United Lodge of Theosophists

Domain XIV · Western esoteric, divinatory & new spiritual movements · Robert Crosbie · 1907 · Los Angeles

What it is

The ULT is a voluntary association of students of Theosophy founded by Robert Crosbie (1849–1919) in Los Angeles. The ULT's own date for the Declaration is 18 February 1909; the Theosophical Encyclopedia entry gives 1907 for the first gathering of Crosbie and seven others. Crosbie had joined the…

Format

• Student. Joins weekly study classes. London (October to June, reduced in summer): an introductory class on Judge's The Ocean of Theosophy paired chapter by chapter with Crosbie's Answers to Questions on The Ocean of Theosophy, alongside Shantideva's The Way of the Bodhisattva; a more advanced class…
• Session count and duration: classes in London run about 60–75 minutes weekly; Mumbai classes and talks run one hour. Nothing here sets a therapy session count.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Enquirer. Attends free public talks (Sunday talks in London and Mumbai; Mumbai lists "No fees; no collections") or joins online. No registration for in-person attendance in London; online attendees request joining details by email first. No prior knowledge required.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Core idea of change, as the ULT states it. The Declaration names its work as spreading the fundamental principles of Theosophy and exemplifying them in practice, through "a truer realization of the SELF" and a deeper conviction of universal brotherhood. Change is understood as self-directed study…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• the client asking you to settle doctrinal questions or join them.
• the word "cult" being used for any unfamiliar belief; avoid adopting it.
• solitary study without a group may suit a reflective person or deepen isolation.
• the client's control over any contact; confidentiality limits stated in advance.
• balance versus narrowing of life; the client's own judgement of whether it is too much.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.