Geoffrey Hodson

Geoffrey Hodson (March 12, 1886, in Lincolnshire, England - January 23, 1983 in Auckland, New Zealand) was a Theosophist, occultist, mystic, philosopher and esotericist, and a leader of the Theosophical Society (Adyar) for over 70 years. He was also a freemason and a priest in the Liberal Catholic Church.

Hodson traveled the world extensively lecturing for The Theosophical Society. He was the author of over fifty books on Theosophy, Spiritualism, psychic and spiritual development, mysticism, fairies, angels, meditation, health and disease. He also wrote over two hundred articles and held radio talks. See also Hodson writings.

Geoffrey Hodson in Auckland, New Zealand, 1953.

Introduction

Geoffrey Hodson was a spiritual light-bringer to humanity who passed through the world during our time. His full significance was overlooked by many because he refused to allow himself to be the focus of a personality cult. He thus effectively avoided in his own life the ‘guru adoration syndrome’, which has caused some erroneous ideas and self-promoting behaviours to proliferate during the course of the last half century and from many who had only a fraction of Mr. Hodson's insights and abilities. Instead, he presented a profound humility, putting himself at the service of others. His inner yogic practices and service to the world rapidly brought him under the direct inspiration and guidance of Adept and Archangelic teachers of the human race. It is these high teachers who should rightfully be regarded as the authentic basis of the “guru” archetype.

Because Mr. Hodson was multi-faceted in his abilities he was difficult to characterize precisely. He was without doubt an illumined occultist (this misused and misunderstood word properly refers to someone who studies the “occult” or hidden side of nature); he was also a gnostic seer (gnostic meaning someone who knows in a spiritual sense), but could additionally be described as a mystic, a yogi, a healer, a philosopher and a humanitarian, as well as being an inspiring speaker and a friend and teacher to many. He had also been active as a priest in The Liberal Catholic Church (an independent apostolic church which came under theosophical influence) and had reached the 32nd degree in Co-freemasonry – a Masonic order that admits women co-equally with men. For his own part he modestly referred to himself as a “student of Theosophy” (Gk. Theos - God, Sophia – Wisdom) which, in its purest form, he saw as an important means whereby human-kind can save itself from itself. He devoted most of his life to exploring and teaching this perennial philosophy and used his other abilities, particularly his expanded psychic and spiritual powers, to support that ideal. Unlike most of his contemporaries who only had partial, theoretical, or incomplete experience of theosophical realities, he had actually realized these great perennial truths1 and had applied them effectively in his own life. Yet, he carried that insight with the humility and reserve that befits a genuine teacher - refusing to flaunt his own personality - whilst quietly and systematically spreading the truth as he saw it and ever responding to requests to teach, help, and heal others.

Early years

Geoffrey Hodson was born on March 12, 1886, one of five children, on a large estate in the fen district of England. His grandparents also lived on the estate. Raised in the Christian faith, his childhood memories were of “peace, beauty, and happiness --- all in all, a fine place to begin an incarnation.” He loved that faith, his family, and the land. He seems to have been clairvoyant from the start; one of his earliest memories is of an “inner thread of knowledge” regarding the existence of the Masters of the Wisdom. As a boy, he had various metaphysical experiences that he attributed to the presence and intercession of these individuals. As an adult studying Theosophy, he discovered the teachings from and about these Adepts.

When he was seven or eight years old and attending boarding school, he was riding a bicycle -- one of his favorite pastimes -- and was thrown off while going down a very steep hill. He lost consciousness, and the next thing he knew he woke up back at the school, with one side of his face "severely gravel-scarred." He had no memory of how he got there, and no one else claimed to have found him and brought him there. In later life, based on his studies and various other experiences, he came to believe that “an invisible protector” had rescued him.

A devout Christian, at the age of 24 he met a man he liked and respected who was an atheist, and who pointed out to him the impossibility of taking the Bible literally. This affected him profoundly. A coworker who was a Quaker noticed his anguish and gave him a copy of Annie Besant’s Esoteric Christianity. The book restored his faith in Christianity and evoked an interest in studying “allegories, mythologies, and symbols, and …an awareness of the fact that they reveal not so much historical events as profound and everlasting truths.” (See Mr. Hodson’s many books on Christianity for evidence of this understanding.)

