Editing Spiritual evolution (section)

====Theosophical conceptions====
{{See also|Agni Yoga}}
[[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|Theosophy]] presents a more sophisticated and complex cosmology than Spiritualism, although coming out of the same general milieu. [[H. P. Blavatsky]] developed a highly original cosmology, according to which the human race (both collectively and through the succession of individual reincarnation and spiritual evolution) passes through a number of [[Root Race]]s, beginning with the huge ethereal and mindless Polarian or First Root Race, through the Lemurian (3rd), Atlantean (4th) and our present "Aryan" 5th Race. This will give rise to a future, Post-Aryan 6th Root Race of highly spiritual and enlightened beings that will arise in [[Baja California]] in the 28th century, and an even more sublime 7th Root Race, before ascending to totally superhuman and cosmic states of existence.

Blavatsky's ideas were further developed by her successors, such as [[C.W. Leadbeater]], [[Rudolf Steiner]], [[Alice Bailey]], [[Benjamin Creme]], and [[Victor Skumin]] each of whom went into huge detail in constructing baroque cycles of rounds, races, and sub-races. 
[[Victor Skumin|Skumin]] elaborated on the theosophical conceptions of spiritual evolution and proposed (1990) a classification of '''''Homo spiritalis''''' ([[Latin]]: ''spiritual man''), the sixth root race, consisting of eight subraces: HS0 Anabiosis spiritalis, HS1 Scientella spiritalis, HS2 Aurora spiritalis, HS3 Ascensus spiritalis, HS4 Vocatus spiritalis, HS5 Illuminatio spiritalis, НS6 Creatio spiritalis, and HS7 Servitus spiritalis. According to Skumin:
*''Anabiosis spiritalis'' is spirituality in the potential of unmanifest accumulations of personality, the charge of the fires of spiritual creation;
*''Scientella spiritalis'' is the cordial presentiment of the presence and demands of the spirit, spiritualization of the fire of centers, glimpses of self-consciousness of a spiritual person; 
*''Aurora spiritalis'' is the imperative of the spirit, the action of the spiritual fire of the centers in the heart, the kindling of the fire of the spirit, the formation of the orientation of the personality to the spiritual improvement of life; 
*''Ascensus spiritalis'' is the dawn of spiritual aspirations, the action of the fire of the spirit in the heart, searching spiritual work, aspiration of self-consciousness to merge with the One Spirit; 
*''Vocatus spiritalis'' is the maturation of spiritual accumulations, the purposeful spiritual creation, self-awareness and realization of a person as a warrior of the spirit; 
*''IIluminatio spiritalis'' is the beginning of the fiery transmutation, the lighting of the achievement fire; revealing the identity of man - the earthly carrier of the Thoughts of the One Spirit; 
*''Creatio Spiritalis'' is the beginning of fiery creation, the action of the fire of achievement in the heart, the  revealing self-consciousness of man as the earthly carrier of the Light of the One Spirit; 
*''Servitus Spiritalis'' is the carrying a consciously accepted duty-commission, the synthesis of spirituality in the clarity of knowledge of a ''fiery man''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Skumin |first=V. A. |script-title=ru:Человек духовный: роль культуры духовного здоровья в утверждении новой человеческой расы на планете |trans-title=Spiritual man: The role of the Culture of spiritual health for approval of the new human race on the planet |year=1996 |publisher=Teros |location=[[Novocheboksarsk]] |url=https://biblmdkz.ru/hs.html |language=ru |isbn=978-5-88167-012-2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309182123/https://biblmdkz.ru/hs.html |archive-date=9 March 2021|url-status=live|access-date=8 May 2021}}</ref>

Although including elements of the science of her day as well as both eastern and western esoteric thought, Blavatsky rejected the [[Darwinism|Darwinian]] idea that man evolved from apes, and most subsequent esotericists followed this lead. Darwinism, with its explanation of evolution through material factors like [[natural selection]] and random mutation, does not sit well with many spiritual evolutionists, for whom evolution is initiated or guided by metaphysical principles or is tending towards a [[Teleology|final spiritual or divine state]].  It is believed by Theosophists that humans are evolving ''spiritually'' through a series of esoteric initiations and in the future humans will become esoteric [[Masters of the Ancient Wisdom|masters]] themselves as their [[soul]]s gradually rise upward through the [[Spiritual Hierarchy|spiritual hierarchy]] over the course of eons as they reincarnate.

Despite this, recent Theosophists and [[Anthroposophy|Anthroposophists]] have tried to incorporate the facts of geology and paleontology into their cosmology and spiritual evolution (in Anthroposophy [[Hermann Poppelbaum]] is a particularly creative thinker in this regard). Some have attempted to equate [[Lemuria (continent)|Lemuria]] with [[Gondwana]]land, for example. Today all these ideas have little influence outside their specialised followings, but for a time Theosophical concepts were immensely influential.  Theosophy-like teachings also continue today in a group of religions based on Theosophy called the [[Ascended Master Teachings]].