Theosophy and its Symbols

The deep thought I posted a few days ago, by J. Krishnamurti, prompted me to do a little research on the fellow. What I found was that he is part of a philosophical school of thought known as Theosopy. Theosopy is described as a body of ideas which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain the "Divine," and that each religion has a portion of the "truth."

The Consise Oxford Dictionary describes Theosophy as "any of various philosophies professing to achieve a knowledge of God by spiritual ecstasy, direct intuition, or special individual relations, esp. a modern movement following Hindu and Buddhist teachings and seeking universal brotherhood."

At first glance I was not crazy about the seal for this philosophy, which incorporates the Star of David, the Ankh, the Swastika, the Ouroboros and the Aum...particularly the Swastika part because of its VERY negative connections. But then I remembered that the swastika in Eastern religions and philosophies, in Hinduism and Jainism for example, is a very holy symbol.

The Star of David is obviously representing the Western religions of Judaism and the basis of Christianity.

The Ankh is a shout out to Egypt and is the symbol of life. It was also used by some early Christians.

The Ouroboros is the ringed figure usually a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail to form the circle. The Ancient Egyptians used this symbol, as did Norse mythology, Christianity, Hinduism, the Aztecs, some West African religions and Native Americans. It pops up in modern day references all the time. For example in the movie Adaptation or in the song "I Palindrome I" by They Might Be Giants, "I am a snake head eating the head of the opposite side."

The Aum is another sacred item in Hinduism symbolizing the infinite and the entire Universe.

Around the seal are written the words: There is no religion higher than truth.

I don't know what exactly drew me to look up the Deep Thought from a few days ago. I usually just come across something that resonates with me and I post it. But I guess I wanted to know more about the idea he presented there. I'm glad I did. I've long had the idea that with so many different religions and belief systems out there, how can one possible say that one is better than the other? Isn't there truth in each religion? Isn't there a way for religious beliefs to coexist with other beliefs? Evidently what I was looking for to focus on was Theosophy. Looks like I have some new reading to do.