Military service

Hodson was deeply troubled by the start of World War I. Given his wish to live a compassionate life, he resisted the thought of being a soldier, although he felt that a defensive war was a just one. A vision of “a very great Master, robed and shining with white light” and holding “an upward-turned shining sword,” dispelled his doubts. He joined the Cavalry Regiment and later became an officer in the Royal Tank Corps.

His clairvoyant and metaphysical experiences continued during his active duty, no doubt aided by his continuing meditative practice. A “super-physical visit” from his brother, who was in France with the Canadian Army, surprised him greatly and let him know that his brother had been mortally wounded. He soon heard from their mother that his brother had died in the Battle of Lens. At one point, trying to pray while in front of a stained-glass window in a church, he sensed the “absolute assurance” that he would survive the war and return home safely. At least twice after that, he was in imminent danger of being killed but escaped unharmed. In one case, he was walking backward in front of a tank, guiding it into position during the night. Suddenly realizing he had backed into “a great row of barbed wire,” he thought surely he was about to be crushed. The tank operator, however, for some reason he could not explain, felt obliged to stop. Another time he was hurrying alone through a village that was under fire to deliver important information via radio. As a huge shell came hurtling toward him, he felt "pressure as of a hand" between his shoulders, which pushed him to the ground. The shell missed him by a few yards; he lost his helmet and suffered a mild concussion, but lost no duty time. As an officer, his efforts in the war earned him a recommendation for the Military Cross.

Geoffrey and Sandra Hodson at Olcott, June, 1967.

Activities in the Theosophical Society

In 1912, Mr. Hodson went to hear Annie Besant (then the President of the Theosophical Society) speak in Manchester, England, which he came to see as a decisive event in his life. He was “enthralled by the philosophy she expounded” as well as by what he “later came to know was her aura, shining out from her far beyond the walls of the building .... So great was the impact of this experience that I immediately joined the Theosophical Society.” Some time later, the book Man, Visible and Invisible, by Mrs. Besant and C.W. Leadbeater, came to his attention. On the frontispiece “was depicted the aura precisely as I had seen it during Dr. Besant’s lecture.” He was very active in the Manchester Lodge, often traveling to nearby small towns to lecture. He became a well known speaker and teacher, continuing these activities until about 8 months before he died.

Hodson served as the Director of Studies of the School of the Wisdom at the International Headquarters of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, India, for four sessions, in 1953-54, then in 1954-1955 and again in 1961.

Hodson was a guest lecturer at the Krotona School of Theosophy in Ojai, California.

He gave his last lecture, on 4 May 1982 at HPB Lodge in Auckland, aged 96, and eight months later he died in Auckland, on January 23, 1983.

Clairvoyance

There were a number of seeming coincidences in Mr. Hodson's life which Carl Jung might have called synchronicities. After the War, he found a job with the Manchester branch of a large London firm, but his heart was never in the business world. He was thrilled to be invited to be a city director for the YMCA in England. He found this work absorbing, and he also began to have “very definite and peculiar occult experiences, quite unsought” in which the deva kingdom began to reveal itself to him. Fortunately his wife, Jane, began to record all of these experiences, records which made many of his books possible.

Mr. Hodson’s myriad encounters with the higher planes of being (states of consciousness) allowed him to look into what might be called the “hidden side of life.” He met spiritual Adepts quite early in his life. In 1958 (at age 72), he wrote that “We should not assume that the absence of memory of higher states of consciousness and of visions of the Great Ones means that they do not occur while the body sleeps. They do occur.”

In his “Occult Diary,” he describes clear memories of meeting with the two Masters of Wisdom, Kuthumi and Morya, who assisted in the founding of the Theosophical Society. These were out-of-body experiences that would have taken place on the astral plane; hence he notes “I ‘dreamed’ again of Master Morya ….” However, his “Outstanding impressions are of complete normality, total absence of strain or even heightened consciousness … The experience is totally real and very happiness-giving. … The atmosphere was unusually still, utterly calm. … The Master’s Presence is vividly before my mind with a deep sense of privilege and happiness ….”

