1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?
My name is Bruno Carlucci, and I’m from Brasilia, Brazil. I currently live between São Paulo and Brasília. I’ve been officially a member of the TS only since 2016. But I see myself as more of a collaborator than a member in the sense of being attached to the institution. I’ve been studying Theosophy since 2005 and have also been a member of other small groups focused on the study and practices of Mahayana Buddhism and early Christian Gnosticism yet taking into account the contributions of the Theosophical literature to the study of these traditions.
2. Are you active in your Lodge/Section and if so, what do you do?
I am currently an active member of the Brasilia Lodge of the Theosophical Society where we aim to focus on the original literature, i.e., Blavatsky’s writings and the Mahatma Letters. From time to time, I share some of what I learned studying Buddhism and Gnosticism by presenting lectures on these and other related themes at my Lodge. I’m also one of the founding members of Jnana Group, where we try to promote a deeper research of Buddhism and Hermetic Philosophy among Theosophists.
3. How did you first learn about Theosophy or come in contact with the Society?
When I was a teenager I felt strongly attracted to subjects such as mythology, ancient civilizations and their religions, magic, occultism, and so on. When I first stumbled across a text by Blavatsky on the internet back in the early 2000s, I found her a very interesting character even though I could barely understand what Theosophy was about. Over the years I had the opportunity to meet some really deep students of Theosophy, one of whom became my best friend at university back in 2004. She introduced me to this whole new world where I could see the connection of all those themes I had been interested in since my early teens in a new light. I started reading texts on ancient Gnosticism and Gnostic gospels and that alternative view of Christianity definitely rocked my world. I started really reading Blavatsky’s works and it opened the doors for me to want to learn more on eastern spirituality, and a couple years later Buddhism would start to resonate deeply into my heart.
4. What does Theosophy mean to you?
In my view, Theosophy is not a doctrine in itself, nor a religion. It is a method of investigation to try to discover the core teachings of each of the traditions that were truly founded by Mahatmas. It is method to unveil the Wisdom Religion.
5. What is your favorite Theosophical book and why?
The Voice of the Silence by H.P.Blavatsky. It contains the very essence of the finest and deepest form of Buddhism and of what true Occultism is all about – compassion, purification, self-sacrifice, renunciation, and wisdom.
6. What in your opinion is the biggest challenge the TS is facing at the moment?
Not to lose the focus on the fundamental teachings and lineages connected to the Wisdom Religion, on the ethics and philosophical tenets expressed by The Voice of The Silence, Light on the Path by Mabel Collins, Practical Occultism, Isis Unveiled, and The Secret Doctrine all by H.P.Blavatsky.
7. Is there anything you would wish for the future of the Theosophical Movement?
I wish the Theosophical Movement could be reminded of one of its central purposes (if not the most important one): to be in service of The Universal Brotherhood, in the sense of working to study and to promote the central lineages and teachings of the traditions that are a manifestation of the Wisdom. Religion, such as Mahayana Buddhism; Hermeticism; early Christian Gnosticism, and its later ramifications, such as Gnostic Sufism; the Neoplatonist school where the name Theosophy comes from (certainly not a random choice); Kabbalah; Vedanta Advaita and the Vedic tradition as a whole as well as other schools of Indian philosophy; Taoism, and all those traditions and schools where we can still search for glimpses of the Truth and that I may have forgotten to mention. I don’t view Theosophy as a superficial universalism or just another form of ecumenism, but as a key to better understand where the echoes of the ancient Wisdom Religion can be found. In other words, I wish theosophists would consider their responsibility as students, and their potential as helpers of the Holders of the Mystery Traditions that comprise the path that can lead to the liberation of suffering.
From the editor:
Opinions and ideas expressed in the mini-interviews are exclusively of those who are being interviewed. They don’t necessarily represent the ideas and opinions of the compilers of Theosophy Forward. The responses of the interviewees are not edited for content. Some contributors give short answers to the questions while others touch upon the subject more elaborately.