STUDYING THE SECRET DOCTRINE
As of January 2019, the National Capital Lodge has begun studying The Secret Doctrine during its Members’ Study 11AM-12PM each Saturday.
It is recommended that all serious Theosophists attempt to work with The Secret Doctrine. However, studying The Secret Doctrine is not easy. According to H.P. Blavatsky, reading it page by page will end in confusion. The first step is to get some grasp of the “Three Fundamental Principles” given in the Proem to The Secret Doctrine. She then recommends following up with the study of the Recapitulation – the numbered items in the Summing Up to Volume I, part I, then the Preliminary Notes and Conclusion in Volume II.
Listed here is a sampling of very helpful material available online for studying The Secret Doctrine.
I) A Beginner’s Guide to Studying the Secret Doctrine:
II) Who wrote the Secret Doctrine?
III) An Invitation to the Secret Doctrine:
IV) Study Course on the Secret Doctrine by Pablo Sender and Juliana Cesano
http://blavatskyarchives.com/senderstcoursesd.htm
V) A very helpful series of lectures with focus on the “Three Fundamental Propositions” [8 parts including practices]:
1) How to study the Secret Doctrine:
2) The Purpose of its Study:
3) The First Fundamental Proposition – Theory:
4) The First Fundamental Proposition – Practice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOL4qc1i6_E
5) The Second Fundamental Proposition- Theory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXoi8UXBoGA
6) The Second Fundamental Proposition – Practice:
7) The Third Fundamental Proposition – Theory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf7TzJ5IPOM
8) The Third Fundamental Proposition – Practice:
VI) Foundations of Esoteric Philosophy from the writings of H.P. Blavatsky:
http://www.blavatskytrust.org.uk/html/booklets/ihoskins_foep1.htm#FIVE_PROVEN_FACTS
VII)) An Invitation to the Secret Doctrine (Pasadena):
https://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/invit-sd/invsd-hp.htm
VIII) A copy of the Proem, from the Boris de Zirkoff edition of The Secret Doctrine:
https://wheaton.theosophical.site/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Proem.pdf
IX) A copy of Summing Up, from the Boris de Zirkoff edition of The Secret Doctrine:
https://wheaton.theosophical.site/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Summing-Up.pdf
X) The Secret Doctrine online:
https://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/sd/sd-hp.htm
XI) Max Heindel, the founder of the Rosicrucian Fellowship, wrote a book called “Blavatksy and the Secret Doctrine” and chapters IV and V are informative:
http://rosicrucianzine.tripod.com/blavatsky4.htm
http://rosicrucianzine.tripod.com/blavatsky5.htm
XII) The “Secret Doctrine” and its Study:
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/metaphys/th-bowen.htm
XIII) Manly Hall gave a talk about the Secret Doctrine and the recording can be found on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBDK6Wv2aS0 or