Like other clairvoyant theosophists, he was also aware of the deva kingdom of nature spirits --- those of trees, springs, parks, lakes, groves, and other entities. (What humanity considers angels are also part of the deva kingdom). One the Masters advised him that “the subject of the natural interrelationships between angels and men could be further investigated. … you could show that, detached and even abstract though they seem to be, the angels of Nature in all her various kingdoms --- mineral, from subsoil to mountain ranges, and vegetation from small plants to gigantic trees and forests --- are all intimately related. … Make clear that the actual spiritual Essence is the same in both angels and men, despite their seeming difference caused by the invisibility of the former.” (See below for further discussion of angels and their relationship to humanity.)

Other interests

Liberal Catholic Church

The Liberal Catholic Church, founded in the 1910s as an “independent and self-governing body,” believes that “the vitality of a church gains ... as its members cease to think only of a Christ who lived two thousand years ago and strive rather to serve as a vehicle for the eternal Christ who ever lives as a mighty spiritual presence in the world.” It combines traditional rituals, “deep mysticism and … abiding witness” with full intellectual freedom and respect for individual ethics. While the LCC and the Theosophical Society have always been independent organizations, the LCC is largely a product of theosophical members and their beliefs. Like Theosophy, the LCC strives to be non-dogmatic and open to all.

As noted above, as a young man Mr. Hodson was disillusioned by church dogma and then discovered that the esoteric side of Christianity (specifically, Annie Besant’s book on the topic) restored his belief. He remained a devout Christian and wrote several books about the hidden side of the faith. Probably his best-known work on this topic is Hidden Wisdom in the Holy Bible, originally a four-volume work (first editions published in 1963, 1967, 1971, and 1980). In a shorter, more general work by Mr. Hodson, F.W. Pigott notes in the Foreword that in the tradition of the orthodox Catholic church: 1) the Holy Spirit is seen as the way in which “the Lord gives Himself to His people”; and 2) for more than 2,000 years Christians have experienced the “felt presence” of the Lord during sacred rituals. Regarding the latter, he remarks that this feeling “has nothing to do with … any of the five senses … but is a fact to those who know the experience.”

Mr. Pigott refers to these two themes as “tradition and experience,” and goes on to say that there is a third basis for religious teachings, one which has been largely recognized as legitimate only by members of the LCC. The third basis is “the revelation which is the result of clairvoyant investigation and research.” While few people are capable of such perception, those who are capable of it agree that the life of the sacraments “does indeed proceed from the Lord Himself” and is aided by a cooperative host of angelic beings. He felt that any one of these grounds for belief, by itself, is inadequate, but that the three of them, “supplementing and strengthening each other, [provide] a very substantial basis” that is difficult to refute. These sentiments are echoed in Mr. Hodson’s voluminous writings.

As in the orthodox Church, the LCC practices a great many rituals. The LCC emphasizes that it is vital for participants to remain fully conscious of the intent behind the rites and not to let their practice become a mere recitation. It is supposed that the thought forms created by these ceremonies benefit not only the practitioners, but also the community, spreading an atmosphere of reverence and peace. It is very important that participants come to the gathering with the intent to serve rather than with an egotistical frame of mind.

Mr. Hodson was ordained as a priest in the LCC by Bishop James I. Wedgwood, one of the LCC’s co-founders.

Co-Masonry

The roots of modern Freemasonry lie in the customs of medieval stonemasons, those builders of cathedrals and castles, many of which are still standing. In medieval times, masons traveled to wherever the work was. In modern times they would be licensed or certified; in the medieval world their guilds created handshakes, phrases, and other signs that identified them as qualified builders. This was operative masonry, an occupation that could be dangerous; it was not unusual for masons to be injured or killed while working. The guilds evolved into Lodges whose purpose was to aid injured or sick guild members and to take care of their widows and orphans. Speculative masonry, or Freemasonry, evolved because men who wished to improve their own moral character found inspiration in the practices of the operative guilds. As one website notes, “the lessons and tools used by stonemasons to create the awe-inspiring structures of history continue to inspire decency, humility, and brotherly love in the Freemasons of today.”

