperhaver, The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment (pp. 543-547). Penguin Classics.
Scot. (2015). Abominable and Devilish Inventions: Scot, Discoverie, 1.7-9. In B. Coperhaver, The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment (pp. 442-443). Penguin Classics.
Unknown. (2015). The Witch of Endor 1 Sam: 28. In B. Coperhaver, The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment (pp. 23-26). Penguin Classics .
Vaughn, T. (2015). The Ancient Real Theosophy: Vaughn, Anthrophoshia theomagica. In B. Coperhaver, The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment (pp. 548-549). Penguin Classics.


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