What is the essence of theosophy? It is the fact that man, being himself divine, can know the divinity whose life he shares. As an inevitable corollary to this supreme truth comes the fact of the brotherhood of man.
Annie BesantRead
Death consists, indeed, in a repeated process of unrobing, or unsheathing. The immortal part of man shakes off from itself, one after the other, its outer casings, and - as the snake from its skin, the butterfly from its chrysalis - emerges from one after another, passing into a higher state of consciousness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Death is a transformative process where the soul sheds its physical form to reach higher consciousness.
Annie Besant's quote suggests that death is not an end but a transition, where the essence of a person discards its physical layers, similar to how a snake sheds its skin or a butterfly emerges from its chrysalis. This metaphor illustrates the belief in the immortality of the soul and the idea that each life prepares us for a greater awareness and existence beyond the physical realm.
Themes
DeathTransformationConsciousnessImmortalitySoul
In practice
Example use cases
During a memorial service, to emphasize the cycle of life and the soul's journey.
More from Annie Besant
All quotes →No durable things are built on violent passion. Nature grows her plants in silence and in darkness, and only when they have become strong do they put their heads above the ground.
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Let Indian history be set side by side with Europe history with what there is of the latter century by century and let us see whether India need blush at the comparison.
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My own life in India, since I came to it in 1893 to make it my home, has been devoted to one purpose, to give back to India her ancient freedom.
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Knowledge is essential to conquest; only according to our ignorance are we helpless. Thought creates character. Character can dominate conditions. Will creates circumstances and environment.
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Matter is, in its constituent elements, the same as spirit; existence is one, however manifold in its phenomena; life is one, however multiform in its evolution.
Annie BesantRead
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