While Freemasonry is not a religion, it has overtones of religious practice. It is, however, more interested in humanity’s relationships with our fellow humans rather than a relationship with God, or whatever deity a Mason might identify. Masonic meetings do not discuss religion and do not require any particular religious belief. Masons do believe that there is a force in the universe that is much larger and far more intelligent and powerful than any human, but each member is free to view this force in his own way. It is often referred to as the “Great Architect of the Universe” or G.A.O.T.U. Prayers are intentionally nondenominational, and members respect each other’s beliefs.

Operative masons, of course, were all men, and Freemasonry was and is also open only to men. A sister organization, the Order of the Eastern Star, was founded in the late 1800s by a Freemason, Dr. Rob Morris, and his wife. The OES has always been open to Freemasons; originally a woman had to be related to a Master Mason (either past or present) in order to join. In modern times unaffiliated women who are 18 or older may join if they are sponsored by both a Sister and a Brother.

Co-Masonry is Freemasonry that is open to both men and women. This organization was founded in France in 1882. In 1896 the theosophist Francesca Arundale joined the organization, and in 1902 the international president Annie Besant formed the first London Lodge. Mrs. Besant was an enthusiastic proponent of Co-Masonry, and many theosophists joined the order, which now exists in more than 60 countries. Like Freemasonry and Theosophy, its purpose is to promote unity, tolerance, charity, and the individual’s search for truth.

"The Eastern Order of International Co-Freemasonry is directly descended from the Masonic Lodges founded as a result of Annie Besant’s pioneering work for Co-Masonry. It has fraternal relations with other independent Orders also derived from Annie Besant’s work, such as the Grand Lodge of Freemasonry for Men and Women in Great Britain. The term “Eastern” in its name … refers not to geography but to the symbolic East, the place of the rising Light. It became an independent Co-Masonic Order dedicated to preserving the traditional ideals of Masonry restored by Annie Besant and to carrying on the work of Masonry as a spiritual discipline or form of Yoga: the Way of the Craftsman."

Mr. Hodson was a 32nd degree Co-Mason. He notes in at least two of his books that Freemasonry, including Co-Masonry, is a surviving instance of the ancient Mysteries. He also notes that “purpose and sincerity” during rituals and ceremonies are paramount. In order to attain spiritual results, Freemasons need “both sincere dedication and knowledge acquired by meditation and study. … Admittedly, the reality of the inner significance is difficult to attain,” especially when one first encounters Freemasonry. In addition, egotistical views of ourselves must be released, to be replaced by selflessness and humility.

While these values seem to be rarer than ever in the 21st century, Freemasonry, like Theosophy, is still attracting people of all gender identities who are interested in the ageless wisdom and in becoming more benevolent and helpful human beings. There is a growing recognition of our unity in diversity and our interconnectedness not only with our fellow humans, but with all forms of life. This is the heart of the ancient Mysteries.

Brotherhood of Angels and Men

The heading above is the title of a small book published in 1927. As noted, Mr. Hodson was very aware of the deva kingdom. He summarized his views on this in the August 1927 issue of the international journal The Theosophist.

The deva kingdom, which encompasses beings or forms of consciousness from minerals to archangels, is considered a parallel evolution to the human kingdom. The nature spirits inhabiting stones, bodies of water, trees and other plants, as well as fire and air and other entities, are “a great evolutionary life-wave which is occupying this planet side by side with ourselves. It is a sister stream of evolution which is flowing parallel with our own, and its members are our neighbours, invisible, yet none the less neighbours on this earth.” An angel, then, is “merely an advanced spirit of the elements.” Mr. Hodson notes that in long bygone days humans were aware of these beings; hence the many, many stories of our interactions with them. As humanity began developing the intellect, there “descended a veil of materialism,” and we lost touch with them.

One day in the summer of 1926, when Mr. Hodson had retired to the English countryside in order to finish a book, “I found myself—at least I think I did—in the presence of a being, an intelligence, far greater than any I had hitherto contacted. It appeared to me to be an angel, of great wisdom and knowledge, who possessed a very practical mind.” This being

began at once to dictate to me, or rather, shall I say, to flood my consciousness with powerful ideas which I translated into language as well as I could; behind them all was the concept of what he called, giving the title himself, “The Brotherhood of Angels and of Men.”

