Український 
English (UK) The purpose of our report is to define the role and place of theosophy, in accordance with its main characteristics provided by HP Blavatsky, as well as to compare these characteristics with one of the modern value concepts, known as "spiral dynamics".
According to HP Blavatsky, theosophy is not a religion, but a divine knowledge or science, the purpose of which is to "reconcile all religions, sects and sciences with a common system of ethics based on eternal truths" [1, p. 24]. Thus, theosophy should "affirm ethics, purify the soul" [1, p. 28].
Founded by HP Blavatsky in 1875, the Theosophical Society (hereinafter - TS) proclaimed that a person of any religion or without a particular religion can be a theosophist, because "a theosophist is one who acts theosophically" [1, p. 24], in other words such a person must be either a philanthropist, or a scientist-researcher of ancient literature, or a researcher of mental phenomena.
The TS activity is based on the principle of the Universal Brotherhood, the main rule of which is "complete rejection of any individualism ... to become a complete altruist, never think about yourself, forget your own vanity and arrogance, caring for the welfare of others" [1, p. 25].
Accordingly, the most important TS goals lead to the alleviation of any human suffering, physical and moral [1, p. 28]. The main TS aims were as follows:
• to form the core of the Universal Human Brotherhood, which will be equal for all, regardless of race, skin color and religion;
• to promote the study of sacred manuscripts of world religions and various scientific fields in order to restore the importance of ancient Asian literary sources, namely those belonging to the philosophical teachings of Brahmanists, Buddhists and Zoroastrians;
• to explore the hidden mysteries of Nature in all aspects, as well as mental and spiritual capabilities of man, inherent only to him [1, p. 41].
The TS formation in 1875 was extremely expedient, because "if ... it was postponed for a few more years, during this time half of civilized nations would become blatant materialists, and the other half - anthropomorphists and phenomenalists" [1, p. 38]. Theosophy debated with both extreme poles of the XIX century: materialism and spiritualism, while the latter was considered as "transcendental materialism" [1, p. 35].
Blavatsky drew a line between "theosophy" as an age-old esoteric tradition and the "theosophical society" formed during her lifetime. This borderline was similar to the distinction between the categories "abstract" and "concrete": "between the abstract ideal and its embodiment there is ... a significant difference" [1, p. 56]. Blavatsky argued that the term "theosophy" dates back to the Neoplatonists of the III century. Ammonius Saccas and his followers developed an eclectic theosophical system, the purpose of which was to "engrave certain great moral truths." Ammonius Saccas left no written works, his ethics were written down and explained by students: Origen, Irenaeus, as well as Plotinus and Longinus. Thus, "Theosophy is as old as the world in its teaching and ethics, it is the broadest and most comprehensive of all" [1, p. 17].
Explaining the difference between theosophy and TS, Blavatsky used the following metaphors: the sun and the comet, which seeks to gain a foothold in orbit and become a planet; a ray of white light and the only rainbow colour, obtained with the help of a prism (colours belonged to different religions, white light - to theosophy). TS is a fairly large group of people, extremely heterogeneous. Therefore, many human imperfections and weaknesses are embodied in the TS structure, and it, society, cannot claim to be called a concrete conductor of abstract theosophy. If we assume Eastern comparisons, then Theosophy is an immense ocean of universal Truth, Love and Wisdom, which illuminates the Earth with its light, while TS is only a visible air bubble on the surface of this ocean [1, p. 56 - 57].
So, theosophy, according to HP Blavatsky, is a definite universal ontology, the only one true for all at all times. In today's postmodern crisis of any ontology, such encroachments can cause nothing but critical accusations of excessive arrogance. However, is that not why we are witnessing a crisis of all being aspects?
