Theosophy Cardiff, Wales, UK:- The Way to Adeptship by Annie Besant

CARDIFF THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN WALES, UK

THEOSOPHY

CARDIFF

THE WAY TO ADEPTSHIP

BY ANNIE BESANT

From the writings of Annie Besant, a pioneer of the Theosophical Movement

and President of the Adyar based Theosophical Society from 1907 to 1933

Cardiff Theosophical Society

206 Newport Road,

Cardiff, Wales, UK, CF24 – 1DL

theosophycardiff@uwclub.net

Annie Besant 1847 - 1933

The Way to Adeptship

Annie Besant

From “The Masters” by Annie Besant

Therefore I said that I would tell you how the Mahatma becomes. For only those who are willing to aim at that goal can obtain the absolute demonstration of the existence of those who have achieved. That is the price that has to be paid. And without this only probability? Yes, reasonable probability; testimony of others which you would accept on any other matter, on which, in a law-court, you would pass vast sums of money, large estates, or anything else; that you can have by simply looking into the available evidence of which I have been sketching merely the outline.

But personal demonstration? For that you must begin yourselves to develop in the way in which their development has been made; and in order that anyone who desires may begin to follow that line and follow it to its natural ending, there have been published to the world the preliminary steps upon the Path, the steps that are taken by those who attain the knowledge, the steps that anyone may begin to take, and by which he in his turn may acquire a certainty similar to that which some of us possess.

Two little books, especially, have been published, which trace the beginnings of the Path, one called Light on the Path, the other, the one to which I alluded before, The Voice of the Silence; and in addition to these there are many hints scattered through Theosophical literature.

How then should ordinary men and women begin? If they desire to get evidence for themselves as to the possibility of this development, which in the end will make the Perfect Man – the man become Divine – the first, the early steps, are those which every religion has taught – carefulness and unselfishness in life,

discharge of duty in whatever place in life man or woman may happen to be. To use the phrase which is used in this book:* [* The Voice of the Silence.] “Follow the wheel of life; follow the wheel of duty to race and kin”; that is a preliminary.

For those who would gain knowledge of the Soul must begin in this way, which has ever been taught by the leaving off of evil ways, and by the following of good; by purity in life, by service to men, by the unselfish effort, continually repeated, to be useful in whatever place one may be in by the law of nature. The endeavor to discharge to the fullest every obligation, the endeavour to live a life which shall leave the world better than it was found, the endeavour to live nobly, unselfishly, and purely – these are