There followed an extraordinary description of the many families of angels --- for example, those of home and hearth; those who are present in sincere spiritual and religious services; those who would cooperate with us in healing all forms of human illness. (Theosophists who call on the latter group during healing meditation circles have seen astonishing results at times.) Closing these explanations by citing the angels of music, art, and beauty, this Great Being went on to note that

The first essential on [humanity’s] side is a belief in our existence …. So long as the presence of our invisible hosts is ignored by science there will be gaps in their knowledge, gaps which can only be filled by a comprehension of our place in the scheme of things. That knowledge is not likely to be obtained by the use of physical instruments; and, therefore, the second essential is an increase in the number of human beings able to contact us.

Those of us who have a true love of and appreciation for Nature apparently are the likeliest candidates for this ability. Needless to say, those who are unaware of realms beyond the physical, and who therefore believe such realms cannot exist, will never understand the possibilities outlined by this astonishing Presence.

Mr. Hodson concludes this article by first observing how very difficult it is to explain the angel’s method of communication. He states that this experience was “not received by me in trance or any state of physical unconsciousness. On the contrary, there was an intensification of consciousness, an elevation of the mind, which in contact with the great angel was flooded with a powerful series of ideas. My task was to find suitable language in which to express them.” Finally, he discusses the ways in which “anyone can begin, here and now, to co-operate with the angels.”

In 1927 the first edition of his book on this subject was published by both branches of the Theosophical Publishing House (in India and in the U.S.) It has been reprinted several times, most recently in 1973.

Vegetarianism and treatment of animals

Mr. Hodson wrote several articles on health and spirituality. The pamphlet Health & the Spiritual Life, first published in 1926, opens with this statement: “The root cause of every individual case of disease lies in a resistance to the right of the ego [the Inner Ruler Immortal which is the real man] to rule his personality [the temporary manifestation of the ego in terms of thought, feeling and action] and a refusal to listen to the voice of conscience.” For most of us, this is a startling thought indeed; for others, the concept is not new, although we may view it in more psychological terms of the unconscious vs. our conscious selves. In either case, it places responsibility for our health squarely on our own shoulders, a view that many people object to. There is good reason for such objection; no one makes a conscious decision to be ill. But the point is that there is more to illness than its physical manifestation; in this view, there is always an underlying or accompanying spiritual or psychological imbalance. In another pamphlet, Mr. Hodson notes that our psychological health has a huge influence on our physical well-being.

There is also, in Mr. Hodson’s view, a karmic component, and vegetarianism is high on the list of karmic practices that contribute to good health. As early as 1926 he noted the environmental impact of raising animals for food; his arguments are the same as those cited in the 21st century. “One acre of grain-producing land can support from seven to ten times as many persons as an acre given over of meat production … The direct consumption of plant foods [would allow humanity] to produce a superabundance from far less acreage … and with far less man-hours and man-energy.”

Even more to the karmic point, “The cruelty inseparable from the meat trade degrades mankind, especially the men employed to inflict it.” The act of causing another being to suffer is as detrimental to us as it is to the victim. The idea is that harming other beings damages us at the soul level; it erodes our ability to be compassionate and leaves a scar that may toughen us, at the cost of lessening our humanity. Ahimsa, the concept of “do no harm to any living being,” is emphasized in many religions, especially Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

There is also the fact that physiologically, the human digestive system appears to be more suited to a vegetarian diet than a carnivorous one: our teeth and the length of our intestines, in particular, distinguish us from meat-eating animals. Mr. Hodson emphasizes this point as well. While humans have evolved into omnivores (once we discovered fire, eating meat was far less problematic), in the 21st century we all know that eating a plant-based diet drastically lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Mr. Hodson was the founding president of the New Zealand Vegetarian Society and, at the time the Radiant Health booklet was published, also the president of the Council of Combined Animal Welfare Organisations of New Zealand.

Geoffrey Hodson at age 96.