Let us now consider one of the modern versions of the evolutionary development of mankind, which is based on the popular concept of "values" (not ethics, but precisely "values" detached from the context of any ontology - these are also signs of postmodern uncertainty). American psychologist Claire Graves (1914 - 1986) considered the founder of the theory of human biopsychosocial systems development levels. Looking for an answer to the question of the modern models of personality correctness, he came to the conclusion that there are several separate biopsychosocial systems, each of which has its own set of values and corresponding behavioral patterns. New systems appear over time, in the process of evolution, displacing the old ones, which also remain, continue to exist and work. Graves called his theory "The Emergent Cyclical Levels of Existence Theory." The value systems spiral development according to Graves follows from the life conditions and ways of thinking in these conditions. The adaptive possibilities of the human psyche are unlimited and correspond to changes in the existence levels.
K. Graves' students Don Beck and Chris Covan added clarity and colour to the value systems spiral, and thus made it popular. D. Beck and K. Covan used the name "v-mem" (value meme) to characterize the value development stages [2]. Valery Pekar, ukrainian spiral dynamics popularizer, called v-memes value paradigms, thus adding a new dimension of meaning to the concept of "paradigm" [3].
Very briefly, the main characteristics of the spiral dynamics value paradigms in the mankind evolution can be described as follows:
1. The first order world, in which each thinking paradigm insists only on its rightness:
• beige value paradigm - the world of survival, instincts;
• purple value paradigm - the world of tribal magical ideas;
• red value paradigm - egocentric, impulsive world of heroes;
• blue value paradigm - hierarchical, normative world of law and discipline;
• orange value paradigm - the mechanistic world of business, science;
• green value paradigm - a pluralistic world of empathy, inclusion, ecology.
2. The second order world takes into account the positive features of all previous thinking paradigms, so it avoids any conflicts. This world is just emerging now. In the world of the second order:
• yellow value paradigm - a kaleidoscope world of flexibility, adaptation, integration;
• turquoise value paradigm - a holistic world as a unitary organism.
The next stages of evolutionary development are only expected if the majority of humanity goes to the second order world stage, overcoming the major first order world conflicts.
Thus, according to the spiral dynamics theory, human values evolve in a spiral, along with economic, political and other factors of historical development. Value paradigms are experienced by society gradually, sequentially, without jumping over or ignoring the previous stages. The previous stages do not disappear, but change quantitatively and qualitatively. However, at each stage of evolutionary development, a certain value paradigm prevails, showing a tendency towards collectivism or individualism (the Eurocentric positions of this concept should be taken into account).
Theosophy, according to the above characteristics provided by HP Blavatsky, "fits" into the "turquoise" holistic stage of the evolutionary mankind existence. According to the spiral dynamics theory, it is a second order world, a world of conflict-free existence, which fully corresponds to the moral altruism of Theosophy and its call for the potential spiritual abilities of a person development.
However, TS was formed in 1875, that is, during the period of materialism and atheism maximum development, and therefore into the "orange" stage of evolution, which, according to the spiral dynamics, still dominates today.
In the spiral dynamics theory, the reasons for the transition from one value stage to another are seen only in the visible, obvious plane: economic, political, etc., but what exactly leads to the evolution of these visible aspects? What changes will cause the emergence of a conflict-free second order world? In other words, what is the invisible core around which the spiral of evolution is twisted?
Let us hypothesize that such a core is the very esoteric knowledge, which is invisible, but actually accompanies humanity throughout its existence, according to the rule of the purpose of history, "the higher entails the lower." If, according to HP Blavatsky, such a universal esoteric knowledge - "old as the world" - is called theosophy, then it is she who constitutes the invisible core of evolution towards the second order world, to the extremely desirable, but still distant "turquoise stage" on which the principle of holistic existence should be realized: "One for all, and all for one."
References:
1. Blavatskaya Ye. P. Klyuch k Teosofii. M., Sfera RTO, 1993. 320 s. (RU)
2. Bek D., Kovan K. Spiral'naya dinamika. Upravlyaya tsennostyami, liderstvom i izmeneniyami v XXI veke. M.: BestBusinessBooks, Otkrytyy mir, 2010. 424 s. (RU)
3. Pekar V. O. Riznobarvniy menedzhment. Kharkiv, FOLIO, 2018. 191 s. (UA)
Anna Surina,
PhD (philosophy),
associate professor of the department of philosophy of education, theory and methods of social science subjects of the Nikolaev regional institute of postgraduate pedagogical education
