Annie Besant

Annie Besant (born Wood the October 10th 1847 with London, deceased the September 20th 1933 with Chennai) is a theosophist, feminist and British writer.

Biography

Annie Besant was born in London in an Irish family from the middle-class. His/her father died whereas it was five years old, leaving his family without resources. His/her mother then created a pension in the town of Harrow, where celebrates it is public school same name. However, it did not gain enough money to provide for the needs for all the family. She thus entrusted Annie to a friend: Ellen Marryat which made so that Annie has a good education. Thus, to adolescence, she travelled to Europe where she discovered the catholic ceremonies which will always fascinate it.

In 1867, she marries Franck Besant, a minister of religion Anglican. She has with him two children: Digby and Mabel. She separates some however in 1873, while keeping her name. The main issue in the marriage was financial independence and the community activity of Annie. She engages very early in the writing. She writes news, books for children and of the articles. But, as a married woman, it cannot have its incomes. Her husband seized some. The policy divides them still more. She supports the workmen in fight, whereas it is preserving. The rupture took place when she refused to receive the communion. It leaves it and leaves to London with her daughter. Wondering about its loss of faith, she consults many ecclesiastics of the church Anglican. The principal answer that it is made him is that it read too many books. The divorce not being thinkable for a minister of religion, an official separation is decided. Franck Besant obtains the guard of the children but grants, at least initially, a pension with his wife of which it is separate. Annie will thus remain all her life Annie Besant. In 1888, it takes part in the drafting of the Fabian Essays in Socialism It writes with Charles Bradlaugh books on the Orthogénie ( The Law off Population ) and the Athéisme. In 1889, after having read the Secret Doctrines of Helena Blavatsky it becomes member of the theosophic Société. In 1893, it comes to India to develop the theosophic Company and establishes its center with Adyar, with Chennai. It is very influenced by the Indian culture. It becomes president of the theosophic Société in 1907, succeeding the colonel Henry Steel Olcott.

Its contribution to the fight for the independence of India is also remarkable. It founds the Home Rule League with the support and the co-operation of Lokmanya Tilak. In 1915, she is elected president of the Congress with Kolkata. She takes an active part in the movement of not-co-operation ( Not-Co-operation Movement ) and boycotts the Simon Commission . She also establishes the Central Hindu School . Its political and social ideas were diffused through the newspapers New India and the Commonwealth . Annie Besant was one of the initiated first of the Ordre Maçonnique Mixte the Human right of which it founded the British federation and which it spread through the British empire. Directing the federation of this kind maconnic towards a theosophic thought, while at the same time the French founders were rather rationalist, it was excluded of this kind maconnic. It does not remain about it less than the influence of Annie Besant and of the theosophy on mixed masonry in Great Britain and more largely in the Anglo-Saxon world remains prégnante. Annie Besant was interested much in various the Religions and the various personalities during the history, and in particular of the Islam and Mohamed .

Thus, Annie Besant said: “It is impossible that an individual who studies the personality of large the Prophète of the Arab , how it lived and educated people, does not feel a deep regard and a large respect for this honourable Prophète, one of the large Messengers of Allah”.

The Lieutenant-colonel Arthur E. Powell made a condensed synthesis of the work of Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater in a series of 4 books:

the Double Ethérique
the Astral Body
the Mental Body
the Causal Body

Works

The Political Status off Women (1874)
Marriage, Ace It Was, Ace It Is, And Ace It Should Be: In Plea For Reform (1878)
The Law Of Population (1877)
Autobiographical Sketches (1885)
Why I became has Theosophist (1889)
An Autobiography (1893)
The Ancient Wisdom (1898)
Bhagavad Gita (translation) (1905)
Introduction to Yoga (1908)
Occult Chemistry (with Charles Webster Leadbeater) (1919)
The Doctrine off the Heart (1920)
Esoteric Christianity

Sources

101 Great Indian Eminent Personalities , Tiny Early Publications, Delhi.

External bonds

On-line Theosophical.ca Documents Works of Annie Besant

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