Later years

Mr. Hodson gave his last lecture on May 4, 1982 at H.P.B. Lodge in Auckland. He passed away at his home on January 23, 1983 at the age of 96. A funeral service was conducted three days later by Bishop Stuart Nicholls at the Liberal Catholic Church in Grafton.

Writings

See Hodson writings.

Additional resources

Articles

• Hodson, Geoffrey in Theosophy World.
• Hodson, Clairvoyant Research of in Theosophy World.

Biographies

John Kirk Robertson wrote a biography in 1971 of Geoffrey Hodson entitled Aquarian Occultist. It was never formally published, but copies of the typescript are cataloged in the national Libraries of Australia and New Zealand, and in the Rare Books collection of the Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library in Wheaton, Illinois. Sandra Hodson wrote to a prospective publisher that her husband did not want the biography published.

Autobiographical writings of Geoffrey Hodson were compiled by Sandra Hodson.

• Light of the Sanctuary. Manila, Philippines: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988. ISBN-971-9113-0-0. Available at Minhtrietmoi.org website. Extracts are available at Theosophy World.

Other biographical sketches:

• Hodson, Geoffrey in Theosophy World.
• Geoffrey Hodson in Wikipedia.
• The Geoffrey Hodson Story in Theosophy World.

Audio

Audio recordings available at Theosophy World website:

• Geoffrey Hodson Audio Archive.
• From Man to Superman in Theosophy World.
• The Story Of My Life (3 parts) in Theosophy World.
• Audio Recordings Taken In The USA in Theosophy World. These lectures were delivered in 1977 at Krotona Institute of Theosophy.

Over 40 recordings were posted by Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library on the Internet Archive of lectures given at the Theosophical Society in America. Examples are:

• Psychedelic and Yogic Pathways to Reality. 1967.
• The Rose and the Cross. 1956.
• Some Reflections on Teaching Theosophy. 1961.
• The Sublime Purpose of Human Existence. 1967.
• Man's Pathway to Perfection.
• Yoga: Man's Way to Power and Knowledge.
• Zen Practice and Zen Consciousness.

Theosophy New Zealand recordings:

• The Pathway to Perfection audio book read by Geoffrey Hodson at Theosophy New Zealand website.

Video lectures of Hodson

• The Hierarchy of Earth's Adepts: Part 1 and Part 2 by Geoffrey Hodson.
• Interpretations of the Life and teachings of Christ. 1977. A presentation of Geoffrey Hodson given at the Krotona Institute in 1977.
• Atlantis. Geoffrey Hodson presents a talk on Atlantis thought to have been given in Australia around the 1960s.
• The Theory and Practice of Spiritual Healing. Posted on Dr. Ian Ellis-Jones YouTube channel on June 3, 2025. A talk on healing given by Geoffrey Hodson in 1967, being a presentation of The Theosophical Society in America.

Videos about or inspired by Hodson

• Geoffrey Hodson and the Cottingley Fairies by in the New Thinking Allowed series. Jeffrey Mishlove shares many colorful illustrations of spiritual entities from Geoffrey Hodson's book, The Kingdom of the Gods.
• Super Human Consciousness, covering the life of clairvoyant occultist Geoffrey Hodson, discussing clairvoyance, seers, theosophy, occultism, self mastery, super human consciousness, esoteric science, angels, masters of the wisdom and more.
• You think you are not clairvoyant?. Ramsey Dukes relates how he discovered his own clairvoyance, inspired by Geoffrey Hodson's Kingdom of the Gods.
• Be Ye Perfect. 70 pages of book displayed as a video with music.

Archival resources

• The Theosophical Society in America Archives has two large photo albums about Hodson donated by Diana Dunningham-Chapotin; a small collection from the family of Barbara Bradley Hebert; and correspondence scattered throughout several collections. Two films have been digitized and made available through YouTube.
• The Rare Books Room of the Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library holds a copy of a biography written by John Kirk Robertson in 1971, entitled Aquarian Occultist.
• Copies of the same typescript of Aquarian Occultist are cataloged in the national Libraries of Australia and New Zealand.
• The headquarters of the Theosophical Society in New Zealand has Hodson materials.